Israel carried out strike that killed senior Hamas leader in Beirut, US official says
Israel carried out the strike Tuesday in southern Beirut that killed senior Hamas leader Saleh Al-Arouri, a US official told CNN. The Biden administration was not told about the operation in advance, the official added. Citing a senior Israeli official, Axios’ Barak Ravid reported earlier that the administration was informed “as the operation was happening.”
Israeli government spokesperson Mark Regev said that Israel had "not taken responsibility" for the attack. During an interview with MSNBC, the senior adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had "seen the reports" about the attack.
Israeli national security minister responds to US rebuke of his comment on resettling Gazans
A far-right Israeli official has responded to the US State Department's rebuke to his comments that call for the resettlement of Gazans outside of the Gaza Strip
Very appreciative of the United States of America but with all due respect we are not just another star on the American flag," National Security Minister Ben Gvir said in a translated post on X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday. He called the US Israel's "good friend." "But first of all we will do what is good for the State of Israel," the minister said, adding that the "emigration of hundreds of thousands from Gaza" will allow Israeli settlers to return and "live in security."
He and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich made the suggestion earlier this week. Smotrich called for Palestinian residents to leave the Gaza strip, to make way for Israelis who could "make the desert bloom," according to Reuters.
Gvir expressed support for resettling Palestinians from the Gaza Strip abroad, declaring that the war presents an “opportunity to concentrate on encouraging the migration of the residents of Gaza” during a political meeting.
Earlier Tuesday, US State Department spokesperson Matt Miller said that “such statements do not reflect the policy of the Israeli government," denouncing them as "inflammatory and irresponsible."
Nice mess there. Definitely a rift starting to form between the USA and Israel.
Over 1 million people are now stuck in Rafah
The UN relief agency (OCHA) has released an update on the humanitarian situation in Palestine, noting that more than 1 million people are now in the Rafah Governorate in southern Gaza. OCHA said that heavy Israeli bombardments from “land, air and sea” continued across Gaza and that hostilities in Khan Younis and Deir el-Balah had added to Rafah becoming “extremely overcrowded”.
The IDF wants them to return to the North soon ish, Gaza city:
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