The Rafah crossing with Egypt is taken over by Israeli forces
The Palestinians are Protected in the Gaza Strip: Israel’s War on Hamas and the Jerusalam Gaza Strip
The move comes after hours of whiplash in the Israel-Hamas war, with the militant group on Monday saying it accepted an Egyptian-Qatari mediated cease-fire proposal. The Israel insisted that the deal wouldn’t meet its core demands. The high-stakes diplomatic moves and military brinkmanship left a glimmer of hope alive — but only barely — for an accord that could bring at least a pause in the 7-month-old war that has devastated the Gaza Strip.
Israeli leaders have repeatedly rejected that trade-off, vowing to keep up their campaign until Hamas is destroyed after its Oct. 7 attack on Israel that triggered the war.
The proposal called for a cease fire to begin with a release of hostages and partial Israeli troop withdrawals from Gaza. The two sides would also negotiate a “permanent calm” that would lead to a full hostage release and greater Israeli withdrawal out of the territory, they said.
Foreign ministers from the Group of 7 countries, including the U.S., warn of catastrophic consequences for civilians if an Israeli military operation is allowed to go ahead in Rafah. The group calls for a “credible and actionable plan” that protects civilians.
The Egyptian Foreign Ministry was not immediately able to comment on the Israeli seizure. A seizure of the border could prompt Palestinians to flee over the border, which could potentially threaten a 1979 peace deal with Israel that was a major factor in regional security.
The crossing had closed as a result of the Israeli takeover, but a spokesman for the Palestinian Crossings Authority said that was incorrect. He said strikes had targeted the area around the crossing since Monday.
The Israeli military showed a tank entering the crossing. The details in the video matched those of the crossing, with the flags flying from the tanks that seized the area.
JERUSALEM — An Israeli tank brigade seized control Tuesday of the Gaza Strip side of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, authorities said, moving forward with an offensive in the southern city even as cease-fire negotiations with Hamas remain on a knife’s edge.
It is also where most food, medical supplies and fuel have entered Gaza, even as other crossings with Israel opened up. Most international aid groups serving Gaza are based in Rafah.
Netanyahu told the families of the soldiers who were killed during the war that Israel’s military would enter the Rafah area, with or without a deal, in order to achieve total victory.
The Israeli army ordered residents north of Wadi Gaza, including Gaza City, to evacuate to the south after they bombarded Gaza and blockaded the Strip. The military drops leaflets warning that those who remain in Gaza City will be considered supporters of terrorism.
The U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, starts evacuation of Gaza City and stops providing services to hundreds of thousands of displaced people sheltering in schools in the north. The UN says its shelters are no longer safe. Tens of thousands of people begin heading south — most on foot, carrying their belongings and dragging their children for miles.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi warns against a plan to forcibly displace Palestinians in the Gaza Strip into Egypt. He says Egypt will not accept forced displacements into the Sinai Peninsula because it could become permanent. He says it could endanger Egypt’s peace treaty with Israel, and that the Israel siege of Gaza is meant to cause displacement.
The first aid trucks enter Gaza since the start of the war through the Rafah crossing after President Biden visits Israel and speaks with Egypt’s president. Hundreds of trucks with aid are waiting at the border.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin warns in a speech that the war in Gaza can only be won by protecting civilians, saying “the center of gravity is the civilian population.” He says if Israel does not change it will be a tactical victory with a strategic defeat.
The Security Council voted to impose a cease-fire after the UN Secretary General invoked Article 99 for the first time. He warns of “increased mass displacement into neighboring countries,” a veiled reference to pressure on Palestinians in Rafah and the threat of forced displacement into Egypt. The U.S. is the lone veto of the resolution, with 13 nations voting in favor and the U.K. abstaining.
The prime minister of Israel was asked about the Philadelphi Corridor during a press conference in Tel Aviv. The Philadelphi Corridor must be in our hands, closed, and put in our hands. None of the other arrangements will guarantee demilitarization that we want.
Netanyahu instructs Israel’s military to present plans to the Cabinet for evacuating the civilian population from Rafah and for a military operation that would eliminate Hamas battalions in the city.
The White House says that President Biden told Netanyahu in a call that a military operation in Gaza shouldn’t go ahead without a plan for ensuring the safety of people there.
According to the media reports, Israel freed two hostages from Rafah in order to kill at least 70 Palestinians, most of which were children.
Israeli military chief of staff Aviv Kochavi and Shin Bet director Ronen Bar meet with senior Egyptian officials, according to a report by prominent Israeli news outlet Walla, and assure them that an operation in Rafah will be coordinated with them. Egypt and Israel are close to each other. Egypt is making a public warning against an assault on Rafah.
According to the health ministry of Gaza, at least 25 people were killed when Israeli planes hit various homes in the city. 13 of those killed were members of one family. Hundreds of people have been killed in airstrikes in Rafah over the past six weeks.
National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby tells reporters that a major ground attack in Rafah “is a mistake” and that the White House is in discussion with Israel’s government on alternative ways to eliminate Hamas in Gaza.
Israel’s Freed Up Response to a U.S. Bomb Attempt on the Gazan City of Rafah II: A Gazan-Dominated Attack
Israeli news organizations are reporting that the Israeli military freed up troops in central Gaza for an assault on the town of Rafah.
A shipment of bombs was stopped by the U.S. last week because of worries that they could be used on the Egyptian border. The paused shipment included 1,800 2,000-pound bombs and 1,700 500-pound bombs.
