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Israel launches land, sea and air strikes on Al-Mawasi, a designated safe zone in Gaza, WAFA reports
From CNN staff
The Israeli military launched strikes on Al-Mawasi in southern Gaza early Thursday, bombarding an area it had previously designated as a "safe zone" by land, sea and air, according to the official Palestinian news agency WAFA.
The strikes on the coastal town, which WAFA said included navy boats firing heavy machine guns, come as a US-backed Israeli proposal for aceasefire and hostage dealappears to be in limbo, with neither side yet publicly committing to the plan.
CNN has contacted the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) for comment on the WAFA report.
On Wednesday, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Rafah, southern Gaza, said it had received information from Israeli authorities that fighting will continue in western Rafah. CNN video showed many Palestinians taking down shelters and packing up their belongings after warnings spread of a pending military operation.
What we know about Al-Mawasi: In early May, the IDF ordered people in eastern Rafah to “immediately head to the expanded humanitarian area in Al-Mawasi,” which it designated as a "safe zone" as it stepped up its operations in southern Gaza.
The Al-Mawasi camp was already crowded with displaced people before civilians in Rafah were ordered to move there. The United Nations has called facilities in the area unsuitable for the hundreds of thousands of Gazans uprooted by violence in Rafah and across the Gaza Strip.
More than 1 million people have fled Rafah to the nearby areas of Al-Mawasi, Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis in recent weeks, according to areportfrom Oxfam on June 4.
Some 1.7 million people, more than two thirds of Gaza’s population, are now estimated to be crammed into an area of 69 square kilometers (27 square miles) — less than a fifth of the strip.
US-backed ceasefire and hostage deal appears to be in limbo. Here's what you should know
From CNN staff
A US-backed Israeli proposal for aceasefire and hostage dealappears to be in limbo, with neither side yet publicly committing to the plan.
Hamas said in a statement it “has shown the necessary positivity in all stages of negotiations”in order to reach a “comprehensive and acceptable agreement based on the just demands of our people.”
The statement comes after Blinken questioned whether Hamas is "proceeding in good faith" amid the ceasefire negotiations, saying Hamas had proposed a number of changes in their response to the latest deal, which "go beyond positions they had previously taken."
Here are other headlines you should know:
Hostage developments:
- The Hostage and Missing Families Forum urged mediators taking part in the new ceasefire proposal “to intensively continue negotiations to bridge the gaps that stillremain” to bring hostages held in Gaza home safely.
- The family ofone of the hostages rescued in an Israeli operation over the weekend said he experienced psychological abuse at the hands of his Hamas captors during the eight months that he was held in Gaza.
Developments on the ground:
- The International Committee of the Red Cross in Rafah has received information from the Israeli authorities that fighting will continue in western Rafah, the ICRC said on Wednesday.
- A Houthi surface sea drone struck a Greek-owned and operated merchant ship in the Red Sea Tuesday, causing flooding and damage, US Central Command said.
War crimes committed in Gaza:
- AUnited Nations inquiryinto the first few months of the war in Gaza found both Israel and Hamas committed war crimes and grave violations of international law, in the UN's first in-depth investigation into the October 7 attacks and the ensuing conflict. The damning reports released Wednesday, which cover events up to the end of 2023,paint an alarming picture of both sides routinely disregarding international law in a devastating conflict that has now raged for more than eight months.
Houthi surface sea drone damages Greek-owned ship in Red Sea, CENTCOM says
Mary Kay Mallonee
A Houthi surface sea drone struck a Greek-owned and operated merchant ship in the Red Sea Tuesday, causing flooding and damage, US Central Command said.
The sea drone “struck M/V Tutor, a Liberian flagged, Greek owned and operated vessel, in the Red Sea. M/V Tutor most recently docked in Russia. The impact of the USV caused severe flooding and damage to the engine room,” CENTCOM said in a statement.
