Israel strikes southern Rafah; 18 children among 22 dead

Rafah (Gaza Strip), April 21

Israeli strikes on the southern Gaza city of Rafah overnight killed 22 people, including 18 children, health officials said on Sunday, as the United States was on track to approve billions of dollars of additional military aid to its close ally.

Israel has carried out near-daily air raids on Rafah, where more than half of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million has sought refuge from fighting elsewhere. It has also vowed to expand its ground offensive to the city on the border with Egypt despite international calls for restraint, including from the US. The House of Representatives approved a $26 billion aid package on Saturday that includes around $9 billion in humanitarian assistance for Gaza.

Israeli troops shoot 2 teen attackers

• The Israeli army said its soldiers shot two Palestinians who tried to shoot and stab them near the southern West Bank town of Hebron on Sunday
• “One of the terrorists attempted to stab IDF soldiers who were in the area, who responded with live fire and neutralised him,” the Israeli military said
• “At the same time, the other terrorist opened fire at the soldiers, who responded with live fire and neutralised him too”
• The Palestinian Health Ministry said the two killed by Israeli soldiers were 18 and 19 years old from the same family

The first strike killed a man, his wife and their 3-year-old child, according to the nearby Kuwaiti Hospital, which received the bodies. The woman was pregnant and the doctors managed to save the baby, the hospital said.

The second strike killed 17 children and two women, all from the same extended family, according to hospital records. Mohammed al-Beheiri said his daughter, Rasha, and her six children, ranging in age from 18 months to 16 years, were among those killed overnight. Her husband’s second wife and their three children were still under the rubble. — Reuters

Will fight any sanctions on army: Netanyahu

Jerusalem: Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday he would fight against sanctions being imposed on any Israeli military units after media reported that Washington was planning such a step against a battalion for alleged rights violations. “I will fight it (sanctions) with all my strength," Netanyahu said.

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