Tuesday, June 4, 2024
16:40 GMT –– Hamas official Osama Hamdan said the group could not agree to a deal unless there is a clear Israeli position on a permanent ceasefire and complete withdrawal from Gaza.
"We asked the mediators to get a clear Israeli position to commit to a permanent ceasefire and a complete withdrawal from Gaza," he told a press conference in Beirut.
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17:08 GMT –– Saudi Arabia, US discuss Biden’s Gaza ceasefire proposal
The top diplomats of Saudi Arabia and the US discussed a Gaza ceasefire proposal laid out by US President Joe Biden.
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan received a phone call from US Secretary of State Antony Blinken during which they explored the latest developments in Gaza, and Biden’s proposal for a ceasefire and captive swap between Hamas and Israel, the Saudi Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
17:14 GMT –– Italy’s University of Palermo suspends Erasmus with Israeli universities
Italy’s University of Palermo has suspended Erasmus exchange agreements with Israeli universities, state news agency ANSA reported.
University’s academic senate cited "the lack of essential security guarantees to which those involved in the cooperation partnerships would be exposed in this particular and delicate moment of international crisis."
The board also announced that measures aiming to support Palestinian education system will be taken.
16:45 GMT –– Israel signs $3B deal with US for 25 F-35 fighter jets
Israel said it signed a $3 billion deal to buy a third squadron of 25 advanced F-35 stealth fighter jets manufactured by Lockheed Martin, with the delivery to commence in 2028.
"At time when some of our adversaries aim to undermine our ties with our greatest ally, we only further strengthen our alliance," Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said in a statement announcing the deal.
16:12 GMT –– Majority of Germans against Israel’s war on Gaza: survey
A majority of Germans disapprove of Israel's military offensive in Gaza, a new poll found.
As many as 61 percent of Germans said they are against Israel's military actions in Gaza, while only 33 percent voiced support for the offensive.
The representative poll was commissioned by the German weekly magazine Stern, and was conducted by the Forsa research institute on May 30-31.
15:35 GMT –– Israel to form 'rapid response forces' in West Bank settlements
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced plans to establish “rapid response forces” in settlements near the border with the occupied West Bank.
He unveiled the plans as he inspected Israeli military forces along the contact line between the West Bank and Israel, accompanied by the chair of the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Yuli Edelstein.
15:30 GMT –– UN decries 'unfathomable' killings in West Bank since October 7
The UN rights chief has demanded an end to violence in the occupied West Bank, saying it was "unfathomable" that more than 500 Palestinians had been killed there since October 7.
In a statement, slammed by Israel, Volker Turk said at least 505 Palestinians had been killed in the West Bank by the Israeli military, other security forces and West Bank settlers since the war in Gaza erupted nearly eight months ago.
Palestinian officials have given a toll of at least 523.
15:26 GMT –– Gaza’s children live 'endless nightmare' amid Israeli assault: UN agency
Gaza’s children live an “endless nightmare” amid Israel’s deadly offensive on the seaside enclave, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) said.
“Bombardments, forced displacement, lack of food and water and no access to education are traumatising an entire generation,” it added in a statement.
The UN agency said its psychosocial support teams continue working “to give relief and hope to children in Gaza.”
15:25 GMT –– Suspected explosive found outside Israeli firm in Sweden: police
Swedish police said that a suspected explosive had been found outside an Israeli military technology firm in Gothenburg and was likely intended to target the company.
A "suspected explosive object" was found outside the offices of Elbit Systems, known for its unmanned aerial systems, in Sweden's second-largest city in the early morning hours of Monday, police said.
Police cordoned off the area for a few hours while the national bomb squad was called to the scene, and the object was safely removed.
15:20 GMT –– World Central Kitchen so far supplied 50M meals in Gaza
World Central Kitchen has delivered more than 50 million meals in Gaza and hopes to continue to expand in the wartorn area, according to the aid group, which suspended operations in April when seven of its workers were killed by an Israeli strike.
The aid group said it now has two main kitchens in operation in Gaza, and another 65 community kitchens spread throughout the small seaside enclave.
The US-based charity founded by celebrity chef Jose Andres restarted operations about a month after the air strike.
11:30 GMT – Gaza death toll rises to 36,550
The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said on Tuesday that at least 36,550 people have been killed in the territory during nearly eight months of Israeli attacks on Palestinians in Gaza.
The toll includes at least 71 deaths over the past 24 hours, a ministry statement said, adding that 82,959 people have been wounded in the Gaza Strip since the war began when Hamas fighters attacked Israel on October 7.
00:17 GMT –– The US has said it wants the United Nations Security Council to adopt a resolution backing the proposal outlined by President Joe Biden to end Israel's war in Gaza.
It circulated a one-page draft text to the 15-member council. A resolution needs at least nine votes in favour and no vetoes by the US, France, Britain, China or Russia to pass.
The draft "stresses the importance of the parties adhering to the terms of the deal once agreed, with the aim of bringing about a permanent cessation of hostilities."
"Numerous leaders and governments, including in the region, have endorsed this plan and we call on the Security Council to join them in calling for implementation of this deal without delay and without further conditions," US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said in a statement.
23:25 GMT –– Israel bombing kills four, including one child in Bureij camp
Israeli missile strike on a residence in the Bureij camp has resulted in the killing of four Palestinians while multiple people have been wounded, WAFA news agency reports.
According to WAFA correspondent, Israeli warplanes targeted the Al Maghari and Al Ahlam residential towers. They also shelled two more towers in the camp.
Israeli tanks opened heavy fire at citizens' homes in the vicinity of the University College of Applied Sciences in the Tel Al Hawa neighbourhood, southwest of Gaza City, and the Al Sabra area, according to news reports.
22:00 GMT –– Police arrest pro-Palestine demonstrators inside San Francisco building housing Israeli Consulate
San Francisco police have detained a group of pro-Palestine demonstrators who entered the lobby of the building housing the Israeli consulate after they refused to leave, authorities said.
An unspecified number of people were "detained for potential arrest," police said in a statement on Monday. "Officers have been making multiple warnings to the individuals to disperse and exit the private property on their own."
About 50 people were inside the building on the ground floor. Police led protesters out of the building one-by-one and loaded them into police vehicles, their hands bound by zip ties.
Protesters, who were voicing opposition to Israel's incursion into Gaza, had said they planned to stay until forcibly removed, the San Francisco Chronicle reported from the scene.
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