February 12, 2024 Israel-Hamas war

Our live coverage of Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza has moved here.

A Greek-owned commercial vessel targeted by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels in the Red Sea on Monday was carrying corn from Brazil to Iran, according to US Central Command and the State Department.

This appears to be the first time the Houthis have targeted a ship destined for Iran, which provides backing for the rebel group that controls parts of Yemen.

The Houthis had previously claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was a US vessel.

The vessel was not subject to US sanctions because it was carrying corn, which falls under an exemption that covers food supplies, the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said the vessel is owned by Star Bulk Carriers, “a Greek-based global shipping company with partial U.S. owners.”

The ship suffered minor damage and no injuries to its crew, according to the US Central Command.

The vessel, named the “Star Iris,” was sailing from the Brazilian port of Vila Do Conde to Iran’s Bandar Imam Khomeini port in the Persian Gulf, according to marine tracking company Kpler.

“At a projected 4.5 million tonnes for this year, flows from Brazil make for the majority of Iran’s corn imports,” he said.

The Houthis have been targeting vessels delivering for Israel in the Red Sea in response to what they call Israel’s “aggression” against Gaza.

Despite repeated strikes against Houthi weapons, the Iran-backed rebel group has vowed to continue targeting vessels with links to Israel, the US and the UK.

This post was updated to include State Department and CENTCOM statements.

US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan virtually met Monday with the families of the six Americans believed to be held hostage in Gaza, sources familiar with the meeting said.

The conversation came a day ahead of CIA Director Bill Burns’s expected travel to Egypt for further hostage release talks, two sources familiar with the plans told CNN.

In a statement, the families said they “expressed our gratitude for the Administration’s continued efforts to bring our loved ones home but made clear our frustration with the pace of negotiations.”

The hostage families participating in the call included Jonathan Dekel-Chen and Gillian Kaye; Yael and Adi Alexander; Lee Siegel and Hanna Siegel; Jon Polin and Rachel Goldberg; Ruby and Hagit Chen; and Ronen and Orna Neutra, a source said. Liz Hirsh Naftali, whose niece Abigail Edan was freed as part of the November hostage deal, also participated.

Several of the families met with Sullivan in person at the White House two weeks ago and with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken while he was in Israel last week.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. CQ Brown Jr. cast doubt on Monday on the idea that Iran wants war with the United States, telling NBC’s Lestor Holt, “I don’t know that they do.” 

Brown’s comments come after at least 170 attacks by Iran-backed groups on US and coalition forces in Iraq, Syria, and Jordan since October 17. Brown echoed comments from other US officials saying the priories are to protect US forces while deterring further aggression in the region and avoiding a full-scale conflict in the Middle East.

Palestinians in Rafah are frantically trying to figure out whether to stay or evacuate after deadly Israeli strikes rained down Monday night on the southern Gaza city, a displaced aid worker told CNN on Monday. 

Dozens of people, including children, were killed as the “extremely intense” airstrikes and shelling pounded multiple locations, according to local officials.

The Israeli military confirmed it conducted a “series of strikes” in the Shaboura area of Rafah and that two Israeli hostages were rescued in a “special operation.”

More than 1.3 million people — more than half of Gaza’s population — are seeking refuge in Rafah, with the majority of people displaced from other parts of the besieged enclave crammed into a sprawling tent city.

On Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directed the military to plan for the “evacuation of the population” ahead of an offensive against what he described as “Hamas’s last bastion.”

Here are the latest developments:

Jordan's King Abdullah delivers remarks during a press conference with US President Joe Biden at the White House on Monday, February 12.

Jordan’s King Abdullah II, the first Arab leader to visit the White House since the start of the war in Gaza in October, broke with his host President Joe Biden on key issues during a joint appearance Monday. 

Abdullah made a call for a “lasting ceasefire” in Gaza that would bring the current fighting to an end and said it was essential the main United Nations agency responsible for Gaza continue to receive funding after the US and other nations withdrew support last month.

Biden has stopped short of calling for a permanent ceasefire, and his administration pulled funding for the agency over allegations some of its staff were involved with Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel. The open rifts between Biden and Abdullah underscored the delicate diplomatic balance the president is facing as the war in Gaza enters its fifth month.

Speaking from the White House Cross Hall, Abdullah said a ground operation in Rafah, which Israel has previewed in recent days, would amount to devastation.

President Joe Biden speaks after meeting with Jordan's King Abdullah II in the Cross Hall of the White House, on Monday, February 12.

US President Joe Biden discussed a hostage deal between Israel and Hamas which would include a six-week pause in fighting with Jordan’s King Abdullah II at the White House on Monday.

The US president said he’s been working “day and night,” along with Abdullah, to bring home hostages held by Hamas and ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza. He also thanked the king for conducting an airdrop of medical supplies to the region.

Speaking about reports that Israel is considering a military incursion into Rafah, Biden said the country “should not proceed without a credible plan” to ensure the safety of people sheltering in the city.

