Live blog: Hamas' armed wing ready for long 'war of attrition' with Israel

Friday, May 17, 2024

1841 GMT — Hamas' armed wing has said it was ready for a long war of attrition with the Israeli army.

"Despite our full commitment to stop the aggression on our people, we are prepared for a long war of attrition with the enemy," Abu Obeida, spokesperson for Qassam Brigades, said in a video message.

He announced that the Al Qassam fighters in the past 10 days targeted 100 Israeli army military vehicles in fighting across Gaza, adding that the Israeli army does not announce all its losses in Gaza.

"The Qassam Brigades fighters inflicted severe blows on the enemy (Israeli army) in eastern Rafah city," Abu Obeida said.

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1854 GMT — White House's Sullivan travelling to Saudi Arabia, Israel this weekend

White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan will travel on Saturday to Saudi Arabia for talks with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and will also visit Israel to see Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

White House national security spokesperson John Kirby told reporters that Sullivan will stress in his talks with the Israelis the need to go after Hamas militants in Gaza in a targeted way, not with a full-scale assault on the southern city of Gaza.

1844 GMT — Specter of famine looms over Gaza amid ongoing Israeli blockade

The spectre of famine has re-emerged in Gaza as Israel continues to keep the Rafah and Kerem Shalom crossings closed, the Gaza media office warned.

"The food security crisis is also worsening in the central and southern governorates of the enclave, especially after tens of thousands were displaced from Rafah city following the Israeli military operation on May 6," it added.

The statement called for the "withdrawal of the Israeli forces from the Rafah crossing amid the escalating humanitarian catastrophe" in Gaza.

"In discussions about piers, we emphasize that land crossings are more effective for delivering aid to the Strip," the statement continued.

1838 GMT — Temporary pier does not replace land crossings into Gaza: US aid agency

A temporary pier constructed off the Gazan coast will not replace land crossings into the besieged enclave, the administrator of the US Agency for International Development (USAID).

"The pier that opened today does not replace or substitute for land crossings into Gaza, every one of which needs to operate at maximum capacity and efficiency," Samantha Power said in a statement.

"Every moment that a crossing is not open, that trucks are not moving, or where aid cannot safely be distributed, increases the terrible human costs of this conflict," said Power.

This corridor is a multinational and combined effort, Power said, adding it will be used to move aid from a range of partner governments to humanitarian organizations ready to facilitate its distribution to Palestinians throughout Gaza.

1825 GMT — Israeli defence minister acknowledges 'extensive damage' inflicted by Hezbollah

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant acknowledged the "extensive damage" inflicted on settlements and towns in northern Israel due to the ongoing cross-border skirmishes with Hezbollah since October 8, local media reported.

"I understand the amount of damage (in Israel), but on the other side, the damage and the number of terrorists who were killed are of completely different orders of magnitude," Gallant said during an assessment in northern Israel, as reported by The Times of Israel.

He stressed that Tel Aviv "has to prepare and take into account that anything can happen." He added: "As I told the troops before we entered Gaza, and they didn’t believe me, I also tell you: Wait, we will act."

1816 GMT — Hamas rejects any military presence on Palestinian land

Hamas issued a statement saying the US-built pier off Gaza is no alternative to opening all land crossings under Palestinian supervision, adding that they reject any military presence on Palestinian land.

1609 GMT — Israeli intentions to displace Palestinians are clear — envoy

The Palestinian ambassador to the UN, Riyad Mansour, has condemned Israel's atrocities against the Palestinian people, saying the Tel Aviv government no longer hides its true intentions, which include "displacement, subjugation, or death."

"It took 75 years for the United Nations to recognize and commemorate the Nakba, but the Nakba is not a historical event. It is a terrible reality still endured by our people, as Israel has yet to abandon its plans to push us out of history and geography," Mansour said at a commemorative panel discussion titled "1948-2024: The Ongoing Palestinian Nakba."

"The Israeli government no longer hides its true intentions," he said, adding that Palestinians are facing three options: "displacement, subjugation, or death."

