Live blog: Hamas, Islamic Jihad ready to reach Gaza ceasefire deal

Tuesday, June 11, 2024

1838 GMT — Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad have expressed "readiness to positively" reach a deal for a ceasefire with Israel in Gaza, according to a joint statement.

They added that they submitted their response to the proposed Gaza ceasefire deal to Qatari and Egyptian mediators.

The foreign ministries of Qatar and Egypt — who have been key mediators alongside the United States — confirmed that they had received Hamas' response and said mediators were studying it.

Hamas spokesman Jihad Taha said the response included "amendments that confirm the ceasefire, withdrawal, reconstruction and (prisoner) exchange." Taha did not elaborate.

But while supporting the broad outlines of the deal, Hamas officials have expressed wariness over whether Israel would implement its terms, particularly provisions for an eventual permanent end to fighting and full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza in return for the release of all hostages held by the resistance groups.

Even as the US has said Israel accepted the proposal, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has given conflicting signals, saying Israel will not stop until it destroys Hamas.

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1841 GMT — Six Palestinians killed in Israeli army raid in West Bank: ministry

The Palestinian Health Ministry and Red Crescent have said six people were killed during an Israeli army raid in the northern occupied West Bank village of Kfar Dan.

Six men aged between 21 and 32 were "shot by the occupation forces in the town of Kafr Dan, Jenin district", the Health Ministry in Ramallah said in a statement.

The Palestinian Red Crescent said it had transported six dead people from Kafr Dan. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli army.

1841 GMT — Dozens of Palestinian detainees released by Israel show 'signs of torture'

Israel has released dozens of Palestinian detainees from Gaza, according to a local source.

"Around 50 detainees from Gaza City and northern Gaza were freed," a Palestinian source said. The source said some 33 freed people were taken to Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza for medical attention “due to difficult health conditions.”

"Some of the detainees had signs of torture on their bodies," he added.

1647 GMT — Palestine, Spain explore efforts to halt Israeli war on Gaza

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez have discussed efforts to stop Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza.

The two leaders met on the sidelines of an emergency aid conference for Gaza to explore ways of halting the Israeli “aggression” against the Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, the state news agency Wafa reported.

Abbas called for Israeli troop withdrawal from entire Gaza and access to aid to prevent an imminent famine in the enclave, Wafa said.

The Palestinian leader thanked the Spanish premier for his country’s “courageous and principled stance” by recognising Palestine as a state.

1629 GMT — Israel must abide by UN Security Council resolution: Jordan

Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi has said that the credibility of international law was at stake if Israel refused to abide by a UN Security Council resolution for a plan to end the war in Gaza.

Speaking at a news conference in Jordan, he said Israel had become a "pariah state".

1553 GMT — Almost all displaced Palestinians fled Gaza's Rafah: UN

The UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) has said that as of Sunday almost all displaced people have been forced to flee the southern Gaza city of Rafah.

“They have been forced to vacate all UNRWA shelters there,” said the agency on X.

For months, Israel had encouraged Palestinian refugees to go to Rafah, touting it as a "safe zone," and over a million took refuge there. But in May, ignoring international warnings of a humanitarian crisis, it launched an offensive into Rafah, galvanising an exodus from the city.

Living conditions in Gaza, in general, are "unspeakable," it said, adding that according to the UN humanitarian affairs office, over 96 percent of women and children aged 6 to 23 months lack access to their fundamental nutritional necessities.

1544 GMT — Over 2,000 trucks carrying Gaza aid stuck on Rafah border: EU

More than 2,000 trucks carrying humanitarian aid and commercial goods are stuck on the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing, the EU's directorate-general for Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid has said.

"More than 2,000 trucks carrying humanitarian aid and commercial goods are waiting in Egypt, ready to enter Gaza," it said in a statement on X. "Due to intense military operations, the Rafah crossing remains closed. The EU advocates for sustained, unimpeded, and safe humanitarian access."

The crossing has been closed since Israel’s military launched an offensive in the southern city of Rafah on May 6.

1433 GMT — Blinken urges ceasefire, aid boost for Gaza at Jordan conference

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has stressed the dire situation in Gaza and called for immediate and bold actions to alleviate the suffering of Palestinians.

"The crisis in Gaza is immense," Blinken said at a summit on Gaza's humanitarian crisis in Sweimeh, Jordan.

"The single most effective step we can take to address the urgent humanitarian challenges in Gaza is to reach an immediate and ultimately enduring ceasefire," he added.

1401 GMT — Severe thirst adds to plight of Palestinians in Gaza: official

A severe water shortage has been worsening living conditions for Palestinians in Gaza City as most wells and water lines were destroyed in Israel’s ongoing onslaught on the enclave.

