May 11, 2024

UN chief, Qatari PM agree on preventing full-scale Rafah operation as Gaza deaths near 35,000

May 11, 2024

Size

Font

DOHA: UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has discussed the dire situation in Gaza with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, with the officials agreeing that a full-scale Israeli military operation in Rafah would have catastrophic consequences and must be prevented, Al Jazeera reports quoting UN read-out.

Guterres expressed “deep appreciation for Qatar’s continued mediation efforts to broker a deal for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the immediate release of hostages”, the statement added.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has discussed the dire situation in Gaza with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, with the officials agreeing that a full-scale Israeli military operation in Rafah would have catastrophic consequences and must be prevented, Al Jazeera reports quoting UN read-out.

Guterres expressed “deep appreciation for Qatar’s continued mediation efforts to broker a deal for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the immediate release of hostages”, the statement added.

Death toll reaches 35000

Meanwhile, the health ministry in Gaza has said that at least 34,971 people have been killed in the Palestinian enclave during Israel’s military bombardment in Gaza, AFP reports.

The tally includes at least 28 deaths in the past 24 hours, a ministry statement said, adding that 78,641 people have been wounded since fighting broke out on October 7.

Hamas armed wing releases video of hostage held in Gaza

Hamas’s armed wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, has released a video of a man held hostage in Gaza and seen alive in the footage, AFP reports.

The man is seen speaking in the 11-second clip, which is superimposed with text in Arabic and Hebrew that reads: “Time is running out. Your government is lying”.

Egypt refuses to coordinate with Israel on entry of aid from Rafah crossing: report

Egypt has refused to coordinate with Israel on the entry of aid into Gaza from the Rafah crossing due to Israel’s “unacceptable escalation”, Egypt’s state-affiliated Alqahera News satellite TV has reported, citing a senior official.

Reuters reports the official also said that Egypt held Israel responsible for the deterioration of the situation in the Gaza Strip.

Israel army reports more rockets at key Gaza crossing

The Israeli army has said rockets were launched from Rafah in southern Gaza towards the Kerem Shalom crossing, which was temporarily shut earlier this week after deadly fire, AFP reports.

“Four launches were identified that crossed from the Rafah area”, the military said in a statement, adding that one rocket was intercepted by Israeli air defences “and the rest fell in open areas” around Kerem Shalom.

It added that “no injuries were reported.”

Pro-Israel website ramps up attacks on pro-Palestinian student protesters

Weeks after attending a pro-Palestinian demonstration, Egyptian-American student Layla Sayed received a text message from a friend drawing her attention to a website dedicated to exposing people it says promote hatred of Jews and Israel.

“I think they found you from the protest,” the friend wrote.

When Sayed visited the site, called Canary Mission, she found a photo from the October 16 rally at the University of Pennsylvania with red arrows pointing to her among the demonstrators.

The post included her name, the two cities she lives in, details about her studies and links to her social media accounts.

Saheb al-Hams, a hospital director in Rafah, has said that “sadly” the Kuwaiti Specialty Hospital in Rafah city “is now included in the places threatened with evacuation” following Israel’s latest order, Al Jazeera reports.

“There is no other place for patients and injured people to go to but this hospital,” al-Hams said in a video message to journalists. The director called for “immediate international protection” for the medical facility.