War in the Middle East: USA probably wants to supply Israel with new weapons

As the Israeli army advances deeper into the city of Rafah in the south of the Gaza Strip, the US, its most important ally, is planning a new billion-dollar arms shipment to the Jewish state, according to media reports. UN Secretary-General António Guterres said he was “horrified” by the Israeli military offensive.

“These developments further complicate humanitarian access and worsen an already dire situation. At the same time, Hamas continues to fire rockets indiscriminately,” said its spokesman Stéphane Dujarric.

Former general Benny Gantz, who sits in Israel’s war cabinet, called for more international pressure on Hamas. Gantz wrote on

Army spokesman: Reports of hostages in Rafah

Against the backdrop of increasing tensions over the Israeli army’s advance in Rafah, Sullivan plans to travel to Saudi Arabia and Israel this weekend, according to the news portal Axios. The USA, as its most important ally, had repeatedly warned Israel against a major ground offensive in the city that borders Egypt, particularly because of the feared consequences for the civilian population.

Israel wants to destroy the last Hamas battalions in Rafah. According to the military’s findings, there are also Israeli hostages in the area. Officers reported this to Israel’s Chief of General Staff Herzi Halevi during his visit to troops in the eastern part of Rafah, said army spokesman Daniel Hagari.

Israeli army moves deeper into Rafah

According to eyewitness reports, Israeli troops had advanced deeper into the city with tanks, which moved from the east to districts further west on Tuesday. Hagari did not respond to the reports. As the army announced on Wednesday morning, another 19-year-old soldier was killed in fighting. According to the Times of Israel, it was the first time that an army soldier was killed in Israel’s advance into Rafah. More than 35,100 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip since the war began more than seven months ago, according to the Hamas-controlled health authority. The number, which is difficult to verify independently, does not distinguish between civilians and fighters.

US President Biden threatened Israel last week that a major ground offensive in the city, which is crowded with internally displaced people from other parts of the Gaza Strip, could have consequences for US arms deliveries. But it doesn’t currently look like a major ground offensive, said a spokeswoman. According to US media, the US government is now planning a new arms delivery to Israel worth more than a billion US dollars (around 924 million euros). It contained tank ammunition, tactical vehicles and mortar shells, it said, citing unnamed sources. The US government initiated the approval process in Congress.

UN: Deadly shots at UN car probably from Israeli tank

Meanwhile, following the death of an Indian employee, the United Nations assumes that his car was shot at by an Israeli tank. This was announced by UN spokesman Farhan Haq in New York. “We are in discussions with Israel to find out exactly how this incident occurred,” Haq said. Another injured Jordanian woman is being treated in a hospital.

Until last week, around a million people had sought protection from fighting in the rest of the Gaza Strip in Rafah. According to UN estimates, almost 450,000 people have now left the city, which borders Egypt, within a week.

Army: Air strike on Hamas command center in school

The Israeli military meanwhile reported the killing of more than ten Hamas members in a targeted airstrike on the Islamist organization’s command center in a school. The premises were used by Hamas’ military wing to plan attacks on the Israeli military in the Gaza Strip, an army spokesman said.

Hamas set up the “war room” in the middle of a school run by the UN Palestinian Relief Agency (UNRWA). The attack killed 15 internally displaced people, according to the Hamas-controlled health authority. None of the information could initially be independently verified.

More international pressure on Hamas is absolutely needed, Israeli Minister Gantz wrote on eliminate,” he wrote. According to the mediating state of Qatar, efforts to reach a ceasefire have almost come to a “standstill”. There are fundamental disagreements between Hamas and Israel, said Qatar’s Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani on Tuesday in Doha.

Israel’s army: Hezbollah commander killed in southern Lebanon

The Israeli army said it killed a senior Hezbollah militia commander in an airstrike in southern Lebanon on Tuesday evening. The pro-Iranian militia confirmed the death of one of its fighters, but did not name his rank. According to the Israeli military, the man is said to have been responsible for planning and carrying out numerous terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians and Israeli territory. Lebanon’s state news agency NNA reported that a car was hit in an Israeli drone strike on Tuesday evening. Two people were killed.

Pentagon: First aid coming soon via temporary port

The first aid supplies are expected to arrive shortly via a temporary US military port off the coast of the Gaza Strip. “In the coming days, as part of an international effort in coordination with the United Nations and the World Food Program, the United States will begin facilitating the delivery of humanitarian assistance to the Gaza Strip via the Cyprus maritime corridor,” Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder said in Washington . “We call on all parties not to impede the delivery of life-saving assistance.” The temporary port will serve as a hub for the delivery of aid to the suffering civilian population in Gaza.

What is important today

The Palestinians commemorate the flight and expulsion of more than 700,000 Palestinians during the first Middle East war in 1948. The Palestinians celebrate the so-called Nakba Day (Day of Catastrophe) every year on May 15th, one day after the anniversary of the founding of the Israeli state dated May 14, 1948.