Live Updates
Middle East Eye, May 23 2024
Evening recap
Here are the day’s key developments:
- Al-Aqsa Hospital will shut down if no fuel is provided for its generators, the hospital warned
- Israeli strikes in Gaza killed at least 15 children, with Israel targeting Fatima al-Zahraa school were women and children are sheltering
- The heads of Israel’s defence community urged the war cabinet to make additional compromises with Hamas to reach a hostage deal, according to reports
- Yemen’s Houthi leader Abd’ul-Malik al-Houthi said on Thursday that the group had targeted the Mediterranean Sea during an operation
- CIA chief Bill Burns is set to travel to Europe in the coming days to meet with his Mossad counterpart David Barnea, in a bid to restart hostage talks.
- MSF has warned that al-Awda hospital is being forced to close
- UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini said on Thursday that Israeli authorities are prioritising the private sector at the main crossing point for goods entering Gaza
- Benny Gantz wants to establish a commission of inquiry to investigate how Hamas’s Oct 7 attack took Israel by surprise
Al-Aqsa hospital warns of ‘imminent health catastrophe’
Al-Aqsa hospital has warned of “an imminent health catastrophe” if it is not supplied with fuel in the next few hours because its generators will stop functioning. The hospital said that it has been in contact with the World Health Organisation, but has not received a positive response to its request for fuel. Palestinian health officials accused the UN of ‘procrastinating’ over the delivery of fuel earlier. They say the looming shutdown puts 1,300 sick and wounded patients in the hospital at risk of death.
Benny Gantz will propose plans for Oct 7 investigation
Benny Gantz wants to establish a commission of inquiry to investigate how Hamas’s 7 October attack took Israel by surprise. Gantz tweeted:
We must learn the lessons and act so that it never happens again. In order for us to do this, the time has come to establish a state commission of inquiry. I intend to soon submit a proposal for a resolution to establish it.
Gantz’s move is his latest to put pressure on Netanyahu. Gantz, who is one of three members of Israel’s war cabinet, said he will withdraw from government if a post-war plan for Gaza is not presented by Jun 8.
Biden’s approach to Rafah and Gaza aid is ‘monument to American fecklessness’
The Biden administration is relying on a capricious style of public and private messaging in a bid to shape the conduct of Israel’s war on Gaza, but has failed to utilise any substantive pressure, analysts tell Middle East Eye. Matt Duss, vice president of the Center for International Policy, told Middle East Eye:
I think they think there’s pressure. This is President Biden’s view of how the relationship should work, which is publicly pretty much total support and any differences are best kept private. But real pressure is using the real tools of leverage that we have in this situation. If we really want to achieve a particular policy goal – in this case get Israel to stop killing so many civilians – then we can stop sending them the bombs.
Analysts also say the Biden administration’s actions have failed to advance its policy goal of surging more aid into Gaza. Rather than pressuring Israel to allow more aid in, Washington has focused its humanitarian efforts on two fronts. One is the use of air-dropping supplies to Gaza, a method deemed ineffective and wholly inefficient by aid groups. The second has been through the creation of a floating pier, which was touted as a means to accelerate assistance to the people of Gaza. Duss said:
It’s a matter of why we need this pier at all. Everyone recognises it’s because the Israeli military is blocking aid.
Read more: Biden’s approach to Rafah and Gaza aid is ‘monument to American fecklessness.’
More than 100 human rights groups call on Biden to support the ICC
Over one hundred human rights and civil society organisations have called on the Biden administration to support the independence of the International Criminal Court and resist sanctioning its officials. The groups said in a letter shared on Twitter:
We are alarmed by threats that US lawmakers have aimed at the Court in recent weeks, including the letter sent on Apr 24 by Senators, threatening to sanction the ICC prosecutor’s employees and associates. The ability of the IC to provide justice for victims requires full respect for its independence. Differences with the court should be pursued “through proper judicial channels under the Court’s treaty.
US concerned about Israeli threat to disconnect Israeli and Palestinian banks
US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said she is concerned by Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich’s threat to sever ties between Palestinian and Israeli banks. Under a longstanding agreement, Israeli banks process payments in shekels for the services and salaries of the Palestinian Authority. Yellen said:
I expect other countries to express concern about the impact of such a decision on the West Bank economy. I think this would have a very adverse effect also on Israel. Everything possible has to be done to stabilise the West Bank’s economy.
