Many Palestinians who have been displaced several times forced to flee again
Palestinians flee Rafah towards Khan Yunis, in the Gaza Strip. Pic/AFP
Israel’s military operation in the Gaza Strip is expanding to seize “large areas”, the defence minister said on Wednesday. Israel’s offensive in the Palestinian territory was “expanding to crush and clean the area” of militants and “seizing large areas that will be added to the security zones of Israel”, Defence Minister Israel Katz said.
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The Israeli government has long maintained a buffer zone just inside Gaza along its security fence and has greatly expanded since the war began in 2023. Israel says the buffer zone is needed for its security, while Palestinians view it as a land grab that further shrinks the narrow coastal territory, home to around 2 million people.
Katz didn’t specify which areas of Gaza would be seized in the expanded operation, which he said includes the “extensive evacuation” of the population from fighting areas. As Israel ordered new evacuations, Palestinians say they are crushed by exhaustion and hopelessness at the prospect of fleeing once again. Many are packing a few belongings and trudging off in search of new shelters. Some say they just can’t bear to move.
Israel scraps all import duties on US-made goods
At the directive of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Economy and Industry Minister Nir Barkat, Israel has cancelled all of the customs duties - tariffs - that have been levied until now on products from the US, Israel’s largest trading partner.
After the approval of the Knesset Finance Committee and the Economy and Industry Minister’s signature on the order, the amendment to the order regarding trade levies and protective measure will take effect and customs duties on all imports from the US will be cancelled. The US is Israel’s closest ally and its most significant trading partner. In 2024, the export of goods to the US stood at $17.3 billion, while the export of services was estimated at $16.7 billion. Agencies
US targets Yemen’s Houthis; 4 killed
Suspected US airstrikes battered rebel-controlled areas of Yemen into Wednesday, with the Houthis saying one strike killed at least four people near the Red Sea port city of Hodeida. The airstrikes targeting the rebels over their attacks on shipping in Mideast waters has killed at least 65 people so far, according the Houthis.
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