Live blog: Israeli military detains UN convoy in northern Gaza

Monday, September 9, 2024

1855 GMT –– The Israeli military has said it detained a convoy of United Nations vehicles in northern Gaza.

UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said it was aware "of an ongoing incident involving UN personnel and vehicles" and was working to establish the facts. He said the top UN priority "is the safety and security of our colleagues."

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1857 GMT –– Israeli army concealed that 3 Israelis were killed in December during Israel's bombing

The Israeli army concealed that 3 Israelis were killed in December during Israel's bombing of a senior Hamas leader in Gaza, Israel's Channel 12 reports.

1837 GMT –– US expects Israel to 'transparently' share findings on Turkish-American activist's killing

The United States urged Israel to conduct a “swift, thorough, and transparent investigation” into the killing of Turkish-American activist Aysenur Ezgi Eygi in the occupied West Bank and called on Israel to make their findings public.

"Our understanding is that our partners in Israel are looking into the circumstances of what happened, and we expect them to make their findings public, and whatever those findings are, (we) expect them to be thorough and transparent," State Department Deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters.

Patel described the death of an American citizen as "heartbreaking," "troubling," and "tragic," but refrained from condemning Israel, stating that what transpired in the occupied West Bank is "still being determined and adjudicated."

"We're going to let that process play out," he added.

1825 GMT –– Activist Eygi 'will remain an icon' for Palestinian struggle: Palestinian groups

The Palestinian groups said Turkish-American activist Aysenur Ezgi Eygi "will remain an icon" for the Palestinian struggle at the local and international levels.

Eygi, 26, a dual citizen of Türkiye and the US, was shot dead by Israeli forces during a Friday protest against illegal Israeli settlements in the town of Beita in the occupied West Bank.

In a statement, the National and Islamic Forces, an umbrella that includes most of the Palestinian groups, said: "The martyr Aysenur will remain an icon for the struggle and fighting at the Palestinian and international levels."

"Many solidarity activists join our Palestinian people in the activities of the popular resistance in the towns and villages that are exposed to (Israeli) colonisation and expropriation," the statement read.

The Palestinian groups considered Eygi's death as a confirmation of Israel's implementation of the policies of killing, expulsion, and ban of entry for international solidarity activists.

1752 GMT –– Future of Gaza concerns entire Middle East: EU foreign policy chief

The future of embattled Gaza concerns the entire Middle East, said the EU foreign policy chief.

On the destruction and catastrophic situation brought by ongoing Israel attacks on the besieged enclave, Josep Borrell told reporters on the Egyptian side of the Rafah Crossing into Gaza: “Certainly we have to avoid … Gaza becoming a new Mogadishu, a Mogadishu in the Mediterranean, or a new Haiti, aligned without law and order, abandoned to the gangs, to the violence of people.”

It is the security and stability of the whole region, including Israel, which is at stake, he added.

As such, Borrell stressed, the Palestinian administration should be supported to restore law and order in Gaza.

1720 GMT –– OIC should meet 'without further delay' to defend Jerusalem: Erdogan

Türkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has urged the leaders of the world's majority-Muslim nations to meet at the leadership level "without further delay" to help defend Palestinians and Jerusalem against Israel’s attacks, nearly a year into a relentless Israeli offensive that has taken 40,988 lives.

"The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), which is tasked with defending the cause of Jerusalem, cannot remain indifferent to these increasingly audacious attacks," Erdogan said after a Cabinet meeting in the Turkish capital Ankara.

"It’s urgent for the organization to convene at the leadership level without further delay and to demonstrate the decisive stance of the Islamic world," he added.

On Israel's killing last week of Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, a dual citizen of Türkiye and the US, during a protest against illegal Israeli settlements near Nablus in the occupied West Bank, Erdogan said Ankara will take "every legal step" to ensure her blood "was not spilled in in vain," including by appealing to the International Court of Justice at The Hague, which has already been investigating charges that Israel has been committing genocide.

1707 GMT –– Hezbollah targets Israeli sites in response to Lebanon attacks

Lebanese group Hezbollah said its militants attacked several Israeli military positions in northern Israel, in response to Israeli attacks on southern Lebanon.

In a statement, Hezbollah said its fighters targeted the Israeli army's Jal al Alam site with two combat drones and also struck the same site with artillery shells.