Also, in the last 24 hours, US forces destroyed three Houthi anti-ship cruise missile launchers in Yemen and one Houthi drone launched from Yemen into the Red Sea, CENTCOM said.
Hamas says it has shown "necessary positivity" to reach an acceptable agreement
From CNN’s Abeer Salman and Larry Register in Atlanta
In anew statement, Hamas said it “has shown the necessary positivity in all stages of negotiations”in order to reach a “comprehensive and acceptable agreement based on the just demands of our people.”
Hamas said those demands include a permanent ceasefire, a complete withdrawal from Gaza, the “return of the displaced, reconstruction, and the conclusion of a serious deal for the exchange of prisoners.”
Hamas said while it has “expressed its positive position” to what was included in US President Joe Biden's speech on May 31, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government has “continued to confirm their commitment to the genocide war, attacking the proposal put forth by President Biden” thatisin contradiction to the claim that Israel has agreed to what was in the Biden speech.
Hamas said while US Secretary of State Antony Blinken “continues to talk about Israel's agreement to the latest proposal, we have not heard any Israeli official speak about this agreement.”
Hamas called on Blinken and the Biden administration to put pressureonthe Israeli government that Hamas said “is determined to complete its mission,”andwhich Hamas says is “in flagrant violation of all international laws and treaties.”
In the statement, Hamasalsosaid it rejects statements by Blinken that attempt to absolve Israel “of its crimes against innocent children, women, and elderly.”Hamas said this is in line with American policy that is complicit in the brutal war “against our Palestinian people, allowing the occupation to continue its crimes under full American political and military cover.”
Earlier Wednesday, Blinken questioned whether Hamas is "proceeding in good faith" amid the ceasefire negotiations, saying Hamas had proposed a number of changes in their response to the latest deal, which "go beyond positions they had previously taken."
Red Cross says it has received information from Israel that fighting will continue in western Rafah
From CNN's Kareem Khadder and Mohammed Tawfeeq
The International Committee of the Red Cross in Rafah has received information from the Israeli authorities that fighting will continue in western Rafah, the ICRC said on Wednesday.
"The ICRC does not have precise information about the operation. It has not been issued an evacuation order, and its operations – including at the field hospital – will continue," the ICRC spokesperson in Jerusalem, Sarah Davies, told CNN on Wednesday.
"The ICRC is choosing to implementadditional internal securityand safety measures," Davies said, adding that ICRCwill not leave its current location in the Shams safe house and is adding extra security measures.
CNN has reached out to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) for comment.
CNN video shows many Palestinians packing up their belongings from the Al-Alam area in West Rafah after a warning spread of a pending military operation.Footage shows people taking down the tents and shelters they have set up from previous displacements.
“They told us there will be a military operation, and now we are leaving; we have been here one month and been in Rafah for eight months; weare heading to Deir Al-Balah to my grandfather's house," displaced Gazan resident Muhanad said.
Another Gazan resident, Layla Aiwada, decided to leave her house with her children after she said she heard there would be a military operation. "We have been here for two weeks, and before that, we wereat Bader Camp in Rafah."
Hostages group urges mediators to "intensively continue negotiations"
From Lauren Izso
The Hostage and Missing Families Forum urged mediators taking part in the new ceasefire proposal "to intensively continue negotiations to bridge the gaps that stillremain" to bring hostages held in Gaza home safely.
"The family headquarters demands that Israel's negotiation teams be sent in order toexhaust every possibility for progress. Any postponement or stalling of the negotiations could damage the possibility of reaching a deal and greatly endangers our obligation to return all the female and malehostageswho are in the hands of Hamas," the forum said in a statement on Wednesday.
"We cannot start the recovery process without them, and we cannot celebrate another holiday without them!" it added.
Earlier Wednesday in Doha, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that while he believes the current gaps are "bridgeable," it doesn't mean they will be closed, saying it "ultimately depends on people saying yes.”
