Israel Hamas War News Live: Dozens killed in Israeli airstrike on Rafah

Israel Hamas War News Live: Smoke rises from a fire in Gaza, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, near the Israel-Gaza border, as seen from Israel, May 26, 2024.

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– The strike occurred two days after the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to stop its operations to protect civilians.

– Israel’s army said on Sunday that at least eight rockets were fired from Rafah towards central Israel, targeting Tel Aviv for the first time in months.

– Earlier on Sunday, dozens of aid trucks entered Gaza from southern Israel under a new agreement to bypass the Rafah crossing with Egypt after Israeli forces took control of the Palestinian side earlier this month. The Israeli military stated that 126 aid trucks entered via the nearby Kerem Shalom crossing.

– It was unclear if humanitarian groups could access the aid, including medical supplies, due to ongoing fighting. The crossing has been mostly inaccessible because of Israel’s offensive in Rafah, and U.N. agencies report it is often too dangerous to retrieve the aid.

– According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, nearly 36,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war between Israel and Hamas, with no distinction between civilians and fighters in their count. Israel attributes civilian deaths to Hamas because militants operate in densely populated residential areas.

– Approximately 80% of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents have fled their homes, severe hunger is widespread, and United Nations officials report that parts of the territory are experiencing famine.

– Hamas initiated the war with its October 7 attack last year on Israel, during which Palestinian militants killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took around 250 hostages. Hamas still holds about 100 hostages and the remains of approximately 30 others after releasing most during a ceasefire last year.

(With inputs from agencies)