Israel’s ground invasion of Rafah: Live updates

Israel has sent tanks into eastern Jabalia in northern Gaza after bombarding the enclave’s largest refugee camp overnight, Reuters has reported. At least 19 people have been killed and dozens wounded in the camp as the result of the attacks, according to Palestinian health officials.

The Israeli government previously insisted that northern Gaza had been cleared of Hamas militants and that Rafah, where the IDF’s military operation continues, remains the last stronghold of the Palestinian armed group.

US President Joe Biden has claimed that a ceasefire in Gaza would be possible as soon as “tomorrow” if Palestinian armed group Hamas released the 128 hostages that it continues to hold.

"Israel said it’s up to Hamas; if they wanted to do it, we could end it tomorrow. And the ceasefire would begin tomorrow,” Biden told a crowd at a fundraising event outside Seattle.

Almost 300,000 people have been displaced in Gaza over the past five days due to Israel’s ground operation in Rafah, Georgios Petropoulous, the head of the UN humanitarian agency (OCHA) in the Palestinian enclave, has said.

“No fuel. No food. No water. No exit or entry for people,” Petropoulous wrote on X (formerly Twitter), describing the situation. “The aid must flow if humanity is to prevail in Gaza,” he stressed.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro has compared Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu to “the Nazis who killed millions of Jews in Europe.”

“Mr. Netanyahu, you will go down in history as a genocidaire. Dropping bombs on thousands of innocent children, women and elderly people does not make you a hero,” Colombian President said in a post on X on Saturday night. ”A genocide is a genocide no matter if he has religion or not.” 

Petro's comments come in response to Netanyahu, who said that “Israel will not be lectured by an antisemitic supporter of Hamas,” after the Colombian president urged the International Criminal Court to issue an arrest warrant for the Israeli leader.

The head of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini said that the Israeli government’s evacuation orders are effectively “forced displacement orders.”

“Since the war began, most people in Gaza have moved multiple times: on average once a month. They desperately sought safety that they never found,” Lazzarini wrote on X, adding that Israeli claims of “safe zones” are “false and misleading.”

Medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) says it was forced to halt work at the Rafah Indonesian Field Hospital and send nearly two dozen patients to sek medical assistance in other facilities, after the IDF issued the latest evacuation orders for parts of southern Gaza city.

“We call on Israel to halt its offensive which is making it impossible to provide lifesaving medical assistance and for people to find safety amid this campaign of destruction,” the organization said.

Israel is continuing its “precise operation against Hamas in Rafah as part of our efforts  to achieve an enduring defeat of Hamas and bring all our hostages home,” IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari said in an early Sunday statement.

“Since the start of our precise operation against Hamas in Rafah we have eliminated dozens of terrorists, exposed underground terror tunnels and vast amounts of weapons,” he stated, insisting that Israel’s war is “against Hamas, not against the people of Gaza.”

Some 150,000 people have so far fled Rafah seeking safety amid increasing Israeli attacks, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) has estimated, according to spokeswoman Louise Wateridge.

“Everywhere you look now in west Rafah this morning, families are packing up. Streets are significantly emptier,” Wateridge wrote on X (formerly Twitter), adding that the IDF issued evacuation orders “towards central Rafah” from more areas both in south Gaza and Jabalia in North Gaza. “UNRWA estimates 150,000 people have now fled Rafah.”

The IDF has struck several “terrorist targets” in the city of Jabalia in northern Gaza Strip, after ordering the local population to leave “immediately” on Saturday morning.

“Following attempts by Hamas to reassemble its terrorist infrastructure and operatives in Jabaliya, the IDF has called on the civilian population of Jabaliya and the surrounding areas to temporarily evacuate to shelters in western Gaza City,” the Israeli military said.

Israeli actress Gal Gadot encouraged Israel’s Eurovision representative to remain steadfast amidst tens of thousands protesting against the country’s participation in the song contest due to its actions in Gaza.

Gadot shared that some of her films faced boycotts in various nations due to her support for the Israeli government. Nonetheless, she reassured singer Eden Golan by expressing that such opposition holds no significance and asserted that “haters are the ones losing.”

In a defiant stance, Gadot urged Golan to disregard the negativity, stating, “Let the haters hate.”