Live Middle East: CNN: ‘Israel wants to talk to the US on Monday about offensive in Rafah’

04:55

CNN: Israel wants to talk to US on Monday about Rafah offensive

Israel has proposed to the United States that it will hold talks in Washington on Monday about the planned offensive in Rafah, in the south of the Gaza Strip. American officials reported this to CNN.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu canceled a delegation’s visit to Washington last week after the US refused to block a UN resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. Instead of vetoing, the US abstained, allowing the UN Security Council to call for an immediate ceasefire for the first time.

Later in the week, Netanyahu said he would send a delegation to Washington for discussions on Gaza. The two countries will discuss a planned Israeli offensive in Rafah. The US does not want Israel to start that offensive out of fear of a humanitarian disaster and would like to discuss alternatives.

About 1.5 million Palestinians live in Rafah, many of whom have fled to the border city due to the Israeli attacks on the rest of the Gaza Strip. (AP)

11:00 PM, Yesterday

Welcome to the live blog of Saturday 30 and Sunday 31 March

This was the most important news of Friday March 29:

• The Israeli army says it has killed “a senior Hamas commander” at the besieged Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, the largest hospital in the northern Gaza Strip. According to the Israelis, this concerns Ra’ad Thabit, who is said to have belonged to the circle of confidants of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.

• The Dutch army will again carry out food drops over the Gaza Strip in April. Outgoing Minister Kajsa Ollongren (Defense), Hanke Bruins Slot (Foreign Affairs) and Geoffrey van Leeuwen (Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation) reported this in a letter to the House of Representatives.

• At least 36 Syrian soldiers were killed at dawn on Friday in an Israeli attack on the Aleppo region of northern Syria. This was reported by the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The Israeli attack targeted “missile depots of the Lebanese group Hezbollah,” the human rights organization said.

Read the full live blog from Friday March 29 here.