Live blog: Israel defies ceasefire calls ahead of Netanyahu's UN address

Friday, September 27, 2024

0438 GMT — Israel has rejected a push by allies for a 21-day ceasefire in Lebanon and vowed to keep fighting Hezbollah "until victory", ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's expected address to the UN General Assembly.

The United States, France and other allies unveiled the truce proposal on Wednesday, after President Joe Biden and his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, met on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.

But Israeli leader Netanyahu flatly rejected the ceasefire proposal on Thursday, ordering the military to continue "fighting with full force".

The White House expressed frustration at the rejection, saying the truce proposal had taken "a lot of care and effort".

More updates 👇

0501 GMT — Israeli teams will continue meetings on US ceasefire proposals: Netanyahu

Israeli teams had meetings to discuss the US ceasefire proposals with Lebanon on Thursday and will continue discussions in the days ahead, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, adding that he appreciated the US efforts.

"Our teams met (Thursday, Sept. 26) to discuss the US initiative and how we can advance the shared goal of returning people safely to their homes. We will continue those discussions in the coming days," he said in a statement.

The comments came after Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said on Thursday there would be no ceasefire in the north, where Israeli jets have been carrying out the heaviest bombardment in decades.

0328 GMT — Israel hits Gaza school, killing 11 people in devastating strike

An Israeli airstrike on a school sheltering thousands of displaced Palestinians in northern Gaza has killed at least 11 people and wounding 22, including women and children, the territory’s Health Ministry said.

The Israeli military confirmed it struck the school in the Jabalia refugee camp, AFP reported.

Footage from the Al Falouja School showed rescue workers rushing casualties out of the school compound amid widespread debris and crowds of people.

One video showed men wrapping a mangled, severed torso in a plastic sheet and putting body parts into a cooler.

2050 GMT — Israel kills 92 people in latest Lebanon strikes

The Lebanese Health Ministry has said that Israel killed 92 people in its strikes on several parts of Lebanon in the past 24 hours.

The ministry said in a series of statements that Israeli raids killed 40 people in towns and villages in the south, 48 in two eastern regions and four in the east of central Mount Lebanon Governorate. Overall, it said 153 people were wounded.

Meanwhile, the death toll from Israeli assaults across the country hit 1,540 since last October.

0205 GMT — Gaza Contact Group proposes global alliance to implement two-state solution

The Gaza Contact Group proposed the establishment of a Global Alliance dedicated to advancing the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, following a ministerial meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.

"Today, we convened to propose a Global Alliance for the implementation of the two-state solution, with a focus on establishing the Palestinian state," Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud announced following the meeting.

Key participants in the session included Palestinian Prime Minister Muhammed Mustafa, Türkiye's Deputy Foreign Minister Nuh Yilmaz, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide, and other representatives from various nations.

In his remarks, the Saudi foreign minister emphasised that follow-up meetings will be held in several capitals, including Riyadh, Brussels, Cairo, Oslo, Amman, and Ankara, to advance the discussions from the New York session.

These follow-ups will focus on practical action points to bolster ongoing UN peace efforts to achieve the two-state solution.

0152 GMT — Kuwait warns of 'serious escalation' in Israeli aggression against Lebanon

Kuwait has raised alarms about the "serious escalation" of Israeli aggression against Lebanon, emphasising the need for a "genuine political commitment to reform the United Nations Security Council in order to avert global instability".

Crown Prince of Kuwait Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah made these remarks during his address to the 79th United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Crown Prince Al-Sabah condemned Israeli air strikes and military aggression against Lebanon, which have resulted in significant civilian casualties, describing the ongoing escalation as a blatant violation of international laws and norms.

He also criticised Israel for violating Lebanese sovereignty and attempting to drag Lebanon into the regional conflict.

2208 GMT — Israel kills two people in Lebanon in air strike on Beirut's suburb

Israel has killed two people and wounded 15 others in its air strike targeting a Hezbollah commander in the southern suburb of Beirut, the Lebanese Health Ministry and Israeli army said.

Lebanon's state news agency, NNA, said three missiles were fired into a residential apartment in a 10-story building in the al-Qaem neighbourhood in the capital, Beirut.

The Israeli army confirmed that the strike targeted Mohammed Hussein Sarour, who it said was the head of Hezbollah's aerial force unit.

Later in the evening, Hezbollah issued a statement confirming that Sarour, 51, was killed in the Israeli strike, bringing the group's total death toll to 511 since October of last year.

2112 GMT — France says it would be 'huge mistake' if Israel invades Lebanon

French President Emmanuel Macron has said in an interview with CBC that "Israel cannot invade Lebanon today… it would be a huge mistake".

Macron also said that he opposes Lebanon becoming a new Gaza, saying Israel has to stop its strikes and Lebanon has to stop retaliating.

2059 GMT — Netanyahu dims hopes for ceasefire, vows to use 'full force' against Hezbollah

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to carry out "full force" strikes against Hezbollah, dimming hopes for a ceasefire proposal put forth by US and European officials.

Netanyahu spoke as he landed in New York to attend the annual UN General Assembly meeting, where US and European officials were putting heavy pressure on both sides to accept a proposed 21-day halt in the fighting to give time for diplomacy and avert all-out war.

Israel's "policy is clear," Netanyahu said. "We are continuing to strike Hezbollah with full force. And we will not stop until we reach all our goals, chief among them the return of the residents of the north securely to their homes."

For our live updates from Thursday, September 26, 2024, click here.