Currently Online 
MSF call for immediate ceasefire in Gaza
Doctors Without Borders, known by its French initials MSF, says a military offensive on Rafah would be “catastrophic” in light of more than one million people residing in the southern Gaza city, most of them displaced.
“People in Gaza need an immediate and sustained ceasefire,” the group said on X.
British PM ‘deeply concerned’ about looming Rafah invasion
Rishi Sunak says that his government is “deeply concerned about the possibility of a military incursion into Rafah given the number of civilians sheltering there”.
The Israeli army appears to be moving closer to carrying out its long-threatened military ground operation against Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, where more than one million displaced Palestinians are currently sheltering. Earlier today, leaflets were dropped on the eastern areas of the city, ordering citizens there to evacuate.
“The priority now must be for all parties, especially Hamas, to agree to an agreement to release the hostages and allow more aid in as part of a temporary truce that allows us to build a sustainable ceasefire, as this is the best way to end the conflict,” the United Kingdom’s prime minister said in comments to Sky News.
PM Rishi Sunak further added:
- The UK is deeply concerned about the possibility of a military incursion into Rafah given the number of civilians sheltering there.
- The priority now must be for all parties, especially Hamas, to settle on an agreement to release the hostages and allow more aid in as part of a temporary truce that allows for the building of a sustainable ceasefire, as this is the best way to end the conflict.
Biden, Netanyahu speak as Rafah offensive looms
Biden has updated Netanyahu on efforts to secure a deal to free captives held in Gaza, including through ongoing talks today in Qatar, a statement by the White House says.
Netanyahu told Biden he would ensure the Karem Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossing between Israel and Gaza is open for humanitarian aid. The crossing was closed on Sunday after Hamas fired a barrage of rockets at it.
Biden reiterated his “clear position on Rafah” during the call with Netanyahu. The statement did not elaborate on what that position is, but in the past, US officials have said they would oppose a ground offensive on Rafah without a clear plan in place to protect civilians.
As recently as late April, US officials said they had yet to see such a plan from the Israeli army.
Israel keeps main humanitarian aid crossing into Gaza closed for second day
The Israeli military confirms that it has kept the Karem Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossing, the main aid crossing from Israeli territory into besieged Gaza, closed for a second day due to “security reasons”.
The Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) office, which is in charge of organising aid entry into the Gaza Strip, said 35 aid trucks crossed into northern Gaza today via the Beit Hanoon (Erez) crossing that was reopened last week for the first time since the start of the war.
The Karem Abu Salem crossing was closed on Sunday after Hamas fired 10 rockets at a military installation near the crossing, killing four Israeli soldiers and wounding at least 10 others.
A short while ago, the White House said that Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu told US President Joe Biden that he had agreed to reopen the crossing.
Released captives, families demand ‘truth’ on negotiations: Report
Six Israelis released from captivity in Gaza, along with the families of those remaining in the enclave, have reportedly written a letter to war cabinet members Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot to demand the “truth” about mediated negotiations with Hamas.
They blame Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for deliberating sabotaging an agreement and effectively “abandoning the hostages to their deaths”, according to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz.
“We watch in horror at what is happening, and demand to know what happened on Saturday,” the letter reads.
They also deem the planned offensive on Rafah at this moment a death sentence for the captives.
“Why aren’t you telling the Israeli public that they can allow themselves to stop the war in exchange for a ceasefire?” they asked in their letter. “And why did you support action in Rafah when it is clear that it endangers the hostages and distances the possibility of their return? Go public and tell the truth.”
Rafah invasion will put children at risk from ‘chaos’ and panic’: UNICEF
A ground invasion into Rafah poses “catastrophic risks” to the hundreds of thousands of children taking shelter in the area, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has said.
“Rafah is now a city of children, who have nowhere safe to go in Gaza. If large scale military operations start, not only will children be at risk from the violence, but also from chaos and panic, and at a time where their physical and mental states are already weakened,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell in a statement.
“More than 200 days of war have taken an unimaginable toll on the lives of children.”
UNICEF said children in Gaza are being “disproportionately” killed and wounded, while suffering “more acutely from disruptions to healthcare and education”.
Essay Pro