Thursday, February 15, 2024
17:14 GMT — More than 70 percent of civilian infrastructure in Gaza has been destroyed or severely damaged from intense Israeli attacks, the UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) has said.
UNRWA shared what is said was "shocking footage" that showed "unimaginable destruction" in Gaza city, including the agency's health centre.
The UN agency wrote on X that "70% of civilian infrastructure- including homes, hospitals & schools- have been destroyed or severely damaged."
It said 84 percent of health facilities have been affected by the attacks. “Nowhere is safe," it added.
17:00 GMT — Hezbollah says it fired dozens of rockets into north Israel
Lebanon's Hezbollah has said it had fired dozens of rockets into northern Israel, a day after Israeli raids killed 15 people including a Hezbollah commander.
"In a first response to the massacres in Nabatiyeh and Sawaneh, Islamic resistance fighters fired dozens of Katyusha-type rockets at Kiryat Shmona," an Israeli town near the Lebanese border, Hezbollah said in a statement.
16:43 GMT — Egyptian, Brazilian leaders call for ceasefire in Gaza
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el Sisi and his Brazilian counterpart Lula da Silva have agreed on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza.
In a joint news conference in Cairo, al Sisi said: "I agreed with President Lula on the need for a ceasefire in Gaza, the release of captives and prisoners, and the entry of the largest possible amount of aid into the strip to preserve the lives of civilians," according to the Egyptian State Information Service (SIS).
It said that they also emphasised the importance of "paving the way for the post-war phase to establish a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital."
16:32 GMT — CIA director makes secret visit to Israel for Gaza talks
CIA Director William Burns has arrived in Israel for an unannounced visit for talks with top Israeli officials, according to local media.
Burns met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Mossad chief David Barnea following his arrival, Israeli Channel 12 reported.
The reason for the visit was not yet clear, but Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper said it was linked to Netanyahu’s refusal to send a security delegation to Egypt to continue talks for a hostage swap deal with Palestinian resistance group Hamas.
15:53 GMT — Palestinian Red Crescent slams Israeli claims about arrest of 'terrorists' at Gaza hospital
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society has dismissed Israeli claims about arresting 20 "terrorists" at Al Amal Hospital in Khan Younis city in southern Gaza.
In a statement, the aid organisation termed the Israeli claims as "slanders that aim to justify Israeli siege and raids on hospitals and medical staff."
Israel "is desperately attempting to justify its war crimes by killing medical staff and bombing and destroying hospitals," it added.
15:26 GMT — Israel's Knesset approves bill in preliminary reading to ban UN refugee agency
The Knesset (Israel's parliament) has passed a bill in its preliminary reading to ban the operations of the UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) in Israel and the occupied West Bank.
The bill was advanced by 33-10 votes, the Knesset said in a statement. It will now be turned over to the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee for deliberation.
The bill needs to pass three more readings before becoming law.
14:58 GMT — Israel not complying with world court's interim ruling: South Africa
As Israel continues preparing for a feared ground offensive in Gaza's southernmost city, South Africa has said its actions show it is not complying with previous orders by the UN's top court to prevent genocide in Palestine.
Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor said her country is horrified at what has been happening to people in the enclave, including in the city of Rafah on its southern border with Egypt, as well as in the occupied West Bank.
"We believe this confirms the allegations we have tabled before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) that genocide is underway in the occupied Palestinian territories and clearly the actions of the Israeli government prove that what we have said is actually accurate," Pandor told reporters on the sidelines of the African Union Executive Council meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
14:44 GMT — UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon says attacks against civilians constitute 'war crimes'
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has said that attacks against civilians constitute "war crimes."
"Attacks targeting civilians are violations of international law and constitute war crimes. The devastation, loss of life, and injuries witnessed are deeply concerning," UNIFIL spokesperson Andrea Tenenti said in statements carried by Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency.
"We urge all parties involved to halt hostilities immediately to prevent further escalation," he said.
13:21 GMT - Israeli forces storm Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis - witnesses
Israeli forces have stormed the main hospital in southern Gaza, witnesses said, hours after Israeli fire killed a patient and wounded six others inside the complex.
The Palestinian Health Ministry spokesperson Ashraf al Qidra said Israel had launched a "massive incursion" with heavy shooting that wounded many of the displaced people who had sheltered there.
He said the military had ordered medics to move all patients into an older building that was not properly equipped for their treatment.
12:44 GMT - Gaza death toll reaches 28,663: Health Ministry
The Palestinian health ministry in Gaza said at least 28,663 people have been killed in the Palestinian territory since the beginning of Israel's war on the besieged enclave.
