Rafah bombings (Edited by Mumsnet)

[TwilightSkies]

Where the hell are all the Palestinians meant to go now?
They were TOLD to go to Rafah, that Rafah was a safe place.
It’s just open extermination at this point.

Everything that ever happened is the fault of The West. Everything, even when it isn't.

600000 people forcibly evacuated from Rafah leaving 800000 remaining in the city

WFP and UN aid warehouses in the south of Gaza are now empty - no more food and no more tents

https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/may/15/un-says-it-has-no-more-food-or-tents-for-nearly-2m-people-in-gaza

I'm surprised we weren't blamed for the Falklands War 🙄

Thanks @Efacsen for bringing us back to Rafah despite it’s with really bad news

More on the diplomatic row between Israel and Egypt over the Rafah crossing

The Reuters news agency has been told by two Egyptian sources that Egypt has rejected an Israeli proposal for the two countries to coordinate to re-open the Rafah crossing between Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula and the Gaza Strip.

Israel took operational control of the crossing and has said it will not compromise on preventing Hamas having any future role there.

The Israeli proposal included a mechanism for how to manage the crossing after an Israeli withdrawal, the security sources said. Egypt insists the crossing should be managed only by Palestinian authorities, Reuters added.

More than 650k people have now left Rafah

Approx 90 trucks of food and medical aid delivered via US floating pier have been sent to WFP warehouse in Deir-al-balah for distribution to the evacuees but won't be able to reach those left in Rafah because of on-going fighting

White House’s Sullivan to visit Israel on Sunday

US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan is due in Israel on Sunday after visiting Saudi Arabia today.
Sullivan will meet Israel’s PM, defence minister and war cabinet minister, reports Israel’s Kan broadcaster.
Israel has committed to holding off on any expansion of its Rafah operation until after Sullivan’s visit, reports Israel’s Ynetnews site.

An astonishing 800k people have reportedly left Rafah - the remaining 600k will
disproportionately include the injured, disabled, elderly and their carers who are unable to leave and those with children who couldn't afford to take their tents with them - you have to pay to have your tent dis-mantled/ transport it

A smallish number of tents reportedly coming in via the US floating pier

That's a huge number of people moved in a short period of time.

Israel’s Gallant says Israel will expand operation in Rafah

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has told White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan that his country is committed to expanding its operation in Rafah in southern Gaza.

“We are committed to broadening the ground operation in Rafah to the end of dismantling Hamas and recovering the hostages,” a statement from Gallant’s office quoted him as saying during the meeting.

Gallant also said that Israel made adjustments to its evacuation operations in Rafah.

Israel continues to facilitate humanitarian aid into Gaza. According to the IDF, “over 160,000 Liters of Fuel and Diesel, Hundreds of Pallets of Humanitarian Aid via the Floating Pier, and over 1,000 Humanitarian Aid Trucks through the Erez and Kerem Shalom Crossings.”

Good. That’s what they should be doing.

That would be great if that total were for 24hrs, as it is for 8 and a half months it is like saying yes I fed my children today, they each had a garden pea and a teaspoon of water.

A quick Google indicates that the 1000 aid trucks came in this week, with 400 today.
(prewar level was 500 per day)

It's from Israeli news, the Israeli government website and Cogat though. I haven't found any other sources to verify it or to challenge it.

https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/390166
https://govextra.gov.il/cogat/humanitarian-efforts/home/

Only information available online is from COGAT_IDF and is unverified

OCHA who used to collect data for the UN have been excluded from the process

UN and aid agencies are saying 'nowhere near enough' is reaching hungry people

US will know from drone and satellite surveillance how many trucks are being distributed and have said 'not enough'

When did the US and UN say 'Nothing like enough' about? This week? Today?

Like I said, I've seen nothing to confirm 400 trucks today or 1000 this week. But I've also seen nothing to refute it. Have you?

This week, I saw 90 trucks via the pier. But nothing for the past two days by pier. Might have been more I didn’t see.

Nothing via Rafah

A small number of trucks into to North Gaza

Unknown number of trucks abandoned just inside Kerem Shalom because the IDF Rafah encirclement blocks all UN access to the aid.

Last 2-3 days

No of trucks can't be refuted because OCHA not allowed/unable to collect data -Rafah [closed] Kerem Shalom and Erez [not permitted]

Massive backlog of trucks has been seen in Egypt - estimated 3000+

But the impact can be measured over a longer period of time and that's the important thing here - are people being fed or going hungry

.

In fact 25 minutes ago

According to the statement, Sullivan also discussed the “importance of Israel and Egypt concluding talks to reopen the Rafah crossing as soon as possible”. Much-needed humanitarian aid has been barred from entering Gaza through the vital border crossing with Egypt, after Israeli forces seized the Palestinian side earlier this month.

Sullivan also stressed the “imperative” to further surge aid throughout Gaza, using all available crossings, the statement added.

Jake Sullivan US National Security Advisor

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Maybe you prefer these stats ? -

https://www.ochaopt.org/data/crossings

This is from 9 May and may be outdated but if Hamas keep shelling the crossing how can aid get through ??

https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-crossings-aid-gaza-f654871ba67c42e6345b6f709427b664

This comment doesn't really make a lot of sense in the context of the 'discussion'

OCHA is a well respected source of information and presents their information in a clear easily understandable format with an emphasis on the the whole picture over time rather than snap-shots of 'what happened today'

The more sources of data the better

Given that it's now 21st May - any article from the 9th isn't really going to be up-to-date but it's a good synopsis

Just FYI Hamas didn't 'shell' anything - they don't have tanks and the rocket launcher used was located and destroyed by the IDF the next day - so not a repeated action by Hamas

The rocket attack wasn't on Kerem Shalom crossing itself but on the nearby IDF base where Israeli troops and tanks were massing prior to the invasion of eastern Rafah so an attack on troops rather than the humanitarian crossing point

Around the same time a number of aid workers were injured by Israeli fire and has been pretty much a no-go area for civilians since as it's now in the middle of a battlefield and too dangerous

That's why 'aid can't get through' in the usual manner - tho' COGAT_IDF claims trucks are using the crossing but with a huge backlog seen festering in Egypt

,

Israel had agreed not to expand their invasion of Rafah until after this meeting had taken place

US National Security adviser concludes meetings with Israeli officials

Jake Sullivan has held meetings with Israeli officials, including members of the war cabinet, to discuss the situation in Gaza and the US’s “unwavering support for Israel”, the White House said in a statement.

Among those he met were Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, as well as Israeli war cabinet members Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot.

Sullivan received “updated briefings” on Israeli operations in Gaza, and reiterated US President Joe Biden’s position on the ongoing offensive in southern Gaza’s Rafah, the statement said. Biden has urged Netanyahu not to invade Rafah without safeguards for civilians.

It’s interesting that there are posters claiming that Israel is letting aid in when ICCs prosecutor just said warrant arrests should be proceed against Israel’s government for starving the population. If enough aid was let in then this wouldn’t be the reason raised by icc to arrest nentahayu

I am extremely dubious of the ICC and, especially, giving Israel and Hamas equivalence by announcing the arrest warrants simultaneously (as even Germany said).

However, the starvation the ICC is stating, I suspect, refers to the start of the war when Israel basically placed Gaza under siege, allowing no food or fuel in. They did change that relatively quickly.