Live Updates
Middle East Eye, May 25 2024
Evening recap
Here are the day’s key developments:
- Israeli forces have killed at least 46 Palestinians and wounded 130 more over the past 24 hours in five massacres, according to the Palestinian health ministry. This brings the Palestinian death toll in over five months to more than 35,903, with over 80,420 wounded and an estimated 10k missing, believed to be dead and buried under rubble.
- Hamas’s military wing killed, wounded or captured Israeli soldiers during fighting in the Gaza Strip late on Saturday, according to an official spokesman for the group. Israel denied the claim.
- WAFA said an Israeli air strike killed 10 Palestinians, including children and women, in the city of Beit Hanoun, in the north of the Gaza Strip.
- An Israeli official said on Saturday that the government had an “intention” to renew “this week” talks aimed at reaching a Gaza ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal, after a meeting in Paris between US and Israeli officials. A Hamas official denied reports that Gaza ceasefire talks would resume in Cairo on Tuesday.
- EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell called on Israel to “immediately” follow the ICJ’s ruling to halt its military offensive on Rafah. Spain’s Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares also demanded the implementation of Friday’s ICJ ruling.
- The British government criticised the ICJ for ordering Israel to immediately halt its military assault on Rafah, saying the ruling would strengthen Hamas.
- The Spanish defence minister said on Saturday the Israeli war on Gaza is a “real genocide,” as relations between Israel and Spain worsen following Madrid’s decision to recognise a Palestinian state.
- Some Palestinian families in the Gaza Strip have been forcibly displaced up to six times since Israel launched its war on the besieged enclave, UNRWA has said.
- Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani announced on Saturday that Rome would resume funding for Unrwa, at a meeting with Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa.
- Heavy seas battered the US maritime humanitarian mission to Gaza on Saturday, US CENTCOM said, with four vessels serving a floating aid delivery pier breaking free from their moorings.
Israeli soldiers ‘dead, wounded or captured’ in Gaza fighting, says Hamas
Hamas’s military wing captured Israeli soldiers during fighting in the Gaza Strip late on Saturday, according to an official spokesman for the group. In a rare late-night recorded statement published on the group’s Telegram channel, Abu Ubaida, spokesman for Al Qassam brigades, said that Hamas fighters had clashed with an Israeli force in the northern Gaza Strip near a tunnel entrance in Jabalia refugee camp. He said all members of the Israeli force were left either “dead, wounded or captured.” He did not say how many were captured and whether they were dead or alive. Middle East Eye could not independently verify the claim, but Al Jazeera Arabic released a video which appeared to confirm the incident. In a statement, the Israeli military denied Al Qassam’s claims, saying:
There is no incident in which a soldier was abducted.
Hamas official denies Israeli media reports of ceasefire talks resuming on Tuesday
A Hamas official denied on Saturday Israeli media reports that Gaza ceasefire talks would resume in Cairo on Tuesday. “There is no date,” the Hamas official told Reuters, asked about the reports.
World Court’s order on Rafah does not rule out entire offensive, Israel says
Israel considers that an order by the World Court to halt its military offensive on Rafah in southern Gaza allows room for some military action there, Israeli officials said. Netanyahu’s national security adviser Tzachi Hanegbi told Israel’s N12 TV on Saturday:
What they are asking us is not to commit genocide in Rafah. We did not commit genocide and we will not commit genocide.
Asked whether the Rafah offensive would continue, Hanegbi said:
According to international law, we have the right to defend ourselves and the evidence is that the court is not preventing us from continuing to defend ourselves.
Another Israeli official pointed to the phrasing of the ruling by the International Court of Justice, or World Court, depicting it as conditional. The official said on condition of anonymity:
The order in regard to the Rafah operation is not a general order.
Reading out the ruling, the ICJ’s president, Nawaf Salam, said the situation in Gaza had deteriorated since the court last ordered Israel to take steps to improve it, and conditions had been met for a new emergency order. Salam said:
The state of Israel shall immediately halt its military offensive, and any other action in the Rafah governorate, which may inflict on the Palestinian group in Gaza conditions of life that could bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part.
