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BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountLiveNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityWorldAfricaAsiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastUS & CanadaIsrael-Gaza war: Warnings mount as Israel plans Rafah offensivePublished1 hour agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingRelated TopicsIsrael-Gaza warImage source, ReutersImage caption, Some 1.5 million Palestinians – including many children – are estimated to be now living in RafahIsrael is facing growing international warnings over its planned offensive in Rafah – the city in southern Gaza crammed with Palestinian refugees.UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron said “over half of Gaza’s population are sheltering in the area”, while Dutch FM Hanke Bruins Slot said there could be “many civilian casualties”.Saudi Arabia warned of “very serious repercussions” if Rafah was stormed.Gaza’s Hamas rulers said there could “tens of thousands” of casualties.Israel launched its operations in the Palestinian enclave after more than 1,200 people were killed in southern Israel on 7 October by Hamas gunmen.More than 27,900 people have been killed and at least 67,000 injured in Gaza since then, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.Many Gazans have ended up in Rafah having been forced to flee their homes elsewhere at least once. Saturday’s warnings came a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered his military to prepare to evacuate civilians from the city ahead of an expanded offensive against Hamas.”It is impossible to achieve the goal of the war without eliminating Hamas, and by leaving four Hamas battalions in Rafah. It is clear that intense activity in Rafah requires that civilians evacuate the areas of combat,” Mr Netanyahu’s office said.The prime minister also rejected Hamas’s latest proposed ceasefire terms. The US has already warned Israel that an invasion of Rafah as part of its assault on Gaza would be a “disaster”, while the EU and the UN both expressed their own concerns.Aid groups say it is not possible to evacuate everyone from the city on the border with Egypt. Some 1.5 million Palestinians are believed to be in Rafah, seeking refuge from Israeli combat operations in the rest of the Gaza Strip. Most of them are living in tents..flourish-container{position:relative;color:#404040;font-family:’Helmet’, ‘Freesans’, ‘Helvetica’, ‘Arial’, sans-serif;font-weight:400;line-height:1.4}.flourish-embed{position:relative} Your device may not support this visualisation In a social media post, Mr Cameron said he was “deeply concerned about the prospect of a military offensive in Rafah.”The priority must be an immediate pause in the fighting to get aid in and hostages out, then progress towards a sustainable, permanent ceasefire.”Meanwhile, Ms Bruins Slot described the situation in Rafah as “very worrying”. “Many civilians in Gaza have fled south. Hard to see how large-scale military operations in such a densely populated area would not lead to many civilian casualties and a bigger humanitarian catastrophe. This is unjustifiable,” she added.Also on Saturday, the Saudi foreign ministry issued a statement that warned against “targeting the city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip, which is the last resort for hundreds of thousands of civilians forced by the brutal Israeli aggression to flee”. The ministry also repeated its “demand for an immediate ceasefire”.In other developments on Saturday:At least five Palestinians were killed in Israeli airstrikes on Rafah, according to the Palestinian news agency, WafaThe Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said its air force killed two Hamas operatives in the southern cityThe IDF also said it discovered a tunnel shaft near a school run by the relief agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) that was leading to an “underground terrorist tunnel beneath UNRWA’s main headquarters”UNRWA head Philippe Lazzarini denied any knowledge of a Hamas tunnel near the agency’s office – a building which he said his staff vacated months ago A six-year-old girl who went missing in Gaza City last month was found dead with several of her relatives and two paramedics – after appearing to come under fire from Israeli tanksThe BBC is unable to independently verify many battlefield claims made during the course of the war.This video can not be playedTo play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.Media caption, Watch: ‘We’ll never leave Gaza’ – Palestinians who fled to Rafah fear Israeli assaultRelated TopicsMiddle EastIsrael-Gaza warIsraelPalestinian territoriesGazaNetherlandsSaudi ArabiaMore on this storyNetanyahu orders military to plan Rafah evacuationPublished1 day agoUS warns Israel sending troops into Rafah risks ‘disaster’Published1 day ago’We’ll never leave Gaza’ – People in Rafah fear Israeli assault. Video, 00:01:15’We’ll never leave Gaza’ – People in Rafah fear Israeli assaultPublished1 day ago1:15Netanyahu rejects Hamas’s proposed ceasefire termsPublished3 days agoTop StoriesKing thanks public for support after cancer newsPublished5 hours agoCameron leads warnings as Israel plans Rafah offensivePublished1 hour agoAre politicians cooling on tackling climate change?Published13 hours agoFeaturesRussia’s war economy can’t last but has bought timeThe Papers: ‘Democracy in danger’ and King’s heartfelt thanksThe planespotter angering Taylor Swift and Elon MuskTeens fight back against online skincare trendsAre politicians cooling on tackling climate change?