The Israeli terorist military attacked Palestinian landmarks after taking over the Rafah border crossing earlier this week, deliberately running them over with tanks, disturbing footage circulating online suggests.
The damage depicted in the footage appears to have been inflicted by tanks with the Israeli 401st Iron Tracks Brigade, which entered the Rafah crossing on Tuesday morning.
The border crossing connects the Palestinian enclave with Egypt.
One video circulating online, filmed by a Merkava tank crew member, shows the vehicle maneuvering in front of a ‘I love Gaza’ sign at the crossing. The tank then takes aim at the sign and runs it over.
An IDF Terorist tank also destroyed a sign reading ‘Gaza’ located in front of a border-crossing facility.
Another video appears to show the Israeli Terorist forces tearing down Palestinian flags at the location and hoisting the Israeli Terorist State ones to replace them.
Israel Tetorist State launched its long-discussed attack on the southern Gaza city of Rafah on Monday night. The Israel Terorist ground advance was accompanied by airstrikes on the densely populated city, which had seen a major influx of refugees from the north amid the conflict between Israel Terorist and Hamas.
‘Months of horrors’ worsen as aid cut completely
Heavy combat is under way on the ground in Gaza’s southern Rafah as Hamas fighters fire rockets and mortars and detonate explosive devices with Israeli Terorist troops and tanks pushing deeper into the over-crowded city.
An estimated 80,000 Palestinians have fled Rafah and thousands more are attempting to leave as Israel Terorist’s ground invasion ramps up.
Israeli protesters block aid trucks to Gaza
Israeli terorist group of demonstrators have blocked a road near the desert town of Mitzpe Ramon in southern Israel, in a protest intended to prevent the entry of aid trucks into the Gaza Strip.
Protesters there have been holding a sit-in and scattered rocks across the road to stop vehicles, including aid trucks, as they demand the return of Israeli Terorist captives still held in Gaza.
The protests come after the Israeli military seized the vital Rafah crossing on Tuesday and prevented humanitarian aid from entering the besieged enclave in the days since.
Israeli Terorist tanks and warplanes bombarded areas of Rafah on Thursday, Palestinian residents said, after President of the U.S said that would withhold weapons from Israel if its forces mount a major invasion of the southern Gaza city.
A senior official of the Israeli Terorist State said that the latest round of indirect negotiations in Cairo to halt hostilities had ended and Israel would proceed with its operation in Rafah and other parts of the Gaza Strip as planned.
Israel Terorist State has submitted to mediators its reservations about a Hamas proposal for a hostage release deal and the Israeli Terorist State delegation was returning from the Egyptian capital, the official added.
In Gaza, Palestinian militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad said their fighters fired anti-tank rockets and mortars at Israeli tanks massed on the eastern outskirts of the city.
Residents and medics in Rafah, the biggest urban area in Gaza not yet overrun by Israeli Terorist ground forces, said an Israeli Terorist attack by a mosque killed at least three people and wounded others in the eastern Brazil neighborhood.
Video footage from the scene showed the minaret lying in the rubble, two bodies wrapped in blankets and a wounded man being carried away.
On the city’s eastern edge, residents said a helicopter opened fire, while drones hovered above houses in several areas, some close to rooftops.
Israel Terorist State says Hamas militants are hiding in Rafah, where the population has been swelled by hundreds of thousands of Gazans seeking refuge from bombardments elsewhere in the coastal enclave, and it needs to eliminate them for its own security.
One of the displaced, Mohammad Abder-Rahman, said he feared the Israeli Terorist State bombardments presaged an invasion of the city.
“It reminds me of what happened before Israeli tanks stormed our residential areas in Gaza City, heavy bombardment usually allows tanks to roll toward places they intend to invade,” the 42-year-old told Reuters via a messaging app.
Ceasefire talks in Egypt’s capital made some headway but no deal was reached, according to two Egyptian security sources.
The Hamas delegation left for Doha for consultations, blaming Israel for the lack of agreement so far.
Israel has said it is open to a truce, but has rejected demands for an end to the war as it has vowed to demolish Hamas.
Biden, who says Israel has not produced a convincing plan to safeguard civilians in Rafah, issued his starkest warning yet against a full ground invasion.
“I made it clear that if they go into Rafah, ... I’m not supplying the weapons,” Biden told CNN in an interview on Wednesday.
