Live blog: Türkiye vows legal action over killing of Aysenur Eygi by Israel

Tuesday, September 10, 2024

1835 GMT –– The killing of Turkish American activist Aysenur Ezgi Eygi by Israeli soldiers has shown Israel targets even those "who are in favour of peace," Türkiye's foreign minister said.

Hakan Fidan, speaking to Anadolu in Cairo where he attended a session of the Arab League's Council of Foreign Ministers, vowed Türkiye will follow this "murder" from a legal perspective.

He expressed condolences to Eygi's family and emphasised the incident's significance in revealing Israel's approach towards peace advocates.

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1846 GMT –– Israeli army claims to kill Hamas commander in Rafah

The Israeli army claimed that it killed Mahmoud Hamdan, the commander of the Tel al-Sultan battalion of Hamas in Rafah.

The army also alleged that Hamdan played “a significant role in planning the Oct. 7 attack.”

It further claimed that it killed three other battalion squad leaders from the Palestinian resistance group in southern Gaza.

There is no confirmation from Hamas.

1842 GMT –– Despite 'safe zone' designation, 5 Israeli massacres have killed 217 Palestinians in al Mawasi since May

Despite Israel declaring it a "safe area," effectively promising Palestinians shelter from attacks, the al Mawasi area, located along the southern Palestinian coastline of the Mediterranean Sea in southwestern Gaza, has suffered five Israeli massacres since May.

The Israeli military had designated the area a "safe humanitarian zone." However, these attacks, which have claimed the lives of at least 217 Palestinians and injured 635 others, have been condemned by international and UN bodies, as well as numerous countries.

This sandy region, devoid of basic living necessities, has become home to about 1.7 million displaced Palestinians seeking shelter from months of Israeli attacks.

Forced to relocate under heavy fire, the majority arrived in al Mawasi following the Israeli military’s ground operation in Rafah starting on May 6.

The area, stretching 12 kilometres (7.5 miles) from Deir al-Balah in the north to Rafah in the south, and just 1 km (0.62 mi) wide, is overcrowded with makeshift tents.

Despite Israeli claims of the area being “safe,” the military has continued to target it with missiles and gunfire, resulting in repeated civilian casualties.

1705 GMT –– EU fears Israeli-occupied West Bank becoming a 'new Gaza'

The European Union's top diplomat Josep Borrell warned that increased violence in the occupied West Bank since the Israel-Hamas war erupted meant it risked becoming "a new Gaza".

Violence in the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967 and is separated from Gaza by Israeli territory, has flared alongside the war that began after Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked Israel on October 7.

Borrell said Israel was opening "a new front... with a clear objective: to turn the West Bank into a new Gaza -– in rising violence, delegitimising the Palestinian Authority and stimulating provocations to react forcefully."

Israel was also "not shying away from saying to the face of the world that the only way to reach a peaceful settlement is to annex the West Bank and Gaza," Borrell added at a ministerial meeting of the Arab League in Cairo.

1651 GMT –– UN chief 'strongly condemns' Israeli air strike on ‘safe zone’ in Gaza

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres "strongly" condemned a deadly Israeli air strike on a declared "humanitarian safe zone" in southern Gaza.

"I can tell you that the Secretary-General (Guterres) is deeply alarmed by the continued loss of life in Gaza. He strongly condemns today's Israeli air strike in an Israeli designated zone for displaced persons in Khan Younis," spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters.

"The use of heavy weapons in densely populated areas is unconscionable," he said in conveying Guterres’s message.

Saying that the Palestinians were displaced from the area, "in search of safety," Dujarric reiterated the UN chief's demand for an immediate ceasefire and the release of all hostages in Gaza.

1601 GMT –– Genocide case against Israel at ICJ will continue — South Africa

The genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) will continue and South Africa will file a memorial next month, the presidency said in a statement.

"South Africa intends to provide facts and evidence to prove that Israel is committing the crime of genocide in Palestine," the statement said.

"This case will continue until the court makes a finding. While the case is in progress, we hope that Israel will abide by the court’s provisional orders issued to date."

The remarks come amid reports that Israeli diplomats are being instructed to lobby members of the US Congress to pressure South Africa into dropping the case.

South Africa said its genocide case against Israel represents a growing global effort towards ensuring peace in the Middle East.

Several countries, it added, namely Türkiye, Nicaragua, Palestine, Spain, Mexico, Libya and Colombia, have all joined the case which began public hearings in January.

1556 GMT –– Two more Palestinians killed by Israeli army fire in West Bank raid

Two more Palestinians were killed in an Israeli military raid in the West Bank city of Tulkarem, the Health Ministry said.

A ministry statement said that 10 other people were also injured by Israeli army fire during the raid.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said a medic was among those wounded in the Israeli raid.

