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Wounded Palestinians were taken to the Kuwait Specialty Hospital on Feb. 12, following Israeli airstrikes on Rafah, southern Gaza. (Video: Reuters, Photo: Loay Ayyoub/Reuters)

Dozens reported dead in Rafah strikes as Israel rescues two hostages

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Israel’s military said it rescued two hostages from the southern Gazan city of Rafah early Monday while carrying out a wave of strikes, which Gaza’s Health Ministry said killed at least 67 people. As Gazans reported violent bombardment from all directions in Rafah, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would use “continued military pressure” to return the remaining hostages.

President Biden, at the White House alongside Jordan’s King Abdullah II on Monday, said “the major military operation in Rafah should not proceed without a credible plan to ensure the safety and support of more than 1 million people sheltering there.”

Key updates
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The two rescued hostages, Fernando Simon Merman, 60, and Luis Har, 70, both dual Israeli-Argentine citizens, were abducted from Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak on Oct. 7. Israel’s military said both were in “good medical condition.”
More than 1 million Palestinians have sought shelter in Rafah to escape intense fighting across Gaza. The situation is so dire that families are sleeping on streets and eating grass to survive, aid groups say.
Houthi militants said they hit a cargo ship off Yemen’s coast with missiles in their latest attack in response to Israel’s offensive in Gaza. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said early Monday that an unnamed vessel reported “minor damage” after being struck by two missiles, with its crew safe.
A court in the Netherlands ordered the Dutch government to suspend exports of F-35 fighter jet parts to Israel, saying it was concerned that components could be used to violate wartime humanitarian law. The Dutch government said it was appealing the decision.
CIA Director William J. Burns is expected to travel to Cairo on Tuesday to continue negotiations over a hostage deal. U.S. officials hope Israel will have a counter to Hamas’s latest proposal, according to a senior administration official.
A $95 billion national security bill that contains aid for Ukraine and Israel is on track to pass the Senate early this week. Eighteen Republican senators joined Democrats on Sunday in voting to advance the bill, which was previously stalled by efforts to attach it to bipartisan border measures.
At least 28,340 people have been killed and 67,984 injured in Gaza since the war began, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Israel estimates that about 1,200 people were killed in Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack.
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The two rescued hostages, Fernando Simon Merman, 60, and Luis Har, 70, both dual Israeli-Argentine citizens, were abducted from Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak on Oct. 7. Israel’s military said both were in “good medical condition.”
More than 1 million Palestinians have sought shelter in Rafah to escape intense fighting across Gaza. The situation is so dire that families are sleeping on streets and eating grass to survive, aid groups say.
Houthi militants said they hit a cargo ship off Yemen’s coast with missiles in their latest attack in response to Israel’s offensive in Gaza. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said early Monday that an unnamed vessel reported “minor damage” after being struck by two missiles, with its crew safe.
A court in the Netherlands ordered the Dutch government to suspend exports of F-35 fighter jet parts to Israel, saying it was concerned that components could be used to violate wartime humanitarian law. The Dutch government said it was appealing the decision.
CIA Director William J. Burns is expected to travel to Cairo on Tuesday to continue negotiations over a hostage deal. U.S. officials hope Israel will have a counter to Hamas’s latest proposal, according to a senior administration official.
A $95 billion national security bill that contains aid for Ukraine and Israel is on track to pass the Senate early this week. Eighteen Republican senators joined Democrats on Sunday in voting to advance the bill, which was previously stalled by efforts to attach it to bipartisan border measures.
At least 28,340 people have been killed and 67,984 injured in Gaza since the war began, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Israel estimates that about 1,200 people were killed in Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack.
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Israel-Gaza war

Israel-Gaza war: More causalities were reported after strikes on the central Gaza Strip and the southern city of Rafah on the border with Egypt. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces increasing political pressure to reach a hostage release deal, after rejecting a cease-fire and vowing to continue war.

Middle East conflict: Tensions in the region continue to rise. As Israeli troops aim to take control of the Gaza-Egypt border crossing, officials in Cairo warn it would undermine the 1979 peace treaty. Meanwhile, there’s a diplomatic scramble to avert full-scale war between Israel and Lebanon.

U.S. involvement: U.S. airstrikes in Iraq and Syria killed dozens of Iranian-linked militants, according to Iraqi officials. The strikes were the first round of retaliatory action by the Biden administration for an attack in Jordan that killed three U.S. troops.