Tuesday, January 9, 2024
19:01 GMT — Israel has said it killed the southern Lebanon commander of Hezbollah's aerial unit in an air strike, hours after it said he led an attack on an army headquarters base in northern Israel.
The Israeli military's chief spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said Ali Hussein Barji had led dozens of drone attacks on Israel, as Israel and Hezbollah have been waging their deadliest hostilities in 17 years.
18:57 GMT — Daily toll in Gaza too high, Israel genocide charge meritless: Blinken
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States believes South Africa's genocide charge against Israel is "meritless," but the daily toll of war on civilians in Gaza is far too high.
Blinken commented at a press conference after talks in Tel Aviv with Israeli leaders.
Blinken said Palestinians must be able to return home as soon as conditions allow and cited an agreement on a plan for the United Nations to carry out an assessment mission in Gaza. Blinken said the United States rejected any proposals advocating resettlement of Palestinians outside Gaza and stressed that the Palestinian Authority has the responsibility to reform itself.
17:12 GMT — UN experts condemn 'extrajudicial' killing of Hamas figure in Lebanon
UN experts in international law condemned the killing of Hamas deputy leader Saleh al Arouri and other fighters in drone strikes on Lebanon, saying this amounted to the crimes of extrajudicial killings and murder.
"Killings in foreign territory are arbitrary when they are not authorised under international law," the two UN Special Rapporteurs, Ben Saul and Morris Tidball-Binz, said in a statement issued in Geneva.
"Israel was not exercising self-defence because it presented no evidence that the victims were committing an armed attack on Israel from Lebanese territory."
17:07 GMT — US rabbis rally at UN, urging immediate cease-fire in Gaza
A group of rabbis from Rabbis for Ceasefire protested inside the UN Security Council chamber and demanded an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
The demonstrators urged the US to stop "vetoing peace," referencing Washington’s vetoes that have opposed demands for a cease-fire and humanitarian pauses in Gaza.
"We are here at the UN in prayer and determination to support the UN to ask for immediate, permanent ceasefire in Gaza and to the man (President Joe Biden) that the US gets out of the way of the UN taking urgent action to save lives," said one member of Rabbis for Ceasefire.
Carrying banners that read "Biden: The world says ceasefire now" and "Biden: Stop vetoing ceasefire," demonstrators sang inside the chamber before being escorted out by security officers. Later, they gathered in front of the main UN building and reiterated their demand for a ceasefire. "The United Nations, you have the unique power and the unique responsibility to bring about a permanent ceasefire," they said.
17:06 GMT — Israel’s Netanyahu fears rebellion in his own Likud Party: report
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fears that growing frustration within his Likud Party could lead to a joint effort with the opposition to oust him, according to local media on Tuesday.
"In recent days, fears have grown of a rebellion against Netanyahu in the Likud Party and of a joint move with the opposition to oust him,” Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper reported.
"Criticisms of the party and the ruling coalition by Likud members have increased amid attempts to make a move against Netanyahu," it added.
16:24 GMT — ICC confirms it is probing deaths of journalists in Gaza
The International Criminal Court confirmed that it was investigating potential crimes against journalists since the launch of the Israeli onslaught on Gaza, where dozens of reporters have been killed.
Media advocacy group Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said in November that it had filed a complaint with the Hague-based ICC alleging war crimes over the deaths of journalists trying to cover the conflict.
"The office of prosecutor Karim Khan has assured the organisation that crimes against journalists are included in its investigation into Palestine," the NGO announced.
The court confirmed the statement, saying: "The ICC Office of the Prosecutor's investigation into the situation in the State of Palestine concerns crimes committed within the Court's jurisdiction since 13 June 2014."
16:04 GMT — Israel seeks on Iran to prevent regional escalation
Israel's defence minister told the top US diplomat Antony Blinken Tuesday that increasing pressure on Iran was "critical" as it could prevent a regional escalation as war grinds on in Gaza.
"An increase in the pressure placed on Iran is critical and may prevent regional escalation in additional arenas," Yoav Gallant was quoted as saying in a government statement.
15:26 GMT — Israel may have breached international law in Gaza: UK
Britain's Foreign Minister David Cameron has said he was worried that Israel might have taken action in Gaza that might be in breach of international law.
"Am I worried that Israel has taken action that might be in breach of international law, because this particular premises has been bombed, or whatever? Yes, of course," Cameron said as he took questions from parliament's foreign affairs committee.
14:23 GMT — Lebanon ready for talks on long-term border stability: PM
Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati told a senior United Nations official that his country was ready for talks on long-term stability on its southern border with Israel.
Mikati's office said in a statement he met UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix in Beirut to reiterate "Lebanon's readiness to enter negotiations to achieve a long-term process of stability in southern Lebanon" along the border with Israel.
