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09-04-2024
DOHA: Qatar’s foreign ministry tells media it’s cautiously optimistic about a new proposal in the Gaza ceasefire talks but there are conflicting reports emerging about how the talks are progressing for both Israel and Hamas in regional media.
Benjamin Netanyahu also said on Monday evening that a date had been set for an Israeli offensive in the southern city of Rafah.
Elsewhere, Palestinians describe returning to homes with “hardly anything left” in the devastated city of Khan Younis.
Khan Younis has been under Israeli bombardment for months, the city and surrounding area are largely destroyed.
One child, now living in Rafah, tells media “we sleep here with our eyes open”
Israel says it is reducing the numbers of soldiers in southern Gaza but stresses a “significant force” will remain in the north.
The pull-out is being interpreted as tactical, rather than a sign the war may be moving closer to its end.
Meanwhile, Benjamin Netanyahu says a date has been set for an Israeli offensive in Rafah, according to media.
The Israeli prime minister did not say when the invasion would take place.
“Today I received a detailed report on the talks in Cairo, we are constantly working to achieve our goals, first and foremost the release of all our hostages and achieving a complete victory over Hamas,” Netanyahu said.
“This victory requires entry into Rafah and the elimination of the terrorist battalions there. It will happen, there is a date,” Netanyahu added.
The Israeli military previously told people from everywhere else in Gaza to evacuate to Rafah, which is on the border with Egypt, declaring it a safe zone.
Pressure has been growing on Israeli from the international community and the United States not to invade the city without a specific plan as to how to keep the civilians there safe. 600,000 children are currently sheltering in Rafah.
However, The United Nations Security Council has referred the Palestinian Authority’s application to become a full member of the UN to the committee on the admission of new members.
The Ambassador to the UN for Malta, which is presiding over the Security Council for April, proposed that the committee meet on Monday at 15:00 local time (20:00 GMT) to consider the application.
It is extremely unlikely that the Palestinian Authority’s application will be successful, as it requires at least nine votes in favor and no vetoes from any of the Security Council’s five permanent members, which are the United States, Russia, China, France and the United Kingdom. (Int’l Monitoring Desk)
