Live blog: Israel places barbed wire near Al Aqsa Mosque's Lions Gate area

Monday, March 11, 2024

1912 GMT — Israel has erected barbed wire on a fence around the Lions' Gate area adjacent to the Al Aqsa Mosque complex in occupied East Jerusalem, Palestinian authorities said.

"This is a dangerous precedent that has never occurred since 1967," the Jerusalem governor’s office said in a statement.

The Lions' Gate, also known as Bab al Asbat, is located within Jerusalem's Old City and is one of the main gates leading to Al Aqsa Mosque.

Nasser Qaws, a leader of the Palestinian group Fatah, said the Israeli move "aims to prevent Palestinians from entering Al Aqsa Mosque during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan," the official news agency Wafa reported.

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1745 GMT — Belgium to intervene in South Africa's genocide case against Israel

Belgium announced that it will intervene in the genocide case filed by South Africa against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

According to sources from Belgium's Foreign Ministry, the country decided to submit to the court its interpretation of Article 2 of the 1948 UN Genocide Convention, which defines the crime of genocide.

"The issue here is, it is not about taking sides in favour or against one or the other party. It is about strengthening the universality of international agreements to which states are parties," Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib said.

Article 63 of the ICJ Statute gives states the right to intervene when it comes to interpreting conventions to which they are party, even if they are not parties to the dispute.

1446 GMT — Israel starving thousands of Palestinian detainees — NGO

A Palestinian organisation has accused Israel of starving more than 9,100 Palestinian detainees in its prisons.

"Israeli prison authorities continue to starve more than 9,100 detainees, including women, children and sick," the Palestinian Prisoner Society, a local NGO, said in a statement.

"Israel is also restricting their freedom to practice their religious rituals," it said.

"Starvation is the most dangerous policy pursued by the Israeli occupation since October 7, in addition to torture and abuse,” the prisoner society said.

1416 GMT — Israeli brigadier general found guilty of blowing up university in Gaza

The Israeli army officially reprimanded its brigadier general for blowing up Al Isra University in northern Gaza without prior approval from his superiors.

On Brigadier General Barak Hiram's orders, Israeli forces blew up the university's main campus building on Jan. 18, which they had used as a military headquarters prior to its demolition.

Major General Yaron Finkelman, the Southern Region Commander of the Israeli Army, conducted an investigation and presented the findings to Israeli Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, the Israeli army said in a statement.

The statement alleged that Hamas used the university building and its surroundings to attack Israeli forces, and the demolition was deemed illegal without the required permits.

According to the statement, Hiram has been officially reprimanded.

1332 GMT — Hunger kills two more babies in Gaza, death toll rises to 27

Two more babies died of malnutrition in northern Gaza amid an Israeli blockade on the Palestinian enclave, according to medics.

The two infants lost their lives at Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahia city, Samer Labad, a paediatrician, told Anadolu.

“They died as the Israeli occupation refused to allow food and medical supplies into northern Gaza,” he said.

“We appeal to the Red Cross and international agencies to urgently intervene to provide food and medical supplies to the residents of northern Gaza,” he added.

1328 GMT — Germany criticises Israel’s Netanyahu for rejecting two-state solution

The German government criticised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's statement vowing to stop the creation of a Palestinian state, saying Berlin is committed to establishing an independent Palestinian state alongside the Israeli state.

Netanyahu's remarks are "indeed serious statements that are not in line with ours and the expectations of the international community," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Sebastian Fischer said at a press conference in Berlin.

"It is completely clear that in the end there is no alternative to the two-state solution if the rights of the Palestinians are to be protected, and that only a two-state solution can guarantee Israel's security in the long-term,” he added.

1106 GMT — Israeli restrictions are pushing towards 'explosion': Jordan

Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said restrictions imposed by Israel on Muslim worshippers' access to Jerusalem's Al Aqsa Mosque compound during the Muslim fasting month was pushing the situation towards an "explosion".

In remarks on state media, Safadi said his country rejected Israel's announced move to limit access to the holy site during Ramadan, citing security needs with war raging in Gaza.

Jordan echoes the Palestinian view that such restrictions were an attack on freedom of worship, he said.

1057 GMT — Ramadan could be a 'good opportunity’ for ceasefire in Gaza: UN chief

The Muslim holy month of Ramadan could be a "good opportunity" for a ceasefire to take place in Gaza, the UN secretary-general has said.

"The way the war has been waged in Gaza shows that civilians are paying the highest price," Antonio Guterres said in an interview with Italian broadcaster Nove.

"Israel said this was not a war on Palestinians but on Hamas, but the truth is, it became a collective punishment of Palestinians," Guterres added.

1034 GMT — Israeli army raids cities, refugee camps in occupied West Bank

The Israeli army raided several cities and refugee camps across the occupied West Bank, according to Palestinian local sources.

It also raided the refugee camps of Balata in Nablus, Tulkarm, and Nur Shams near Tulkarm.

The army arrested 25 Palestinians during the raids in the cities of Ramallah, Qalqilya, Salfit, and Bethlehem, according to a statement by the Commission of Detainees' Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoners Society.

