Sunday, 11 February, 2023
19:10 GMT - Israeli soldiers have "stolen" $54.29M from the Bank of Palestine
Israeli soldiers have "stolen" $54.29M from the Bank of Palestine headquarters in Gaza, according to an Israeli newspaper.
Maariv newspaper, citing Israeli officers, said a military force took the funds allocated for the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority after coming under fire in the al-Rimal neighbourhood last week.
There was no comment from the Palestinian Authority or Hamas on the report.
“Israeli soldiers were at the Bank of Palestine headquarters in Gaza last week to prevent money from reaching Hamas,” an Israel military spokesman told Maariv, without providing further details.
19:00 GMT - Netherlands voices opposition to looming Israeli ground offensive in Rafah
The Netherlands has expressed its strong opposition to a looming Israeli ground offensive in Rafah, southern Gaza.
Noting that Rafah hosts a vast number of Palestinians who fled from other parts of the besieged enclave of Gaza, Foreign Minister Hanke Bruins Slot has said on X: “Hard to see how large-scale military operations in such a densely populated area would not lead to many civilian casualties and a bigger humanitarian catastrophe.”
“This is unjustifiable,” she stressed.
18:45 GMT - Denmark shares EU’s concern over potential Israeli military offensive in Rafah
Denmark has expressed its concern over potential Israeli military action in the city of Rafah in the Gaza.
Denmark's Foreign Ministry, in a statement on X, said: “Denmark shares the concern of EU and others regarding a potential Israeli military offensive in Rafah where more than half of Gaza’s population is seeking refuge.”
The statement reiterated that "protection of civilians is key."
18:32 GMT - Thousands in Morocco protest ties with 'genocidal' Israel
Thousands of Moroccans have again taken to streets of their capital to call for an end to their country's ties with Israel, which they denounced as "genocide" in Gaza.
In late 2020, Morocco established diplomatic ties with Israel under the Abraham Accords brokered by the United States which saw similar moves by the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.
Since the Israel's war on Gaza began on October 7, several large-scale demonstrations in the North African kingdom have called for the abrogation of the normalisation deal.
18:23 GMT - US strikes unmanned surface vessels, anti-ship cruise missiles Yemen
United States Central Command (CENTCOM) has said its forces carried out strikes on two unmanned surface vessels (USVs) and three anti-ship cruise missiles north of Yemen's port city of Hudaida that were threatening ships in the area.
"CENTCOM identified these USVs and missiles in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and determined they presented an imminent threat to US Navy ships and merchant vessels in the region," it added
18:15 GMT - Israeli forces bomb hospital in Gaza’s Khan Younis
Israeli forces have shelled Al-Amal hospital in Khan Younis city on amid a military offensive in the area, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society said.
“The attack has caused damage to the building and forced the only remaining ambulance out of service,” the aid organization added in a statement.
There was no information yet available about casualties.
17:35 GMT - WHO 'deeply concerned' about situation in and around Gaza's Nasser hospital
The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) has said that it was deeply concerned about the situation in and around the Nasser Hospital in Gaza, which has been surrounded by Israeli forces.
"We’re deeply concerned about the safety of patients and health personnel due to the intensifying hostilities in the vicinity of the hospital. We repeat: health MUST be protected at all times," Tedros Ghebreyesus said on X, reiterating his call for a ceasefire.
17:17 GMT - Israel's oxygen denial kills patients in Gaza hospital
At least three patients died at the Al Amal Hospital in Khan Younis in southern Gaza after the Israeli army prevented oxygen from entering the hospital, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society said.
“The Israeli occupation forces claim to have delivered oxygen cylinders to Al Amal Hospital, but in reality, they have prevented oxygen from reaching the hospital for over a week, resulting in the deaths of three patients, despite continuous coordination efforts with international organisations,” the Red Crescent said in a statement.
The Red Crescent denied that Israeli forces brought any medical equipment into the hospital.
16:50 GMT - Egypt warns of dropping peace accords if Israel attacks Rafah
Egypt is threatening to suspend its peace treaty with Israel if Israeli troops are sent into the densely populated Gaza border town of Rafah, and says fighting there could force the closure of the territory's main aid supply route, two Egyptian officials and a Western diplomat said.
The threat to suspend the Camp David Accords, a cornerstone of regional stability for nearly a half-century, came after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said sending troops into Rafah was necessary to win the four-month-old war on Gaza.
16:25 GMT - Oman warns of ‘dangerous’ repercussions if Israel invades Rafah
The Gulf nation of Oman warned of “serious repercussions” over the Israeli army’s intention to invade Rafah in southern Gaza, adjacent to the Egyptian border.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs warned of the aggravating and dangerous repercussions of the Israeli occupation forces continuing their indiscriminate aggression against the Gaza Strip and now heading towards storming and targeting the city of Rafah,” the Omani Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
It added that Rafah “has now sheltered hundreds of thousands of defenceless Palestinian civilians displaced from northern Gaza as a result of this brutal aggression.”
16:00 GMT - Israel transfers largest army division from Gaza to Lebanese border
Israeli Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi transferred the largest army division from Gaza to the border with Lebanon, where the Israeli army and Hezbollah are exchanging fire daily, Israeli media reported.
Israeli Army Radio said that during recent discussions in the General Staff, the commander of the Southern Command, Maj. Gen. Yaron Finkelman, called for the 36th Division, the army's largest regular division, to remain in central Gaza.
However, the head of the Operations Division, Maj. Gen. Oded Basyuk, proposed removing the division from Gaza toward the north to replace the reserve forces, according to the radio.
15:38 GMT - Hamas warns Israel's Rafah offensive torpedoes hostage talks
A senior Hamas official has said that Israel's possible ground invasion of Rafah will undermine the hostage negotiations.