The Israeli military has released a pair of videos of what it says shows the moments two hostages were rescued from Rafah in an early morning raid Monday.

One video primarily shows aerial footage in black and white thermal imaging. It starts with a group of people walking through the street, with the voice of an unknown person saying, “The hostages are in our hands,” according to the English translation on screen.

It then appears to show an exchange of gunfire during the rescue.

Moments later, a convoy of vehicles is seen moving along a road, with someone declaring, “The forces have started to move along the route. The forces are on their way. The forces are on their way.”

The video ends with more aerial footage showing a helicopter taking off as one voice is heard saying, “They’re good and healthy,” and another voice responds: “Good. Keep going. We’re accompanying you.”

The second video was shot with the cameras of Shayetet 13 soldiers, and shows the troops meeting with the hostages for the first time inside a vehicle before boarding a helicopter to Israel, the Israel Defense Forces said.

The troops are seen chatting with both hostages, comforting them, and offering water and blankets.

Graphic images from Gaza illustrate the toll airstrikes are taking on the city of Rafah, now home to more than half of the enclave’s population.

Israeli airstrikes killed at least 94 people overnight Monday, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. The Israel Defense Forces said it launched a mission against Hamas to extract two hostages, which was successful.

Two of the videos, which CNN obtained from social media groups used by Palestinian journalists, show hospitals in southern Gaza. One video shows a young child hanging lifelessly from the side of a structure. Several men are trying to bring his body down.

A second image shows another boy, who appears to be a young teen, lying on a bed and clinging to a shroud-wrapped body. According to Gaza journalists, it’s the body of his mother in the hospital mortuary.  The woman’s name is written on her shroud: Ghada Ahmad Yousef Abu al-Hanoud. Her name appears on a list of 74 victims identified and issued death certificates by the Abu Yousef Al-Najjar government hospital in Rafah.

In a third clip, a young girl wipes her eyes and cries but gathers herself to describe what she experienced, “I was going to the bathroom and the strikes were ongoing suddenly I found the fire in our house…(inaudible)…then I went to the bathroom and all the walls collapsed on me,” the girl said.

Another video shows a woman holding a dead infant baby covered in a shroud. A young girl sits next to her with a pained expression. The woman says:

The US has called on the Israeli government to investigate the death of 5-year-old Palestinian girl Hind Rajab, State Department spokesperson Matt Miller said on Monday

“We have asked the Israeli authorities to investigate this incident on an urgent basis. We understand that they’re doing so. We expect to see those results on a timely fashion and they should include accountability measures as appropriate,” Miller said.

Rajab was found dead this weekend after being trapped in a car for Gaza City with members of her family who were reportedly shot to death by Israeli forces weeks ago.

Rescue workers dispatched to find her were also reportedly shot and killed. 

“We are devastated about reports of the death of Hind Rajab. I will tell you that I have a little girl that’s about to turn six myself, and so it’s just a devastating account, a heartbreaking account for this child,” Miller said. 

The United Nation’s relief and human rights chiefs, Martin Griffiths and Volker Turk, have called on Israel to abort its “terrifying” planned incursion into the border city of Rafah.

They warned that such an operation would likely result in scores of civilian casualties.

Turk, who is the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said an offensive risks “atrocity crimes” being committed.

The term “atrocity crimes” refers to the crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes as defined by international treaties, according to the UN.

Posting on Instagram, Griffiths who is the UN under-secretary for humanitarian affairs, reiterated that Palestinians concentrated in Rafah have “endured unthinkable suffering” after being “on the move for months, braving bombs, disease and hunger.”

International Criminal Court Prosecutor Karim Khan speaks during an interview with Reuters in The Hague, Netherlands, on Monday.

The International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor said he is “deeply concerned by the reported bombardment and potential ground incursion by Israeli forces in Rafah,” and warned that his office is “actively investigating any crimes allegedly committed” in the war.

In a post published on X on Monday, Karim Khan outlined that his office has an “ongoing and active investigation into the situation in the State of Palestine.” Late November, Khan announced that the ICC had received referrals from five countries to investigate whether crimes had been committed by Israel in the Palestinian territories.

The Rome Statute is the founding treaty of the ICC, which tries four types of crimes: genocide, crimes against humanity, crimes of aggression and war crimes. While Israel is not a member of the ICC and rejects the court’s jurisdiction, that has not stopped the court from previously investigating its actions in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Khan said this investigation is “being taken forward as a matter of the utmost urgency, with a view to bringing to justice those responsible for Rome Statute crimes.” He warned that “those who are in breach of the law will be held accountable.”

Khan also called for the immediate release of all hostages, writing: “This also represents an important focus of our investigations.”

White House national security communications adviser John Kirby speaks during a press briefing at the White House in Washington, DC, on Monday.

US President Joe Biden will reiterate his support for a humanitarian pause — not a general ceasefire in Gaza — during his upcoming meeting with King Abdullah II of Jordan, a White House spokesperson said on Monday.

