Tuesday, May 28, 2024
15:51 GMT –– United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has condemned Israel's deadly May 26 air strikes on Rafah in Gaza and called for the horror and suffering to stop immediately, his spokesperson said.
"The Israeli authorities must allow, facilitate and enable the immediate, safe and unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance to those in need and all crossing points must be open," UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said.
15:46 GMT –– Israeli army carry out 3,222 massacres in Gaza over 235 days of continuous bombing
The Israeli army has carried out 3,222 massacres in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, killing nearly 36,100 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injuring over 81,000 others.
In a statement, the Gaza media office provided information about the devastating attacks that Israel has been carrying out for the last 235 days on Gaza.
The statement mentioned that the Israeli army has "carried out 3,222 massacres in the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, 2023."
It was noted that 15,328 children and 10,171 women have lost their lives in the Israeli army's attacks on Gaza, 10,000 people are under rubble or missing, the number of dead reaching hospitals is 36,096, and the number of injured is 81,136.
15:39 GMT –– At least 72 displaced Palestinians so far killed in Israeli attacks in Rafah
Israeli forces killed at least 72 displaced Palestinians in attacks on refugee tents in Rafah in the last 48 hours, Gaza’s government media office has said.
"The Israeli occupation army has committed three crimes against humanity by killing 72 displaced persons in the last 48 hours," the media office said in a statement.
It said the Israeli attacks targeted refugee tent encampments in areas declared “safe zone” by Tel Aviv.
“It confirms the occupation’s insistence on committing the crime of genocide with premeditation and deliberation,” it added.
15:19 GMT –– US to suspend Gaza aid deliveries by sea after pier suffers weather damage: NBC
The US military has suspended aid deliveries to Gaza by sea after bad weather damaged the temporary pier it had set up on the enclave's coast, NBC News has reported, citing unnamed officials.
The US military is expected to make the announcement later, NBC said in its report, which cited a United Nations official, a US official and an Israeli official.
14:14 GMT –– Israeli incursion in Rafah could cause loss of city's last hospital: WHO official
A World Health Organization official has said the last hospital in Rafah could become non-functional and a substantial number of deaths could be expected if Israel launches a "full incursion" into the southern Gazan city.
"If the incursion would continue, we would lose the last hospital in Rafah," Richard Peeperkorn, the WHO representative for Gaza and the West Bank, said on the sidelines of the World Health Assembly in Geneva.
He said that in the case of a "full incursion", the "contingency plan" "will not prevent what we expect: substantial additional mortality and morbidity."
14:03 GMT –– Dignity of humanity 'destroyed' in Gaza: Turkish minister
The Turkish health minister has said the dignity of humanity "is being destroyed" in Gaza amid ongoing attacks not only on civilians but also on health facilities.
"In Gaza, the dignity of humanity is being destroyed in front of all of our eyes, stomp by stomp," Fahrettin Koca said in a World Health Assembly (WHA) session in Geneva.
"It has been seen that countries that claim to be developed are very backward in human values. They preferred to keep silent while children and babies were slaughtered with the most primitive methods," he said, adding: "The so-called advanced democracies turned a deaf ear to the voices of societies."
"We are all prisoners of this black and dark history," he said.
13:58 GMT –– Palestine calls new Israeli strikes on Rafah a massacre
The Palestinian president's spokesperson, Nabil Abu Rudeineh, has described new Israeli strikes on Rafah as a massacre and called for the implementation of a World Court decision ordering Israel to halt its offensive on the city.
Israel has kept up its offensive despite a ruling by the top UN court on Friday ordering it to stop, saying the court's ruling grants it some scope for military action in Rafah.
13:53 GMT –– Finland expresses sorrow about Israeli strikes in Rafah
Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen has expressed sorrow about recent Israeli air strikes in Rafah that killed dozens of civilians.
"Devastated by news from Rafah on Israeli strikes killing dozens of civilians, including small children," she wrote on X.
"Finland has consistently urged Israel to refrain from attacking Rafah, especially considering the high numbers of displaced people there. The orders of the ICJ and international humanitarian law must be respected by all parties."
13:44 GMT –– Israel holds 26 Palestinian women without trial or charge: NGO
Israel is holding 26 Palestinian women without trial or charge, a local nongovernmental organisation has said.
Three journalists, a lawyer and several students are among the detainees, the Palestinian Prisoner Society said in a statement.
"Some 26 women are held administratively without trial or charge from among 80 women in Israe li custody at Damon prison" near Haifa in northern Israel, it added.
