Thursday, September 12, 2024
1415 GMT — At least 21 Palestinians have been killed in fresh Israeli attacks in war-torn Gaza, according to medical sources.
An Israeli drone hit a group of civilians in the Zeitoun neighbourhood southeast of Gaza City, leaving two people dead and several others injured, a medical source said.
Four more people lost their lives and seven others were wounded in another drone strike west of Gaza City, the same source said.
An Israeli air strike targeted a house in the Zeitoun neighbourhood, killing five people, including two children, the Civil Defense Service said in a statement. Three more people were killed in another strike targeting a house in the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza, it added.
1409 GMT — Gaza economy shrinks to less than a sixth of its pre-war size, UN report says
Gaza's economy has shrunk to less than a sixth of its size when the Israel-Hamas war began nearly a year ago, while unemployment in the occupied West Bank has nearly tripled, a United Nations report said, underscoring the challenges of reconstruction.
The report by the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) described Gaza's economy as "in ruins" more than 11 months after Israel launched a military campaign there that has reduced much of Gaza to rubble.
The UN trade body said the Palestinian Authority (PA), which exercises limited self-rule under Israeli occupation in the West Bank, is under "immense pressure" that is jeopardising its ability to function. "The Palestinian economy is in freefall," UNCTAD Deputy Secretary-General Pedro Manuel Moreno told reporters in Geneva.
1406 GMT — Spain to host meeting of European, Muslim countries on Palestinian statehood
The foreign ministers of several Muslim and European countries will meet in Madrid on Friday to discuss how to implement a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the Spanish and Norwegian governments said.
Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares will host the meeting, which his European counterparts will attend, including European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, and members of the Arab-Islamic Contact Group for Gaza.
The two-state solution set out in the 1991 Madrid Conference and the 1993-95 Oslo Accords has long been seen by the international community as the best way to settle the decades-long conflict, but the peace process has been moribund for years.
1404 GMT — France condemns Israeli air strike on school in Gaza
France condemned an Israeli air strike that targeted a school and killed several victims in Gaza, including six United Nations staffers.
"France reiterates its call for the release of all hostages, and given the humanitarian emergency in Gaza, for an immediate and durable ceasefire in order to allow the protection of civilian populations and massive and unhindered access to humanitarian aid," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
It also stressed Israel’s obligation to "ensure the protection of humanitarian workers and UN staffers."
1334 GMT — Pakistan condemns Israeli air strike on Gaza safe zone
Pakistan strongly condemned an Israeli air strike targeting a declared safe zone for displaced Palestinians in Gaza, describing the attack as "genocidal."
In a statement, Pakistan's Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, expressed outrage over the assault on civilians seeking refuge in a tent camp in the al-Mawasi area near Khan Younis.
"The targeting of individuals seeking refuge in a designated safe zone represents a gross breach of international humanitarian law," Baloch told reporters in Islamabad, adding that the attack highlights a flagrant violation of protections for civilian populations.
Baloch emphasided that the strike, which left at least 40 dead and dozens wounded, took place without prior warning and underscored Israel’s "genocidal" intentions against Palestinians.
1302 GMT — Hezbollah rockets cause fires in northern Israel amid border tension
A barrage of rockets were fired by Lebanese group Hezbollah towards Israeli settlements in northern Israel, local media said.
Israeli Channel 12 said 15 rockets were launched from Lebanon towards the Western Galilee region with some being intercepted by the Israeli army's air defence systems. The rockets caused fires in at least two locations in Western Galilee, the broadcaster said.
No injuries were reported.
1208 GMT — Israel must protect humanitarian workers in Gaza: US
United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken has called for the protection of humanitarian workers after United Nations staffers were killed in Gaza and said a US-backed ceasefire was the best way to ensure their safety.
"We need to see humanitarian sites protected, and that's something that we continue to raise with Israel," Blinken told reporters on a visit to Poland.
1150 GMT — EU foreign policy chief urges all parties in Mideast to de-escalate military tensions
European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell urged all parties in the Middle East to de-escalate military tensions.
In a joint news conference with Lebanon’s Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib in Beirut, Borrell regretted that this country was negatively affected by the conflicts in the region, including Syria and Palestine. Lebanese people want and seek stability, peace, and development, and the EU stands with them, Borrell stressed.
