09:16 Egypt would have closed the Rafah crossing
Egypt reportedly closed the Rafah crossing with Gaza to prevent people from entering and exiting the border after the IDF called on residents of eastern Rafah to evacuate. This was reported by Palestinian sources, reported by Ynet.
09:14 CIA Director arrives in Israel, will see Prime Minister Netanyahu
CIA director William Burns will arrive in Israel today from Doha and will meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem in the afternoon. The aim of Burns – who was in Cairo during the last round of negotiations, which ended yesterday with no results – is to push the parties to return to the negotiating table and find an agreement.
08:44 Gallant: Hamas left no choice but Rafah
Hamas left “no choice but to begin the operation” in Rafah. According to his office, quoted by the media, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said this to his US counterpart Lloyd Austin. In the conversation, Gallant added that “Israel is doing everything to arrive at a draft for the release of the hostages and a temporary ceasefire”, but “at this stage Hamas rejects any proposal that would allow this”.
08:12 IDF drops leaflets on Rafah to move the population
The IDF is launching leaflets in the eastern part of Rafah, in the south of the Strip, inviting the civilian population to temporarily move towards the enlarged humanitarian areas, in anticipation of possible military action in the southernmost city of the Strip. The military spokesman made this known. The flyers are in Arabic and will be accompanied by text messages, telephone calls and media announcements, also in Arabic.
07:23 Expanding the humanitarian area ad Al-Mawasi
After saying that “there has been a wave of humanitarian aid destined for Gaza”, the military spokesman underlined that the army “has expanded the humanitarian area in Al-Mawasi”. An area – he added – which includes “field hospitals, tents and larger quantities of food, water, medicines and additional supplies”. For this reason there will be “the gradual movement of civilians in the specified areas, towards the humanitarian area”. The information on the “temporary movement – added the military spokesperson – will be transmitted through posters, SMS messages, telephone calls and media broadcasts in Arabic”.
07:11 IDF asks Rafah population to start moving
The Israeli army has begun to ask Palestinians to evacuate the eastern neighborhoods of Rafah, those on the Israeli border, in view of a possible offensive planned in the southern area of the Gaza Strip. The army itself made this known. Civilians were asked to move to an expanded humanitarian zone in the al-Mawasi and Khan Younis areas.
06:09 The US confirms: a shipment of weapons to Israel has been blocked
The United States has blocked a shipment of weapons to Israel. The American National Security Council reports this, specifying that “the policy of support for Israel does not change”. The news was anticipated yesterday by Axios, which cited two senior Israeli officials. This is the first time since October 7th. “The United States provided billions of dollars in security assistance to Israel following the October 7 attacks, approved the largest-ever supplemental grant, and led an unprecedented coalition to defend Israel from Iranian attacks,” a spokesperson said. of the National Security Council underlining that Washington will continue “to do what is necessary to ensure that Israel can defend itself from threats.”
06:08 Israeli soldiers killed in attack on Gaza border
The Israeli Armed Forces (IDF) have announced that three soldiers were killed in the attack launched by Hamas against Kerem Shalom, on the border with Gaza and not far from Rafah. According to the Israeli army statement, three soldiers were killed and nine were injured by mortar fire. Some projectiles hit military and civilian infrastructure, including a house in the Kerem Shalom kibbutz, the statement said.
06:08 Raid Rafah, 16 morti
The death toll from an Israeli raid on two houses in Rafah has risen to 16. AFP learned this from medical sources. Rescuers reported nine deaths in the “Al Attar family” and another seven in the “Keshta family”. A hospital source confirmed the toll of the attacks, specifying that they occurred “in the Yebna refugee camp in Rafah and near Al Salam”.