"There is a global consensus on the imperative of ending the Israeli occupation, fulfilment of our national and human rights, including the independence of our state and having two democratic states, Palestine and Israel lived side by side in peace and security on the 1967 borders," he added.

1541 GMT — Spain poised to announce Palestinian state recognition date

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said he will on Wednesday announce the date on which Madrid will recognise a Palestinian state along with several EU partners.

"We are in the process of coordinating with other countries so that we can make a joint declaration," Sanchez said Friday in an interview with private Spanish television station La Sexta when asked if this step would be taken Tuesday as announced by EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.

"I think on the 22nd of May...I shall be able to clarify before parliament the date on which Spain will recognise the Palestinian state," he added.

1519 GMT — Hezbollah fired dozens of rockets at Israeli military sites

The Lebanese Hezbollah group has said that it targeted an Israeli logistics base in the occupied Syrian Golan and artillery positions in northern Israel with dozens of Katyusha rockets.

The group said its members “targeted the logistics base of Tsnobar in the occupied Golan with 50 Katyusha rockets.”

Hezbollah fighters also bombed "enemy positions in the (settlement) of Za'oura with another round of Katyusha rockets," the group said in a separate statement. The Israeli ambulance service Magen David Adom reported that two Israelis were injured due to the firing of dozens of rockets from Lebanon at the Upper Galilee.

1441 GMT — Türkiye's Doctors Worldwide Association to provide Gaza aid during eid al Adha

Turkish charity Doctors Worldwide Association said that it will deliver donated sacrificial meat during the Eid al Adha, or the Islamic Feast of Sacrifice, in war-devasted Gaza.

In a statement, the Istanbul-based organisation also confirmed that it will continue providing medical services to meet healthcare needs in Gaza, where life has come to a standstill since October 7.

A 20-member team of the association has conducted non-stop emergency aid operations in the Palestinian enclave despite incessant Israeli attacks. The organisation will also carry out its Eid al Adha donation program amid an increasingly challenging condition in the region.

1330 GMT — No medical supplies received in Gaza for 10 days — WHO

The World Health Organization said that it has received no medical supplies in Gaza for 10 days as Israel pursues a new offensive against the Palestinian resistance group Hamas.

Israel's closure of the Rafah crossing into Gaza has caused "a difficult situation", WHO spokesperson Tarik Jasarevic said, adding "The last medical supplies that we got in Gaza was before May 6."

Jasarevic said the biggest concern was over fuel needed to keep clinics and hospitals running. Gaza's health facilities need up to 1.8 million litres of fuel a month to keep operating.

The spokesperson said only 159,000 litres had entered Rafah since the border closure. "This is clearly not sufficient," he added, highlighting how only 13 out of 36 hospitals across the Palestinian territory were now "partially" operating.

1311 GMT — Pro-Palestine, climate activists occupy Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Lisbon

Around 20 students from the Portuguese "End the Genocide, End Fossils," movement occupied the nation’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“We are occupying the ministry because what’s happening in Palestine and the imminent climate collapse are maximum expressions of how our institutions are failing,” wrote activist group Student Climate Strike Lisbon in a related post on Instagram.

Many of the protestors were linked together with metal tubes, making it difficult for police to remove them.

In the social media statement, activists said they were “watching a live genocide” in Palestine and accused the government of “doing nothing,” demanding that Portugal cut all diplomatic and financial relations with Israel.

1247 GMT — Bodies of 93 Palestinians recovered from Gaza's Jabalia camp

At least 93 bodies of Palestinians have been recovered from the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza since the Israeli offensive on the camp began six days ago.

Ahmed al-Kahlot, the director of Civil Defense in northern Gaza, told Anadolu "fires broke out in the middle of Jabalia camp as a result of the continuous Israeli bombing,” noting that "firefighting crews were unable to reach the affected areas in the camp."

He stated that "93 bodies of Palestinians have been retrieved from the Jabalia camp since the Israeli operation began six days ago."

"Many bodies were dumped on the roads in the Jabalia camp, and the crews were unable to recover them due to the continuous Israeli bombing," he added.

1226 GMT — Houthis shot down US drone in Yemen's Marib city

Yemen's Houthi group said that it shot down a US drone in the Marib city.

