Israeli military aircraft have heavily bombed the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip accompanied with ground advances shortly after the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas said it had agreed to a proposal on ceasefire in Gaza.
A Palestinian journalist reported flares in the night sky, while locals said dozens of reconnaissance drones flew overhead.
The official Palestinian news agency Wafa and Egyptian media said Israeli military vehicles advanced towards the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing with Egypt, as well as the Karem Shalom crossing with the Israeli-occupied territories.
A Palestinian security official and an Egyptian authority have told the Associated Press news agency that Israeli tanks have entered Rafah, reaching as close as 200 meters from Rafah’s border crossing with neighboring Egypt.
The Israeli military has said it was conducting “targeted strikes” against Hamas in eastern Rafah.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office has also said "Israel is continuing the operation in Rafah to exert military pressure on Hamas" in order to advance the release of captives and what it called "the other objectives of the war."
In the meantime, it described the proposal on ceasefire as "far from Israel's essential demands," but added that it would send negotiators for talks "to exhaust the potential for arriving at an agreement."
The military strikes on Rafah came ahead of talks in Egypt on Tuesday aimed at sealing a truce proposal accepted by Hamas, which was put forward by Qatari and Egyptian mediators.
According to a copy of the proposal, there will be three phases to ending Israel’s onslaught against Gaza.
The first phase calls for a complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Netzarim corridor and the return of displaced Palestinians to their homes. The second phase involves an announcement of a permanent cessation of military operations. In the last phase, there would be a complete end to the blockade of the Gaza Strip.
In return, Israel would be required to release an unspecified number of Palestinian prisoners, withdraw its troops from certain regions of the Gaza Strip, and allow Palestinians to travel from the south of the coastal sliver to the north.
About 1.5 million Palestinians are sheltering in Rafah, once designated a “safe zone” by the Israeli military. Palestinians are now struggling to evacuate the city, after the Israeli military dropped leaflets ordering them to leave as a large-scale assault on the city is planned.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has said that a ground invasion of Rafah would be “intolerable” and called on Israel and Hamas “to go an extra mile” to reach a truce deal.
“This is an opportunity that cannot be missed, and a ground invasion in Rafah would be intolerable because of its devastating humanitarian consequences, and because of its destabilizing impact in the region,” Guterres told reporters on Monday ahead of a meeting with Italian President Sergio Mattarella in New York.
Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi has also warned that Israel is “jeopardizing the deal by bombing Rafah.”
Comments
In other countries daily news are like :- Constructions.. infrastructure, dams, projects, oil tanks, etc etc..
In India daily news are like Ban Caw slaughter, Ban gow mootra, ban Gau Export, Dalits Beaten, Muslim beaten, Bharath Mata & Pita ki Jai,etc etc.. Wah India badal gaya..
We welcome this move....but modees export corporates will be naraz and this will never happen.....ha ha....let's see how modi govt. Will react...all Go bhakta should adopt on Go mother in their house.....First Go shaalay.....then Sauchaalay..
welcome move.
center always escapes telling this is state matter and continue exporting beef (their mata) to different country. center utilized cow issue as political mileage and played with sentiments of hindus and muslims. all muslim will respect law provided ban means complete ban, including export.
better let them ban cow slaughter in india,
then let them know who is fighting for that
for muslim no issue we will eat goat or chicken ..
Good decision.
Let them ban all beef /buffalo/ calves and all leather business.
Let the Hindu owners of the beef companies shut their business.
Let the Modi govt. manage the crores export business of financial burden.
High Court has taken mind boggling action on this matter...here on India should not export beef.....there are many export company situated in India owned by RSS Hindus...that should be stopped once and for all....and so that make sure you give gou mata respectful five star life.....the huts should be converted in to bunglows....common its Gou Mata man....it deserves it....
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