Israel flattens Rafah ruins; Gazans fear plan to herd them there

Israel
's army is flattening the remaining ruins of the city of Rafah on the southern edge of the
Gaza Strip
, residents say, in what they fear is a part of a plan to herd the population into confinement in a giant camp on the barren ground.
No food or medical supplies have reached the 2.3 million residents of the Gaza Strip in nearly two months, since Israel imposed what has since become its longest ever total blockade of the territory, following the collapse of a six-week ceasefire.
Israel
relaunched its ground campaign in mid-March and has since seized swathes of land and ordered residents out of what it says are 'buffer zones' around Gaza's edges, including all of Rafah which comprises about 20 per cent of the Strip.
Israeli public broadcaster Kan reported on Saturday that the military was setting up a new 'humanitarian zone' in Rafah, to which civilians would be moved after security checks to keep out Hamas fighters. Aid would be distributed by private companies.
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The Israeli military had yet to comment on the report on Monday. Residents said massive explosions could now be heard unceasingly from the dead zone where Rafah had once stood as a city of 300,000 people.
'Explosions never stop, day and night, whenever the ground shakes, we know they are destroying more homes in Rafah. Rafah is gone,' Tamer, a Gaza City man displaced in Deir Al-Balah, further north, told Reuters by text message.
He said he was getting phone calls from friends as far away as across the border in Egypt whose children were being kept awake by the explosions.
Abu Mohammed, another displaced man in Gaza, said by text: 'We are terrified that they could force us into Rafah, which is going to be like a cage of a concentration camp, completely sealed off from the world.'
Israel, which imposed its total blockade on Gaza on March 2nd, says enough supplies reached the territory in the previous six weeks of the truce that it does not believe the population is at risk. It says it says it cannot allow in food or medicine because Hamas fighters would exploit it.
Gaza's Hamas-run officials ministry said on Monday at least 23 people had been killed in the latest Israeli strikes across the Strip.
At least 10, some of them children, were killed in an Israeli air strike on a house in Jabalia in the north and six were killed in an air strike on a cafe in the south. Footage circulating on social media showed some victims critically injured as they sat around a table at the cafe.
Talks mediated by Qatar and Egypt have so far failed to extend the ceasefire, during which Hamas released 38 hostages and Israel released hundreds of prisoners and detainees.
Fifty-nine Israeli hostages are still held in Gaza, fewer than half of them believed to be alive. Hamas says it would free them only under a deal that ended the war; Israel says it will agree only to temporary pauses in fighting unless Hamas is completely disarmed, which the fighters reject.
In Doha, Qatar's prime minister said on Sunday that efforts to reach a new ceasefire in Gaza had made some progress.
The Gaza war started after Hamas-led fighters killed 1,200 people and took 251 hostages to Gaza in the October, 2023 attacks, according to Israeli tallies. Since then, Israel's offensive on the enclave killed more than 52,000, according to Palestinian health officials. − Reuters

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The Journal

3 hours ago

• The Journal

As the world's eyes turned to Iran this week, Israeli forces killed hundreds of people in Gaza