Separately, Hezbollah said it struck the army's Al Marj site with artillery shells, and targeted spy equipment in the army's Ramtha site in the occupied Lebanese Shebaa farms.

In another statement, the Hezbollah group said its militants struck with a barrage of Katyusha rockets the headquarters of the Israeli army's Western Brigade Command near the Yaara barracks.

1635 GMT –– Nablus governor briefs senior US diplomat on killing of Turkish-American

The Nablus Governor Ghassan Daghlas informed United States Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Hady Amr of the details of the Israeli killing of Turkish-American activist Aysenur Ezgi Eygi last week.

According to a statement by Daghlas's office, he received Amr and Hans Wechsel, head of the US Office of Palestinian Affairs, during which he urged to check the Israeli narrative over Eygi's killing.

He also told the American officials about what Nablus suffers from the Israeli settlements, settlers attacks and the Israeli army's checkpoints and their impact on the Palestinians' life in the city.

Hady Amr, for his part, said he came to listen to the death circumstances of Eygi, as well as to offer condolences to the victims killed in Beita and in Palestine in general, according to the Nablus Governor's office statement.

1536 GMT –– UN warns of Israeli officials interference in probe of sexual violence against Palestinian detainees

United Nations Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict Pramila Patten expressed concern over attempts by Israeli political actors to interfere with investigations into reports of sexual violence against Palestinian detainees.

"I am particularly concerned about recent attempts by some Israeli political actors, to interfere with ongoing justice processes and/ or to justify the use of these methods. Sexual violence and sexualised torture in detention settings must never be normalised," Patten said in a statement following increasing reports of sexual violence against Palestinian prisoners.

She warned that "impunity emboldens perpetrators, silences victims, and undermines prospects for peace," and urged for accountability and justice for the crimes.

Citing the UN's recently published report, Patten said: "Sexual violence and sexualised torture in any form and in any context, and particularly in detention settings, is unacceptable."

1532 GMT –– Palestinians' UN proposal demands Israel leave Gaza and the West Bank in 6 months

The Palestinians have circulated a draft United Nations resolution demanding that Israel end its "unlawful presence" in Gaza and the occupied West Bank within six months.

The proposed General Assembly resolution, which was obtained by The Associated Press, follows a ruling by the top United Nations court in July that said Israel’s presence in the occupied Palestinian territories is unlawful and must end.

In the sweeping condemnation of Israel’s rule over the lands it captured 57 years ago, the International Court of Justice said Israel had no right to sovereignty over the territories and was violating international laws against acquiring the lands by force. It also said Israeli settlement building must stop.

1505 GMT –– War hits Israeli budget, widening deficit

Israel's budget deficit continues to feel the impact of the country’s ongoing deadly offensive on Gaza, with the budget deficit growing gradually this year.

The budget deficit to the country's GDP ratio was at minus 8.3 percent in August, increasing from minus 7.6 percent in June and minus 6.2 percent in March and minus 4.1 percent last December.

The budget deficit was at $22.38 billion (84 billion shekels) this January to August, versus a surplus of $79.9 million (0.3 billion shekels) in the same period last year.

While the country's expenditures jumped 31.8 percent year-on-year in the first eight months, revenues rose just 4 percent, Israeli Finance Ministry data showed on Sunday.

In August alone, the budget deficit was at $3.22 billion (12.1 billion shekels).

1429 GMT –– Belgium demands investigation over killing of Turkish-American activist

Belgium has expressed "deep regret" over Israel's killing of Turkish-American citizen Aysenur Ezgi Eygi in the occupied West Bank and called for a prompt, transparent, and independent investigation into the killing.

In response to Anadolu's question over the killing of Eygi, a spokesperson for the Belgian Foreign Ministry said that the country condemns the escalation of violence in the West Bank and calls for an immediate cessation of military assaults in the West Bank.

"Israel is bound by its obligations under international law, including humanitarian law, in the Occupied Palestinian Territory," said the spokesperson.

1418 GMT –– Palestinian envoy to UK calls for holding Israel accountable

Palestine's envoy to the United Kingdom urged the United States and the international community to hold Israel accountable for the killing of Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, a Turkish-American activist.

Speaking to Anadolu, Ambassador Husam Zomlot said that Israel has not only killed Palestinians but also citizens from different nations, including the US, UK and Turkish citizens, for 76 years, without facing consequences.

