'They bombed an entire street': Child in Gaza who pulled brother from rubble
02:21
What we covered here
The situation keeps getting “more apocalyptic in the Gaza Strip,” the UN’s top humanitarian relief coordinator said Monday. “People are being ordered to move again, with little to survive on, forced to make one impossible choice after another,” Martin Griffiths said.
Almost 1.9 million people, more than 80% of Gaza’s total population, have now been displaced, a UN agency said. In addition, more than 15,800 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli attacks since October 7, according to the Hamas-controlled health ministry.
A ratio of two Palestinian civilians killed for every Hamas militant is “tremendously positive” given the challenges of urban combat, a spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces told CNN.
The Israeli military said the investigation of October 7 failures will include an assessment of the decision to move troops from the Gaza border to the West Bank in the days before the attack.
Tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians arrive in Rafah, mostly settling in streets, UN body says
From CNN's Kareem El Damanhoury
Displaced Palestinians who fled from Khan Yunis, sit outside makeshift shelters at a camp in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on December 4.
Mahmud Hams/AFP/Getty Images
Tens of thousands of internally displaced Palestinians have arrived in Gaza’s southernmost governorate of Rafah over the past two days, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a statement early Tuesday (local time).
The movement comes after the Israeli military said on Sunday it was expanding its ground operations to the whole of the Gaza Strip.
Out of about 1.8 million displaced people across Gaza, almost one million are sheltering in the 99 facilities run by United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in the south, including in Khan Younis and Rafah, OCHA said as it warned of the spread of diseases in shelters.
Earlier on Monday, OCHA also said it had received reports of hepatitis outbreaks in refugee shelters in the strip.
Some context: The UNRWA previously said almost 1.9 million people, more than 80% of the enclave’s total population, have been displaced since the beginning of the war.
Link Copied!
Only 100 humanitarian aid trucks entered Gaza on Monday, UN says
From CNN's Kareem El Damanhoury, Tamar Michaelis, Lauren Kent
Only 100 trucks carrying humanitarian aid and 69,000 liters of fuel went into Gaza through the Rafah border crossing, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a statement early Tuesday local time.
OCHA added that aid distribution in Khan Younis “largely stopped” due to intense fighting, while limited aid distribution of mainly flour and water took place in Rafah.
Earlier on Monday, Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) said 180 aid trucks went into Gaza, claiming the volume of aid was similar to the amount Gaza received during the seven-day truce.
The trucks — carrying food, water, medical equipment and other supplies — were sent “at the request of the US Administration and in coordination with Egypt,” a spokesperson for COGAT said in a separate statement.
The volume of aid is similar to the amounts Gaza was receiving during the now-expired truce that lasted seven days.
COGAT also said two diesel fuel tankers were sent from Egypt to humanitarian aid agencies operating in Gaza.
“The admission of fuels, which are designated for the operation of vital infrastructure in the Gaza Strip, was coordinated and supervised by Israel,” it said.
CNN has reached out to The Palestine Red Crescent Society to ask about the receipt of the aid trucks in Gaza.
This post has been updated with the OCHA statement from early Tuesday.
Link Copied!
“More hellish scenario” to unfold if more aid doesn’t enter Gaza, UN warns
From CNN’s Richard Roth
Vehicles transporting humanitarian aid wait in the Bureij camp in central Gaza on November 30.
Majdi Fathi/NurPhoto/Getty Images/FILE
A “more hellish scenario is about to unfold” if more aid is not allowed to enter Gaza, UN humanitarian coordinator Lynn Hastings said in a statement on Monday.
The current amount of aid is insufficient and the conditions required to deliver aid to Gaza do not exist, according to Hastings, the Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process and United Nations Resident Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
The use of only the Rafah crossing to bring trucks of aid does not work, the UN said, despite the efforts of its agencies, the Egyptian and Palestine Red Crescent Society, and other partners.
The international body added Gaza’s health system is “on its knees” with a lack of clean drinking water, no proper sanitation and poor nutrition for people, and shelters with no capacity.
The situation amounts to a “textbook formula for epidemics and a public health disaster,” Hastings said. “Humanitarian operations cannot be kept on a drip feed of fuel,” she said, adding that fuel is required for hospitals, clean drinking water, sanitation, social services and UN operations, among others.
