Live blog: Israel hasn't received all it has asked for, US general claims

Thursday, March 28, 2024

1906 GMT — The United States' top general has claimed that Israel had not received every weapon that it has asked for, in part because President Joe Biden's administration was not willing to provide at least some of them.

Washington gives $3.8 billion in annual military assistance to Israel, its longtime ally.

The United States has been rushing air defences and munitions to Israel, but some Democrats and Arab American groups have criticised the Biden administration's steadfast support of Israel, which they say provides it with a sense of impunity.

"Although we've been supporting them with capability, they've not received everything they've asked for," claimed General Charles Q. Brown, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff.

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1913 GMT — ‘No place is safe for civilians in Gaza’: UN

The UN has said that there is “no place is safe for civilians in Gaza” after footage showed Israeli forces shooting two apparently unarmed Palestinians and burying them with a wheel loader.

The video, aired by Al Jazeera Arabic, shows the victims walking in an open area along the Gazan coast waving a white fabric - the international sign for surrender.

UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric described the "shocking" video at a news conference.

"From what we see at least, it underscores what we've been saying since the beginning that no place is safe for civilians in Gaza and obviously the circumstances around this need to be fully investigated,” he said.

1859 GMT — Israeli strike injures two in Damascus suburb: Syrian regime media

Two people were injured in an air strike on a residential building in a Damascus suburb, Syrian regime media has said, blaming the strike on Israel.

"The Israeli enemy launched an aerial attack from the occupied Syrian Golan, targeting a residential building on the outskirts of Damascus," the Syrian news agency SANA said, citing a military source.

"The attack left two civilians injured and caused material damage," the agency added.

1824 GMT — Israeli army conducts drill to ‘strengthen’ readiness for war in north: report

The Israeli army has said that it carried out a drill aimed at preparing the military for war in the north, the Times of Israel newspaper reported.

The drill, led by the Operations Division, involved all the army commands, wings and directorates, as well as the General Staff, according to the newspaper.

“The purpose of the exercise was to strengthen the (army’s) readiness for various scenarios in the northern arena,” it quoted a military statement as saying.

1752 GMT — 'Greater pressure must be placed on Israel’ amid looming famine in Gaza: Sweden

The Swedish government has said that there is a need to put “greater pressure” on Israel following the warnings of famine in Gaza.

The government is allocating $12 million for efforts to fight hunger in Gaza, Sudan and Ukraine and the support will be channelled through the World Food Program (WFP), said Johan Forssell, the Swedish international development cooperation minister.

"In addition to providing funding, we are pushing for greater humanitarian access, which is necessary for WFP and others to reach those in need."

"This applies particularly to Gaza, where we are actively following up EU efforts that I was personally involved in initiating with the aim of putting greater pressure on Israel," Forssell said in a statement.

1658 GMT — No change in Gaza since UN ceasefire vote: MSF

The MSF medical charity has lamented that nothing had changed on the ground in war-ravaged Gaza since the United Nations Security Council resolution this week demanding an "immediate ceasefire".

After more than five months of war, the UN Security Council for the first time Monday demanded an immediate ceasefire in Gaza after Israel's ally the United States, which vetoed previous drafts, abstained.

That resolution demanded an "immediate ceasefire" for the ongoing Muslim holy month of Ramadan, leading to a "lasting" truce.

But since then, "we haven't seen any change after this resolution on the ground," Christos Christou, MSF's international president, told AFP in an interview. "We haven't seen any impact in... people's lives there every day; we haven't seen an impact in our world, (and the) ways of delivering the humanitarian aid," he said.

"The situation remains the same."

1625 GMT — ICJ orders Israel to take measures to address Gaza famine

Judges at the International Court of Justice have unanimously ordered Israel to take all the necessary and effective action to ensure basic food supplies arrive without delay to the Palestinian population in Gaza.

The ICJ said the Palestinians in Gaza face worsening conditions of life and famine and starvation are spreading.

"The court observes that Palestinians in Gaza are no longer facing only a risk of famine (...) but that famine is setting in," the judges said in their order.

The new measures were requested by South Africa as part of its ongoing case that accuses Israel of state-led genocide in Gaza.

1535 GMT — 'Utmost importance' for Israel, Lebanon to restore calm: US

The White House has called on Israel and Lebanon to put a high priority on restoring calm after new deadly border crossfire and Israeli strikes targeting Hezbollah.

"Restoring calm along that border remains a top priority for President Biden and for the administration and it has to be of utmost importance, we believe, as well for both Lebanon and Israel," National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters

1530 GMT — Belgium to impose sanctions on Israeli settlers: foreign minister

Belgium has said it will impose sanctions on Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank.