Israel waging ‘unnoticed war’ in occupied West Bank: UN chief says
Israel is waging an “unnoticed war” in the occupied West Bank even as its military continues its offensive on Gaza, the UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini said. He said:
All over the West Bank, the story repeats: fear, uncertainty and anxiety engulf the communities.
He cited the example of Israeli raids on Nour Shams refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, which he said had led to the destruction of houses, roads and basic infrastructure.
Spain is on ‘right side of history’ recognising Palestine, PM says
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said the move to recognise a Palestinian state will “contribute to peace” in the Middle East. Joining other leaders to push back on Israel’s claim that the European countries’ move rewarded terrorism, he tweeted:
Are Ireland, Norway, the International Criminal Court, the more than 140 countries that in the UNGA voted in favor of the recognition of Palestine, also friends of terrorists? No! The peace of the international order is based on rules of respect and compliance with human rights. Recognition of the Palestinian State will contribute to peace in the Middle East. We are on the right side of history.
Irish Prime Minister compares Hamas to IRA
Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris has criticised Israel’s government for “misrepresenting” the position of the Irish people after it lashed out at the country for recognising a Palestinian state. After Israel’s government accused Ireland of rewarding terrorism, Harris said:
Any foreign ministry can call in any ambassador, but what I will not tolerate is any country misrepresenting the position of the Irish people. Ireland has been clear and unequivocal in condemning Hamas and Oct 7. But it is entirely possible to say what I have just said and also say the next bit, which sadly some refuse to say, that what is happening in Gaza is a humanitarian catastrophe… The Irish people know what it’s like to have their national identity hijacked by a terrorist organization. The IRA was never the people of Ireland, and Hamas is not the people of Palestine.
Israel is giving priority to entry of private sector goods into Gaza, UNRWA says
UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini said on Thursday that Israeli authorities are prioritising the private sector at the main crossing point for goods entering Gaza. Lazzarini told AFP:
When it comes to the crossing in Kerem Shalom, the private sector for the time being is being prioritised. The prioritisation is taking place at the inspection level, with private sector trucks inspected before any other trucks. This has occurred over the past two weeks.
While private goods are “welcome in the Gaza Strip”, he said most Gazans are desperate after seven months of war and cannot afford goods at the current market prices.
UNICEF director ‘haunted’ after visit to Gaza
The executive director of UNICEF said she was “haunted” after a visit to Gaza where children are at growing risk of starvation. Catherine Russell tweeted after briefing the UNSC:
Children in Gaza continue to pay a catastrophic price from blocked aid routes and intensified military operations and fighting in Rafah. For small children, severe acute malnutrition can leave permanent cognitive and physical damage. No child should die from starvation.
At least fifteen children killed in Gaza on Thursday
Fifteen children were killed by Israeli strikes on Gaza on Thursday, as Palestinian fighters and Israeli soldiers also engaged in fierce fighting. According to the Gaza Strip’s civil defence agency, two predawn Israeli air strikes on Gaza killed 26 people, including 15 children. Air strikes have been reported in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip and at the Fatima al-Zahraa school in Gaza City. Meanwhile, fierce street fighting is raging in Jabalia and Rafah, with Hamas’s armed wing and Palestinian Islamic Jihad saying they have fired mortar shells at Israeli troops.
Al-Adwa hospital being forced to close after siege, MSF says
MSF has warned that al-Awda hospital is being forced to close, with staff and patients being forcibly displaced by Israeli troops. It tweeted:
This follows a terrifying 4-day siege, the latest in a series of systematic attacks on health care by Israeli forces. Staff & patients were forced to leave one of the only hospitals still functioning in the north of Gaza.
On May 19, Israeli tanks surrounded the hospital and doctors and patients had to hide under tables to avoid bullets and shells, according to MSF.
Biden: US does not recognise ICC jurisdiction
Biden said the US does not recognise the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court. Speaking on Thursday, Biden also criticised the court for drawing an equivalence between Israel and Hamas. The ICC chief prosecutor has called for arrest warrants for Hamas Israeli leaders.
CIA director and Mossad chief to meet in Europe, in bid to restart hostage talks: Report
CIA chief Bill Burns is set to travel to Europe in the coming days to meet with his Mossad counterpart David Barnea, in a bid to restart collapsed hostage talks. According to Axios, Qatari and Egyptian officials might also participate in the talks. The meeting comes after Israeli media reported that Israel’s defence establishment has urged the war cabinet to make compromises with Hamas for a hostage deal.