The UN said fuel must be allowed to enter Gaza in a “manner which ensures Israel’s security.”
Hastings said the UN and NGOs alone can’t support the population of Gaza, stressing that commercial and public sectors must be allowed to bring supplies into Gaza.
The UN said it stands ready to work with all parties to “expand the number of UN-managed safe shelters and to deliver assistance where it is needed.”
Israeli official: Ratio of 2 civilians killed for every Hamas member "tremendously positive" in circumstances
From CNN's Mitchell McCluskey
A ratio of two Palestinian civilians killed in Gaza for every Hamas militant is a “tremendously positive” given the challenges of urban combat, a spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces told CNN on Monday.
The French news agency, Agence-France-Presse, citing a briefing for foreign media by senior Israeli military officials, reported on Monday that the Israeli military believes that about two civilians have been killed in Gaza for every Hamas militant.
Asked by CNN’s Erin Burnett about that report, IDF spokesperson Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus said: “I can confirm the report.”
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told journalists during a news conference on Saturday that the military has killed “thousands of terrorists.” The Israeli military has not officially published any estimates of those killed.
AFP reported that the unnamed Israeli military official, when asked to confirm reports that around 5,000 Hamas militants had been killed, replied: “The numbers are more or less right.”
The Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health in Gaza says that 15,899 Palestinians have been killed as a result of Israeli attacks since October 7. It does not distinguish between civilians and militants.
A top US State Department official told Congress last month that while it was difficult to assess casualty figures while the conflict was ongoing, she believed that the true death toll could be even higher than what is being publicly discussed.
“It is very difficult for any of us to assess what the rate of casualties are,” said Barbara Leaf, the US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs. “We think they’re very high, frankly. And it could be that they’re even higher than are being cited. We’ll know only after the guns fall silent.”
Link Copied!
Map showing unsafe areas of Gaza isn't perfect, but it's "the best thing that we can do," IDF says
From CNN's Mick Krever
A spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) told CNN Monday that the system it has implemented in recent days to designate unsafe areas of Gaza is not perfect, but it is “the best thing that we can do” as civilians continue to look for shelters amid Israel’s expanded ground operations into the south.
The IDF on Friday distributed leaflets in Gaza with a QR-code, which linked to an online map that divided the Gaza Strip into thousands of parcels. Since then, the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesman has posted maps on his X account warning Gazans to leave large swaths of the territory.
But electricity and internet supply have been extremely intermittent in Gaza.
Electricity and internet supply have been extremely intermittent in Gaza. Netblocks, the London-based internet monitoring firm, reported a near-total internet blackout in Gaza on Monday.
CNN’s attempts this weekend to contact people in Khan Younis to ask if they had seen the map were unsuccessful, due to the poor communication links.
Some context: Israel expanded its ground operations to all of Gaza, with ground forces now operating in the southern part of the enclave. A recent evacuation order to move civilians from Khan Younis into Rafah in southern Gaza “created panic, fear and anxiety,” with a United Nations agency warning that 1.9 million people, more than 80% of the enclave’s total population, have been displaced since the beginning of the war.
Link Copied!
At least 63 journalists killed during Israel-Hamas conflict since October 7, CPJ says
From CNN's Kareem El Damanhoury
Mourners attend the funeral of Palestinian journalist Muhammad Abu Hatab, who was killed in an Israeli strike, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, on November 3, 2023.
Mohammed Salem/Reuters
At least 63 journalists and media workers have been killed in Gaza, Israel and Lebanon during the latest Israel-Hamas conflict since October 7, according to a statement by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) on Monday.
The death toll includes 56 Palestinian, four Israeli and three Lebanese journalists, CPJ said.
The journalist advocacy group said the conflict has led to the deadliest month for journalists since it started tracking in 1992.
“CPJ is investigating all reports of journalists and media workers killed, injured, or missing in the war,” the group said.
Link Copied!
Heavy Israeli strikes creates "very serious" situation around northern Gaza hospital, journalist says
From CNN’s Kareem Khadder and Kareem El Damanhoury
The Israeli military is heavily bombarding the vicinity of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, causing damage, a journalist at the hospital said.
