Since October 7, 2023, a conflict has been ongoing between Israel and Palestinian militant groups, primarily centered in and around the Gaza Strip. This conflict began when Palestinian militant factions launched a surprise assault on southern Israel from the Gaza Strip, marking a significant military escalation in the region, occurring 50 years after the Yom Kippur War.
The Associated Press reported that Israel’s airstrikes in Rafah, a city on Gaza’s southern border, resulted in the deaths of at least 13 individuals, including two women and five children. The bombings targeted areas where over half of Gaza’s population sought shelter.
Due to Israel’s military offensive, more than half of Gaza’s 2.3 million inhabitants have been forced to flee towards the border with Egypt. Trapped within the confines of the Palestinian territory, many are now residing in makeshift tent camps or overcrowded shelters managed by the United Nations.
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On Thursday, Israeli forces conducted airstrikes in the southern border city of Rafah, where over half of Gaza’s population seeks shelter, resulting in the deaths of 13 individuals. Residents reported that Israeli planes targeted various parts of the city, including residential houses. Additionally, tanks shelled areas in eastern Rafah, heightening concerns among residents about a potential ground assault.
An Israeli drone strike targeted a car in the city of Nabatieh, located in southern Lebanon, injuring three individuals. This incident occurred at a considerable distance from the conflict zone along the border, where Hezbollah and Israeli forces have engaged in near-daily clashes over the past four months.
Subsequently, Hezbollah issued a statement declaring that it launched a barrage of dozens of rockets towards the Upper Galilee in Israel, citing it as retaliation for what they termed “Zionist aggression on Nabatieh.” The statement specified that the rocket barrages were aimed at an Israel Defense Forces base situated in Ein Zeitim village, following an earlier Israeli strike on a military air traffic control base in Meron.
US President Joe Biden remarked on Thursday that Israel’s military actions in Gaza appeared to be “excessive,” expressing his efforts to broker a lasting cessation of hostilities. “At this point, I believe that how the response in the Gaza Strip has unfolded has been excessive.
I’m actively advocating for a meaningful ceasefire to be established. There are numerous innocent individuals suffering, facing starvation, and experiencing dire circumstances, and this situation must come to an end,” Biden informed reporters at the White House.