Author: France 24

Israel ramping up pressure on Hamas ahead of crucial talks in Egypt today. Israeli military says it has taken control of the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing at the moment – it is now closed. Late yesterday afternoon, Hamas agreed to the latest ceasefire proposal. Despite the hopes then of a deal, Israel is still planning to push ahead with an assault on Rafah. More information with France 24 journalist Shirli Sitbon. Source link

As Israeli forces move ahead with their operation in Rafah, threatening aid and putting cease-fire talks on edge, FRANCE 24’s Tom Burges Watson is joined by Shaina Low, Communication Adviser for the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC). Source link

US President Joe Biden warned Wednesday he would stop supplying Israel with artillery shells and other weapons if it attacks Rafah in southern Gaza, as he deplored the fact that civilians had been killed by the dropping of US bombs. Read our liveblog for all the latest developments on Israel’s war on Gaza.  Source link

Bayern Munich coach Thomas Tuchel slammed a late offside call, calling the decision an “absolute disaster” as Real Madrid eliminated his side in the Champions League semi-finals on Wednesday. Source link

The United Nations said Tuesday the Israeli authorities have denied the UN access to the now-closed Rafah crossing — the key entry point for humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. More information with France 24 correspondent in Jerusalem, Irris Makler. Source link

In halting a shipment of thousands of bombs, President Joe Biden has sent his most serious signal yet both to Israel and his domestic critics, although it remains doubtful he can fundamentally alter the course of the war in Gaza. Source link

Jan Egeland, secretary general of the Norwegian Refugee Council and a former top UN humanitarian official, told FRANCE 24 on Tuesday that Gaza is “among the worst places in humanitarian history”. He described a trapped population enduring “relentless” bombardment since October 2023. With regards to the southern city of Rafah, where an Israeli offensive appears imminent, he said some 1.4 million people were “engulfed in fear and desperation beyond belief”. Source link

The Israeli military said Wednesday that it has reopened its Kerem Shalom crossing into Gaza after days of closure, but the U.N. said no humanitarian aid has yet entered and there is no one to receive it on the Palestinian side after workers fled during Israel’s military incursion in the area. For more information, FRANCE 24 news anchors Haxie Meyers-Belkin interviews Michel-Olivier Lacharité, Head of Emergency Operations, Doctors Without Borders. Source link

Israel has threatened a major assault on Rafah to defeat thousands of Hamas fighters it says are holed up there, but more than a million people are sheltering in the city, prompting warnings from the United Nations of a humanitarian catastrophe. British doctor James Smith testifies for FRANCE 24. Source link

Talks aimed at reaching a Gaza ceasefire-for-hostages deal are ongoing, and Israel and Hamas militants are close enough to an agreement that they should be able to close the gaps, the White House said on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Israel is pursuing an incursion into the overcrowded southern city of Rafah on Tuesday and seized the Rafah crossing into Egypt that is the main conduit for aid into the besieged Palestinian territory. Story by Catherine Khédir-Clifford. Source link