‘There is a date’: Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vows Rafah invasion will go ahead
Israel’s prime minister has reiterated his vow to invade the city of Rafah in southern Gaza and declared: “There is a date.”
Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly said Israel must send ground forces into the city, which he says is Hamas’ last stronghold in the besieged enclave.
It comes as Hamas rejected the latest Israeli ceasefire proposal, after an official said no progress had been made in negotiations over the weekend in Cairo, Egypt.
“There is no change in the position of the occupation (Israel) and therefore, there is nothing new in the Cairo talks,” the Hamas official, who asked not to be identified, told the news agency Reuters.
Middle East latest: Hamas rejects latest ceasefire proposal
The international community has opposed an invasion of Rafah, arguing the roughly 1.4 million civilians who have sought shelter there will be in danger. Israel has insisted it has a plan to protect the civilians.
On Monday, Mr Netanyahu said he had received a detailed report on the talks in Cairo. However, he said the Rafah operation was essential for an Israeli victory.
“We are constantly working to achieve our goals, first and foremost the release of all our hostages and achieving a complete victory over Hamas,” he said in a video statement.
“This victory requires entry into Rafah and the elimination of the terrorist battalions there. It will happen – there is a date,” he added without elaborating.
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‘Nothing will stop’ Rafah operation
The US, Israel’s closest ally, has said invading Rafah would be a mistake and has demanded to see a credible plan to protect civilians.
Israel is purchasing 40,000 tents to prepare for the evacuation, an Israeli official told the Associated Press.
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Palestinians in Rafah, southern Gaza. Pics: AP
Mr Netanyahu’s remarks came as streams of Palestinians returned to the southern city of Khan Younis on Monday to salvage what they could from the swathes of destruction left by Israel’s offensive, a day after the military announced it was withdrawing its troops from the area.
Allowing civilians to return to Khan Younis could relieve some pressure on Rafah – but many have no homes to return to and face the danger of unexploded ordnance left by the fighting.
Some 33,207 Palestinians have been killed during six months of conflict, Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry said in an update on Monday. Its figures do not distinguish between fighters and civilians.
The war erupted after Hamas killed 1,200 people in southern Israel in a cross-border attack on 7 October.
The Israeli army says over 600 of its soldiers have been killed in combat since then.
“Super high-IQ revolutionaries” who are willing to work 80+ hours a week are being urged to join Elon Musk’s new cost-cutting department in Donald Trump’s incoming US government.
The X and Tesla owner will co-lead the Department Of Government Efficiency (DOGE) with former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.
And in a post on X, the official DOGE account put out a call to arms for people to sign up and help “dismantle government bureaucracy”.
The post said: “We are very grateful to the thousands of Americans who have expressed interest in helping us at DOGE.
“We don’t need more part-time idea generators.
“We need super high-IQ small-government revolutionaries willing to work 80+ hours per week on unglamorous cost-cutting.
“If that’s you, DM this account with your CV. Elon & Vivek will review the top 1% of applicants.”
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Elon Musk speaking at an event held at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate. Pic: AP Photo/Alex Brandon
In a reply to an interested party, Mr Musk suggested the lucky applicants would be working for free.
“Indeed, this will be tedious work, make lost of enemies & compensation is zero,” the world’s richest man wrote.
“What a great deal!”
When announcing the new department, President-elect Donald Trump said Mr Musk and Mr Ramaswamy “will pave the way for my administration to dismantle government bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure federal agencies”.
Mr Musk has previously made clear his desire to see cuts to “government waste” and in a post on his X platform suggested he could axe as many as three-quarters of the more than 400 federal departments in the US, writing: “99 is enough.”
At least 10 people have been killed after a fire broke out at a retirement home in northern Spain in the early hours of this morning, officials have said.
A further two people were seriously injured in the blaze at the residence in the town of Villafranca de Ebro in Zaragoza, according to the Spanish news website Diario Sur.
Two people remain in a critical condition following the blaze. Pic: AP
They remain in a critical condition, while several others received treatment for smoke inhalation.
Firefighters were alerted to the blaze at the residence – the Jardines de Villafranca – at 5am (4am UK time) on Friday.
Several residents were treated for smoke inhalation. Pic: AP
Those who were killed in the fire died from smoke inhalation, Spanish newspaper Heraldo reported.
The residence is home to 82 elderly residents.
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The blaze started in one of the rooms, Fernando Beltran, the national government’s top official in the region, told reporters.
All of the victims were elderly residents, he added.
Relatives wait for news outside the care home. Pic: AP
Fire crews, paramedics and police officers remain on site, said a spokesperson for the regional government of Aragon who confirmed the fatalities.
It took firefighters several hours to extinguish the blaze, they said.
The cause of the fire is unknown and is being investigated.
At least 10 people have been killed after a fire broke out at a retirement home in northern Spain in the early hours of this morning, officials have said.
A further two people were seriously injured in the blaze at the residence in the town of Villafranca de Ebro in Zaragoza, according to the Spanish news website Diario Sur.
Two people remain in a critical condition following the blaze. Pic: AP
They remain in a critical condition, while several others received treatment for smoke inhalation.
Firefighters were alerted to the blaze at the residence – the Jardines de Villafranca – at 5am (4am UK time) on Friday.
Several residents were treated for smoke inhalation. Pic: AP
Those who were killed in the fire died from smoke inhalation, Spanish newspaper Heraldo reported.
The residence is home to 82 elderly residents.
Read more from Sky News:
Mass displacement in Gaza – people unsure where to go
Donald Trump picks vaccine sceptic as health secretary
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
The blaze started in one of the rooms, Fernando Beltran, the national government’s top official in the region, told reporters.
All of the victims were elderly residents, he added.
Relatives wait for news outside the care home. Pic: AP
Fire crews, paramedics and police officers remain on site, said a spokesperson for the regional government of Aragon who confirmed the fatalities.
It took firefighters several hours to extinguish the blaze, they said.
The cause of the fire is unknown and is being investigated.
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