- Israeli forces have expanded military operations, targeting residential towers and public facilities across Rafah with F-16 aircraft and attack drones.
- Some 110,000 Palestinians have fled Rafah, according to the UNRWA, since Israel began advancing troops towards the east of Rafah and intensifying attacks on the city on Monday.
- The Israeli army takeover of the Rafah border crossing has shut down the entry of aid into Gaza for the past three days, “completely crippling humanitarian operations” as famine spreads, the UN says.
- At least 34,904 people have been killed and 78,514 wounded in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7. The death toll in Israel from Hamas’s October 7 attacks stands at 1,139 with dozens of people still held captive.
- No aid to Gaza since crossing seizedGaza has been completely cut off from aid since May 7, when Israel took over the Rafah border crossing and moved troops towards the southern city.With fuel and water supplies now drying up, aid services could be forced to totally shut down within days, leading to more desperation in the war-battered enclave, UN officials have warned.
- ‘Israeli extremists’ set fire to UNRWA HQ in occupied East JerusalemAnd here’s our video report on the attack against the agency’s compound:Play VideoVideo Duration 00 minutes 37 seconds00:37‘Israeli extremists’ set fire to UNRWA HQ in occupied East Jerusalem.
- Germany condemns ‘escalation of violent protest’ against UNRWAThe foreign ministry of Germany has issued a statement condemning the “escalation of violent protest” against the UN agency for Palestinian refugees in occupied East Jerusalem.“Israel must ensure the protection of UN facilities and personnel in the occupied Palestinian territories,” it said on X. “The UN need to be able to serve their important mandate in Gaza, the West Bank and east Jerusalem.”As we previously reported, UNRWA on Thursday closed its headquarters in occupied East Jerusalem after Israelis set fire to areas at the edge of its compound.Philippe Lazzarini, the head of UNWRA, said this was the second violent incident in less than a week.
- Mandela’s grandson defends pro-Palestine protesters: ‘You are our heroes’Nkosi Zwelivelile Mandela, the grandson of South African freedom fighter Nelson Mandela, has urged students around the world to emulate the pro-Palestine protests seen in US universities and elsewhere, and slammed the UK’s shadow foreign secretary for suggesting his grandfather would not have backed the demonstrators.In a statement posted online, he said his late grandfather was a champion of student protest movements and committed to “the Palestinian struggle”.He added that the UK shadow foreign secretary, David Lammy of the main opposition Labour party, should “stop being an apologist for genocide and instead encourage all students on UK and European university campuses to emulate their fellow students in the USA in their call for a ceasefire in Gaza and support the struggle of the Palestinian people for freedom”.Zwelivelile Mandela also said: “Youth are the conscience of our world and their voices are the moral compass that guide us to a better future. Rather than brutalize them and criminalize their protest actions, we must encourage them to continue to stand for justice, human rights and dignity for all humanity.”Addressing the protesters, he said: “You are our heroes, we salute you.”
- Number of people fleeing Rafah risesHamish Young, UNICEF’s senior emergency coordinator, has provided an update on the number of people who have left the bombarded city in southern Gaza which is also under threat of a full-scale Israeli ground invasion.“More than 100,000 people have fled Rafah,” Young told a briefing in Geneva via videolink from the city.
- Palestinians with their packed belongings depart from the eastern neighbourhoods of Rafah amid a threat of a full-scale Israeli invasion [Ali Jadallah/Anadolu]
- ‘Even more unprecedented levels of emergency’: UN on Gaza conditionsUN agencies have said that dwindling food and fuel stocks could force aid operations to grind to a halt within days in the Gaza Strip as key crossings remain shut.The suspension could force hospitals to shut down and lead to more malnutrition, they warned.The situation in Gaza has reached “even more unprecedented levels of emergency,” Georgios Petropoulos, the head of the Gaza sub-office of UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, told reporters in a briefing.a
- UNGA to vote on resolution grant Palestine new rights amid new UN membership bidThe UN General Assembly is expected to vote later today on an Arab League-drafted resolution that would grant new “rights and privileges” to Palestine and call on the Security Council to favourably reconsider its request to become the 194th member of the United Nations.It comes three weeks after the US vetoed a widely backed council resolution that would have paved the way for full UN membership for Palestine.Under the UN Charter, the Security Council must recommend the admission of prospective members of the world body to the General Assembly for final approval. Palestine has been a UN non-member observer state since 2012.“We’ve been very clear from the beginning there is a process for obtaining full membership in the United Nations, and this effort by some of the Arab countries and the Palestinians is to try to go around that,” US deputy ambassador Robert Wood said on Thursday. “We have said from the beginning the best way to ensure Palestinian full membership in the UN is to do that through negotiations with Israel. That remains our position.”But unlike the Security Council, there are no vetoes in the 193-member General Assembly and the resolution is expected to be approved by a large majority.
- Deir el-Balah in for catastrophe as water, fuel supplies dwindleReporting from Deir el-Balah, central GazaI think we are days away from a catastrophic situation in Deir el-Balah, similar to what happened in the northern part of Gaza City.Not only is water growing more limited right now, but so is fuel. Without it, we’ll see a complete shutdown of all means of life.Fuel is also much needed for hospitals in Rafah city. Without it, they will be forced to completely shut down their ICUs and their oxygen stations
- 1Who are Israel’s main weapons suppliers and who has halted exports?The US has suspended a shipment of weapons to Israel, including heavy, bunker-busting bombs Israeli forces have used in their war on Gaza that has killed nearly 35,000 Palestinians in seven months.The US is by far the largest arms supplier to its closest Middle East ally, followed by Germany and Italy. Canada and the Netherlands halted arms supplies to Israel over concerns they could be used in ways violating international humanitarian law.Between 2019 and 2023, Israel received 69 percent of its military aid from the US, about 30 percent from Germany and 1 percent from Italy.The UK is not among Israel’s biggest suppliers. Last year, it granted export licences to sell at least 42 million pounds ($52.6m) of defence equipment to Israel.On March 20, Canada’s government said it had stopped licensing arms exports to Israel since January 8, and the freeze would continue until Ottawa could ensure the weapons are used in accordance with humanitarian law. In February, the Dutch government halted shipments of parts for F-35 jets to Israel from warehouses in the Netherlands in February, after an appeals court ruling determined that there was a risk the parts were being used in connection with violations of humanitarian law.Japan, Spain and Belgium also suspended arms sales in the wake of Israel’s brutal military offensive in Gaza.
- Fighter jets, attack drones hammer Rafah buildings as more people fleeReporting from Deir el-Balah, central GazaMore people are leaving Rafah right now, particularly from the central part of the city, as well as towards the west.Over the last two days, the Israeli military has sent text messages, made phone calls, and dropped leaflets warning people against staying in Rafah city, despite the fact that it has stated its operations are limited to the eastern part of Rafah city.On the ground, we’re seeing an expansion of military operations. Residential towers and public facilities across Rafah city are being directly targeted by F-16 aircraft and attack drones.According to eyewitnesses, the eastern part of Rafah city – and the area close to the Rafah crossing – is pretty much cleared of all residential buildings and public facilities, making it easy for the Israeli military to manoeuvre and push deeper inside the city.There are more reports of civilian casualties arriving to the Kuwaiti Hospital, as well as to field hospitals.
Israel’s war on Gaza live: More than 100,000 Palestinians flee Rafah