The Israeli official said:
We have never, and we will not, conduct any military action in Rafah or elsewhere which may inflict any conditions of life to bring about the destruction of the civilian population in Gaza, not in whole and not in part.
Lapid calls soldier’s mutiny video ‘dangerous and disastrous’
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid said the “inciting sedition” videos circulated in recent days were “dangerous and disastrous.” His comment on social media platform X came after a video was published on Friday showing a suspected reservist threatening mutiny if the war on Gaza ends before “complete victory,” saying he wants to annihilate Palestinians in the besieged enclave. Lapid said:
The fact that Netanyahu’s poison machine and trumpets enthusiastically echo videos calling for fratricidal war and the disbanding of the army is another attempt to escape responsibility for the one who led to the biggest disaster in the history of the Jewish people since the Holocaust. This insanity should be stopped. This government needs to be removed from our lives before it destroys everything that is true and sacred to this country.
US military says heavy seas batter Gaza maritime aid mission
Heavy seas battered the US maritime humanitarian mission to Gaza on Saturday, US CENTCOM said, with four vessels serving a floating aid delivery pier breaking free from their moorings. No injuries were reported and the aid pier remains fully functional, CENTCOM said in a statement, adding that no US personnel would enter Gaza. Two of the affected vessels were now anchored on the beach near the pier and the other two were beached on the coast of Israel near Ashkelon, CENTCOM said, adding that efforts to recover the vessels were under way with assistance from the Israeli Navy.
Suspected Israeli reservist threatens mutiny over Gaza war plans
A suspected Israeli reservist has threatened mutiny if the war on Gaza ends before “complete victory,” saying he wants to annihilate Palestinians in the besieged enclave. The masked soldier, who has not been identified, said in a video posted on Friday he will not obey orders by Defence Minister Yoav Gallant. He said he and “100k reservists” reject plans to hand Gaza back to Palestinians, including the Palestinian Authority, Hamas or another “Arab entity.” The suspected reservist said in the video:
Yoav Gallant, you can’t win the war. Resign. You can’t win this war. You can’t command us. I am telling you, Mr Yoav Gallant, if we do not continue until victory, 100k reservists will remain on the fence and we will call residents of the State of Israel to come to Gaza under our protection.
Read more: Suspected Israeli reservist threatens mutiny over Gaza war plans
Spanish defence minister says Gaza war is ‘real genocide’
The Spanish defence minister said on Saturday the Israeli war on Gaza is a “real genocide,” as relations between Israel and Spain worsen following Madrid’s decision to recognise a Palestinian state. The remark by Spanish Defence Minister Margarita Robles in an interview with TVE state television echoed a comment by Spanish Deputy Prime Minister Yolanda Diaz who earlier this week also described the conflict as a genocide. Robles said in the interview, during which she also discussed the Russian invasion of Ukraine and conflicts in Africa:
We cannot ignore what is happening in Gaza, which is a real genocide.
She also said Madrid’s recognition of Palestine was not a move against Israel, adding that it was designed to help “end violence in Gaza.” She said:
This is not against anyone, this is not against the Israeli state, this is not against the Israelis, who are people we respect.
Reuters couldn’t immediately reach Israeli officials for comment on Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath.
Palestinians escape death in Rafah to ‘miserable life’ elsewhere in Gaza
On almost every street in western Khan Younis and Deir al-Balah, dozens of cars, trucks and animal-drawn carts are seen laden with luggage, mattresses and blankets. They carry Palestinians fleeing Rafah, where Israel has expanded its aerial bombardment and ground attacks in recent weeks. Ahmed Abu al-Enein, 39, who was originally displaced from Jabalia, in the northern Gaza Strip, said:
We stayed in Rafah for around four miserable months with very little aid and no running water. But we had no other choice, either a miserable life or death.
