(17 May 2024)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Southern Israel, looking towards Gaza Strip – 17 May 2024
1. Various of smoke plume drifting above Gaza Strip skyline
STORYLINE:
A large plume of smoke was seen over the Gaza skyline on Friday morning as Israel’s offensive in the enclave continued.
It comes as Israel’s defence minister said the military would send more troops into Rafah, a city along Gaza’s southern border with Egypt, as fighting also rages in northern Gaza, where Hamas has regrouped.
South Africa is seeking emergency measures at the U.N.’s top court to halt Israel’s escalating offensive in Rafah, calling the incursion “the last step in the destruction of Gaza.”
Israel has portrayed Rafah as the last Hamas stronghold, brushing off warnings from the United States and other allies that any major operation there would be catastrophic for civilians.
Around 600,000 Palestinians have been driven out of Rafah since the beginning of last week, the U.N. said.
Some 80% of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million Palestinians have fled their homes since the start of the war, with many relocating multiple times.
Seven months of fighting has killed more than 35,000 people in Gaza, most of them women and children, according to local health officials.
The war began October 7 when Hamas attacked southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people there, mostly civilians, and taking about 250 hostage.
Israel says militants still hold around 100 hostages and the remains of more than 30 others.
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