Tuesday, August 13, 2024
1657 GMT — The UN has stressed its firm stance against any actions that could alter the current status quo of holy sites, particularly the flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Asked about Israeli National Security Minister Ben-Gvir seeking revisions to the status quo, deputy spokesman Farhan Haq told reporters that the UN is "against any efforts to change the status quo with the holy sites".
"Al-Aqsa Mosque, like the other holy sites in Jerusalem, should be left to themselves and should be controlled by the existing religious authorities for the sites," he said.
Haq characterised recent actions as "unhelpful" and "unduly provocative", stressing that such behaviour could lead to further tensions in an already sensitive region.
1702 GMT — Unilateral action against Al-Aqsa Mosque 'unacceptable': US
The storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in occupied East Jerusalem by hundreds of radical Israelis is "unacceptable", the US Statement Department said.
"Let me just say clearly that the United States stands firmly for preservation of the historic status quo with respect to the holy sites of Jerusalem.
"Any unilateral action like this that jeopardises such a status quo is unacceptable," deputy spokesman Vedant Patel told reporters.
1545 GMT –– Türkiye says storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque will 'escalate tensions'
The storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque by hundreds of radical Israelis, including ministers, will "further escalate tensions" in the region, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said.
"The storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque by hundreds of radical Israelis, including ministers, under police protection is a provocation that violates the historical status of Jerusalem and will further increase escalation in our region," a ministry statement said.
The statement added that "this provocative act" showed again that Israel has no "intention of reaching peace".
It urged the global community to take urgent action to stop the Israeli government's atrocities in Gaza and to “prevent such actions that threaten the stability of our entire region.”
1511 GMT –– Israeli forces use Palestinian civilians as human shields: report
Israeli forces are using Palestinian civilians as human shields, sending them into homes and tunnels before they venture in themselves, sources told Haaretz.
The Israeli newspaper reports that senior officers are also aware of the practice, and do not discourage it.
Israeli forces say that using prisoners as human shields is not allowed and that the claims are under investigation.
1601 GMT –– Iran holds military drill in north of country
Iran is holding a military drill in the north of the country, Mehr news agency reported, with the region bracing for Tehran's avowed retaliation against Israel over the killing of Hamas's politburo leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last month.
The drill was taking place on Tuesday evening from 7:30 pm to 8:30 pm local time (1600 to 1700 GMT) in Iran's Gilan province on the Caspian Sea. It was designed to boost the defensive readiness of the army's naval forces, Mehr cited a local official as saying.
It is Iran's second reported military drill in three days.
1438 GMT –– Two killed as Israeli drone hits vehicle in southern Lebanon
Two people were killed in an Israeli drone strike on a vehicle in southern Lebanon, the Health Ministry said.
A ministry statement did not provide details about the victims, saying only that the attack targeted the border town of Baraachit.
Some Lebanese media outlets said that the two were members of Hezbollah, but there was no confirmation yet from the group.
1436 GMT –– Putin tells Abbas of 'great pain' at Palestinian plight
Russian President Vladimir Putin told visiting Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas that Moscow was pained by the plight of his people and backed their aspiration to create a fully-fledged state.
Putin said Moscow was paying attention to events in the Middle East despite the demands of its own war in Ukraine.
"Everyone is well aware that Russia today, unfortunately, must defend its interests and defend its people with arms in hand. But what is happening in the Middle East, what is happening in Palestine, of course, does not go unnoticed on our part," Putin said, according to a Kremlin transcript.
"And of course, we are watching with great pain and anxiety the humanitarian catastrophe that has unfolded in Palestine," he added.
1401 GMT –– Hamas fires rockets at Tel Aviv after 19 killed in Gaza
Hamas fired two rockets at Israel's commercial hub Tel Aviv for the first time in months after Israeli air strikes killed at least 19 Palestinians in Gaza, as mediators aimed to resume ceasefire talks later in the week.
