Israel intensified attacks on Rafah on Saturday in defiance of an International Court of Justice ruling ordering an end to the assault on the city in the south of the Gaza Strip.
Israel conducted airstrikes across the Gaza Strip on Saturday morning amid ongoing clashes between the Israeli army and the Hamas militant group, as reported by various media outlets. The Agence France-Presse (AFP) detailed Israeli airstrikes and shelling in Rafah, the central city of Deir al-Balah, Gaza City, Jabalia refugee camp, and other locations.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ), the highest judicial organ of the United Nations, issued a ruling on Friday demanding that Israel cease its military offensive and any other activities in the Rafah governorate that could potentially lead to the destruction of the Palestinian group in Gaza. This ruling was prompted by a case filed by South Africa.
The Israeli military has denied Hamas’ claim that its fighters captured Israeli soldiers during clashes in Gaza’s Jabalia. The IDF stated that no soldier was abducted in any incident. Hamas’ armed wing spokesperson previously claimed that their fighters had taken Israeli soldiers during the fighting in Jabalia, but did not disclose the number of soldiers captured. Abu Ubaida, the spokesman for al-Qassam Brigades, declared in a recorded message aired by Al Jazeera that they lured an Israeli force into an ambush inside a tunnel, leaving all members of the force dead, wounded, and captured.
The UK government has criticized the ICJ for ordering Israel to immediately halt its military assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah. They believe that such intervention will strengthen Hamas by reinforcing their belief that they can hold on to hostages and remain in Gaza. The spokesperson also expressed concern that this situation could jeopardize the prospects for peace and a two-state solution.
Ten Palestinians, including women and children, were killed and 17 others injured in an Israeli airstrike on a house in Beit Hanoun, north of the Gaza Strip, according to the Palestinian news agency Wafa.
G7 finance leaders are expected to urge Israel to uphold correspondent banking connections between Israeli and Palestinian banks, enabling essential transactions, trade, and services. The draft joint statement, anticipated to be issued following a G7 finance ministers and central bank governors’ gathering in northern Italy, also advocates for the release of withheld clearance revenues to the Palestinian Authority due to their pressing fiscal requirements.
This report is a review of main news from, The Guardian, POLITICO, AP, and Al Jazeera.