Jordan’s king has long called for a ceasefire in Gaza and Kirby’s comments come days after Biden called Israel’s military conduct “over the top.” Biden and Jordan’s king are meeting at the White House on Monday.

Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the phone on Sunday to discuss a deal to secure the further release of hostages in Gaza, according to a senior administration official. 

Meanwhile, the US administration has relayed, “privately and publicly about what our expectations are,” for the protection of civilians in Rafah, the southern Gaza city where an estimated 1.4 million Palestinians are seeking shelter, Kirby said.

 The post was updated with more comments from Kirby.

The United States does not see the recent Israeli strikes in the city of Rafah in Gaza as “the launch of a full-scale offensive,” according to a State Department spokesperson — something the US won’t support until a plan is in place to minimize harm to displaced people there.

“They have conducted airstrikes against Rafah really since going back to the original days of the campaign,” spokesperson Matthew Miller said Monday.

Miller said the casualty rate is “still way too high” in Gaza, but he claimed the number of civilians killed has come down over the past month and that the US has used its leverage to influence the Israeli government.

Last week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directed the country’s military to plan for the “evacuation of the population” from Rafah, according to his office. Miller said the US looks forward to reviewing and being briefed on that strategy.

“Without such a plan that is credible, and that they can execute, we do not support a full-scale military operation there going ahead,” Miller said.

The Biden administration is deeply concerned about an Israeli operation that rescued two hostages out of Rafah but may have also resulted in some one hundred Palestinians being killed as part of that operation, according to a senior administration official.

The hostages — 60-year-old Fernando Simon Marman and 70-year-old Louis Har — were rescued Monday morning after spending 128 days in captivity. The Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said that more than 100 people were killed in strikes that the Israeli military carried out in Rafah overnight. It did not specify how many of those were militants. 

For now, United States officials are still gathering information on details of the rescue operation, including how exactly the operation unfolded and how many civilians may have been killed, that official said. But such a high rate of Palestinian deaths would be deeply worrisome, according to the official, and comes as US President Joe Biden and US officials have been warning Israel about their preparation to make a ground incursion into Rafah. 

More background: Tension between Biden’s administration and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has intensified in recent days as Israel has said that it is preparing to go into Rafah. US officials have expressed strong concerns to their Israeli counterparts about the feasibility of safely moving the large civilian population out of the area, many of whom were forced to flee there since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war. 

Displaced Palestinians receive food aid at the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees center in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on January 28.

Just weeks after it warned that it would have to “most likely” halt its work by the end of the month, the main UN relief agency in Gaza says it is becoming difficult to operate in Rafah, where 1.5 million civilians are seeking refuge.

Addressing EU development ministers in Brussels on Monday, Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, said in addition to funding cuts, other restrictions are also hindering operations, including the “local bank” freezing UNRWA’s account and visas for staff members only being granted on a month-to-month basis instead of once per year.

Remember: In January, Israel alleged that 13 UNRWA employees in Gaza were associated with the Hamas’ October 7 attacks, which resulted in some donor countries cutting $440 million of funding. 

Lazzarini also said the situation on the ground was becoming more complex, describing “a deep sense of panic and anxiety regarding the prospect of an unfolding military operation” in Rafah. He also outlined the agency had to operate without police support for the first time on Sunday, as some local police are reluctant to be seen with the agency.

The commissioner-general reiterated that UNRWA has launched an investigation into the allegations, which he said would be completed in the “near future.” He said that UNRWA has asked for the full cooperation from the Israeli authorities to share with the organization any proof or indication of evidence “about this horrible allegation.”

People inspect the damage to their homes following Israeli air strikes in Rafah, Gaza, on February 12.

Palestinians in Rafah are frantically trying to figure out whether to stay or evacuate after deadly Israeli strikes rained down on the southern city overnight, a displaced aid worker in the city told CNN on Monday. 

“It was one of the most terrible nights,” Jamal al Rozzi said. “Not because of the number of martyrs of the number of injuries, but also because everybody was just asking themselves what to do.” 

Israel’s bombardment since October 7 has forcibly displaced 1.7 million people in Gaza, according to the UN’s agency for Palestine refugees, which says nearly 1.5 million civilians are crammed into the tiny territory of Rafah alone. 

The attacks on Monday, carried out during a raid to rescue two Israeli hostages kidnapped by Hamas, killed dozens of Palestinians and reignited fears that a looming Israeli ground offensive in Rafah would cause a devastating bloodbath, with those trapped there having no remaining escape route. 

“This is the question that nobody answers for the other. If you ask your brother or your father or your son or your daughter … they cannot tell you because they don’t want to feel guilty if anything happens to you,” added al Rozzi.  “I look at the faces of the people in the street. Of course, after 120 days or more of war, they are really sad, angry and so on. But today they are … totally confused.” 

 CNN’s Helen Regan and Abeer Salman contributed reporting.

President Joe Biden speaks in the Diplomatic Reception Room of the White House, in Washington D.C., on February 8.

