Palestinians fleeing unsafe areas in Rafah arrive with their belongings on a donkey-cart in Khan Yunis. (Photo by Bashar Taleb / AFP)
Doha, Qatar: Showing no signs of changing course, fresh strikes were reported in the southern Gaza city of Rafah on Wednesday, May 29, 2024.
Reports of new strikes were reported hours after witnesses and a Palestinian security source said Israeli trans had penetrated the heart of the city.
"People are currently inside their homes because anyone who moves is being shot at by Israeli drones," resident Abdel Khatib told AFP.
US President Joe Biden has warned Israel against launching a major military operation in Rafah, but his administration insisted Tuesday that Israel had not yet crossed its red lines.
"We have not seen them smash into Rafah," said the US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby.
This statement comes even as the civil defence official in Gaza said an Israeli strike on a displacement camp west of Rafah on Tuesday killed at least 21 people, after a similar strike over the weekend sparked global outrage and prompted the emergency UN Security Council session.
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Displaced Palestinians sit by their tents at a makeshift displacement camp in Rafah's Mawasi area in the southern Gaza Strip on May 29, 2024, a site that was reportedly hit a day earlier during Israeli bombardment. (Photo by Bashar Taleb / AFP)
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[12pm Doha Time] WHO delivers aid to north of Gaza for first time in 2 weeks, says Tedros
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[11am Doha Time] Al-Quds Hospital in Rafah evacuated due to threats: PRCS
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said that it evacuated the Society's Al-Quds Hospital from the Mawasi Rafah area to the Mawasi Khan Yunis area.
PRCS said in a statement that the evacuation came after the non-stop Israeli occupation's threats, the ongoing artillery and air bombardment in its vicinity and the complete evacuation of the surrounding area of residents.
Earlier yesterday, the Society announced the killing of one of the staff of Al-Quds Field Hospital after his home in Al-Bureij Camp in the Central Governorate was targeted, bringing the death toll of the Society's staff to 30, of whom 17 were martyred while performing their humanitarian duty since the start of the aggression on the Gaza Strip.
Medical sources confirmed yesterday that all hospitals in Rafah Governorate were out of service except for Tal Al-Sultan Maternity Hospital.
[9am Doha Time] UN Secretary-General stresses need to stop 'horror and suffering' in Rafah
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned in the strongest terms the Israeli air strikes that struck tents housing displaced people in the city of Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip, last Sunday, resulting in dozens of martyrs and wounded.
"He is heartbroken by the images of the killed and injured, including many small children. As he has said before, the horror and suffering must stop immediately," UN spokesperson said in a statement.
He pointed out that "the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza is now compounded by the unconscionable prospect of a man-made famine."
"He recalls the recent orders of the International Court of Justice, which are binding and must be complied with," the statement said.
"The Israeli authorities must allow, facilitate and enable the immediate, safe and unhindered delivery of humanitarian supplies," he said.
"Humanitarian organizations must have full, rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian access to reach all civilians in need across Gaza," he stressed.
"We must work expeditiously to restore security, dignity and hope for the affected population," the statement continued
[8am Doha Time] Security Council holds emergency meeting on Israeli attacks on displaced tents in Rafah
The UN Security Council convened a closed session last night at an urgent request by Algeria to discuss the deadly attacks launched by the Israeli occupation forces on tents of Palestinian displaced people in the city of Rafah, southern of the Gaza Strip.
Speaking during the meeting, Permanent Representative of Algeria to the United Nations Amar Bendjama voiced strong condemnation of the unjustified airstrikes that claimed the lives of dozens of martyrs, including women and children.
He noted that the attacks were carried out only 48 hours after the order issued by the International Court of Justice asking the occupying authority to end its attack on Rafah; emphasizing that the ICJ order is legally binding and that the occupation is obligated under the UN Charter, including Article 94/1, to respect the decision of the International Court of Justice.
Bendjama called on the Council's members to assume their responsibility concerning the Israeli occupation which chose to respond to the International Court of Justice with bloodshed, stressing that the Israeli occupation should not be an exception.
The Israeli occupation forces bombed tents sheltering displaced Palestinians in areas that were claimed by the occupation to be safe zones west of Rafah, claiming the lives of 72 Palestinians, including women and children during the past 48 hours.
