Gaza under fire. Israel strikes Rafah ahead of key ceasefire talks
7:01 AM EDT, April 29, 2024
The Israeli armed forces attacked the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on Sunday night, an area with around 1 million refugees from the north. The attack resulted in 13 fatalities. On the same day, the White House reported another phone conversation between the President of the USA and the Prime Minister of Israel.
International news agencies emphasized that Israeli airstrikes targeted civilian areas in Gaza and Rafah, which currently shelters more than a million refugees from other parts of Gaza, just hours before a scheduled meeting in Cairo with mediators from Qatar and Egypt and representatives of Hamas, labeled a Palestinian terrorist organization—the meeting aimed to explore the possibility of a ceasefire with Israel.
Key hostage release
According to Reuters, citing anonymous sources, the proposed peace agreement includes, among other conditions, the release of at least 40 hostages by Hamas, the freeing of numerous Palestinians from Israeli jails, and the temporary halt of hostilities in Gaza.
Moreover, the longer-term discussion includes the potential for Israel to allow humanitarian aid into Palestinian areas, ease movement between the northern and southern parts of Gaza, and partially withdraw its troops.
On Sunday, the White House shared details of another call between President Joe Biden of the USA and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel. Biden expressed his opposition to the planned Israeli offensive on Rafah and advocated for increased humanitarian assistance for the Palestinians.
Both Biden and Netanyahu concurred that Hamas is responsible for enacting peace proposals. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is set to visit the Middle East on Monday.
Horrifying casualty toll
The Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip, aimed at pacifying Hamas following their attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, led to 1,200 deaths and 253 kidnappings.
According to Palestinian sources, the Israeli offensive against Hamas resulted in over 34,000 civilian deaths, predominantly women and children, and displaced more than 2.3 million Palestinians.