There were no reports of casualties in Israel. Two rockets had been fired from Gaza, the Israeli military said, one of which fell in the sea and the other had not reached Israeli territory.
Hamas said in a statement: "We have bombed the city of Tel Aviv and its suburbs with two 'M90' missiles in response to the Zionist massacres against civilians and the deliberate displacement of our people."
1252 GMT –– Italian premier reaffirms support for US, Qatar, Egypt mediation talks to defuse tensions in Mideast
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, in her talks with Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu, reiterated her support for trilateral mediation talks between the US, Qatar, and Egypt to de-escalate regional tensions, hoping for a ceasefire for long-term peace.
Meloni hoped "that an agreement can be reached for a sustainable ceasefire in Gaza and the release of the hostages, in line with United Nations Security Council Resolution 2735, during the next round of negotiations on August 15", according to a statement issued by the Italian Prime Minister's Office following her phone talks with Netanyahu.
Separately, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on X that Rome encourages all regional parties to work together to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza, which should ensure the release of Israeli hostages.
1229 GMT –– UN failed in its mission to establish Palestinian state — Abbas
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has criticised the United Nations for failing to help establish a Palestinian state, and blamed the failure on US pressure.
"The UN has failed in its mission to provide a single solution or adopt a resolution that would ensure the realisation of the Palestinian people's right to statehood," Abbas said during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.
"Due to US pressure, the UN was unable to fulfill its mission of providing a solution or adopting a resolution that would secure the rights of the Palestinian people," said Abbas, in Russia ahead of a visit to Türkiye, where he is set to give an address to the Turkish parliament on Thursday.
1208 GMT –– Arab countries condemn Israeli settler incursion into Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque
Condemnations have poured in from across the Arab world following an incursion by Israeli ministers and illegal settlers into Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in occupied East Jerusalem.
Jordan denounced the settler incursion as a "blatant violation of international law and the historical and legal status of Jerusalem".
The Egyptian Foreign Ministry called on the international community to intervene to halt Israel's violations against the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry called the settler incursion the latest example of Israel's targeting of Jerusalem and its Islamic and Christian holy sites.
Palestinian resistance group Hamas called the settler raid into Al-Aqsa Mosque a "provocation of Muslim sentiments".
1137 GMT –– Israeli hardliner Ben-Gvir draws anger with Jerusalem prayer call
Israeli hardliner Itamar Ben-Gvir said Jews should be permitted to pray at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, known to Jews as Temple Mount, launching a fresh challenge to rules covering one of the most sensitive sites in the Middle East.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu quickly denied there would be any change to rules that prohibit Jews from praying at the site, which is holy to both Muslims and Jews, and rebuked Ben-Gvir, the national security minister.
"There is no private policy of any minister on the Temple Mount - neither the Minister of National Security nor any other minister," Netanyahu's office said in a statement, which came a day after the premier issued a separate rebuke to Defence Minister Yoav Gallant over differences in policy.
Moshe Gafni, head of United Torah Judaism, one of the religious parties in the government, criticised Ben-Gvir's visit to the compound, which many Orthodox Jews believe is too sacred a place for Jews to enter.
"The damage it causes to the Jewish people is unbearable, and it also causes unfounded hatred on the day of the destruction of the Temple," he said in a statement.
1040 GMT — 5 Israeli soldiers accused of sexually abusing Palestinian detainee released into house arrest
An Israeli military court ordered the release of five Israeli soldiers accused of sexually abusing a Palestinian detainee into house arrest pending investigation, according to local media.
The soldiers will stay under house arrest for 10 days until Aug. 22 under an agreement between the military prosecution and the soldiers' defence team, Haaretz newspaper reported.
Last month, ten Israeli soldiers were detained for sexually assaulting a detainee from Gaza at the notorious Sde Teiman Prison in southern Israel, but five of them were later released.
Following their arrest on July 29, Israeli right-wing protesters, including politicians, broke into two military bases in southern and central Israel to protest their detention.