Oxford defends crackdown on pro-Palestinian demonstrators
Oxford University doubled down on its crackdown on pro-Palestinian demonstrators, accusing students of using “direct action tactics” that required a police response. In a letter sent to students and staff on Thursday, the university accused student protestors of making “inaccurate statements and claims” about the institution, and “forcibly overpowering” the receptionist at a section of the university offices in Wellington Square. According to Oxford Action for Palestine, students launched a peaceful sit-in on Thursday morning in the office building to demand that the university administration, which has yet to negotiate, meet with the protesters. The group said in a statement that instead of engaging in dialogue, the university’s vice chancellor placed the building under lockdown and called the police. Over a dozen students were arrested.
Israeli officials concerned about ICJ ruling on Friday: Report
Senior Israeli officials are concerned that the International Court of Justice could take a “hard line” against Israel in a ruling on Friday on whether Israel should stop its assault on Rafah, according to Haaretz. The report cited unnamed Israeli officials who are weighing how the court might respond to South Africa’s request to order Rafah protected and more aid to surge into Gaza.
Houthi leader says group launched attack in Mediterranean Sea this week
Yemen’s Houthi leader Abd’ul-Malik al-Houthi said on Thursday that the group had targeted the Mediterranean Sea during an operation this week. No maritime attacks were reported in the Mediterranean, but a senior US official told reporters that Washington believed the Houthis had the ability to launch attacks in the Mediterranean. Also on Thursday, a Greek-flagged ship was attacked off the coast of Yemen, with no reported damage. Marine Traffic said the ship was traveling from Russia to Kenya and the owner and operator is Greek shipping firm Eastern Mediterranean Maritime Limited.
Israeli settlers attack truck in occupied West Bank
Israeli settlers attacked a truck loaded with flour near Beira, a town south of Nablus, according to WAFA. Israeli settlers have been attacking trucks with aid bound for Gaza. Israeli media reports said the truck wasn’t carrying shipments for Gaza.
Israel’s defence officials urge war cabinet to make compromises with Hamas for hostages: Report
The heads of Israel’s defence community urged Israel’s war cabinet to make additional compromises with Hamas to reach a hostage deal, according to a Walla News reporter. After meeting last night, Israel’s war cabinet agreed to “expand the mandate” of its negotiating team. Israel’s war cabinet met after the families of hostages released a video showing young female Israeli soldiers abducted by Palestinian fighters on Oct 7.
Israel strikes school in Gaza, killing at least nine
At least nine Palestinians were killed on Thursday by an Israeli strike on a school housing displaced people in eastern Gaza City. The strike on Fatima al-Zahraa school killed women and children who were sheltering there, according to Reuters. The death toll from a separate Israeli strike on a social development aid store east of Deir al-Balah in Gaza rose to 12, according to Arabic media reports.
Hungary would not enforce ICC arrest warrants against Israeli leaders
Hungary says it will not enforce arrest warrants for Israeli leaders if they are issued by the International Criminal Court, underscoring divisions with other European countries. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s chief of staff said that although Budapest ratified the Rome Statute of the ICC, it “was never made part of Hungarian law.”
At least six Palestinians killed in Israeli strike on central Gaza
At least six Palestinians were killed by an Israeli strike east of Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, according to Arabic media reports. The death toll of Palestinians killed in Gaza by Israeli forces since Oct 7 2023 has reached at least 35.8k, with 91 people killed in the last 24 hours, according to Gaza’s health ministry.
Israel’s minister of housing calls Palestinians ‘human animals’
Israel’s minister of housing and construction has called Palestinians “human animals,” using inflammatory rhetoric to reject a two-state solution. Minister Yitzhak Goldknopf, an ultra-orthodox Israeli minister who also heads the United Torah Judaism party, made the remarks in a video posted on Twitter. He said:
Brutal terror must be destroyed and certainly not given independent rule. We have no desire to rule over the residents of Gaza, but we cannot live next to a state of human animals.
Health ministry spokesman accuses UN of procrastinating on fuel deliveries
Gaza Health Ministry spox Khalil al-Degran lashed out at the UN for ‘procrastinating’ the delivery of fuel to Gaza as he announced that Al-Aqsa hospital is shutting down. He said the hospital received just 300 litres of fuel on Wednesday when it needs 5k to run. The ministry said the shutdown puts 1,300 sick and wounded patients in the hospital at risk of death. Al-Degran said:
We have launched so many appeals during the recent days to urgently have fuel in the hospital, but no concerned parties have responded.