"We seek permanent stability and call for a lasting peaceful solution - but in return we receive warnings through international envoys about a war on Lebanon," Mikati said.
"The position I repeat to these delegates is: Do you support the idea of destruction? Is what is happening in Gaza acceptable?"
14:13 GMT — US tells Israel to avoid 'further civilian harm' in Gaza
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has told Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that his forces must avoid inflicting further harm on civilians in Gaza, the State Department said.
"The secretary reaffirmed our support for Israel's right to prevent the terrorist attacks of October 7 from being repeated and stressed the importance of avoiding further civilian harm and protecting civilian infrastructure in Gaza," State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said of the talks between Blinken and Netanyahu.
13:46 GMT — Families of Israeli hostages try to block aid to Gaza
Families of Israelis held captive by Hamas attempted to block the entry of humanitarian aid to Gaza, according to local media.
Israeli police intercepted a march by families of hostages who intended to shut the Kerem Shalom crossing in protest of the delivery of aid shipments to the Palestinian enclave, Haaretz newspaper reported.
The families demand the release of dozens of Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza following its cross-border attack on Oct.
14:13 GMT — US tells Israel to avoid 'further civilian harm' in Gaza
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has told Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that his forces must avoid inflicting further harm on civilians in Gaza, the State Department said.
"The secretary reaffirmed our support for Israel's right to prevent the terrorist attacks of October 7 from being repeated and stressed the importance of avoiding further civilian harm and protecting civilian infrastructure in Gaza," State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said of the talks between Blinken and Netanyahu.
13:31 GMT — EU warns of high risk of spillover of Israeli war on Gaza
The EU foreign policy chief has repeated his warning of a high risk of spillover of the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Josep Borrell said there is a high risk of escalation in the region, both along the Israeli-Lebanese border and in the Red Sea, in a press statement issued after his visit to Saudi Arabia.
"We have to avoid the war spilling over. The war has to stop, not to expand. And the only solution for avoiding the war from expanding is to look for a political solution for the conflict between Israel and Palestine," he urged.
13:14 GMT — Singapore, Sri Lanka to join US-led Red Sea operation
Singapore and Sri Lanka will join the US-led Red Sea operation amid attacks on cargo ships by Yemen’s Houthi group.
In a statement, the Defense Ministry of Singapore said it will participate in the multinational Operation Prosperity Guardian to counter the Houthi attacks and secure maritime passage in the Red Sea.
"This is part of efforts to ensure the freedom of navigation in this key global sea line of communication," said the statement. Singapore is not deploying any vessel but will contribute personnel for information sharing and planning led by a national representative.
Houthis have targeted vessels in the southern Red Sea, warning it will attack all Israel-bound ships. It says the attacks are to support Palestinians as they face Israel's "aggression and siege" in Gaza.
12:57 GMT — Netanyahu holds talks with Blinken in Tel Aviv
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held bilateral talks with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Tel Aviv, according to his office.
"Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is currently holding a private meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, at the Kirya in Tel Aviv," his office said in a statement.
"An expanded meeting with members of the War Cabinet will be held afterward," it added. No details were yet provided about the content of the talks.
12:48 GMT — Israeli forces drove over body of a Palestinian: officials
Palestinian officials accused Israel of a "brutal crime" after footage shared on social media appeared to show a military vehicle running over a dead Palestinian in the occupied West Bank.
Palestine's Foreign Ministry said that the footage was from a military operation in the city of Tulkarem.
"This complex and brutal crime is not the first and will not be the last in the series of crimes of the occupation and terrorist settler militia members," the ministry said in a statement.
The Palestinian ministry said the incident summed up the "culture of hatred" fostered by Israeli forces.
"This complex and brutal crime is not the first and will not be the last in the series of crimes of the occupation and terrorist settler militia members," the ministry said in a statement.
13:14 GMT — Singapore, Sri Lanka to join US-led Red Sea operation
Singapore and Sri Lanka will join the US-led Red Sea operation amid attacks on cargo ships by Yemen’s Houthi group.
In a statement, the Defense Ministry of Singapore said it will participate in the multinational Operation Prosperity Guardian to counter the Houthi attacks and secure maritime passage in the Red Sea.
"This is part of efforts to ensure the freedom of navigation in this key global sea line of communication," said the statement. Singapore is not deploying any vessel but will contribute personnel for information sharing and planning led by a national representative.
Houthis have targeted vessels in the southern Red Sea, warning it will attack all Israel-bound ships. It says the attacks are to support Palestinians as they face Israel's "aggression and siege" in Gaza.
12:57 GMT — Netanyahu holds talks with Blinken in Tel Aviv
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held bilateral talks with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Tel Aviv, according to his office.
"Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is currently holding a private meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, at the Kirya in Tel Aviv," his office said in a statement.
