FLASH
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Overnight Israeli strikes in the southern Gaza city of Rafah killed 22 people, including 18 children, Palestinian health officials said Sunday. The developments came as the United States moved toward approving billions of dollars in additional military aid to Israel, its close ally.
Israel has carried out almost daily airstrikes on Rafah, where more than half of Gaza's 2.3 million people have moved to escape fighting elsewhere.
Israeli authorities have vowed to expand the ground offensive in this city on the border with Egypt, despite international calls for restraint, including from Washington.
On Saturday the House of Representatives approved a $26 billion aid package for Israel that included about $9 billion in humanitarian aid for Gaza.
As a result of the Israel-Hamas war, over 34,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to local health officials, and the two largest cities of Gaza and other parts of the region have been destroyed.
About 80% of the population has moved to other parts of the territory, which, according to experts, is on the brink of starvation.
Israel launched the offensive in response to a Hamas terror attack on the Jewish state on October 7, 2023, which killed around 1,200 people, according to Israeli figures. The militants took about 250 more hostages. Israel says about 130 people are still being held hostage, but a quarter of them are dead. Hamas has been designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, Great Britain, the European Union and other countries.
The conflict, now in its seventh month, has fueled regional tensions by pitting Israel and the US against Iran and allied militant groups across the Middle East. Following an unprecedented Iranian airstrike on Israel, the latter retaliated further raising fears of a wider conflict.
Tensions have also increased in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Israeli troops killed two Palestinians who the army said attacked a checkpoint with knives and guns near the southern West Bank city of Hebron early Sunday morning.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health said the two killed, aged 18 and 19, were members of the same family. According to the army, there were no casualties among the Israeli forces.
Thousands of Israelis have taken to the streets to demand new elections to replace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a deal with Hamas to release hostages. Mr. Netanyahu has pledged to continue the war until the complete destruction of Hamas and the return of all hostages./ VOA
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