Al-Aqsa Hospital generators will stop in four hours due to lack of fuel
The generators at Al-Aqsa Hospital in the Gaza Strip will stop running in four hours due to a lack of fuel, the Palestinian ministry of health announced. The shutdown puts wounded, sick people and premature babies at risk of death, the ministry added. Medical supplies and aid have slowed to a trickle in Gaza after Israel seized the Rafah border crossing.
Qassam brigades reveal they captured Israeli commander on Oct 7
Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s armed wing, has said in a video message that it was holding Asaf Hamami, commander of the Israeli army’s Southern Brigade in the Gaza Strip during its assault on southern Israel on Oct 7. The group said Hamami had been injured during his capture, but did not say whether he was still alive. Israeli media reported previously that Hamami, 41, was killed on Oct 7 fighting in the Nirim kibbutz.
Oxford students arrested after violent crackdown on pro-Palestine protest
Over a dozen students were arrested at Oxford University on Thursday, after police cracked down on a protest in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. For the past two weeks, Oxford students have launched protests and an encampment, demanding the university end investments in and partnerships with companies and institutions involved in Israel’s war on Gaza, and its occupation of Palestinian land. According to Oxford Action for Palestine, students launched a peaceful sit-in on Thursday morning in the Wellington Square office building to demand that the university administration, which has yet to negotiate, meet with the protesters. The group said in a statement that instead of engaging in dialogue, the university’s vice chancellor placed the building under lockdown and called the police. Oxford Action for Palestine said in a statement:
When informed of the threat of arrest, the students willingly stood up and voluntarily offered to vacate the premises. In an escalatory move, all students were arrested and their phones were confiscated, taking away their ability to record or film from inside.
Read more: Oxford students arrested after violent crackdown on pro-Palestine protest.
Gaza National Security Forces assistant commander killed in Israeli strike
Maj-Gen Diaa’al-Din al-Sharafa was killed in an Israeli air strike, the Gaza Interior Ministry has said in a statement on its official Telegram channel. According to the statement, al-Sharafa was killed “as a result of an assassination carried out by Israeli occupation aircraft” while on a tour of the Saraya area of central Gaza City in the northern Strip on Thursday morning.
Israeli Defence Minister vows to step up Rafah assault
Gallant has said that Israeli forces will intensify its assault on Rafah, where a ground invasion has been ongoing since 6 May. Gallant said:
This action will go on and on, more forces from the ground, more forces from the air, and we will reach our goals.
His comments come as the International Court of Justice said it would rule on South Africa’s request to order a halt to Israel’s offensive on Rafah tomorrow.
Jenin residents survey damage and mourn dead after Israeli raid
Palestinians are assessing the damage inflicted by a two-day Israeli raid on Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, which killed 12 people, including four children. AFP correspondents reported that dozens of buildings have been wrecked. Fayza Abu Qutna, 60, who has lived in the camp for decades, told AFP:
Every time they come to Jenin, it is destroyed. We live in sadness. We live in misery.
Pro-Palestine union members disrupt Kamala Harris speech
Members of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) disrupted US Vice President Kamala Harris’s speech at a trade union conference in Philidelphia. The protestors held Palestinian flags aloft and chanted:
Harris, Harris you can’t hide! we charge you with genocide!
The union members denounced the US government’s complicity in the ongoing Israeli assault on Gaza and called on their union, which represents nearly 1.9 million workers across the US and Canada, not to endorse Biden in the upcoming presidential election in November.
Lebanese schoolchildren wounded in Israel’s strike on Hezbollah fighter
Three children were wounded in the Israeli drone strike that killed a Hezbollah fighter earlier today near the town of Nabatiyeh in southern Lebanon, about 13km from the Israeli border. The schoolchildren were travelling in a minibus when the strike blew out the windscreen. The three children were hospitalised with injuries from the shattered glass. Bus driver Ahmad Qubaisi, 57, said:
At first, we didn’t understand what was happening, and there was panic among the children. Suddenly, a strike hit the car in front of us. The bus’s windshield shattered. I backed up, and that’s when the second strike hit the car.