The toll includes 87 fatalities over the past 24 hours, a ministry statement said, while 68,395 people have been wounded in Gaza since October 7.
11:55 GMT - Israel grants gas exploration license in areas considered to be within Palestine's maritime boundary
Israel has given exploration licenses for natural gas in locations that are considered to be within Palestine's maritime boundary in preparation for "occupying" these areas.
Israel, having killed tens of thousands of civilians in attacks and occupation of Gaza, announced the results of the tender it organised for exploration in Palestinian waters in December 2022 on October 29 last year, just days after it intensified its attacks in Gaza.
Within the scope of the tender, the Israeli administration granted licenses to six Israeli and international companies to explore natural gas in areas that are deemed to fall under Palestinian maritime borders in accordance with international law.
11:14 GMT - Israel detains 20 more Palestinians in fresh West Bank raids
The Israeli army rounded up 20 more Palestinians in military raids carried out across the occupied West Bank, according to prisoners' affairs groups.
Most of the arrests took place in the cities of Bethlehem, Tulkarm, Nablus, Jenin and Jerusalem, the Commission of Detainees' Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoner Society said in a joint statement.
"The arrests were marked by acts of sabotage and destruction of citizens' homes, in addition to severe beatings against detainees and their families, and confiscation of money," the statement said. There was no comment from the Israeli army on the report.
10:30 GMT - Israeli ministers reject US peace plan for Palestinian state
Two Israeli ministers voiced opposition to a reported US peace plan for the creation of a Palestinian state.
According to the Washington Post newspaper, the US and a number of Arab countries are finalising a long-term peace plan between Israel and Palestinians.
The plan includes ''a firm timeline for the establishment of a Palestinian state, that could be announced as early as the next several weeks,'' it said.
09:55 GMT - Ireland to give UNRWA 20M euros after key donors suspend aid
Ireland announced 20 million euros ($21.46 million) in support for the UN Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) and urged countries that have suspended funding to resume and expand support to the agency.
UNRWA, which provides healthcare, education and other services, has been pitched into crisis since Israel alleged that 12 of its 13,000 staff in Gaza were involved in the October 7 Hamas-led attack on Israel.
The allegations prompted a number of countries to suspend funding, including the United States, its largest donor.
09:34 GMT - Israeli air strikes killed 10 Lebanese civilians in a single day
The civilian death toll from two Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon has risen to 10, Lebanese state media reported, making the previous day the deadliest in more than four months of cross-border exchanges.
The Lebanese group Hezbollah has vowed to retaliate for Wednesday's strikes, which hit the city of Nabatiyeh and a village in southern Lebanon, just hours after projectiles from Lebanon killed an Israeli soldier.
More Israeli strikes were reported in south Lebanon on Thursday and Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati condemned the escalation.
09:00 GMT - Israeli army threatens military offensive in Nablus amid West Bank tensions
The Israeli army threatened a deadly military operation in the occupied West Bank city of Nablus.
According to witnesses, Israeli forces dropped leaflets on the Nablus refugee camp warning residents of a military offensive in the area. "The fate of your city is in your hands. Do not follow the path of the Jenin camp," the leaflet reads.
The Israeli army staged several military raids inside the Jenin refugee camp in the past weeks, killing a dozen Palestinians and causing mass destruction.
08:30 GMT - UAE to provide satellite internet to field hospital in Gaza
The United Arab Emirates has said it is working to provide SpaceX's Starlink satellite broadband at its field hospital in the Rafah city in northern Gaza.
Abu Dhabi is working "in partnership with various international and regional organisations and hospitals to introduce SpaceX's Starlink satellite broadband at its field hospital in the Gaza Strip," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.
This initiative aims "to enable potentially life-saving medical consultations via real-time video calling," it added.
07:50 GMT - World leaders urge Israel to avoid 'catastrophic' Rafah offensive
Israel's plan to push ahead with a "powerful" offensive in Gaza's Rafah was met with a growing chorus of international condemnation, with leaders warning against catastrophic consequences for the 1.4 million Palestinians trapped there.
Australia, Canada and New Zealand warned Israel "not to go down this path," issuing a rare joint statement in the latest urgent appeal seeking to avert further mass civilian casualties.
"An expanded military operation would be devastating," they said. "There is simply nowhere else for civilians to go."
07:14 GMT - Israel isolates Palestinian iconic leader Barghouti
Israel has placed Marwan al Barghouti, a prominent leader of the Palestinian Fatah group, in solitary confinement, Israel's national security minister said Wednesday.
"I'm glad that the Israeli security service is implementing my very clear policy towards terrorists in prisons," Itamar Ben-Gvir said on X.