"The issue is Israel has grown up accustomed to the fact that they have full impunity. America has never held accountable those who kill their own citizens, let alone the Palestinian people," Zomlot said.

"So, this is a moment when it has been exposed that Israel has a free hand to kill at will, whoever it wishes to kill, including the 26-year-old peace activist (Aysenur Ezgi Eygi) who was there (West Bank) to promote and fight for justice and to protect Palestinian civilians from settler violence and terrorism with the full support of Israeli army," he added.

1346 GMT –– Gaza death toll rises to 40,988 amid ongoing Israeli attacks

At least 16 more Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza, taking the total death toll since last Oct. 7 to 40,988, the Health Ministry in the war-torn territory said.

A ministry statement added that some 94,825 other people have been wounded in the assault. "Israeli forces killed 16 people and injured 64 others in two 'massacres' of families in the last 24 hours," the ministry said.

1342 GMT –– Israeli soldier 'shouted for joy' after shooting Turkish-American activist: Palestinian eyewitness

Palestinian eyewitness Mounir Khdair said that the Israeli sniper who killed Turkish-American citizen Aysenur Ezgi Eygi in the West Bank last Friday cried out for joy after shooting her.

"It's time this murder leads to accountability"

Jonathan Pollak, an Israeli activist who has been taking part in protests against Israel in the region for many years, said that on the day of the shooting in the village of Beita, near Nablus, soldiers quickly dispersed protesters after Friday prayers in the village with tear gas and live bullets.

He added: "The soldier who did this took a kill shot. That kill shot was no isolated incident. It happens in the context of the escalation and violence in the (occupied) West Bank. The bullet that killed Aysenur is the same bullet that killed people in Nur Shams and Jenin."

1335 GMT –– Israeli army issues new evacuation orders for Palestinians in northwestern Gaza

The Israeli army issued new evacuation orders for Palestinian civilians in large areas of northwestern Gaza ahead of an imminent military offensive.

The new orders were issued after the Israeli army claimed that rockets were fired by Palestinian resistance fighters from Gaza’s northwest towards Israel.

Military spokesperson Avichay Adraee called the new areas "a dangerous combat zone," posting a map on his X account showing several neighbourhoods and towns in northwestern Gaza to be evacuated.

1327 GMT –– Egypt accuses Israel of spreading ‘lies’ amid deadlock in Gaza ceasefire talks

Egypt accused Israel of spreading “lies” to divert attention from its failure to secure a Gaza ceasefire and prisoner swap agreement with Hamas.

“Israel is spreading lies to distract attention from the failure to reach a prisoner exchange deal in Gaza and implement a ceasefire in the enclave,” Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty told a press conference with Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen in Cairo.

“We have spent vast amounts on building a security fence and destroying tunnels along the Gaza border,” he added.

Abdelatty continued, “Whenever we approach an agreement in Gaza, we face 'provocative policies' aimed solely at escalating tensions.”

There was no immediate Israeli comment yet on the Egyptian minister’s remarks.

1147 GMT –– Germany deplores Israel's killing of Turkish-American peace activist

Germany has deplored Israel’s killing of a Turkish-American peace activist in the West Bank.

"This is a terrible incident that needs to be clarified. The Israeli army and government are responsible for doing this," Foreign Ministry deputy spokesperson Christian Wagner said at a press conference in Berlin.

1145 GMT –– Mourners bid farewell to Turkish-American activist in West Bank

Hundreds of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank city of Nablus paid farewell to Turkish-American activist Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, who was killed by Israeli forces on Friday.

The funeral procession began from Rafidia Government Hospital in Nablus, with mourners walking through several streets, chanting slogans condemning Israeli actions and praising foreign supporters, according to an Anadolu reporter.

Mourners performed the funeral prayer, led by Nablus Governor Ghassan Daghlas, with the participation of leaders from various Palestinian factions and a large public turnout.

The body carried on shoulders, was wrapped in the Palestinian flag, with the head covered by the traditional Palestinian keffiyeh.

Eygi’s body is expected to be transported to Türkiye.

1143 GMT –– India's top court refuses to issue halt order on arms supplies to Israel

India’s Supreme Court dismissed a public interest litigation that sought an order for the federal government to halt licenses for Indian firms exporting arms to Israel.

“We cannot enter into the nation's foreign policy domain,” said a bench comprising Chief Justice D. Y. Chandrachud and two other judges.

