(The Age, 30/5/2024)
My brain cannot contemplate the level of evil that is this Israeli Government – we have to trust God for judgement because this world wont judge Netanyahu or his Government – Mark
Key Points
Israeli shelling and airstrikes killed at least 37 people outside the city of Rafah.
Spain, Norway and Ireland formally recognised a Palestinian state on Tuesday.
The Israeli military suggested Sunday’s blaze in the tent camp may have been caused by secondary explosions.
Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip: Israel’s military has denied striking a tent camp in a designated humanitarian zone west of Rafah, after Gaza health authorities said Israeli tank shelling had killed at least 21 people there.
Earlier, defying an appeal from the International Court of Justice, Israeli tanks advanced to the heart of Rafah for the first time after a night of heavy bombardment. People in Rafah reported an escalation of fighting on Wednesday (AEST) as Israeli forces pressed their assault on the border town.
The US, Israel’s closest ally, reiterated its opposition to a major Israeli ground offensive in Rafah but said it did not believe such an operation was under way.
Two days after an Israeli airstrike on another camp stirred global condemnation, Gaza emergency services said four tank shells hit a cluster of tents in al-Mawasi, a coastal strip Israel designated as an expanded humanitarian zone where it advised civilians in Rafah to go for safety. At least 12 of the dead were women, according to medical officials in the Hamas militant-run Palestinian enclave.
But Israel’s military later said in a statement: “Contrary to the reports from the last few hours, the IDF (Israel Defence Forces) did not strike in the humanitarian area in al-Mawasi”.
Israel told about one million Palestinian civilians displaced by the almost eight-month-old war to evacuate to al-Mawasi when it launched its Rafah incursion in early May. About that many have fled Rafah since then, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees UNRWA reported.
In central Rafah, tanks and armoured vehicles mounted with machine guns were spotted near Al-Awda mosque, a city landmark, witnesses told Reuters. The Israeli military said its forces continued to operate in the Rafah area, without commenting on reported advances into the city centre.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres added his voice to the chorus of condemnation of the strike on the camp and again urged Israel to allow “the immediate, safe and unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance to those in need”.
Pier closed
In a further blow to aid efforts, the US-built temporary pier that has been taking humanitarian aid to starving Palestinians for less than two weeks broke apart in rough seas and will be removed from the coast of Gaza to be repaired, the Pentagon said.
Read More………….