Gaza death toll reaches 35.8k
The death toll of Palestinians killed in Gaza by Israeli forces since Oct 7 has reached at least 35.8k, with 91 people killed in the last 24 hours, according to Gaza’s heath ministry. The ministry added that over 80k Palestinians have been injured by Israeli forces, with thousands more missing under the rubble.
US seeks help from EU group to reopen Rafah crossing
The US is seeking to recruit a European organisation to manage the Rafah border crossing in order to boost aid flows to Gaza, Politico is reporting, citing a senior US administration official and another source. US officials have been brokering talks between Israel and Egypt in the hopes of reaching a deal that would see the European organization manage the crossing, which has been closed since Israeli forces seized it ahead of their invasion of the city on May 7. Talks between Israel and Egypt regarding the management of the crossing had reach an impasse, as Egypt has said it wants the crossing to be managed by Gazans, as it had been previously. However Israel has said that the group who previously managed the crossing included members of Hamas. As a solution, the US has proposed introducing the European Union Border Assistance Mission as a neutral third party to manage the crossing. The mission, which was created by the EU Council, previously worked at the crossing but suspended its operations in 2007 after Hamas took over Gaza.
Israeli military probe finds forces breached regulations in UN Aid Worker attack
An internal investigation into the killing of a UN worker by Israeli forces has concluded that the military breached regulations regarding humanitarian workers, Haaretz is reporting. Waibhav Anil Kale, an Indian national who worked in the UN’s Safety and Security Division, was shot and killed by Israeli forces in his vehicle despite it being marked with UN letters. According to the investigation, the vehicle was travelling towards the UN’s offices in Rafah, on a road where travel was prohibited without prior agreement with the Israeli military. Israeli forces claimed he was accompanied by an armed individual. However, the probe concluded that the vehicle came under fire, breaching protocols relating to humanitarian workers, which mandate extreme caution even if they are accompanied by armed individuals. Kale is the first international UN worker to be killed in Gaza since Oct 7. On Apr 1, the Israeli military killed seven aid workers in a World Central Kitchen convoy, sparking international condemnation. Prior to the attack, at least 357 humanitarian-run sites and convoys in Gaza whose coordinates had been shared in advance with warring parties were targeted by Israeli fire.
UN torture expert calls for probe of Israel torture allegations
The UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, Alice Jill Edwards has called for Israel to investigate multiple allegations of torture and other abuses against detained Palestinians since Oct 7 2023. In a statement, Edwards said:
I have heard numerous reports of Palestinian detainees being beaten, kept in cells blindfolded and handcuffed for excessive periods, deprived of sleep, and threatened with physical and sexual violence. Additionally, many detainees have reported being subjected to acts of humiliation, including being photographed and filmed in degrading poses. I am particularly concerned that this emerging pattern of violations, coupled with an absence of accountability and transparency, is creating a permissive environment for further abusive and humiliating treatment of Palestinians.
Since Oct 7, it is estimated that thousands of Palestinians, including children, have been detained by Israeli forces, with over 8.8k detained in the West Bank alone. According to Edwards, the surge in the prison population has exacerbated already dire detention conditions. She said:
Official downgrading of conditions in certain places of detention is not acceptable. At all times, the minimum international standards must be adhered to.
Israel says ‘no power on earth’ will stop it ‘going after’ Hamas
An Israeli government spokesperson said on Thursday that Israel will not be deterred from ‘going after Hamas’ in Gaza. The International Court of Justice is set to rule on Friday on South Africa’s request for an order to halt military actions in the Gaza Strip. When asked whether Israel would comply if with possible measures issued by the court, spox Avi Hyman told reporters:
No power on Earth will stop Israel from protecting its citizens and going after Hamas in Gaza.
All EU donors have resumed UNRWA funding
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said in a tweet that all EU donors have now resumed funding of UNRWA. Borrell praised an initiative by the Slovenian Permanent Mission to the UN to support UNRWA’s vital role in providing assistance to generations of Palestinian refugees. Israel alleged that UNRWA staff had worked with Hamas on the Oct 7 attacks, resulting in close allies of Israel in Europe and the US cutting off aid without any evidence. An independent report by the UN investigated the claims and found no evidence of Israel’s allegations then, and there is none now. Because of the Israeli claims, UNRWA lost $450m of life-saving aid for Palestinians facing Israel’s genocide and starvation.