‘We had to bury our baby in a stranger’s coffin’Will King’s diagnosis bring Harry and William closer?’There is no right or wrong way to have alopecia’Bad economy, nosy relatives: Young Chinese put off by Lunar New YearElsewhere on the BBCIt’s make or break timeAnother set of eager entrepreneurs hope to impress the fearsome panelAttributioniPlayerHow are jelly beans made?Gregg Wallace visits a Dublin factory that makes over ten million of the sweets per day!AttributioniPlayerIs this the greatest Jurassic predator that ever lived?Sir David Attenborough investigates a unique discovery: the skull of a giant, prehistoric sea monsterAttributioniPlayerThe sound effect that became the ultimate movie in-jokeIt’s used in everything from Toy Story to Reservoir Dogs, but what is the Wilhelm Scream?AttributioniPlayerMost Read1The planespotter angering Taylor Swift and Elon Musk2’Democracy in danger’ and King’s heartfelt thanks3‘We had to bury our baby in a stranger’s coffin’4King thanks public for support after cancer news5Warnings mount as Israel plans Rafah offensive6Hungary president resigns over child abuse pardon7I’d be an eejit not to enjoy Oscars – Cillian Murphy8Teens fight back against online skincare trends9Faisal Islam: Russia’s war economy cannot last but has bought time10Fujitsu bosses paid £26m during Horizon contract
[ad_1] More countries urge Israel against any military operation in the southern Gazan city crammed with refugees.
![BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountLiveNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityWorldAfricaAsiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastUS & CanadaDR Congo violence: Panic in Goma as M23 rebels advancePublished1 hour agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, EPAImage caption, Goma’s population has swelled in recent days as people arrive by motorbike and foot fleeing advancing fightersBy Samba Cyuzuzo & Mayeni JonesBBC Great Lakes & BBC NewsEmile Bolingo is not sure how long he and other residents of Goma, in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, can hold out.This major city in the region, with about two million people, has been cut off from the farms that feed it for several days.It is the latest episode in a resurgence of fighting that has seen tens of thousands added to the nearly seven million who have been forced from their homes in the country because of multiple conflicts.Rebels from the ethnic Tutsi-led M23 movement are blocking the two main roads into Goma from the north and the west and preventing produce from getting through.”We are scared of going hungry if the [Congolese army] do not liberate any of the main roads very soon. You can feel the panic here… people are very scared,” Mr Bolingo told the BBC.Goma’s population has swelled in recent days with people running from the advancing fighters.Image source, Glody MurhabaziImage caption, Mundeke Kandundao, a motorbike taxi rider, has just undergone surgery after a bomb blastSake, a town 25km (15 miles) north-west of Goma, came under attack on Wednesday.”I sustained a pelvic injury caused by shrapnel,” Mundeke Kandundao told the BBC from his hospital bed in Goma where he has undergone surgery.The 25-year-old motorbike taxi driver said a shell was launched by the rebels from a hill overlooking the town on Wednesday.”I was standing behind a cabin and there were a lot of other people there and that’s where it exploded,” he said.”We are scared because you know the war goes on and on, it is meaningless. We are waiting to see if it ends so that we can go back to our homes.”Laurent Cresci, from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), told the BBC from the state-run Bethsaida Hospital in Goma that patient numbers had surged on Wednesday: “It was really a mass casualty. We were before 80 patients in our ward, and now we have 130 patients so it’s really hard to manage.”For many people it is a tragic case of déjà vu.”For how long shall we live like this? Every now and then we keep fleeing,” Pascal Bashali told the BBC after he had arrived in Goma. People are streaming in by foot, on motorbikes and mini buses.Aline Ombeni said she was distraught