Tuesday, May 14, 2024
1724 GMT — UN chief Antonio Guterres is "appalled" by Israel's escalating military offensive in and around Rafah, a spokesperson said, as clashes have rocked the densely crowded southern Gaza city.
"These developments are further impeding humanitarian access and worsening an already dire situation", Farhan Haq said.
1622 GMT — Egypt denounces Israel's comment that Cairo is behind closure of Rafah crossing
Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry denounced what he called Israel's attempt to blame Egypt for the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Shoukry added in a statement that Israel's seizure of the Rafah border crossing from Gaza into Egypt as well as its military operations in the area were the main reasons for aid being unable to enter Gaza.
1403 GMT — US joins calls for 'full investigation' after UN vehicle fatally fired upon in Gaza
The US joined calls for a "full investigation" into an attack on a UN vehicle in besieged Gaza that killed one UN staffer and injured another.
"Humanitarian workers must be protected as they continue their lifesaving work. We join calls for a full investigation into this incident," State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller wrote on X.
The Israeli military said the vehicle that was struck Monday in Rafah in southern Gaza was in an "active combat zone," and said it was not able to confirm if Israeli forces had fired at the UN vehicle.
06:03 GMT — Israel kills and wounds more than a dozen in strike on Gaza home
Israeli occupation army has struck a home in Gaza's Nuseirat camp, killing and wounding more than a dozen people, official Palestinian news agency WADA reported.
Citing, medical sources, it said among the 14 dead including children. WAFA said "dozens" of Palestinians wounded in the strike on a three-storey home.
05:46 GMT — Jordan condemns attack on UN personnel in Gaza
Jordan has condemned the Israeli targeting of a UN vehicle in Gaza that left a local UN employee killed and a Jordanian worker wounded.
In a statement, the Jordanian Foreign Ministry called "for protecting UN and aid workers who play a major humanitarian role for the Palestinians in light of the unprecedented humanitarian disaster in the Gaza Strip."
The statement held "Israel, as the occupying power, responsible for this attack as a result of its ongoing war on Gaza."
05:35 GMT — Italy's 5-Star Movement slams government's policy
Italy's opposition 5-Star Movement has slammed the government over its policy on Israel's war on Gaza.
Speaking at a meeting of the Foreign Press Association in Rome, Giuseppe Conte, who led two separate governments from 2018-2021, said Italy's abstention during voting at the UN General Assembly in May on Palestine's bid for membership in the United Nations, was "shameful."
By doing so, the government proved it is indifferent to what has been happening in Gaza and Rafah, he said.
05:25 GMT — Top Biden official doubts Israel can achieve 'total victory'
The Biden administration does not see it likely or possible that Israel will achieve "total victory" in defeating Hamas in the Palestinian enclave of Gaza, US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell has said.
While US officials have urged Israel to help devise a clear plan for the governance post-war Gaza, Campbell's comments are the clearest to date from a top US official effectively admitting that Israel's current military strategy won't bring the result that it is aiming for.
"In some respects, we are struggling over what the theory of victory is," Campbell said at a NATO Youth Summit in Miami. "Sometimes when we listen closely to Israeli leaders, they talk about mostly the idea of....a sweeping victory on the battlefield, total victory," he said.
05:10 GMT — White House adviser says Israel risks endless counterinsurgency
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan has said that the US administration has expressed concerns to Israeli officials about becoming "mired in a counterinsurgency campaign that never ends" as Israel's War Cabinet remains focused on carrying out invasion in the southern Gaza city of Rafah.
The comments from a top adviser to President Joe Biden came a day after Secretary of State Antony Blinken cautioned that Israel could be left "holding the bag" on an enduring insurgency in post-war Gaza.
"Look, we have painful experience in counterinsurgency campaigns fighting terrorists in urban environments, in populated areas," said Sullivan, referring to long US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. "And we know that it is not as simple as executing a military operation and calling it a day."
For our live updates from Sunday, May 12, click here.
