Israel continues to bomb Rafah

The latest airstrikes took place overnight and early on 21 February local time, following similar attacks over the past few days. A resident of the city of Rafah said he was woken up by loud explosions. The Gaza Strip's civil defence agency said the airstrikes had left "multiple people dead".

Earlier, on February 18, Mr. Benny Gantz - a member of the wartime Cabinet formed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the conflict with Hamas, announced that Israel would launch an operation in Rafah next month if Hamas did not release the hostages still held in Gaza before the start of Ramadan, scheduled to begin on March 10. Mr. Benny Gantz also said that Israel would begin its military operation in Rafah after completing the "evacuating of civilians", but did not specify where the civilians would be evacuated to in Gaza.

According to the United Nations, after more than four months of conflict between Hamas and Israel in Gaza, the coastal territory has been severely devastated and has left about 2.4 million people in Gaza in dire need of basic necessities. Of particular concern to the international community is the city of Rafah, where over 1.4 million people are sheltering in makeshift tents.

The US, Qatar and Egypt, the mediators of the conflict, are all trying to push for a ceasefire and the release of hostages in the Gaza Strip. US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Washington hoped to reach a ceasefire agreement that would pave the way for the release of hostages and humanitarian aid in Gaza. The US and Arab countries also called for a solution leading to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, with East Jerusalem as its capital, in line with international resolutions.