1030 GMT — 39,929 Palestinians killed in Israeli war on Gaza since October 7
Israel's brutal war in Gaza has killed at least 39,929 Palestinians and wounded 92,240 since October 7, the Palestinian health ministry in the besieged enclave said.
A total of 32 Palestinians have been killed and 88 wounded in the past 24 hours, the ministry said in a statement.
1030 GMT — Hamas says again it wants Gaza truce deal implemented, not new talks
Hamas is sticking to its demand that Gaza truce talks focus on a deal already discussed with Israel and mediators rather than starting anew, an official said, after Israeli airstrikes killed at least 19 Palestinians in the enclave.
The US said on Monday that it expected peace talks slated for Thursday to go ahead as planned, and that a ceasefire agreement was still possible. Axios reported that U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken planned to set off on Tuesday for discussions in Qatar, Egypt and Israel.
The Israeli government said it would send a delegation to Thursday's talks, but Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that ran Gaza before the war, requested a workable plan to implement a proposal it has already accepted rath er than more talks.
1015 GMT — Israeli ministers join illegal settlers storming Al Aqsa Mosque
At least two Israeli ministers joined hundreds of Israeli illegal settlers in storming of Al Aqsa Mosque complex in occupied East Jerusalem to mark a Jewish event.
According to the Israeli Ynet news website, far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, his fellow Otzma Yehudit party minister Yitzhak Wasserlauf and Knesset member of the Likud party Amit Halevi stormed into the complex to commemorate Tisha B'Av, an annual Jewish fast day that marks the occurrence of several disasters in Jewish history.
"Our policy is to allow (Jewish) prayer," Ynet cited Ben-Gvir as saying during his raid at the mosque.
Following his comment, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office released a statement, saying that Ben-Gvir's statement is in violation of the status quo there.
"The setting of policy at the Temple Mount (in reference to Al Aqsa Mosque complex) is directly subject to the government and the prime minister,” the statement read.
Approximately 2,250 Israeli settlers toured the complex and conducted Talmudic religious rituals, according to the Jordan-run Islamic Endowments Department.
0955 GMT — Israeli army announces downing of 2 drones fired from Lebanon amid ongoing tension
The Israeli army announced downing of two drones fired from Lebanon toward northern Israel amid the ongoing tension between Israel and the Lebanese group Hezbollah.
In a statement, the Israeli army said it intercepted one drone over the Kiryat Shmona settlement in the Galilee area.
Another was hit in Lebanese airspace before crossing into Israel, the military statement claimed.
0900 GMT — 15 Palestinians killed in Israeli bombings across Gaza
At least 15 Palestinians were killed in a series of Israeli attacks across Gaza.
A medical source told Anadolu that the bodies of eight Palestinians arrived at Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al Balah, central Gaza, after Israeli warplanes targeted ordinary people in the city as well as the Bureij and Nuseirat refugee camps.
Israeli fighter j ets attacked the Bureij refugee camp again, this time targeting three homes and killing four more Palestinians, according to eyewitnesses.
0800 GMT — Iran rejects Western calls to stand down Israel threat
Iran rejected Western calls to stand down its threat to retaliate against Israel for the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran late last month.
"The declaration by France, Germany and Britain, which raised no objection to the international crimes of the Zionist regime, brazenly asks Iran to take no deterrent action against a regime which has violated its sovereignty and territorial integrity," foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani said in a statement.
"Such a request lacks political logic, flies in the face of the principles and rules of international law, and constitutes public and practical support" for Israel.
0720 GMT –– Illegal Israeli settlers storm into Al Aqsa to mark Jewish event
Hundreds of illegal Israeli settlers stormed the Al Aqsa Mosque complex in the occupied East Jerusalem, under the heavy protection of Israeli troops, to perform a religious event. The act provoked tensions with Palestinian Muslims present at the holy site.
Approximately 800 Israeli settlers toured the mosque complex and conducted Talmudic religious rituals, according to the official Palestinian news agency Wafa, citing local sources.
