Israel kills four in Gaza as Rubio visits Middle East to push Trump’s Gaza expulsion plan

An Israeli air strike on the Gaza Strip‘s southern city of Rafah on Sunday killed three Palestinian policemen, the Gaza interior ministry said.

A statement released by the ministry said that the policemen were “deployed to secure aid in the Al-Shouka area, east of Rafah, this morning”.

The Israeli military, which has previously targeted members of Gaza’s civilian police force, said its air force had carried out a strike on “several armed individuals moving towards troops”. Rights groups accuse Israel of deliberately targeting Gaza’s security forces to foment chaos and encourage looters of aid.

Eyewitness said at least four people were wounded, some seriously, The New Arab‘s Arabic-language sister site, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported.

In a separate incident in the town of al-Shawka, also east of Rafah, a man named as Imad Hamdi al-Shaer was killed by an Israeli drone strike.

Despite the continuation of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, Israeli forces have continued  violence in Gaza.

Last week, Gaza’s Health Ministry Director-General Munir al-Bursh said at least 118 Palestinians have been killed and 822 others injured since the start of the 19 January ceasefire.

Rubio visits to push Trump plan

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday in Israel for talks on the ceasefire.

Rubio, who is in the region for the first time as secretary of state, is expected to push US President Donald Trump’s widely condemned plan to occupy Gaza and expel its Palestinian population.

Rubio arrived in Israel hours after Hamas released three Israeli captives in Gaza in exchange for 369 Palestinian detainees  – the sixth swap under the fragile ceasefire.

Negotiations on a second phase of the truce, aimed at securing a more lasting end to the war, are expected to begin next week in Doha.

Rubio is also due to visit Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, with tough talks expected on Monday in Riyadh, a key player in Trump’s regional strategy.

The top US diplomat’s visit to Israel on Sunday also came as Tel Aviv received a shipment of heavy MK-84 bombs from the US, after President Trump lifted a block imposed on the export of the munitions by his predecessor Joe Biden.

The MK-84 is an unguided 2,000 pound bomb, which can rip through thick concrete and metal, creating a wide blast radius.

The Biden administration, which provided Israel with arms for the war on Gaza, declined to clear the MK-84 amid increased global scrutiny on weapons sales to Tel Aviv.