The bench said the Indian firms, involved in arms export, may be sued for breach of contractual obligations and hence they cannot be stopped from supplying.

"Can we direct that under the UN's genocide convention you ban the export to Israel. Why this restraint. This is because it impacts the foreign policy and we do not know what the impact will be," the Press Trust of India news agency quoted the judges as saying.

The Public Interest Litigation, filed by nearly a dozen people this month, had said: "India is bound by various international laws and treaties that obligate India not to supply military weapons to States guilty of war crimes, as any export could be used in serious violations of international humanitarian law."

1020 GMT –– Smotrich vows to grant 500,000 illegal settlers 'same rights of every citizens in Israel'

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said that he is working to grant 500,000 illegal settlers in the occupied West Bank "the same rights of every citizen in Israel."

"I will continue to work with all my strength to allow the half million settlers who are on the front line and under fire to enjoy the same rights of every citizen in Israe l and to establish facts on the ground that will prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state," Smotrich posted on X.

"My life's mission is to build the Land of Israel and thwart the establishment of a Palestinian state that would endanger the State of Israel," he claimed.

1011 GMT –– Israeli raids worsening West Bank situation: UN

Major Israeli raids across the occupied West Bank are seriously worsening an already "calamitous" situation there that has been deepened by serious settler violence, the UN rights chief said.

Opening a session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, Volker Turk decried soaring violence in the West Bank amid major Israeli raids.

"In the West Bank, deadly and destructive operations, some at a scale not witnessed in the last two decades, are worsening a calamitous situation there, already aggravated by serious settler violence," Turk told the council.

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0921 GMT –– Pro-Palestine group shuts entrances of firm 'providing arms to Israel'

Palestine Action activists blocked all entrances to the Elbit Systems-owned Instro Precision factory at Discovery Park in Kent as part of an ongoing campaign to drive the Israeli weapons manufacturer out of Britain.

The group, which is known for direct action protests against arms production facilities, targeted the site because of its alleged involvement in the ongoing Israeli war on the Gaza Strip, which has killed nearly 41,000 people, the majority of whom are women and children, since Oct. 7 of last year.

The group says it is more determined than ever to get Israel's largest weapons manufacturer out of Britain.

0801 GMT — Academic year begins in West Bank as Israel's war deprives Gaza

Palestinian students in the occupied West Bank have begun their new school year, while their peers in Gaza faced a second consecutive year without attending school amid Israel’s ongoing military onslaught.

In a statement, the Palestinian Education Ministry said a total of 2,459 government, private, and United Nations-run schools welcomed more than 806,360 students in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.

According to the ministry, more than 10,000 students in Gaza have been killed and 15,000 wounded as a result of Israeli attacks, with 19,000 students having fled their areas.

0803 GMT — 4 injured in Israeli air strike in southern Lebanon

At least four people were wounded in an Israeli air strike in southern Lebanon, the Lebanese Health Ministry has said.

The attack targeted the town of Hanine, the ministry added in a statement.

The state-run National News Agency said the town came under two Israeli strikes shortly after midnight.

0756 GMT — Pro-Palestinian activists hold protests to disrupt defence expo in Australia

Pro-Palestinian and anti-war activists held protests in Melbourne, disrupting a defence expo set to open on Wednesday.

Protesters gathered in front of companies connected to weapons manufacturing across Melbourne as police were called to prevent an escalation of the events, according to 7News Melbourne.

Many police cars and units were visible in front of company buildings to prevent a violent escalation of the protests.

Protests are expected to move across the city to different areas ahead of the Land Forces Military Expo on Wednesday, with over 25,000 participants, potentially the biggest in the country in decades.

0743 GMT — Gaza hospitals face imminent shutdown due to fuel shortage

Two hospitals in northern Gaza face a potential shutdown amid a severe fuel shortage, local health officials have warned.

“The Indonesian Hospital is facing a severe fuel shortage, which threatens to completely halt medical services if Israel continues to prevent the entry of fuel, leaving patients at risk of death,” hospital director Mourwan Sultan told Anadolu.

He said the hospital’s intensive care unit has reached its maximum capacity, with the ward filled with critically ill patients, including 10 relying on ventilators.

“The operating rooms are running non-stop around the clock,” he said. “If Israel continues to block fuel deliveries, medical services could come to a complete halt, condemning these patients to death.”

Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza also warned of ceasing its operations within 48 hours due to fuel shortages.

0703 GMT — Jordan again closes King Hussein Bridge Crossing

Jordan has said that it has again closed the King Hussein Bridge (Allenby) Crossing with the West Bank to both outbound and inbound travellers, as well as cargo, hours after earlier statements regarding its reopening.

In a statement from the Public Security Directorate, which operates under the Interior Ministry, authorities said: “The King Hussein Bridge has been closed to travellers and cargo on Monday until further notice.”

The directorate urged those who use the crossing to stay informed through the media regarding any updates on travel operations.

0441 GMT — At least 7 killed in overnight Israeli airstrikes on Gaza

At least seven people were killed in Israeli air strikes on the Gaza, according to reports.

The Palestinian news agency Wafa said the Israeli military's offensive on Gaza have now entered their 339th day.

The report highlighted that several areas in Gaza were subjected to heavy airstrikes and artillery fire overnight.

An airstrike on a house in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza killed three people and injured seven others.

Additionally, the bombing of the post office in Nuseirat caused numerous injuries.

In a separate attack on a house in the Al Bureij refugee camp, also in central Gaza, at least four people were killed, with many more wounded.

0234 GMT — Military focus needs to shift to Lebanon: Israel's Gantz

Former war cabinet member Benny Gantz has said Israel should shift its focus toward Hezbollah and the Lebanese border, warning that "we are late on this."

Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah have been trading near-daily cross-border fire, with the Lebanese group saying it is acting in support of its Palestinian ally Hamas in the ongoing war in Gaza.

"We have enough forces to deal with Gaza and we should concentrate on what is going on in the north," Gantz said, speaking in Washington at a Middle East forum where he also said Iran and its proxies were "the real issue."

"The time of the north has come and actually I think we are late on this," the former army chief and centrist politician added.

0136 GMT — Israel’s security cabinet meets to address West Bank tensions

Israel’s security cabinet, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, met to discuss several key issues, especially the escalation in the occupied West Bank, the country’s official broadcasting authority has said.

The authority noted that Netanyahu opened the session, where several topics were addressed, with a focus on the intensifying situation in the occupied Palestinian territory.

During the meeting, Netanyahu also touched on the frequent visits by government ministers to Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem.

0125 GMT — Israeli army attacks West Bank refugee camps

The Israeli army has raided the city of Tulkarem and the Balata refugee camp in the northern occupied West Bank.

Israeli occupation forces stormed Tulkarem after midnight, according to the official Palestinian news agency Wafa.

Several occupation military vehicles accompanied by two heavy bulldozers entered the city from its western side, where they began demolishing infrastructure in the Al-Alemi area, while a surveillance drone hovered at a low altitude over the city.

Israeli army also raided the Balata refugee camp east of Nablus accompanied by a military bulldozer, which led to clashes with Palestinian resistance forces.

0104 GMT — Illegal Israeli settlers assault elderly Palestinian

Illegal Israeli settlers beat an elderly Palestinian man after abducting him for several hours and released him near the Meitar checkpoint south of Hebron in the occupied West Bank.

Mohammad Abu Sharikh, the son of 69-year-old Hussein Abu Sharikh, told Anadolu that his father was abducted east of the town of ad-Dhahiriya in the village of Khallet al-Tayaran, where he was tending to his sheep.

“Five armed settlers accompanied by soldiers abducted my father around 6.30 p.m. (1530GMT) and took him to the Tina settlement, where he stayed for four hours and was beaten during that time,” added the son.

0016 GMT — Jordanian behind shooting at West Bank border crossing: Interior ministry

A Jordanian driver was responsible for Sunday's shooting at the Allenby Bridge Crossing at the border between the occupied West Bank and Jordan which left three Israelis dead as well as the gunman, the Jordanian Interior Ministry has said in a statement.

The statement said "the shooter is a Jordanian citizen named Maher al-Jazi from Al-Huseiniyah district of Ma'an Governorate who crossed the bridge driving a truck carrying commercial goods from Jordan to the West Bank."

“Preliminary investigation results indicate that the incident was an individual act, and investigations are ongoing to obtain all details of the incident,” added the ministry.

It added that "coordination is underway with the relevant authorities to receive the body of the perpetrator for burial in Jordan."

For our live updates from Sunday, September 8, 2024, click here.