Posted on 05/06/2024 6:32:02 AM PDT by SJackson
People flee the eastern parts of Rafah after the Israeli military began evacuating Palestinian civilians ahead of a threatened assault on the southern Gazan city, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip May 6, 2024.
Hamas warned that the IDF’s evacuation of civilians from eastern Rafah was a dangerous escalation that could scuttle the already strained hostage talks.
"The US administration, alongside the occupation, bears responsibility for this terrorism," the official, Sami Abu Zuhri, told Reuters, referring to Israel's alliance with Washington.
He warned that it was a "dangerous escalation that will have consequences.”
Walla’s Barak Ravid posted on X that Hamas warned that hostage talks could be suspended.
Egypt, which alongside Qatar has mediated talks for the release of the remaining 132 hostages, worked to contain the damage to negotiations, which were also harmed by Hamas attack Sunday on the Kerem Shalom crossing that killed four soldiers.
Kerem Shalom attack caused ceasefire talks to falter An Egyptian source told Al-Qahera News that it was the Kerem Shalom attack Sunday that caused the talks to falter.
The Hamas delegation returned to Doha from Cairo for consultations with its leadership which is based there. CIA Director William Burns left Cairo for Doha last night and is expected in Israel this week.
At issue had been Hama's insistence on a permanent ceasefire, with Israel standing firm that it could only accept a pause to the war because it was determined to conduct a military operation in Rafah to destroy the remaining Hamas battalions there.
Belgian Vice Premier Petra De Sutter warned that a Rafah “invasion will lead to a massacre.”
"Belgium is working on further sanctions against [Israel],” she wrote in a post on X.
De Sutter has been a fierce and early critic of Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza that began on October 7, calling already in November for sanctions against the Jewish state.
The French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna reiterated in a post on X on Monday her country's opposition to a possible Israeli operation in Rafah.
"The President of the Republic yesterday recalled France's firm opposition to an Israeli offensive on Rafah during his telephone conversation with Prime Minister Netanyahu," she wrote.
The international community, including the United States, has also opposed a Rafah operation fearing it would lead to a humanitarian disaster for the over 1.3 million Palestinians located there, many of whom sought shelter there to escape Israeli bombardments in northern Gaza at the start of the war.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which is the main organization that services Palestinian refugees, wrote on X that “an Israeli offensive in #Rafah would mean more civilian suffering [and] deaths. The consequences would be devastating for 1.4 million people."
UNRWA “is not evacuating” Palestinians from Rafah, it stressed, adding that “Agency will maintain a presence in Rafah as long as possible [and[ will continue providing lifesaving aid to people.”
Israel updates US about evacuation Defense Minister Yoav Gallant spoke overnight with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, updating him on the Kerem Shalom attack and Israel’s pending Rafah operation.
Gallant indicated that “at this stage, Hamas refuses the frameworks at hand" and “emphasized that military action is required, including in the area of Rafah, at the lack of an alternative,” according to the Defense Ministry
“The State of Israel will not tolerate the ongoing presence of terrorist frameworks bordering its communities, and is committed to achieving the goals of the war - the destruction of Hamas as a military and governing authority, and the return of 132 hostages,” Gallant said.
[People flee the eastern parts of Rafah after the Israeli military began evacuating Palestinian civilians ahead of a threatened assault on the southern Gazan city, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip May 6, 2024.]
Good on the Israeli military.
Release the hostages and it is over.
The hostages are all dead…
The Kerem Shalom crossing being an attractive target for Hamas. Anything to reduce the aid entering Gaza.
Belgium and France are overrun by Islamic barbarians, yet they are acting on their behalf. And of course the two officials cited are childless females. Europe deserves to fall.
Who cares about the hostages? That shouldn’t stop the conflict. Hamas must be destroyed completely.
Whaqt hostage talks ???
If the Hamas terrorists were in earnest the hostages would have been home months ago...
The hostages will never emerge alive.Israel should understand that.
If the IDF is doing this, they're doing genocide wrong. Helluva way to be conducting a genocidal operation ....
The more these a@@-holes talk, the more they say the same thing. Putin, Silwan, anything you do that they don’t want is a “dangerous escalation”. It’s a dangerous escalation to do what they say, too.
Hamas Lies about Everything.
They must be eliminated, there is no other solution.
” the remaining 132 hostages,”
There are NOT 132 hostages alive. Take that to the bank.
The word of Hamas means nothing.
Evacuations mean Hamas is losing their civilian shields...
The talks are faltering because most all the hostages are dead.
Biden should inform Biden that they are now producing their own ammunition and understand that the US has used up all of theirs. He should ask Biden if he wants to buy some from Israel.
Jeeez. Who’s Hamas going to hide behind if civilians leave?
Correction: Bibi should inform Biden.
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