Israel airstrikes Rafah, Germany sends new warship to Red Sea

Palestinians pick up items from a building hit by Israeli raids in the city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip.

AFP news agency reported on April 20 that Germany will send a new frigate to the Red Sea in August to help ensure the flow of shipping traffic that has been disrupted for months due to attacks by Houthi forces in Yemen.

The Hamburg will replace the Hessen, which is leaving the area on April 20, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said. The Hessen had previously arrived in the area on February 23 as part of the European Union's Aspides mission to protect shipping in the area.

The German Defense Ministry said the Hamburg had previously escorted 27 merchant ships in the area and intercepted Houthi missiles and drones four times. The ship had 240 soldiers on board.

German corvette Hamburg

Houthi forces said on April 18 that they had attacked nearly 100 ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. The attacks began in November 2023 in a campaign to show support for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. The US and Britain began retaliatory strikes against the Houthis in January.

In Gaza, health authorities said on April 20 that at least 34,049 people have been killed and 76,901 injured since October 7, 2023, including 37 deaths and 68 injuries in the past 24 hours.

According to the Gaza civil defense agency, Israel carried out an overnight raid on April 19, killing nine members of a Palestinian family in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, including five children aged 1-7.

Israel carried out airstrikes on Rafah overnight, including a raid in the Salam area that left one person dead and several injured. Israel has not commented on the reports.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said tensions between Israel and Iran should not distract from the situation in Gaza, and the "first priority" is for the international community to end Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories.

Mr Fidan spoke in Istanbul (Türkiye) when receiving Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, who called for restraint from Iran and Israel. Mr Shoukry's visit to Türkiye comes amid heightened tensions in the Middle East following reports of an Israeli attack on Iran. Israel has not commented on the matter.

At a joint press conference with Mr. Fidan, Mr. Shoukry said that many countries in the region are concerned about the continued escalation of the situation. The two diplomats said they discussed efforts to provide more humanitarian aid in Gaza.

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