Netanyahu approves Rafah operation, rejects Hamas' hostage exchange demands

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved Friday an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) operation plan in the southern Gazan city of Rafah and rejected Hamas' demands for the release of hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, said Netanyahu's office.

In a statement issued following a war cabinet meeting, Netanyahu said the demands of Hamas are "still absurd."

He noted Israel will still send delegates to Qatar, a main regional mediator in the ongoing Gaza conflict, to continue the truce efforts "once the security cabinet discusses the Israeli position."

Israel's decision comes despite widespread warnings from the international community to avoid more incursions into Rafah, where about 1.5 million Palestinian refugees have been seeking shelter since the onset of the Israel-Hamas conflict on October 7, 2023.

In response to Israel's decision to carry out a military operation in Rafah, the Palestinian presidency issued a statement on Friday, calling on the international community to prevent "dangerous aggression," which will exacerbate the suffering of the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip. It reiterated Palestine's rejection of any displacement of people in Gaza, saying "this is a red line."

The Palestinian death toll in the Gaza Strip from ongoing Israeli attacks has risen to 31,490, the Hamas-run Health Ministry said in a press statement on Friday.

During the past 24 hours, the Israeli army killed 149 Palestinians and wounded 300 others in the coastal enclave, bringing the total death toll to 31,490 and injuries to 73,439 since the outbreak of the conflict on October 7, 2023, it said.

"One step away from famine"

The Palestinian Ministry of National Economy on Friday condemned Israel for using starvation as a weapon in its war in the Gaza Strip.

"The right to access food and medicine as guaranteed by international laws has no value to the Israeli government, in light of the international community's failure to fulfill its legal and moral responsibilities in delivering humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip," the ministry said in a statement on the occasion of the World Consumer Rights Day, observed annually on March 15.

It highlighted the sharp and unprecedented 111 percent rise in the cost of living in the Gaza Strip as a result of the prolonged conflict.

On February 27, United Nations officials alerted the Security Council to the imminent famine in the Gaza Strip, stressing the urgent need for action to prevent a humanitarian disaster in the Palestinian territory.

At least 576,000 people in Gaza, or about one-quarter of the population, are "one step away from famine", said Ramesh Rajasingham, director of coordination at the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

The first ship bringing aid by sea, the Open Arms, arrived off the coast of Gaza on Friday.

Israel said 130 pallets of humanitarian equipment and 115 tonnes of food and water, including rice, flour, lentils, tuna and canned meat, were offloaded to the World Central Kitchen charity's trucks for distribution after security checks.

Fire at aid distribution point

The Israeli military said Friday that "armed Palestinians" shot civilians near an aid distribution point in northern Gaza on Thursday, rejecting claims that the Israeli soldiers were responsible for the incident.

The Hamas-run Health Ministry accused the Israeli army of opening fire at the crowd waiting to obtain aid in Gaza City on Thursday. The Israeli gunfire killed at least 20 people and wounded 155 others at the Kuwait Roundabout east of the city, said the ministry.

"An intensive preliminary review conducted overnight by the IDF found that the IDF did not open fire at the aid convoy in Kuwait Square," the military said in a statement, adding that "no tank fire, air strike or gunfire was carried out toward the Gazan civilians at the aid convoy."

"Armed Palestinians opened fire while Gazan civilians were awaiting the arrival of the aid convoy," read the statement. "When aid trucks were entering, the gunmen continued to shoot as the crowd began looting the trucks. Additionally, a number of Gazan civilians were run over by the trucks," it added.

The military said it was still reviewing the incident.

(With input from agencies)