Live Reporting

War on Gaza

War on Gaza

Any release of hostages is tied with end of Gaza conflict: Hamas

Live Reporting

 Pakistan assails ‘unjustifiable’ funding suspension of UN Gaza agency: FO

Keep supporting UN Palestinian refugee agency, Saudi urges

Saudi Arabia has said donors should continue supporting the main UN aid agency for Palestinians after Israel alleged several of its staff took part in the October 7 Hamas attack, AFP reports.

Supporters of UNRWA should “carry out their role in supporting the humanitarian tasks toward Palestinian refugees”, the foreign ministry said in a statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA).

Israel expects more from Qatar on hostages, says ‘entire world’ watching

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described Qatar as having “enormous leverage” over Hamas and said Doha’s role in mediating so-far fruitless talks for the release of remaining Gaza hostages was being scrutinised internationally, Reuters reports.

“I think we should demand from Qatar, that hosts Hamas — they host Hamas leaders, they fund Hamas … to achieve the release of the remainder of our hostages,” he told Britain’s TalkTV.

“I think that the entire world is looking at Qatar.”

Asked what the United States or other world powers might do on the issue, Netanyahu said: “That’s something I’ll speak to them directly about … I don’t think they (Qatar) are an intermediary that is passive.”

Israel’s Netanyahu claims UNRWA indoctrinates children

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared to confirm that Israel had circulated an intelligence dossier alleging some UNRWA staffers participated in the Oct 7 attack from Gaza, and described the the relief agency as “perforated with Hamas”, Reuters reports.

“We discovered that there were 13 UNRWA workers who actually participated, either directly or indirectly, in the October 7 massacre,” he told Britain’s TalkTV.

“In UNRWA schools they’ve been teaching the doctrines of extermination for Israel — the doctrines of terrorism, glorifying terrorism, lauding terrorism.”

UN agency not only way to help people of Gaza: German foreign ministry

The United Nations’ UNRWA is not the only source of humanitarian aid for Palestinians, a German foreign ministry spokesperson said, after Berlin joined other countries in pausing its funding for the agency.

“We continue to advocate for more humanitarian aid to be provided,” the spokesperson told a government press conference in Berlin.

According to Reuters, Germany is one of a number of countries that have suspended payments to UNRWA in response to accusations from Israel that some of its workers were involved in the Oct 7 attack by Hamas.

Iraq condemns deadly attack on US troops in Jordan

The Iraqi government has condemned an attack that killed three US service members in Jordan, describing it as part of an escalation which threatens regional stability and urging an end to “the cycle of violence”, Reuters reports.

The United States has accused Iran-backed militant groups in Syria and Iraq of carrying out the attack, the first deadly blow against US forces since the eruption of the Gaza conflict touched off violence across the Middle East.

“The Iraqi government condemns the ongoing escalation, particularly the recent attack on the Syrian-Jordanian border, and is closely monitoring with great concern the alarming security developments in the region,” Iraqi government spokesperson Basim Alawadi said in a statement.

The attack took place one day after Iraq and the United States initiated talks on the end of a US-led international military coalition that deployed to Iraq a decade ago as part of the campaign against Islamic State.

Iran-aligned Iraqi militias said they would continue attacks on US forces despite the talks, expected to take months to years with the outcome unclear.

Displaced Palestinians flee ‘the horror of ongoing bombing’

The intensity of the bombing campaign is just a terrible reminder for people who fled to the south during the initial weeks of the war in the northern part of Gaza.

We’re looking at large-scale bombings in densely populated areas, more evacuation orders, and mass arrests that have taken place in Khan Younis city.

What is happening in Khan Younis is heart-wrenching right now as people have been under military siege for the past eight days, and the Israeli military is pushing deeper into the western and central parts of the city.

This leaves no other path for people to flee the horror of the ongoing bombing except through security checkpoints set up on the western side of the city. Hundreds of thousands of people have had to go through these, risking being arrested by the Israeli military or taken to unidentified locations.

 

Israeli raids continue to cause casualties, destruction in West Bank

Israeli forces have raided the village of Tekoa near Bethlehem and it’s there we’ve heard about the shooting of a 16-year-old school student.

After he was shot he was left on the ground without medical assistance and, according to some locals, he’s in critical condition.