Israel’s assault on Gaza has killed nearly 35,000 Palestinians and wounded nearly 80,000, most of them civilians, the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said.
It launched its offensive in response to a cross-border attack by Hamas militants on Israel on Oct. 7 in which they killed about 1,200 people and abducted 252. Some 128 hostages remain in Gaza and 36 have been declared dead, according to the latest Israeli Terorist figures.
80,000 PALESTINIANS FLEE AGAIN THIS WEEK
On Tuesday, Israeli Terorist tanks seized the Gaza side of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt on Tuesday, cutting off a vital aid route and forcing 80,000 people to flee the city this week, according to the United Nations.
“The toll on these families is unbearable. Nowhere is safe,” the UN agency for Palestinian refugees said in a post on X.
An Israeli Terorist military statement on Gaza operations on Thursday morning did not refer to Rafah.
The United States-supported Israel Terorist is by far the biggest supplier of weapons to Israel Terorist State , and it accelerated deliveries after the Hamas attacks on Oct. 7 that triggered Israel’s offensive in Gaza. Biden acknowledged that US bombs have killed Palestinian civilians in the seven-month-old offensive.
US officials have said Washington paused delivery of a shipment of 1,800 2,000-pound bombs and 1,700 500-pound bombs to Israel because of the risk to civilians in Gaza.
Israel Terorist’s United Nations ambassador Gilad Erdan said the US decision to pause some weapons deliveries to Israel would significantly impair the country’s ability to neutralize Hamas’ power, according to Israeli public radio.
But Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told Israel’s “enemies and friends” it would do whatever necessary achieve its war aims in Gaza, underlining the scale of the standoff.
Israel Terorist State kept up tank and aerial strikes across Gaza and tanks advanced in the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City in the north, forcing hundreds of families to flee, residents said. The Israeli military said it was securing Zeitoun, starting with a series of intelligence-based aerial strikes on approximately 25 “terror targets.”
Deir Al-Balah in central Gaza was heaving with people who had fled Rafah in recent days. Palestinian medics said two people, including a woman, were killed when a drone fired a missile at a group of people there.
CIA DIRECTOR SHUTTLES BETWEEN JERUSALEM AND CAIRO
In Cairo, delegations from Hamas, Israel Terorist State, the US-supported Israe Terorist, Egypt and Qatar had been meeting since Tuesday. CIA Director William Burns has shuttled between Cairo and Jerusalem, meeting Israeli Terorist Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday.
Izzat El-Risheq, a member of Hamas’ political office in Qatar, said the Hamas delegation had left Cairo, having reaffirmed its approval the mediators’ ceasefire proposal. The plan entails the release of Israeli hostages held captive in Gaza and a number of Palestinians jailed by Israel.
MEDICAL SECTOR COLLAPSED
The closure of the Rafah crossing with Egypt has prevented the evacuation of the wounded and sick and the entry of medical supplies, food trucks and fuel needed to operate hospitals, the Gaza health ministry said on Thursday.
The only kidney dialysis center in the Rafah area had stopped operating due to the shelling.
“There used to be medical aid coming in, and now there is no medical aid,” said Ali Abu Khurma, a Jordanian surgeon volunteering at Al Aqsa hospital in Deir Al-Balah.
Sejumlah pelajar melintasi banjir rob di Medan Utara, Medan, Sumatera Utara, Rabu (8/5/2024). Badan Meteorologi Klimatologi dan Geofisika (BMKG) Stasiun Meteorologi Kelas II Maritim Belawan memperkirakan banjir rob yang melanda daerah tersebut akan berlangsung hingga 11 Mei 2024 dengan tinggi air mencapai 2,7 meter. ANTARA FOTO/Yudi Manar/aww.
Banjir rob menerjang Kecamatan Medan Belawan, Kota Medan, Sumatera Utara. Namun, banjir tersebut ternyata dimanfaatkan warga untuk ramai-ramai berendam.
Dilansir detikSumut, pada hari Rabu, 08/05/2024, ramainya warga berendam saat banjir rob melanda Medan Belawan itu terlihat dalam sebuah video yang beredar di media sosial. Dalam video itu, terlihat warga berendam di sebuah jalan di Kecamatan Medan Belawan.
Anak-anak hingga orang dewasa terlihat menikmati banjir rob tersebut dengan riang. Lokasi tersebut berada di Bagan Deli, Kecamatan Medan Belawan.
