Live Blog Update| Israel's genocide in Gaza
This is an entry from: Israel-Palestine live: Israel bombs Unrwa building in Gaza

Evening update

12 February 2024 23:33 GMT

Hello MEE readers. A day after Israel launched a raid on the city of Rafah, conducting intense bombing that killed dozens of Palestinians including children, the southern city in Gaza waits in fear for a potential planned invasion by the Israeli army.

The plans for the invasion called by the Israeli government and military have been met with warnings from a number of western countries, including France and Canada, who have called on Israel to not go through with an assault on the city.

Rafah is home to more than 1.5 million Palestinians at the moment, after many fled to the southern area after being forcibly displaced by Israel's military in central and northern Gaza.

At the beginning of Israel's military campaign, it called on Palestinians to move south towards Rafah, saying the city would serve as a place where Palestinians could escape the conflict. However, throughout the past four months Rafah has faced Israeli bombardment.

Now, as an Israeli invasion looms, thousands of Palestinians are moving north of the city, with many becoming displaced yet again.

Here is the news you need to know from today:

  • A Hezbollah official in southern Lebanon was "seriously wounded" in an Israeli air strike on Monday, while four of the movement's fighters were killed. 

  • US President Joe Biden said Washington is working on a hostage deal between Israel and Hamas that would result in a six-week long pause in the fighting.

  • ICC prosecutor Karim Khan said on Monday he was deeply concerned about a potential Israeli ground invasion of the city of Rafah.

  • Hamas' armed wing, al-Qassam Brigades, said three Israeli hostages who were seriously injured following Israeli air strikes died from their wounds.

  • European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell hinted that Biden should give Israel "less arms" if it cares about the high civilian death toll in Gaza.

  • In a cabinet meeting with Israeli army chief of staff Herzi Halevi, national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir demanded the military shoot women and children in Gaza near the border with Israel.