"The city’s residents are suffering from a water shortage and severe thirst due to the destruction of wells and water lines," the Gaza Municipality said in a brief statement.

Municipal spokesperson Housni Mohana said that 42 water wells and a desalination plant were destroyed in Israeli attacks in Gaza City.

Last month, Gaza’s government media office said more than 700 water wells in the enclave have stopped working due to Israeli attacks and a lack of fuel. "This increases the chances of deepening famine and thirst among civilians," it warned.

1347 GMT — Russia calls for immediate cessation of Israeli military actions in Gaza

Russia calls for the immediate cessation of the Israeli military offensive in Gaza, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said.

Speaking at a news conference in the western Russian city of Nizhny Novgorod, which was live-streamed on the Foreign Ministry's website, Lavrov said the next step after the ceasefire should be talks on establishing a Palestinian state.

"We believe the (Israeli military) operation must be stopped immediately, a ceasefire must be ensured, and urgent humanitarian issues must be addressed. Then, without delay, we must move toward resolving the regional problem based on the creation of two states – Israel and Palestine," he emphasised.

1344 GMT — Families of Israeli soldiers in Gaza urge their sons to ‘put down weapons’

Families of hundreds of Israeli soldiers fighting in Gaza have urged their sons to put down their weapons and return home immediately, the Israeli Haaretz newspaper has reported.

"We are letting our fighting children know they must stop the fighting right now, put down their weapons and return home immediately," the families said in an open letter addressed to Defence Minister Yoav Gal ant and army Chief of Staff Herzl Halevi.

The families said they no longer support the Israeli war on Gaza.

1342 GMT — No alternative to UNRWA for humanitarian response in Gaza: agency chief

The head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) has reiterated there is no alternative to the humanitarian organization for the badly-needed humanitarian response in Gaza, where Israel has killed more than 37,000 Palestinians and created conditions of famine in just over eight months.

Speaking at an aid conference in Jordan, Philippe Lazzarini said UNRWA is "the backbone and beating heart of the humanitarian response in Gaza."

He renewed an urgent call to implement an immediate ceasefire, strengthen the international community’s response to the humanitarian catastrophe generated by the war that started last October, and improve operational and logistical support to respond to the immense humanitarian needs of the people of Gaza.

1256 GMT — Egypt calls for 'immediate steps' to end Israeli war on Gaza

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el Sisi has called for “immediate steps” to stop the ongoing Israeli onslaught on Gaza.

"The unprecedented humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip is a direct responsibility of the Israeli occupation," Sisi said in a speech at an emergency aid conference for the Gaza Strip, hosted by Jordan.

He called for "immediate, effective, and serious steps" to halt the war in Gaza and release the hostages and detainees.

1249 GMT — Spain's PM: 'Gaza's humanitarian catastrophe is seriously undermining international law’

The humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza "is seriously undermining international law, the multilateral system, and the rules-based order," Spain’s prime minister has said.

Speaking at the Urgent Humanitarian Response for Gaza conference in Jordan, Pedro Sanchez called on both Israel and Hamas to "act in a responsible manner."

"Seize the opportunity for peace," he said, referring to the US ceasefire resolution that on Monday won the support of the UN Security Council, which he applauded. "We must increase the pressure for a ceasefire," Sanchez added.

1241 GMT — Mediators not yet received formal responses over truce proposal: official

Qatari and Egyptian mediators have not received formal responses from Hamas or Israel over a UN-backed ceasefire proposal, an official briefed on the talks has said.

"Talks are ongoing between mediators and Israel and Hamas in coordination with the United States," the official said.

1112 GMT — UN, world powers should press Israel to open Gaza crossings: Palestine

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has said it was the responsibility of the United Nations Security Council and the international community to press Israel to open all land crossings into Gaza.

"The responsibility of the Security Council and all parties of the international community remains great in putting pressure on Israel in order to open all land crossings into the Gaza Strip and hand them over to the new government to let all relief and medical supplies in," he said during a conference.

1100 GMT — UK approves over 100 arms export licenses to Israel since Oct. 7, new data shows

The UK has approved more than 100 export licenses for the sale of weapons, military equipment, and other controlled items to Israel since the war in Gaza, according to new data released by the Department for Business and Trade.

This revelation comes amid ongoing scrutiny and calls for greater transparency in the government's arms export decisions.

The data indicates that over 300 licenses were still active as of the end of May this year.

1100 GMT — Gaza death toll from Israeli attacks tops 37,160: ministry

At least 37,164 Palestinians have been killed and 84,832 have been injured in the Israeli military offensive on Gaza since Oct. 7, the enclave's Health Ministry in the enclave has said in a statement.

1052 GMT — UN chief urges parties to agree on Gaza ceasefire plan

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for all parties to the Gaza war to reach an agreement on a ceasefire plan outlined by US President Joe Biden.