IN THE LAST week news headlines the world over have been focused on the alarming developments in the Middle East since Israel attacked nuclear and military sites in Iran last Friday, and Iran responded with aerial strikes against Israel. Much of the focus has been on whether the US, under the Trump administration, will carry out strikes on Iran alongside Israel. Trump has prevaricated on the issue, but finally said yesterday that he believes that there a chance for real negotiations to take place, which he is allowing a two weeks window for. He has urged Iran to make an unconditional surrender. Israel's military offensive in Gaza and the deadly manner in which the dispersal of aid into the strip is being managed has continued in the last week at the same time, with several key incidents taking place. The last 24 hours Gaza's civil defence agency has said that 31 Palestinian aid seekers were among at least 60 people killed today by Israeli forces (Gaza is two hours ahead of GMT time). A spokesperson said that five people were killed while waiting for aid in the southern Gaza strip and 26 others were killed in a central area known as the Netzarim corridor, an Israeli-controlled strip of land that bisets Palestinian territory. Thousands are gathering there daily in an attempt to get food ration, as famine is looming across Gaza after more than 20 months of war. The Israeli army has claimed it fired 'warning shots' at 'suspects' that approached them. They further said that when individuals continued to approach an aircraft 'eliminated the suspects in order to remove the threat'. The Israel and US backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has taken over the distribution of aid into the strip since May, and there have been multiple mass deaths of aid seekers since. Also today, the civil defence agency said that 14 people were killed in two separate strikes in and around the central city of Deir el-Balah, and 13 others in three Israeli air strikes in the Gaza City Area. In Southern Gaza, two others were killed by 'Israeli gunfire'. AFP news agency has said it is now difficult to independently verify death tolls due to Israeli restrictions on media in the Strip, and difficulties in accessing some areas. Today, the former Israeli ambassador to the US Michael Oren appeared on Today with Claire Byrne, and he disputed reports that people are dying of widespread starvation in Gaza. He claimed that UN is getting its data 'from Hamas', and that Israeli analysts have 'different data'. Oren also claimed that Hamas is killing people near aid sites as In the last week On Thursday, the civil defence agency said that Israeli forces had killed at least 72 people, including another 21 aid seekers near distribution sites. Spokesperson Mahmud Bassal said that six were killed while waiting for aid in Southern Gaza, and 15 were killed in the Netzarim corridor. A man who witnessed the shootings at aid sites told AFP that people had gathered overnight on Wednesday, hoping that aid would be distributed on Thursday morning. 'Around 1:00 am (2200 GMT Wednesday), they started shooting at us,' he said by phone, reporting gunfire, tank shelling and bombs dropped by drones. Another man who spoke to the news agency said the size of the crowd made it impossible for people to escape, and that casualties were left lying on the ground within walking distance of the aid distribution point. 'We couldn't help them or even escape ourselves,' he said. In Northern Gaza – where most territories are under an evacuation order from the IDF – Bassal said that 51 people were killed in nine separate strikes. On the Wednesday, 33 people were reported as being killed by Israeli fire, including 11 aid seekers. Bassal said that 'occupation forces opened fire and launched several shells… at thousands of citizens'. Once again, on Wednesday, the IDF said that a group of 'suspicious individuals' had approached its forces in a manner that 'posed a potential threat'. It said that its troops fired 'warning shots', but that it was 'unaware of injuries'. Advertisement Later on Wednesday, the IDF said one of its soldiers was killed during an operation in Southern Gaza. On the same day the chair of the United Nations' Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Israel and the Palestinian territories said that the new aid 'foundation' is 'outrageous'. 'It involves the United States itself, the government, and it turns out, as we watch daily, that people who go to these centres are being killed as they seek food'. The United Nations and other major aid organisations are refusing to work with the group over concerns that it is furthering Israeli military objectives. West Bank raids In the early hours of Wednesday morning, the Israeli military raided refugee camps in the West Bank overnight. An official who runs the Balata Camp said that the military evicted home owners in the camps and told them not to return for 72 hours, and used their homes as interrogation outposts. Imad Zaki said that house-to-house searches were conducted, and that the contents of refugees' homes were destroyed, and residents were 'assaulted'. Zaki said that life in the camp was 'largely paralysed' by the raid. On the Tuesday, the civil defence agency said that more than 50 Palestinians were killed near the aid centre in the territories south, and some 200 people were wounded. A man who witnessed the shootings by military drones said that people were murdered 'in cold blood' who were 'ordinary, unarmed people'. The IDF said that it was looking into reports of injuries, and that a 'gathering' had been identified near an aid distribution truck that 'got stuck'. On Monday the civil defence agency reported that Israeli troops killed 20 people who were waiting to collect food. Bassal said that the Israeli forces opened fire near the Al-Alam roundabout in the southern city of Rafah, where people were waiting to reach the aid distribution site. On the same day, Ahmed al-Farra, the head of the paediatric department at Nasser Hospital in the nearby city of Khan Yunis said that people 'are hungry, they didn't get any food since nearly four months ago'. Farra said that the GHF sites are the only way for people to seek out food, and when they get there they are 'killed by snipers'. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo The International Committee of the Red Cross said it had 200 people at its field hospital in the Al-Mawasi area near Rafah on the Monday. On the Sunday it treated 170 patients. In a statement the Red Cross said many of those people 'were wounded by gunshots, and reported that they were trying to access a food distribution site'. On the same day at the G7 summit in Canada, Ursala von der Leyen, the European Commission President, told reporters that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu promised over the phone to do more to bring aid in Gaza. On the Sunday, it was reported that 16 people were killed in Israeli military operations in various parts of the Gaza strip, including three citizens near aid distribution centres. Netanyahu speaking on Fox News. On the Sunday Netanyahu appeared on Fox News, the US channel, and said that he had ordered negotiators to 'advance' talks on the release of hostages being held in Gaza. He said that the US Middle East envoy made an offer to begin a 60-day ceasefire, with half of the remaining hostages being released straight away. Of the 251 hostages that were seized in Hamas's October 7 attacks, 52 are still held in Gaza, including 34 who Israel believes to be dead. On the Saturday, the day after Israel's attacks on Iran, Gaza rescuers said that 41 people were killed in Israeli military operations, more than half of whom were waiting on aid. On the same day, internet access was restored after a three day blackout, which the Palestinian Telecommunications Regulatory Authority blamed on Israel (a claim Israel didn't comment on). The Palestine Red Crescent Society said the week before that the blackout had hindered its rescue operations by making it difficult to contact first responders in the field. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal

The Irish Sun

3 hours ago

• The Irish Sun

Iran plots to activate terrorist sleeper cell network across West in desperate last act in face of Israeli destruction

A 'VULNERABLE' IRAN may activate a network of sleeper cells across the West in the face of the Israeli bombing campaign, experts have warned. With its 4 Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Credit: AFP 4 Iran's murderous terrorist wing, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) 4 A view of the damage is seen after a missile launched from Iran reportedly struck the area on June 15 in retaliation for recent Israeli attacks Credit: Getty It has now been more than a week since The goal, as the Israelis say, is to thwart the Iranian regime's efforts to produce nuclear weapons - as well as more ballistic missiles, including long-range weapons that can strike targets far beyond Israel. While Iran has been responding by launching frequent salvos of ballistic missiles, its top military command has been decapitated. And Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has been forced to live in underground bunkers. read more on iran Experts now fear that a vicious Iran could awaken its network of sleeper cells to carry out terror plots across the West. Barak Seener, a security and defence expert at Henry Jackson Society and Iran expert, said: "The very fact now that the Iranian regime is volatile, it's targeted, and it's highly vulnerable — that's what actually makes it increasingly dangerous to the West." Iran's murderous Mr Seener said that these sleeper cells could be regular people living regular lives. Most read in The US Sun But when given the signal, they could carry out terrorist activities targeting the West. These terror operations could target public infrastructure and even civilians, with no weapons off the table, experts warn. Trump is top Iran assassination target - their terror network spreads across Europe & US, warns ex-White House official The sleeper cells could even carry out assassination attempts on top leaders that could throw the world into chaos. Last year, an Iranian agent was charged with plotting to kill Donald Trump in an assassination that would have shaken the world. Prosecutors said an official in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard told Shakeri to devise a plan to eliminate the President elect. They claim the planned hit was an attempt to take vengeance for a Trump's former security advisor, John Bolton, said the from the Middle East nation. Mr Seener said: "They live amongst us in regular communities, have regular jobs, and they just are awaiting being activated to conduct malign activities, whether it be through a telephone text or a beeper, and then they already know what they are going to be doing. "If the regime feels threatened and on the verge of being toppled, then they may say, 'you're going to go down with us,' and at that point they may unleash their sleeper cells." In an "It cannot defeat Israel, but it could go mad and unleash terrorism, even using chemical weapons, which its industries can make much more easily than nuclear weapons." 4 Mr Seener said the attacks could range from an attack against a synagogue, an embassy, or blowing up a dirty bomb in Central London. Sir Ken McCallum, the head of MI5, warned back in October that Iran could turn on UK targets if it felt Britain was too enthusiastic in its support for Israel. He said the attacks could increase if the Middle East conflict intensifies. In August, Matt Jukes, the head of He said Iranian dissidents and diaspora communities have been 'clearly at risk of kidnapping or assassination'. "These are people who are doing it daily. And when you are projecting soft power, you're creating the cultural milieu in which terrorism can be conducted much more readily. Counterterror police have investigated 15 of these cases alongside MI5 has responded to 20 plots backed by Iran since 2022, it was reported. Mr Seener said: "The reason why the Irgc can act with impunity, and why British citizens are at risk, is because of the British Government's unwillingness and failure to designate the Irgc as a terrorist organisation. "It means that they are able to conduct activities and infiltrate mosques, charities, community centres, cultural centres, and many of them, their directorship has been directly appointed by the supreme leader, Khamenei." "British Shias go on pilgrimages to religious sites in Iran and Iraq. They are targeted by the IRGC and recruited, so that when they return to the UK, they can conduct surveillance on potential targets." Iran's terror on UK street By Sayan Bose, Foreign News Reporter Iran-fuelled hit squads on the streets of the UK have been linked to at least 15 threats to kill or kidnap detected by authorities. They are all part of a campaign of intimidation aimed at those who speak out against the hardline regime. The MI5 has accused Tehran of more than a dozen assassination and kidnap plots in Britain against dissidents and media organisations in the past two years. Officials have previously warned that the threat against Iranian critics living in the UK has ramped up drastically after the horror October 7 attacks. And given the hostile situation in the Middle East, Iran could ramp up its secret terror activities in the UK, Europe and the US, experts fear. In 2022, Major Gen Hossein Salami, the Commander-in-Chief of the IRGC warned: "You've tried us before. Watch out because we're coming for you." Last year, Iranian TV journalist Pouria Zeraati was The suspects were believed to be proxy agents hired by Tehran. Mr Zeraati works for He said a man approached him and asked for £3 before another man appeared and stabbed him in the leg. The two fled in a car being driven by a third man, leaving Mr Zeraati bleeding in the street. Investigators believed the three culprits were able to flee the country on a flight from Mr Zeraati, whose organisation has been a vocal critic of Iran, said the attack was a "warning shot" from Tehran. He called on the UK government to declare the IRGC a terrorist group to stop it from spreading its doctrine. He said: "It will also send a clear message to the regime in Iran that enough is enough. "The whole of Western civilisation is in danger because of the threat the IRGC poses." A report by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) found almost half of journalists who covered Iran from the UK reported being physically or verbally harassed in the past five years. Individuals have been sent death threats by text and voice notes, with one message noting that the 'water underneath Westminster Bridge was very deep'. One said they were constantly worried about Iran targeting their children, saying: 'I wake up in the middle of the night. I check my son to see if he's there. I won't let him play in the garden on his own. I have to be there. I'm on alert constantly.' Another reporter told the RSF she had a package, which was designed to look like it contained anthrax, hand-delivered to her apartment block. While female TV journalist was approached on a London bus by a man who told her: 'We will kill you. You are a very bad person.' All of them are understood to have voiced their dissent against Tehran. The IRGC is the principal supporter of Amid Current sanctions on Kasra Aarabi, Director of IRGC Research at United Against Nuclear Iran, said: 'The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is the most antisemitic armed Islamist extremist organisation in the world. 'The government needs to proscribe the IRGC as a matter of urgency. 'The failure to proscribe the IRGC is putting British lives at risk, not least those from the British-Jewish community and British-Iranian diaspora —the two primary targets of IRGC terrorism in the UK.'

