Israel-Hamas war: No 'major ground operation' in Rafah — US

Deutsche Welle

29 May 2024, 15:17

Image: Abdel Kareem Hana/AP Photo/picture alliance

The White House said the US had not seen Israel "smash into Rafah" amid an international outcry and intensified bombardment in the southern Gazan city.

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Israel's actions in Rafah do not prompt US policy change, White House says.

Algeria to present resolution to UN Security Council to halt Rafah fighting.

US-built aid pier to be removed from Gaza coast for repairs.

Here are the latest developments from the Israel-Hamas war and the wider Middle East region on Wednesday, May 29.

UK police arrest 40 after pro-Palestinian protest
London's Metropoliton Police said on Wednesday that they had arrested 40 people after a pro-Palestinian rally because some protesters refused to disperse.

The individuals were arrested on Tuesday night for breaching public order conditions, obstructing roads and assaulting emergency workers, police said.

In a statement posted on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, the police said some 8,000 to 10,000 people had gathered around the UK government headquarters in London protesting against Israel's latest offensive in the southern city of Rafah in Gaza. They were required to disperse by 8 p.m. (1900 GMT) under the Public Order Act.

Some 500 people remained in the area after 8 p.m. and continued to protest, police added.

As officers moved in, "some in the crowd resisted physically, requiring officers to use force to extract those who had been arrested," the statement read.

Three officers were injured during the confrontation, police said. Two sustained minor injuries while a third was left with a "serious facial injury" when she was struck by a bottle thrown from within the crowd.

The police said it is investigating the incident.

Gaza aid pier damaged by bad weather, DW correspondent reports
A temporary US-built pier used to bring aid into Gaza by sea has been damaged by bad weather and high seas, DW correspondent Tania Krämer reported on Wednesday.

"It was very stormy here in the past days," she said, adding that the US military had to suspend aid deliveries after parts of the pier were torn apart.

The Pentagon said the repairs will take about a week but it did not give an exact timeline, she noted.

Krämer said that the suspension of aid from the pier comes at the worst possible time, as the Israeli offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah continues with the fighting also ongoing in the wider strip.

She added that the Rafah crossing with Egypt, a key entry point of aid into the enclave, has been closed since early May when the Israeli military took control of the Palestinian side of the crossing. Some of the trucks waiting there have been diverted to the Kerem Shalom crossing but aid agencies say it is very difficult to distribute aid.

Krämer said evacuations were taking place in the Rafah area amid the fighting with UNRWA saying on Tuesday that 1 million people had been forced to flee.

"There is a lot of movement, people are not sure where is safe," Krämer added.

Security Council proposal calls for 'immediate halt' to Rafah offensive
A draft resolution presented by Algeria to the UN Security Council calls for an "immediate cease-fire" in the Gaza Strip, according to news agencies.

The draft resolution "decides that Israel, the occupying power, shall immediately halt its military offensive, and any other action in Rafah," according to the circulated document.

The text "demands an immediate cease-fire respected by all parties, and also demands the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages."

China's envoy to the UN, Fu Cong, expressed hope that the resolution could be voted on this week. "We hope that it could be done as quickly as possible because life is in the balance," Fu said.

US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said: "We're waiting to see it and then we'll react to it."

Diplomats said some council members were aiming for a vote as early as Wednesday.

The UN Security Council called for an immediate cease-fire and the unconditional release of all hostages in late March in a resolution that had 14 votes in favor and US abstention. Washington had vetoed previous attempted cease-fire resolutions.

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