Live blog: Gaza ceasefire negotiations to continue next week — Israel

Friday, July 5, 2024

1736 GMT — The head of Israel's Mossad has returned from Doha after an initial meeting with mediators trying to reach a Gaza ceasefire and prisoners swap deal, and negotiations will resume next week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said.

Netanyahu's office said in a statement that gaps remain between the sides.

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1806 GMT — Biden will 'likely' meet Netanyahu during Washington visit: White House

US President Joe Biden will probably meet with Benjamin Netanyahu when the Israeli prime minister visits Washington this month, the White House said.

Netanyahu is scheduled to give a speech before Congress on July 24.

1804 GMT — Fire breaks out in Israeli settlement after rocket launched from Lebanon

A warehouse in Kiryat Shmona in northern Israel caught fire due to a direct hit from a rocket launched from southern Lebanon, according to Israeli media.

The official Israeli broadcaster, KAN, reported damage to the warehouse without specifying its extent. Another rocket landed in an open area in the Shlomi settlement in the western Galilee area, it added.

Meanwhile, Hezbollah claimed responsibility for targeting a building used by Israeli soldiers in the same settlement. Earlier, the group said it struck Israeli military sites, while Israel intensified airstrikes in southern Lebanon, resulting in one injury.

1757 GMT — UN 'deeply concerned' about increase in exchanges of fire across Israel-Lebanon border

The UN said it is "deeply concerned" about the increase in exchanges of fire across the Israel-Lebanon border, warning of the risk of a "full-scale war".

"The UN is deeply concerned at the increase in the intensity of exchanges of fire across the Blue Line yesterday, which heightens the risk of a full-scale war," the Office of the Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a statement.

"Escalation can and must be avoided. We reiterate that the danger of miscalculation leading to a sudden and wider conflagration is real," it added.

The statement said a political and diplomatic solution is the "only viable way forward," underscoring the engagements between Lebanese officials and the UN Interim Force In Lebanon (UNIFIL) as well as the UN Special Coordinator.

"We echo the appeals of UNSCOL (the Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon) and UNIFIL urging the parties to immediately return to a cessation of hostilities and to recommit to the full implementation of Security Council resolution 1701 (2006)," it added.

1712 GMT — Gantz tells Netanyahu he will back any prisoner swap deal with Hamas

The leader of the Israeli opposition party National Unity, Benny Gantz, conveyed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu his party’s backing for any agreement that would facilitate the return of Israeli hostages held in Gaza.

Gantz's office confirmed that he spoke with Net Netanyahu by phone to discuss the framework for returning the Israeli hostages from Gaza under the new proposed agreement with Hamas, according to Israeli Army Radio.

The office said in a statement that Gantz’s party “will provide full backing to any responsible deal that will lead to the return of the hostages.”

The "Unity of the Nation" party, represented in the Knesset (Israeli Parliament), could provide crucial support for the agreement's approval. The backing could come from the party’s seats in the Knesset if the agreement is put to a vote for approval, the statement added.

1556 GMT — 'How can we remain silent': UN rapporteur on Gaza famine

The UN’s special rapporteur on Palestine has questioned how the world could remain "silent" or "indifferent" on the situation in Gaza, where Israeli attacks since Oct. 7, 2023 has killed more than 38,000 Palestinians, and rendered most of the population homeless and hungry.

In a post on X, Francesca Albanese said: “6-months Fayez Ataya & 13-year-old Abdulqader Al Serhi are two of the latest victims of the FAMINE that Israel's STARVATION campaign has caused in Gaza."

"How can we remain silent, indifferent, or inactive in the face of this abominable injustice, and not feel hypocritical when commemorating the victims of any other genocide?" she questioned. According to the latest UN-partnered IPC report on hunger levels, 96 percent of the population – some 2.15 million people – face acute food insecurity at a "crisis" level or higher.

1545 GMT — Hamas rejects non-Palestinian plans for Gaza's future

Hamas has said that it rejects foreign intervention that seeks to flout Palestine’s will for the future of Gaza.

In a statement, the group declared its refusal of "any plans, projects, or proposals that aim to bypass the Palestinian will regarding the future of Gaza, and any statements or positions that support plans to bring foreign forces into the region under any pretext or justification."

