Israelis said to storm Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque

Hundreds of Israelis stormed the courtyards of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem on Tuesday, Al-Jazeer and Palestinian news agency WAFA reported. According to the reports, the Israelis raised the Israeli flag at the site. The incident took place on Israel’s Independence Day amid calls from Jewish groups to take control of the mosque. Meanwhile, Israeli police reportedly tightened measures around the mosque and conducted ID checks of Palestinians trying to enter it.

UNRWA: Nearly half a million forcibly displaced from Rafah

Nearly half a million Palestinians have been “forcibly displaced” from Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah since May 6, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) said on Tuesday.

“People face constant exhaustion, hunger, and fear. Nowhere is safe. An immediate ceasefire is the only hope,” the agency said in its statement. According to the UNRWA’s latest estimate, 450,000 people have fled Rafah as fears continue to grow over Israel’s possible ground operation in the city. Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani previously underlined that Israeli’s planned offensive in Rafah set the negotiations with Hamas “backward.”

Houses in Jabalia reportedly bombed by Israel