Israeli forces pushed deeper into Gaza91裸聊视频檚 southern city of Rafah on Sunday and battled Hamas in parts of the devastated north that the military said it had cleared months ago but where militants have regrouped.
Rafah is considered Hamas91裸聊视频� last stronghold. It is also the last refuge in Gaza for more than a million civilians. Some 300,000 Palestinians have fled the city following evacuation orders from Israel, which says it must invade to dismantle Hamas and return scores of hostages taken in the Oct. 7 attack against Israel that sparked the war.
Neighboring Egypt issued its strongest objection yet to the Rafah offensive, saying it intends to formally join South Africa91裸聊视频檚 case at the International Court of Justice alleging Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, which Israel rejects. The foreign ministry statement cited 91裸聊视频渢he worsening severity and scope of the Israeli attacks against Palestinian civilians.91裸聊视频�
United Nations human rights chief Volker Turk said in a statement that he cannot see how a full-scale invasion of Rafah can be reconciled with international humanitarian law.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated opposition to a major military assault on Rafah, and told CBS that Israel would 91裸聊视频渂e left holding the bag on an enduring insurgency91裸聊视频� without an exit from Gaza and postwar governance plan.
Gaza has been left without a functioning government, leading to a breakdown in public order and allowing Hamas91裸聊视频� armed wing to reconstitute itself even in the hardest-hit areas. On Sunday, Hamas touted attacks against Israeli soldiers in Rafah and near Gaza City.
Israel has yet to offer a detailed plan for postwar governance in Gaza, saying only that it will maintain open-ended security control over the enclave of about 2.3 million Palestinians.
Internationally mediated talks over a cease-fire and hostage release appeared to be at a standstill.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a Memorial Day speech vowed to continue fighting until victory in memory of those killed in the war.
Netanyahu has rejected postwar plans proposed by the United States for the Palestinian Authority, which administers parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, to govern Gaza with support from Arab and Muslim countries. Those plans depend on progress toward the creation of a Palestinian state, which Israel91裸聊视频檚 government opposes.
The Oct. 7 attack killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took another 250 hostage. Militants still hold about 100 captives and the remains of more than 30.
Israel91裸聊视频檚 air, land and sea offensive has killed more than 35,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza91裸聊视频檚 Health Ministry, which doesn91裸聊视频檛 distinguish between civilians and combatants in its figures. Israel says it has killed over 13,000 militants, without providing evidence.
READ ALSO:
HEAVY BOMBARDMENT IN THE NORTH
Palestinians reported heavy Israeli bombardment overnight in the urban Jabaliya refugee camp and other areas in northern Gaza, which has been largely isolated by Israeli forces for months. U.N. officials say there is a 91裸聊视频渇ull-blown famine91裸聊视频� there.
Residents said Israeli warplanes and artillery struck across the camp and the Zeitoun area east of Gaza City, where troops have battled militants for over a week. They have called on tens of thousands of people to relocate to nearby areas.
91裸聊视频淚t was a very difficult night,91裸聊视频� said Abdel-Kareem Radwan, a 48-year-old from Jabaliya. He said they could hear intense and constant bombing since midday Saturday. 91裸聊视频淭his is madness.91裸聊视频�
First responders with the Palestinian Civil Defense said they were unable to respond to multiple calls for help from both areas, as well as from Rafah.
Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the top Israeli military spokesman, said forces were also operating in the northern towns of Beit Lahiya and Beit Hanoun, which were heavily bombed in the war91裸聊视频檚 opening days.
Hamas91裸聊视频� military wing said it shelled Israeli special forces east of Jabaliya and fired mortar shells at troops and vehicles entering the Rafah border crossing area.
91裸聊视频淗amas91裸聊视频� regime cannot be toppled without preparing an alternative to that regime,91裸聊视频� columnist Ben Caspit wrote in Israel91裸聊视频檚 Maariv daily, channeling the growing frustration felt by many Israelis more than seven months into the war. 91裸聊视频淭he only people who can govern Gaza after the war are Gazans, with a lot of support and help from the outside.91裸聊视频�
CIVILIANS FLEE IN THE SOUTH
Israel has now evacuated the eastern third of Rafah, which had been sheltering 1.3 million Palestinians, most of whom had fled fighting elsewhere. Most people are heading to the heavily damaged nearby city of Khan Younis or Muwasi, a coastal tent camp where some 450,000 people are already living in squalid conditions.
The U.N. has warned that a planned full-scale invasion would further cripple humanitarian operations and cause a surge in civilian deaths.
The main aid entry points near Rafah are already affected. Israeli troops have captured the Gaza side of the Rafah crossing, forcing it to shut down. Egypt has refused to coordinate with Israel on the delivery of aid though the crossing because of 91裸聊视频渢he unacceptable Israeli escalation,91裸聊视频� the state-owned Al Qahera News channel reported.
A senior Egyptian official told The Associated Press that Cairo has lodged protests with Israel, the United States and European governments, saying the offensive has put its decades-old peace treaty with Israel 91裸聊视频� a cornerstone of regional stability 91裸聊视频� at high risk. The official was not authorized to brief media and spoke on condition of anonymity.
U.S. President Joe Biden has said he won91裸聊视频檛 provide offensive weapons to Israel for Rafah, and his administration says there is 91裸聊视频渞easonable91裸聊视频� evidence that Israel had breached international law protecting civilians.
Israel rejects those allegations, saying it tries to avoid harming civilians. It blames Hamas for the high toll because the militants fight in dense, residential areas.
In the West Bank, where deadly violence has increased since the war began, the Palestinian Health Ministry said a man was shot dead by Israeli forces in Balata refugee camp in Nablus. The army said its forces responded with live fire after being shot at by militants in the camp.
___
Krauss reported from Jerusalem and Magdy from Cairo. Associated Press writer Jack Jeffery in Jerusalem contributed.
Wafaa Shurafa, Joseph Krauss And Samy Magdy, The Associated Press
