Battles rage around Rafah
\nUnited States says it believes revised Hamas ceasefire proposal may lead to a breakthrough in negotiations
\nnews agency
\nCAIRO\/ WASHINGTON\/ RAFAH
\nHamas said it was battling Israeli troops on the outskirts of the Gaza Strip\u2019s crowded southern city of Rafah on Wednesday after a US official said Washington had halted a shipment of powerful bombs that Israel could use in a full-scale assault.
\nThe United States, which is seeking to stave off an Israeli invasion of Rafah, said it believes a revised Hamas ceasefire proposal may lead to a breakthrough in an impasse in negotiations, with talks resuming in Cairo on Wednesday.
\nIsrael has threatened a major assault on Rafah to defeat thousands of Hamas fighters it says are holed up there, but Western nations and the United Nations have warned a full-scale attack on the city would be a humanitarian catastrophe.
\nHamas said its fighters were battling Israeli forces in the east of Rafah, where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have sought refuge from combat further north in the enclave. Islamic Jihad said its fighters attacked Israeli soldiers and military vehicles with heavy artillery near the airport east of Rafah.
\n\u201cThe streets of the city echo with the cries of innocent lives lost, families torn apart, and homes reduced to rubble. We stand on the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe of unprecedented proportions,\u201d Rafah\u2019s mayor, Ahmed Al-Sofi, said in an appeal to the international community to intervene.
\nAround 10,000 Palestinians have left Rafah since Monday, said Juliette Touma, spokesperson for UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees. The Hamas-run Gaza government media office put the number at tens of thousands.
\nA senior US official said President Joe Biden\u2019s administration paused a shipment of weapons to Israel last week in an apparent response to the expected Rafah offensive. The White House and Pentagon declined to comment.
\nThe official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Washington had carefully reviewed the delivery of weapons that might be used in Rafah, and as a result paused a shipment consisting of 1,800 2,000-lb bombs and 1,700 500-lb bombs.
\nThis would be the first such delay since the Biden administration offered its \u201cironclad\u201d support to Israel after Hamas\u2019 Oct. 7 attack. Washington is Israel\u2019s closest ally and main weapons supplier.
\nA senior Israeli official declined to confirm the report, \u201cIf we have to fight with our fingernails, then we\u2019ll do what we have to do,\u201d the source said. A military spokesperson said any disagreements were resolved in private.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Battles rage around Rafah United States says it believes revised Hamas ceasefire proposal may lead to a breakthrough in negotiations news agency CAIRO\/ WASHINGTON\/ RAFAH Hamas said it was battling Israeli troops on the outskirts of the Gaza Strip\u2019s crowded southern city of Rafah on Wednesday after a US official said Washington had halted a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":405691,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-405664","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n