According to the Palestinian News Agency, on the 24th, Israeli warplanes bombed houses in the western region of Gaza City in the northern Gaza Strip, killing at least six people and injuring dozens more. In addition, Israeli forces bombed several areas of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, killing two people and wounding several others. The Israeli side has not responded to this for the time being.
On the 24th, rocket sirens sounded in many places in southern Israel, and sirens could be heard in towns such as Sderot and Nir Amu in southern Israel. No casualties or property damage have been reported.
The Israeli army is ready to attack Gaza Rafah
Israeli officials have repeatedly stated that the Israeli army will launch a ground operation against Rafah, located in the southern Gaza Strip. On the 24th, a spokesman for the Israeli government said that the Israeli army was advancing the ground action plan against Rafah. According to Israeli officials, the Israeli army has now made all the necessary preparations for an attack on Rafah.
On the 24th, an unnamed Israeli official revealed to the media that the Israeli army had made all necessary preparations for attacking Rafah and was waiting for government approval. In addition, he said that Israel's wartime cabinet plans to meet in the next two weeks to approve the evacuation of civilians from Rafah, which is expected to take a month to implement.
Senior Israeli officials visited Egypt to discuss Operation Rafah
According to other reports, Ronan Barr, director of Israel's National Security Agency, and Hezi Halewi, chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces, visited Egypt on 24 May to discuss with the head of the Egyptian intelligence agency and other important officials the offensive plan to be launched by the Israeli army in Rafah. But so far, no further details have been disclosed about the content of the talks.
More than 1.5 million Palestinian civilians are currently taking refuge in Rafah. Egypt has recently issued a warning to Israel not to attack Rafah.
According to media reports a few days ago, citing Israeli and Egyptian officials, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are preparing to evacuate Palestinian civilians from Rafah before launching an offensive, and combat operations in Rafah are expected to last at least six weeks. The international community is concerned that if the Israeli army launches a ground offensive against Rafah, it will cause more civilian casualties.
Israel has sent two additional brigades to the Gaza Strip
On April 24, local time, the Israeli military announced that it would send two additional reserve brigades to participate in the ground military operation in the Gaza Strip.
Source: China News Network, CCTV News Client
Editor: Xiao Yan
Intern Editor: Zeng Jingyu