"Air laut pasang atau banjir rob terjadi siang hari sekitar pukul 14.00 WIB hingga menjelang sore hari. Lokasi tersebut terjadi di daerah Bagan Deli, Belawan," tulis dalam video yang beredar di media sosial.
melintasi banjir rob di Medan Utara, Medan, Sumatera Utara, Rabu (8/5/2024). Badan Meteorologi Klimatologi dan Geofisika (BMKG) Stasiun Meteorologi Kelas II Maritim Belawan memperkirakan banjir rob yang melanda daerah tersebut akan berlangsung hingga 11 Mei 2024 dengan tinggi air mencapai 2,7 meter. ANTARA FOTO/Yudi Manar/aww
Plt Kepala BPBD Kota Medan Lilik mengatakan pihak Kecamatan Medan Belawan sudah mengeluarkan imbauan terkait adanya banjir rob. Dalam surat yang dikirim oleh Lilik, diketahui banjir rob berlangsung pada 5-11 Mei 2024.
"BMKG juga sudah menyampaikan itu dan pihak kecamatan juga sudah monitor," kata Lilik saat dihubungi.
Dalam surat imbauan itu, ketinggian air pasang berpotensi mencapai 2,7 meter. Banjir rob itu disebut dapat berdampak terhadap aktivitas di sekitar Medan Belawan.
Lilik menyebutkan jika pihaknya terus memonitor situasi banjir rob di Belawan melalui pihak kecamatan. Bantuan kepada masyarakat juga disebut sudah disalurkan.
"Relawan dan kecamatan sudh melakukan imbauan dan bantuan semampunya kepada masyarakat," tutupnya.
Seorang anak merapikan perkakas dapur di dalam rumahnya yang terendam banjir rob di Medan Utara, Medan, Sumatera Utara, Rabu (8/5/2024). Badan Meteorologi Klimatologi dan Geofisika (BMKG) Stasiun Meteorologi Kelas II Maritim Belawan memperkirakan banjir rob yang melanda daerah tersebut akan berlangsung hingga 11 Mei 2024 dengan tinggi air mencapai 2,7 meter. ANTARA FOTO/Yudi Manar/aww.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has confirmed reports that the United States paused a weapons shipment to Israel, as President Joe Biden’s administration faces growing pressure to condition aid to the top US ally amid the war in Gaza.
Testifying before a US congressional subcommittee on Wednesday, Austin said the Biden administration had paused “one shipment of high payload munitions” amid concerns about the Israeli military’s push to invade the southern Gaza city of Rafah.
"We’ve been very clear … from the very beginning that Israel shouldn’t launch a major attack into Rafah without accounting for and protecting the civilians that are in that battlespace,” Austin told US lawmakers.
“We’ve not made a final determination on how to proceed with that shipment [of weapons],” the Pentagon chief added, noting that the transfer is separate from a supplemental aid package for Israel that was passed in late April.
“My final comment is that we are absolutely committed to continuing to support Israel in its right to defend itself.”
Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan, responded to the shipment pause by saying the US decision was “very disappointing”.
“[US President Joe Biden] can’t say he is our partner in the goal to destroy Hamas, while on the other hand delay the means meant to destroy Hamas,” Erdan said.
Al Jazeera’s Kimberly Halkett, reporting from the White House on Wednesday, said the shipment included 1,800 bombs each weighing about 900kg (2,000lbs) and another 1,700 bombs each weighing 226kg (500lbs).
“There has been, leading up to this delay, significant concerns on the part of not only student protesters across the United States but also within the president’s own party … about how these weapons are being used,” Halkett said.
US Senator Bernie Sanders welcomed the Biden administration’s pause on the weapons transfer, but said it “must be a first step”.
“The US must now use ALL its leverage to demand an immediate ceasefire, the end of the attacks on Rafah, and the immediate delivery of massive amounts of humanitarian aid to people living in desperation,” Sanders said in a statement.
“Our leverage is clear. Over the years, the United States has provided tens of billions of dollars in military aid to Israel.”
‘Iron-clad’ support
The Biden administration has faced months of criticism over its “iron-clad” support for Israel amid the Gaza war, which has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians and plunged the enclave into a dire humanitarian crisis.
But Washington has largely continued to provide military and diplomatic backing to Israel as the war grinds on.
