The looming Rafah invasion has cast a shadow over ongoing efforts to forge a cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters “there’s still a lot of work to be done” as he wrapped up his sixth trip to the Mideast since the war began.
And at the U.N. Security Council, Russia and China vetoed a U.S.-sponsored resolution on the Israel-Hamas war that “determines the imperative of an immediate and sustained cease-fire.” The two dissenting nations called the measure ambiguous, and said it was not the direct demand to end the fighting that much of the world seeks.
International aid officials say the entire population of the Gaza Strip — 2.3 million people — is suffering from food insecurity and that famine is imminent in the hard-hit north. More than a million people have crowded into Rafah as they flee fighting across the besieged territory.
Gaza's Health Ministry raised the territory's death toll to 32,070 people, with around 74,300 wounded. The ministry doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants in its count, but says women and children make up two-thirds of the dead.
Some 1,200 people were killed on October 7 when Palestinian militants launched a surprise attack out of Gaza, triggering the war, and abducted another 250 people. Hamas is still believed to be holding some 100 Israelis hostage, as well as the remains of 30 others.
Forum