Live blog: Israeli army chief approves plans for Rafah ground attack

TRT World

Israel’s war on besieged Gaza, now in its 205th day, has killed at least 34,454 Palestinians — 70 percent of them babies, children and women — and wounded over 77,575 while some 8,400 people are feared buried under the rubble of bombed buildings.

Sunday, April 28, 2024

1504 GMT — Israeli army chief of staff Herzi Halevi has approved plans for a ground offensive in Rafah in the southern tip of Gaza, according to Israeli media.

The move comes despite efforts by mediators to reach a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas in the besieged Palestinian enclave.

Plans for the Rafah ground attack were approved during a meeting between Halevi, Southern Command chief Yaron Finkelman and other division and brigade commanders, The Jerusalem Post newspaper reported.

The move followed a threat by far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich to bring down the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he accepts an Egyptian proposal for a Gaza ceasefire.

https://www.trtworld.com/middle-east/live-blog-israeli-army-chief-approves-plans-for-rafah-ground-attack-17949061