During her visit to the village of Mazra'ah Al Qibliyah in the West Bank, Belgium Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib said: "Belgium condemns settlements and has decided to impose sanctions on violent settlers,” according to state-run Belga news agency.

“According to international law, these settlements are illegal," she noted.

Lahbib also met with Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh and Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki in Ramallah. “I expressed Belgium's solidarity with the Palestinian people for the tens of thousands of civilian casualties in Gaza,” she said on X.

“The humanitarian situation on the ground is catastrophic,” she added.

1527 GMT — Israeli army creating buffer zone in Gaza: report

The Israeli army continues to work to create a buffer zone in northern Gaza, according to local media.

The one-kilometre buffer zone extends from the city of Beit Lahia to the Kerem Shalom crossing in southern Gaza, Haaretz reported.

The planned buffer zone grabs around 16 percent of Gaza’s total territory, the media outlet said.

Tel Aviv is also working to establish a corridor that separates northern Gaza from the territory’s central and southern parts, Haaretz said.

1454 GMT — Egypt, UK discuss Gaza war, recognition of Palestinian state

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry held talks in Cairo with British Minister of State for Middle East and North Africa Affairs, Tariq Ahmad, to discuss Israel’s war on Gaza and the recognition of a Palestinian state.

Shoukry underlined the importance of reaching a ceasefire in Gaza to preserve the lives of Palestinian civilians, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The top diplomat called for ensuring a swift implementation of a UN Security Council demanding a ceasefire in the Palestinian enclave.

1445 GMT — UN highlights importance of large-scale land aid deliveries

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) emphasised the importance of large-scale land deliveries of humanitarian aid for Gaza.

OCHA warned that "There's no alternative to large-scale deliveries of aid by land in Gaza," on X.

Stressing that "swift, safe and unimpeded humanitarian passage through all crossings is paramount," said OCHA. "Time is of the essence."

The UN agency noted that "security challenges, access constraints and other limitations persist" while showing a map of Gaza that displayed restrictions for aid access.

1350 GMT — France to provide UNRWA funding ensuring right conditions are met: foreign ministry

France will provide over $32.41 million to the United Nations Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA this year to support its operations amid the devastating war in Gaza, said the Foreign Ministry in Paris.

"We will make our contributions while ensuring that the conditions are met for UNRWA to fulfil its missions in a spirit devoid of incitement to hatred and violence", Foreign Ministry spokesperson Christophe Lemoine told journalists.

He did not say when the next payment to the agency would be made. According to the usual quarterly schedule, the next tranche is due in April.

1348 GMT — Gaza situation could amount to 'war crime': UN human rights chief

The situation in Gaza could amount to a "war crime," the UN human rights chief has said.

"You always have to prove the intent but as I said, collective punishment, the collective punishment that was declared with the siege is indeed amount to a war crime, and it needs to be dealt as such," Volker Turk told BBC.

He added that "Israel is to blame in a significant way" for the situation in Gaza, and said that there was "plausible" evidence that Israel was using starvation as a weapon.

"The brutality of the attack by Israel and the method of warfare, it begs the question of the proportionality of the response," the UN official added.

He stressed that Israel as an occupying power, "has an obligation to provide humanitarian assistance." "And if that humanitarian assistance does not come in, in the scale, speed, and predictability that is required, yes, very serious questions are raised," Turk noted.

1342 GMT — Jordan conducts five aid air drops into Gaza amid Israeli siege

Jordan has carried out five air drops of humanitarian aid into besieged Gaza, in cooperation with three countries.

A military statement said the airdrops were conducted in several sites in northern Gaza.

The operation involved aircraft from Jordan, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Germany, the statement said.

1324 GMT — Another child dies of starvation in Gaza, death toll rises to 30

A Palestinian child died of malnutrition in Gaza, taking the death toll from starvation in the besieged enclave to 30, according to the official news agency Wafa.

The child lost his life at Kamal Adwan Hospital in the northern city of Beit Lahia as a result of malnutrition and dehydration, Wafa said, citing medical sources.

The broadcaster did not specify the age of the victim.

His death brought to 30 Palestinians who died in the enclave as a result of starvation since last October, according to Palestinian figures.

1323 GMT — Palestinian Authority announces a new cabinet

The Palestinian Authority has announced the formation of a new Cabinet as it faces international pressure to reform.

President Mahmoud Abbas, who has led the PA for nearly two decades and remains in overall control, announced the new government in a presidential decree.

Palestinian PM Mohammad Mustafa will serve as foreign minister in the new cabinet, according to Wafa. Abbas tapped Mohammad Mustafa, a longtime adviser, to be prime minister earlier this month.

