Friday, March 29, 2024
15:47 GMT — The UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestine Territories Francesca Albanese has said efforts should be made to stop the "ongoing genocide" in Palestine.
Thanking those who stood up against pro-Israeli figures and institutions, she said on X: “Let's stay focused on Palestine, the Palestinians, and let's make sure we stop the ongoing genocide.”
Since the Israeli attacks on Gaza started on October 7, 2023, Albanese called for an immediate ceasefire and warned that Palestinians in Gaza were at risk of "mass ethnic cleansing."
17:51 GMT — Israel rejects UN report on imminent Gaza famine
Israel has refuted a UN-backed report that warned of imminent famine in Gaza, alleging the assessment contained inaccuracies and questionable sources.
The analysis released last week fuelled international concern by saying half of the population in Gaza is feeling "catastrophic" hunger and projecting a possible famine in the territory's north.
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) partnership estimated that 1.1 million people, about half the population, according to UN figures were facing dire conditions.
17:50 GMT — Hamas and Islamic Jihad claim attacks on Israeli soldiers in Gaza
Hamas's military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, and the Islamic Jihad Movement's Saraya al-Quds have said that they targeted Israeli army vehicles and soldiers in Gaza.
Al-Qassam Brigades said in a statement that its fighters targeted a group of Israel soldiers holed up inside a house in the vicinity of Nasser Hospital, west of Khan Yunis city, in southern Gaza, "with an anti-fortification TBG shell".
The attack caused "casualties among the Israeli group, including fatalities and injuries," it added, noting that it had observed "an Israeli helicopter landing to evacuate them."
17:40 GMT — US conducts humanitarian airdrops into Gaza
US Central Command (CENTCOM) has conducted another round of airdrop of humanitarian assistance into northern Gaza to provide relief to civilians affected by the ongoing war.
"The joint operation included two C-17 U.S. Air Force aircraft, and US Army Soldiers specialized in aerial delivery of US humanitarian assistance supplies," CENTCOM said on X.
The planes dropped over 46,000 US meal equivalents into northern Gaza, it added.
17:06 GMT — Houthi-led pro-Palestine rallies sweep Yemen in solidarity with Gaza
The Yemeni Houthi group has organised rallies in solidarity with Gaza across most of the provinces under its control in Yemen.
The largest demonstration in support of Palestine occurred in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, which is under the group's administration, according to an Anadolu Agency reporter.
Tens of thousands of Yemenis gathered in al-Sabeen Square in Sanaa in response to the Houthi group's call, where they waved both Yemeni and Palestinian flags, along with banners denouncing the Israeli war on Gaza.
16:47 GMT — Belgium must recall ambassador to Israel, says former defence chief
A former Belgium defence minister has urged the country's government to recall its ambassador in Israel and summon the Israeli ambassador in Brussels over its continued offensive in Gaza, local media reported.
Andre Flahaut called on the Belgian government to undertake measures with Israel's "non-compliance with international law," referring to its continued attacks on the Palestinian enclave despite a UN Security Council resolution on Monday demanding an immediate ceasefire.
15:21 GMT — Committee to Protect Journalists urges UN to probe detention of Palestinian journalists by Israel
The Committee to Protect Journalists has urged the UN to launch an investigation into Israel's imprisonment of Palestinian journalists.
“Israel is utilising administrative detention to detain a record number of Palestinian journalists without charge during the Israel-Gaza war,” according to an urgent appeal submitted by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) to the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention on March 25, 2024.
In a press release, the committee added that the appeal urges the Working Group to examine the situations of journalists Moath Amarneh, Mohammad Badr, and Ameer Abu Iram, all of whom have been held in Israeli custody without formal charges since October 7.
14:24 GMT — Israeli war on Gaza kills 171 UN refugee agency employees
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) has said that 171 of its employees have been killed during the ongoing Israeli war on Gaza since October 7, 2023.
According to a report released by the UN agency: "As of 25 March, the total number of UNRWA colleagues killed since the beginning of hostilities is 171."
Throughout the war waged by Israel, multiple UNRWA facilities across the enclave have been targeted.
The most recent incident took place on March 14, when a food aid distribution centre in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza became the target of an Israeli attack, resulting in the loss of eight lives.
13:00 GMT — Israel's Netanyahu approves Gaza ceasefire talks in Doha, Cairo
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has agreed to send delegations to Egypt and Qatar, where negotiators have been trying to secure a Gaza ceasefire deal, his office said.