An unnamed Hamas official told Al-Aqsa television that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is trying to avoid fulfilling the responsibilities of the exchange agreement by committing genocide and causing a new humanitarian disaster in Rafah.
"Any attack by the occupation army on the city of Rafah would undermine the exchange negotiations," a Hamas official said.
"Netanyahu and his Nazi army will not be able to achieve now what they could not achieve in more than four months, no matter how long the war lasts,” he added.
14:57 GMT — Israel's oxygen prevention kills patients in Gaza hospital
At least three patients died at the Al Amal Hospital in Khan Younis in southern Gaza after the Israeli army prevented oxygen from entering the hospital, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society said.
“The Israeli occupation forces claim to have delivered oxygen cylinders to Al Amal Hospital, but in reality, they have prevented oxygen from reaching the hospital for over a week, resulting in the deaths of three patients, despite continuous coordination efforts with international organisations,” the Red Crescent said in a statement.
The Red Crescent denied that Israeli forces brought any medical equipment into the hospital.
“During their raid on the hospital yesterday (Saturday), the occupation forces destroyed medical equipment, assaulted staff, and arrested nine medical and administrative staff, along with four wounded individuals and five patients' companions,” it added.
14:14 GMT — Egypt warns of dropping peace accords if Israel attacks Rafah
Egypt is threatening to suspend its peace treaty with Israel if Israeli troops are sent into the densely populated Gaza border town of Rafah, and says fighting there could force the closure of the territory's main aid supply route, two Egyptian officials and a Western diplomat said.
The threat to suspend the Camp David Accords, a cornerstone of regional stability for nearly a half-century, came after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said sending troops into Rafah was necessary to win the four-month-old war on Gaza.
13:45 GMT — Oman warns of ‘dangerous’ repercussions if Israel invades Rafah
The Gulf nation of Oman warned of “serious repercussions” over the Israeli army’s intention to invade Rafah in southern Gaza, adjacent to the Egyptian border.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs warned of the aggravating and dangerous repercussions of the Israeli occupation forces continuing their indiscriminate aggression against the Gaza Strip and now heading towards storming and targeting the city of Rafah,” the Omani Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
It added that Rafah “has now sheltered hundreds of thousands of defenceless Palestinian civilians displaced from northern Gaza as a result of this brutal aggression.”
13:30 GMT — Israel transfers largest army division from Gaza to Lebanese border
Israeli Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi transferred the largest army division from Gaza to the border with Lebanon, where the Israeli army and Hezbollah are exchanging fire daily, Israeli media reported.
Israeli Army Radio said that during recent discussions in the General Staff, the commander of the Southern Command, Maj. Gen. Yaron Finkelman, called for the 36th Division, the army's largest regular division, to remain in central Gaza.
However, the head of the Operations Division, Maj. Gen. Oded Basyuk, proposed removing the division from Gaza toward the north to replace the reserve forces, according to the radio.
It added that the Chief of Staff ultimately decided to withdraw the 36th Division from Gaza and transfer it to the Lebanese border.
13:17 GMT — Palestinian death toll hits 28,176 in Israeli attacks — ministry
The health ministry in Gaza reports that the death toll from Israel's war has reached 28,176.
The latest toll includes 117 deaths over the past 24 hours, a ministry statement said, while a total of 67,784 have been wounded in Gaza since the start of the war on October 7, it added.
13:01 GMT — UN’s IMO working ‘tirelessly’ to solve Red Cea crisis: head
The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) is working "tirelessly" to solve the Red Sea crisis, which is severely disrupting the global transport of goods, its head Arsenio Dominguez told AFP.
Yemen's Houthis have launched dozens of attacks against ships in the Red Sea since November, targeting boats headed for Israel in an act of "solidarity" with inhabitants of Gaza.
Despite retaliatory strikes by the US and UK, the rebels are still launching attacks, firing at the US ship "Star Nasia" and UK vessel "Morning Tide" on Tuesday.
The IMO, the United Nations agency responsible for security at sea, is working to ensure that "parties continue to talk so that the situation does not degenerate any further, and we can return to a safe maritime environment," Panama-born Secretary General Dominguez told AFP on Thursday.
"We are working tirelessly to coordinate action that will lead to a resolution," Dominguez added from the IMO's London headquarters.
7:30 GMT - Palestinians returning to northern Gaza killed in Israeli raids
Palestinians who fled their homes due to Israeli attacks face more air strikes upon returning to check on their homes in areas where a partial troop withdrawal occurred.
They are being targeted not only by air strikes but also by Israeli snipers as they attempt to return to displaced areas.
The Senti family, displaced from the Jabalia Refugee Camp, returned home to inspect the damage, believing it was safe after Israeli forces had withdrawn.
06:40 GMT - Hamas warns Israel Rafah push may cause casualties in 'tens of thousands'
Hamas warned that Israel's planned military offensive in overcrowded Rafah could cause "tens of thousands" of casualties in the city, the last refuge for displaced Palestinians.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the army to set its sights on Rafah. He told military and security officials late Friday to "submit to the cabinet a combined plan for evacuating the population and destroying the battalions" of Hamas in the southern city.
Hamas said in a statement that any military action would have catastrophic repercussion that "may lead to tens of thousands of martyrs and injured if Rafah... is invaded".
05:50 GMT - Kuwait, Qatar, UAE express concerns about Israel's plans to attack Rafah
Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) condemned the Israeli army's plans to attack Rafah in southern Gaza.
The Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry “expresses its deep concern about the Israeli occupation forces' plans to attack the city of Rafah in Gaza after forcibly deporting its civilians.”
It reiterated Kuwait's stance that rejects “aggressive practices and displacement schemes against the Palestinian people.”
For our live updates from Saturday, February 10, click here.