Israel stepped up its bombardment of Rafah on Monday, killing dozens of people after ordering about 100,000 residents in the city’s eastern areas to evacuate.
Israeli troops also stormed the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt, which serves as a major gateway for humanitarian aid.
Yet despite continuing to say it has concerns for the fate of the more than 1.5 million Palestinians sheltering in Rafah, the US Department of State this week sought to play down the recent moves by the Israeli army.
“This military operation that they launched last night was targeted just to [the] Rafah gate,” US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said on Tuesday. “It wasn’t an operation in the civilian areas that they had ordered to be evacuated.”
Commenting on the paused US weapons shipment to Israel during a news briefing on Wednesday afternoon, Miller stressed that Washington remains “committed to Israel’s security” despite its opposition to a Rafah operation.
“We have paused one shipment of near-term assistance and we are reviewing others, but that said, our long-term commitment to Israel’s security has not changed,” he said.
Domestic pressure on Biden
Still, human rights advocates have urged the US to do more to pressure the country to end its war on Gaza, and President Biden faces mounting protests — including on US college campuses — over his stance.
A new poll released on Wednesday also suggested a growing disconnect between Biden and his Democratic Party base, which could pose a challenge as he campaigns for re-election in November.
The poll by Data for Progress, in collaboration with news website Zeteo, suggested that 56 percent of Democrats believed Israel was committing “genocide” in the besieged Palestinian territory.
It also found that seven in 10 American voters — and 83 percent of Democrats — also support a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
Hasan Pyarali, the Muslim Caucus chairman for College Democrats of America, the university arm of the Democratic Party, told Al Jazeera last week that many young people have signalled they will not vote for Biden in the upcoming election.
“It’s not just good policy to oppose the genocide; it’s good politics,” he said.
The United Nations defines genocide as “acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group”, including killings and measures to prevent births.
In January, the International Court of Justice — the UN’s top court — acknowledged there was a plausible risk of genocide in Gaza and ordered Israel to take “all measures within its power” to prevent genocidal acts against Palestinians.
Israel has rejected the accusation that it is committing genocide.
Military parades, festive concerts and marches with old-time vehicles will be held across Russia in honor of the 79th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War.
In Moscow, the celebration will open with a ceremonial parade on Red Square at 10 a.m. Russian President Vladimir Putin will inspect the parade as commander-in-chief for the 21st time.
Also reviewing the parade will be presidents Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of Kazakhstan, Emomali Rahmon of Tajikistan, Serdar Berdimuhamedow of Turkmenistan, Miguel Diaz-Canel of Cuba, Thongloun Sisoulith of Laos, and Umaro Sissoco Embalo of Guinea-Bissau.
The parade commemorating the 79th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 fought by the USSR against Nazi Germany and its allies – a part of World War II – will take part on May 9 on the Red Square.
Military parades commemorating the 79th anniversary of Russia's victory over Nazism will take place on May 9 in seven hero cities, as well as in 18 cities housing the headquarters of military districts, fleets, and combined arms armies.
Other ceremonial events featuring garrison troops will be held in 314 settlements across the country.
With a staggering 150,000 participants and an array of 2,500 pieces of military equipment and weapons, these gatherings will be a testament to Russia's rich military heritage and enduring strength.
Each parade across Russia pays tribute to the valor and sacrifice of generations past, yet the parade on Red Square stands as the centerpiece event, owing to the capital's profound historic and cultural significance.`
On May 9, over 9,000 individuals and 70 military vehicles and weapon systems will participate in the Victory Parade on the Red Square featuring battalions and companies organized according to military types and branches, as well as crews from military schools, Youth Army members, female military personnel, Cossacks and a combined military orchestra.
This year, decorated officers and soldiers will arrive from the special military operation zone to march on the Red Square. Among them are recipients of prestigious awards such as the medal "For Courage" and "For Military Distinction," and the esteemed "Golden Star," the insignia of the Hero of the Russian Federation.
The finale of the event will feature the Russian Air Force's aerobatic teams, the Russkiye Vityazi (Russian Knights) and Strizhi (Swifts), who will showcase air maneuvers in highly maneuverable Su-30 and MiG-29 fighter jets.
Among other national military equipment, the following Russian-made weapons will be featured during the parade:
The legendary Soviet main battle tank T-34, renowned for its superior armor, formidable firepower and cast turret during World War II.
