al jazeera

By Alastair McCready
    A full-scale invasion of Rafah by Israeli forces would be “a strategic mistake, a political calamity, and a humanitarian nightmare”, UN secretary-general warns.
    Israel’s seizure and closure of the Rafah crossing in Gaza raises concerns that already-scarce food and medical supplies will be further depleted and lead to a “catastrophic” humanitarian disaster.
    “With each day that Israeli authorities block life-saving aid, more Palestinians are at risk of dying,” Human Rights Watch says.
    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says a ceasefire proposal agreed to by Hamas “falls far short” of Israel’s demands, but an Israeli delegation has arrived in Cairo for further talks.
    At least 34,789 people have been killed and 78,204 wounded in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7. The death toll in Israel from Hamas’s October 7 attacks stands at 1,139 with dozens of people still held captive.

    US paused bomb shipment to Israel over Rafah invasion plan: Report

    The Associated Press (AP) news agency reports that the US paused sending a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel would launch a full-scale assault on Rafah.

    Attributing the information to “a senior administration official”, the AP said the shipment was to have consisted of 1,800 2,000-pound (more than 900kg) bombs and 1,700 500-pound bombs (226 kg).

    The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the decision to pause the shipment was made last week and no final decision had been made yet on whether to proceed with the transfer of weapons at a later date.

    In Gaza, ‘suffering will be remembered by the generation that follows’

    Martin Griffiths, the UN’s humanitarian aid chief, said decisions being made amid Israel’s incursion into Rafah and the “human suffering” that results will not be forgotten.

    In a post on social media, Griffiths said more than 1 million people remain in Rafah, including 600,000 children, and Israel’s orders for people to flee the area “and their ground operation will bring more death and displacement”.

    Israel’s closure of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt also cut fuel supplies and “shuts off the movement of aid and staff to and from Gaza”, he said.

    “The decisions that are made today and their consequences in human suffering will be remembered by the generation that follows us. Let us be ready for their reproaches,” he added.

    US CENTCOM chief visits Egypt, discusses humanitarian aid for Gaza

    The senior commander of the US military’s Central Command (CENTCOM) has visited Egypt, where he discussed regional security and “alleviating humanitarian suffering in Gaza” with the country’s military leaders.

    Erik Kurilla said that Egypt has been “instrumental” in enabling “humanitarian assistance for the people of Gaza”.

    “Meetings like today’s are crucial to building a deeper understanding of the regional challenges and maintaining the relationships necessary to improve security,” he said.

    UN chief warns fallout from Rafah invasion will be felt ‘across the region’

    UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres took to social media to warn of the “repercussions” from Israel’s incursion into Rafah and that a “full-scale assault” would amount to a “catastrophe”.

    “Countless more civilian casualties. Countless more families forced to flee yet again – with nowhere safe to go,” he said.

    “The repercussions will be felt far beyond, in the occupied West Bank, and across the region,” he added.