Live blog: Blinken postpones Middle East trip amid 'uncertainty' — report

Tuesday, August 13, 2024

1742 GMT –– US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has postponed his trip to the Middle East, delaying his planned Tuesday departure, Axios reported ahead of planned Gaza ceasefire talks this week.

The top US diplomat's travel was delayed over "uncertainty about the situation", Axios said, citing two unnamed sources.

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1813 GMT –– US hopeful Israel, Hamas to talk

The United States said it remained hopeful that Israel and Hamas will resume ceasefire negotiations this week, with Qatar working to bring the Palestinian resistance group.

President Joe Biden and the leaders of Egypt and Qatar last week made an unusual joint public call on Israel and Hamas to convene negotiations starting Thursday.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has already confirmed Israel's participation and "our Qatari partners have assured us that they are working to ensure that there is Hamas representation as well", State Department spokesman Vedant Patel said.

"So, we'll let this process play out, but we fully expect these talks to move forward, as they should," Patel told reporters.

1812 GMT –– Newborn twins killed in Israeli strike 'incredibly heartbreaking': US

The killing of four-day-old twins in an Israeli air strike as their father went to get birth certificates was "incredibly heartbreaking", the US State Department said Tuesday.

"So, I'm not going to speak to specific instances and incidents that happen. I will let the IDF [Israeli army] speak to any operations they can take.

"I will say, just hearing this from your reporting, this is obviously incredibly heartbreaking," deputy spokesman Vedant Patel told reporters.

"And again, Israel has every moral and strategic imperative to minimise civilian loss. But I don't have any of the other contours surrounding this operation, and I will let the IDF speak to that," said Patel.

1753 GMT –– UN warns about Israel's aid access constraints bolstering 'cycle of deprivation' for Palestinians

The UN raised alarms about the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza and said access restrictions by Israel are impeding critical humanitarian aid efforts.

"Access constraints continue to severely impede the delivery of life-saving humanitarian aid to hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people across the Gaza Strip," deputy spokesman Farhan Haq told reporters.

Citing the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Haq said from August 1-11, only 34 out of 85 co-ordinated humanitarian assistance missions to northern Gaza were facilitated by Israel.

"The rest were either denied, impeded or canceled due to security, logistical or operational reasons," he said. "In total, since 1 August, about a third of aid missions within Gaza were denied by Israeli authorities," he stated.

1702 GMT — Unilateral action against Al-Aqsa Mosque 'unacceptable': US

The storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in occupied East Jerusalem by hundreds of radical Israelis is "unacceptable", the US Statement Department said.

"Let me just say clearly that the United States stands firmly for preservation of the historic status quo with respect to the holy sites of Jerusalem.

"Any unilateral action like this that jeopardises such a status quo is unacceptable," deputy spokesman Vedant Patel told reporters.

1657 GMT — Israeli attempts to alter Al-Aqsa status quo 'provocative': UN

The UN has stressed its firm stance against any actions that could alter the current status quo of holy sites, particularly the flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Asked about Israeli National Security Minister Ben-Gvir seeking revisions to the status quo, deputy spokesman Farhan Haq told reporters that the UN is "against any efforts to change the status quo with the holy sites".

"Al-Aqsa Mosque, like the other holy sites in Jerusalem, should be left to themselves and should be controlled by the existing religious authorities for the sites," he said.

Haq characterised recent actions as "unhelpful" and "unduly provocative", stressing that such behaviour could lead to further tensions in an already sensitive region.

1545 GMT –– Türkiye says storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque will 'escalate tensions'

The storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque by hundreds of radical Israelis, including ministers, will "further escalate tensions" in the region, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said.

"The storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque by hundreds of radical Israelis, including ministers, under police protection is a provocation that violates the historical status of Jerusalem and will further increase escalation in our region," a ministry statement said.

The statement added that "this provocative act" showed again that Israel has no "intention of reaching peace".

It urged the global community to take urgent action to stop the Israeli government's atrocities in Gaza and to “prevent such actions that threaten the stability of our entire region.”

