Israel Determined to Launch Ground Offensive in Rafah

Updated 1226 AM PDT March 21 2024

JERUSALEM, AP

Israel is determined to launch a ground offensive against Hamas in Rafah, Gaza's southernmost city, according to the Israel military. The announcement comes after a deadly Israeli air strike on a camp for displaced Palestinians in Rafah killed at least 45 people, including women and children. The Israel military said that the target of the strike was a Hamas compound and that precise munitions had been used. However, witnesses and human rights groups have disputed this claim, saying that the strike hit a civilian residential area.

The United States, the biggest supplier of military weaponry to Israel, has not officially commented on the ICJ ruling or the weekend's deadly Rafah air strike. However, some US officials have privately expressed concern about the escalating violence and have urged Israel to exercise restraint.

The international community has condemned the Israeli air strike, with the United Nations saying that it "may amount to war crimes." The International Criminal Court (ICC) has announced that it will open a preliminary investigation into the strike. Norway's Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said that "We would urge Israel to stop, to stop now in terms of the military operation in Rafah."

The Israeli government has defended the air strike, saying that it was necessary to protect Israeli citizens from Hamas rocket attacks. However, the air strike has been widely condemned by human rights groups and the international community. The United Nations has called for an independent investigation into the strike.