At least 36 Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks in the city of Rafah in 24 hours, according to hospital reports. The US has confirmed that it has stopped supplying Israel with weapons.
The Hamas-controlled health authority reported 55 deaths in the entire Gaza Strip within 24 hours. Since the start of the war, 34,844 people have been killed along the coast. The numbers, which do not distinguish between combatants and civilians, cannot be independently verified.
According to the Kuwaiti hospital in Rafah on Wednesday, among the dead were children killed in an air strike on their home. The Israeli army said terrorists belonging to the Islamic group Hamas were killed in various clashes in Rafah.
The US Secretary of Defense confirmed the arms embargo
Heavy Israeli attacks in Rafah continued on Wednesday, according to eyewitnesses. Large numbers of people continued to leave the city on the Egyptian border to the north. A central street in the Mediterranean was overflowing with refugees, witnesses said.
The US Defense Secretary confirmed that US arms sales to Israel had been halted following the Rafah attack. “We assessed the situation and stopped sending more payload munitions,” Lloyd Austin said. “We were clear from the beginning that Israel should not launch a major attack on Rafah without taking into account and protecting civilians in this war zone.”
“Screams of the Innocent”
Given the dramatic situation of the population, the mayor of Rafah, Ahmed al-Sofi, appealed to the international community to intervene. “The streets of the city echo with the screams of innocent people who have lost their lives, families being torn apart and houses collapsing. “We are on the brink of an unprecedented humanitarian disaster,” he warned. In Rafah, more than a million people have taken refuge from fighting between Israel’s army and Hamas.
For the third time in a few days, the military wing of the Islamic terrorist organization Hamas shelled the Israeli border crossing at Kerem Shalom. The Qassam Brigades said on Wednesday that it fired rockets at Israeli troops in Kerem Shalom. According to the Israeli military, there was a rocket alarm in the area.
No details on deliveries
A critical border crossing for the delivery of aid to the Gaza Strip reopened on Wednesday after being closed for several days. It was closed to humanitarian traffic after four Israeli soldiers were killed in a rocket attack by the terrorist organization Hamas on Sunday.
Despite Israel’s announcement to open the critical border crossing, no aid supplies had been delivered to the Gaza Strip as of Wednesday evening (local time), according to the United Nations. Spokesman Stephen Dujarric said in New York. He did not elaborate on questions about holding up deliveries. There is also no help getting into the Gaza Strip through the Rafah border crossing where fuel is urgently needed. (APA)
