Israel increased strikes on Rafah on Tuesday, May 28, despite condemnations of its deadly bombing against a local displaced persons camp which pushed the UN Security Council to convene an emergency meeting on the situation in this sector of Gaza. For their part, Spain, Norway and Ireland will recognize the State of Palestine on Tuesday at a press conference in Brussels, an announcement made last week and which aroused the ire of Israel.
Information to remember
⇒ Recognition of the State of Palestine by Spain, Ireland and Norway.
⇒ New strikes in Rafah, emergency meeting of the Security Council
⇒ Around 10,000 people in Paris to denounce the latest bombings in Rafah
New strikes in Rafah, emergency meeting of the Security Council
As Israeli strikes increase in Rafah, the UN Security Council has called an emergency meeting on the situation in this sector of Gaza. On the ground, AFP teams in Rafah reported early Tuesday airstrikes and gunfire in the center and west of Rafah, a town at the southern tip of the Gaza Strip where the military began, early May, a ground operation.
These new bombings come in the wake of an international wave of condemnation of a strike in Rafah, which on Sunday evening left 45 dead and 249 injured, according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza, and set fire to tents occupied by Palestinians in a displaced persons camp. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said “these horrors” must “stop”. “Upset”, Washington called on its Israeli ally to “take all precautions to protect civilians”.
For his part, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regretted “a tragic accident”. The Israeli army said it was investigating the deaths of civilian victims after initially saying it had targeted two senior Hamas officials with “precise munitions”.
Recognition of the State of Palestine by Spain, Ireland and Norway
Madrid, Dublin and Oslo will formally recognize the State of Palestine on Tuesday May 28, a decision provoking the fury of Israel which sees it as a “prize” awarded to Hamas in the midst of the war in the Gaza Strip. “The recognition of the State of Palestine is a question of justice for the Palestinian people,” insisted Monday in Brussels the Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, alongside his Irish and Norwegian counterparts.
Announced last Wednesday in a coordinated manner by the Prime Ministers of these three countries, this decision will be effective on Tuesday. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is due to speak at 06:30 GMT before his government adopts the decree on Spain’s recognition of the State of Palestine.
Around 10,000 people in Paris to denounce the bombings in Rafah
Some 10,000 people demonstrated in Paris on Monday against the bombings in Rafah, AFP noted. A compact crowd gathered at the end of the afternoon a few hundred meters from the Israeli embassy, shouting “We are all children of Gaza”, “Long live the struggle of the Palestinian people”, “Free Gaza”, or even “Gaza, Paris is with you”.
EU wants meeting with Israel to discuss situation in Gaza
The European Union will ask Israel to hold a meeting to discuss the situation in Gaza and “respect for human rights”, as part of their association agreement, its head of diplomacy Josep Borrell said on Monday. “We have the necessary unanimity to convene an Association Council with Israel to discuss the situation in Gaza […] and then discuss respect for human rights,” he told the press after a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels.
Josep Borrell did not, however, indicate when this meeting could take place and whether Israel had been informed of this request. Spain and Ireland jointly asked the European Commission at the end of February to examine Israel’s respect for human rights, in accordance with the association agreement in force.
Egyptian army announces death of border guard
The Egyptian army announced on Monday the opening of an investigation into the death of a border guard in “shooting” at the Rafah border area, between Egypt and the Gaza Strip where Israeli forces are deployed . “The Egyptian armed forces, through the competent authorities, are investigating shootings at the Rafah border area which resulted in the death of one of the guards,” according to a statement issued by the spokesperson for the Egyptian army.
The Israeli army, for its part, said it was examining an “incident” involving “shooting” on the Egyptian border, reporting “ongoing discussions with the Egyptians”. According to the first elements of the investigation, “shots were fired” between the Israeli army and members “of the Palestinian resistance, which led to shooting in several directions,” a source said Monday evening. security cited by Al-Qahera News, a media close to Egyptian intelligence.