1303 GMT — Israeli bombardment razes areas surrounding Gaza hospital: MSF

Teams from Doctors Without Borders (MSF) have reported that areas in northern Gaza, including surrounding Nasser Hospital, have been completely destroyed as Israel continues to wage its deadly offensive on the enclave, the international medical charity's secretary general told Anadolu.

"The whole area is completely pulverised ... it's absolutely destroyed," Christopher Lockyear said in an interview, describing the scenes MSF health teams on the ground witnessed earlier this month in Northern Gaza.

The health and malnutrition situation in Northern Gaza is "beyond describable," Lockyear said, pointing out that the northern area in the already blockaded Gaza Strip is currently under a "siege within a siege."

1253 GMT — Hamas battle Israeli forces around Gaza's al-Shifa Hospital

Israeli forces and Hamas members battled in close combat around Gaza's al-Shifa Hospital, where the armed wings of Hamas and Islamic Jihad said they attacked Israeli soldiers and tanks with rockets and mortar fire

The Israeli army said it continued to operate around the hospital complex in Gaza City after storming it more than a week ago.

Israeli forces had killed around 200 Palestinians since the start of the operation.

Gaza's Health Ministry said wounded people and patients were being held inside an administration building in al-Shifa that was not equipped to provide them with healthcare.

Five patients had died since the Israeli raid began due to shortages of food, water and medical care, the health said.

1228 GMT — Israel lawyer who spread Oct. 7 rape allegations against Hamas 'unreliable': report

Israeli attorney Cochav Elkayam-Levy collected millions of dollars in aid by spreading "incorrect research and false stories" about Hamas' Oct. 7 attacks, the Israeli daily has reported, citing official sources, who also described her as "unreliable."

An official pointed out that the "pregnant woman whose belly was cut" story, which was widely publicised in the Western media and turned out to be a lie, harmed Israel's credibility, Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper reported, citing anonymous Israeli government sources.

The official asserted that "she is an unreliable person" and that much of the evidence presented by Elkayam-Levy, who is also the head of the Deborah Institute and a lecturer in the Department of International Relations at the Hebrew University, showed that it had nothing to do with Hamas, the daily said.

Elkayam-Levy raised millions of dollars to spread fake news, it added.

1045 GMT — More than 32,500 Palestinians killed as Israel continues to pound Gaza

At least 32,552 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza since last October, the Health Ministry in the besieged enclave said.

A ministry statement said that 74,980 other Palestinians have also been injured in the onslaught.

“Israeli attacks killed at least 62 people and injured 91 others in the last 24 hours,” the ministry said.

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

0950 GMT — Israeli forces kill more than 200 Palestinians at Gaza hospital

Israeli forces killed more than 200 Palestinians during its ongoing raid on al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, the military said.

A military statement said that army forces were still fighting at the hospital.

“Around 200 saboteurs have been eliminated,” it added.

The army claimed that its forces evacuated civilians, patients, and medical staff to another part of the hospital “which the army prepared and established to allow proper medical treatment to continue.”

The Israeli army raided the hospital, the largest medical facility in Gaza that houses thousands of patients and displaced people, on March 18.

0842 GMT — Pakistan calls on 'backers' of Israel to end massacre of Palestinians

Pakistan called on the "backers" of Israel to bring an end to the massacre of Palestinian people, saying the Israeli war against Gaza continues despite the UN Security Council resolution for a ceasefire.

During a weekly press briefing, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch demanded Israel lift the inhuman siege and all ow humanitarian assistance to all parts of Gaza.

"It has been three days since the adoption of the UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Palestine. However, the Israeli war on the people of Gaza continues unabated, and the Palestinian people continue to face starvation and genocide," she told reporters in the capital Islamabad.

0732 GMT — Death toll from Israeli strikes on south Lebanon climbs to 16

The death toll from Israeli air strikes across southern Lebanon has climbed to 16, including several members of Hezbollah and paramedic groups, according to Lebanese state media.

And in northern Israel, one man was killed by a barrage of at least 30 rockets fired by Lebanese group Hezbollah, which said it was responding to a deadly air strike targeting a paramedic centre linked to an aid group.

International mediators have been scrambling to prevent an all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah amid near-daily violence, mostly confined to the area along the Lebanon-Israel border.

0726 GMT — ICC urged to issue arrest warrant over war crimes in Palestine, Israel

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has been urged to act against Israeli political and military officials by a UK-based internationally recognised solicitor advocate.

In an open letter he shared on X, Tayab Ali, director of the International Centre for Justice for Palestinians, called on ICC prosecutor Karim Khan to issue arrest warrants for alleged war crimes in occupied Palestinian territories and Israel.

