Israel continues its offensive in Rafah, southern Gaza

Jerusalem (EFE).- Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip have caused at least 82 deaths and 234 injuries in the last 24 hours, a figure much higher than that recorded in recent weeks.

According to medical sources, in the Nussirat refugee camp, in the center of the strip, Israeli aircraft attacked a house where dozens of people were sheltering, killing about twenty people.

Also in Nussirat, Israeli aircraft bombed a UNRWA school housing displaced people, causing a fire, according to Palestinian media.

America says Israel has prepared forces for a major attack on Rafah

Meanwhile, in Rafah, south of the enclave, some 450,000 people have fled since May 6, according to UNRWA, while Israeli forces stepped up their offensive on the city.

Their tanks will enter the west of the city today, where “the streets are empty and families are fleeing for safety. People continue to face exhaustion, hunger and fear, the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNRWA) said.

On the Egyptian border, Rafah has been facing intense air and artillery bombardment since the morning, while Israeli tanks are advancing towards the city center in the west and have entered the neighborhoods of Jenina, Salam and Brazil.

The US administration has confirmed that Israel has amassed enough troops on the outskirts of the city to be able to launch a large-scale incursion into the area in the coming days, CNN reported on Tuesday.

However, senior US officials have indicated to the medium that they are not sure Israel has already made a final decision on the attack, which would represent a challenge for Joe Biden.

The US President has expressed his disapproval of the attack in clear terms, even threatening to cut off arms supplies to Israel.

Ceasefire talks “almost at an impasse”

From Qatar, the Prime Minister, Mohammed bin Abderrahmane, assured in Doha this Tuesday that despite the progress made in recent weeks, negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza between Israel and Hamas are now at “almost an impasse”.

“In the last few weeks we have seen some momentum increasing. But, unfortunately, things did not move in the right direction. At the moment, we are almost at a standstill,” the foreign minister said at the Qatar Economic Forum.

According to Qatar’s leader, what is happening in Rafah has “forced us to step back a little.”

Last week, Hamas accepted a ceasefire proposal from mediators that called for a three-phase ceasefire of 42 days, which would lead to a hostage exchange for Palestinian prisoners, an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and There will be an increase in humanitarian aid to Palestinians. among other points.

Following Hamas’s announcement, a new round of talks took place in Cairo between all parties, including Israel, but these talks coincided with an Israeli military operation in Rafah, in which the Jewish state took control of the Palestinian part of the city that borders Egypt. Looks like.