We are talking about Israeli raids that go left, right and centre in the night and day across different Palestinian cities. Not just killing them, not just wounding them, but also beating and assaulting those just going about their daily lives.

In Jenin earlier today, a paramedic was beaten up just because he was at the scene trying to help the wounded. These raids also cause massive destruction of infrastructure. We’ve seen roads being turned upside down by the Israeli forces.

Israeli soldiers say they are doing it to prevent Palestinians from detonating homemade explosive devices when Israeli military vehicles pass by. Palestinians will tell you it’s been used as another way to take revenge on Palestinians and remind them who has more power and control of their lives. 

Germany’s Scholz, Egypt’s el-Sisi back aid access for Gaza

The German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi spoke over the phone and agreed on the importance of allowing humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip.

“The chancellor and the president agreed that in the conflict between Israel and Hamas there is an urgent need to significantly improve access for humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip and the provision of supplies to the Palestinians,” a German government spokesperson said in a statement.

The call comes at a time when many countries, among them Germany, paused payments to the UN’s aid agency for Palestinians in response to accusations from Israel that some workers were involved in Hamas’s October 7 attack on southern Israel.

 

Iran rejects report that China pressured it on Red Sea attacks

Iran rejected a report claiming China pressured it to rein in Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping after the trade disruptions caused by the Yemeni missiles affected Chinese vessels.

Speaking to reporters in Tehran, Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said such a claim is “fundamentally” wrong, and it’s unclear where it originated from. He pointed out China’s Foreign Ministry also rejected the allegation.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran and China, as two countries supportive of convergence and joint development, have always declared our commitment to establishing regional and international justice, resolving conflicts peacefully, and countering new tensions,” Kanani said.

The Iran-aligned Houthis say their attacks are in support of the people of Gaza. China’s President Xi Jinping has called for a ceasefire and an end to the “collective punishment” of Palestinians. 

Austria suspends payments to UNRWA over Hamas-link claims

Austria announced it will suspend funding for the UN’s agency for Palestinian refugees, joining a growing list of countries that have paused support over claims some staff participated in Hamas’s October 7 attacks on Israel.

“We call on UNRWA and the United Nations to conduct a comprehensive, swift and complete investigation into the allegations,” Austria’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Austria’s decision follows similar announcements by about a dozen other countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Germany, Finland and Japan.

 


 

PA meets with Arab officials on future vision for Gaza: report

Palestinian Authority (PA) officials reportedly met with Arab counterparts on their own vision for Gaza after the end of Israel’s war.

The meeting took place 10 days ago and involved senior national security and intelligence officials from Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan, according to a report by US-based Axios citing three unnamed sources with knowledge of the meeting.

The meeting did not include representatives from the US or Israel, but some of the participants reportedly briefed the two allies’ officials about the contents of the meeting.

Saudi, Egyptian and Jordanian security officials reportedly told the director of PA’s General Intelligence Service Majed Faraj that the Palestinian organisation needs to undergo reforms that would allow it to play a revitalised governance role.

Israel has said it rejects PA governance and wants to maintain a presence itself.

 

US rally calls for Gaza ceasefire are ‘Mr Putin’s message’: Nancy Pelosi

Former Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi linked calls in the United States to put a stop to Israel’s war on Gaza to interference in US affairs by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Pelosi told CNN that “we must stop the suffering in Gaza” but added some protests calling for a ceasefire across the US are directly linked to and funded by Russia.

“For them to call for a ceasefire is Mr Putin’s message. Make no mistake, this is directly connected to what he would like to see. Same thing with Ukraine,” Pelosi said. She added, “I think some financing should be investigated” and called on the FBI to do so.

Pelosi’s comments were met with a swift rebuke from the Council on American-Islamic Relations, which called the request for an FBI probe “downright authoritarian”. 

Iran warns US against ‘being dragged into’ new Middle East conflict

Iran’s Foreign Ministry released a statement saying “baseless accusations” connect it to the attack that killed three US soldiers are aimed at fanning the flames of war.

“This is a conspiracy by those who see their interests in again dragging the US into a new conflict in the region,” spokesman Nasser Kanani said.

Iran has said since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza that failing to stop it would only expand the scope of conflict.

“Resistance groups across the region do not take orders from the Islamic Republic of Iran in their decisions and actions. And even though Iran does not welcome expanding fighting in the region, it also does not interfere in the decisions of resistance groups on how they support the Palestinian nation, or defend themselves and their countries’ peoples against any violations or occupation,” Kanani said. 

