Five-day-old among 22 killed in Israeli strikes

A house destroyed in the airstrike. Pic/X

Israeli airstrikes on the southern Gaza city of Rafah have killed at least 22 people, including six women and five children, Palestinian health officials said. One of the children killed in the strikes overnight into Monday was just five days old.

Israel has regularly carried out airstrikes on Rafah since the start of the war and has threatened to send in ground troops, saying Rafah is the last major Hamas stronghold in the coastal enclave. Over a million Palestinians have sought refuge in the city on the Egyptian border. The United States and others have urged Israel not to invade, fearing a humanitarian catastrophe.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday begins his seventh diplomatic mission to the Middle East since the Israel-Hamas war began more than six months ago.

Biden speaks with Netanyahu again

US President Joe Biden has again spoken with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the White House said, as pressure builds on Israel and Hamas to reach a deal that would free some Israeli hostages and bring a cease-fire in the war in Gaza. The White House said Biden reiterated his "clear position" as Israel plans to invade Rafah.

Israel worried about ICC arrest warrants

Israeli officials on Monday were concerned that the International Criminal Court (ICC) may issue arrest warrants against the country's leaders, as international pressure mounts over the Gaza war. The ICC launched a probe three years ago into possible war crimes by Israel and Palestinian militants going back to the 2014 Israel-Hamas war, but it has given no indication such warrants are imminent.

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No of children killed in the latest airstrikes

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