Anas Al-Sharif said in a voice message Monday night that the situation was “very serious.”
He added that he could hear airstrikes and artillery fire and that anyone moving near the hospital was being shot at.
In a statement Monday, the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health in Gaza accused the Israeli military of targeting Kamal Adwan Hospital.
CNN cannot independently verify those claims.
CNN reached out to the Israeli military for comment and did not immediately hear back. The Israeli military has maintained that it is targeting Hamas infrastructure in the Gaza Strip.
Link Copied!
Video shows Israeli military detonating explosives outside building that housed justice ministry in Gaza
From Kareem Khadder in Jerusalem and Mick Krever in Tel Aviv
Videos posted on social media Monday show the Israeli military detonating explosives and destroying a large building in central Gaza that houses the justice ministry and courthouses.
Multiple angles show a large number of explosives detonating simultaneously and flattening the building in Al-Zahra. It is not clear when the detonation happened.
In one of the videos, a Hebrew-speaking voice can be heard over the radio.
Then the man starts a countdown, after which the explosives detonate, and the building collapses.
Al-Zahra, south of Gaza City, has come under heavy bombardment by the Israeli military. Large numbers of residential buildings have been leveled, videos have shown. It had historically been an upscale suburb.
CNN reached out to the IDF about why it destroyed the building but did not receive a response.
Link Copied!
Civilian death toll "rapidly increasing," UN official says as Israel expands operations. Here's what to know
From CNN staff
Israeli airstrikes hit about 200 Hamas targets in Gaza, the military said Monday, as it expanded its operations to the southern part of the enclave — a place where it previously told people to move to.
The number of civilians being killed in Gaza is “rapidly increasing,” the head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) said.
At least 15,899 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks since October 7, including more than 375 in the previous 24 hours, a spokesperson for the Hamas-run Ministry of Health said Monday.
Here’s what to know:
Operations across the enclave: Israel is expanding its ground operations to all of Gaza, with ground forces now operating in the southern part, according to a video geolocated by CNN. Israel’s objectives in northern Gaza are “nearly completed,” according to the head of the Israeli military’s armored corps. But, the IDF also said “intense battles” were continuing – and that two soldiers were killed during “close-quarter combat” in northern Gaza.
Thousands of people displaced: A recent evacuation order to move civilians from Khan Younis into Rafah in southern Gaza “created panic, fear and anxiety,” UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini said. And Marwan Alhams of the Al-Najjar Hospital in Rafah said the facility was overwhelmed. “We do not know where to put those refugees.” The UNRWA previously said almost 1.9 million people, more than 80% of the enclave’s total population, have been displaced since the beginning of the war.
Humanitarian crisis: Scores of wounded people were seen being taken from rubble and to hospitals in southern Gaza throughout the day, according to footage from the scene. UN Secretary-General António Guterres urged Israeli forces to spare civilians from more suffering and to avoid action that would worsen the “catastrophic humanitarian situation” in Gaza. And the World Health Organization said Israeli military activity in southern Gaza could deprive many Palestinians of health care, describing the conditions around Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis as catastrophic.
Pressure to protect civilians: US officials have ramped up their warnings about protecting civilian lives as Israel expands its offensive, but US national security adviser Jake Sullivan declined to weigh in on whether Israel has been more precise in its military operation. He did say Israel asked people to leave areas identified for strikes.
Internet blackout: Gaza is currently in a “near total blackout,” according to London-based internet monitoring firm, Netblocks. The last remaining major telecommunications operator in Gaza, PalTel, also said all telecom services in the Strip have been completely cut off. This means Palestinian civilians caught in the line of fire are unable to check on each other or call for help and emergency and medical workers can’t coordinate their responses, an activist trying to help Palestinians skirt telecommunication blackouts explained.
Hostages still in Gaza: The negotiations over the release of additional hostages from Gaza that broke down Friday appear highly unlikely to resume any time soon, multiple US administration officials said. The major reason is that Hamas is refusing to release a remaining group of young women hostages, and Israel will not accept the suggestion of moving on to discuss the release of other categories of people, like men, an official said.
