United News of Bangladesh

Forty-one Palestinians returned to Gaza on Tuesday through the Rafah crossing with Egypt, becoming the seventh group to enter the enclave since the partial reopening earlier this month, amid continued Israeli attacks and humanitarian challenges. The returnees, transported in World Health Organization buses, were taken to the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis, according to reports from Al Jazeera correspondents. Many described undergoing humiliating searches and interrogations by the Israeli military, which controls the Palestinian side of the crossing. The Rafah crossing, the only gateway for most of Gaza’s more than two million residents, remained largely closed during Israel’s military campaign and was reopened partially on February 2 under a US-brokered ceasefire agreement. Since then, 172 Palestinians have returned to Gaza, while only 250, mostly patients needing medical treatment abroad with their companions, have been allowed to leave, far below the numbers outlined in the ceasefire deal. Gaza’s healthcare system has been severely damaged during the conflict, with 22 hospitals out of service and 1,700 medical staff killed, the Palestinian Health Ministry reported. Despite the ceasefire, Israeli air strikes and shelling continue. On Wednesday, areas east of Khan Younis were targeted, following at least seven deaths from Israeli attacks the previous day, including three in central Gaza and one north of Khan Younis. Meanwhile, Israel announced the forced expulsion of two Palestinians convicted of crimes in Israel to Gaza, a move widely condemned by human rights groups. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signed orders revoking their citizenship, marking the first implementation of a 2023 law allowing deportation of Palestinian citizens convicted of “terrorism”. The legal group Adalah described the deportations as “unprecedented” and said they violate international law, leaving the men effectively stateless and unable to access hospitals or register children in schools. The humanitarian and political situation remains tense as Israeli military operations and restrictions continue to affect daily life in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.   With inputs from ALJAZEERA

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a meeting of US Congress members that "victory" in Gaza and "getting" Hamas' senior leadership in the enclave are only "a few weeks away."On Wednesday, Netanyahu told a bipartisan group from the US Congress, “We’ve killed many senior leaders [of Hamas], including number four in Hamas, number three in Hamas. We’ll get number two and number one. That’s victory. Victory is within reach. It’s a few weeks away," reports CNN. Hosting the congressional delegation in Jerusalem, which the Prime Minister's Office claimed was organised by the pro-Israel lobbying group American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), Netanyahu said it was "very important to maintain bipartisan support" but "especially in these trying times." Netanyahu stated that Israel "had no choice" but to enter Rafah because its "very existence is on the line." Netanyahu is an obstacle to peace: US Senate Majority Leader Chuck SchumerThe prime minister stated that Israel has had a "remarkable alignment" with the Biden administration since the October 7 Hamas attack, but they have fundamentally opposing views on an Israeli incursion into Rafah, the report said.Israel has received international condemnation before of its planned onslaught on the southern Gaza city, where over one million Palestinians are currently taking shelter. Netanyahu had previously stated to the delegation that displaced Palestinians in Gaza could "just move" out of Rafah and "move with their tents." Biden: Netanyahu 'hurting Israel' by not preventing more civilian deaths in Gaza"There is all of the Gaza Strip north of Rafah," Netanyahu remarked. "People can move up or down," he continued.Disagreements regarding the possible invasion of Rafah and the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza have strained relations between Netanyahu and US President Joe Biden.Earlier this week, Netanyahu postponed a scheduled government trip to Washington in protest over the United States' abstention from a UN Security Council vote that allowed a resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza to pass, the report also said.The resolution, proposed by the 10 non-permanent members of the Security Council, demanded an immediate ceasefire for the month of Ramadan, the immediate and unconditional release of hostages and “the urgent need to expand the flow” of aid into Gaza. Netanyahu snaps back against growing US criticism after being accused of losing his way on Gaza