Pro-Israel groups fund one-third of Conservative MPs, report reveals
A third of elected politicians in Britain’s ruling Conservative Party have received funding from pro-Israel lobby groups, it has emerged. Declassified reported on Thursday that 126 of the party’s 344 MPs have accepted funding from pro-Israel lobby groups. The funds amount to over £430k in donations and hospitality. The lobby groups have paid for Conservative MPs to visit Israel on 187 occasions, some of which included trips to the OPT. Thirteen of those MPs have visited Israel during its ongoing war on Gaza. In January, six MPs went on a “solidarity visit” hosted by Israeli President Isaac Herzog. Read more: Pro-Israel groups fund one-third of Conservative MPs, report reveals.
Palestinian families mourn death and destruction in Gaza
18 Palestinians arrested in raids across the West Bank
Israeli forces have arrested at least 18 people across the occupied West Bank in less than 24 hours, according to the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society, bringing the total number of arrests since Oct 7 to 8,840. Most of the latest arrests took place in Bethlehem governorate, while others were arrested in Ramallah, Nablus, Hebron and Jericho governorates.
30 Israeli soldiers injured in two days, eight seriously
At least 30 Israeli soldiers were wounded in fighting over the past two days, eight of them seriously, according to data published by the Israeli army. According to the army, 22 of the soldiers were wounded in the Gaza Strip and the rest elsewhere. The numbers could not be independently verified.
Thousands attend funerals of 12 Palestinians killed in Israeli assault on Jenin
At least 35 Palestinians killed across Gaza
Israeli forces killed at least 35 Palestinians in aerial and ground attacks across the besieged Gaza Strip on Thursday, according to Reuters. Israeli tanks advanced in southeastern Rafah towards the city’s western district of Yibna and continued operations in three eastern suburbs, residents told Reuters. One resident told Reuters:
The occupation is trying to move further to the west. They are on the edge of Yibna, which is densely populated. They didn’t invade it yet. We hear explosions and we see black smoke coming up from the areas where the army has invaded. It was another very difficult night.
Reported US-Israel plan for Gaza ‘day after’ leaves enclave in ‘permanent instability’
A recent report in the WaPo highlighted that conversations between top US officials about a potential end to Israel’s war on Gaza are formulating into a multi-step plan but a “still-fuzzy day after.” The reported five-point plan, however, does not describe a concrete end to an Israeli security presence in Gaza and paves the way for an ongoing Israeli occupation of the Strip with Hamas not fully eliminated. One aspect of the plan that Israel has finalised is its assault on Rafah, the southernmost city in Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have fled since the start of Israel’s war. The invasion would not be the full-scale one Israeli leaders were touting earlier this year, and would, according to US officials, be a “more limited assault” that Washington thinks “will result in fewer civilian casualties.” Read more: Reported US-Israel plan for Gaza ‘day after’ leaves enclave in ‘permanent instability.’
Israeli negotiation team set to resume ceasefire talks
The Israeli PMO has directed its negotiating team to resume communications regarding a potential truce deal following a war council meeting, according to Israel’s Channel 12. The PMO did not specify the negotiating team’s mandate. Earlier this month, talks fell apart after Hamas accepted a truce draft and Israel rejected the offer.
ICJ to rule on Israel’s military assault on Gaza this Friday
Last week, the International Court of Justice held two days of hearings on a request from South Africa to halt Israel’s military operation in Rafah. The top UN court will deliver its order on the additional measures requested by South Africa on Friday afternoon. During the hearings, South Africa asked the ICJ, also known as the World Court, to order a halt to Israel’s invasion of Gaza, particularly in Rafah, to ensure the survival of the Palestinian people.
Secret Guantanamo prisoner transfer halted by war on Gaza: Report
A transfer of eleven Guantanamo detainees to Oman was scheduled for Oct 2023, when Hamas’s attack on southern Israel halted the process, US officials have now acknowledged after NBC published the news on Monday. Last October, the Biden administration planned and nearly executed the resettlement of eleven detainees who had been cleared for transfer by national security review panels. The detainees to be released are of Yemeni origin or have ties to the country and are being held at the military prison without having been charged with crimes. A military cargo plane was reportedly already on the runway at Guantanamo Bay, at the eastern end of Cuba, when the mission was called off, according to security officials, and the plane took off without the group. Usually, such detainee movements are kept secret until completed, but the officials, speaking on condition of anonymity to NBC, acknowledged the aborted mission. Read more: Secret Guantanamo prisoner transfer halted by war on Gaza: Report.
