Friday May 24, 2024
The International Court of Justice has ordered Israel to halt its military offensive in Rafah
The World Court said that the humanitarian situation in Rafah has "deteriorated further" since the last court order, classifying the situation as "disastrous."
Pretoria has urged the International Court of Justice to order an "immediate" stop to Israel's campaign, including in the southern area of Rafah, and facilitate access of humanitarian aid.
The International Court of Justice has no police to enforce its rulings, even though they are considered legally binding.
13:15 GMT — Israeli forces struck Gaza as the UN's top court was due to rule on a plea to halt the military offensive over accusations of "genocide".
At least five Palestinians were killed in an Israeli attack that targeted a house in northern Gaza.
According to the official Palestinian news agency Wafa, at least five Palestinians were killed and several others wounded in the Israeli bombing targeting the Al-Fakhura neighbourhood.
More updates
12:30 GMT — Israel army says retrieved bodies of three Gaza hostages
The Israeli military said its forces had retrieved the bodies of three hostages in an overnight operation in northern Gaza's Jabalia.
The bodies of Israeli hostage Chanan Yablonka, Brazilian-Israeli Michel Nisenbaum and French-Mexican Orion Hernandez Radoux "were rescued overnight," and their families were notified after forensic identification, the military said in a statement.
Both Yablonka, 42, and Hernandez Radoux, 32, were abducted by Hamas on October 7.
12:15 GMT — Israel cuts ties between Spanish Consulate in Jerusalem, Palestinians in occupied West Bank
Israel has severed ties between the Spanish Consulate in Jerusalem and Palestinians from the occupied West Bank.
In a statement, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said that “in response to Spain's recognition of a Palestinian state and the anti-Semitic call by Spain's deputy prime minister to not just recognise a Palestinian state but to 'liberate Palestine from the river to the sea,' I have decided to sever the connection between Spain's representation in Israel and the Palestinians.”
Katz added that he has also decided to “prohibit the Spanish Consulate in Jerusalem from providing services to Palestinians from the West Bank.”
12:10 GMT — Illegal Israeli settlers establish new outpost in West Bank
Illegal Israeli settlers established a new settlement outpost north of the city of Jericho in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian news agency WAFA reported, citing Ayman Gharib, an activist with the Popular Resistance Committees in the Jordan Valley.
“Around 15 illegal settlers brought building equipment and set up a new settlement outpost about 300 meters from the Al Auja water canal,” Ghareeb said.
He emphasised that the canal is a significant source of water in the northern region of Jericho.
06:30 GMT — Israel kills 10 more Palestinians in new attacks
Israeli military has targeted a residential apartment in the main Gaza City, killing 10 Palestinians and wounding many others, Palestine's official news agency WAFA reported.
Local sources told WAFA that the Israeli forces targeted an apartment belonging to the Ayoub family in the Al-Sha'abiyah area of the city, resulting in the killing of 10 Palestinians, including children and women.
Several other citizens were wounded due to the attack.
06:20 GMT — Israel kills 91 Palestinians in 9 massacres in 24 hours
Israeli army has committed nine massacres against families in besieged Gaza over the last 24 hours, resulting in the documented killing of at least 91 Palestinians. About 210 people were wounded in the interim, according to medical sources.
Local health authorities confirmed that the Palestinian death toll from the Israeli onslaught since October 7 has risen to 35,800 reported fatalities, with an additional 80,200 individuals sustaining injuries.
The majority of the victims are women and children. Meanwhile, ambulance and rescue teams are still unable to reach many casualties and dead bodies trapped under the rubble or scattered on roads across the war-torn enclave, as Israeli occupation forces continue to obstruct the movement of ambulance and civil defense crews.
06:15 GMT — Increased risk of Palestinian Authority's fiscal collapse
The fiscal situation of the Palestinian Authority, which runs the occupied West Bank, has worsened in the last three months, "significantly raising the risk of a fiscal collapse," the World Bank said.
"The rapidly widening gap between the amount of revenues coming in, and the amount needed to finance essential public expenditure, is driving a fiscal crisis," it said.
06:11 GMT — Netanyahu to address joint session of US Congress 'soon': House Speaker
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will soon address the US Congress, House Speaker Mike Johnson has announced, amid Israel's ongoing war on Gaza.
"We will soon be hosting Prime Minister Netanyahu at the Capitol for a joint session of Congress," Johnson said, adding that the visit would mark "a very strong show of support to the Israeli government."
06:10 GMT — UN expert urges probe of torture of Palestinian prisoners
A UN rights expert has called on Israeli authorities to investigate allegations of torture and abuse of detained Palestinians since October 7.
The UN special rapporteur on torture, Alice Jill Edwards, said she had received allegations of abuse against Palestinians held in prisons run by the Israeli Prison Service and in Israeli military camps.
She pointed to estimates that thousands of Palestinians, including children, had been detained since the war erupted.
05:17 GMT — Gaza Health Ministry warns of hospital shutdown due to fuel shortage
The Gaza Health Ministry has warned again about the imminent shutdown of services at the Shuhada al Aqsa Hospital in the central part of the territory due to shortage of fuel.
According to the ministry’s statement, the facility's generators are expected to halt operations within three hours from the time of announcement.
It underscored the severity of the situation, saying that patients, individuals with injuries and premature infants are facing a life-threatening situation within the hospital premises.
05:10 GMT — Israel's Gantz calls for investigation of October 7 failures
Benny Gantz, a member of Israel’s three-member War Cabinet, has called for an urgent investigation into Israel’s failures leading to the Oct. 7 faliure.
Gantz’s statement, made in a video posted to X, was another sign of escalating divisions in the Israeli War Cabinet.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who leads the War Cabinet, has put off investigating what went wrong on October 7.
For our live updates from Thursday, May 22, click here.
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