"An expanded meeting with members of the War Cabinet will be held afterward," it added. No details were yet provided about the content of the talks.
11:54 GMT — Israeli army detains 25 more Palestinians in West Bank
With the overnight arrest of 25 more people, the number of Palestinians arrested by the Israeli army in the occupied West Bank since Oct. 7 has risen to 5,755.
A joint statement issued by the Prisoners and Ex-Prisoners Affairs Authority and the Palestinian Prisoners Society said: "The tally of arrests since Oct. 7 has risen to over 5,755, including those apprehended from their homes, at military checkpoints, those compelled to surrender under pressure, and those taken as hostages."
The Israeli occupation forces arrested at least 25 individuals from the occupied West Bank from Monday evening till Tuesday dawn, the statement further added.
11:49 GMT — Medics, patients flee Gaza hospitals as bombing intensifies: WHO
World Health Organization officials voiced concern about the possible collapse of hospital provision in occupied southern and central Gaza, with hundreds of medical staff and patients having fled facilities for their lives.
"What we're seeing is really worrying around Al Aqsa Hospital and (an) intensification of hostilities very close to European Gaza Hospital and very close to Nasser (Hospital)," Sean Casey, WHO emergency medical teams coordinator in Gaza, told a Geneva press briefing by video link.
"We cannot lose these health facilities. They absolutely must be protected. This is the last line of secondary and tertiary health care that Gaza has - from the north to the south it's been dropping, hospital after hospital," he said.
11:54 GMT — Israeli army detains 25 more Palestinians in West Bank
With the overnight arrest of 25 more people, the number of Palestinians arrested by the Israeli army in the occupied West Bank since Oct. 7 has risen to 5,755.
A joint statement issued by the Prisoners and Ex-Prisoners Affairs Authority and the Palestinian Prisoners Society said: "The tally of arrests since Oct. 7 has risen to over 5,755, including those apprehended from their homes, at military checkpoints, those compelled to surrender under pressure, and those taken as hostages."
The Israeli occupation forces arrested at least 25 individuals from the occupied West Bank from Monday evening till Tuesday dawn, the statement further added.
10:29 GMT — Int'l community has obligation to organise Gaza security: Germany
''The international community must organise security in Gaza after the war and a reformed Palestinian Authority must play a crucial role in future'', Germany's foreign minister said on Tuesday during a visit to Egypt.
"Egypt and Germany are agreed that Gaza and the West Bank belong to Palestinians," Germany's Annalena Baerbock told reporters.
Baerbock said Palestinians should not be driven away.
"We need to have concrete measures today and now. We need to make sure aid is getting to people in Gaza," she said at a news conference with her Egyptian counterpart.
10:27 GMT — Israeli army says another 5 soldiers killed in Gaza
The Israeli army has said another five soldiers have been killed in ground battles in Gaza, bringing the total to 9 in the past 24 hours.
Earlier the Israeli army had said four soldiers were killed in fighting with Palestinian groups in southern and central Gaza and six other troops were seriously wounded in the battles.
10:14 GMT — Death toll in Israeli attacks on Gaza rises to 23,210
The number of people killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza since October 7 has risen to 23,210, the Health Ministry in the besieged enclave has said.
The ministry in a statement said at least 59,167 others had been injured.
The Israeli forces committed 12 massacres against Palestinian families across the enclave in the last 24 hours, leaving 126 Palestinians killed and 241 others injured, the ministry added.
It said that several victims were still under the rubble and on the streets, as the ambulances were unable to reach them due to relentless Israeli air and ground attacks.
10:27 GMT — Israeli army says another 5 soldiers killed in Gaza
The Israeli army has said another five soldiers have been killed in ground battles in Gaza, bringing the total to 9 in the past 24 hours.
Earlier the Israeli army had said four soldiers were killed in fighting with Palestinian groups in southern and central Gaza and six other troops were seriously wounded in the battles.
09:19 GMT — Hezbollah says targeted Israel base to avenge killings in Lebanon
Hezbollah has said that it targeted the Israel base to avenge killings in Lebanon.
Israel's military however said no damage was caused to one of its army bases in northern Israel after Hezbollah said it launched explosive drones toward the area, officials said.
Earlier three members of Hezbollah have been killed in a targeted strike on their vehicle in the town of Ghandouriyeh in the south of Lebanon.
0908 GMT — Hamas chief urges Muslim states to support ‘resistance with weapons’
Hamas chief has urged Muslim states to support "resistance with weapons".
The statement comes in the wake of continuing Israeli attacks on Gaza.
08:53 GMT — Blinken to discuss 'way forward' in Gaza as he meets Israeli leaders
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to discuss the "way forward" in Israel's war in Gaza as he meets with leaders including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after touring Israel's Arab neighbours.
