FLASH
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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Tuesday that Israel has not notified the United States of any specific date for the start of a major offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, but added that US and Israeli officials are in constant contact about to ensure that "any major military operation will not harm civilians."
Secretary Blinken's comments come a day after Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said a date had been set for the occupation of the town of Rafah. This city is filled with about 1.4 million Palestinians, most of whom have been displaced from other parts of the Gaza Strip. The United States, Israel's closest ally, has said a ground operation in Rafah would be a mistake and has demanded to see a credible plan to protect civilians.
Israel's military offensive has pushed Gaza into a humanitarian crisis, leaving more than 1 million people on the brink of starvation.
International efforts to broker a ceasefire between Israel and the Hamas militant group are underway in Cairo this week. Egyptian officials said Tuesday that mediators have presented a new ceasefire proposal to Hamas and Israel that would include a six-week pause in fighting and an exchange of 40 hostages held by Hamas for at least 700 Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. Israel says more than 130 hostages remain in Gaza, about a quarter of whom are believed to be dead.
More than 33,200 Palestinians have been killed and 76,000 injured in the war in the Gaza Strip, the Health Ministry of Gaza, which is controlled by Hamas, said on Tuesday. The Health Ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its report, but says women and children account for two-thirds of the dead.
The war began on October 7 when militants led by Hamas, which the United States has designated as a terrorist organization, swept into southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking about 250 people hostage. /VOA
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