-
Israeli forces have been pressing on in Rafah over the past 24 hours, destroying “weapons storage facilities, as well as tunnel shafts,” the Israeli military said in a statement on Friday. Hamas released a constant stream of updates on its Telegram channel claiming that its armed wing was targeting Israeli troops with mortars and explosive devices in Rafah. Israel said on Thursday that it had battled deeper into the city in what it maintains is a limited operation against Hamas battalions.
-
Some of the aid that entered Gaza through the U.S.-built temporary pier has been distributed after days of delays, a World Food Program spokesperson said on Thursday. On Tuesday, the Pentagon said that none of the aid delivered through the pier had made it into the hands of Palestinians facing extreme hunger. Three days earlier, the World Food Program halted distribution of the aid after hungry crowds looted several of its trucks.
-
Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen warned Israel on Thursday against cutting off ties between Palestinian and Israeli banks, arguing that such a move would further destabilize the economy of the West Bank when Palestinians have already been facing dire economic conditions. Ms. Yellen and other top economic officials from the Group of 7 nations are expected to discuss the matter and the humanitarian situation in Gaza during their summit in Stresa, Italy, over the next few days.
-
Israel took several tough diplomatic blows over the past week, some of which had been feared for years. Yet the rising outcry against Israel abroad appears not to have swayed the Israeli public, whose views on the country’s military campaign in Gaza largely differ from those of the rest of the world.