Israeli forces rescued two hostages early Monday, storming a heavily guarded apartment in the southern Gaza Strip and extracting the captives under fire in a raid that was a small but symbolically significant success for Israel. The raid took place in Rafah, where 1.4 million Palestinians have fled to escape fighting elsewhere in the Israel-Hamas war.
Recent developments:
- In Gaza, where civilians have borne a staggering toll since the war erupted, the operation unleashed another wartime tragedy with at least 67 Palestinians killed, including women and children. Health officials say more than 12,300 Palestinian minors have been killed in Israel’s war on Hamas.
- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said sending ground troops into Rafah is essential for achieving Israel’s war goals. President Joe Biden had urged Israel not to conduct a military operation in Rafah without a “credible and executable” plan to protect civilians.
- Qatar, Saudi Arabia and other countries have warned of severe repercussions if Israel goes into Rafah. “An Israeli offensive on Rafah would lead to an unspeakable humanitarian catastrophe and grave tensions with Egypt,” European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell wrote on X. Human Rights Watch said forced displacement is a war crime.