Underlining that he had "prepared war crimes cases" himself, Ali wrote that he understands "the difficulties and hard work that must go into the preparation of a serious war crimes arrest warrant application."

0721 GMT — Gun attack on vehicles in West Bank wounds three

A gunman opened fire on vehicles in the occupied West Bank, wounding at least three people, including a 13-year-old boy, emergency services said.

The Israeli military said soldiers had blocked routes in the area, adjacent to the town of Al Auja in the Jordan Valley, following reports and were pursuing the gunman.

Israeli media said a man wearing military uniform opened fire on passing vehicles, hitting a school bus, in which a 13 year-old boy was hurt by shrapnel, and wounding two other men in separate cars.

0648 GMT — Talks resume on bringing Israeli officials to the US to discuss Gaza operation, the White House says

Talks have restarted aimed at bringing top Israeli officials to Washington to discuss potential military offensives in Gaza, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cancelled a planned visit this week because he was angry about the US vote on a UN ceasefire resolution, the White House said.

"So we're now working with them to find a convenient date that's obviously going to work for both sides," said press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.

No date has been finalised yet. One US official said strategic affairs minister Ron Dermer and national security adviser Tzachi Hanegbi would be among the delegation to come to Washington.

The official were not authorised to speak publicly about the sensitive discussions and spoke to The Associated Press news agency on condition of anonymity.

0257 GMT — Prepping for Rafah invasion, Israel orders 40,000 tents from China

Warmonger Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the purchase of 40,000 tents from China to be set up in besieged Gaza, Israeli media reported, in preparation for a ground invasion of Rafah where more than 1.5 million displaced Palestinians have taken refuge.

It comes as Netanyahu downplayed global fears of a humanitarian catastrophe if Israel launches a planned ground invasion into Gaza's southernmost city, saying civilians would be able to flee the fighting into other parts of the war-torn territory.

Speaking to US Congressional delegation visiting Israel, Netanyahu said people sheltering in Rafah — now more than half of Gaza's 2.3 million population — will be able to move away from the fighting.

0142 GMT — US Muslim group calls for UN probe into video of Israeli forces shooting, burying Palestinians

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) called for a UN investigation into a video showing Israeli forces shooting two apparently unarmed Palestinians and burying them with a wheel loader.

"This heinous war crime and the many other similar crimes committed daily by the genocidal Israeli government must be investigated by the UN as part of the ongoing genocide, ethnic cleansing and forced starvation being imposed on the Palestinian people with the complicity of the Biden administration," said CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper in a statement.

"The forces of the far-right Israeli government seem to kill Palestinians on a whim and then treat their bodies like trash. This genocide must be stopped, not excused or supported with weapons and rhetoric," he added.

0131 GMT — ICESCO provides $200,000 in financial support to 500 Palestinian students in Egypt

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) has provided $200,000 worth of financial support to 500 Palestinian students at Egyptian universities.

The organisation, based in Morocco, said the support was provided within the framework of a program to assist Palestinian students studying at Egyptian colleges.

According to the statement, the distribution of financial support to the first group of beneficiaries began on March 26 at the Palestinian Embassy in Cairo. It said the total financial support of $200,000 is being distributed in two instalments for the benefit of 500 male and female students.

0112 GMT — German bank freezes account of anti-Zionist Jewish association

A bank in Germany froze the account of the anti-Zionist Jewish association Jewish Voice for a Just Peace in the Middle East and requested a list of its members and their addresses.

The association said that Berliner Sparkasse blocked their account without prior notice for updating customer information.

The bank said in a letter to the association's board that the move was "precautionary" and requested various documents, including a list of its members' names and addresses, to be submitted by April 5.

The association questioned the bank's authority to freeze accounts without explanation, highlighting the unusual request for the list. It suggested that such a demand resembles inquiries made by intelligence agencies or police exerting political pressure on the Jewish association.

2024 GMT — Haniyeh says Israel won't be able to impose its terms on Palestinians

Head of Hamas political bureau Ismail Haniyeh said that Israel will never be able to impose its terms on the Palestinian people, neither through war nor through politics.

During his meeting with Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi in Tehran, Haniyeh praised Iran's positions towards Palestine and reviewed the course of the Israeli war against Gaza and efforts for its end.

He emphasised that the "(Israeli) occupation shattered the image of its army and appeared in its true form without embellishment, living in political isolation, while the reality of American position and absolute support for the occupation and endorsement of its crimes, including genocide, has emerged."

He urged the Islamic world to "stand by Gaza."

For our live updates from Wednesday, March 27, click here.