Deadly Israeli airstrikes on crowded Gaza city may foreshadow 'disaster': Live updates

Editor's Note: This page is a summary of news on the Israel-Hamas war for Thursday, Feb. 8. For the latest news on the conflict in the Middle East, view our live updates file on the war for Friday, Feb. 9.

An overnight attack that killed at least 13 in Rafah underscored Israel's determination to defy warnings and press into the southern Gaza city, where more than 1 million Palestinians have fled to escape the fighting.

The deadly airstrikes Wednesday into Thursday came hours after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed Hamas’ cease-fire proposal and said Israel Defense Forces are preparing to pursue militants in the city, which borders Egypt.

After meeting Netanyahu on Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stressed once again the importance of protecting Palestinian civilians. About 85% of Gaza's prewar population of 2.3 million has been displaced, the majority of them now in and around Rafah after instructions from the IDF to leave combat areas to the north. Aid organizations have warned about the catastrophic consequences of a major military operation in Rafah.

“Where do we go after Rafah? Do we go to sea?” Warda Abu Warda said outside Kuwaiti Hospital, where casualties from the overnight strikes were taken.

White House national security spokesman John Kirby told reporters Thursday that the administration has seen no indication Israel has imminent plans for a ground operation in Rafah, even though Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has advocated for one.

“A responsible military plan would factor in making sure that you can protect the civilians,'' Kirby said. "Given the circumstances and the conditions there that we see right now, we think a military operation at this time would be a disaster for those people.’'

Besides the human toll, Israel might have to contend with the wrath of Egypt, which worries about a massive surge of Palestinians into its territory and has warned such an event would threaten its four-decade-old peace treaty with Israel.

Netanyahu calls Hamas plan 'delusional': Blinken sees 'space' for deal

Developments:

∎ The Senate was poised to vote on a foreign aid bill that included Israel. A stand-alone, $17.6 billion package for Israel was defeated Tuesday in the House. The Senate blocked a broader bill Wednesday that included border security and other funding.

∎ Jordan's King Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein will meet with President Joe Biden in Washington on Monday to mark 75 years of diplomatic relations and discuss the war, humanitarian assistance, and a long-term, two-state solution to the conflict, the White House said in a statement.

∎ U.S. forces conducted preemptive strikes against two anti-ship cruise missiles Houthi rebels were ready to launch against ships in the Red Sea, and later against one of their land attack cruise missiles also ready to be fired, Central Command said Thursday. The missiles "presented an imminent threat to U.S. Navy ships and merchant vessels in the region," it said.

∎ Germany is sending the Hessen, a Navy ship with 240 service members, to patrol the Red Sea as part of a European Union mission expected to begin later this month to help defend cargo vessels from Houthi attacks.

Israel not close to goal of eradicating Hamas, report says

Netanyahu told a national TV audience Wednesday that Israel is "on the way to an absolute victory” over Hamas and it would be just "a matter of months.''

U.S. officials don't share that assessment, according to a New York Times report that says Israel is not close to destroying Hamas and also questions whether that goal is feasible. The report, which cites unnamed American officials, is based on an intelligence briefing delivered to members of Congress this week.

The U.S. has been pressing instead for Israel to negotiate a halt in the fighting and a deal that would free the hostages in Gaza in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners, similar to the weeklong truce of late November. Netanyahu has rejected the Hamas terms outright, increasing the frustration of hostage relatives who have been pushing him to prioritize their freedom over beating Hamas.

'Blatant assassination': Iraq livid with US after Baghdad drone strike

The U.S. drone strike that killed an Iraqi-based militant leader was a "blatant assassination" that showed no regard for international law, the Iraqi government said Thursday.

The strike blew up a car in a Baghdad neighborhood late Wednesday, killing a commander of the Kataib Hezbollah militia responsible for planning and participating in attacks on American troops in the region, the U.S. military said. Hezbollah in Lebanon condemned the killing as "a continuation to the US’ previous crime and continuous aggression against our people in Iraq, Syria and Yemen."