"We need to de-escalate military tensions, and I use this opportunity to urge all sides to pursue this path," the EU official said, and noted that “war is never inevitable, it depends on the will to avoid it.”
The international community must continue “pushing for a comprehensive peace in the region,” which means, according to Borrell, “that the security of Israel depends on the capacity of the Palestinian people to have a future based on their own state and freedom.”
1129 GMT — WHO 'confident' target for Gaza polio vaccination campaign met: official
The World Health Organization said it was "confident" that a giant polio vaccination drive in Gaza had hit its target of reaching more than 90 percent of children under 10.
Disease has spread with Gaza lying in ruins and the majority of its 2.4 million residents forced to flee their homes due to Israel's military assault - often taking refuge in cramped and unsanitary conditions.
After the first confirmed polio case in 25 years, a massive vaccination effort began last week targeting at least 90 percent of children under 10, aided by localised "humanitarian pauses" in fighting.
"We are confident that we probably reached the target," Rik Peeperkorn, the WHO's representative for the Palestinian territories, told reporters.
1118 GMT — Deaths of UN staff in Gaza 'totally unacceptable': Germany
Germany said the deaths of six United Nations staff in war-torn Gaza are "totally unacceptable" and called on Israel "to protect UN staff and aid workers".
"Humanitarian aid workers must never be victims of rockets," the foreign ministry said on social media platform X. "The death of six UNRWA staff at a school in Nuseirat is totally unacceptable."
1050 GMT — Jordan, Saudi Arabia condemn Israeli strikes on UN-run school in Gaza
Jordan and Saudi Arabia strongly condemned Israeli air strikes on a UN-run school in central Gaza a day earlier.
This attack was “a flagrant violation of the rules of international law,” the Jordanian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
0851 GMT — Gaza death toll hits 41,118 as Israel kills 34 more Palestinians
Israeli attacks killed at least 34 more Palestinians in Gaza, taking the overall death toll since last October 7, to 41,118, the Health Ministry in the enclave has said.
A ministry statement added that some 95,125 others have been wounded in the ongoing assault.
“Israeli forces killed 34 people and wounded 96 others in three ‘massacres’ of families in the last 24 hours,” the ministry said.
“Many people are still trapped under the rubble and on the roads as rescuers are unable to reach them,” it added.
08:43 GMT — Türkiye probes killing of humanitarian activist in West Bank
Türkiye is investigating the killing of a US-Turkish activist Aysenur Ezgi Eygi during a protest in the occupied West Bank by the Israeli forces, the justice minister has said, adding that Ankara would press the UN to take immediate action.
"Türkiye has opened an investigation," Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said.
"We will work to ensure that the (UN) Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial and Arbitrary Executions takes immediate action, and that an independent commission of inquiry is established and prepare a report," he said.
08:40 GMT — Qatar urges UN probe into Israeli attacks on Gaza schools, shelters
Qatar has called for sending independent UN investigators to probe the ongoing Israeli attacks on schools and shelters in war-torn Gaza.
At least 18 people were killed in two Israeli air strikes on the UN-run al-Jaouni School, where around 12,000 displaced civilians have sheltered, in the Nuseirat refugee camp on Wednesday, according to local health authorities.
At least six staff members of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) were among the victims, including the manager of the UNRWA shelter in the area.
08:23 GMT — Probe sought into New Zealand’s role in Israel's war on Gaza
New Zealand’s spy chief has confirmed he was “considering” a request to probe the country’s possible role in Israeli war on Gaza which has killed more than 41,000 Palestinians since last October, public broadcaster Radio New Zealand reported.
The confirmation by Brendan Horsley, who is inspector-general of intelligence and security (IGIS), comes after a group of academic and lawyers wrote a 38-page document, alongside a request letter, warning the country might be “aiding international crimes".
It would be a first such probe if Horsley goes ahead with the request.
“We believe there is a plausible case that the intelligence-sharing actions of the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) and Security Intelligence Service (NZSIS) in relation to what has occurred in Gaza, breach New Zealand law as well as standards of propriety,” wrote Treasa Dunworth, lawyers Vinod Bal and Max Harris.
0732 GMT — Irish FM condemns Israeli strikes that killed 6 UN workers
Irish Foreign Minister Michael Martin on Thursday “condemned” the Israeli attack on Gaza that resulted in the death of six employees from the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA).