on her arrival in the city: “We have fled empty-handed just as you are seeing us – no food, no clothes we need help with shelter and food.”Image source, AFPImage caption, M23 fighters are well equipped, but the group denies being a Rwanda proxyAs the conflict edges closer, it brings back memories of 2012 when the rebels occupied the lakeside city for 10 days before abandoning it following international pressure.The M23, formed as an offshoot of another rebel group, began operating in 2012 ostensibly to protect the Tutsi population in the east of DR Congo which had long complained of persecution and discrimination. UN experts have said that the group is backed by neighbouring Rwanda, which is also led by Tutsis, something that Kigali has consistently denied. “We all know that the reason of this war is economic. Rwanda is continuing… for the past 25 years… looting our mineral resources,” Congolese Communications Minister Patrick Muyaya told the BBC, urging the UK to use its influence with Rwanda to ease the situation.There are now fears that the M23 – by far the most organised, disciplined and well-equipped of the many militia groups in the region – could capture Goma once again.Recently re-elected Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi last year said that “Congolese need to learn to trust us, Goma will never fall”. He repeated the promise, in the city itself, during the election campaign in December.Within reach of major mining towns supplying metals and minerals in high demand such as gold, tin and coltan, Goma has become a vital economic hub. Its road and air transport links, and the fact that it has a huge UN peacekeeping base, has attracted a host of businesses, international organisations and diplomatic consulates.As such, Goma is a valuable strategic target, but the M23 says it does not want to capture it and maintains it is on the defensive not offensive.DR Congo squad use Afcon spotlight to call for peaceWhy TikTokers are quitting vapes over DR CongoA quick guide to DR Congo”If you see the military power of the M23, they could take Goma if they wanted to, but this could bring them many problems,” said Onesphore Sematumba, a DR Congo analyst at the International Crisis Group thinktank.The rebels may just be displaying their capabilities, and also thinking back to 2012 and the international opprobrium that followed the seizing of Goma then.In the aftermath of its withdrawal it suffered a series of heavy defeats at the hands of the Congolese army backed by a multinational force that saw it expelled from the country. M23 fighters then agreed to be re-integrated into the army in return for promises that Tutsis would be protected.But, in 2021, the group took up arms again, saying the promises had been broken.It emerged from the mountain forests on the border between DR Congo, Rwanda and Uganda and edged closer to Goma taking swathes of territory.Ceasefires have been agreed, but these have all broken down, with the government and the M23 blaming each other.The M23 has repeatedly said it still wants peace negotiations with Kinshasa.”We asked for the dialogue to resolve this problem peacefully,” M23 spokesman Lawrence Kanyuka told the BBC. “Many cycles of war… don’t resolve the root causes of conflict. The Congolese government itself doesn’t want that, it wants to go on a war, and kill people even more.” President Tshisekedi has said talks are “out of question”.”One thing must be clear is that we as government, we will never negotiate with M23. M23 doesn’t exist. It’s Rwanda acting with its puppet,” his communications minister told the BBC.Image source, ReutersImage caption, Hundreds of thousands of people have already fled their villages to live in makeshift camps; some are on the move againLast year, an East African force, which was in DR Congo to help protect civilians and secure areas that armed groups had withdrawn from, left the country at the government’s request.Its departure in December was followed by the end of the latest ceasefire and the recent upsurge in activity by the M23.President Tshisekedi hopes that a southern African force that recently arrived in its place will have more success as it has a mandate to attack rebel groups.He has also asked the large UN force in the country, known as Monusco, to leave. It has become increasingly unpopular for its failure to end the conflict during its 25-year deployment. But there are concerns that the conflict could get even worse after the Congolese president threatened in December to declare war on Rwanda if the rebels attack again.In an apparent reply to the remarks, Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame said in January that in defending his country “we will fight like people who have nothing to lose”.Meanwhile, Natàlia Torrent, from medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), has warned that the intensification of