Following Israel's "tragic mistake" at a refugee camp in Rafah, the United Nations Security Council has called for an emergency meeting to discuss Israel's intensifying attacks on the southern Gaza city. Meanwhile, Israel continues to fume over the formal recognition of Palestine as a state by Ireland, Spain and Norway.
With the official recognition of a Palestinian state, these three European countries join over 140 of 193 member-states of the United Nations that recognise Palestine.
All Eyes On Rafah As Attacks Intensify; UNSC Calls For Emergency Meet | Latest On Israel-Hamas War
Spain has formally announced the recognition of the state of Palestine. In his address, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez stated that Madrid now recognises Palestine as a state with East Jerusalem as its capital. The governments of Ireland and Norway have also completed the process of recognising Palestine as a state.
On the other hand, Denmark's parliament turned down a bill which would recognise Palestine as a state after Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen stated that Palestine does not meet the requirments of an independent state.
As Israel's continue its attacks in Rafah, the death toll across the Gaza Strip have reached 36,000. The death toll in the war-torn strip surged after Israel conducted a strike at a refugee camp in the southern Gaza city, killing 45 Palestinians, of which more than half of them children, women and the elderly.
Israel expressed its regrets over the "tragic accident" in Rafah. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu admitted the "tragic mistake" made by Israeli forces in an official statement on Monday night.
The United Nations Security Council has called for an emergency meet following Israel's attack at a refugee camp in Rafah. This emergency meeting has been called at the request of Algeria after 45 Palestinian civilians were killed in the Israeli attack on Sunday.
As per the latest reports, Israeli tanks have also reached the centre of Rafah for the first time on Tuesday. As reported by Reuters, tanks were spotted near Al-Awda mosque, which is considered a landmark of central Rafah.
Israel' assault on Rafah comes despite an order from the International Court of Justice to halt all military operations in the city and strip overall. The Word Court's decision came after Egypt joined hands with South Africa in the genocide case and raised its concerns regarding the increase of Israeli operations in the Gaza Strip.
As the war rages on, Canada has announced a five-fold increase in visas issued to Palestinians in Gaza seeking to join their family members. Immigration minister Marc Miller stated that Ottawa has decided to raise the number of visas issued by 5,000. Ottawa further added that Gaza residents who wish to join their families in Canada must obtain approval from Israeli authorities to leave the territory and then undergo biometric screening in Egypt.
The Israel-Hamas war broke out on October 7, 2023, after the Palestinian militant group launched a terror attack on southern Israel - killing around 1,140 Israelis and taking over 250 hostage.
In response to Hamas' attack, Israel launched intense air, sea and land operations in the Gaza Strip with the aim of destroying Hamas. However, Israel's aggression and bombardment has resulted in the death of 36,000 Palestinian civilians.