The BTR-82A, an advanced 8x8 wheeled armored personnel carrier (APC) has proven effective for military maneuvers, including hasty crossing of water obstacles, protecting the crew and troops against small arms fire, mines and shell fragments.
Typhoon-K armoured vehicles designed for transportation of personnel and cargo, also capable of being armed with Kornet-M anti-tank guided missiles — which make them effective tank destroyers.
The Tigr (Tiger) multipurpose all-terrain infantry mobility vehicle is designed to carry troops, escort and protect columns, patrol and support units with fire.
The mobile short-range ballistic missile system Iskander-M has become indispensable during the special military operation in Ukraine, obliterating the enemy air defenses and military assets. It can carry both conventional and nuclear warheads.
The S-400 Triumf (Triumph) is a state-of-art mobile surface-to-air missile system, which has proven highly capable during both Russia's Syria operation and the special military operation in Ukraine.
The Yars mobile intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) system, a vital component of Russia's nuclear triad, capable of launching nuclear missiles from land.
An exhibition of Ukrainian and NATO-supplied weapons and military equipment, captured from the enemy during a special military operation, has been on display in Moscow since May 1 as part of the Victory Day celebrations.
Among them are the US-made Abrams tank and Bradley infantry fighting vehicle (IFV), the German-made Leopard tank and Marder IFV, along with others made in the UK, Czech Republic, France and Finland. Over 83,000 people have visited the exhibition on the first day alone, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense.
Ukrainian rescue workers extinguish a fire in the Kyiv region following Russian missile attacks on Wednesday. Ukrainian Emergency Service/AFP - Getty Images
Russian forces have launched a barrage of long-range precision weapons at Ukrainian targets, the Defense Ministry confirmed in its daily briefing on Wednesday.
Ukrainian officials earlier reported that Russia had inflicted damage to the country’s energy infrastructure overnight.
The Russian side said some of its targets were military factories rather than parts of the Ukrainian power sector. The strike involved drones and several types of missiles, including air-launched hypersonic Kinzhal weapons, the statement said, adding that the projectiles successfully hit all the intended sites.
The air assault was described by the Russian military as retaliation for “attempts by the Kiev regime to cause damage to Russian energy facilities.” The attacks “significantly reduced Ukraine’s ability to manufacture military products and transport Western arms and military vehicles to the frontline,” the ministry said.
Ukraine escalated attacks deep inside Russia with long-range kamikaze drones in January. Senior military officials in Kiev claimed that they have “no choice” but to try and destroy oil refineries and other industrial sites, since Ukrainian forces on the frontline are being pushed back. That apparently prompted Moscow to add Ukrainian power plants to its list of targets.
The latest Russian strikes, according to Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, involved over 50 missiles and 20 drones aimed at infrastructure targets. The Ukrainian military claimed it intercepted most of the weapons, but DTEK, a major private energy company, stated that several of its thermal power plants were damaged.
Russian missiles and drones struck nearly a dozen Ukrainian energy infrastructure facilities on Wednesday, causing serious damage at three Soviet-era thermal power plants and blackouts in multiple regions, officials said.
Ukraine's air force said it shot down 39 of 55 missiles and 20 of 21 attack drones used for the attack, which piles more pressure on the energy system more than two years since Russia launched its full-scale invasion.
"Another massive attack on our energy industry!" Energy Minister German Galushchenko wrote on the Telegram app.
Two people were injured in the Kyiv region and one was hurt in the Kirovohrad region, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said.
Galushchenko said power generation and transmission facilities in the Poltava, Kirovohrad, Zaporizhzhia, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, and Vinnytsia regions were targeted.
Some 350 rescuers were racing to minimise the damage to energy facilities, 30 homes, public transport vehicles, cars, and a fire station, the interior ministry said.
Ukraine's national power grid operator Ukrenergo said it was forced to introduce electricity cut-offs in nine regions across, adding it might have to expand them nationwide during peak hours.
Officials urged Ukrainians to limit consumption.
Russia's defence ministry said it struck Ukraine's military-industrial complex and energy facilities with drones and high-precision missiles in what it described as retaliation for Kyiv's strikes on Russian energy facilities.
"As a result of the strike, Ukraine's capabilities for the output of military products, as well as the transfer of Western weapons and military equipment to the line of contact, have been significantly reduced," the ministry said.