fighting in “different areas and on different fronts” since mid-January is having a devastating effect on an already vulnerable population.”We are in an area that has been already prone to the spread of different epidemics. We have been already working in the last year on cholera or measles and we are afraid… [a] new wave of epidemics are going to surge again,” she told the BBC.Reflecting on the fighting, Goma resident Mr Bolingo added: “We are the ones who suffer.” Mr Bashali, who fled from Sake with his wife and nine children, agreed: “Men are dying, children are dying, women are dying, those fighting are dying, what for? We are praying that our country will be peaceful.”Additional reporting by journalist Glody Murhabazi in GomaRelated TopicsDemocratic Republic of CongoMore on this storyDR Congo country profilePublished2 JanuaryAround the BBCFocus on Africa podcastsTop StoriesKing thanks public for support after cancer newsPublished4 hours agoSix-year-old Gazan girl found dead days after plea for helpPublished15 hours agoAre politicians cooling on tackling climate change?Published11 hours agoFeaturesRussia’s war economy can’t last but has bought timeThe planespotter angering Taylor Swift and Elon MuskTeens fight back against online skincare trendsThe Papers: ‘Democracy in danger’ and King’s heartfelt thanksAre politicians cooling on tackling climate change?‘We had to bury our baby in a stranger’s coffin’Will King’s diagnosis bring Harry and William closer?’There is no right or wrong way to have alopecia’Bad economy, nosy relatives: Young Chinese put off by Lunar New YearElsewhere on the BBCIt’s make or break timeAnother set of eager entrepreneurs hope to impress the fearsome panelAttributioniPlayerHow are jelly beans made?Gregg Wallace visits a Dublin factory that makes over ten million of the sweets per day!AttributioniPlayerIs this the greatest Jurassic predator that ever lived?Sir David Attenborough investigates a unique discovery: the skull of a giant, prehistoric sea monsterAttributioniPlayerThe sound effect that became the ultimate movie in-jokeIt’s used in everything from Toy Story to Reservoir Dogs, but what is the Wilhelm Scream?AttributioniPlayerMost Read1The planespotter angering Taylor Swift and Elon Musk2’Democracy in danger’ and King’s heartfelt thanks3‘We had to bury our baby in a stranger’s coffin’4King thanks public for support after cancer news5Hungary president resigns over child abuse pardon6I’d be an eejit not to enjoy Oscars – Cillian Murphy7Faisal Islam: Russia’s war economy cannot last but has bought time8Teens fight back against online skincare trends9Six-year-old Gazan girl found dead days after plea for help10Fujitsu bosses paid £26m during Horizon contract](https://newsinsightplus.com/wp-content/uploads/https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/branded_news/14B90/production/_132608848_epa_congoindex.jpg)
![BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountLiveNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityWorldAfricaAsiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastUS & CanadaGaza residents surviving off animal feed and rice as food dwindlesPublished2 hours agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingRelated TopicsIsrael-Gaza warImage source, ReutersImage caption, Pipes which carry water for Gaza’s 2.3m population have been damaged or destroyedBy Lucy WilliamsonBBC News, JerusalemPeople living in the isolated north of Gaza have told the BBC that children are going without food for days, as aid convoys are increasingly denied permits to enter. Some residents have resorted to grinding animal feed into flour to survive, but even stocks of those grains are now dwindling, they say.People have also described digging down into the soil to access water pipes, for drinking and washing.The UN has warned that acute malnutrition among young children in the north has risen sharply, and is now above the critical threshold of 15%.The UN’s humanitarian coordination agency, Ocha, says more than half the aid missions to the north of Gaza were denied access last month, and that there is increasing interference from Israeli forces in how and where aid is delivered.It says 300,000 people estimated to be living in northern areas are largely cut off from assistance, and face a growing risk of famine.A spokesman for the Israeli military agency tasked with coordinating aid access in Gaza said in a briefing last month that there was “no starvation in Gaza. Period.” The agency, Cogat, has repeatedly said it does not limit the amount of humanitarian aid sent to Gaza.Netanyahu orders military to plan evacuations from southern Gazan cityIsraeli soldier videos from Gaza could breach international law, experts sayThe BBC spoke to three people living in Gaza City and Beit Lahia, and viewed footage and interviews filmed by local journalists in Jabalia.Mahmoud Shalabi, a