Major General Yehia Rasool, spokesman for Iraq's government, said the strike violated Iraqi sovereignty and showed disregard for the safety of civilians. Rasool said in a social media post that the U.S.-led military coalition in Iraq consistently deviates from "the reasons and objectives" for its presence in the country, which is to prevent an ISIS resurgence.

"This trajectory compels the Iraqi government more than ever to terminate the mission of this coalition, which has become a factor for instability and threatens to entangle Iraq in the cycle of conflict," he said.

The U.S. has blamed the Iran-backed Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a loose association of insurgent groups, for a series of strikes on U.S. bases in the region − including the attack in Jordan that killed three U.S. military personnel Jan. 28.

Is Israel willing to let Hamas leaders walk in exchange for hostages?

Israel is willing to allow Oct. 7 attack mastermind Yahya Sinwar and other top Hamas leaders in Gaza flee into exile in exchange for the release of all remaining hostages and an end to Hamas rule in the enclave, NBC News reported, citing multiple Israeli officials it did not name.

Netanyahu vowed as recently as this week to continue fighting until the Hamas leadership is killed. Israel says Sinwar and Mohammed Deif, leader of the Hamas military wing, directed the rampage that killed 1,200 people in Israel border communities. Over 240 others were kidnapped and spirited away to Gaza, though more than 100 of them were released during a weeklong November truce.

Two sources familiar with discussions inside the Israeli government told NBC that other proposals Israelis raised with U.S. officials included replacing Hamas with hand-picked civilian leaders. The U.S. has lobbied for a revamped Palestinian Authority, which governs parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, to take control of Gaza.

The U.S., Qatar, and Egypt have been working to broker a cease-fire and long-term peace plan since the war began. Netanyahu on Wednesday rejected a Hamas-proposed cease-fire plan that would include the release of the remaining hostages and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails, withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip, and an end to the war.

Apparent creation of buffer zone by Israel is a war crime, UN official says

Israel's reported effort to destroy Gaza buildings along the border to create a buffer zone is a war crime, United Nations rights chief Volker Turk warned Thursday. He said his office had recorded "widespread destruction and demolition" of civilian infrastructure including residential buildings, schools and universities in areas where fighting is not taking place.

The Israeli government has not formally confirmed that a buffer zone is being created, but the military has alluded to it while destroying buildings along the border. The U.S has opposed the creation of a buffer zone or any permanent change in Palestinian territory.

"I stress to the Israeli authorities ... the Fourth Geneva Convention prohibits destruction by the occupying power of property belonging to private persons, except where such destruction is rendered absolutely necessary by military operations," Volker said.

Blinken issues warning to Israel after Netanyahu rejects peace deal

The daily toll Israel's military operations are taking on innocent civilians remains too high, Blinken said at a briefing in Tel Aviv late Wednesday. Blinken said that while in Israel he raised "profound concerns about actions and rhetoric, including from government officials, that inflame tensions," jeopardize international support and add to Israel's security concerns.

Blinken acknowledged Israelis were "dehumanized in the most horrific way" by the Oct. 7 Hamas attack and that the hostages seized by the militants continue to be mistreated.

"But that cannot be a license to dehumanize others," Blinken said. "The overwhelming majority of people in Gaza had nothing to do with the attacks of October 7th. ... They’re mothers and fathers, sons and daughters (who) want to earn a decent living, send their kids to school, have a normal life.  That’s who they are; that’s what they want. And we cannot, we must not lose sight of that. We cannot, we must not, lose sight of our common humanity."

At least 27,840 Palestinians have been killed and 67,317 wounded by the Israeli military in Gaza since Oct. 7, the Hamas-run Health Ministry says. Israeli officials say about 10,000 of them were Hamas militants and blame civilian deaths on Hamas using them as human shields.

Contributing: Francesca Chambers, USA TODAY; The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Israel Hamas war updates: Airstrikes on Rafah may foretell 'disaster'