Hostage faced "punishments" during 8 months in Hamas captivity, his family says
From CNN's Paula Hanco*cks, Madalena Araujo, Eugenia Yosef, Sophie Tanno and Florence Davey-Attlee
The family ofone of the hostages rescued in an Israeli operation over the weekend said he experienced psychological abuse at the hands of his Hamas captors during the eight months that he was held in Gaza.
AndreyKozlov, 27, was rescued alongside Noa Argamani, Almog Meir Jan and Shlomi Ziv during a raid on the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza on Saturday. The operation was the third Israeli rescue of hostages held in Gaza and has been celebrated in Israel. But it left a trail of devastation, with authorities in Gaza saying at least 274 Palestinians were killed in the raid and the ensuing firefight with Hamas militants.
In an interview with CNN, Kozlov’s family revealedsome details of their son’s ordeal, including that he initially believed the Israeli forces who saved him had been sent to kill him. Kozlov’s father, Mikhail Kozlov, said his son was “very scared” because Hamas militants had for months falsely said that “Israel wanted to kill them all,”claiming “they were a problem for Israel."
Mikhail said his son would not reveal all the ways he’d been mistreated, saying “he wasn't seen as a human by them," and Hamas would "punish him for any behavior that they considered was wrong."
“One of the examples that Andrey gave us … is that at the hottest time of the day, they would cover him with blankets,” he said. “It is a very difficult ordeal, to be dehydrated during heat.”
Hisbrother, Dmitry, said“they were trying not to leave (physical) marks … But they would still punish him this way or the other. Very often for trivial things.”
Read more from the interview with Kozlov's family.
Ceasefire deal in limbo as negotiators work to bridge gaps between Israel and Hamas. Here's the latest
From CNN staff
A US-backed Israeli proposal for a ceasefire and hostage deal appears to be in flux, with neither side yet publicly committing to the plan as talks continue.
“Hamas has proposed numerous changes to the proposal that was on the table” for a permanent ceasefire and release of hostages still held in Gaza, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday.
“Some of the changes are workable. Some are not,” Blinken said at a news conference in Doha. He did not immediately provide details on Hamas’ proposed changes.
A US official echoed similar sentiments, saying that Hamas is pushing for more specifics and "the goalposts are moving."
Meanwhile, Qatari officials say Hamas' and Israel's "fundamental differences" need to be bridged to bring an end to the war in Gaza.
While much of Blinken’s trip — his eighth to the region since October 7 — had been centered on ratcheting up pressure on Hamas to take the proposal, it was also focused on developing plans for when a ceasefire is put into place.
“In the coming weeks, we will put forward proposals for key elements of the ‘day after’ plan, including concrete ideas for how to manage governance, security, reconstruction,” the top US diplomat said Wednesday, without providing further details.
Blinken now travels to Italy to attend the G7 summit alongside US President Joe Biden.
Here some other headlines from today:
- War crimes committed in Gaza, UN finds: AUnited Nations inquiryinto the first few months of the war in Gaza has found both Israel and Hamas committed war crimes and grave violations of international law, in the body’s first in-depth investigation into the October 7 attacks and the ensuing conflict. The damning reports released Wednesday, which cover events up to the end of 2023,paint an alarming picture of both sides routinely disregarding international law in the over-eight-month-long conflict.
- Israeli strikes kill senior Hezbollah commander: Israel says one of Hezbollah's most senior commanders in southern Lebanon, Talib Sami Abdulla, was killed by Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon on Tuesday. In a statement on Wednesday, the Israel Defense Forces said Abdulla was responsible for multiple attacks against Israeli civilians over several years.
- UN warns over 1 million Gazans could face starvation in July: The conflicts in Gaza and Sudan are "pushing millions of people to the brink of starvation," according to the United Nations. The UN's relief chief, Martin Griffiths, said more than one million people in Gaza are "expected to face death and starvation by the middle of July." He said humanitarian aid is not the solution to the conflicts and that countries in the G7 "must immediately bring their substantial political leverage and financial resources to bear so that aid organizations can reach all people in need."