local medical aid worker in Beit Lahia, said people had been grinding grains used for animal feed into flour, but that even that was now running out.”People are not finding it in the market,” he said. “It’s unavailable nowadays in the north of Gaza, and Gaza City.”He also said stocks of tinned food were disappearing.”What we had was actually from the six or seven days of truce [in November], and whatever aid was allowed into the north of Gaza has actually been consumed by now. What people are eating right now is basically rice, and only rice.”The World Food Programme (WFP) told the BBC this week that four out of the last five aid convoys into the north had been stopped by Israeli forces, meaning a gap of two weeks between deliveries to Gaza City.’Serious risk of famine'”We know there is a very serious risk of famine in Gaza if we don’t provide very significant volumes of food assistance on a regular basis,” said the WFP regional chief, Matt Hollingworth.The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha) said there had been a sharp increase in the number of aid missions denied access to northern Gaza: with 56% of deliveries denied access in January, up from 14% in October to December.It also said the Israeli military “at times required justifications” for quantities of fuel destined for health facilities, and “imposed reductions on the volume of assistance, such as the quantity of food”.The BBC asked Israel’s army for a response. They directed us to Cogat, which told us to address our questions to the army.Duha al-Khalidi, a mother of four in Beit Lahia, told the BBC two weeks ago that she walked six miles (9.5km) to her sister’s house in Gaza City, in a desperate search for food, after her children had not eaten for three days.”I don’t have any money, and even if I did, there’s nothing in the town’s main market,” she said. “[My sister] and her family are also suffering. She shared with me the last amount of pasta in her house.””We feel that death has become inevitable,” her sister, Waad, said. “We lost the top floor of our house, but we are still living here despite the fear of collapse. For two weeks, we can’t find anything in the market; and if some products are available, they are 10 times their normal price.”A famine risk assessment, carried out by several UN agencies, estimated that almost a third of residents in northern areas could now be facing a “catastrophic” lack of food, though restrictions on accessing the area make real-time measurements very difficult.Families in northern areas are also struggling to find reliable water supplies.”Many of us are now drinking unpotable water. There are no pipes; we have to dig for water,” explained Mahmoud Salah in Beit Lahia. Image source, ReutersImage caption, People in Gaza are digging for water by handVideo filmed in the Jabalia neighbourhood north of Gaza City shows residents sitting among the rubble of bombed out streets, digging down into the earth to tap large underground water pipes.”We get water here once every 15 days,” Yusuf al-Ayoti said. “The water is dirty. Our children are inflamed and their teeth are eroded from the dirty water. There is sand in it, and it’s very salty.”After four months of war, the makeshift solutions for bridging the hunger gaps are wearing thin. And there are few ways to restock Gaza’s larder.The territory was reliant on food aid before the war; now much of its agricultural industry has been ruined or abandoned.’The destruction is vast’New figures from the UN suggest that more than half the agricultural land in the central region of Deir al-Balah has been damaged. This includes an olive press and farmland belonging to Bassem Younis Abu Zayed.”It looks like the aftermath of an earthquake,” he said. “The destruction is vast, covering neighbouring buildings and farm animals. Even if we manage to restore the mill, 80-90% of the olives have gone. It’s not just a loss for this year, it’s a loss for the next several years.”Further south, in the border town of Rafah, more than a million people displaced by the fighting elsewhere now jostle for space with the town’s 300,000 residents.Israel’s army regularly publishes what it says is recent footage of busy markets and restaurants in Gaza’s southern centres. A majority of the 114 aid missions to southern areas of Gaza managed to get through last month, but residents and aid agencies say many people are still going hungry, and a public health crisis is looming with a lack of shelter, sanitation and medical care.Aid can be blocked by fighting, bureaucracy or rubble. Earlier this week, a food convoy waiting to head north in Gaza was hit by naval gunfire. On Saturday the UN’s agency for Palestinian refugees accused Israel of using financial restrictions to block a month’s worth of food for more than a million Gazans. UNRWA said more than 1,000 shipping containers from Turkey were being held up in