‘Waiting for Zionists’: Houthis release army-backed defiant music video

The Houthis in Yemen released a music video sponsored by their navy discussing their Red Sea operations while sending a message of defiance to Israel and its allies.

“My people are waiting for the Zionists,” the singers wearing traditional Yemeni outfits proclaim jubilantly as they dance on boats near the shore. “Quds [Jerusalem] will be liberated and its glory will be restored.”

They also sing and dance on the deck of the Galaxy Leader, the cargo ship the Houthis seized last November at the start of their attacks on Red Sea vessels in support of Palestinians. The cargo ship has now turned into a kind of tourist attraction for Yemenis.

The song vows the Red Sea attacks will go on as long as Israel’s war on Gaza continues. 

Israel’s ambassador to US says Iran ‘main destabilizing actor’ in region

The Iranian government is “stoking fire” in the Middle East, says Israel’s ambassador to Washington Michael Herzog.

“This attack, yet again, shows that Iran is the main destabilizing actor in the Middle East, and highlights the need to hold the regime accountable,” he wrote on X.

Three US troops were killed in a drone strike on Sunday near the barracks of the US Tower 22 military outpost base near the Jordan-Syria border. The Iran-backed group the Islamic Resistance in Iraq has claimed responsibility. 

Iran denies involvement in drone strike on US troops

Iran has no connection to the drone strike on US troops at a military base near the Jordan-Syria border, says Iran’s representative to the United Nations, Saeed Iravani.

The state-run Islamic Republic News Agency reports that Iravani blamed “conflict between US forces and resistance groups in the region” for the attack, in a statement to the UN. He also said “hawkish Republicans” were linking Iran to the drone strike.

Three US troops were killed in the attack on the US Tower 22 military outpost on Sunday, which has been claimed by the Iran-backed group Islamic Resistance in Iraq.

 

‘Excessive delays’ at Israeli checkpoints preventing aid to northern Gaza: UN

Only eight planned UN missions to northern Gaza have successfully gone ahead since the beginning of January, the UN’s humanitarian agency in the occupied Palestinian Territories (OCHA oPt) has said in its latest update.

OCHA said 29 aid convoys were denied permission by Israeli authorities this month, while other deliveries were impeded by “excessive delays” at Israeli checkpoints and threats to the safety of aid workers.

In particular, the UN said deliveries to hospitals and water and sanitation facilities north of the Wadi Gaza river were “largely denied”. 

Gaza residents are appealing to donor states to reconsider suspension of UNRWA funding

Millions have lost everything since Israel’s war on Gaza began and are now reliant on humanitarian aid just to survive. The majority of that support has come through the UN’s agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA).

But now, at least 11 countries – including Australia, Canada, Germany, the UK and the US – have suspended funding to UNRWA while they await the outcome of its investigation into allegations that some of its staff participated in the October 7 attacks on Israel. 

Israel’s president accuses ICJ of misrepresenting his comments

Israeli President Isaac Herzog has accused the International Court of Justice of twisting his words in its interim ruling ordering Israel to take measures to prevent genocide in Gaza.

Herzog said the Hague-based court took his comments about Palestinians’ responsibility for Hamas’s October 7 attacks out of context and its ruling was an example of the “‘post-truth’ phenomenon” permeating institutions.

“I was disgusted by the way they twisted my words, using very, very partial and fragmented quotes, with the intention of supporting an unfounded legal contention,” Herzog said on Sunday during an event to honour Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza.

During a news conference in October, Herzog had said that “an entire nation” was responsible for the October 7 attacks and that rhetoric suggesting civilians were not aware or involved was not true, although he insisted Israel would abide by international law and there was “no excuse” for killing innocent civilians.

 

Material prospect of Palestinian state has ‘never looked bleaker’

Ardi Imseis, an assistant professor of international law at Queen’s University in Canada, has said that the Israeli political establishment is displaying “complete disdain” for the “rules-based international legal order” with regards to illegal Israeli settlements.

He pointed to the “Return to Gaza Conference”, held only days after the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to take measures to prevent genocide in Gaza, as evidence of this.

At the conference, held in West Jerusalem on Sunday, Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called for the “voluntary migration” of Palestinians, while 21 illegal new Israeli settlements were also announced.

