Israel threatened major assault on Rafah to defeat thousands of Hamas fighters it says are holed up there, but Western nations & UN have warned it would be humanitarian catastrophe.
Biden administration has been trying to head off full-scale assault by Israelis against Rafah, where hundreds of thousands of Palestinian have sought refuge from combat.
Hamas said late Monday that it had agreed to ceasefire proposal from mediators. Israel said the terms did not meet its demands and launched a military operation in Rafah.
Israel’s military described its raid as ‘precise and limited’ and said it was based on credible information that Hamas was hiding in the facility and had kept hostages there.
The Rafah crossing, controlled by Egypt, is the main entrance and exit point to Gaza from Egypt and is in a region tightly controlled by the Egyptian military.
1st time since conflict began last month that Rafah crossing has been opened. Qatar's mediated agreement between Egypt, Israel & Hamas, though it's unclear how long it'll remain open.
Earlier in the day, Hamas released 2 American hostages. US embassy in Israel issued security alert prior to crossing’s opening, expressing uncertainty over 'how long it will remain open'.
The Embassy has warned of a 'potentially chaotic and disorderly environment' and asked its citizens to respond to the message with their current location.
Aid from several countries has been held up in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula for days pending a deal for its safe delivery to Gaza & evacuation of foreign passport holders through the crossing.
TMC should worry about minority voters and how they view her ‘outside support’. Minorities are with the TMC but they have also watched Rahul Gandhi march across the country.
Latest report by UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs says global growth to be faster than estimated earlier & India’s 'robust performance' to boost South Asia’s growth.
The Spanish foreign minister says 'the Middle East does not need more weapons, it needs more peace'. Spain has been very critical of Israel’s offensive in Gaza.
Even in the weeks leading up to Chamkila’s assassination there were massacres every other day. To airbrush all of this is sheer intellectual cowardice if not a crime.
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