Hamas says it agreed to a cease-fire proposal; Israel strikes Rafah and says deal ‘far from’ meeting its demands

The United Nations human rights chief today called Israel’s call for around 100,000 people to evacuate from Rafah inhumane and destined to cause even more suffering.

“This is inhumane. It runs contrary to the basic principles of international humanitarian and human rights laws, which have the effective protection of civilians as their overriding concern,” U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said in a statement.

“Forcibly relocating hundreds of thousands from Rafah to areas which have already been flattened and where there is little shelter and virtually no access to humanitarian assistance necessary for their survival is inconceivable. It will only expose them to more danger and misery,” he said.

Israel warned 100,000 people in Rafah in southern Gaza to leave as it continues military operations in its war against Hamas, which has displaced Gaza’s population and, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza, resulted in more than 30,000 deaths.

A main military offensive has not begun, but Israel's military said Monday local time that it was "conducting targeted strikes against Hamas terror targets in eastern Rafah in southern Gaza."

Israel's military told people in Rafah to move to what it said is an expanded humanitarian area.

A group opposed to the war in Gaza said tonight that they have “occupied” a building at the Rhode Island School of Design and barricaded the second floor.

RISD Students for Justice in Palestine said 24 students and community members began sitting in the Providence Washington building at the school in Providence and then barricaded the second floor.

As in demonstrations at Columbia University in New York City, they renamed the building.

They are demanding “total fiscal transparency of RISD’s investment portfolio” and divestment, as well as that school President Crystal Williams “publicly condemns the Israeli Occupation of Gaza as a genocide.”

RISD said that a group of students was protesting in one of its buildings and that Williams and the provost were meeting with them.

“We have and continue to affirm our students’ right to freedom of expression, freedom of speech, and peaceful assembly. RISD condemns violence and injustice, and we decry antisemitism, Islamophobia and all forms of hate,” the school said in a statement tonight. “The wellbeing of all of our students has been and remains our top priority, and we continue to support all members of our community.”

Williams has said that the school has previously adopted an "environmental, social, and governance” policy for investments and that "our investment portfolio is overwhelmingly aligned with our stated values and the concerns shared with us by RSJP," the protest group.

"RISD is simply in a very different investment position than many other institutions nationwide where students are protesting," Williams said.

The school has an enrollment of around 2,500.

French President Emmanuel Macron and Chinese President Xi Jinping today called for all sides to protect civilians and opposed Israel’s military operation in Rafah.

“The two heads of state marked their opposition to an Israeli offensive on Rafah, which would lead to a humanitarian catastrophe on a new scale, as well as to any forced displacement of Palestinian civilians,” the two leaders said in a statement put out by France’s government.

“The two heads of state stressed that an immediate and lasting cease-fire is urgently needed to allow the large-scale delivery of humanitarian aid and the protection of civilians in the Gaza Strip,” they said in the statement.

Both also called for the “immediate and unconditional release” of hostages.

Remembrance events were held around the world in honor of the 6 million Jews who were murdered in the Holocaust. Survivor Susan Kalev shares her family’s story and why she believes the message to never forget is more important than ever.

A Qatari delegation will head to Cairo tomorrow to resume indirect talks between Hamas and Israel in the hope of bringing about a cease-fire in Gaza, Qatar’s Foreign Affairs Ministry said.

The ministry in a statement said that its spokesperson Majed bin Mohammed al-Ansari made the announcement to the Qatar News Agency.

He expressed “the State of Qatar’s hope that the talks will culminate in reaching an agreement for an immediate and permanent cease-fire in the Gaza Strip, and the exchange of prisoners and detainees, and the sustainable flow of humanitarian aid into all areas of the Strip.”

The White House is monitoring the reports of tonight’s strikes in Rafah, according to a U.S. official.

The official says that this does not appear to be the major military operation into densely populated areas that the administration was worried about.

So far, it appears to be a targeted tactical operation, this official said. But the White House is watching how it plays out.

Rapper Macklemore announced a single called "Hind's Hall," a reference to Columbia University's protest, that will raise money for the United Nations' agency for Palestinian refugees.

This appears to be the first song released by a famous American musician to denounce the siege on Gaza, though other artists have released songs about the war. A snippet released to Instagram today praises the pro-Palestinian protesters on campuses across the country and called for a cease-fire, as well as Palestinian liberation.

At one point, Macklemore denounces the conflation of anti-Zionism with antisemitism, rapping that he sees Jews at protests screaming, “Free Palestine."

"What if you were in Gaza? What if those were your kids?" he raps. "If the West was pretending that you didn't exist you want the world to stand up and the students finally did."

He accused President Joe Biden of having blood on his hands, saying, "we can see it all and f---- no, I'm not voting for you in the fall."

Israeli Minister Benny Gantz vowed that the country's leaders will continue to work to bring the remaining hostages in Gaza home as the country exerts military pressure on Rafah and Hamas says it is on board with a deal framework.

Gantz released a statement through his Telegram page, saying the negotiating team is reviewing Hamas' response to a framework deal to release captives, though he accused the group of not corresponding to "the dialogue that has taken place so far with the mediators."

"Despite this, we continue to turn over every stone and a delegation will go to Cairo," Gantz said. "Every decision will be brought to the War Cabinet — there will be no political consideration."

He went on to describe Rafah military operations as "an integral part" of the country's efforts to bring the hostages home.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres is urging both Israeli and Hamas leadership to "go the extra mile needed to make an agreement come true and stop the present suffering."

Guterres' office released a statement today noting that he is deeply concerned about a possible large-scale operation in Rafah and urged the parties to act to protect civilian life.

"We are already seeing movements of people — many of these people are in desperate humanitarian condition and have been repeatedly displaced," the statement said. "They search safety that has been so many times denied."

The U.N. chief also posted to X, saying the protection of civilians is "paramount" to international law.