According to the organisation, Israeli forces surrounded an ambulance centre in the city and ordered staff inside to leave. Witnesses said a hospital was also besieged by Israeli forces during the raid amid an exchange of fire with armed Palestinians.

1555 GMT –– White House downbeat after senior officials say new Gaza proposal to be presented soon

The White House distanced itself from comments made by a pair of senior administration officials who said in recent days that Washington would soon be presenting Israel and Hamas with a new ceasefire proposal.

National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said the Biden administration is continuing to "diligently" work on moving talks forward, but said it is "not clear to us" whether the parties are "going to be able to get" to an agreement.

"What's not clear to us is whether Hamas will ever be able to come to the table in sincerity, and sign on to something, and so that's the complicating factor here. It doesn't mean that the work's not continuing. It is. Secretary (Antony) Blinken is right. We're still working on this," Kirby told reporters.

Kirby said Hamas put forward new terms to be added to the agreement but did not specify what they included.

CIA Director William Burns, who has been serving as Washington's chief negotiator, said Friday that the US would present the parties with a new, more detailed Gaza ceasefire for prisoner swap proposal that would be presented "in the next several days."

1518 GMT –– Gaza's toxic air a 'death sentence' for trapped Palestinians: experts

Experts are warning that millions of Palestinians in Gaza are breathing toxic and polluted air which is nothing short of a “death sentence.”

Hundreds of thousands of people in the besieged and bombarded enclave are suffering breathing problems and respiratory issues, and doctors say the scale of the problem will continue to grow as Israeli bombs disperse more chemicals into the air, mixing with dust from the unending mounds of rubble throughout Gaza.

The extent of the crisis will also become clearer when Gaza’s health system is restored and hospitals get back the ability to conduct tests and offer other basic services destroyed in Israel’s ongoing assault.

Dr Riyad Abu Shamala, a Palestinian ENT specialist in Gaza, fears an increase in birth defects in the near future, along with cases of lung cancer, particularly once “hospitals resume operations and departments such as radiology, MRI, CT scan and others … are restored.”

“I believe the general situation will worsen due to the deterioration of living conditions, increased pollution, lack of sanitation, and the contamination of water and air,” he told Anadolu.

1505 GMT –– Egypt denounces Israel’s bombing of Gaza's 'humanitarian safe zone'

Egypt strongly denounced Israeli air strikes on a "humanitarian safe zone" in southern Gaza, which left dozens of civilians dead.

"Egypt expresses its deep condemnation of the continued Israeli massacres against civilians in Gaza, in the absence of any effective international action to put an end to this human suffering, which has become a real challenge to the credibility of all humanitarian standards and values and a violation of the most basic rules of international humanitarian law and human rights," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

1454 GMT –– EU condemns Israeli strike on Gaza's humanitarian safe zone

The European Union foreign policy chief "strongly" condemned the deadly Israeli air strike on a declared "humanitarian safe zone" in southern Gaza and called for accountability.

"War laws must be respected, civilians protected and accountability ensured," Borrell said on X, adding: "We cannot normalise the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza."

At least 40 people were killed and dozens injured in Israeli air strikes on a tent camp in Khan Younis in al Mawasi area, which Israel has designated as a “humanitarian safe zone” for displaced civilians in Gaza.

Gaza's civil defence service said the Israeli missiles set refugee tents ablaze and caused craters as deep as nine meters (30 feet) in the area.

1403 GMT –– Saudi Arabia condemns Israeli air strikes on Gaza's 'safe zone'

Saudi Arabia condemned deadly Israeli air strikes on a "humanitarian safe zone" in southern Gaza, calling on the international community to put an end to Israeli "violations" of international law.

In a statement, the Saudi Foreign Ministry renewed "its categorical rejection of the continuing Israeli genocide crimes," and called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

1313 GMT –– Israel claims its forces likely 'unintentionally' killed Turkish-American activist

The Israeli military claimed that the Turkish-American activist who was killed in the occupied West Bank last week was likely shot "indirectly and unintentionally" by Israeli forces who were aiming at someone else.

Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, a 26-year-old activist, was killed on Friday following a demonstration against Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, according to Jonathan Pollak, an Israeli protester who witnessed the shooting.

The Israeli military said it "expresses its deepest regret" after its inquiry “found that it is highly likely that she was hit indirectly and unintentionally by (Israeli army) fire which was not aimed at her, but aimed at the key instigator of the riot."

1301 GMT –– UNRWA convoy to Gaza delayed by Israeli army for 8 hours, says agency

The United Nations Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) reported that an Israeli army blockade delayed a convoy headed to northern Gaza for a polio vaccination campaign by more than eight hours. Despite prior coordination, the UN staff were prevented from proceeding, the agency said in a statement on X.