"There's lots to talk about, in particular about the way forward," said Blinken, who has visited Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, as well as Türkiye and Greece, since Saturday.
Speaking alongside Israeli President Isaac Herzog ahead of their meeting on Tuesday morning, Blinken said he would share what he had heard from regional countries during a day of meetings with Israel's government.
08:32 GMT — Three Hezbollah members reportedly killed in Israeli strike
Three members of Hezbollah have been killed in a targeted strike on their vehicle in the town of Ghandouriyeh in the south of Lebanon, two sources familiar with the group's operations have told Reuters.
The sources did not immediately identify those killed.
Israel had killed a top Hezbollah commander in a strike in south Lebanon a day prior, sources familiar with the group's operations said.
There was no immediate comment from Israel on Monday's operation.
08:25 GMT — 57 bodies brought to Al Aqsa hospital in last 24 hours —Ministry
At least 57 bodies and 65 injured were brought to Gaza's Al Aqsa Martyrs Hospital over the past 24 hours, the Health Ministry in the enclave has said.
The ministry, however, did not provide further details of the victims.
07:57 GMT — Israel angered over genocide lawsuit, thanks US for support
Israeli President Isaac Herzog has said that "there is nothing more atrocious and preposterous" than the lawsuit filed in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) accusing Israel of genocidal actions against Palestinians in the Gaza war.
Speaking to visiting US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Herzog censured South Africa for bringing the case, which is due to begin hearings on Thursday, and thanked Washington for its support of Israel.
07:31 GMT - Israeli soldiers' death toll surge amid Gaza invasion
The Israeli army has said four more soldiers were killed in fighting with Palestinian groups in southern and central Gaza.
Six other troops were seriously wounded in the battles, the military said in a statement cited by the Times of Israel news website on Tuesday.
180 Israeli soldiers have been killed in the besieged enclave since the start of the ground operation on Oct. 27.
The military death toll since the onslaught on Gaza in October, however, has risen to 514.
07:26 GMT — Israel angered over genocide lawsuit, thanks US for support
Israeli President Isaac Herzog has said that "there is nothing more atrocious and preposterous" than the lawsuit filed in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) accusing Israel of genocidal actions against Palestinians in the Gaza war.
Speaking to visiting US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Herzog censured South Africa for bringing the case, which is due to begin hearings on Thursday, and thanked Washington for its support of Israel.
07:12 GMT — Israeli army kills dozens of Palestinian fighters in Gaza: military
Israeli forces have killed around 40 Palestinian fighters and raided a compound and tunnel shafts during expanded operations in southern Gaza's Khan Younis, the military has claimed.
Khan Younis hosts one of the largest refugee camps in the enclave where civilians are taking shelter.
Summarising operations since Monday, it said on Tuesday that aircraft hit Hamas fighters in Al-Maghazi, central Gaza.
South and central Gaza have been a focus of the offensive by Israel, which on Saturday declared Hamas infrastructures in the north dismantled.
Israel has faced criticism for killing innocent civilians and falsely identifying them as fighters.
06:20 GMT — Blinken in Tel Aviv as Gaza sees another night of Israeli terror
Top US diplomat Antony Blinken has arrived in Tel Aviv as part of a regional tour as Israel pounded besieged Gaza and Lebanon, raising global fears that Israel could widen its war beyond Gaza.
US Secretary of State Blinken, on his fourth regional trip since Israel's war began, met on Monday with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman after talks in the United Arab Emirates and ahead of his visit to Israel.
Before leaving Al Ula in Saudi Arabia, Blinken said, "We agreed to work together and coordinate our efforts to help Gaza stabilise and recover ... and to work toward long term peace and security and stability."
Israeli leaders will tell Blinken that they will not allow Palestinians from northern Gaza to return if Hamas resistance group refuses to free more of the Israeli captives it seized on October 7, Axios reported, quoting two senior Israeli officials.
Washington, Israel's main ally and arms supplier, says it is concerned over the Israeli war's civilian death toll. But it continues to arm Tel Aviv and has never since October 7 called for a ceasefire in Gaza, where Israel's decimation campaign has killed more than 23,000 Palestinians, wounded nearly 59,000 and flattened 60 percent of the enclave's homes and businesses. The US has also torpedoed multiple UNSC resolutions that would have called for truce in Gaza.
Israel is the largest recipient of US military aid. The US has reportedly provided Israel with over 70,000 weapons — aircraft, ground vehicles, missiles and bombs — via military aid between 1950 and 2022.
The US government recently used an emergency authority to allow the sale of about 14,000 tank shells to Israel without congressional review.
Amnesty International has tied some US-supplied munitions directly to Israeli strikes with extensive Palestinian civilian casualties in Gaza.