a port, telling the AP news agency that a local contractor was ordered by customs authorities not to process any UNRWA goods.Israel has not responded but on Thursday, far-right finance minister Belazel Smotrich ordered the cancellation of customs and other tax relief for UNRWA, saying Israel “will not give tax benefits to terrorist aides”. Israel has accused UNRWA staff of participating in the 7 October attacks.But deliveries are also complicated by the growing desperation of Gaza’s people, says Matt Hollingworth.”We need the law and order issue resolved, so that we’re not having to negotiate our way through crowds of desperately hungry people, to get to other people that we’ve yet to reach,” he said.”It’s probably the level of helplessness that worries me. People have lost hope.” A deal between Israel and Hamas is seen by many as the only way to get more aid into Gaza, and get Israeli hostages out.As Israel bombs Rafah, ahead of a widely expected ground offensive there, leaders on both sides are under pressure to end the suffering of people trapped in Gaza – their enemy’s, and their own.Related TopicsIsrael & the PalestiniansIsrael-Gaza warHamasMore on this storyInjured, hungry and alone – the Gazan children orphaned by warPublished31 JanuaryWhy are Israel and Hamas fighting in Gaza?Published31 January’The unstoppable wars have destroyed our lives’Published20 January’I go to sleep a dead man’ – father’s pain at daughter’s captivity in GazaPublished23 JanuaryTop StoriesSix-year-old Gazan girl found dead days after plea for helpPublished8 hours agoPolice searching Thames for Clapham attack suspectPublished4 hours agoAre politicians cooling on tackling climate change?Published4 hours agoFeaturesIsraeli soldier videos from Gaza could breach international law, experts sayWill King’s diagnosis bring Harry and William closer?Are politicians cooling on tackling climate change?The Ukrainians ‘disappearing’ in Russia’s prisonsDinosaur Island: 40 years of discoveries on SkyeCelebrities and the perils of oversharing daily routinesWhy are attitudes shifting towards climate policies? AudioWhy are attitudes shifting towards climate policies?AttributionSounds’There is no right or wrong way to have alopecia’Spain’s LGBT matador: ‘More will come out because of me’Elsewhere on the BBCIt’s make or break timeAnother set of eager entrepreneurs hope to impress the fearsome panelAttributioniPlayerHow are jelly beans made?Gregg Wallace visits a Dublin factory that makes over ten million of the sweets per day!AttributioniPlayerIs this the greatest Jurassic predator that ever lived?Sir David Attenborough investigates a unique discovery: the skull of a giant, prehistoric sea monsterAttributioniPlayerThe sound effect that became the ultimate movie in-jokeIt’s used in everything from Toy Story to Reservoir Dogs, but what is the Wilhelm Scream?AttributioniPlayerMost Read1Hungary president resigns over child abuse pardon2Six-year-old Gazan girl found dead days after plea for help3Will King’s diagnosis bring Harry and William closer?4England recover to edge past youthful WalesAttributionSport5Celebrities and the perils of oversharing daily routines6Attempted murder charge after suspected poisoning7Are politicians cooling on tackling climate change?8Small plane crashes into back garden9Police searching Thames for Clapham attack suspect10Cricketer ‘killed himself amid sexual assault probe’](https://newsinsightplus.com/wp-content/uploads/https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/branded_news/1320E/production/_132605387_rtrrafahfood050224a00eac29801d15dc4e8311b3ced49092dffe4e2c0_594_4291_24151000x563.jpg)
![BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountLiveNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityWorldAfricaAsiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastUS & CanadaHind Rajab, 6, found dead in Gaza days after phone calls for helpPublished2 hours agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingRelated TopicsIsrael-Gaza warImage source, Rajab FamilyImage caption, Hind Rajab, 6, was trying to escape to the west of Gaza City when the car she was travelling in came under fireBy Lucy WilliamsonBBC News, JerusalemA six-year-old girl who went missing in Gaza City last month has been found dead, along with several of her relatives and two paramedics who tried to save her.Hind Rajab was fleeing the city with her aunt, uncle and three cousins when the car they were travelling in appears to have come face to face with Israeli tanks, and come under fire.Audio recordings of calls between Hind and emergency call operators suggest that the six-year-old was the only one left alive in the car, hiding from Israeli forces among the bodies of her relatives.Her pleas for someone to rescue her ended when the phone line was cut amid the sound of more gunfire.Paramedics from the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) managed