1511 GMT –– Israeli forces use Palestinian civilians as human shields: report

Israeli forces are using Palestinian civilians as human shields, sending them into homes and tunnels before they venture in themselves, sources told Haaretz.

The Israeli newspaper reports that senior officers are also aware of the practice, and do not discourage it.

Israeli forces say that using prisoners as human shields is not allowed and that the claims are under investigation.

1601 GMT –– Iran holds military drill in north of country

Iran is holding a military drill in the north of the country, Mehr news agency reported, with the region bracing for Tehran's avowed retaliation against Israel over the killing of Hamas's politburo leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last month.

The drill was taking place on Tuesday evening from 7:30 pm to 8:30 pm local time (1600 to 1700 GMT) in Iran's Gilan province on the Caspian Sea. It was designed to boost the defensive readiness of the army's naval forces, Mehr cited a local official as saying.

It is Iran's second reported military drill in three days.

1438 GMT –– Two killed as Israeli drone hits vehicle in southern Lebanon

Two people were killed in an Israeli drone strike on a vehicle in southern Lebanon, the Health Ministry said.

A ministry statement did not provide details about the victims, saying only that the attack targeted the border town of Baraachit.

Some Lebanese media outlets said that the two were members of Hezbollah, but there was no confirmation yet from the group.

1436 GMT –– Putin tells Abbas of 'great pain' at Palestinian plight

Russian President Vladimir Putin told visiting Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas that Moscow was pained by the plight of his people and backed their aspiration to create a fully-fledged state.

Putin said Moscow was paying attention to events in the Middle East despite the demands of its own war in Ukraine.

"Everyone is well aware that Russia today, unfortunately, must defend its interests and defend its people with arms in hand. But what is happening in the Middle East, what is happening in Palestine, of course, does not go unnoticed on our part," Putin said, according to a Kremlin transcript.

"And of course, we are watching with great pain and anxiety the humanitarian catastrophe that has unfolded in Palestine," he added.

1401 GMT –– Hamas fires rockets at Tel Aviv after 19 killed in Gaza

Hamas fired two rockets at Israel's commercial hub Tel Aviv for the first time in months after Israeli air strikes killed at least 19 Palestinians in Gaza, as mediators aimed to resume ceasefire talks later in the week.

There were no reports of casualties in Israel. Two rockets had been fired from Gaza, the Israeli military said, one of which fell in the sea and the other had not reached Israeli territory.

Hamas said in a statement: "We have bombed the city of Tel Aviv and its suburbs with two 'M90' missiles in response to the Zionist massacres against civilians and the deliberate displacement of our people."

1252 GMT –– Italian premier reaffirms support for US, Qatar, Egypt mediation talks to defuse tensions in Mideast

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, in her talks with Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu, reiterated her support for trilateral mediation talks between the US, Qatar, and Egypt to de-escalate regional tensions, hoping for a ceasefire for long-term peace.

Meloni hoped "that an agreement can be reached for a sustainable ceasefire in Gaza and the release of the hostages, in line with United Nations Security Council Resolution 2735, during the next round of negotiations on August 15", according to a statement issued by the Italian Prime Minister's Office following her phone talks with Netanyahu.

Separately, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on X that Rome encourages all regional parties to work together to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza, which should ensure the release of Israeli hostages.

1229 GMT –– UN failed in its mission to establish Palestinian state: Abbas

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has criticised the United Nations for failing to help establish a Palestinian state, and blamed the failure on US pressure.

"The UN has failed in its mission to provide a single solution or adopt a resolution that would ensure the realisation of the Palestinian people's right to statehood," Abbas said during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.

"Due to US pressure, the UN was unable to fulfill its mission of providing a solution or adopting a resolution that would secure the rights of the Palestinian people," said Abbas, in Russia ahead of a visit to Türkiye, where he is set to give an address to the Turkish parliament on Thursday.

1208 GMT –– Arab countries condemn Israeli settler incursion into Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque

Condemnations have poured in from across the Arab world following an incursion by Israeli ministers and illegal settlers into Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in occupied East Jerusalem.

Jordan denounced the settler incursion as a "blatant violation of international law and the historical and legal status of Jerusalem".