“I condemn the Israeli airstrikes that killed six @UNRWA staff in Gaza,” Martin said on X.
“Humanitarian workers take exceptional risks to provide vital food and aid supplies to people,” he stressed, underlining: “There is an obligation to protect them.”
0639 GMT — Palestinian killed as Israel continues West Bank attacks
The Israeli army has killed a Palestinian man in the Far'a refugee camp in Tubas city, as the army continues its military operations in the northern occupied West Bank.
A medical source in the Tubas Government Hospital identified the slain Palestinian as Sufyan Abdul Jawad, 46, who was shot by Israeli soldier's bullet in his heart.
At dawn on Thursday, the Israeli army raided the Far'a refugee camp and stormed into several homes amid exchanging fire with Palestinian fighters, according to witnesses.
07:00 GMT — No more money for Netanyahu's war machine: US senator
The US should stop funding Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's war on Gaza, Senator Bernie Sanders has said.
"This week: 19 people killed & scores injured in a strike in a 'humanitarian zone' in Gaza. An American shot in the head in the West Bank. Now, another school bombed, killing 14 people, including 6 UN aid workers.
"Enough is enough. No more money for Netanyahu's war machine," Sanders said on X.
06:50 GMT — Israel storms West Bank's Qalqilya, wounding woman, detains Palestinians
Israeli forces stormed Qalqilya, a city in the occupied West Bank, during a raid that involved live ammunition.
According to local sources, an 18-year-old woman was wounded by Israeli shrapnel in the neck during the offensive.
The wounded woman was transported to Darwish Nazzal Governmental Hospital for treatment, local sources reported to the Palestinian news agency WAFA.
During the raid, Israeli forces arrested two young men, identified as Musa Zaid and Hanoud Salmi.
6:45 GMT — Israel detains injured Palestinian in West Bank hospital raid
Israeli forces have raided a hospital in the occupied West Bank, detaining an injured Palestinian.
Eyewitnesses reported that the troops, disguised as civilians, entered Mahmoud Abbas General Hospital in Halhul, north of Hebron, in the occupied West Bank.
They detained an injured Palestinian whose identity and health condition remain unknown.
According to the Palestinian official news agency Wafa, Israeli forces also raided the town of Husan in Bethlehem, detaining 17-year-old Ibrahim Hamamira.
On his way home from work at a car wash, he was reportedly assaulted by Israeli forces, suffering cigarette burns, other wounds and bruises on various parts of his body due to torture. After his release, he was taken to Beit Jala Hospital for treatment.
Israeli soldiers also fired tear gas at Palestinians protesting the raid in Husan, leaving many affected.
06:39 GMT — No more money for Netanyahu's war machine: US senator
The US should stop funding Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's war on Gaza, Senator Bernie Sanders has said.
"This week: 19 people killed & scores injured in a strike in a 'humanitarian zone' in Gaza. An American shot in the head in the West Bank. Now, another school bombed, killing 14 people, including 6 UN aid workers.
"Enough is enough. No more money for Netanyahu's war machine," Sanders said on X.
04:13 GMT — Israel storms West Bank's Qalqilya, injuring woman, detains Palestinians
Israeli forces stormed Qalqilya, a city in the occupied West Bank, during a raid that involved live ammunition.
According to local sources, an 18-year-old woman was injured by Israeli shrapnel in the neck during the offensive.
The wounded woman was transported to Darwish Nazzal Governmental Hospital for treatment, local sources reported to the Palestinian news agency WAFA.
During the raid, Israeli forces arrested two young men, identified as Musa Zaid and Hanoud Salmi.
00:36 GMT — About 100 Palestinians evacuated from Gaza for treatment: WHO
World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has announced that 97 patients and critically wounded people from Gaza were medically evacuated for treatment to Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Tedros shared details about the medical evacuation carried out in Gaza under intense Israeli attacks on X.
"WHO, in collaboration with the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and partners, today evacuated 97 sick and severely injured patients and 155 companions from Gaza in the largest medical evacuation since October 2023," he said.
"Patients were transported via Kerem Shalom to Ramon Airport in Israel for onward travel to Abu Dhabi for specialised care," he added.
For our live updates from Tuesday, September 11, 2024, click here.