US President Joe Biden is growing increasingly frustrated behind the scenes with his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu, telling advisers and others that the prime minister is ignoring his advice and obstructing efforts to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, according to people familiar with the matter. 

So far, Biden has stopped short of directly criticizing Netanyahu in public. But he has become increasingly critical of Israel’s tactics, saying last week he believes the campaign in Gaza is “over the top,” one of his sharpest condemnations to date of the military campaign against Hamas.

In private, Biden has been more willing to offer unvarnished thoughts on Netanyahu, including his deep irritation that Netanyahu has not followed through on American recommendations to de-intensify military tactics in Gaza. Some officials now wonder how much longer Biden will withhold public criticism of Netanyahu as the war in Gaza rages.

The tension between the Biden administration and Netanyahu’s government has only intensified in recent days over Israel’s preparations for a ground incursion into Rafah, where thousands upon thousands of Palestinians have fled to over the course of the war.

US officials have been direct in their conversations with Israeli counterparts that the estimated 1.3 million people currently in Rafah simply “have nowhere to go,” according to a senior administration official. The Biden administration is highly skeptical about whether Netanyahu’s direction to Israel’s military for an “evacuation of the population” out of Rafah before Israel forces go in is even remotely feasible.

“We have made very clear that an operation under current conditions is not something that we could envision,” the official said.

CNN’s Arlette Saenz contributed reporting to this post.

UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron says it is “impossible to see” how Israel can launch an offensive in Rafah with so many civilians sheltering there.

“We are very concerned about what is happening in Rafah,” Cameron told reporters on Monday, noting that many of the people currently in the southern city of Gaza “have moved four, five, six times before getting there.”

He urged for an immediate pause in fighting.

“We want Israel to stop and think very seriously before it takes any further action. But above all, what we want is an immediate pause in the fighting, and we want that pause to lead to a ceasefire, a sustainable ceasefire without a return, to further fighting. That’s what should happen now,” he added.

Geoffrey van Leeuwen Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation at the Binnenhof, The Hague, Netherlands, on January 19.

The Dutch government has lodged an appeal after a court ruled on Monday that The Netherlands must stop the export of F-35 fighter jet parts to Israel.

According to a government statement, the Dutch Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, Geoffrey van Leeuwen, decided to appeal the decision made by The Hague Court of Appeal.

“The government is lodging an appeal in cassation because it believes the Court of Appeal did not take sufficient account of this.”

The Dutch government said it believes that F-35 aircraft are “crucial for Israel’s security, in particular with regard to threats emanating from the region,” which it said includes Iran, Yemen, Syria and Lebanon.

Despite lodging its appeal, the government said that it will respect the court of appeal’s judgement and will implement its decision. It stressed its appeal is “separate from the situation in Gaza,” which it called “extremely serious.”

“It is clear that international humanitarian law applies in full and Israel, too, must abide by it,” the Dutch government said.

Louis Har, left, and Fernando Simon Marman reunite with loved ones at Sheba Medical Center, in Ramat Gan, Israel, on February 12.

Two hostages have been rescued in an overnight Israeli military raid on Hamas targets in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson told reporters on Monday.

Here’s what we know so far:

Who are the hostages? The hostages are 60-year-old Fernando Simon Marman and 70-year-old Louis Har, who were both taken 128 days ago during Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel. They are dual Israel-Argentine nationals, according to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.

The rescue operation: IDF spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said that special forces entered a building in the center of Rafah at 1:49 a.m. local time (6:49 p.m. ET).

Status of hostages: The hostages are in good medical condition and have been transferred to Sheba Medical Center in Tel HaShomer. Their family members say they are in relatively good condition, but are showing signs of what they went through, including weight loss.

Deadly airstrikes in Rafah: The IDF confirmed Monday that they conducted “a series of strikes” on targets in the area of Shaboura, a district of Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip. 

The Ministry of Health in Hamas-run Gaza told CNN Monday that at least 94 people were killed in overnight Israeli strikes on the city of Rafah. The Ministry also said it is still in the process of retrieving and identifying bodies, and that the death toll is expected to increase.

The intense bombings were part of an operation by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to free two hostages held captive by Hamas. Earlier, the Palestine Red Crescent Society said more than 100 people had been killed by overnight strikes, in Rafah. The PRCS added more people are still trapped under rubble and that the death toll may increase.

An Egyptian helicopter patrols the fortified border area between Egypt and Gaza as seen from Rafah, Gaza, on February 7.

Egypt has increased fortifications along its border with Gaza and deployed more troops and machinery in North Sinai as a “precautionary measure” ahead of an expected Israeli ground operation in Rafah in Gaza, two security officials told CNN.

Checkpoints leading to the Rafah border crossing on the Egyptian side were boosted with more soldiers and the areas around the main road were being prepared for the deployment of tanks and military machinery, an eyewitness told CNN. 

A CNN team documented parked military vehicles along the road leading to the border back in November, but it’s unclear how large the new deployments will be.

Egyptian military helicopters were also seen flying on the Egyptian side in the past three days, according to an eyewitness in Egypt and social media videos shot from the Gaza side of the border.

