Israel strikes more than 50 terrorist targets in Rafah: what's happening

On Monday, May 5, Israel struck more than 50 terrorist targets in the Rafah area. According to preliminary data, 26 people were killed, including 11 children.

This was reported by The Times of Israel. It is noted that these strikes are the beginning of Israel's military operation in Rafah.

The purpose of the attack is to eliminate Hamas leaders and four militant battalions, as well as to try to rescue Israeli hostages.

In addition, the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu noted that the military cabinet had unanimously decided that Israel would continue the operation in Rafah. According to him, it is necessary to exert military pressure on Hamas to "facilitate the release of our hostages and achieve other goals of the war."

At the same time, although Hamas's proposal is far from the necessary requirements of Israel, Tel Aviv will send a delegation to check the possibility of reaching an agreement on terms acceptable to them.

According to AP News, Hamas has accepted Egypt and Qatar's proposal for a ceasefire, but Israel said the agreement does not meet its basic requirements. Therefore, the IDF continues to move forward with attacks on the city of Rafah in southern Gaza. Nevertheless, Israel said it would continue negotiations.

It is noteworthy that Hamas's sudden agreement to a ceasefire came a few hours after Israel ordered the evacuation of about 100,000 Palestinians from the eastern neighborhoods of Rafah, which signaled the inevitability of an attack.

The Israeli military said it was conducting "targeted strikes" against Hamas in the eastern part of Rafah. Shortly thereafter, Israeli tanks entered Rafah, coming within 200 meters of Rafah's border with Egypt. It is also worth noting that the attack on Rafah took place the day after Hamas militants killed four Israeli soldiers in a mortar attack that Israel claimed took place near the Rafah crossing.

On Sunday, May 4, it became known that the United States of America suspended the supply of its ammunition to Israel. This was the first time since the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023.

Earlier, Netanyahu said that Israel would enter the city of Rafah in southern Gaza, regardless of the ceasefire negotiations. To achieve a complete victory, the IDF must eliminate Hamas battalions there.

- Turkey has suspended all trade relations with Israel because of the conflict in the Gaza Strip. Ankara demands that the international community be allowed to provide humanitarian aid to the Palestinian enclave.

- In April 2024, the head of Israel's military intelligence, Aaron Haliva, resigned. Earlier, the major general took responsibility for the failures that allowed the Hamas terrorist group to attack Israel on October 7, 2023.

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