The settlers' entry into the Al Aqsa Mosque complex came in response to a call from extremist Jewish groups to commemorate Tisha B'Av, an annual Jewish fast day that marks the occurrence of several disasters in Jewish history, Wafa reported.
The settlers entered the mosque through the western Al-Mugharbah Gate, a route frequently used during such incursions, Wafa added.
0600 GMT — Israel kills Palestinian, destroys homes in occupied West Bank
The Israeli army killed a Palestinian in the central occupied West Bank after demolishing two residential apartments belonging to Palestinian detainees held in Israeli jails.
The official Palestinian news agency Wafa, citing security sources, reported that the Israeli army raided the apartment of detainee Aysar Barghouti in the Al-Tira neighbourhood of Ramallah and the apartment of Khaled al-Kharouf in Al-Bireh city, subsequently demolishing both residences.
The raids sparked clashes between Palestinians and the Israeli army in both cities, resulting in the death of a Palestinian man, identified as Moataz Sarsour, and the injury of three others.
Barghouti and al-Kharouf were detained by Israeli forces on January 8, accused of opening fire on illegal Israeli settlers in July of the previous year.
04:53 GMT — China slams Israel for killing 100 Palestinians in Gaza school
China has condemned the Israeli military's recent attack on a school sheltering displaced people in besieged Gaza that killed at least 100 Palestinians.
Beijing denounces any actions that harm civilians, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Lin Jian said in a statement.
Lin said that Beijing opposes any actions that violate international humanitarian law.
He urged Israel to immediately stop its attacks on Gaza, to do everything possible to protect civilians there and to prevent further escalation in the region.
04:20 GMT — Putin to discuss Middle East situation with Abbas
Russia's President Vladimir Putin will discuss the situation in the Middle East with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Moscow on Tuesday, the Kremlin said.
"It is expected that an exchange of views will be held on the situation in the Middle East in light of the current aggravation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip," the Kremlin said in a post on the Telegram messaging app.
Abbas is in Moscow on a long-expected visit until Wednesday and is to travel to Türkiye for talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan afterwards.
03:50 GMT — Israel gave 84% of Gaza Palestinians evacuation ultimatum: UN
The UN has highlighted the extensive nature of the Israeli military's expulsions in besieged Gaza, saying they cover nearly 84 percent of the enclave.
Citing the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), deputy spokesman Farhan Haq told reporters during a news conference that Israel's "ongoing bombardment and hostilities in Gaza continue to kill, injure and displace Palestinians – as well as damage and destroy the homes and infrastructure they rely on."
He said, "Two evacuation orders were issued by the Israeli military over the weekend for Khan Younis, mostly for areas that were previously placed under evacuation."
03:15 GMT — Finnish politician criticises government's inaction on Gaza
Nasima Razmyar, vice-chair of Finland's Social Democratic Party (SDP) and a member of parliament, has sharply criticised the Nordic country's handling of Israel's carnage in Gaza, accusing Helsinki of empty rhetoric without meaningful action, local media reported.
Razmyar expressed deep frustration over the atrocities committed by Israel against Palestinians and the international community's indifference.
"The endless toll of the Gaza war is difficult to put into words. We become desensitised to the constant headlines, which only breeds cynicism. The human suffering, the famine, the ashes of bombed cities—these are hard to describe because they have been ever-present throughout the war," she was quoted as saying by the national daily online newspaper, the Helsinki Times.
02:30 GMT — Hamas says Gallant's admission that Netanyahu is hindering deal with Palestinians confirms his 'lies'
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant's admission that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is the one who is creating obstacles to reaching a ceasefire in Gaza confirms his "lies and intransigence," the Palestinian resistance group Hamas said.
In a statement, Hamas political bureau member Izzat al-Rishq said what Gallant said "confirms what we have always said: that Netanyahu is lying to the world and the families of the (Israeli) prisoners (in Gaza)."
He added that Netanyahu "does not want to reach an agreement and that all he cares about is the continuation and expansion of the war."
For our live updates from Sunday, August 12, 2024, click here.