People pray over the bodies of loved ones killed during Israeli bombardment in Rafah, Gaza, on February 12.

The Ministry of Health in Hamas-run Gaza told CNN Monday that at least 94 people were killed in overnight Israeli strikes on the city of Rafah.

The Ministry also said it is still in the process of retrieving and identifying bodies, and that the death toll is expected to increase.

The intense bombings were part of an operation by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to free two hostages held captive by Hamas.

Earlier, the Palestine Red Crescent Society said more than 100 people had been killed by overnight strikes, in Rafah. The PRCS added more people are still trapped under rubble and that the death toll may increase.

The Ministry of Health in Gaza only updates death toll numbers after the bodies have been identified, which explains a discrepancy with the numbers reported by the Palestinian Red Crescent Society. 

The United Kingdom has announced new sanctions against four “extremist Israeli settlers,” saying they have committed human rights abuses in the West Bank against Palestinian communities.

The statement from the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said the settlers “violently attacked Palestinians in the occupied West Bank,” using physical aggression, threatening families at gunpoint, and destroying property in a “targeted and calculated effort to displace Palestinian communities.”

The four individuals sanctioned are all males aged between 21 and 31. They have been named as Moshe Sharvit, Yinon Levy, Zvi Bar Yosef, and Ely Federman.

British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said the sanctions “place restrictions on those involved in some of the most egregious abuses of human rights.”

He said settlers are forcing Palestinian people off land that is “rightfully theirs.”

Israel has rescued two hostages in an operation in the city of Rafah, southern Gaza, where its air force has also carried out strikes that have killed at least 100 people, according to the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS).

Concerns are growing over the fate of more than a million displaced Gazans in the city, where Israel is planning a ground operation.

Here are the latest developments:

Idan Begerano, son-in-law of rescued hostage Louis Har speaks to members of the media at the Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan, east of Tel Aviv, Israel, on February 12.

Relatives of hostages freed by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) during an overnight military raid in Gaza were elated to have their family members back, and told CNN the news came as a total surprise.

“It’s a very special day today, at least for our family,” Idan Begerano, Louis Har’s son-in-law told CNN’s Nic Robertson in an interview Monday.

Begerano said their family, and the family of Fernando Marman — the other rescued hostage — was woken at 3:30 a.m. local time to a simple phone call:

“Louis is here, Fernando is here, please come to the hospital we’ve got them,” Begerano explained. 

The two men are in relatively good condition but showing signs of what they went through, their families say. “The first moment of the hug I couldn’t believe I was hugging him, I was so happy,” Marman’s niece, Geffen Sigal Ilan said.

Begerano described the pair as “very thin,” adding that “they’re walking, but they’re still running high on adrenaline, so we’ll only see how good or bad they are physically, or mentally in some days.”

Despite their good fortune, the relatives did not forget those still held by Hamas in Gaza. “Now, I’m thinking about the 134 hostages that are waiting. I want them to also be released, as soon as possible,” Ilan said.

For his part, Begerano called on both sides to strike a deal. “Personally, I don’t believe we can take out all the 134 hostages only by military action, at one stage or another you need to strike a deal,” he explained.

Lawyers of the state Erik Koppe, left, and Reimer Veldhuis look on amid the court case of human rights groups who seek to block the Dutch government from exporting F-35 fighter jet parts to Israel in The Hague, Netherlands, on February 12.

The Netherlands must stop the export of F-35 fighter jet parts to Israel within seven days, a Dutch court ruled on Monday, citing concerns that they could be used to violate international law as part of the Israeli campaign in Gaza.

“This means that the export of F-35 parts from the Netherlands to Israel has to be stopped.”

Three non-governmental organizations — Oxfam Novib, Pax for Peace, and The Rights Forum — appealed a previous Dutch court decision that allowed the continued export of F-35 parts to Israel.

On Monday, The Hague Court of Appeal said that under several international regulations that the Netherlands is a party to, the country must prevent the export of military equipment if there is a “clear risk of serious violations of international humanitarian law.”

The court said that Israel does not take “take sufficient account of the consequences of its attacks for the civilian population,” adding that its attacks on Gaza have resulted in a “disproportionate number of civilian casualties.”

European Commission vice-president in charge for High-Representative of the Union for Foreign Policy and Security Policy Josep Borrell, center, opens an Informal Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels, Belgium, on February 12.

The European Union is “extremely concerned” about the situation in Rafah, the bloc’s most senior diplomat, Josep Borrell, told reporters on Monday.

His comments come as EU ministers meet to discuss the Israel-Hamas conflict, as well as accusations against the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, the UN’s main agency working with Palestinians.

Remember: In January, Israel accused some of UNRWA’s staff members of involvement in Hamas’ October 7 terror attacks, though few details to support these allegations have been released.

“Allegations [have] to be verified,” the diplomat said. “The presumption of innocence is valid for everyone, at any time, even for UNRWA.”