13:00 GMT –– Hamas urges UNSC to take 'immediate measures' to halt Israeli assault
Hamas has called on the UN Security Council to take "immediate" measures to halt Israel’s ongoing offensive in Rafah in southern Gaza.
In a statement, the Palestinian group urged the council "to fulfil its legal and moral responsibilities towards Israel’s disregard for the decision of the International Court of Justice."
12:43 GMT –– WHO chief deplores Israel’s Sunday attack on Rafah camp for displaced people
The World Health Organization (WHO) chief has deplored Israel's Sunday attack on a camp for displaced people in the city of Rafah in southern Gaza, causing the deaths of dozens.
"WHO deplores the air strike on Sunday night in Rafah that reportedly killed 45 displaced people sheltering in tents," Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on X.
"As violence in Rafah continues escalating, almost a million displaced people are once again in search of safety that doesn’t exist in Gaza," he said.
12:31 GMT –– Dozens killed in Israeli strikes on tent area west of Rafah: officials
At least 21 Palestinians were killed and dozens wounded in new Israeli strikes on an area of tents housing displaced people West of Rafah, health authorities in the enclave have said.
The new Israeli strikes targeted tents of displaced families in the designated humanitarian area in Mawasi in western Rafah, according to medics and residents.
12:12 GMT –– South Africa condemns Israel's 'deplorable' Rafah strike
South Africa has condemned as "deplorable" an Israeli strike on Gaza's southern city of Rafah that killed dozens in a displaced persons camp.
"The South African Government joins the international community in condemning the deplorable and brutal attacks on innocent civilians after Israeli forces bombed a tent camp housing displaced Palestinians," the foreign ministry said.
It noted that the strike came two days after the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to end its military offensive in Rafah.
12:00 GMT –– Medical evacuations under 'abrupt halt' in Gaza: WHO
The World Health Organization (WHO) has said that medical evacuations in Gaza are under "abrupt halt" while 10,000 people need to be referred out.
"There's been an abrupt halt to all medical evacuations," WHO spokesperson Margaret Harris said at a UN press briefing.
"We have around 10,000 people who need to be evacuated. And since the increase in the violence in the area and Rafah, and the limitation on the services, we now have an extra 1,000 critically ill and injured patients who've been unable to leave Gaza to receive the much-needed medical treatment elsewhere," Harris stressed. She noted that no evacuation has been done since May 7.
11:54 GMT –– Just one hospital now operational in Gaza's Rafah: ministry
Only one hospital remains operational in Rafah in southern Gaza, while all other hospitals have ceased operations amid an Israeli offensive in the city, the Health Ministry has said.
In a statement, the ministry said that Israeli attacks had forced four hospitals in Rafah - Abu Yusef al-Najjar Hospital, Abu al-Walid Central Clinic, Rafah Field Hospital 2, and Kuwait Specialist Hospital – out of service.
"The Tel al-Sultan Maternity Hospital is still struggling to provide services to patients," it added.
11:14 GMT –– Israeli killing of Egyptian soldier shows how real Gaza war spillover threat is: Fidan
Israel's killing of an Egyptian soldier in the Rafah border crossing has shown how real the risk of a spillover of the Gaza conflict is, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has said in a live presser.
Speaking in a news conference alongside his Cambodian counterpart Sok Chenda Sophea, who is in the Turkish capital Ankara on an official visit, Fidan also criticised the US and other Western nations for their support to Israel.
"It would not be possible for this genocide to continue without the support of some countries, especially the US, for Israel," he said.
10:48 GMT –– Spain, Norway and Ireland formally recognise State of Palestine
Spain and Norway have formally recognised the State of Palestine, with Ireland due to follow suit.
The three European countries believe their initiative has strong symbolic impact that is likely to encourage others to recognise a Palestinian state.
As Oslo's formal recognition went into effect, Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide hailed the move as "a special day for Norway-Palestine relations."
"Norway has been one of the most fervent defenders of a Palestinian state for more than 30 years," he added.
Shortly afterwards, Spain followed suit, with government spokeswoman Pilar Alegria confirming the cabinet had formally recognised Palestinian statehood, qualifying it as "a historic day."
09:08 GMT –– Israel again bombs Rafah as UNSC to discuss camp attack
Israel has again bombarded Gaza's far-southern Rafah area despite a global storm of outrage over Sunday's strike that set ablaze a crowded tent city, killing at least 45 people.
The strike, which Gaza medics said also left hundreds of civilians with shrapnel and burn wounds, drew condemnation from world leaders and was set to be discussed at an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council from 1915 GMT.
