Live Updates: Israeli attacks on Rafah kill over 100 Palestinians – WAFA

Monday, 12 February, 2023

05:45 GMT - Israeli attacks on Rafah kill over 100 Palestinians – WAFA

More than 100 people have been killed in Israeli attacks on the city of Rafah in southern Gaza, the Palestinian official news agency WAFA reported.

The area sits on Gaza's border with Egypt, where Israel forced civilians to evacuate, claiming it was a safe zone.

The Israeli army on Sunday approved a plan for a ground offensive in Rafah.

Palestinians have sought refuge in Rafah as Israel has been pounding the rest of the enclave since October 7. The ensuing Israeli bombardments have killed more than 28,000 people and caused mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

05:25 GMT - Two Israelis held in Rafah rescued: military

The Israeli military said in a post on X that two Israelis being held by the Palestinian group Hamas in the city of Rafah in southern Gaza "were rescued during an overnight mission."

"During a joint operation between the IDF, ISA and Israel Police, two Israeli hostages from Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak were rescued: Fernando Simon Marman (60) and Louis Har (70)," it said.

"They are both in good medical condition and were transferred for further medical examination in Israel," it added.

04:47 GMT - Finding bodies of 100 Palestinians killed in Gaza points to Israel's genocidal approach: Hamas

The Palestinian resistance group Hamas said that finding the bodies of around 100 people who were killed by the Israeli army after it withdrew from areas of Gaza City "indicates the criminal approach pursued by this entity."

"Finding nearly 100 martyrs following the withdrawal of occupation forces from the neighbourhoods of Al Remal and Tal Al Hawa in Gaza City, most of whom were killed by the occupation snipers' gunfire, points to the criminal approach pursued by this entity," it said in a statement.

"It aims to exterminate and forcibly drive our people away from their land," it said.

04:15 GMT - Pro-Palestinian activists occupy Museum of Modern Art in New York

Hundreds of pro-Palestinian activists temporarily occupied the world-renowned Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City over the weekend to protest against Israel's attacks on Gaza.

The demonstrators, seeking to raise awareness about the Israeli army's alleged war crimes in the enclave, organised a protest against the directors of MoMA.

They hung a huge flag with the words "Free Palestine" in the museum’s entrance hall, demanding the resignation of some of its board members and accusing them of supporting "Zionist occupation and genocide."

04:00 GMT - Israeli police open fire on Palestinian in East Jerusalem

Israeli police opened fire on a Palestinian youth, saying he attempted to carry out a stabbing attack near the Al Asbat Gate in the Old City of occupied East Jerusalem.

"A short while ago, a report was received regarding a suspect who attempted to stab police officers in the Old City of Jerusalem, where he was neutralised," the police said in a brief statement.

Witnesses confirmed to Anadolu that the shooting incident involving the youth occurred near the Al Asbat Gate, one of the entrances to Al Aqsa Mosque, Islam's third holiest site.

The young man's condition is currently unknown.

03:48 GMT - Sweden under fire for suspending financial support to UNRWA

Sweden has come under sharp criticism from a number of experts over its decision to suspend financial support to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, or UNRWA, due to Tel Aviv's allegations that some of its staff members were involved in Hamas's October 7 military operation against Israel.

"It is catastrophic that Sweden has cut humanitarian aid to UNRWA, above all because it has not even seen any evidence of Israel's accusations," Beatrice Fihn, a lawyer and former executive director of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) who specializes in international law and works for the law firm Lex International in Geneva, told the local Expressen newspaper.

"There is no other organisation that has the built-up capacity to get the necessary help out quickly," Fihn added.

03:10 GMT - More than 50 Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes on Rafah

A series of Israeli air strikes on the southern Gaza city of Rafah killed at least 52 people, according to Palestinian health officials.

The strikes hit 14 houses and three mosques in different parts of Rafah, according to Palestinian government in Gaza.

TRT World correspondent Mohammad al Kassim reported that at least 40 air strikes hit several locations in Rafah and that Israeli naval and artillery shelling took part in the violent attacks on early Monday.

02:30 GMT - Israel says its army conducted a series of strikes on Rafah

The Israeli military said in a statement that it had "conducted a series of strikes on terror targets in the area of Shaboura in the southern Gaza Strip", adding that the strikes had concluded.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered his army to prepare a ground offensive on Rafah, Gaza's last major population centre that troops have yet to enter after Hamas's October 7 attacks.

About 1.4 million Palestinians have crowded into Rafah, with many living in tents while food, water and medicine are becoming increasingly scarce.

For our live updates from Sunday, February 11, click here.