Borrell said that “many” EU ministers have written to him, urging him to ask Israel to stop preventing humanitarian aid from reaching Gaza.

Palestinians inspect the damage to residential buildings where two Israeli hostages were reportedly held before being rescued during an operation by Israeli security forces in Rafah, Gaza, on February 12.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) coordinated a ground and air operation on Hamas targets in Rafah to extract two hostages, a spokesperson told reporters Monday.

“In a retrieval joint operation of IDF, security forces and special police forces, the special police unit, we retrieved Louis Har and Fernando Marman who were kidnapped by Hamas on October 7 from Nir Ytzhak,” said spokesman Daniel Hagari.

Hagari said that special forces entered a building in the center of Rafah at 1:49 a.m. local time (6:49 p.m. ET).

“At 1:50am, the air cover started the action by the Air Force and the southern command in order to allow the forces to detach and to hit Hamas terrorists in the area,” he added.

Within minutes, the two hostages were escorted out under fire from Hamas fighters and then taken to a “safe spot” in Rafah to get medical attention, Hagari added.

They were then airlifted out of Gaza by helicopter to the Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer, Israel.

Hagari said the “complex” operation had been planned for a “long time.”

“They were intentionally held in the middle of a civilian neighborhood, inside a civilian building, to try and prevent us from rescuing them. But we did,” Hagari said in a later statement released in English. “This rescue mission underscores the importance of our ground operation in Gaza, including Rafah, when conditions allow.”

The Palestine Red Crescent Society said Monday that more than 100 people had been killed by Israeli air strikes on Rafah overnight.

More people are believed to remain trapped in the rubble of collapsed buildings.

Some context: Nir Yitzhak was one of multiple kibbutzim close to the border with Gaza that came under attack by Hamas militants during their October 7 attack that saw about 1,200 people killed and more than 240 taken hostage. Israel’s response has wrought widespread devastation across Gaza. The Hamas-controlled health ministry in Gaza has said the death toll since October 7 has risen to more than 27,500.

The Houthis have targeted a bulk carrier ship in the Red Sea with “naval missiles,” according to a spokesperson.

The “Star Iris” is a US vessel, the Yemeni group’s spokesperson said in a statement on X.

Marine tracking websites showed a Marshall Islands-flagged ship with the same name in the Red Sea.

The UK’s Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) organization said that a vessel was attacked by two missiles 40 nautical miles south of Al Mukha in Yemen, but the ship reported minor damage and the crew is safe.

It’s unclear if the two statements relate to the same incident.

The US and UK have been striking Houthi assets in Yemen in response to attacks from the group on vessels traveling through the Red Sea.

The Iran-backed group has maintained that attacks will continue on ships affiliated with Israel until the “aggression stops” in Gaza.

On Saturday, 17 Houthi fighters killed in US and UK strikes were buried, the Houthi-run Saba news agency said.  

Louis Har and Fernando Simon Marman

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed home the two Israeli-Argentine hostages rescued overnight in joint operations with the Israel Defense Forces in Rafah. 

Sixty-year-old Fernando Simon Marman and 70-year-old Louis Har were both taken during the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, the IDF said. 

Netanyahu praises soldiers: The prime minister also said he was proud of the soldiers involved in the rescue, saying they worked “like a well-oiled machine” in a meeting with fighters and the commander of the Yamam Unit that freed the hostages.

“I came here to tell you this and to salute you on behalf of all the citizens of Israel,” he said.

Argentina's President Javier Milei is pictured during a tour around southern Israel's Kibbutz Nir Oz -- one of the places targeted by Hamas militants during the October 7 attacks -- on February 8.

The office of Argentina’s President Javier Milei praised Israel for the rescue of its two citizens from Gaza on Monday.

Milei’s office said on X that it thanks the Israel Defense Forces, the Israel Security Agency and the Israel Police for “having successfully completed the rescue” of Fernando Simon Marman, 60, and Louis Har, 70.

Marman and Har are dual Israeli-Argentine nationals, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum told CNN.

They were both captured during the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, according to the IDF.

Milei said he had repeated a request to free the Argentine hostages to Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a recent state visit to Israel.

Wounded Palestinians are brought to Kuwait Hospital for treatment following Israeli attacks on Rafah City, Gaza on February 12.

Hamas condemned what it called a “horrific massacre” by Israel against civilians in Rafah on Monday after the Israeli military confirmed it conducted airstrikes near the city. 

More than 100 people were killed in overnight strikes by Israeli forces in the southern city, according to the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS). Hamas also said over 100 people were killed in the attacks.

CNN cannot independently verify the number of casualties on the ground.

In its statement, Hamas accused US President Joe Biden and his administration of bearing “full responsibility” for the civilian deaths.

Israel’s strikes on Rafah come a day after Biden had a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and reaffirmed his stance that the Israeli military should not proceed with a ground offensive in Rafah “without a credible and executable plan” to ensure the safety of civilians — estimated to be over one million people who had fled there amid Israeli bombardment.