Abu al-Enein is now on his fifth displacement, carrying his tent once again to Deir al-Balah, where he set up camp with his family near the seashore. He is one of nearly 0.9m people who have been forced out of Rafah since early May due to a fresh Israeli ground assault there. Rafah, the southernmost city in the Gaza Strip, had become a shelter for the internally displaced after Israel pushed them out of other parts of Gaza earlier in its ongoing military campaign, which has killed over 35k people and wounded 80k more. For months, the small city bordering Egypt was turned into a large makeshift camp, with tents scattered all around. Most UN and international organisations moved their bases to Rafah too and had their aid warehouses in the city. Though it was still subject to repeated deadly air strikes and aid restrictions and struggled to accommodate the growing numbers of displaced people, the border city had become the best available option for people’s survival. But western Khan Younis and Deir al-Balah, to where Israel is now forcing Rafah’s displaced to move, have significantly weaker infrastructure, limited space and fewer service capabilities. Read more: Palestinians escape death in Rafah to ‘miserable life’ elsewhere in Gaza.
Israel official says ‘intention’ to renew Gaza talks ‘this week’: AFP
An Israeli official said Saturday the government had an “intention” to renew “this week” talks aimed at reaching a Gaza ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal, after a meeting in Paris between US and Israeli officials. The official told AFP on condition of anonymity:
There is an intention to renew the talks this week and there is an agreement.
The Israeli official did not elaborate on the agreement, but Israeli media reported that Mossad chief David Barnea had agreed during meetings in Paris with mediators CIA Director Bill Burns and Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abd’ul-Rahman Al-Thani on a new framework for the stalled negotiations.
Israeli forces kill 46 Palestinians in Gaza, bringing death toll 35.9k
Israeli forces have killed at least 46 Palestinians and wounded 130 more over the past 24 hours in five massacres, according to the Palestinian health ministry. This brings the Palestinian death toll in over five months to more than 35.9k, with over 80.42k wounded and an estimated 10k missing, believed to be dead and buried under rubble. More than 70% of the victims are children and women, according to health officials.
Indirect Israel-Hamas ceasefire talks expected next week: Reuters
Mediated negotiations between Israel and Hamas to reach a ceasefire and a prisoner exchange deal are due to restart next week, an official with knowledge of the matter told Reuters on Saturday. The decision to restart the talks, said the source, who declined to be identified by name or nationality given the sensitivity of the issue, came after the head of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency met with the head of the CIA and the prime minister of Qatar, which has been a mediator. The source said:
At the end of the meeting, it was decided that in the coming week negotiations will open based on new proposals led by the mediators, Egypt and Qatar and with active US involvement.
UK criticises World Court order to Israel over Rafah
The British government has criticised the International Court of Justice for ordering Israel to immediately halt its military assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah, saying the ruling would strengthen Hamas. The ICJ, which is the highest UN body for hearing disputes between states, made the emergency ruling on Friday in South Africa’s case accusing Israel of genocide. A UK foreign ministry spokesperson said late on Friday:
The reason there isn’t a pause in the fighting is because Hamas turned down a very generous hostage deal from Israel. The intervention of these courts – including the ICJ today – will strengthen the view of Hamas that they can hold on to hostages and stay in Gaza. And if that happens there won’t be either peace, or a two-state solution.
The ICJ, or World Court, has no means to enforce its orders, but the ruling highlighted Israel’s global isolation over its military assault on Gaza launched since October.
Israeli strike kill 10 Palestinians in the north of Gaza
WAFA said an Israeli air strike killed 10 Palestinians, including children and women, in the city of Beit Hanoun, in the north of the Gaza Strip. WAFA said medical sources confirmed the number of dead and added that 17 other people sustained injuries in the attack.
EU calls for Israel to follow ICJ ruling on Rafah
The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, called on Israel to “immediately” follow the ICJ’s ruling to halt its military offensive on Rafah. Borrell also called on Israel to ensure Rafah remains open for humanitarian aid and to allow a UN-mandated investigative body to investigate allegations of genocide. Borrell said on Saturday:
ICJ orders are binding on the parties and they have to be fully effectively implemented.
