Despite peace proposals – war continues

 

Despite peace proposals: Heavy shelling against Rafah

TT-AFP

Published 2024-06-01 12.03

Clouds of smoke over Rafah after an Israeli attack this week. Photo: Abdel Kareem Hana/AP/TT

Peace proposals notwithstanding – Israel continues its warfare in Rafah in southern Gaza.

A Rafah resident describes constant shelling and snipers on rooftops.

On Saturday, residents report fire from tanks in western Rafah. Witnesses in eastern and central Rafah simultaneously describe heavy artillery shelling.

- From the early hours until this morning, the air and artillery bombardment has not stopped for a second, a Rafah resident told the AFP news agency.

According to the person, Israeli snipers are deployed on rooftops throughout the area.

- That makes the situation very dangerous.

 

An Israeli warplane and a drone above Rafah. Photo: Abdel Kreem Hana / AP

Around a million people – many of them already fleeing other parts of Gaza – have been forced to leave Rafah in recent weeks due to Israel's stepped-up offensive. On Friday, the UN Food Program (WFP) described the scenes in the city as "apocalyptic".

Israel's takeover of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt is also said to have worsened the already strained aid efforts to the city. Emergency aid in the form of food and medicine is said to be arriving increasingly sporadically - at the same time that large parts of the population are said to be suffering from malnutrition.

Also in Gaza City in the northern part of the strip of land, intense fighting is said to be going on. On Saturday, the Israeli army announced that it was withdrawing from the Jabalia area after a three-week offensive.

- Everything has turned to ashes, says shop owner Belal al-Kahlot after the offensive.