"I welcome the peace initiative recently outlined by President Biden and urge all parties to seize this opportunity and come to an agreement," said Guterres in remarks to an emergency aid conference in Jordan a day after the UN Security Council on Monday backed the proposal.

He described conditions in Gaza as "deplorable", saying the speed and scale of the carnage and killing there was the worst he had seen since his tenure as UN chief began in 2017.

1011 GMT — Hezbollah says 3 killed after Israel strikes east Lebanon

Hezbollah said that it targeted an Israeli military position following overnight strikes in eastern Lebanon that killed three of its militants, hours after the group downed an Israeli drone.

Lebanon's Hezbollah has traded near-daily fire with Israeli forces since the Palestinian resistance group's October 7 attack on Israel, which was followed by Tel Aviv's launching a brutal war in Gaza, with violence intensifying in recent weeks.

Hezbollah said Tuesday that its militants attacked a military position on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights "with dozens of Katyusha rockets", adding the move was "in response to the Zionist enemy attack that targeted the Bekaa region" in eastern Lebanon.

0848 GMT — Blinken says Netanyahu 'reaffirmed commitment' to Gaza ceasefire plan

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had "reaffirmed his commitment" to a Gaza ceasefire proposal during their meeting in Jerusalem.

"I met with Prime Minister Netanyahu last night, and he reaffirmed his commitment to the proposal," Blinken said, adding that Hamas's welcoming of a UN vote on the US-drafted ceasefire resolution was a "hopeful" sign.

"But it's not dispositive. What is dispositive — or at least what so far been dispositive in one way or another — is the word coming from Gaza and from the Hamas leadership in Gaza.

0843 GMT — Gaza civilian deaths during Israel's freeing of hostages could amount to war crime: UN

The United Nations human rights office said that the civilian deaths in Gaza during the Israeli operation to secure the release of four hostages and their holding by armed groups in densely populated areas could amount to war crimes.

"We are profoundly shocked at the impact on civilians of the Israeli forces' operation in the Nuseirat at the weekend to secure the release of four hostages," spokesman Jeremy Laurence told reporters in Geneva.

"Hundreds of Palestinians, many of them civilians, were reportedly killed and injured," said the spokesperson.

"Furthermore, by holding hostages in such densely populated areas, the armed groups doing so are putting the lives of Palestinian civilians, as well as the hostages themselves, at added risk from the hostilities. All these actions, by both parties, may amount to war crimes."

0813 GMT — Hamas accepts UN ceasefire resolution: senior official

Hamas accepts a UN Security Council ceasefire resolution and is ready to negotiate over the details, senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters.

Hamas accepts the UN Security Council resolution in regard to the ceasefire, withdrawal of Israeli troops and swap of hostages for detainees held by Israel, he said.

"The US administration is facing a real test to carry out its commitments in compelling the occupation to immediately end the war in an implementation of the UN Security Council resolution," Abu Zuhri said.

0801 GMT — Jordan welcomes UN resolution for ceasefire in Gaza

Jordan welcomed the UN Security Council’s adoption of a US draft resolution aimed at a comprehensive ceasefire in Gaza.

In a statement, the Jordanian Foreign Ministry stressed the importance of implementing the resolution as it goes in line with the rules of international law, and represents the international will in ending the war on Gaza.

It also emphasised the importance of obliging Israel to adhere to international law and humanitarian law and end its "futile" war on Gaza.

0744 GMT — 9 Palestinians killed in Israeli airstrikes on homes in Gaza

At least nine Palestinians were killed and others injured in a series of Israeli airstrikes on residential areas across Gaza.

The Palestinian Civil Defense said in a statement that its rescue teams removed eight bodies of people, including children, along with a number of injured from under the rubble of a destroyed home that belongs to the Ashour family in Gaza City.

In a separate statement, the Civil Defense also said its teams removed at least one Palestinian killed in targeting a home for the Abu Olba family in the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood, northern Gaza City.

0732 GMT — Spanish premier welcomes UNSC ceasefire resolution

Spain's prime minister welcomed the UN Security Council's adoption of a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Sanchez underlined Madrid's "firm support" to the plan presented by US President Joe Biden "to achieve the cessation of hostilities and calls on the parties to accept it."

0556 GMT — Israel army says four soldiers killed in south Gaza

The Israeli military said that four soldiers had been killed in fighting in southern Gaza the previous day, more than eight months into its war in Gaza.

The soldiers were "killed in fighting in south Gaza" on Monday, the military said in a statement, without elaborating on the circumstances of their deaths.

Israeli public broadcaster KAN said that the soldiers were killed in an explosion in a building in Gaza's far-southern city of Rafah.

The latest deaths took to 298 the military's overall losses since its ground offensive in Gaza began on October 27, it said.

