Israel Moves Deeper Into Rafah         05/13 06:14

   The exodus of Palestinians from Gaza's last refuge accelerated Sunday as 
Israeli forces pushed deeper into the southern city of Rafah. Israel also 
pounded the territory's devastated north, where some Hamas militants have 
regrouped in areas the military said it had cleared months ago.

   RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) -- The exodus of Palestinians from Gaza's last refuge 
accelerated Sunday as Israeli forces pushed deeper into the southern city of 
Rafah. Israel also pounded the territory's devastated north, where some Hamas 
militants have regrouped in areas the military said it had cleared months ago.

   Rafah is considered Hamas' last stronghold. Some 300,000 of the more than 1 
million civilians sheltering there have fled the city following evacuation 
orders from Israel, which says it must invade to dismantle Hamas and return 
scores of hostages taken from Israel in the Oct. 7 attack that sparked the war.

   Neighboring Egypt issued its strongest objection yet to the Rafah offensive, 
saying it intends to formally join South Africa's case at the International 
Court of Justice alleging Israel is committing genocide in Gaza -- an 
accusation Israel rejects. The foreign ministry statement cited "the worsening 
severity and scope of the Israeli attacks against Palestinian civilians."

   United Nations human rights chief Volker Turk said in a statement that he 
cannot see how a full-scale invasion of Rafah can be reconciled with 
international humanitarian law.

   U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated opposition to a major 
military assault on Rafah, and told CBS that Israel would "be left holding the 
bag on an enduring insurgency" without an exit from Gaza and postwar governance 
plan.

   Gaza has been left without a functioning government, leading to a breakdown 
in public order and allowing Hamas' armed wing to reconstitute itself even in 
the hardest-hit areas. On Sunday, Hamas touted attacks against Israeli soldiers 
in Rafah and near Gaza City.

   Israel has yet to offer a detailed plan for postwar governance in Gaza, 
saying only that it will maintain open-ended security control over the enclave 
of about 2.3 million Palestinians.

   Internationally mediated talks over a cease-fire and hostage release 
appeared to be at a standstill.

   Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a Memorial Day speech vowed to continue 
fighting until victory in memory of those killed in the war. But in Tel Aviv, 
hundreds of protesters stood outside military headquarters and raised candles 
during a minute-long siren marking the day's start, demanding an immediate 
cease-fire deal to return the hostages.

   Netanyahu has rejected postwar plans proposed by the United States for the 
Palestinian Authority, which administers parts of the Israeli-occupied West 
Bank, to govern Gaza with support from Arab and Muslim countries. Those plans 
depend on progress toward the creation of a Palestinian state, which Israel's 
government opposes.

   The Oct. 7 attack killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 
another 250 hostage. Militants still hold about 100 captives and the remains of 
more than 30.

   Israel's offensive has killed more than 35,000 Palestinians, mostly women 
and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which doesn't distinguish 
between civilians and combatants in its figures. Israel says it has killed over 
13,000 militants, without providing evidence.

   HEAVY BOMBARDMENT IN THE NORTH

   Palestinians reported heavy Israeli bombardment overnight in the urban 
Jabaliya refugee camp and other areas in northern Gaza, which has been largely 
isolated by Israeli forces for months. U.N. officials say there is a 
"full-blown famine" there.

   Residents said Israeli warplanes and artillery also struck the Zeitoun area 
east of Gaza City, where troops have battled militants for over a week. They 
have called on tens of thousands of people to relocate to nearby areas.

   "It was a very difficult night," said Abdel-Kareem Radwan, a 48-year-old 
from Jabaliya. He said they could hear intense and constant bombing since 
midday Saturday. "This is madness."

   First responders with the Palestinian Civil Defense said they were unable to 
respond to multiple calls for help from both areas, as well as from Rafah.

   In central Gaza, staff at the Al Aqsa hospital in Deir al-Balah said an 
Israeli strike killed four people.

   Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the top Israeli military spokesman, said forces 
were also operating in the northern towns of Beit Lahiya and Beit Hanoun, which 
were heavily bombed in the war's opening days.

   Hamas' military wing said it shelled Israeli special forces east of Jabaliya 
and fired mortar shells at troops and vehicles entering the Rafah border 
crossing area.

   "Hamas' regime cannot be toppled without preparing an alternative to that 
regime," columnist Ben Caspit wrote in Israel's Maariv daily, channeling the 
growing frustration felt by many Israelis more than seven months into the war. 
"The only people who can govern Gaza after the war are Gazans, with a lot of 
support and help from the outside."

   CIVILIANS FLEE IN THE SOUTH

   Rafah had been sheltering 1.3 million Palestinians, most of whom had fled 
fighting elsewhere. But Israel has now evacuated the eastern third of the city.

   Most people are heading to the heavily damaged nearby city of Khan Younis or 
Muwasi, a coastal tent camp where some 450,000 people are already living in 
squalid conditions.

   The U.N. has warned that a planned full-scale invasion would further cripple 
humanitarian operations and cause a surge in civilian deaths. The main aid 
entry points near Rafah are already affected. Israeli troops have captured the 
Gaza side of the Rafah crossing, forcing it to shut down.

   A senior Egyptian official told The Associated Press that Cairo has lodged 
protests with Israel, the United States and European governments, saying the 
offensive has put its decades-old peace treaty with Israel -- a cornerstone of 
regional stability -- at high risk. The official was not authorized to brief 
media and spoke on condition of anonymity.

   U.S. President Joe Biden has said he won't provide offensive weapons to 
Israel for Rafah, and his administration says there is "reasonable" evidence 
that Israel had breached international law protecting civilians.

   Israel rejects those allegations, saying it tries to avoid harming 
civilians. It blames Hamas for the high toll because the militants fight in 
dense, residential areas.

   In the West Bank, where deadly violence has increased since the war began, 
the Palestinian Health Ministry said a man was shot dead by Israeli forces in 
Balata refugee camp in Nablus. The army said its forces responded with live 
fire after being shot at by militants in the camp.