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry called on the international community to intervene to halt Israel's violations against the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry called the settler incursion the latest example of Israel's targeting of Jerusalem and its Islamic and Christian holy sites.

Palestinian resistance group Hamas called the settler raid into Al-Aqsa Mosque a "provocation of Muslim sentiments".

1137 GMT –– Israeli hardliner Ben-Gvir draws anger with Jerusalem prayer call

Israeli hardliner Itamar Ben-Gvir said Jews should be permitted to pray at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, known to Jews as Temple Mount, launching a fresh challenge to rules covering one of the most sensitive sites in the Middle East.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu quickly denied there would be any change to rules that prohibit Jews from praying at the site, which is holy to both Muslims and Jews, and rebuked Ben-Gvir, the national security minister.

"There is no private policy of any minister on the Temple Mount - neither the Minister of National Security nor any other minister," Netanyahu's office said in a statement, which came a day after the premier issued a separate rebuke to Defence Minister Yoav Gallant over differences in policy.

Moshe Gafni, head of United Torah Judaism, one of the religious parties in the government, criticised Ben-Gvir's visit to the compound, which many Orthodox Jews believe is too sacred a place for Jews to enter.

"The damage it causes to the Jewish people is unbearable, and it also causes unfounded hatred on the day of the destruction of the Temple," he said in a statement.

1040 GMT — 5 Israeli soldiers accused of sexually abusing Palestinian detainee released into house arrest

An Israeli military court ordered the release of five Israeli soldiers accused of sexually abusing a Palestinian detainee into house arrest pending investigation, according to local media.

The soldiers will stay under house arrest for 10 days until Aug. 22 under an agreement between the military prosecution and the soldiers' defence team, Haaretz newspaper reported.

Last month, ten Israeli soldiers were detained for sexually assaulting a detainee from Gaza at the notorious Sde Teiman Prison in southern Israel, but five of them were later released.

Following their arrest on July 29, Israeli right-wing protesters, including politicians, broke into two military bases in southern and central Israel to protest their detention.

1030 GMT — 39,929 Palestinians killed in Israeli war on Gaza since October 7

Israel's brutal war in Gaza has killed at least 39,929 Palestinians and wounded 92,240 since October 7, the Palestinian health ministry in the besieged enclave said.

A total of 32 Palestinians have been killed and 88 wounded in the past 24 hours, the ministry said in a statement.

1030 GMT — Hamas says again it wants Gaza truce deal implemented, not new talks

Hamas is sticking to its demand that Gaza truce talks focus on a deal already discussed with Israel and mediators rather than starting anew, an official said, after Israeli airstrikes killed at least 19 Palestinians in the enclave.

The US said on Monday that it expected peace talks slated for Thursday to go ahead as planned, and that a ceasefire agreement was still possible. Axios reported that U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken planned to set off on Tuesday for discussions in Qatar, Egypt and Israel.

The Israeli government said it would send a delegation to Thursday's talks, but Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that ran Gaza before the war, requested a workable plan to implement a proposal it has already accepted rath er than more talks.

1015 GMT — Israeli ministers join illegal settlers storming Al Aqsa Mosque

At least two Israeli ministers joined hundreds of Israeli illegal settlers in storming of Al Aqsa Mosque complex in occupied East Jerusalem to mark a Jewish event.

According to the Israeli Ynet news website, far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, his fellow Otzma Yehudit party minister Yitzhak Wasserlauf and Knesset member of the Likud party Amit Halevi stormed into the complex to commemorate Tisha B'Av, an annual Jewish fast day that marks the occurrence of several disasters in Jewish history.

"Our policy is to allow (Jewish) prayer," Ynet cited Ben-Gvir as saying during his raid at the mosque.

Following his comment, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office released a statement, saying that Ben-Gvir's statement is in violation of the status quo there.

"The setting of policy at the Temple Mount (in reference to Al Aqsa Mosque complex) is directly subject to the government and the prime minister,” the statement read.

Approximately 2,250 Israeli settlers toured the complex and conducted Talmudic religious rituals, according to the Jordan-run Islamic Endowments Department.