American hostages: The fate of US hostages held in Gaza is uncertain, with talks stalled. Sullivan emphasized that “the paramount priority is getting the American hostages” released. Still, he also cited ongoing “intensive discussions,” involving the US, Israel, Qatar and Egypt “about how to best get traction on a strategy that will get all the hostages out.” It appears unlikely that the administration would be able to negotiate separately for the release of Americans, a senior administration official said.
Sexual violence allegations: Israeli police are interrogating suspects and compiling evidence, including video, forensics and witness testimony to investigate accusations of rape during the October 7 terror attacks by Hamas in Israel. On Monday, Sheryl Sandberg, a longtime advocate for women and girls’ rights, said “rape should never be used as an act of war.” Speaking at the United Nations, she said silence was complicity. “And in the face of terror, we cannot be quiet. That is why we are all here today to speak about unspeakable acts.” Hamas denied that its militants committed rape during the attack that killed about 1,200 people in Israel.
Link Copied!
UN secretary-general: “There is nowhere safe to go” in Gaza for people ordered to evacuate
From CNN’s Richard Roth
Palestinians flee from Khan Younis to Rafah in southern Gaza on December 4, after the Israeli military told civilians to leave certain areas.
Mahmud Hams/AFP/Getty Images
There is nowhere safe to go in the Gaza Strip for the people ordered to evacuate, the UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in a statement Monday.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) told civilians to leave large swaths of the Gaza Strip, including several neighborhoods in the southern part after it resumed its military offensive over the weekend.
Guterres said he was extremely alarmed by the resumption of hostilities between Israel, Hamas, and other armed Palestinian groups in Gaza.
He urged Israeli forces to spare civilians from more suffering and to avoid action that would worsen the “catastrophic humanitarian situation,” according to the statement released by Stéphane Dujarric, the spokesperson for the secretary general.
“Civilians — including health workers, journalists and UN personnel — and civilian infrastructure must be protected at all times,” the statement said.
Guterres also said he was gravely concerned about the escalation of violence in the occupied West Bank, including a high number of fatalities and arrests, intensified Israeli security operations and settler violence, and attacks on Israelis by Palestinians, the statement said.
Link Copied!
Injured people flood hospitals in southern Gaza as IDF attacks intensify
From Mia Alberti
Palestinians injured in Israeli airstrikes arrive at Nasser Medical Hospital on December 4 in Khan Younis, Gaza.
Ahmad Hasaballah/Getty Images
Scores of wounded people were seen being taken from rubble and to hospitals in southern Gaza throughout the day Monday, according to footage from the scene.
In a Reuters video, a baby is seen being rushed from a civilian car into the Nasser Hospital.
The 2-month-old baby is seen laying on a stretcher, apparently unconscious, as doctors remove the baby’s clothes and connect the infant to an oxygen supply.
Israel has been intensifying its aerial bombardment of southern Gaza in recent days. On Sunday, an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson said Israel was expanding its ground operations to the whole of the Gaza Strip.
In another video, a child walks into the same medical center with his head wrapped in a big yellow bandage. More injured people are seen being taken to the emergency room covered in dust — many of whom were brought in civilian cars, carts pulled by donkeys or ambulances.
In Salah Al-Arja, in Rafah, residents were seen trying to rescue their loved ones with their bare hands.
Link Copied!
Israeli military says it will investigate transfer of soldiers away from Gaza border ahead of October 7 attack
From Tamar Michaelis in Tel Aviv
An Israeli tank maneuvers near Israel's border with southern Gaza, in Israel, on December 4.
Amir Cohen/Reuters
The Israeli military’s investigation of October 7 failures will include an assessment on the decision to move reinforcement troops from the Gaza border to the West Bank in the days before Hamas’ attack, an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson said on Monday.
“Troops were indeed moved,” Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said. “And I’m saying that this will be discussed in an operational review, and answers will be fully given to the public.”
Hagari said that the military would not postpone an investigation “until the end of the war.”
The prime minister’s office has consistently said that failures will need to be investigated but that now is not the appropriate time.
Israel’s Channel 11 — the country’s public broadcaster — reported on Sunday that over 100 reinforcement combat troops were on October 5 moved from near the Gaza border to the West Bank, to coincide with the Jewish High Holy Days.
