Closing summary
Israeli forces have pushed deeper into Rafah, the southern Gazan city which used to be a refuge for Palestinians fleeing Israeli bombardments from elsewhere. More families, estimated in the thousands, were leaving on Sunday, bringing the total number of Palestinians who have fled following evacuation orders from Israel to about 300,000. Israel says it must invade to dismantle Hamas and return hostages taken in the 7 October attack.
Israel has called for Palestinians in more areas of Rafah to head to what it calls an expanded humanitarian area in al-Mawasi, a narrow strip of coastline at the southernmost end of the territory. But there are grave concerns for the security of those fleeing to the area, which aid workers say is packed with hundreds of thousands of displaced people who have already overwhelmed inadequate supplies of food, clean water and healthcare. Sanitation barely exists, leading to the rapid spread of disease.
The UN human rights chief, Volker Turk, warned that a full-scale Israeli assault on Rafah “cannot take place”, saying it could not be reconciled with international law. He said a full-scale offensive could have a “catastrophic impact … including the possibility of further atrocity crimes”. The UK’s foreign secretary, David Cameron, said earlier that it would be wrong for Israel to carry out a major offensive in Rafah “without a plan to protect people”.
The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, defended a decision to pause a delivery to Israel of 3,500 bombs over concerns they could be used in Rafah, saying Israel lacked a “credible plan” to protect the civilians sheltering there. The US president, Joe Biden, has made clear to Israel that if it “launches this major military operation to Rafah, then there are certain systems that we’re not going to be supporting and supplying for that operation,” Blinken told ABC News’ This Week. “We have real concerns about the way they’re used,” he continued. Israel needs to “have a clear, credible plan to protect civilians, which we haven’t seen.”
The Israeli army sent tanks back into al-Zeitoun, an eastern suburb of Gaza City, as well as al-Sabra, where residents also reported heavy bombardments that destroyed several houses, including high-rise residential buildings. The army claimed to have gained control of most of these areas months ago. Meanwhile, Palestinians reported heavy Israeli bombardment overnight in the Jabaliya refugee camp and other areas in the northern Gaza Strip.
At least 35,034 Palestinian people have been killed and 78,755 injured in Israeli strikes on Gaza since 7 October, the Gaza health ministry said in a statement.
We are closing this blog now, but you can stay up to date on the Guardian’s Middle East coverage here.
Updated
Israel lacks 'credible plan' to safeguard Rafah civilians, US secretary of state says
The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, has defended a decision to pause a delivery to Israel of 3,500 bombs over concerns they could be used in Rafah, saying Israel lacked a “credible plan” to protect the civilians sheltering there.
Speaking to ABC News’ This Week, Blinken said that the US president, Joe Biden, remains determined to help Israel defend itself and that the shipment of 3,500 2,000-pound and 500-pound bombs was the only US weapons package being withheld.
That could change, he said, if Israel launches a full-scale attack on Rafah.
Biden has made clear to Israel that if it “launches this major military operation to Rafah, then there are certain systems that we’re not going to be supporting and supplying for that operation,” Blinken said.
“We have real concerns about the way they’re used,” he continued. Israel needs to “have a clear, credible plan to protect civilians, which we haven’t seen.”
Rafah has been sheltering an estimated 1.4 million Palestinians, most of them displaced from elsewhere by Israeli bombardments, amid dire shortages of food and water.
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