"Yemeni air defences successfully shot down an American MQ-9 drone last Thursday evening while it was conducting hostile operations in the airspace of Marib province," the group’s spokesperson Yahya Saree said on X.

"This is the fourth aircraft to be shot down during the Battle of the Promised Conquest and Holy Jihad in solidarity with Gaza," Saree added. He noted that the drone was targeted with "a locally-made surface-to-air missile."

1157 GMT — Israel strikes on Lebanon kill Hezbollah fighter, two children

Israeli air strikes hit an area of southern Lebanon far from the border, with Hezbollah announcing one dead fighter and official media saying two Syrian children were killed.

Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said "Israeli strikes targeted Najjariyeh and Addousiyeh", two adjacent villages just south of the coastal city of Sidon, about 30 kilometres (19 miles) from the Israeli border.

The "infrastructure contained several compounds used by Hezbollah's aerial defence array and posed a threat to Israeli aircraft", it added.

Hezbollah announced a fighter from Najjariyeh had died. The NNA said two Syrian children were killed in the Najjariyeh strike, identifying them as Osama and Hani al-Khaled.

1144 GMT — Israelis torched Gaza-bound aid truck in occupied West Bank

Israel's military said that "dozens of Israeli civilians" set fire the previous evening to an aid truck in the occupied West Bank headed for war-torn Gaza.

Local media reported that Israeli settlers were behind the attack, which the army said injured the driver as well as Israeli soldiers.

The incident took place near Kokhav Hashahar, an Israeli settlement in the central West Bank, a territory occupied by Israel since 1967.

1127 GMT — UN humanitarian office urges opening of all crossings into Gaza

The UN humanitarian office urged the opening of all crossings into Gaza as humanitarian needs in the besieged strip "cannot depend" on a floating dock.

Jens Laerke, the spokesperson for the UN humanitarian office, said the UN was "grateful" for the efforts of the Greek Cypriot administration and other member states to sustain the maritime corridor as an additional route for aid to Gaza.

"However, getting aid to people in need into and across Gaza cannot and should not depend on a floating dock far from where needs are most acute," he added.

He underscored that land routes are the "most viable, effective and efficient" aid delivery method and said this is "why we need all crossing points to be opened."

1059 GMT — Cargo from aid ship delivered to floating port west of Gaza City

Dozens of trucks belonging to the United Nations World Food Program began unloading the cargo of the first humanitarian aid ship to arrive at the floating dock on the coast of Gaza.

Earlier on Friday, the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) announced in a statement that "trucks carrying humanitarian assistance began moving ashore via a temporary pier in Gaza" at around 0600GMT.

"This is an ongoing, multinational effort to deliver additional aid to Palestinian civilians in Gaza via a maritime corridor that is entirely humanitarian in nature, and will involve aid commodities donated by a number of countries and humanitarian organizations," it added.

0832 GMT — Israel to top UN court: Gaza war 'tragic' but 'no genocide'

A top lawyer for Israel told the highest United Nations court that the war in Gaza was tragic but denied there was a case of genocide to answer.

"There is a tragic war going on but there is no genocide," Gilad Noam told the International Court of Justice.

0822 GMT — Yemen's Houthis claim shooting down another US MQ-9 Predator drone as footage shows wreckage

Yemen's Houthis said they have shot down an American drone, hours after footage circulated online of what appeared to be the wreckage of an MQ-9 Predator drone. The US military did not immediately acknowledge the incident.

If confirmed, this would be yet another Predator downed by the Houthis as they press their campaign over the Israeli brutal war in Gaza.

Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree said that rebels shot down the Predator on Thursday with a surface-to-air missile, promising to later release footage of the attack. He described the drone as “carrying out hostile actions" in Yemen's Marib province, which remains held by allies of Yemen's exiled, internationally recognised government.

0820 GMT — Israeli fighter jets shell towns in southern Lebanon, resulting in casualties

Israeli fighter jets shelled towns in southern Lebanon, resulting in casualties, Lebanon's National News Agency reported.

According to the news agency, Israeli warplanes bombed the towns of Najjarieh and Aaddousiyyeh in Deir el Zahrani in the Sidon district.

