By NAJIB JOBAIN, JACK JEFFERY and MELANIE LIDMAN (Associated Press)
RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he has knowledgeable the United States that he opposes the institution of a Palestinian state as a part of any postwar state of affairs.
The announcement on Thursday uncovered the deep divisions which have emerged between the shut allies three months into Israel’s battle in opposition to Gaza’s Hamas rulers. Hamas has been designated as a terrorist group by the United States, Canada and the European Union.
The U.S. has known as on Israel to reduce its offensive and mentioned that the institution of a Palestinian state needs to be a part of the “day after.”
In a nationally broadcast information convention, Netanyahu vowed to press forward with the offensive till Israel realizes a “decisive victory over Hamas.” He additionally rejected the thought of Palestinian statehood. He mentioned he had relayed his positions to the Americans.
“In any future arrangement … Israel needs security control all territory west of the Jordan,” Netanyahu informed a nationally broadcast information convention. “This collides with the idea of sovereignty. What can you do?”
“The prime minister needs to be capable of saying no to our friends,” he added.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows under.
RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — An Israeli airstrike on a house killed 16 folks, half of them youngsters, within the southern Gaza city of Rafah, medics mentioned early Thursday. The navy continued to strike targets in areas of the besieged territory the place it has informed civilians to hunt refuge.
There was in the meantime no phrase on whether or not medicines that entered the territory Wednesday as a part of a deal brokered by France and Qatar had been distributed to dozens hostages with continual diseases who’re being held by Hamas.
More than 100 days after Hamas triggered the battle with its Oct. 7 assault, Israel continues to wage one of many deadliest and most damaging navy campaigns in current historical past, with the purpose of dismantling the group that has dominated Gaza since 2007 and returning scores of captives. The battle has stoked tensions throughout the area, threatening to ignite different conflicts.
More than 24,000 Palestinians have been killed, some 85% of the slender coastal territory’s 2.3 million folks have fled their properties, and the United Nations says 1 / 4 of the inhabitants is ravenous.
Hundreds of 1000’s have heeded Israeli evacuation orders and packed into southern Gaza, the place shelters run by the United Nations are overflowing and big tent camps have gone up. But Israel has continued to strike what it says are militant targets in all components of Gaza, usually killing girls and kids.
Dr. Talat Barhoum at Rafah’s el-Najjar Hospital confirmed the demise toll from the strike in Rafah and mentioned dozens extra have been wounded. Associated Press footage from the hospital confirmed kin weeping over the our bodies of family members.
“They were suffering from hunger, they were dying from hunger, and now they have also been hit,” mentioned Mahmoud Qassim, a relative of a few of those that have been killed.
Internet and cell providers in Gaza have been down for 5 days, the longest of a number of outages in the course of the battle, in keeping with web entry advocacy group NetBlocks. The outages complicate rescue efforts and make it tough to acquire details about the most recent strikes and casualties.
WAR REVERBERATES ACROSS REGION
The battle has rippled throughout the Middle East, with Iran-backed teams attacking U.S. and Israeli targets. Low-intensity combating between Israel and Hezbollah militants in Lebanon threatens to erupt into all-out battle, and Houthi rebels in Yemen proceed to focus on worldwide transport regardless of United States-led airstrikes.
The Israeli navy mentioned it fired an interceptor at a “suspicious aerial target” — probably a drone or missile — approaching over the Red Sea on Thursday, triggering air raid sirens within the southern Israeli coastal metropolis of Eilat. The Houthis have launched drones and missiles towards Israel that largely fell quick or have been intercepted and shot down.
Iran has in the meantime launched a collection of missile assaults concentrating on what it described as an Israeli spy base in Iraq and militant bases in Syria in addition to in Pakistan, which carried out reprisal strikes in opposition to what it described as militant hideouts in Iran early Thursday.
It was not clear if the strikes in Syria and Pakistan have been associated to the Gaza battle. But they showcased Iran’s capacity to hold out long-range missile assaults at a time of heightened tensions with Israel and the U.S., which has supplied essential assist for the Gaza offensive and carried out its personal strikes in opposition to Iran-allied teams in Syria and Iraq.
Israel has vowed to dismantle Hamas to make sure it will probably by no means repeat an assault just like the one on Oct. 7. Terrorists burst via Israel’s border defenses and stormed via a number of communities that day, killing some 1,200 folks, largely civilians, and taking round 250 hostage.
Israel has additionally vowed to return all of the hostages remaining in captivity after greater than 100 — largely girls and kids — have been launched throughout a November cease-fire in change for the discharge of scores of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.
Family members and supporters have been marking the primary birthday of Kfir Bibas, the youngest Israeli hostage, in a somber ceremony Thursday in Tel Aviv.
The red-haired toddler and his 4-year-old brother Ariel have been captured together with their mom, Shiri, and their father, Yarden. All 4 stay in captivity.
MEDICINES BOUND FOR HOSTAGES ENTER GAZA
The settlement to ship in medicines was the primary to be brokered between the warring sides since November. Hamas mentioned that for each field of medication sure for the hostages, 1,000 could be despatched for Palestinian civilians, along with meals and humanitarian support.
Qatar confirmed late Wednesday that the medication had entered Gaza, however it was not but clear if it had been distributed to the hostages, who’re being held in secret areas, together with underground bunkers.
Both France and Hamas had mentioned the International Committee for the Red Cross, which helped facilitate the hostage releases, would have a job in distributing the drugs. But on Thursday, the Red Cross mentioned “the mechanism that was agreed to does not involve the ICRC playing any part in its implementation, including the delivery of medication.”
Hamas has continued to battle again throughout Gaza, even in probably the most devastated areas, and launch rockets into Israel. It says it is not going to launch any extra hostages till there’s a everlasting cease-fire, one thing Israel and the United States, its high ally, have dominated out.
Gaza’s Health Ministry says a minimum of 24,448 Palestinians have been killed for the reason that begin of the battle, with over 60,000 wounded. It says many different lifeless and wounded are trapped beneath rubble or unreachable due to the combating. The ministry doesn’t differentiate between civilian and combatant deaths however says round two-thirds of these killed have been girls and kids.
Israel blames the excessive civilian demise toll on Hamas as a result of it fights in dense residential areas. Israel says its forces have killed roughly 9,000 militants, with out offering proof, and that 193 of its personal troopers have been killed for the reason that Gaza floor offensive started.
Jeffery reported from London and Lidman from Tel Aviv, Israel. Associated Press author Bassem Mroue in Beirut contributed to this report.
Find extra of AP’s protection at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war
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