on Saturday to reach the area, which had previously been closed off as an active combat zone. They found the black Kia car Hind had been travelling in – its windscreen and dashboard smashed to pieces, bullet holes scattered across the side.Image caption, Hind’s car was found smashed and riddled with bullet holesOne paramedic told journalists that Hind was among the six bodies found inside the car, all of which showed signs of gunfire and shelling.A few metres away were the remains of another vehicle – completely burnt out, its engine spilling onto the ground. This, the Red Crescent says, is the ambulance sent to fetch Hind.Its crew – Yusuf al-Zeino and Ahmed al-Madhoun – were killed when the ambulance was bombed by Israeli forces, the organisation says.In a statement, the PRCS accused Israel of deliberately targeting the ambulance, as soon as it arrived at the scene on 29 January.”The [Israeli] occupation deliberately targeted the Red Crescent crew despite obtaining prior coordination to allow the ambulance to arrive at the scene to rescue the child Hind,” it said.The PRCS told the BBC that it had taken several hours to coordinate access with the Israeli army, in order to send paramedics to Hind.Image caption, The car belonging to the Palestinian Red Crescent paramedics was completely burnt out”We got the coordination, we got the green light,” PRCS spokeswoman, Nibal Farsakh, told me earlier this week. “On arrival, [the crew] confirmed that they could see the car where Hind was trapped, and they could see her. The last thing we heard is continuous gunfire.”Recordings of Hind’s conversations with call operators – shared publicly by the Red Crescent – sparked a campaign to find out what had happened to her.Hind’s mother told us – before her body was discovered – that she was waiting for her daughter “any moment, any second”.She called on the Red Crescent to publish the details of its coordination with the Israeli army.We twice asked the army for details on its operations in the area that day, and about the disappearance of Hind and the ambulance sent to retrieve her – it said it was checking.We have asked again for their response to the allegations made by the Palestinian Red Crescent on Saturday.The rules of war say medical personnel must be protected and not targeted in a conflict, and that injured people must be given the medical care they need – to the fullest practical extent and with the least possible delay.Israel has previously accused Hamas of using ambulances to transport its weapons and fighters.Related TopicsIsrael & the PalestiniansIsrael-Gaza warChildrenGazaMore on this story’Will you come and get me?’ Gaza girl’s desperate pleaPublished4 days agoGazans surviving off animal feed and rice as food dwindlesPublished8 hours agoThe Gazan children orphaned by warPublished31 JanuaryWhy are Israel and Hamas fighting in Gaza?Published31 JanuaryTop StoriesGazans surviving off animal feed and rice as food dwindlesPublished8 hours agoSix-year-old Gazan girl found dead days after plea for helpPublished2 hours agoPolice searching Thames for Clapham attack suspectPublished3 hours agoFeaturesIsraeli soldier videos from Gaza could breach international law, experts sayWill King’s diagnosis bring Harry and William closer?The Ukrainians ‘disappearing’ in Russia’s prisonsDinosaur Island: 40 years of discoveries on Skye’There is no right or wrong way to have alopecia’Spain’s LGBT matador: ‘More will come out because of me’Have we lost faith in tech?Celebrities and the perils of oversharing daily routinesIs Iceland entering a new volcanic era?Elsewhere on the BBCIt’s make or break timeAnother set of eager entrepreneurs hope to impress the fearsome panelAttributioniPlayerHow are jelly beans made?Gregg Wallace visits a Dublin factory that makes over ten million of the sweets per day!AttributioniPlayerIs this the greatest Jurassic predator that ever lived?Sir David Attenborough investigates a unique discovery: the skull of a giant, prehistoric sea monsterAttributioniPlayerThe sound effect that became the ultimate movie in-jokeIt’s used in everything from Toy Story to Reservoir Dogs, but what is the Wilhelm Scream?AttributioniPlayerMost Read1Celebrities and the perils of oversharing daily routines2Six-year-old Gazan girl found dead days after plea for help3Stake in Michael Jackson catalogue sells for $600m4Attempted murder charge after suspected poisoning5Police searching Thames for Clapham attack suspect6Ex-Fujitsu boss ‘shocked’ by Post Office’s actions7Mum found under coat in A&E died days later8Gazans surviving off animal feed and rice as food dwindles9Farmer protests could escalate, warns organiser10Pakistan army urges unity as ex-PMs both declare win](https://newsinsightplus.com/wp-content/uploads/https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/branded_news/BE05/production/_132554684_image00003.jpg)
