Rafah

Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Chairman Devlet Bahçeli has warned Israel not to attack Rafah City and stop its massacres against the Palestinian civilians in Gaza if it does not want to pay heavier costs in the future.

Israel hit Gaza with new air strikes on Tuesday as world powers grappled with how to broker a ceasefire ahead of a U.N. Security Council vote.

The United Nations sounded the alarm over the humanitarian situation in the besieged territory, warning that food shortages could lead to an "explosion" of preventable child deaths.

Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz has issued a warning, stating that if Hamas does not release hostages by March 10, Israel will initiate an offensive against the city of Rafah. This marks the first time Israel has specified a deadline for potential military action in the southern Gaza Strip.

Israel has threatened to invade Gaza's Rafah by the start of Ramadan if Hamas does not return the remaining hostages by then, despite international pressure to protect Palestinian civilians sheltering in the southern city.

Egypt is building a wall and is leveling land near its border with the Gaza Strip ahead of a planned Israeli offensive targeting the border city of Rafah, satellite images analyzed on Feb. 16 by The Associated Press show.

Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis met with his Palestinian counterpart Riyad al-Maliki in Athens on Thursday, calling for "an immediate and lasting cessation of hostilities" in Gaza.

Israel launched a new wave of deadly strikes on southern Gaza Thursday after vowing to push ahead with a "powerful" operation in the overcrowded city of Rafah despite growing international condemnation.

The leaders of Australia, Canada and New Zealand on Thursday warned Israel against a potentially "catastrophic" ground offensive in the southern Gazan city of Rafah, amplifying a growing chorus of international concern.

Negotiations to pause the Israel-Hamas war and free the remaining hostages headed into a second day in Cairo yesterday, as displaced Gazans braced for an expected Israeli assault on their last refuge of Rafah.

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has called upon Israel's allies, particularly the United States, to cease arms supplies amidst escalating violence in Gaza. Borrell's bold stance comes in the wake of mounting casualties and humanitarian concerns stemming from Israeli military actions, as reported by Al Jazeera.