Israeli tanks push deeper into Rafah; battles rage in northern Gaza Israeli tanks pushed deeper into Rafah on Tuesday, reaching some residential areas of the southern Gazan border city where more than a million people had sought shelter, and its forces pounded the enclave's north in some of the fiercest attacks in months. Israel's international allies and aid groups have repeatedly warned against a ground incursion into Rafah, where many Palestinians fled and Israel says four Hamas battalions are holed up. Israel says it must root out the remaining fighters. The White House said U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan…

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE Putin backs China's Ukraine peace plan, says Beijing understands the conflict Russian President Vladimir Putin, in an interview published early on Wednesday, said he backed China's plan for a peaceful settlement of the Ukraine crisis, saying Beijing had a full understanding of what lay behind the crisis. Putin, speaking to China's Xinhua news agency ahead of his visit to Beijing this week, said Russia remained open to dialogue and talks to solve the more than two-year-old conflict. China's plan and further "principles" made public by President Xi Jinping last month took account of factors behind the conflict, Putin…

Israeli forces press Gaza offensive from north and south Israeli forces pushed deep into the ruins of Gaza's northern edge on Monday to recapture an area from Hamas fighters, while in the south tanks and troops pushed across a highway into Rafah, leaving Palestinian civilians scrambling to find safety. Some of the most intense fighting for weeks is raging in both the north and south. Israeli operations in Rafah, which borders Egypt, have closed a main crossing point for aid. Humanitarian groups say this has worsened an already dire situation. Hundreds of thousands of people are fleeing again. Around half…

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE Russia says troops enter border town near Kharkiv Russia has said its forces have entered the north-eastern border town of Vovchansk, near Ukraine's second largest city Kharkiv. Ukraine's military said it had "pushed the enemy back" from the northern outskirts of the town, adding it had "tactical successes" in several areas. Russia has intensified its attacks on the region following Friday's surprise incursions across the border, seizing at least nine villages and settlements in one of the most significant ground attacks since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022. Thousands of civilians have fled towards Kharkiv.…