what to remember from Saturday May 11

Defying international warnings against a major offensive in Rafah, Israeli troops have been carrying out incursions into the east of the city since Tuesday, after several evacuation orders were issued by the army to residents of the area.

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Palestinians flee certain neighborhoods of Rafah, in the south of the Gaza Strip, after an evacuation order from the Israeli army on Saturday May 11.  (ASHRAF AMRA / ANADOLU / AFP)

The Israeli army carried out new deadly bombings on Saturday May 11 in the Gaza Strip, particularly in Rafah. She also ordered new evacuations from this town in the south of the Palestinian territory, threatened by a major ground offensive. Here’s what to remember from this day.

New evacuation order issued in Rafah

The Israeli army has extended the call for an evacuation on Saturday “immediate” from several areas of Rafah. This order this time concerned other neighborhoods of this city in the south of the Gaza Strip, to the west and north of those already evacuated. According toIsraeli army, “about 300 000″ Palestinians have left the city’s eastern neighborhoods since the evacuation order was issued on May 6. The inhabitants “moved towards the humanitarian zone of al-Mawassi”a few kilometers away, says the army, which is preparing a ground offensive in this city which housed, before these massive departures, 1.4 million Gazans, including many internally displaced people.

Since Tuesday, the army has been carrying out incursions into eastern Rafah, taking control of the crossing point with Egypt. Despite international warnings, Benjamin Netanyahu insists that an offensive is necessary to “to overcome” Hamas.

Families of Israeli hostages demonstrate in Tel Aviv

The anger of the families of the hostages and the opposition is brewing in Israel. Clashes and arrests took place in Tel Aviv, Israel, where family members of hostages held in the Gaza Strip since October 7 gathered to demonstrate. In a press release sent to the Israeli daily Haaretz, they accuse Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of “sacrifice the country and send our families to death for political reasons.”

Earlier in the evening, the armed wing of Hamas announced on Telegram the death of an Israeli hostage, held in Gaza since the Islamist group’s attack on October 7. Earlier in the day, the Islamist group in power in the Gaza Strip released images showing the prisoner still alive. Asked by AFP, the Israeli army did not wish to comment on the information immediately.

A possible ceasefire “tomorrow, if Hamas [relâche] the hostages,” says Joe Biden

US President Joe Biden said on Saturday that a ceasefire was possible “tomorrow” in the war between Israel and Hamas if the Palestinian group released the hostages. “There would be a ceasefire tomorrow if Hamas released the hostages,” he said at a fundraising reception near Seattle, in the northwest of the United States, at the home of a former Microsoft executive. The day before, in similar circumstances, the Democratic president had avoided the subject.

The United States considers it “reasonable to believe” that Israel violated international law in Gaza

A much-anticipated report from the US State Department, released Friday, acknowledged that it was “reasonable to estimate” that Israel violated international law in Gaza. However, it is written that the United States has not been able to achieve at this stage “conclusions” definitive on this question, due to lack of sufficient information. Under these conditions, Washington is therefore not forced to suspend the sending of weapons to Israel, this report specifies.


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