“All UN staff in the convoy have been released and are safely back at the UN base,” the agency confirmed while condemning the incident as part of “a series of violations against UN staff.”

UNRWA urged that its workers be allowed to carry out their duties safely and in line with international humanitarian law, stating, “Gaza is no different.”

1232 GMT –– Arab ministerial meeting opens in Egypt to discuss Israeli war on Gaza

An Arab ministerial meeting convened in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, to discuss Israel’s ongoing offensive on Gaza.

Addressing the meeting, Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit called for halting the Israeli onslaught on the Palestinian enclave.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is "unwilling to agree to a ceasefire in Gaza," he said. "There is no choice but to halt the war," he added.

The ministerial meeting, chaired by Yemen, is also attended by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini, and UN Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza Sigrid Kaag.

1225 GMT –– Killing of American citizen 'unprovoked and unjustified': Blinken

The killing of Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, an American citizen of Turkish origin, during a protest last week in the Israeli-occupied West Bank was "unprovoked and unjustified" and shows that the Israeli security forces need to make fundamental changes to their rules of engagement, United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.

"No one should be shot and killed for attending a protest," Blinken told a news conference in London.

"In our judgment, Israeli security forces need to make some fundamental changes in the way that they operate in the West Bank, including changes to their rules of engagement," he said.

1115 GMT –– UN Middle East envoy condemns 'deadly' Israeli strike in Khan Younis

United Nations Middle East peace envoy Tor Wennesland condemned what he said was a deadly Israeli strike on Khan Younis in Gaza, which left dozens dead and wounded according to local medical authorities.

1059 GMT –– Norway condemns Israeli airstrike on 'safe zone' in Gaza

The Norwegian foreign minister on Tuesday condemned the Israeli airstrike on a safe zone in southern Gaza, saying the presence of armed groups "does not nullify the obligation" to comply with international laws.

"I condemn the Israeli airstrike this morning on a «safe zone» in Khan Younis. All parties have an obligation to protect civilians in warfare," Espen Barth Eide wrote on X.

At least 40 people were killed and dozens injured in Israeli airstrikes early Tuesday on a tent camp in Khan Younis in al-Mawasi area, which Israel has designated as a “humanitarian zone” for displaced civilians in Gaza.

"The presence of armed groups does not nullify the obligation to comply with international humanitarian law. The war must end," Eide noted.

1044 GMT –– WHO calls for protection of humanitarian zones in Gaza

The World Health Organization (WHO) has urged parties to respect humanitarian pause zones in the north as some parts of the zones fall under Israeli evacuation orders.

"Some areas in the north where evacuation orders were issued are part of the humanitarian pause zones," Tarik Jasarevic, WHO spokesperson, told a United Nations briefing in Geneva.

Jasarevic urged: "We appeal to all parties to continue ensuring these humanitarian pause zones are respected during the campaign."

His remarks came following the Israeli army's recent call for evacuation due to rocket fire from northern Gaza at the southern coastal city of Ashkelon. The spokesperson also said the three-day polio campaign in the north is going ahead from Tuesday and vaccines, cold chain equipment and finger markers were delivered to north Gaza.

However, Jasarevic said: "Yesterday, a WHO mission carrying fuel for hospitals and vehicles for the polio campaign as well as campaign monitoring experts was impeded."

1026 GMT –– Death toll from Israel's war on Gaza tops grim 41,000

More than 41,020 Palestinians have been killed and 94,925 have been wounded in Israel's military offensive in Gaza since Oct. 7, the Gaza health ministry said in a statement.

1026 GMT –– Türkiye condemns Israel’s attack on Palestinian tents in Khan Younis

Türkiye has condemned Israel’s attack on civilian tents in so-called “humanitarian zone” in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, which killed dozens of Palestinians.

“We condemn Israel's massacre of dozens of Palestinians in an attack on the tents of civilians in the so-called ‘humanitarian zone’ in Khan Younis,” said the country’s Foreign Ministry in a statement.

1013 GMT –– Israel defence minister says Gaza truce deal a 'strategic opportunity'

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant has offered his support for a hostage release agreement in the first phase of a Gaza truce deal, saying it would give Israel a "strategic opportunity" to address other security challenges.

Bringing the hostages home is "the right thing to do", Gallant told foreign journalists.

"Achieving an agreement is also a strategic opportunity that gives us a high chance to change the security situation on all fronts," he said.

0911 GMT –– EU doesn’t have unified position on Gaza war, says foreign policy chief

EU's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has said that the bloc does not have a unified position on the ongoing war on Gaza.

