February 8, 2024 Israel-Hamas war

International alarm is mounting ahead of an anticipated Israeli ground assault in Rafah, a southern Gaza city close to the border with Egypt where many displaced people living in the enclave have sought refuge.

One million people are estimated to be crammed into a tent city, with satellite images showing that the makeshift shelter is rapidly expanding.

The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) warned Israel against expanding its operations into Rafah, saying it would be “fatal for displaced civilians and humanitarian aid.”

“An expansion of hostilities could turn Rafah into a zone of bloodshed and destruction that people won’t be able to escape. There is nowhere left for people to flee to,” the NRC’s Middle East and North Africa Regional Director Angelita Caredda said in a statement Thursday.

Egypt has also warned of the dangers of an operation in Rafah, with the country in particular concerned that large numbers of people living in Gaza could be displaced into Egypt.

“No doubt, targeting this area of the Strip, which is filled with so many civilians, poses a danger,” a foreign ministry spokesperson, Ahmed Abu Zeid, said in an interview with Al-Ghad TV.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that Israeli soldiers will soon shift the focus of their ground offensive to Rafah.

“Our soldiers are now in Khan Yunis, Hamas’s main stronghold. They’ll soon go into Rafah, Hamas’s last bastion,” Netanyahu said on Wednesday.

The US conducted self-defense strikes on Wednesday against two Houthi anti-ship cruise missiles preparing to launch against ships in the Red Sea, according to a statement from US Central Command. Later that day, CENTCOM forces conducted a second strike against a Houthi mobile land attack cruise missile that was prepared to launch, the statement added. 

“These actions will protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for U.S. Navy and merchant vessels.”

The US has regularly been conducting dynamic self-defense strikes against Houthi weaponry and equipment inside Yemen, and has also conducted larger-scale strikes against the Houthis alongside the UK.

The Houthis have said they will not stop their attacks until Israel ends its war in Gaza.

The Jordanian King, Abdullah II, has departed on a tour through several Western capitals, including a stop in Washington to meet US President Joe Biden and press for a ceasefire in Gaza.

 “The royal tour aims to mobilize international support for a ceasefire in Gaza, protect civilians, provide humanitarian aid to the Strip on a permanent and sufficient basis, and emphasize the importance of finding a political horizon that leads to a comprehensive settlement that ends the Palestinian-Israeli conflict,” a statement from Jordan’s Royal Hashemite Court said Thursday.  

King Abdullah II will also meet Canadian Prime Minister in Ottawa, French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris and then a number of senior Western and European officials at the Munich Security Conference in Germany.

King Abdullah has joined other Middle Eastern countries in calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and humanitarian aid to reach people in the enclave. Last month, he said Israel had created "an entire generation" of orphans.

A Hamas delegation led by deputy leader Khalil Al-Hayya arrived in the Egyptian capital Cairo on Thursday for talks on Gaza, the militant group said in a statement.

CNN reported on Wednesday that Hamas had presented its response, proposing a three-phase deal — with each lasting 45 days — that would see the gradual release of hostages held in the enclave in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israel, as well as the start of a massive humanitarian and rebuilding effort. 

Contrary to earlier demands, Hamas did not call for an immediate end to the war.

Negotiations for a permanent ceasefire would take place during the truce, and the remaining hostages would only be released once a final deal to end the war was agreed, the document said.

Hamas spokesperson Osama Hamdan condemned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for saying Wednesday that he had not committed to the "delusional" demands of Hamas and that Israel's aim is "complete victory." He also called on the US to stop supporting Israel.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said the Hamas counterproposal for a Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal leaves room for a potential agreement.

“While there are some clear nonstarters in Hamas’ response, we do think it creates space for agreement to be reached, and we will work at that relentlessly until we get there,” he said at a news conference in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Blinken said he discussed the proposal with Israeli government officials.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier dismissed Hamas’ proposals, calling them “delusional.” But the Israeli leader did not rule out the possibility of further negotiations.

Blinken also discussed the latest developments in Gaza with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah.

Here are the latest developments:

Iraq has issued a warning to the United States in response to an airstrike late Wednesday in Baghdad that killed a senior commander with the pro-Iran Kataib Hezbollah militia.

Iraq's Joint Operation Command called the strike a "new aggression by the United States, adding that the move acted to "undermine all understandings" between Iraq and the US, in a statement posted by spokesperson Tahseen Al Khafaji on X.

The spokesperson also reiterated what the country said after the first series of US strikes in Iraq last Friday in retaliation for the killing of three US soldiers in Jordan, which was to call the strikes a "violation of Iraqi sovereignty." 

Kataib Hezbollah is considered the most powerful Iran-backed militia in Iraq and part of a state-sponsored consortium of militias in the country known as the PMU (Popular Mobilization Forces), many of them Shia militias, that help maintain security there.  

But just days after the killing of the three US soldiers in Jordan on January 28, Kataib Hezbollah announced it was suspending its military operations against US forces, which was seen as signs the group feared blowback by the US on itself, as well as other pro-Iran militias or even Iran proper in response to the US solider deaths. 

Iraq was not notified of the US military’s strike on a Kataib Hezbollah commander in Baghdad until shortly after it occurred, a US official said Wednesday. 

The official said a notification of the strike prior would not have been provided out of operational security concerns. 

The official added the strike was in planning “from the moment the president directed the military to review options” following the Jordan attack. 

A US military strike killed a Kataib Hezbollah commander in Iraq on Wednesday evening who was responsible for attacks on US forces in the region, according to US Central Command.  

The attack was carried out by a drone that hit a SUV in the Al-Mashtal, a predominantly Shia neighborhood in eastern Baghdad. The two people who were inside the vehicle have not been identified because the bodies were completely charred from a fire that erupted from the strike, local police officials said.

The identity of the commander has not yet been released, but three US officials told CNN that the US targeted Wisam Mohammed Saber al-Saedi. Additionally, A senior local security source and a senior source with the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) told CNN that a senior leader with the Iran-backed Kataib Hezbollah militia was killed in the attack.

Kataib Hezbollah is considered the most powerful Iran-backed militia in Iraq and part of a state-sponsored consortium of militias in the country known as the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMU) — many of them Shia militias — that help maintain security there.  fsenior leader with the Iran-backilled in the strike ked Kataib Hezbollah militia was killed in the attack.

Kataib Hezbollah released a statement mourning al-Saedi early Thursday morning (Baghdad time.) The militant group said al-Saedi’s death “calls us to remain steadfast in the jihadist approach.”

Former Israeli hostage Adina Moshe on Wednesday criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying that "there won’t be any hostages to release" if his government continues its plan to eliminate Hamas.

Moshe, 72, who was kidnapped by Hamas from Kibbutz Nir Oz and held hostage in Gaza for seven weeks, spoke at a news conference for the Hostages and Missing Families Forum — directing her comments specifically to Netanyahu. 

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum Headquarters also delivered a message to Netanyahu and the Israeli War Cabinet in a release on Wednesday.

Earlier Wednesday, Netanyahu reiterated that Hamas must be destroyed for Israel to be safe. He dismissed Hamas’ proposals for a ceasefire and hostage deal, calling them “delusional.”

But the Israeli leader did not rule out the possibility of further negotiations.