The ambulances rushed to both towns, the media outlet reported, without providing information on the number of casualties and destruction caused by Israeli warplanes.

0818 GMT — Palestinian death toll surpasses 35,300 as Israel pounds Gaza

At least 35,303 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s ongoing offensive on Gaza since last October, the Health Ministry in the besieged enclave said.

A ministry statement added that 79,261 other people have also been injured in the onslaught.

“Israeli attacks killed 31 people and injured 56 others in the last 24 hours,” the statement said.

“Many people are still trapped under rubble and on the roads as rescuers are unable to reach them,” it added.

Israel continued its brutal offensive on Gaza despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire in the enclave.

0814 GMT — 13 countries sign joint letter warning Israel against major offensive in Rafah

More than a dozen countries have sent a joint letter to Israel, warning against a major ground offensive in Gaza's southernmost city Rafah, according to media reports.

The joint letter, signed by the foreign ministers of 13 countries, including major economies and democracies, was sent to the Israeli government on Wednesday, also demanding it allow unhindered humanitarian access to the besieged Palestinian enclave.

It was signed by G7 nations Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, and the UK, as well as Australia, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, South Korea, and Sweden, German daily Suddeutsche Zeitung reported.

In the four-page letter, the ministers reaffirmed their support for Israel in its military offensive against Gaza, but also warned against a large-scale military offensive on Rafah, stressing that this would have "catastrophic" consequences on civilians.

0811 GMT — 2 Thai hostages die in Gaza

At least two citizens of Thailand held hostage in Gaza have died, the Southeast Asian nation’s prime minister said.

“I am deeply saddened to learn that the two Thai hostages in Gaza ... are now confirmed deceased,” Srettha Thavisin said.

He identified the victims as Sonthaya Oakkharasri and Sudthisak Rinthalak.

0630 GMT — Aid trucks begin moving ashore via Gaza temporary pier: US

Trucks carrying humanitarian assistance on Friday began moving ashore via a temporary pier in Gaza, the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) announced.

"Today at approximately 9 a.m. (Gaza time), trucks carrying humanitarian assistance began moving ashore via a temporary pier in Gaza," CENTCOM said in a statement.

No US troops went ashore in Gaza, CENTCOM said.

0536 GMT — Civilians killed in overnight Israeli strikes across Gaza

Israeli airstrikes targeted a school sheltering displaced people in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, resulting in four deaths and numerous injuries, according to the Palestinian state news agency Wafa.

This attack occurred following a series of overnight airstrikes and artillery bombardments by Israeli forces across residential areas in Gaza, from north to south.

Wafa also reported additional attacks, including artillery shelling in central Rafah that killed one person and injured two others, along with bombings in various neighborhoods such as al-Jnaina and near the Kuwaiti Hospital.

The Shati refugee camp west of Gaza City was also hit, alongside airstrikes in the city's center.

Further injuries were reported in Jabalia refugee camp in the northern part of the territory.

Additionally, Wafa mentioned the arrival of nine bodies at the European Gaza Hospital near Khan Younis in the south, although details surrounding their deaths were not provided.

0236 GMT — Hamas applauds hearings at ICJ on genocide case against Israel

The Palestinian resistance group Hamas released a statement praising the latest sessions at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the genocide case lodged by South Africa against Israel.

“We welcome the hearings at the International Court of Justice to consider the request submitted by South Africa for further measures regarding the ongoing aggression and genocide against our people,” it said.

The group viewed the hearings as a “significant step towards criminalising Israel, which has ignored previous court rulings.”

It also commended "South Africa’s stance in monitoring the details of Israel’s genocide against our people and its insistence on activating international justice to ensure that Tel Aviv stops its practices against our people.”

0450 GMT — FIFA to take legal advice on Palestinian call for Israel suspension

FIFA will take independent legal advice on a call by the Palestinian FA to suspend its Israeli counterpart over events in Gaza, the world body's president said.

Gianni Infantino said FIFA would hold an extraordinary session of its ruling council before July 20 to review the legal analysis and decide how to proceed.

Read more here.

