Israel conducts airstrikes in Rafah, disregarding ICJ's verdict; ceasefire talks on the horizon.
On a recent Friday, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) requested that Israel halt their offensive in Rafah. This request was made as a result of an application by South Africa to the UN court located in The Hague. The court believed that the offensive could lead to "the complete or partial destruction" of the Palestinian population in the Gaza Strip, thus partially granting South Africa's appeal. Furthermore, the court also asked Israel to maintain the Rafah crossing at the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt.
Israel, however, disregarded the court's words and showed no inclination towards changing course in Rafah. Israeli officials stated that their military had not conducted any operations in the Rafah region that could result in conditions that could potentially lead to the destruction of the Palestinian population. The Israeli Foreign Ministry and National Security Advisor Tzachi Hanegbi made this known after an emergency meeting held by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with several ministers.
Prior to Israel's offensive in Rafah, well over a million people had sought safety from the ongoing conflict that has been taking place since October. Rafah is portrayed by Israel as the final stronghold of Hamas's armed wing.
Hamas, the extremist Palestinian organization, announced on a Saturday that their fighters had attacked an Israeli army unit in the Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, resulting in the killing, wounding, or capturing of all the soldiers.
In contrast, the Israeli army questioned Hamas' assertions. They claimed that there was no incident where an Israeli soldier was abducted. They did not provide information on any possible casualties among the soldiers.
Hamas conducted a surprise attack on Israel on October 7, causing more than 1,170 deaths, according to Israel's figures. In addition, 252 people were captured in the Gaza Strip.
Since the attack, Israel has enforced intense military actions in the Gaza Strip. According to the Hamas-administered Ministry of Health, more than 35,900 people have passed away so far.
The Israeli government plans to recommence negotiations soon regarding the release of the hostages imprisoned in the Gaza Strip since October 7.
Reports circulated in Israeli media that Mossad chief David Barnea had discussed a new framework for the stalled negotiations with CIA director Bill Burns and Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani. However, a senior Hamas representative named Usama Hamdan informed Al-Jazeera that Hamas had not been informed of any developments by the mediators.
The conversations regarding the release of the remaining hostages and a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip ground to a halt this month due to Israel's commencement of the ground offensive in Rafah.
Several thousand protesters gathered again in Tel Aviv on Saturday evening, demanding that the Israeli government take steps to free the Hamas hostages. The protesters held a moment of silence for the hostages who had perished, as reported by a correspondent from AFP. There are still 121 hostages held in the Gaza Strip, and the Israeli army confirmed that 37 of them have died.
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Source: www.stern.de
