Reports from health officials indicate that Israeli strikes in Rafah, Gaza, resulted in the tragic deaths of 18 individuals, including 14 children. Concurrently, the United States is set to greenlight billions of dollars in extra military aid to its long-standing ally.
Israel's airstrikes on Rafah have been relentless, with over half of Gaza's 2.3 million residents seeking shelter in the city. Despite global pleas for moderation, including from the U.S., Israel remains determined to escalate its ground operations in the area adjacent to Egypt.
Over the weekend, the House of Representatives endorsed a $26 billion aid package, featuring approximately $9 billion earmarked for humanitarian relief in Gaza. Democratic Senator Mark Warner of Virginia, who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee, shared on "Face the Nation" on Sunday that he anticipates the Senate will deliberate on the bill in the upcoming week. The legislation hinges on Senate approval and President Biden's endorsement.
"We must be prepared to safeguard our national security interests, not only concerning Ukraine and Russia but also regarding military support for Israel, along with providing additional humanitarian aid for the Palestinians facing significant hardships," remarked Warner on Sunday.
The initial attack claimed the lives of a man, his wife, and their 3-year-old child, as reported by the nearby Kuwaiti Hospital. Tragically, among the casualties was a pregnant woman in her 27th week. However, medical professionals were able to save her baby, who remains alive as of Sunday morning.
In a subsequent strike, 13 children and two women from the same family lost their lives, according to hospital records. The night before, an airstrike in Rafah resulted in the deaths of nine individuals, including six children.
Israel has been issuing warnings for more than two months about the possibility of sending troops into Rafah. The Group of 7 (G7) nations, comprised of the U.S., Japan, and the United Kingdom among others, cautioned during a recent meeting of foreign ministers that a large-scale operation in the area would lead to catastrophic outcomes.
The ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict has led to the deaths of more than 34,000 Palestinians, as confirmed by local health authorities. The situation has caused extensive damage to Gaza's major cities and triggered a mass exodus of around 80% of the population to other areas within the besieged coastal region. Experts warn that Gaza is on the verge of a severe food crisis.
Now in its seventh month, the Israel-Hamas conflict has incited regional tensions, setting Israel and the U.S. against Iran and its allied militant factions across the Middle East. Recent direct exchanges of fire between Israel and Iran have escalated concerns of a full-blown war between the historic adversaries.
Tensions have also spiked in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Israeli troops killed two Palestinians who the military says attacked a checkpoint with a knife and a gun near the southern West Bank town of Hebron early Sunday. The Palestinian Health Ministry said the two killed were 18 and 19 years old, from the same family. No Israeli forces were wounded, the army said.
In the West Bank city of Tulkarm, at least 14 Palestinians were killed as part of a two-day Israeli Defense Force operation over the weekend. The IDF pulled out of the area on Saturday night, on a scale residents say they have never seen in this area before.
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The U.S. has imposed new sanctions on West Bank settlers as the region has seen violence allegedly perpetrated by extremist settlers against Palestinians since the war in nearby Gaza began. A U.S. official told CBS News that since 2022, it has been investigating an IDF unit of ultra Orthodox soldiers accused of human rights atrocities. An announcement is expected this week.
The Palestinian Red Crescent rescue service meanwhile said it has recovered a total of 14 bodies from an Israeli raid in the Nur Shams urban refugee camp in the West Bank that began late Thursday. Those killed include three militants from the Islamic Jihad group and a 15-year-old boy. The military says it killed 10 militants in the camp and arrested eight suspects. Nine Israeli soldiers and officers were wounded.
In a separate incident in the West Bank, an Israeli man was wounded in an explosion Sunday, the Magen David Adom rescue service said. A video circulating online shows a man approaching a Palestinian flag that had been planted in a field. When he kicks it, it appears to trigger an explosive device.
At least 469 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli soldiers and settlers in the West Bank since the start of the war in Gaza, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. Most have been killed during Israeli military arrest raids, which often trigger gunbattles, or in violent protests.
The war in Gaza was sparked by an unprecedented Oct. 7 raid into southern Israel in which Hamas and other militants killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted around 250 hostages. Israel says militants are still holding around 100 hostages and the remains of more than 30 others.
Thousands of Israelis have taken to the streets to call for new elections to replace Netanyahu and a deal with Hamas to release the hostages. Netanyahu has vowed to continue the war until Hamas is destroyed and all the hostages are returned.
According to the Gaza Health Ministry, the ongoing conflict has resulted in the deaths of at least 34,000 Palestinians and injuries to over 76,000 others. The ministry's data does not distinguish between combatants and civilians, but reports that a significant majority of those affected are children and women. Additionally, the actual number of casualties is believed to be higher due to bodies being trapped under debris from airstrikes or located in inaccessible areas.
Israel attributes civilian casualties to Hamas, citing the militants' practice of operating in densely populated residential areas. However, the Israeli military rarely addresses specific incidents that result in the deaths of women and children. The military claims to have eliminated more than 13,000 Hamas fighters, although no supporting evidence has been provided.
