The number of Palestinian prisoners Hamas wants released is now the “main gap” as truce negotiations continue, US and Israeli officials tell Israel’s Walla news outlet.
Al Jazeera adds that the International Court of Justice (ICJ) has received South Africa’s request for it to intervene in Israel’s planned ground assault on Rafah.
Meanwhile, Anadolu Agency said that South Africa’s deputy permanent representative to the UN expressed concern Tuesday over a possible Israeli assault on the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, which is home to more than 1 million people seeking refuge from Israel’s war on the enclave.
"The announcement of expanded military operations in Rafah, which has turned into a de facto refugee camp, further perpetuates the displacement of Palestinians and threatens civilians’ almost non-existent livelihoods," Marthinus van Schalkwyk told a UN Security Council meeting on the maintenance of international peace and security.
This completely disregards the order of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued on Jan. 26, he added.
His remarks came after South Africa asked the ICJ to urgently assess Israel's intentions to expand its military presence in Rafah, urging it to consider whether it required the court to use its power to prevent a further breach of Palestinians' rights.
Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7 attack by the Palestinian group Hamas, killing at least 28,473 people and injuring 68,146 others. Around 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the initial Hamas attack.
The Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin offered “clear and unreserved condemnation of what happened on October 7”, but called for “Israel’s right to defence to be proportionate”, Al Jazeera reports
“It certainly isn’t with 30,000 dead,” Parolin said. “The voice of those asking Israel to stop is a general voice, [saying] that they can’t continue like this and we must find other paths to solve the Gaza problem.”