1019 GMT — Multi-drone strikes hit Israeli post in Golan Heights: Hezbollah

Lebanon's Hezbollah group said it launched a multi-drone attack on an Israeli air defence outpost across the border in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

It said the rare attack, in which it deployed four drones, hit their target with "accuracy" in what it said was another operation in support of Palestinian resistance groups in Gaza.

1004 GMT — Gaza City municipality warns of deepening hunger crisis amid dwindling water supply

The Gaza City municipality has voiced deep concern over the rapidly worsening hunger crisis claiming the lives of many Palestinians, amid a drastic reduction in water supply to a mere two litres per person daily.

“We caution against further deaths due to hunger and thirst in northern Gaza, should the severe humanitarian crisis persist,” municipal spokesman Husni Mahna told Anadolu Agency.

Mahna emphasised the crucial role of food and relief aid reaching Gaza and the north but highlighted its “inadequacy in meeting citizens' needs.”

0937 GMT — Israel checking if top Hamas leader killed in air strike: Haaretz

The Israeli military is checking whether senior Hamas leader Marwan Issa has been killed in an air strike in Gaza this week, Israeli newspaper Haaretz has reported.

The Israeli military did not immediately confirm the report, which said a site in central Gaza's Nusseirat was struck two days ago, based on intelligence that Issa, believed to be the second-in-command of Hamas' armed wing, was there.

Hamas did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Israeli newspaper report.

0924 GMT — Health situation in Gaza ‘deteriorating day by day’ — MSF

The health situation in Gaza is "deteriorating day by day" as air strikes and bombings continue, a deputy medical coordinator of Doctors Without Borders (MSF) in Gaza has said.

"We are trying our best to provide health services to the patients in MSF hospital, but the situation is really difficult, the population is under continuous bombing and air strikes," Mohammed Abu Mughaisib told Anadolu Agency.

Mughaisib said many wounded patients need long-term treatment and specialised, reconstructive surgery as their wounds are "very critical."

Stressing that they are not able to access the hospitals in the north, Khan Younis and Gaza City, he said they hope for a cease-fire, enabling them to reach those hospitals and make them refunctioning.

0836 GMT — Dutch election winner Wilders meets Israeli president, pledges support

Dutch anti-Islam leader Geert Wilders has said he met with Israeli President Isaac Herzog and pledged his full support to Israel.

Wilders, who is aiming to lead a new government after his nationalist PVV party won elections in November, has long been a staunch supporter of Israel.

The Israeli president was in the Netherlands to attend the opening of a Holocaust museum in Amsterdam.

0736 GMT — Palestinian death toll hits 31,112 as Israel resumes its attacks

Palestine's Health Ministry in Gaza has stated that Israeli strikes in the past 24 hours have killed 67 Palestinians and injured 106 others in the besieged Palestinian enclave.

Israel's new wave of attacks brings the death toll to 31,112 Palestinians and 72,760 injured since the beginning of Israel's military onslaught on Gaza on October 7.

The situation continues to deteriorate as Israel has sealed the coastal enclave, leaving Gaza to starve.

Israeli fighter jets and shelling targeted houses in the Zaytoun and Sabra neighbourhoods, as well as areas in the city of Khan Younis in southern Gaza, Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.

Warplanes also targeted the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza and the Shati refugee camp west of Gaza City, the report added.

0140 GMT — Saudi king calls for end to 'heinous crimes' in Gaza

Saudi Arabia's King Salman has called in his Ramadan message for the international community to bring an end to the "heinous crimes" taking place in Gaza, where Israel's war has been raging for more than five months.

Speaking as custodian of Islam's two holiest sites, King Salman gave thanks for the "blessings bestowed upon the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia", but noted the war in besieged Gaza would cast a shadow over the holy month of fasting and prayer.

"As we witness the arrival of Ramadan this year, our hearts are heavy with sorrow for the ongoing suffering of our Palestinian brothers facing relentless aggression," he said.

"We call upon the international community to uphold its responsibilities to put an end to these heinous crimes and ensure the establishment of safe humanitarian and relief corridors."

2300 GMT — Israeli army detects launch of 30 rockets from Lebanon into Golan Heights

Thirty rockets were launched from Lebanon towards the town of Majdal Shams in the Israeli occupied Golan Heights which coincided with the sounds of sirens, Israeli army radio reported.

The radio did not specify whether there were casualties.

No claim of responsibility has been reported.

The Israeli army said in a statement that it had detected fighters with “anti-tank missile launchers” in the area of Shebaa Farms in southern Lebanon and two of its aircraft “attacked them before they could launch the missiles.”

2100 GMT — Turkish Red Crescent vessel carrying aid for Gaza reaches Egypt

The seventh Turkish Red Crescent ship carrying humanitarian aid for the besieged Gaza Strip arrived at Egypt's Port of El Arish.

The much-needed aid materials will enter Gaza through Egypt, at the southern Rafah Border Gate.

The ship has a cargo of over 2,700 tons including food parcels containing ready-to-eat meals, water, food packages, flour, clothing, hygiene kits, materials for shelter such as tents, sleeping bags, and blankets, medical equipment, and baby supplies.

For our live updates from Sunday, March 10, click here.