Irish Examiner

7 hours ago

• Irish Examiner

Tánaiste orders evacuation of Irish embassy staff in Iran

Irish embassy staff are being evacuated from Iran amid the 'deteriorating situation' in the Middle East, Tánaiste Simon Harris has said. Mr Harris has confirmed the work of the embassy would now be taken over by officials at the department of foreign affairs in Dublin. 'I have become increasingly concerned about the operational environment for our embassy in Tehran, and the ability of our diplomatic staff to perform their functions safely,' Mr Harris said. 'In light of the deteriorating situation, following consultation with my officials and in close consultation and coordination with EU partners, I have decided to temporarily relocate our personnel from Tehran.' One source indicated the embassy officials would be leaving the country. 'This is not a decision that I have taken lightly,' Mr Harris added. The Tánaiste added that officials in the Department of foreign affairs would 'remain in contact with the small number of Irish citizens remaining in Iran'. 'These arrangements will continue until it is possible for our personnel to return to Iran,' he said. On citizens leaving the country, Mr Harris said they might consider doing so through a land border, as airspace remains closed. However, Mr Harris said travelling by land border should only be done if it 'remains safe to do so'. Mr Harris said the Government's travel advice remained that Irish citizens should avoid travelling to Iran. 'My hope is that a diplomatic solution can be found to resolve this conflict, without further escalation or further loss of life in Iran or in Israel. I continue to call for restraint and de-escalation by both Israel and Iran,' the Tánaiste said. Read More Iran says no nuclear talks while under Israeli fire as Trump considers options