Spain calls for implementation of ICJ’s Gaza ruling
Spain’s Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares demanded the implementation of Friday’s ruling announced by the ICJ, which called for an end to Israel’s offensive in Rafah. Albares said on Twitter:
ICJ’s ruling, including the cessation of Israel’s offensive in Rafah, are mandatory. We demand its application. We also demand the release of the hostages and access to the humanitarian aid. The suffering of Gazans and the violence must end.
Part of US-built pier off Gaza breaks, washes off to Israel coast
Part of the floating US-built pier off the coast of Gaza broke off and drifted to the shore of Ashdod, Israeli media reported on Saturday. It broke off apparently due to strong winds, Channel 12 reported.
Italy to resume funding for UNRWA
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani announced on Saturday that Rome would resume funding for UNRWA, at a meeting with Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa. He said:
Italy has decided to resume financing specific projects intended for assistance to Palestinian refugees but only after rigorous controls that guarantee that not even a penny risks ending up supporting terrorism. I informed PM Mustafa that Italy has arranged new funding for the Palestinian population, of a total of €35m. Of this, €5m will be allocated to UNRWA. The remaining €30m will be allocated to Italy’s Food for Gaza initiative in coordination with UN aid agencies.
UNRWA, which coordinates nearly all aid to Gaza, has been in crisis since January, when Israel accused about a dozen of its 13k Gaza employees of being involved in the Oct 7 attack on Israel by Hamas. That led many nations, including top donor the US, to abruptly suspend funding to the agency, threatening its efforts to deliver aid in Gaza, although several have since resumed payments. An independent review of UNRWA, led by French former foreign minister Catherine Colonna, said Israel had “yet to provide supporting evidence” for its leading allegations. Many countries that cut their funding have since resumed it.
G7 finance leaders to call on Israel to maintain Palestinian bank links
G7 finance leaders will call on Israel to maintain correspondent banking links between Israeli and Palestinian banks to allow vital transactions, trade and services to continue, according to a draft joint statement seen by Reuters on Saturday. The statement, to be released at the end of a G7 finance ministers and central bank governors’ meeting in northern Italy, also calls for Israel “to release withheld clearance revenues to the Palestinian Authority, in view of its urgent fiscal needs.” The statement echoes a warning on Thursday from US Treasury Sec Janet Yellen, who said the failure to renew a soon-to-expire banking waiver would cut off a critical lifeline for the Palestinian territories amid a devastating conflict in Gaza. the draft statement said:
We call on Israel to take the necessary measures to ensure that correspondent banking services between Israeli and Palestinian banks remain in place, so that vital financial transactions and critical trade and services continue. We also call for the removal or relaxation of other measures that have negatively impacted commerce to avoid further exacerbating the economic situation in the West Bank.
Palestinian families displaced up to six times in Gaza, UNRWA says
Some Palestinian families in the Gaza Strip have been forcibly displaced up to six times since Israel launched its war on the besieged enclave, UNRWA has said. Amid large-scale destruction, the families are forced to seek shelter in makeshift tents or damaged buildings while bombardments continue and vital supplies are lacking, UNRWA tweeted.
Morning update
Here are the latest developments from Israel’s war on Gaza, which is now in its eighth month:
- Israeli air strikes targeted areas across the Gaza Strip overnight, killing at least 10 people north of the Nuseirat refugee camp and near the Wadi Gaza area, according to Arabic media.
- Tanks and troops continued their attacks on two hospitals in northern Gaza as they pushed deeper into the Jabalia refugee camp and the heart of Rafah in the south.
- The director of Kamal Adwan hospital in Beit Lahia told Al Jazeera the facility was still out of service on Saturday due to the ongoing siege by Israeli soldiers, who were still present in the vicinity.
- Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories, said UN member states should impose sanctions on Israel and suspend diplomatic relations until it complies with the International Court of Justice’s ruling to cease the Rafah ground offensive.
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