Israel seems ready to invade Rafah
Israel’s allies have pressured the country not to invade Rafah, the city in southern Gaza where a million displaced Palestinians live. But this week, Israel seemed to hint that an attack there was almost inevitable.
On Monday, an Israeli military official said that if an invasion began, civilians would be relocated to a safe zone along the coast. Israel has also bombed Rafah, leading some civilians to fear a ground attack could follow.
Israel says it is necessary to advance toward Rafah to eliminate militants sheltering in a network of tunnels beneath the city, capture or kill Hamas leaders presumed to be there and secure the release of remaining hostages held during the Hamas-led attack on October 1. 7 attacks.
But the invasion would be devastating for civilians. The humanitarian zone designated as a possible destination is already packed with displaced people.
OOPS: Germany said it would restore its funding to the UN agency for the Palestinians after a report undermined Israel’s claims that there were terrorists in the organisation’s ranks. Germany is the agency’s second largest donor after the US.
Hostages: Hersh Goldberg-Polin, an Israeli-American who lost part of his arm in the October 7 attacks, appeared in a Hamas video. He criticized Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and said he had been held hostage for about 200 days.
American weapons are arriving in Ukraine.
President Biden signed a foreign aid package yesterday that included nearly $61 billion in assistance for Ukraine. He said arms shipments would begin “within hours.”
The aid includes munitions that could help Ukraine penetrate deep into Russian-controlled territory.
Last week, the United States secretly sent a new long-range missile system to Ukraine, known as ATACMS. Ukraine used the weapons to attack a Russian military airfield in Crimea and Russian troops in the port city of Berdiansk on the Sea of Azov, according to a senior US official. Additional, longer-range missiles were included in the new aid package.
The Pentagon said it would rush a first batch of weapons, including Stinger surface-to-air missiles and other air defense munitions, 155-millimeter projectiles, Javelin anti-tank guided missiles, cluster munitions and battle vehicles.
NATO: Around 90,000 soldiers from alliance countries have been training in Europe this spring. The show of force is intended to send a clear message to Russia not to overlook Ukraine.
Kharkiv: Since March, Russia has been bombing Ukraine’s second-largest city with one of the deadliest weapons in its arsenal: powerful guided bombs known as gliding bombs.
Myanmar junta regains ground
The military junta recaptured the town of Myawaddy, a key commercial hub on the Thai border, weeks after rebels captured it. The capture of the city had been the rebels’ most important victory since the 2021 military coup.
Recent context: In recent months, resistance forces have taken dozens of towns and military posts in Myanmar’s border regions. Myawaddy was an especially big prize.
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