"Ruling Gaza after repelling the (Israeli) aggression is a purely Palestinian matter, to be agreed upon by all sectors of our people, who will not allow any guardianship or the imposition of external solutions that undermine our fundamental rights to freedom and self-determination," the statement added.

1316 GMT — Seven killed in Israeli West Bank raid: health ministry

Israeli troops killed seven Palestinians — with Hamas claiming five as members — in a raid on Jenin in the occupied West Bank, officials said.

At least 14 Palestinians have now been killed in Israeli operations this week in the West Bank, where the Gaza war has fuelled tensions in October.

The Israeli military said the raid was carried out to find "militants" behind an attack last week in which an Israeli captain was killed. Hamas said one of the latest seven dead was a "commander" in the group.

The Palestinian Authority's Health Ministry said the seven dead were aged from 19 to 54. A Hamas statement said five of the "martyrs" were members of the group that rules Gaza. One, Ahmed Mahmud Al Aridi, 30, was named as a Hamas "commander".

1300 GMT — Qatari emir reiterates his demand to halt Israeli war on Gaza

Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani has emphasised his country’s efforts to halt the Israeli war on Gaza, describing the conditions there as tragic, Qatar News Agency reported.

During his meeting with Polish President Andrzej Duda in Warsaw, the emir affirmed that Qatar seeks to stop the war by finding a solution, stopping the fighting, and releasing hostages held in Gaza.

The situation in the enclave is tragic and difficult, and we need the world's efforts to stop this war, he said.

Sheikh Tamim arrived in Warsaw from Astana, Kazakhstan where he attended a two-day Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit.

1255 GMT — Israel's decision to 'legalise' settlements violates int'l law: Türkiye

Türkiye has said that Israel's decision to "legalise some settlement outposts and to "approve new housing units in the occupied West Bank are flagrant violations of international law."

"These steps indicate that Israel is trying to make the occupation permanent and has no intention of achieving peace," a Turkish Foreign Ministry statement said.

The statement called on the global community to take "a firm and principled stand against Israel's attempts to normalise the occupation."

1026 GMT — Bodies of 14 Palestinians retrieved from southern Gaza rubble

Bodies of at least 14 Palestinians were retrieved from the rubble wreckage in Rafah, south of Gaza, medical sources told Anadolu.

The sources said they received 14 bodies of Palestinians from areas in the west of the city of Rafah in southern Gaza.

At least 10 of those bodies were decomposed and unidentifiable, medical sources added.

1009 GMT — Hezbollah, Hamas discuss latest developments in Gaza ceasefire

The chief of the Lebanese Hezbollah group, Hassan Nasrallah, met with a senior delegation from the Palestinian group Hamas to discuss the latest developments in the ongoing negotiations and proposed ceasefire initiatives in Gaza.

In a statement, Hezbollah said: "Nasrallah met with a Hamas leadership delegation led by Khalil Al Hayya to discuss the latest security and political developments in Palestine, particularly Gaza, as well as the status of support fronts in Lebanon, Yemen, and Iraq."

The two parties discussed "the current developments in the ongoing negotiations, their status, and the proposals aimed at ending the aggressive actions against the Palestinian people in Gaza."

Both parties emphasised "the importance of ongoing field and political coordination at all levels to achieve their shared objectives."

0934 GMT — Rockets fired from Lebanon burn around 17,300 acres in northern Israel since last October: Media

Israeli data has revealed that around 17,300 acres of open land in northern Israel have been burned due to rocket fire from Lebanon since the Israeli army and Hezbollah started trading fires on October 8.

“Nature reserves in the Galilee and the Golan Heights including Nahal Dishon, Gamla, Nahal Hatzor, Majrase and Meshushim, were severely damaged (by fire),” the Israeli daily Haaretz cited a statement by Israel's Nature and Parks Authority as saying.

The latest fires broke out on Thursday in northern Israel following a barrage of rockets launched from Lebanon.

0848 GMT — Mossad chief in Doha for truce talks as Israel continues attacks

Mossad chief David Barnea has left for Doha to meet with Qatar's Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani to discuss a hostage swap deal and a ceasefire in Gaza.

The Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation reported that “the head of Mossad departed to hold meetings in Qatar with the Qatari prime minister."

Barnea travelled alone, without the rest of the negotiating team, which included Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar and Major General Nitzan Alon, who oversees files of the hostages in the Israeli army, the media outlet said.