The report came after weeks of speculation in the Israeli media, and denials by the IDF.
When asked about the transfer, Hagari said that rotation decisions are made every weekend, “in accordance with the situational assessment of the General Staff, on where to deploy the reserve troops, in relation to the threats.”
“We will investigate this issue,” he said.
Link Copied!
Situation in Gaza getting “more apocalyptic,” top UN relief official says
From CNN’s Kareem El Damanhoury
A Palestinian boy carrying a baby stands at a site of Israeli strikes in Rafah, southern Gaza, on December 4.
Mohammed Salem/Reuters
The top humanitarian relief official for the United Nations on Monday said that the situation in the Gaza Strip keeps getting “more apocalyptic.”
Griffiths, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, added that no one and nowhere is safe in Gaza.
“Such blatant disregard for basic humanity must stop,” he said, calling for an end to the fighting.
Some background: The Israel Defense Forces on Sunday announced it is expanding its ground operations to all of Gaza, following the collapse of a truce with Hamas on Friday.
“The IDF is resuming and expanding the ground operation against Hamas’ strongholds across the whole Gaza Strip,” IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari told a news conference.
“Our policy is clear — we will forcefully strike any threat posed against our territory.”
The IDF told civilians to leave large swaths of the enclave, including some neighborhoods in the southern part where many Gazans had fled to after the Israel operation began in northern Gaza.
Link Copied!
WHO says Israeli military ordered withdrawal of medical supplies from southern Gaza warehouse
From CNN's Kareem El Damanhoury
The World Health Organization on Monday said the Israeli military has told it to remove medical supplies from a southern Gaza warehouse as ground operations will render them useless.
The director-general updated his statement on X to reference only one southern Gaza warehouse — not two, which he said in an earlier post.
The Israeli military rejected the WHO statement, saying it didn’t ask the organization “to evacuate” a southern Gaza warehouse.
“The truth is that we didn’t ask you to evacuate the warehouses and we also made it clear (and in writing) to the relevant UN representatives,” the Israeli military’s Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) said on X. “From a UN official we would expect, at least, to be more accurate.”
The post is updated to reflect the updated WHO statement on X about its warehouse as well as the response from the Israeli military.
Link Copied!
Palestine Red Crescent says it lost contact with Gaza teams due to communications blackout
From CNN's Abeer Salman and Mia Alberti
The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said Monday it has lost contact with its teams in Gaza due to a near-total communications blackout, which has disrupted internet and telecommunications services.
The PCRS said it is concerned about the continuation of its ambulance services, especially as it affects the emergency telephone line in Gaza, “and hinders the arrival of ambulances to the injured.”
Posting on X shortly after 1 p.m. ET, Netblocks said live metrics showed the Gaza Strip to be “in the midst of a near-total internet blackout.”
Link Copied!
US national security adviser declines to say whether Israel has been more precise in Gaza strikes
From CNN's Donald Judd and Kevin Liptak
A picture taken from southern Israel near the border with Gaza, on December 4, shows an Israeli tank firing at the Palestinian territory.
Jack Guez/AFP/Getty Images
US national security adviser Jake Sullivan declined to weigh in on whether Israel has been more precise in its military operation in Gaza to avoid further civilian casualties.
It comes as top US officials have ramped up their warnings about protecting civilian lives as Israel expands its offensive to southern Gaza.
Sullivan said the US is holding conversations “day in, day out” with Israeli counterparts about the steps it wants to see Israel take to protect civilians.
He reiterated that one of the “key lessons” from Israel’s operations in the northern part of Gaza was that Israel must “give civilians the time and capacity and real opportunity to leave” the region before commencing a ground operation.
On hostages: The US is doing “everything in our power” to get hostages released from Hamas, Sullivan said.
He said he briefed President Joe Biden regularly throughout the weekend and on Monday about efforts to secure the release of hostages. The president has also been briefed on efforts to expand humanitarian assistance to Gaza and support Israel’s military campaign against Hamas, according to Sullivan.
The Biden administration has also held conversations with Israel about how long its offensive against Hamas might take, Sullivan said, but would not elaborate on the talks.
