*) US, Israel to discuss Rafah invasion in virtual meeting: report

The US and Israel will hold a virtual meeting to discuss alternative proposals from the Biden administration regarding a possible Israeli military invasion of Rafah, where more than 1.5 million Palestinians are taking refuge, Israeli and US officials confirmed to Axios.

The meeting, originally scheduled for last week, was cancelled by Netanyahu in protest at a perceived lack of US involvement as tensions escalated after the US refrained from vetoing a UN Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.

*) Israeli forces admit most Gaza killings are civilians

The Israeli newspaper Haaretz collected testimony from Israeli officers and soldiers involved in the Gaza war who reportedly admitted that the majority of individuals classified by the army as “terrorists” were actually civilians.

The Israeli army claimed that 9,000 terrorists were killed during the Gaza war. However, the officers and soldiers in the report testify to Haaretz that those killed were civilians, their only crime being crossing an invisible line drawn by the Israeli army.

Another soldier also stated that they were explicitly instructed to shoot to kill any suspect who ran into a building, even if it resulted in serious civilian casualties.

*) Azerbaijan warns Armenia against military ‘provocation’ along border

Azerbaijan has warned Armenia against any military build-up on the border, saying any provocation would be dealt with firmly.

In a statement on Sunday, Azerbaijan’s Defence Ministry said intensive movements and military build-ups by the Armenian army had been observed recently.

The ministry also added that there has been a further activation of revanchist forces threatening Azerbaijan with war and a concentration of manpower, armoured vehicles, and artillery installations in different directions of the Azerbaijani-Armenian conditional border.

*) Rockets target Libyan PM’s residence, no casualties reported

The residence of Libyan Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah was targeted with rocket-propelled grenades in an attack that caused no casualties, a Libyan minister told the press.

The minister, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed in a statement on Sunday that the attack had caused some damage.
The minister did not give further details.

*) Erdogan declares local elections ‘turning point’ for Türkiye

Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said the results of the local elections marked a “turning point” for his Justice and Development Party.

Regarding the outcome of the local elections, Erdogan vowed to “respect the decision of the nation.”

Speaking from the party’s headquarters in the capital Ankara, Erdogan said his party had failed to achieve the expected results in Sunday’s local elections and that the party “would evaluate the results of the local elections with an open heart within the party and will engage in self-criticism.”