Israel steps up eastern Rafah campaign

The Jerusalem Post reported that Israeli tanks had surrounded the eastern part of Rafah and controlled the main road dividing the two halves of the city.

Israeli tanks in eastern Rafah on May 10.

The operation comes despite a White House threat that the US would withhold arms supplies if Israel launches a ground assault on Rafah, where an estimated 1.4 million civilians have taken refuge. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned that such an operation would trigger a “horrific humanitarian disaster”. According to the UN, more than 100,000 people have fled Rafah this week, many of them returning to Khan Younis, where fighting has intensified this year.

Biden administration suspects Israel of using US weapons in violation of international law

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said yesterday that there was no sign of a major ground operation in Rafah. Earlier, the US had made surprising criticism of Israel's use of Washington's weapons in the conflict in the Gaza Strip. In a report on May 10, the US State Department said it was reasonable to assess that Israel had used the weapons provided in a manner "inconsistent" with international humanitarian law. However, the report did not draw specific conclusions and said there was insufficient evidence to stop supplying weapons to Israel.

Meanwhile, talks on a ceasefire have all but stalled. Hamas blames Israel's rejection of the mediators' proposals for bringing the talks back to square one. Senior Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya said the movement wanted peace and a genuine hostage swap, while accusing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of wanting only to continue the fighting.

However, according to The Times of Israel , the proposal that Hamas said was put forward by Egypt and Qatar included major differences from the version that Israel agreed to.

Yesterday, the New Arab newspaper reported that Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani invited Egyptian General Intelligence Director Abbas Kamel and CIA Director William Burns to Doha to resume negotiations, but it is unclear whether the two officials will attend.

Israel and Hamas reportedly begin fierce fighting in Rafah

In another development, the UN General Assembly voted to pass a resolution calling on the Security Council to support granting Palestine full membership at the UN. According to CNN, the resolution was passed with an overwhelming vote of 143 in favor, 25 abstentions and 9 against, including the US and Israel. Although only symbolic, the resolution also grants Palestine more powers at the UN. The Palestinian representative called it a historic milestone, while Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said the resolution sends a message to Hamas that its violence has brought results.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/israel-day-manh-chien-dich-mien-dong-rafah-185240511235158627.htm