China News Service, Beijing, April 9th Comprehensive news: According to foreign media reports on the 9th, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu announced on April 8th, local time, that the Israeli army has determined the date to attack the southern city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip. Ceasefire negotiations held in the Egyptian capital Cairo have yet to make clear progress.
The Jerusalem Post reported that Netanyahu issued a video speech on the 8th, saying that the Israeli army had set a date to enter Rafah. He reiterated that Israel is working hard to achieve its long-standing goals, which mainly include the release of all Israeli hostages and a complete victory over the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas). He said that if military operations were not carried out in Rafah and the local Hamas forces were eliminated, there would be no victory for Israel.
According to the "Times of Israel" report, US State Department spokesman Miller said on the 8th that Israel has not informed the Biden administration of the date of the attack on Rafah, and reiterated the US position against Israel's large-scale attack on Rafah. Israel could achieve its goals in other ways, he said.
Recently, almost all Israeli ground troops withdrew from the Gaza Strip, leaving only one brigade to defend the "Nezarim Corridor". Al Jazeera said Israeli Defense Minister Galante said that Israeli troops withdrawing from Khan Younis are preparing to attack Rafah. The report quoted Hamas spokesman Zuhri as saying that Israel's threat to attack Rafah casts doubt on its true intention to continue ceasefire negotiations.
About 1.4 million Palestinian refugees are currently in Rafah, and Hamas leadership and some hostages are believed to be there as well.
There has been no clear progress in ceasefire talks brokered by Egypt and Qatar. Reuters quoted two Hamas officials as saying that Hamas rejected the latest ceasefire plan proposed by Israel during this round of negotiations. Hamas officials said that Israel's latest plan has no substantial changes from the previous one and still does not meet Hamas's demands.
CNN said that CIA Director Burns proposed a new ceasefire and "prisoner-for-hostage" plan, including Israel exchanging 900 Palestinian prisoners for 40 hostages, and allowing Palestinian refugees to return without restrictions Northern Gaza and more. According to reports, all parties to the negotiations agreed to study the plan.
Israel had offered to exchange 700 Palestinian prisoners for 40 hostages, but Hamas rejected it.
The New York Times reported that the Government's Territorial Activities Coordination Office under the Ministry of Defense announced on the 8th that 322 trucks carrying humanitarian supplies entered the Gaza Strip after being inspected on the 7th, and about 70% of the supplies were food. This is the highest number of humanitarian supplies shipped into the Gaza Strip in a single day in recent times.
According to the United Nations website, the United Nations Security Council reconsidered Palestine's application to become a full member of the United Nations on the 8th and decided to hand over the application to its standing committee for the admission of new member states. (over)