Israeli troops withdrawing from Jenin after two-day assault
The Israeli army has pulled out of Jenin after a raid lasting over 40 hours in the occupied West Bank city, according to Palestinian media reports. At least 12 people were killed and more than a dozen injured during Israels bloody assault in the city and adjacent refugee camp, which began on Tuesday. There is no confirmation from the Israeli military of a withdrawal from Jenin.
Horrific torture of Palestinian detainees in Gaza detailed in new report
The Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor has gathered evidence of horrific crimes committed by Israeli forces who routinely subjected Palestinians to enforced disappearance, murder, torture, inhuman treatment and sexual violence. The Geneva-based group interviewed more than 100 Palestinians and their testimonies confirmed the Israeli use of physical and psychological torture against Palestinian civilian detainees, including beatings with the intent to kill, sexual violence, electrocution, blindfolding and long-term hand and foot shackles. Israel also denied them access to food and medical care, including critical and life-saving care, spat and urinated on detainees, and committed other cruel and degrading acts.
Israeli sniper shoots Palestinian in the head in northern Gaza
A Palestinian man was shot in the head and killed by an Israeli sniper in the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza, according to a report by the Palestinian Quds News Network. The Israeli military has laid siege to Jabalia in recent days, with six people killed in a missile strike on a home in the city’s al-Faluja area on Wednesday.
US defense secretary tells Israeli counterpart it ‘strongly objects’ to ICC case
Washington strongly opposes an “outrageous” request submitted by International Criminal Court, Austin told Gallant. Earlier this week prosecutor Karim Khan issued arrest warrants against Gallant and Netanyahu. The statement said:
Secretary Austin reiterated strong US objections to the International Criminal Court prosecutor’s outrageous application for arrest warrants against Israeli leaders. The Secretary encouraged the Israeli government to conclude talks with Egypt to reopen the Rafah Crossing and resume the flow of aid from Egypt.
Two Hezbollah members killed in Israeli drone attack in south Lebanon
An Israeli drone attacked a vehicle in the Nabatieh region of southern Lebanon, according to reports across Lebanese social networks. According to some reports, the attack killed two Hezbollah members who were sitting in the vehicle, and wounded several students who were in a bus passing by.
‘Growing impatience’ with no political will from Israel for two-state solution: Ireland
The Irish Foreign Minister Michael Martin said that Dublin’s decision to recognise a Palestinian state stems from Israel’s attempts to undermine the possibility of reaching a two-state solution. In an interview with CNN, the Irish foreign minister said that Ireland had committed to recognising a Palestinian state as early as 2020, and is discussing it with many other countries in Europe and the Middle East. He said:
There is a growing impatience with the lack of any political will on behalf of Israel toward a political track and toward realising that in our view, a two-state solution is the only way that Israelis and Palestinians can live in harmony side by side.
Israeli forces used US weapons to kill ‘children without restraint’: Rights group
Defense for Children International Palestine called on the US to stop sending weapons that the Israeli military uses to kill Palestinian children in the occupied West Bank. The children’s rights group said in a statement:
Two 15-year-old boys were killed by Israeli snipers in Jenin on Tuesday morning, one of whom was returning home from school on his electric bicycle, in circumstances that may amount to extrajudicial or wilful killings. The US must stop sending weapons to the Israeli military that are used to kill Palestinian children without restraint, whether in Gaza or Jenin.
Death toll from Israeli military raid on Jenin rises to 12
The death toll from the days-long military incursion in Jenin has now rising to 12, according to WAFA, after man died from wounds sustained during Israel’s raid on the Jenin refugee camp. The latest victim, 30-year-old Mustafa Ibrahim Musa Jabarin, died at al-Razi Hospital in Jenin a short while ago, the facility’s director told WAFA. Other victims include four children, a teacher and a doctor.
Morning recap
It’s day 230 of Israel’s war on Gaza. This is a recap of the last few hours to get you up to speed this morning:
- The death toll from Israel’s two-day raid on Jenin has risen to 11, including four children, the Palestinian Health Ministry says
- Ireland, Norway and Spain have said they will formally recognise Palestinian statehood next week, with Slovenia saying they may soon follow suit
- Washington has warned Israel against withholding Palestinian Authority funds after Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said he would withhold tax revenue
- Israeli military bombs house in Nuseirat camp in Gaza, killing eight
- Israeli forces kill 10 Palestinians in attack on mosque in Gaza City.
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