0955 GMT — Israeli army announces downing of 2 drones fired from Lebanon amid ongoing tension

The Israeli army announced downing of two drones fired from Lebanon toward northern Israel amid the ongoing tension between Israel and the Lebanese group Hezbollah.

In a statement, the Israeli army said it intercepted one drone over the Kiryat Shmona settlement in the Galilee area.

Another was hit in Lebanese airspace before crossing into Israel, the military statement claimed.

0900 GMT — 15 Palestinians killed in Israeli bombings across Gaza

At least 15 Palestinians were killed in a series of Israeli attacks across Gaza.

A medical source told Anadolu that the bodies of eight Palestinians arrived at Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al Balah, central Gaza, after Israeli warplanes targeted ordinary people in the city as well as the Bureij and Nuseirat refugee camps.

Israeli fighter j ets attacked the Bureij refugee camp again, this time targeting three homes and killing four more Palestinians, according to eyewitnesses.

0800 GMT — Iran rejects Western calls to stand down Israel threat

Iran rejected Western calls to stand down its threat to retaliate against Israel for the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran late last month.

"The declaration by France, Germany and Britain, which raised no objection to the international crimes of the Zionist regime, brazenly asks Iran to take no deterrent action against a regime which has violated its sovereignty and territorial integrity," foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani said in a statement.

"Such a request lacks political logic, flies in the face of the principles and rules of international law, and constitutes public and practical support" for Israel.

0720 GMT –– Illegal Israeli settlers storm into Al Aqsa to mark Jewish event

Hundreds of illegal Israeli settlers stormed the Al Aqsa Mosque complex in the occupied East Jerusalem, under the heavy protection of Israeli troops, to perform a religious event. The act provoked tensions with Palestinian Muslims present at the holy site.

Approximately 800 Israeli settlers toured the mosque complex and conducted Talmudic religious rituals, according to the official Palestinian news agency Wafa, citing local sources.

The settlers' entry into the Al Aqsa Mosque complex came in response to a call from extremist Jewish groups to commemorate Tisha B'Av, an annual Jewish fast day that marks the occurrence of several disasters in Jewish history, Wafa reported.

The settlers entered the mosque through the western Al-Mugharbah Gate, a route frequently used during such incursions, Wafa added.

0600 GMT — Israel kills Palestinian, destroys homes in occupied West Bank

The Israeli army killed a Palestinian in the central occupied West Bank after demolishing two residential apartments belonging to Palestinian detainees held in Israeli jails.

The official Palestinian news agency Wafa, citing security sources, reported that the Israeli army raided the apartment of detainee Aysar Barghouti in the Al-Tira neighbourhood of Ramallah and the apartment of Khaled al-Kharouf in Al-Bireh city, subsequently demolishing both residences.

The raids sparked clashes between Palestinians and the Israeli army in both cities, resulting in the death of a Palestinian man, identified as Moataz Sarsour, and the injury of three others.

Barghouti and al-Kharouf were detained by Israeli forces on January 8, accused of opening fire on illegal Israeli settlers in July of the previous year.

0700 GMT — UK maritime agency reports attack on vessel off Yemen's Al-Hudaidah coast

Britain's maritime agency reported an incident that occurred off the Hudaidah coast, western Yemen.

In a statement, the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said the incident occurred on Monday midnight, and took place 63 nautical miles southwest of the Hudaidah port city on the Red Sea coast of Yemen.

It reported two explosions "in close proximity to the vessel," adding that "the vessel and crew are reported safe."

It did not elaborate further but said the vessel proceeded to its destination.

0630 GMT — Iran dismisses European calls for restraint amid Mideast tensions

Iran's foreign ministry said that calls for restraint regarding Israel from France, Germany and Britain "lack political logic and contradict principles of international law".

"Without any objection to the crimes of the Zionist regime (Israel), the E3 statement impudently requires Iran not to respond to a violation of its sovereignty and territorial integrity," Kanaani said.

Kanaani said Tehran is determined to deter Israel and called on Paris, Berlin and London to "once and for all stand up against the war in Gaza and the warmongering of Israel".

