Concerns about an Israeli ground offensive in Rafah are growing. The US President is now speaking clearly. Is Israel giving in? The developments at a glance:
According to Palestinian sources, Israeli attacks in the central section of the Gaza Strip have resulted in numerous deaths. The Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that several houses were bombed by fighter jets, including in Deir al-Balah.
Eight people were killed and dozens more were injured or buried. Paramedics even spoke of 40 people having been killed. Many injured people were taken to a hospital. When asked, an Israeli army spokesman said they were checking the reports.
Israel is currently under increasing pressure to shelve its plans for a ground offensive in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. US President Joe Biden warned Israel in clear terms: He is firmly convinced that there must be a “temporary ceasefire” to free the hostages. Biden said at the White House that he expected “that the Israelis will not carry out a massive ground offensive in the meantime.”
Israel’s army will soon submit a detailed plan for the operation in Rafah to the war cabinet, the Times of Israel reported. UN organizations have received reports that some Palestinians have already left Rafah for the center of Gaza out of fear of Israel’s attacks.
Scholz calls on Israel to comply with international law
Chancellor Olaf Scholz has made an unusually clear call on Israel to comply with international humanitarian law in view of a planned ground offensive against the Islamist Hamas in Rafah in the south of the Gaza Strip.
“We comply with international law and rules not just because we have signed some agreements around the world. This is something that comes from our view of humanity and how we want to be and how we want to see ourselves,” said the SPD politician at the Munich Security Conference.
At the same time, the Chancellor emphasized the call for a two-state solution. This means an independent Palestinian state that exists peacefully side by side with Israel. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is also pushing for a two-state solution as a way out of the vicious circle of violence between Israel and Palestinians.
Report: USA is preparing to deliver more arms to Israel
Despite calls for a ceasefire, the US is preparing to deliver more bombs and weapons to Israel, according to a media report. As the “Wall Street Journal” reported on Saturday night, citing current and former US officials, the plans are currently being examined within the government of US President Joe Biden and could change in detail before they are presented to the US. submitted to Congress for approval.
The Israeli government has asked for “rapid procurement of these items to defend Israel against ongoing and new regional threats.” The new proposed arms shipment includes precision weapons, according to the report. The US is urging Israel to shift from massive bombing to more precise strikes.
Biden hopes for a quick hostage deal
According to information from the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, the negotiators are working to ensure that a ceasefire coincides with the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which begins on March 10th. Biden said he hoped there would be a quick deal with Hamas to free the hostages. He spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu every day last week, for almost an hour each time.
Biden’s blunt words showed that Rafah’s fate was a potential tipping point in relations between Washington and Jerusalem, the Financial Times reported. US officials, including Biden, have consistently supported Israel since the start of the war, but their tolerance for Netanyahu’s actions and the worsening humanitarian crisis “is rapidly waning,” the newspaper wrote.
UN court rejects appeal against Rafah offensive
Meanwhile, the United Nations International Court of Justice rejected an urgent request from South Africa to review the legality of Israel’s planned military offensive in Rafah. The dangerous situation in the place full of refugees requires “the immediate and effective implementation of the court’s requests”, which it issued at the end of January, the court announced at its headquarters in The Hague.
These requests would apply to the entire Gaza Strip, including Rafah. “It is not necessary to adopt additional measures,” the court stated. Israel’s allies such as the USA and Germany firmly advise Israel against large-scale military action in Rafah. The United Nations has warned of a massive humanitarian catastrophe in the event of such an offensive.
