News, Rafa's situation, tensions in the Middle East and more

This photo shows civil defense teams and Palestinians carrying out search and rescue operations in the rubble of destroyed buildings after Israeli attacks on the Rayyan family as Israeli air, ground and sea attacks continue on the Nusirat refugee camp in Gaza. In Deir al-Bala, Gaza, on February 15, 2024. (Credit: Ashraf Amra/Anatolu/Getty Images)

An Israeli airstrike on the Nusirat refugee camp in central Gaza killed at least 12 people, a spokesman for Al Aqsa Martyrs' Hospital said.

A spokesman and a hospital doctor said ten of the dead were women and children. The other two victims were elderly.

Here are the latest developments in the conflict:

Biden spoke with Netanyahu – The US president spoke in a call with Israel's prime minister about the “ongoing hostage negotiations” and the “situation in Rafah”. All eyes are on Rafah, near the border with Egypt, where more than a million Palestinian refugees have taken refuge in a huge tent city.

Egypt forms a buffer zone Satellite images show Egypt is building a one kilometer buffer zone and wall along its border with Gaza. Images taken over the past five days show that a significant portion of Egyptian territory between the road and the Gaza border has been leveled.

Panic in Rafa Raja Musle, the Gaza representative of the non-profit organization MedGlobal, now based in Rafah, said the health workers who are still alive “may still be breathing, but we are dying inside”. The city is the last remaining refuge in Gaza for displaced Palestinians, and panic is mounting as many decide whether to stay or leave ahead of a planned Israeli offensive.

The UN condemned the attack on Nasser Hospital United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has condemned the Israeli attack on Khan Younis Hospital. The IDF raided a Gaza hospital on Thursday and said it had detained several suspects.

US Teens Reportedly Killed in West Bank – US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken expressed his “deepest condolences” after two American teenagers were “allegedly murdered” in the West Bank and said their deaths should be investigated.

Israel rejects a Palestinian state A spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office and other Israeli politicians have taken to social media to argue against a two-state solution and publicly reject the plan, which is said to provide a path to a Palestinian state.

Attacks in Lebanon Israel says it has killed a top Hezbollah commander and several operatives in an airstrike in Lebanon. Hezbollah said several of its fighters were killed, but did not say how, where or when. Israel continued its strikes against what it called “Hezbollah terrorist targets” in Lebanon throughout Thursday.