The sight of the charred carnage, blackened corpses and children being rushed to hospitals led UN chief Antonio Guterres to declare that "there is no safe place in Gaza. This horror must stop."
09:01 GMT –– Israel advances in Philadelphi Corridor, moves closer to blocking Gaza from Egypt
The Israeli army began expanding its incursion into Rafah, southern Gaza, seizing more of the border area with Egypt, known as the Philadelphi Corridor.
The move means that the Israeli army is moving closer to isolating the besieged enclave from contact with Egypt and eventually the entire world.
The current Israeli incursion into Rafah makes it only 3 kilometres (1.8 miles) away from the Rafah coast and puts over two-thirds of the Philadelphi Corridor area under Israel's control.
The Philadelphi Corridor –– 14-kilometer (8.69-mile) in length –– is a demilitarised buffer zone running along the Gaza-Egypt border, as stipulated by the treaty following the signing of the 1978 Camp David Accords between then-Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin.
08:42 GMT –– Israeli tanks reach Rafah city centre, witnesses say
Several Israeli tanks reached the centre of Rafah, witnesses told Reuters news agency, three weeks into a ground offensive in the southern Gaza city that has has drawn intense scrutiny from neighbouring Egypt and from the United States.
The tanks were spotted near al-Awda mosque, a central Rafah landmark, the witnesses said.
The Israeli military did not immediately comment on their account, saying it would issue a statement about the Rafah offensive later.
08:09 GMT –– Israeli forces press Rafah offensive despite global outcry
Israel pounded Rafah with air strikes and tank fire, pressing its offensive in Gaza's southern city.
At least 16 Palestinians were killed in strikes overnight, officials in the enclave said. Israeli tanks pushed towards western neighbourhoods in one of the worst nights of bombardment reported by residents.
Reacting to Sunday night's strike and fire in a camp where thousands of families displaced from assaults elsewhere in Gaza had sought shelter, global leaders urged the implementation of a World Court order to halt Israel's assault.
07:46 GMT –– China expresses 'grave concern' over Israel's military assaults in Rafah
China expressed "grave concern" over Israel's military attacks in Rafah, where an Israeli strike killed dozens in a displaced persons camp.
China "expresses its grave concern over the ongoing Israeli military operations in Rafah", foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said.
Beijing urged "all parties to protect civilians and civilian facilities". It also said it "strongly urges Israel to listen to the appeals of the international community and to stop its attacks on Rafah".
07:39 GMT –– UNRWA says around 1 million people have fled Rafah in past 3 weeks
Around one million people have fled the Gazan city of Rafah in the past three weeks, the United Nations Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) said.
The small city on the southern edge of Gaza had been sheltering more than a million Palestinians who fled Israeli assaults on other parts of the enclave.
UNRWA said Palestinians' flight from Rafah "happened with nowhere safe to go and amidst bombardments, lack of food and water, piles of waste and unsuitable living conditions."
06:52 GMT — Recognising Palestinian statehood 'essential for reaching peace': Sanchez
Recognising Palestinian statehood is an "essential" step for achieving peace in the Middle East, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said, with his government poised to formally take the step alongside Ireland and Norway.
"Recognition of the state of Palestine... is an essential requirement if we are all to achieve peace," he said.
05:26 GMT — UNSC to hold emergency meeting after Israel's massacre in Rafah
The UN Security Council has convened an emergency meeting after what Israel said was a "precision strike" on a displaced persons camp in the southern Gaza city of Rafah that killed at least 45 people, wounded 250, some of them burned alive and others slashed into pieces.
The closed-door meeting was requested by Algeria, which is currently a non-permanent member of the council, diplomats said.
04:27 GMT — UN chief condemns Israel strike in Rafah, calls for 'horror' to end
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has condemned an Israeli strike on Gaza's southern city of Rafah, saying the attack "killed scores of innocent civilians who were only seeking shelter from this deadly conflict."
"There is no safe place in Gaza. This horror must stop," Guterres added in a social media post.
03:33 GMT — Luxembourg, Belgium seek 'useful' recognition of Palestine
Luxembourg and Belgium are seeking a more impactful and "useful" recognition of Palestinian statehood, its foreign ministers have said.
"What changed since the recognition of Palestine as a state by three European countries?” Luxembourg's Foreign Minister Xavier Bettel told reporters at the doorstep of the European Union's Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Brussels, referring to Spain, Ireland and Norway, which said they would formally recognise a Palestinian state on May 28.
He stressed the need for an international movement of recognition, including Asian and Latin American countries, to get more impact.
For our live updates from Monday, May 28, 2024, click here.