0330 GMT –– 10 people killed in Israeli strike on home in Gaza's Khan Younis

At least ten Palestinian were killed and others injured in an Israeli overnight bombing in east of Khan Younis in southern Gaza, Wafa news agency reported.

The strike targeted a residential building in Abasan al-Kabira, according to local sources.

Israel continues to bomb Khan Younis after ordering evacuation last week.

The UN on Monday highlighted the sweeping nature of the Israeli military's evacuation orders in Gaza, saying they cover nearly 84 percent of the enclave, leaving Palestinians with nowhere to go.

0003 GMT — China condemns Israeli attack on school sheltering displaced people in Gaza

China has condemned the Israeli military's recent attack on a school sheltering displaced people in besieged Gaza that killed at least 100 Palestinians.

Beijing denounces any actions that harm civilians, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Lin Jian said in a statement.

Lin said that Beijing opposes any actions that violate international humanitarian law.

He urged Israel to immediately stop its attacks on Gaza, to do everything possible to protect civilians there and to prevent further escalation in the region.

0220 GMT — Putin to discuss Middle East situation with Abbas

Russia's President Vladimir Putin will discuss the situation in the Middle East with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Moscow on Tuesday, the Kremlin said.

"It is expected that an exchange of views will be held on the situation in the Middle East in light of the current aggravation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza," the Kremlin said in a post on the Telegram messaging app.

Abbas is in Moscow on a long-expected visit until Wednesday and is to travel to Türkiye for talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan afterwards.

2207 GMT — Israel gave 84% of Gaza Palestinians evacuation ultimatum: UN

The UN has highlighted the extensive nature of the Israeli military's expulsions in besieged Gaza, saying they cover nearly 84 percent of the enclave.

Citing the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), deputy spokesman Farhan Haq told reporters during a news conference that Israel's "ongoing bombardment and hostilities in Gaza continue to kill, injure and displace Palestinians – as well as damage and destroy the homes and infrastructure they rely on."

He said, "Two evacuation orders were issued by the Israeli military over the weekend for Khan Younis, mostly for areas that were previously placed under evacuation."

The orders have affected around 23 displacement sites, 14 water, sanitation and hygiene facilities and four educational facilities.

"In total, about 305 square kilometres, or nearly 84 percent of Gaza, have been placed under evacuation orders by the Israeli military," he said.

2335 GMT — Finnish politician criticises government's inaction on Gaza

Nasima Razmyar, vice-chair of Finland's Social Democratic Party (SDP) and a member of parliament, has sharply criticised the Nordic country's handling of Israel's carnage in Gaza, accusing Helsinki of empty rhetoric without meaningful action, local media reported.

Razmyar expressed deep frustration over the atrocities committed by Israel against Palestinians and the international community's indifference.

"The endless toll of the Gaza war is difficult to put into words. We become desensitised to the constant headlines, which only breeds cynicism. The human suffering, the famine, the ashes of bombed cities—these are hard to describe because they have been ever-present throughout the war," she was quoted as saying by the national daily online newspaper, the Helsinki Times.

The politician noted that despite the International Court of Justice (ICJ) calling for a ceasefire and declaring the occupation of Palestinian territories illegal, the carnage against Palestinians continues.

2135 GMT — Hamas says Gallant's admission that Netanyahu is hindering deal with Palestinians confirms his 'lies'

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant's admission that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is the one who is creating obstacles to reaching a ceasefire in Gaza confirms his "lies and intransigence," the Palestinian resistance group Hamas said.

In a statement, Hamas political bureau member Izzat al-Rishq said what Gallant said "confirms what we have always said: that Netanyahu is lying to the world and the families of the (Israeli) prisoners (in Gaza)."

He added that Netanyahu "does not want to reach an agreement and that all he cares about is the continuation and expansion of the war."

Al-Rishq noted that Hamas's flexibility and positive response to ceasefire proposals, including US President Joe Biden's call for a ceasefire last May, "collided with Netanyahu's intransigence and his evasion of the obligation to reach a cease-fire agreement and a prisoner exchange deal."

He urged the international community to "exert pressure on Netanyahu and his government to stop the aggression and the war of genocide and reach an exchange deal."

For our live updates from Sunday, August 12, 2024, click here.