Netanyahu's office said he spoke with the heads of Israeli intelligence agencies Shin Bet and Mossad and "approved that delegations on their behalf go in the coming days to Doha and Cairo," with a mandate to push forward with negotiations.
11:57 GMT — Hezbollah says 6 more members killed in clashes with Israeli army
Lebanese group Hezbollah has said that six of its fighters were killed in cross-border clashes with Israeli forces.
The number of Hezbollah members killed in clashes with Israeli forces since October 8 has risen to 261, according to an Anadolu Agency tally.
Earlier, in separate statements, Hezbollah said it targeted twice the Zabdine barracks in the occupied Shebaa Farms with rockets.
11:51 GMT — 125,000 Palestinians attend Friday prayer at al-Aqsa despite Israeli restrictions
Around 125,000 Palestinian worshipers have performed the third Friday prayer of the holy month of Ramadan at al Aqsa Mosque in the occupied city of Jerusalem, despite Israeli restrictions, an official said.
Sheikh Azzam al-Khatib, the director-general of the Islamic Endowments Department in Jerusalem, told Anadolu Agency that the number is considered lower than usual for this time of Ramadan, as the number was estimated to be around 250,000 on the same day last year.
A heavy contingent of Israeli police was deployed at the entrances, surroundings, and alleys of the city, as well as at the external gates of al-Aqsa Mosque.
11:49 GMT — Israel bombs home in Rafah, killing 12 Palestinians in Gaza city
Israeli authorities barred Palestinians from the West Bank from entering the al-Aqsa Mosque in the occupied East Jerusalem for the third consecutive Friday of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
The Israeli army deployed its forces at the crossings leading to Jerusalem, scrutinising the identities of Palestinians and denying entry to some of them, eyewitnesses told Anadolu.
The Qalandia crossing in northern Jerusalem and the Checkpoint “300” in the south of the city witnessed active movement at the entry gates from the West Bank toward Jerusalem.
11:29 GMT — France pledges at least $32.3M to UNRWA in 2024
France will provide at least $32.3M to the UN agency for refugees in Palestine, or the UNRWA, in 2024, the French Foreign Ministry has said.
Early this year in January, a group of countries, including the US and the UK, decided to halt the funding to the UN agency over Israeli allegations that some of its members were involved in the October 7 attacks.
Some of them, such as Australia, Canada, Sweden, and Iceland have since resumed the funding.
“In 2024, France will contribute to UNRWA’s actions with more tha
n $32.3M,” French Foreign Ministry spokesperson Christophe Lemoine told a news conference.
11:19 GMT — Italy, UAE aim to jointly address political and humanitarian crises in Middle East
Italy and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) aim to jointly resolve political and humanitarian crises in the Middle East, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said.
Mentioning the situation in the Middle East, he said: "Rome and Abu Dhabi are at the forefront of humanitarian intervention in Gaza to address the urgent needs of civilians."
Tajani addressed navigation security in the Red Sea where Yemen's Houthis have attacked Israeli-linked ships since November, saying: "We closely monitor developments in the Red Sea with the UAE. Ensuring navigation security is in everyone's interest."
10:41 GMT — One killed in Israeli drone strike on car in southern Lebanon
One person was killed in an Israeli drone attack on a car in the town of Bazouriyeh, Tyre district of southern Lebanon, the state-run National News Agency reported.
The targeted vehicle was engulfed by fire, and the body was removed by the Islamic Risala Scout Association, the agency said, adding that the presence of a second person was being verified.
09:50 GMT — 71 more Palestinians killed in Gaza, death toll climbs to 32,623
At least 71 more Palestinians were killed and 112 others injured over the last 24 hours, as Israel continues its onslaught on the besieged Gaza, the territory's Health Ministry said.
“The Israeli occupation (forces) committed seven massacres against families in the Gaza Strip, leaving 71 martyrs and 112 injured during the past 24 hours,” a ministry statement said.
“Many people are still trapped under rubble and on the roads as rescuers are unable to reach them,” it added.
09:15 GMT — US seeks probe into video of Israeli army burying people alive
The US said that it is deeply disturbed by the “alarming” contents of a video showing Israeli forces shooting two apparently unarmed Palestinians and burying them with a wheel loader and called for an investigation.
When asked about the video, a State Department spokesperson told Anadolu they were not able to independently verify the footage, adding they would urgently seek more information from the Israeli government.
"We expect this incident to be thoroughly investigated and, if appropriate, seek accountability," the spokesperson said.
