All the latest developments from the Israel Hamas war.
UN won't participate in forced displacement of Palestinians
ADVERTISEMENTThe United Nations has said it will not participate in the forced displacement of Palestinians in Gaza.
It stressed Palestinians have no safe place to go as Israel is still carrying out a military offensive.
UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric made the comments in response to Israel's announced plans to evacuate about 1.5 million Palestinian civilians who have fled to southern Rafah to seek safety.
The Israeli military wants to continue its operation against Hamas in the Egyptian border city, despite having ordered civilians to evacuate there.
Dujarric said the vast majority of Palestinians in the south can’t be sent back to northern and central areas littered with unexploded ordnance and destroyed housing.
They face a dire humanitarian situation with very few supplies of food and other necessities.
Dujarric stressed that “there is no place that is currently safe in Gaza” and the UN wants to ensure “that anything that happens is done in full respect of international law, in full respect of the protection of civilians.”
Israeli hostages rescued in deadly raid
Israeli forces rescued two hostages early Monday, storming a heavily guarded apartment in a densely packed town in the Gaza Strip.
Covering airstrikes and fire by Israel's military killed at least 67 Palestinians in Rafah, where desperate civilians have fled the fighting.
The dramatic raid was celebrated in Israel, which is seeking the release of more than 100 hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza.
Israel has identified Rafah on the Egyptian border as Hamas' last stronghold in Gaza following more than four months of conflict.
The White House disclosed that President Joe Biden cautioned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against conducting a military operation in Rafah without a credible plan to safeguard civilians.
About 1.4 million Palestinians are estimated to be in the area after fleeing from other parts of the Strip to escape the fighting.
The rescued hostages, Fernando Simon Marman, 60, and Louis Har, 70, were among the 250 people kidnapped by Hamas militants during a cross-border attack on Oct. 7 in which an estimated 1,200 people also lost their lives.
The two men were airlifted to Sheba Hospital in central Israel and are reported to be in good medical condition.
Monday's raid comprised at least 15 airstrikes, flares, and Apache helicopter fire, according to witnesses. Lt. Col. Richard Hecht, a military spokesperson, stated that the operation was executed based on precise intelligence, with the targeted site under surveillance for some time.
Israeli's retaliatory air and ground offensive has killed over 28,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials, displaced over 80% of the population and led to a massive humanitarian crisis.