Imseis said that, given the current political climate in Israel, the “material prospects of a Palestinian state look bleak”.

“They’ve never looked bleaker, frankly. But that does not mean that the state of Palestine does not exist,” he said. “Juridically – that is in law – 140 states recognise the state of Palestine within the territorial confines of the occupied Palestinian territory.”

 

Palestinian refugees forced to pay brokers thousands to flee to Gaza

Palestinians trying to get out of Gaza via the Rafah border crossing with Egypt are being forced to pay thousands of dollars to a network of so-called brokers for exit permits, investigations by The Guardian and Le Monde have found.

Al Jazeera’s Zein Basravi reports that both Israel and Egypt are being blamed for creating a situation where “seeking sanctuary has seemingly become a lucrative business for war profiteers.” 

Israel’s war on Hamas could last ‘an entire generation’, minister says

Israel’s war against Hamas could last “10 years, or even an entire generation”, a senior member of Netanyahu’s government has said.

Benny Gantz, a member of the war cabinet, said during a meeting with evacuated southern Israeli communities that the “complete removal of the threat” will take time, although he hopes to see “relative security” by the summer, i24NEWS and the Times of Israel reported.

Gantz also told residents that bringing home Hamas’s captives in Gaza is a bigger priority than eliminating the Palestinian armed group. 

Settler conference shows ‘nature of this Israeli government’: Barghouti

A settler conference in West Jerusalem on Sunday showed “the nature of this Israeli government”, says Mustafa Barghouti, the general secretary of the Palestinian National Initiative party.

“Sixteen members of the Israeli Knesset participated, so that’s not a joke,” Barghouti told Al Jazeera. “These are the people who are making the policy in Israel. And they were calling for ethnic cleansing of Gaza.”

Barghouti described calls at the conference for “voluntary” migration from Gaza as “some kind of deceit”.

“What kind of voluntary migration when they bombard people around the clock and force them from the north to the south, from the centre to the south,” Barghouti told Al Jazeera in an interview.

 

Four settlers arrested over suspected assault on truck drivers delivering aid

The Israeli police say they are investigating a reported assault by four Israeli settlers on two truck drivers delivering aid to Gaza.

According to a police statement, the drivers said the settlers tear-gassed them and threw rocks at their vehicles near Tlalim Junction in the Negev desert region in southern Israel.

Police arrested the settlers north of the Negev, finding tear gas and a pocket knife in their car. The four will be brought before a judge in Beer Sheva on Monday.

 

United States is punishing Palestinians instead of illegal settlements: Barghouti

Mustafa Barghouti is the general secretary of the Palestinian National Initiative party on the “Return to Gaza Conference”.

Barghouti told Al Jazeera that Israeli politicians attending the conference showed “no respect to international law,” in the wake of the recent interim measures ordered by the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

“They are doing all of that because the international community has been silent,” said Barghouti.

The United States is “continuing to say that settlements are illegal, but instead of punishing them, they are punishing the Palestinians,” Barghouti added.

“They cut aid to [UNRWA] the most important agency that is providing humanitarian aid to the Palestinians. They are conducting collective punishment of the Palestinian population,” he added.

 

Israeli forces shoot and kill Palestinian man near Jenin

Our Al Jazeera Arabic colleagues are reporting that Israeli forces have shot and killed a man in the town of Yamoun, west of Jenin in the occupied West Bank.

Violent clashes and explosions have been reported in Jenin tonight after the Israeli military stormed the city, carried out raids and destroyed infrastructure.

Footage verified by Al Jazeera’s Sanad verification unit also shows Israeli soldiers beating a man – said to be a paramedic with the Palestine Red Crescent Society – as he holds his hands in the air.

We will bring you further updates on events in Jenin when we have them. 

UN chief calls for donors to maintain Gaza aid

UNITED NATIONS (AFP) - The UN chief called on donor states to guarantee the flow of aid to Gaza after several halted funding to the agency for Palestinians over claims some of its staff participated in the Oct 7 attacks.

While the row over the Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) deepened, heavy fighting in the besieged Gaza Strip sent more people fleeing south towards the Egyptian border.

UNRWA said on Friday it had fired several employees over Israel's unspecified accusations about the involvement of some of its staff in Hamas's Oct 7 attack.

Read More 

UN chief calls for donors to maintain Gaza aid