0321 GMT — Israel will respond to genocide claims at UN top court

Israel will respond in the United Nations' top court to allegations from South Africa that it has escalated a campaign of "genocide" with its military offensive in Rafah.

Pretoria has urged the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to order a stop to the Israeli assault on Rafah, which Israel says is key to eliminating Hamas.

Israel has previously described South Africa's case as "wholly unfounded" and "morally repugnant".

0205 GMT — Israel's disregard for int'l law endangers global order: Türkiye’s UN envoy

Israel continues to ignore calls to cease attacks, end massacres and provide uninterrupted humanitarian aid to Gaza, despite UN Security Council resolutions, Türkiye’s permanent representative to the UN's office in Vienna said.

Delivering a speech before the Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Commission at the UN Vienna Office, Levent Eler noted that Israel's disregard for international law endangers the global order.

He also noted Türkiye's announcement to intervene in South Africa's genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

Highlighting that Türkiye welcomed that the UN General Assembly has enhanced Palestine's rights within the organization, Eler stressed that no permanent peace in the Middle East will be possible without a two-state solution.

0019 GMT — US, Israeli defence chiefs discuss humanitarian assistance in Gaza

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke by phone with his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant on the need to increase humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in Gaza.

"Secretary Austin discussed U.S. progress on opening the maritime corridor to surge humanitarian assistance to Gaza. Minister Gallant and Secretary Austin reviewed the latest efforts to secure the release of hostages held captive by Hamas," Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said in a statement.

The phone call came after United States Central Command (CENTCOM) announced early Thursday that a floating pier was anchored to the beach in Gaza and trucks carrying humanitarian assistance are expected to begin moving ashore "in the coming days."

2130 GMT — US House votes to force arms shipments to Israel, rebuking Biden

The Republican-led US House of Representatives has passed a bill that would force President Joe Biden to send weapons to Israel, seeking to rebuke the Democrat for delaying bomb shipments.

The Israel Security Assistance Support Act was approved 224 to 187, largely along party lines. Sixteen Democrats joined most Republicans in voting yes, and three Republicans joined most Democrats in opposing the measure.

The act is not expected to become law, but its passage underscored the deep US election-year divide over Israel policy as hawkish Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's extremist government seeks to prolong war in besieged Gaza.

2145 GMT — US says Arab-proposed peacekeepers could hinder Israel's Gaza war aims

The United States has said that a UN peacekeeping force in the Palestinian territories proposed by the Arab League could compromise Israel's effort to defeat the resistance group Hamas but stopped short of opposing it.

At a summit in Bahrain, the 22-member grouping called for "international protection and peacekeeping forces of the United Nations in the occupied Palestinian territories" until a two-state solution is implemented.

Asked about a potential force, State Department spokesman Vedant Patel said, "This is something that we know that Israel is focused on -- in working to defeat Hamas."

"Candidly, the addition of additional security forces could potentially put that mission into compromise," he told reporters.

But he said that the United States did not yet have a "conclusive assessment" of the summit's statement and suggested that a force could be more acceptable once a ceasefire is in place.

"We have, first and foremost, been focused on bringing a conclusion to this conflict," Patel said. "Many partners that both in and out of the Arab world share our concerns and share a willingness to play a constructive role when conditions allow," he said.

Spain denies port of call to ship carrying arms to Israel

Spain has refused permission for a ship carrying arms to Israel to dock at a Spanish port, Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said.

"This is the first time we have done this because it is the first time we have detected a ship carrying a shipment of arms to Israel that wants to call at a Spanish port," he told reporters in Brussels.

"This will be a consistent policy with any ship carrying arms to Israel that wants to call at Spanish ports. The foreign ministry will systematically reject such stopovers for one obvious reason. The Middle East does not need more weapons, it needs more peace," he added.

The Spanish minister did not provide details on the ship but Transport Minister Oscar Puente said it was the Marianne Danica which had requested permission to call at the southeastern port of Cartagena on May 21.

El Pais newspaper said the Danish-flagged ship is carrying 27 tonnes of explosive material from Madras in India to the port of Haifa in Israel.

For our live updates from Thursday, May 16, click here.