About the efforts to secure a ceasefire in Gaza, including the recent trilateral one by Egypt, Qatar, and the US, Borrell said at a joint news conference in Cairo with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, "We are almost there, but we are not there"

0911 GMT –– At least 7 killed in fresh Israeli attacks in Gaza

At least seven Palestinians were killed in fresh Israeli bombardment in Gaza, the Civil Defense Agency said.

Four people lost their lives while several others were injured when an Israeli fighter jet hit a food stand in al-Shawwa, east of Gaza City, spokesman Mahmoud Basal told Anadolu.

Three more people were killed in Israeli shelling in the southern city of Rafah, he added.

Artillery shelling also targeted Zeitoun and al-Sabra neighborhoods in Gaza City, but no information was yet available about casualties.

0820 GMT — Israel reopens border crossing with Jordan after attack

Israel has reopened the Allenby Bridge crossing between the occupied West Bank and Jordan on Tuesday after a 2-day closure following the killing of three Israelis in a shooting attack.

The crossing was reopened to travelers, but not to the movement of goods, the Israeli public broadcaster KAN said.

The Jordanian authorities reopened the terminal, also called King Hussein Crossing, on Tuesday to travellers. It, however, remains closed to the cargo movement.

0625 GMT — Australia urges Israel to accept UN Security Council-backed ceasefire deal

Australia has urged Israel to accept the UN Security Council-backed ceasefire deal in the besieged Palestinian enclave of Gaza.

“A ceasefire in Gaza is desperately needed now,” Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said on X, as the Palestinian death toll in Gaza has climbed to nearly 41,000 since last Oct. 7.

Wong said she spoke to her Israeli counterpart Israel Katz on Monday night to reiterate Australia’s view that “parties must agree to the UNSC-backed deal” for the protection of civilians, the release of hostages, to enable more aid, and prevent regional escalation.

2225 GMT — 'Entire families' buried in sand after massacre at al Mawasi

Israel has killed at least 40 Palestinians and wounded some 60 others in air strikes on a tent encampment in Khan Younis in southern Gaza, medics said.

A Gaza civil defence official told AFP news agency early on Tuesday that "40 martyrs and 60 wounded were recovered and transferred" to nearby hospitals following an Israeli attack inside the al-Mawasi humanitarian zone in Khan Younis, the Palestinian territory's main southern city.

Residents and medics said the tent encampment was struck by at least four Israeli missiles. The camp is crowded with displaced Palestinians who have fled from elsewhere in the enclave.

The Gaza civil emergency service said at least 20 tents caught on fire, and missiles caused craters as deep as 30 feet.

"Our teams are still moving out martyrs and wounded from the targeted area. It looks like a new Israeli massacre," a Gaza civil emergency official said.

Without offering any proof, the Israeli military said it struck Hamas fighters who it said were "embedded inside the Humanitarian Area in Khan Younis."

Palestinian resistance group Hamas denied its fighters were present at the site of the Israeli massacre, saying "The [Israel] occupation's allegations of the presence of resistance fighters are a blatant lie."

In another statement, civil defence spokesman Mahmoud Basal said people sheltering in the camp had not been warned of the strike, adding a shortage of tools and equipment was hindering rescue operations.

"More than 20 to 40 tents were completely damaged," he said, adding the strike left behind "three deep craters".

"There are entire families who disappeared under the sand in the Mawasi Khan Younis massacre."

2152 GMT — Israel said to have killed hostages in December, covered it up

The Israeli army killed three captives, including two soldiers, during a raid on Gaza in December and concealed it from the public, local Israeli media reported.

Israel's Channel 12 said the three Israeli captives — Nik Beizer, Ron Sherman and Elia Toledano — were killed in an Israeli air strike that targeted a senior military leader of the Palestinian resistance group Hamas in northern Gaza.

According to the channel, the Israeli army did not know there were Israeli captives present along with the Hamas leader but has known the details of their deaths since February but chose not to publicise them.

1930 GMT — Palestine's UN proposal demands Israel leave Gaza and West Bank in 6 months

Palestine has circulated a draft UN resolution demanding that Israel end its "unlawful presence" in besieged Gaza and the occupied West Bank within six months.

A council diplomat said the Palestinians are aiming for a vote before world leaders of the General Assembly start their annual high-level meetings on September 22.

The proposal demands that Israel comply with international law, including by immediately withdrawing all military forces from the Palestinian territories.

The draft resolution not only demands an end to all new settlement activity but also the evacuation of all illegal Zionist settlers and the dismantling of the separation barrier Israel constructed in the West Bank.

It calls for all Palestinians displaced during Israel's occupation to be allowed "to return to their original place of residence" and that Israel make reparations "for the damage caused" to all people in the territories.

For our live updates from Monday, September 9, 2024, click here.