Israeli air strikes in Rafah, protests across universities in US, new sanctions on Iran: The latest from the Israel-Gaza conflict

From Israeli strikes on the southern city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip killing at least five people to student in the US protesting against the war, the Israel-Hamas conflict continues to flare up tensions across the world.

More than half of the territory’s population of 2.3 million have sought refuge in Rafah, where Israel has conducted near-daily raids as it prepares for an offensive in the city. Earlier in the day, video circulating online appeared to show rows of square white tents going up in Khan Younis, a city some 5 km (3 miles) from Rafah. Rafah, which abuts the Egyptian border, is sheltering more than a million Palestinians who fled the half-year-old Israeli offensive through the rest of Gaza.

Here’s what has happened in the region and across the world over it through the day:

📌 Israeli air strike kills 5 in Rafah

Palestinian hospital officials have said that Israeli airstrikes on the southern city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip has killed at least five people. The Israeli military has massed dozens of tanks and armoured vehicles in the area in what appears to be preparations for an invasion of Rafah. Earlier in the day, a spokesperson for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government was quoted as saying that they would be “moving ahead” with a ground operation.

Israel says Rafah is home to four Hamas combat battalions reinforced by thousands of retreating fighters, and it must defeat them to achieve victory. Meanwhile, in central Gaza, four people were killed in Israeli tank shelling.

Palestinians inspect the site of an Israeli strike on a house, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip (Photo: Reuters)

📌 Ship comes under attack in the Gulf of Aden

A ship traveling in the Gulf of Aden came under attack, officials said, the latest assault likely carried out by Yemen’s Houthi rebels over the Israel-Hamas war.

According to news agency AP, the ship was targeted just over 25 kilometers southwest of Aden, the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said.

📌 Protests rage across campuses in the US

What started off as a stir against Israel’s offensive in Gaza by students at Columbia University has now spread across various institutes in America. This came following last week’s arrest of more than 100 demonstrators at Columbia University.

The students have been calling for universities to separate themselves from any companies that are advancing Israel’s military efforts in Gaza — and in some cases from Israel itself.

At Columbia University, pro-Palestinian student protesters had set up tent at the Ivy League university in New York. The police first tried to clear the encampment by arresting more than 100 protesters. However, this led to more students adding up to the protests. US House Speaker Mike Johnson visited Columbia on Wednesday to meet with Jewish students over concerns about antisemitism on college campuses. Johnson said Israel and Jewish students on campus will not stand alone.

Independent student workers supporting Palestinians hold a march at the main campus as protests continue at Columbia University, during the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in New York City, US (REUTERS/Caitlin Ochs)

At The University of Texas at Austin, dozens of police officers and state troopers arrested more than two dozen student protesters and a local news photographer. Protesters said they had planned a walkout and march to the main campus lawn, where students would occupy the space and host events throughout the afternoon. But the university said in a statement that it would “not tolerate disruptions” like those at other campuses. Fifty-seven people were jailed and charged with criminal trespass following the protest, according to a spokeswoman for the Travis County Sheriff’s Office.

At the University of Southern California, the Los Angeles Police Department said more than 90 people were arrested Wednesday night during a protest. One person was arrested for alleged assault with a deadly weapon. The university posted on X on Wednesday that it had closed campus and that police would arrest people who did not leave.

Students from Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, too haven’t held back from showing solidarity towards the protests. The school had posted signs warning against setting up tents or tables on campus without permission but these, however, didn’t stop protesters from setting up a camp with 14 tents, which came after a rally against the university’s suspension of the Harvard Undergraduate Palestine Solidarity Committee.

📌 UK’s new sanctions on Iran

The United Kingdom has imposed a new round of sanctions on Iran over its unprecedented attack on Israel on April 13. The sanctions are meant to hold Iran accountable for its attack and to deter further such activity. British Foreign Secretary David Cameron’s office issued a statement saying the sanctions target Iran’s drone and missile industries. The new sanctions are on two people and four companies that are involved in Iran’s drone production, the statement said. They were announced in coordination with the US and Canada.

(With inputs from AP and Reuters)

Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.