US campus protests intensify amid truce push
- Fresh Israeli attack on Gaza’s Rafah kills at least seven Palestinians, taking the death toll from another day of relentless bombings to 27. At least 10 of the victims are children.
- Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya says the Palestinian group is reviewing a new Israeli truce proposal, as Israel’s foreign minister says a planned invasion of Rafah would be “suspended” if a prisoner swap deal is reached.
Hamas delegation to visit Cairo on Monday: Report
A Hamas official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the Reuters news agency that a delegation will visit Cairo on Monday for Gaza ceasefire talks.
The official said the delegation will discuss a proposed ceasefire offered by mediators and Israel’s response.
On Saturday, senior Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya said the group was reviewing an Israeli proposal but gave no details. He added that the Israeli truce offer was in response to a Hamas proposal two weeks ago.
Hundreds of Israeli settlers reportedly enter Al-Aqsa Mosque
More than 270 settlers have entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, the Palestinian Wafa news agency reports.
The settlers performed Talmud rituals in the mosque’s courtyard under the protection of Israeli soldiers, Wafa quoted local sources as saying.
The military also tightened restrictions at the Old City’s gates for Palestinian worshippers to enter the site – Islam’s third holiest – located in the occupied East Jerusalem.
Palestinian death toll from war on Gaza now at 34,454: Health ministry
Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 34,454 Palestinians since last October, the health ministry says.
The latest figure includes at least 66 deaths in the past 24 hours, a ministry statement said.
Another 77,575 have been wounded in the relentless assault. The death toll includes more than 14,500 children and 9,500 women.
The actual casualty figures are likely far higher with thousands believed buried in the debris of blown-up buildings in Gaza.
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- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas says only the United States can stop Israel from attacking Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah, adding he expected the assault in the coming days.
- France’s Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne visits southern Lebanon to make proposals on stabilising border areas and avoiding a full-blown war between Hezbollah and Israel.
- The Israeli army says it struck Hezbollah targets in Lebanon after the armed group fired dozens of missiles overnight at an Israeli settlement in northern Israel.
- At least seven Palestinians are arrested by Israeli forces across the occupied West Bank.
- Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud chaired a meeting in Riyadh with representatives from six Arab countries to discuss the situation in Gaza.
- Thousands of protesters rallied in Israeli cities to pressure the government to do more to secure the release of dozens of captives still held in Gaza.
Palestinian President Abbas says only US can stop Rafah invasion
The Palestinian leader, who is in the Saudi capital Riyadh to attend the World Economic Forum, said he expects an assault in the Gaza’s southern city in the coming days.
More than 1.4 million people are crammed in Rafah. Considering such population density, human rights group and UN agencies repeatedly have warned, any military operation there would cause a humanitarian disaster.
Saudi warns of economic fallout from Gaza war
Saudi Arabia has called for regional “stability” as Riyadh warned of the effects of the ongoing war in Gaza on global economic sentiment at the start of a summit attended by regional and global leaders.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Palestinian leaders and high-ranking officials from other countries trying to broker a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas are on the guest list for the summit in the capital, Riyadh.
The Gaza war along with conflicts in Ukraine and elsewhere put “a lot of pressure” on the economic “mood”, Saudi Finance Minister Mohammed al-Jadaan said at one of the first panel discussions of the two-day World Economic Forum (WEF) special meeting.
“I think cool-headed countries and leaders and people need to prevail, and you need to make sure that you actually de-escalate,” Jadaan said. “The region needs stability.”