“The negotiations will take time, and a breakthrough is not expected soon. Expectations must be tempered," the broadcaster said, quoting unnamed Israeli officials.

It said, "Israel estimates that the talks will continue for up to a month before a breakthrough is achieved.”

0836 GMT — Fuel shortages 'catastrophic' for devastated health services in Gaza: WHO

The World Health Organization chief has warned that a dire lack of fuel in Gaza could have a "catastrophic" impact on already devastated health services in the war-ravaged Palestinian territory.

"Further disruption to health services is imminent in Gaza due to a severe lack of fuel," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said late Thursday on X, formerly Twitter.

The UN health agency cautioned that only 90,000 litres of fuel entered Gaza on Wednesday — even as the health sector alone needs 80,000 litres daily.

0741 GMT — Five Palestinians killed in Israeli attack on occupied West Bank

At least five Palestinians have been killed and one injured during Israeli forces’ storming of the city of Jenin in the northern occupied West Bank.

The Palestinian Health Ministry said in a statement that “five martyrs arrived at the Jenin Governmental Hospital as a result of the Israeli occupation’s aggression against the city.”

Eyewitnesses reported to Anadolu that the deaths were caused by an Israeli bombing targeting the al-Awda Square in Jenin, coinciding with the Israeli army’s storming of the city.

0357 GMT — Indonesia hosts UN meeting to garner support for Palestine

Indonesia has hosted a meeting of the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People (CEIRPP) to bolster support for Palestine.

During the meeting, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi emphasised the urgent need for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, unhindered humanitarian assistance, an end to Israel’s illegal occupation and settlements, and support for Palestine's full membership at the UN, she said on X.

The UN's Indonesia office commended Indonesia's unwavering dedication to the Palestinian cause. It highlighted the role of parliamentary diplomacy in achieving a just and lasting solution to the Palestinian question.

"We had a productive discussion on garnering international support for Palestine and the implementation of the two-state solution through the work of CEIRPP," Marsudi said on X.

0339 GMT — Yemen’s Houthis report fresh US-British air strikes on Hudaida

Yemen’s Houthi group has reported three fresh US-British air strikes against its sites in western Hudaida province.

Two strikes targeted the Luhayyah district, the Houthi-run Al Masirah television reported.

In a subsequent report, the channel said another air strike targeted the Jah area in Bayt al Faqih district in the province.

No information was provided about casualties or damage.

There was no comment from the US or UK on the report.

0327 GMT — Israeli attacks on Gaza continue, several more Palestinians dead

At least four Palestinians have been killed, including two women, in Israeli air strikes on two homes in Gaza.

Al-Awda Hospital in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza confirmed that the facility “received two martyrs and several injuries following an air strike on the Sarraj family's home in the Nuseirat camp.”

The Gaza Civil Defence Agency said in a statement that they recovered the bodies of two women and transported several injured people from the rubble of the Bardawil home, which was struck by an Israeli warplane in the Daraj neighbourhood.

2049 GMT — Hamas says responded positively to Israel on Biden's peace plan

A Hamas official has stated that his movement has responded positively to the latest Gaza ceasefire proposal and informed mediators that they are open to any proposal that meets the demands of the Palestinian people.

"Hamas and Palestinian resistance factions are open to any initiative that meets the demands of the Palestinian people," Ali Baraka, head of the National Relations Department for Hamas abroad, told Anadolu Agency.

According to Baraka, the demands of the Palestinian people include "a permanent ceasefire, the complete withdrawal of the Zionist occupation army from the Gaza Strip, the return of the displaced people to their homes, the provision of aid, and the commencement of reconstruction" in the besieged enclave.

"If the new initiative achieves a halt to the aggression against the Palestinian people and the withdrawal of the occupation army, we will respond positively to it," said Hamas official.

2000 GMT — Several Palestinians suffocate from Israeli teargas in Nablus

Several Palestinians have suffocated from Israeli army teargas in the town of Beita, south of Nablus in the occupied West Bank, Palestine's officialWAFA news agency reported.

The report said soldiers fired volleys of stun grenades and gas canisters towards local youths, causing several of them to suffocate due to gas inhalation.

For our live updates from Thursday, July 4, 2024, click here.