Live Updates
Smoke billows over Rafah in the south of Gaza after an Israeli bombardment during its war against Palestinian militant group Hamas.
AFP
The raging Israel-Hamas war is now on its 186th day, and amid increasing international scrutiny over Israel’s military offensive in the devastated Gaza Strip, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that a date has been set for the Israel Defense Forces’ (IDF) ground incursion into Rafah, southern Gaza’s main city.
Rafah, where more than a million Palestinians have sought shelter since the war started, is at center of tensions between the U.S. and Israel. President Joe Biden repeatedly warned Washington’s Middle Eastern ally against launching a raid of Rafah without a clear plan to protect civilians in the area.
Embattled UNRWA (United Nations’ relief agency for Palestinians) said Tuesday that it needs more access to Gaza civilians as the war-torn enclave, particularly its northern region, nears famine.
Hamas said the Israeli-proposed ceasefire deal does not meet any demands made by Palestinian factions. On the other hand, the Palestinian terror group, which started the six-month war when it killed more than a thousand people on Oct. 7, said it was reviewing the framework of a new three-phase ceasefire plan for a hostage-prisoner exchange.
In Syria, Israeli fighter jets struck a military position overnight in retaliation for rockets fired toward the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights. Iranian-backed Hezbollah said early Tuesday that it attacked an IDF post in the Golan area.
Forces with the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) destroyed a Houthi air defense system in Yemen after an unmanned aerial system (UAS) was launched by the Iran-backed Yemeni rebel militia over the Red Sea.
Gaza has been suffering the brunt of more than six months of fighting between Israeli forces and Hamas militants. The war stems from decades of violence in the Israel-Palestine conflict that triggered tensions across the rest of the Middle East.
