Tag: RAFAH

US says Israel took into account its concerns over Rafah

WASHINGTON, May 21, 2024 (AFP) – Israel has taken US concerns into account as it wages military operations in the Gaza city of Rafah, which is packed with refugees, a senior United States official said Tuesday. “It’s fair to say, I think the Israelis have updated their plans. They’ve incorporated many of the concerns that we have expressed,” the official told reporters. “This is an ongoing discussion, ongoing conversation. It’s been constructive,” said the official, […]

Israel’s Rafah evacuation order sparks global alarm

RAFAH, Palestinian Territories, May 6, 2024 (AFP) – Israel called on Palestinians to leave eastern Rafah Monday ahead of a ground invasion of the southern Gaza city, amid increasing global alarm about the consequences of such a move. The evacuation call followed disagreement between Israel and Hamas over the Palestinian militant group’s demands to end the seven-month war, during weekend negotiations in Cairo. Egyptian state-linked media said the talks stalled after a rocket attack claimed […]

Hamas official says group will not accept truce that does not end Gaza war

GAZA STRIP, Palestinian Territories, May 4, 2024 (AFP) – A senior Hamas official on Saturday said the group would not accept a truce that did not completely end the Gaza war, accusing Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu of “personally hindering” a deal. Qatari, Egyptian and US mediators met a Hamas delegation in Cairo on Saturday in the latest bid to halt the devastating almost seven-month-old war that has triggered worldwide protests. They were to hear the […]

Netanyahu says troops to enter Rafah ‘with or without’ Gaza truce

JERUSALEM, April 30, 2024 (AFP) – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that the Israeli military will launch a ground offensive in Rafah “with or without” a truce with Hamas in Gaza. “The idea that we will halt the war before achieving all of its goals is out of the question. We will enter Rafah and we will eliminate the Hamas battalions there with or without a deal, in order to achieve the total […]

Israeli withdrawal from southern Gaza likely just troop ‘refit’: W.House

WASHINGTON, April 7, 2024 (AFP) – Israel’s partial withdrawal from the southern Gaza Strip is likely so its troops can “rest and refit,” rather than a move towards a new operation, the White House said on Sunday. “They’ve been on the ground for four months, the word we’re getting is they’re tired, they need to be refit,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told ABC’s “This Week,” though he stressed that it was “hard to […]

US raises concerns on Rafah offensive with Israeli defense chief

WASHINGTON, March 26, 2024 (AFP) – Secretary of State Antony Blinken raised US opposition to a major ground operation in Rafah with Israel’s defense minister on Monday, after a delegation to discuss Washington’s concerns was scrapped earlier in the day. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had agreed to send the delegation to Washington but cancelled it after the United States abstained on a UN Security Council resolution that demanded an immediate ceasefire during Ramadan. In his […]

Biden tells Netanyahu Rafah operation would be ‘mistake’

By Danny KEMP WASHINGTON, March 18, 2024 (AFP) – US President Joe Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Monday that a major ground offensive in Gaza’s Rafah would be a “mistake,” as the two leaders spoke for the first time in a month amid growing tensions. Netanyahu had also agreed to Biden’s request to send a delegation of senior Israeli officials to Washington to discuss Israel’s Rafah plans and a possible “alternative approach,” the […]

Israeli PM says civilians can leave crowded Rafah before invasion

By Adel Zaanoun with Robbie Corey-Boulet in Jerusalem GAZA STRIP, Palestinian Territories, March 17, 2024 (AFP) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Sunday that civilians crammed into the southern Gaza Strip would be able to leave before troops enter in pursuit of Hamas militants. His comments, alongside visiting German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, follow international fears over the fate of the roughly 1.5 million people sheltering in Rafah, most of them displaced by Gaza’s war. […]

Top UN court rejects S.Africa request for more Gaza measures

By Jan HENNOP THE HAGUE, Feb 16, 2024 (AFP) – The UN’s top court Friday rejected South Africa’s request to put more legal pressure on Israel to halt a threatened offensive against the Gaza city of Rafah, saying it was “bound to comply with existing measures”. Pretoria has already filed a complaint against Israel in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, alleging that its assault on Gaza amounts to a breach of […]

S.Africa urges ICJ to pressure Israel to halt Rafah offensive

JOHANNESBURG, Feb 13, 2024 (AFP) – South Africa urged the UN’s top court Tuesday to place more legal pressure on Israel to halt a threatened offensive against the densely crowded Gaza city of Rafah. Pretoria has already made a complaint against Israel in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, alleging that its assault on Gaza amounts to a breach of the Genocide Convention. The court has yet to rule on the underlying […]

Hamas warns Israeli invasion of Rafah will ‘torpedo’ hostage talks

By Mai Yaghi with Phil Hazlewood in Jerusalem GAZA STRIP, Palestinian Territories, Feb 12, 2024 (AFP) – Hamas warned Israel on Sunday that a ground offensive in Rafah, crowded with displaced Gazans, would imperil future hostage releases, while US President Joe Biden urged the protection of civilians in the besieged territory. Foreign governments, including Israel’s key ally the United States, and aid groups have voiced deep concern over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s vow to […]

Gaza-Egypt border reopens for evacuations: officials

ISMAILIA, Egypt, Nov 6, 2023 (AFP) – The Rafah crossing between the bombarded Gaza Strip and Egypt reopened Monday to allow the evacuation of foreigners, dual nationals and wounded Palestinians, the Hamas government and an Egyptian official said. The terminal was opened for three days on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday last week to allow dozens of wounded Palestinians and hundreds of foreign passport holders to cross before closing Saturday and Sunday amid a dispute over […]