Biden and Netanyahu had discussed a deal to secure the release of hostages in Gaza at length during the call, according to a senior administration official, but gaps remain in those discussions.

Palestinians bodies are brought to Kuwait Hospital following Israeli attacks on Rafah City, Gaza on February 12.

The death toll from Israeli airstrikes on Rafah in southern Gaza has risen to over 100, the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said on Monday.

CNN cannot independently verify the number of casualties on the ground.

The PRCS said people were still trapped under rubble and the death toll may increase. 

Remember: More than 1.3 million people are believed to be in Rafah, the majority displaced from other parts of Gaza, according to the United Nations, as the city that borders Egypt remains the last refuge for Palestinians fleeing south to avoid Israel’s air and ground campaigns across the bombarded enclave.

Israel strikes Rafah: The Israel Defense Forces confirmed Monday that they conducted “a series of strikes” on targets in the area of Shaboura, a district of Rafah.

IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari told reporters that aerial strikes started at 1:50 a.m. local., just a minute after its forces rescued two Israeli hostages from Rafah.

This post has been updated to correct the spelling of Daniel Hagari’s name.

Israeli military spokesperson, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, speaks to the media in the northern Gaza Strip, on December 15, 2023.

Israeli forces conducted a coordinated operation on Hamas targets in Rafah to secure the release of two hostages, Israel Defense Forces spokesman Daniel Hagari told reporters on Monday. 

Hagari said the “covert operation with extraction under fire” started at 1:49 a.m. local, and aerial strikes followed at 1:50 a.m. local.  

The news of the hostage release comes as Rafah was being pounded by Israeli attacks.

More than 100 people were killed in the strikes on Rafah, the Palestine Red Crescent Society said early on Monday.

Hostage rescue: Hagari said Israeli soldiers encountered resistance and that the hostages were successfully escorted out under fire from Hamas.

The two men, aged 70 and 60, were taken to a safe place within Rafah to get medical attention and then airlifted out of Gaza by helicopter to the Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer. 

Mahmoud Abbas during a meeting in Amman, Jordan, on October 17, 2023.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas arrived on Sunday in Doha, Qatar, which has been a key mediator in the negotiations between Israel and Hamas. 

Abbas is expected to meet with the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, on Monday as part of continuing discussions to stop Israel’s “aggression,” according to the official Palestinian news agency WAFA.

The Palestinian Authority is a government body with limited self-rule in the West Bank.

The visit comes as CIA director Bill Burns is expected to travel to Cairo for a Tuesday meeting to push for a hostage release deal, according to two sources familiar with the plans.

One of the sources said Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani and Israel’s Mossad Director David Barnea are also expected to be in attendance. 

Two Israeli hostages were rescued overnight from the southern Gaza city of Rafah in a special operation, the Israeli military said Monday.

Their rescue comes 128 days after they were taken captive.

The men are in good medical condition and have been transferred to Sheba Medical Center in Israel, the IDF said.

The news of the hostage release comes as Rafah was being pounded by Israeli attacks. The Palestine Red Crescent Society said Monday that more than 60 people had been killed by recent airstrikes and that the city was experiencing “intense targeting.”

CNN cannot independently verify the numbers.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has brushed off mounting criticism of plans for a Rafah ground offensive — where more than 1.3 million displaced people are taking refuge in the enclave — even as Hamas hinted such a military attack might jeopardize hostage negotiations.

Here are the latest developments.

Smoke billows during Israeli bombardment over Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on February 12.

More than 60 people have been killed in Israeli airstrikes on the southern Gazan city of Rafah, the Palestine Red Crescent Society said early Monday.

CNN cannot independently verify the numbers. 

The city, where more than half of Gaza’s population is seeking refuge, experienced “intense targeting” by warplanes and airstrikes, the PRCS said.

Helicopters also fired machine guns along its border regions, according to the PRCS. Rafah lies near Gaza’s border with Egypt. 

The Israel Defense Forces confirmed Monday that they conducted “a series of strikes” on targets in the area of Shaboura, a district of Rafah, saying in a statement that “the strikes have concluded.”

A mosque in Shaboura was among the targets of the Israeli strikes, according to the Rafah municipality. 

Hamas-run television channel Al-Aqsa reported two mosques were targeted as well as 14 homes in various areas of Rafah on Monday.

The director of Abu Yousef Al-Najjar Hospital said medical facilities in Rafah “cannot handle the large number of injuries due to the Israeli occupation’s bombardment.”

According to the PRCS, people are trapped under the rubble and there is still a heavy presence of warplanes in the skies over Rafah. 

Some context: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu brushed off mounting criticisms over plans for a ground offensive in Rafah, where more than 1.3 million people have taken refuge, many of whom were already displaced from other parts of the enclave and say they have nowhere to go.

This post has been updated with the IDF’s confirmation of strikes on Rafah.

Fernando Simon Marman, 60, and Louis Har, 70, the two hostages rescued from Gaza by Israeli forces.