0423 GMT — Blinken in Israel to push ceasefire plan for Gaza

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will hold talks with key Israeli opposition figures a day after he arrived in the country to push a ceasefire plan for Israel's war in Gaza.

Blinken will meet in Tel Aviv on Tuesday with Benny Gantz, a former army chief who quit Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's emergency government on Sunday, and opposition leader Yair Lapid.

0208 GMT — Jordan to host emergency aid summit for Gaza

Jordan is hosting a summit on the urgent humanitarian response for Palestinians enduring more than eight months of devastating Israeli carnage in besieged Gaza, where Israeli-imposed starvation and famine are taking innocent lives.

The summit seeks to bring together leaders and aid officials to "determine means for enhancing the international community's response to the humanitarian disaster in the Gaza Strip", according to the Jordanian royal court.

The conference, jointly organised by the UN, Jordan, and Egypt on the Dead Sea coast, will be attended by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

0126 GMT — US claims its partners destroyed Houthi drone

The US Central Command [CENTCOM] has claimed that in the past 24 hours, its partner forces destroyed one un-crewed aerial system [UAS] launched by Yemen's Houthi group over the Gulf of Aden.

"There were no injuries reported by US, coalition or merchant vessels," CENTCOM said, adding the UAS presented an "imminent threat" to vessels in the region.

0116 GMT — US claims Israel did not use floating aid pier off Gaza

The Pentagon has rejected claims that Israel used the US's floating aid pier off besieged Gaza during its hostage rescue operation but said there was some type of activity "nearby."

"I don't have a proximate location...It was near, but I think it's incidental," spokesperson Major General Pat Ryder told reporters when asked how close the rescue operation got to the pier.

"Again, the pier, the equipment, the personnel — all supporting a humanitarian effort — had nothing to do with the IDF rescue operation," he added.

"We've acknowledged that there was some type of helicopter activity nearby, but that was completely separate and not associated with the JLOTS operation."

2300 GMT — Hamas seeks public pledge from Israel before talks on Gaza truce

Mediators must obtain a public pledge from Israel for a ceasefire in Gaza "so that we can enter into negotiations," a senior Hamas official has told TRT World.

"And US must be a guarantor of everything that is agreed upon," the official said.

It comes after the UN Security Council overwhelmingly approved its first resolution endorsing a ceasefire plan aimed at ending the brutal eight-month war waged by Israel in Gaza.

2032 GMT — Israeli military kills four Palestinians in West Bank

Israeli military have killed four Palestinians in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah, the Palestinian Health Ministry has said.

The latest murders take the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli military and illegal Zionist settlers since October 7 in the area to 536, including at least 132 children.

2027 GMT — Palestine hails UNSC's Gaza truce vote

Hamas has welcomed a UN Security Council resolution backing a proposal for a ceasefire in besieged Gaza, saying it is ready to cooperate with mediators over implementing the principles of the plan.

"Hamas welcomes what is included in the Security Council resolution that affirmed the permanent ceasefire in Gaza, the complete withdrawal, the prisoners' exchange, the reconstruction, the return of the displaced to their areas of residence, the rejection of any demographic change or reduction in the area of the Gaza Strip, and the delivery of needed aid to our people in the Strip," the resistance group said in a statement.

Hamas also said it was willing to engage in indirect negotiations over implementing the principles "that are consistent with the demands of our people and resistance."

2004 GMT — US university fires professor over Gaza genocide assignment

Illinois-based DePaul University has fired a now-former adjunct Biology professor for offering students an optional lesson on the health impacts of the Gaza genocide.

Protesters have been demonstrating Dr. Anne d'Aquino's dismissal on campus in Chicago, and an appeals board unanimously ruled that her firing was a violation of her academic freedom, according to CBS News.

DePaul Provost Salma Ghanem will issue a final decision.

The firing stems from d'Aquino's teaching of Health 194, Human Pathogens and Defence, in May. The class syllabus said instruction would seek to explore the real-world applications of microbiology research, specifically with an eye toward current events.

She offered students an optional assignment to explore what she called "the impacts of genocide on human biology."

Speaking at a student rally last Thursday, d'Aquino said her case is a reminder "that if faculty and staff are not protected from the swift and severe reprimand of this university, students most certainly are not either."

Administrators had sought to argue that the assignment was unrelated to the course, a claim disputed by d'Aquino, according to CBS.

"For months, scientists and physicians have been warning about the spread of infectious diseases in Gaza due to starvation, malnutrition, overcrowding, destruction of critical water and sanitation infrastructure," she said at last week's rally.

A petition with over 1,500 student signatures demanding her reinstatement was hand-delivered to the administration last week.

For our live updates from Monday, June 10, 2024, click here.