Saying that Barghouti was taken by Israel's Prisons Authority from Ofer prison in the occupied West Bank after receiving a tip about his "planned uprising," the Israeli far-right minister shared no further details about which prison he was put in.
Barghouti, 64, a member of Fatah's Central Committee, is most favoured to chair the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority after President Mahmoud Abbas, according to Palestinian opinion polls.
06:49 GMT - Arab nations urge UN to stop Israel's Rafah invasion
The 22 Arab countries at the United Nations are urging the UN Security Council to demand an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and unhindered humanitarian assistance and to prevent any transfer of Palestinians out of the territory.
Tunisia's UN Ambassador Tarek Ladeb highlighted the potential "catastrophic scenario" facing 1.5 million Palestinians in Gaza's Rafah if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu goes ahead with the invasion.
Algeria circulated a draft resolution two weeks ago, opposing forced displacement and seeking a humanitarian ceasefire.
06:12 GMT - Families protest Israeli officials for suspension of hostage deal
Hundreds of Israelis, including relatives of those detained in Gaza, demonstrated Wednesday in front of the residence of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the homes of Defence Minister Yoav Gallant and Minister of War Benny Gantz.
Israel's Channel 12 reported that the demonstrators protested in front of Netanyahu's residence on Gaza Street in West Jerusalem after he announced the suspension of negotiations for the release of the hostages.
It added that following the protest, Gaza Street was closed to traffic.
"The meaning of the decision (to suspend negotiations) is deliberately sacrificing the lives of all the abducted," the organisers of the demonstration said in a statement, according to the channel.
05:34 GMT - Israel attacks Nasser Hospital in Gaza, kills 1, wounds others
At least one person was killed, and many others were wounded in an attack by Israeli forces on Nasser Hospital in besieged Gaza's southern city of Khan Younis, a Palestinian news agency.
The attack was carried out in the hospital’s orthopaedics section, WAFA reported.
The report noted that the hospital has been under a blockade by Israeli forces for the last 25 days.
Earlier in the day, the Israeli army forced thousands of Palestinians who were seeking refuge in Nasser Hospital to leave.
05:00 GMT - Australia, New Zealand and Canada call for immediate ceasefire
Canada, Australia and New Zealand have called for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in besieged Gaza, according to a joint statement released in response to reports about Israel's planned military operation in Rafah.
The joint statement said a negotiated political solution is needed to achieve lasting peace, saying the Israeli-planned attack on Rafah would be catastrophic.
04:31 GMT - Biden signs deferral protection for 'most' US Palestinians
US President Joe Biden has deferred protection of "most" Palestinians already in the US due to the humanitarian catastrophe in the besieged Gaza.
In light of the situation, Biden signed an executive order "directing the deferral of removal of certain Palestinians who are present in the United States, giving them a temporary safe haven," Biden's National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said.
The protections will remain in place for 18 months. Individuals who have been convicted of felonies "or who are otherwise deemed to pose a public safety threat are not eligible for deferred enforced departure," Sullivan said. Any individual who returns to Palestine will similarly lose the protections.
03:50 GMT - Pro-Palestine group protests outside Israeli embassy in Czech Republic
Scores of people protested outside the Israeli embassy in the Czech Republic's capital, Prague, against Israel's ongoing onslaught on the city of Rafah in the southern besieged Gaza.
They shouted slogans demanding an immediate ceasefire in the blockaded enclave and expressed their reservations over the Czech Republic's unequivocal diplomatic and military support for Israel.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency, one of the participants, Dominika Znameneanckova, said a ceasefire is the need of the hour.
03:25 GMT - Pro-Palestinian protesters disrupt foreign policy debate in Sweden's parliament
Protesters condemning Israel's war in besieged Gaza disrupted a foreign policy debate in Sweden's parliament or Riksdag.
The first disturbance took place just after 9 am when a woman from the audience suddenly interrupted Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom while he was speaking.
Billstrom said: "Sweden stands behind Israel's legitimate right to defend itself against Hamas in accordance with international law and international humanitarian law."
02:55 GMT - South Africa serving Hamas in latest World Court bid: Israel
South Africa's latest request to the World Court against an assault by Israel in southern besieged Gaza serves resistance group Hamas and is an attempt to stop Israel from defending itself, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said.
South Africa continues to represent the interests of Hamas and is "trying to deny Israel the fundamental right to defend itself and its citizens," said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lior Haiat.
"Israel is committed to upholding international law, including facilitating the transfer of humanitarian aid and preventing harm to innocents," Haiat said on X.
For our live updates from Wednesday, February 14, click here.