Two Israeli hostages were rescued overnight from the southern Gaza city of Rafah in a special operation between the Israel Defense Forces, Israel Security Agency Shin Bet, and the Israeli police.

The two hostages have been identified as Fernando Simon Marman, 60, and Louis Har, 70, who were taken by Hamas during the militant group’s October 7 attack on Israel, according to the joint statement on Monday.

Their rescue comes 128 days after they were taken captive.

The two men are in good medical condition and have been transferred to Sheba Medical Center in Israel, the IDF said.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said it was an “impressive release operation” by the IDF.

Both hostages had been kidnapped from the Nir Yitzhak kibbutz, Gallant said.

Some context: Nir Yitzhak was one of multiple kibbutzim close to the border with Gaza that came under attack by Hamas militants during their October 7 attack that saw about 1,200 people killed and more than 240 taken hostage. Israel’s response has wrought widespread devastation across Gaza. The Hamas-controlled health ministry in Gaza has said the death toll since October 7 has risen to more than 27,500.

This picture provided by the Israeli military, shows an Israeli Air Force helicopter carrying two released hostages, at Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan, Israel, on Februay 12.

US President Joe Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Sunday morning and “reaffirmed” his stance the Israel Defense Forces should not proceed with the military operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah “without a credible and executable plan” to ensure the safety of civilians.

Biden also stressed the need capitalize on the progress in the negotiations to secure the release of the remaining hostages.

Some context: Netanyahu has directed the country’s military to plan for the “evacuation of the population” from Rafah, his office said in a statement on Friday, ahead of an anticipated ground assault on the southern Gaza city.

Many of the hundreds of thousands of Palestinians living in tent camps in Rafah have already been displaced from elsewhere in the enclave and say they have nowhere to go.

The plan has sparked concern from many countries, including Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom. Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry warned of “very serious repercussions of storming and targeting” the city while the United Arab Emirates warned Israel’s plan “threatens to cause the loss of more innocent life and exacerbate the humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip.”

The key facilitator of negotiations between Israel and Hamas, Qatar has also condemned the plans, and the Egyptian foreign ministry said Sunday that it strongly rejects Israel’s plan, warning of “dire consequences.”

Hamas has warned that if the offensive into Rafah takes place, it would spell the end of hostage negotiations.

Volunteers load food and supplies onto trucks in an aid convoy for Gaza on October 16, in North Sinai, Egypt. 

Lengthy inspections, rejected humanitarian aid and Israeli bombs raining down. Those are some of the hurdles to relief reaching the 2.2 million Palestinians in war-torn Gaza.

The United Nations’ Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief, Martin Griffiths, has described the process as “in all practical terms, impossible.”

Gaza was placed under a complete Israeli siege on October 9, when Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said he would halt the supply of electricity, food, water and fuel to the enclave after Hamas attacked his country, killing 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages. Israel has since begun allowing some aid to enter.

Getting any form of relief into Gaza is a long and arduous process, aid workers and the UN say.

An average of 95 aid trucks per day entered Gaza between October 10 and February 1, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent, down from 500 commercial and aid trucks a day before the war, when Palestinians weren’t facing mass displacement and starvation. Some 2 million Gazans are dependent on UN aid now.

Relief operations are expected to be further hampered after the United States and other top donors suspend funding for UNRWA, the main agency responsible for aid distribution in Gaza. The donors pulled their funding over allegations by Israel that some of its staff were involved in the Hamas attacks.

Read more on why aid is slow to get into Gaza.

AnIsraeli ground offensive in the city of Rafah would mean the end of hostage negotiations, Hamas-run television channel Al-Aqsa reported Sunday, quoting a leadership source in Hamas. 

According to Al-Aqsa TV, a Hamas leadership source said that an assault on Rafah would mean the “destruction” of negotiations that have been ongoing for weeks.

In a statement on Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said it had directed the military to plan for the “evacuation of the population” from Rafah in anticipation of a ground assault on the southern Gaza city.

In an interview with ABC releasing Sunday, Netanyahu called Rafah the “last bastion” of Hamas and said Israel was “working out a detailed plan” to secure “safe passage” for civilians but offered few details. 

More than one million people live in Rafah, which is the last major area of Gaza the Israeli military is yet to enter.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated that the Israeli military would soon launch an operation into Rafah and pledged to provide safe passage to civilians, but offered few details.

“Victory is within reach. We’re going to do it. We’re going to get the remaining Hamas terrorist battalions in Rafah, which is the last bastion, but we’re going to do it,” Netanyahu told ABC News’ Jonathan Karl in an interview released Sunday.

“We’re going to do it while providing safe passage for the civilian population so they can leave,” he said.

When asked where Palestinians are expected to go, Netanyahu said “we’re working out a detailed plan.”

The prime minister has directed his military to prepare to evacuate an estimated 1.3 million people in the city. Many have already been displaced from other parts of the enclave and say they have nowhere to go.

The US has warned carrying out such an operation without thorough planning “would be a disaster” while the United Nations, other aid organizations, and several other countries have expressed concern over the impact on civilians.