“I think particularly given the sensitivity of this military operation, it wouldn’t be wise for me to lay that out in public for all of you, but it is a topic of conversation that we’re having with Israel,” Sullivan said.
Link Copied!
Hospital manager describes catastrophic situation at southern Gaza health center
From CNN's Mia Alberti
The situation in health centers in southern Gaza is catastrophic, the manager of one of the few hospitals still operating in Rafah told Reuters in an interview on Monday.
Marwan Alhams, of the Al-Najjar Hospital, said that doctors were unable to treat patients because of a lack of medicine and personnel.
“The situation in Al-Najjar hospital reflects the situation in all Gaza hospitals — the situation is catastrophic, we look at cases and do not know what [to do]”, the doctor said in an interview filmed at the hospital.
Alhams said the hospital is completely overwhelmed, having to attend to a growing number of up to 800,000 people who have been displaced, and medical teams expect that number to increase.
“We do not know where to put those refugees,” he said.
Alhams also said he is concerned about the spread of diseases like cholera due to the absence of drinking water, the damaged sewage systems and the lack of available bathrooms.
“Hospitals started receiving cases of chronic diarrhea, chronic vomiting, high fever, spread of skin diseases, like chicken pox and scabies… The queues to bathrooms in shelter centers are hours long queues,” he told Reuters.
The doctor also reported that cases of anemia are growing among children due to “malnutrition and dehydration.”
Another warning: The World Health Organization also warned of major outbreaks of disease due to poor living conditions.
“We are hearing 200 people sharing one toilet with toilets overflowing, open defecation, these kinds of conditions are ripe for the spread of disease,” Dr. Richard Brennan, the Regional Emergency Director of the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region, said Monday.
He said the WHO has had more than 1,100 cases of jaundice, “which will make us concerned about the spread of hepatitis.” Brennan said this was in addition to an increase in the number of respiratory infections, diarrhea and skin infections.
CNN’s Xiaofei Xu contributed reporting to this post.
Link Copied!
United Nations relief agency chief says number of civilians killed in Gaza "is rapidly increasing"
From CNN's Abeer Salman, Mia Alberti, and Lauren Kent
Palestinians walk amid the rubble of destroyed buildings in Gaza City, northern Gaza, following weeks of Israeli bombardment, as a four-day ceasefire took effect on November 24.
Omar El-Qattaa/AFP/Getty Images
The number of civilians being killed in the Gaza Strip is “rapidly increasing” as Israel continues its bombardment and ground operations, the head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) said on Monday.
He added that another evacuation order to move civilians from Khan Younis into Rafah in southern Gaza due to Israel’s ongoing bombardment “created panic, fear and anxiety.”
Lazzarini said that at least 60,000 people were forced to move to an “already overcrowded UNRWA shelters, with more asking to be sheltered. Many have already been displaced more than once fleeing the war in other parts of Gaza.”
UNRWA is currently housing more than 1.2 million people in shelters, including in southern Gaza, according to the agency.
“The evacuation order pushes people to concentrate into what is less than one-third of the Gaza Strip. They need everything: food, water, shelter, and mostly safety. Roads to the south are clogged,” Lazzarini said, noting that access to water is limited in Gaza.
A Palestinian boy carries an Israeli flyer, warning citizens of Gaza not to return to the north, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, on November 24.
Mohammed Abed/AFP/Getty Images
Lazzarini refuted claims that the UN is planning to open new refugee camps in Rafah. “Claims that the UN has thousands of tents and plans to open new refugee camps in Rafah are false,” he said.
The UN official also said that the entire enclave is no longer safe.
Earlier on Monday, the director of UNRWA Affairs Thomas White told CNN that “in the last hour here in Rafah, in the south, has seen dozens and dozens of air strikes into the city where there are thousands of people seeking shelter.”
UNRWA reiterated its calls for a humanitarian ceasefire and for Israel to reopen the Kerem Shalom border crossing and other crossings to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian assistance.
Link Copied!
Israeli military won't postpone October 7 investigation until the end of war, IDF spokesperson says
From Tamar Michaelis in Tel Aviv
The Israeli military will not wait until the end of the war in Gaza to investigate potential failings in preventing Hamas’ October 7 attack, an Israel Defense Forces spokesperson said on Monday.