08:17 GMT — Yemen's Houthis targeted 86 ships since start of Gaza war
Yemen’s Houthi group said that they have attacked 86 vessels in the Red Sea, Arabian Sea, and Indian Ocean linked to Israel, the US and the UK since Israel's war on Gaza started last October.
In a speech on Al Masirah TV, Houthi leader Abdulmalik Al Houthi said the Yemeni Navy, which is aligned with the group, noted that it targeted nine ships this week.
Al Houthi said that in the 10 operations conducted throughout the week, they used 37 ballistic missiles and drones, adding the group also carried out missile strikes on several targets in the southern Israeli city of Eilat.
07:22 GMT — Jordan welcomes additional measures by world court in genocide case against Israel
Jordan welcomed a decision by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to order additional provisional measures including the “unhindered provision” of aid to Gaza in the ongoing genocide case against Israel at South Africa's request.
In a statement cited by the official Petra news agency, the Jordanian Foreign Ministry emphasised the significance of carrying out the ICJ’s ruling, which demands that Israel cease its genocide in Gaza and allow unhindered humanitarian aid for Palestinians in Gaza.
The statement emphasised the necessity to cooperate with the UN on the entry of humanitarian aid, which would help put an end to Israel's atrocities against the Palestinian people and an end to the hunger and unparalleled humanitarian tragedy.
06:40 GMT — Japan to resume funding to UN Palestinian refugee agency
Japan is preparing to resume funding to the UN's crisis-hit Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA), which coordinates nearly all aid to Gaza, the government said.
Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa met UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini in Tokyo on Thursday to discuss measures taken by the agency to strengthen governance and transparency.
"Japan and the UNRWA confirmed that they will advance final coordination about necessary efforts to resume Japan's contribution," the foreign ministry said in a statement.
05:30 GMT — Pro-Palestine protesters denounce Biden outside fundraiser venue in New York
Hundreds of pro-Palestine protesters converged on Radio City Music Hall in New York City during a fundraising event Thursday for US President Joe Biden ahead of November’s presidential elections.
The demonstrators, protesting Israel's continued killing of civilians in Gaza and the US's failure to support a lasting ceasefire in the region, chanted slogans including “Genocide Joe has got to go!" and "Free, Free Palestine."
Many of the protesters waved Palestinian flags, and others held signs denouncing Biden and the Democratic Party as “war criminals.”
04:39 GMT — Netanyahu seeks delay in ultra-Orthodox conscription row
Israel's hawkish PM Benjamin Netanyahu has asked the top court for a new delay on compulsory military service for ultra-Orthodox Jews, an issue that has put his ruling coalition at risk.
While the Supreme Court did not immediately respond to Netanyahu's request, it ruled separately that state subsidies for military-age ultra-Orthodox men studying in seminaries rather than serving in uniform be suspended as of Monday.
The two ultra-Orthodox parties in Netanyahu's religious-nationalist coalition, United Torah Judaism and Shas, denounced the ruling as a "mark of Cain." They vowed to fight for what they deemed their constituents' "right" to stay in seminaries — but stopped short of threatening to walk out of the government.
03:28 GMT — Israel bombs home in Rafah, killing 12 Palestinians in Gaza city
Israel has killed at least 12 Palestinians in a strike targeting a house in besieged Gaza's Rafah city, health officials told the Reuters news agency.
Two children and four women were among the dead pulled from the rubble, said Dr. Saleh al-Hams, the head of the nursing department at the European Hospital.
Eight of the bodies, including two mangled and unidentifiable corpses, were transferred to the European Hospital. The rest of the remains were taken to Abu Yousef al-Najjar Hospital, according to hospital records. After almost six months of war, about a dozen of Gaza’s 36 hospitals are only partially functioning.
03:00 GMT — Netanyahu seeks delay in ultra-Orthodox conscription row
Israel's hawkish PM Benjamin Netanyahu has asked the top court for a new delay on compulsory military service for ultra-Orthodox Jews, an issue that has put his ruling coalition at risk.
While the Supreme Court did not immediately respond to Netanyahu's request, it ruled separately that state subsidies for military-age ultra-Orthodox men studying in seminaries rather than serving in uniform be suspended as of Monday.
The two ultra-Orthodox parties in Netanyahu's religious-nationalist coalition, United Torah Judaism and Shas, denounced the ruling as a "mark of Cain." They vowed to fight for what they deemed their constituents' "right" to stay in seminaries — but stopped short of threatening to walk out of the government.
For our live updates from Thursday, March 28, click here.
