Live blog: US wants 'answers' from Israel on Gaza mass graves — White House

Wednesday, April 24, 2024

1901 GMT — US officials have been in touch with Israeli counterparts about deeply disturbing reports of mass graves being found in Gaza, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said.

"Those reports were deeply disturbing," Sullivan said at a news briefing. "We have been in touch at multiple levels with the Israeli government. We want answers. We want to understand exactly what happened."

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1639 GMT — US calls "dangerous and reckless" Israeli push to legalise settlements

US State Department has called "dangerous and reckless" the reports that Israel's finance minister Bezalel Smotrich was pushing to legalise dozens of settler outposts in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Speaking at a daily press briefing, deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel also said Washington was continuing to press the government of Israel for more information on reports of mass graves in Gaza.

1639 GMT — Israeli hostage slams Netanyahu government in Hamas video

Palestinian group Hamas on Wednesday published a video of an Israeli hostage assailing the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and appealing for his release.

The video shows Hersh Goldberg-Polin, a 23-year-old dual US-Israeli citizen, who was held captive by Hamas following its cross-border attack on Oct. 7, 2023.

"You should be ashamed of yourselves for neglecting us along with thousands on Oct. 7," Goldberg-Polin, who is seen missing one of his hands, addressed the Israeli government in the video.

“All the army's efforts (to release the hostages) have failed, and Israeli airstrikes have even caused the death of 70 prisoners like me,” he said.

"Do what is expected from you and return us home immediately, or is that too much for you to handle?"

1615 GMT — US to name former UN official as new Gaza aid envoy, say sources

US Gaza aid envoy David Satterfield is set to step down shortly and will be replaced by former senior United Nations official Lise Grande, two sources familiar with the issue told Reuters.

Satterfield was appointed six months ago as the US special envoy for Middle East humanitarian issues with a specific focus on leading the US response to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza as Israel's genocide is continuing.

1600 GMT — Arab League holds extraordinary meeting to discuss Israeli onslaught on Gaza

The Arab League held an extraordinary meeting on Wednesday to discuss Israel's brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip.

The meeting discusses Israel's continued war on Gaza and a US veto against a Palestinian application for full UN membership, Egypt's state news agency MENA reported.

Wednesday's meeting, held at the level of permanent delegates, was called by Palestine to discuss Israeli attacks in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

1454 GMT — Hamas denies request to relocate from Qatar to Syria

Palestinian group Hamas on Wednesday denied reports about asking Syria or any other country to host its political office.

The Lebanese newspaper Al-Liwaa, citing an unnamed source, said, Hamas has asked to relocate its political office from Qatar to Syria.

According to the newspaper, the Hamas request was rejected by the head of the Syrian regime, Bashar al Assad.

"Hamas denies the news report published by Al-Liwaa newspaper about our request to relocate to Syria," group spokesperson Jihad Taha said in a statement.

1522 GMT — Israel must allow aid to Palestinians 'without delay': Biden

US President Joe Biden has demanded that new humanitarian aid be allowed to immediately reach Palestinians in Gaza as Israel's war is ongoing.

"We're going to immediately secure that aid and surge it ... including food, medical supplies, clean water," Biden said after signing a massive military aid bill for Israel and Ukraine, which also included $1 billion in humanitarian aid for Gaza.

"Israel must make sure all this aid reaches the Palestinians in Gaza without delay," he said.

1442 GMT — Hamas releases video of hostage held in Gaza

Palestinian group Hamas released a video of a man held hostage in Gaza and seen alive in the footage.

Israel estimates 129 of the roughly 250 people abducted during the Hamas attack on October 7 remain in Gaza, including 34 who the military says are dead.

1442 GMT — UN refugee agency launches $1.2B appeal for Gaza, West Bank

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) issued an urgent appeal for $1.21 billion to address the humanitarian needs of Palestinians in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

"The scars of war are seen on a massive scale in Gaza. Meanwhile, violence is increasing in the (occupied) West Bank," UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said in a statement.

"It is critical to support UNRWA in providing lifesaving humanitarian assistance and development services in health and education," he added.

1400 GMT — Palestinians dig up 51 more bodies from mass grave in Gaza's Khan Younis

Palestinians uncovered 51 more bodies from a mass grave at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis city in southern Gaza.

"Some 30 victims have been identified, while efforts are still underway to identify the others," Ismail Al Thawabta, the director-general of Gaza’s government media office, told Anadolu. He said at least 334 bodies have so far been found in the mass grave since Saturday.

1323 GMT — Efforts to hide Gaza atrocities shouldn't be allowed: Erdogan

Efforts of the Israeli administration to hide its atrocities and massacres committed in Gaza should not be allowed, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said at a media briefing in the capital Ankara.

To prolong his political career, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is jeopardising the security of not only his own citizens but also the region, Erdogan said.

Türkiye will continue to intensify its efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza, and ensure uninterrupted humanitarian aid reaches Palestinian people, he added.

1306 GMT — Israeli minister claims half of Hezbollah's south Lebanon commanders killed

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant has said Israeli military strikes had killed half of Hezbollah's commanders in southern Lebanon during the cross-border fighting that has flared up in parallel to the Gaza war since October.

1254 GMT — Israel 'moving ahead' with Rafah offensive: Tel Aviv

Israel was "moving ahead" with an assault on Hamas in Rafah, the only city in the besieged Gaza yet to be subjected to a ground assault in the half-year-long war, and would work to spare Palestinian civilians there, a government spokesperson has said.

1250 GMT — Israel strikes 40 Hezbollah targets in south Lebanon, army claims

The Israeli army has claimed it struck 40 Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon as near-daily exchanges of fire rage on the border between the two countries.

"A short while ago, IDF (army) fighter jets and artillery struck approximately 40 Hezbollah terror targets" around Aita al-Shaab in southern Lebanon, including storage facilities and weaponry, the army said in a statement.

1249 GMT — Israel committing war crimes 'using US-made munitions': Amnesty

The executive director of Amnesty International in the US has said that their research reveals that Israeli troops are committing war crimes against the Palestinian people in Gaza "using US-made munitions."

"That's why we have been calling on the US to stop sending #weaponsforwarcrimes," said Paul O'Brien in a post on X. O'Brien thanked "the 37 members of Congress who voted NO on the Israel arms bill."

1120 GMT — EU demands impartial probe into mass graves at Gaza hospitals

The European Union has backed a United Nations demand for an independent probe into the reported discovery of mass graves at two Gaza hospitals destroyed in Israeli sieges.

"This is something that forces us to call for an independent investigation of all the suspicions and all the circumstances, because indeed it creates the impression that there might have been violations of international human rights committed," EU spokesperson Peter Stano said.

"That's why it's important to have independent investigation and to ensure accountability."

1105 GMT — Israel kills 79 people in Gaza, bringing death toll to 34,262

At least 79 more Palestinians were killed and 86 others injured over the last 24 hours as Israel continues its onslaught on besieged Gaza, the enclave's Health Ministry said.

Many people are still trapped under rubble and on the roads as rescuers are unable to reach them, the ministry said.

Israel has killed 34,262 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and wounded 77,229 others since the October 7, 2023.

0930 GMT — Israeli army kills Palestinian woman, arrests 15 more Palestinians in West Bank

The Israeli army killed a Palestinian woman and detained 15 more Palestinians in various areas of the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.

In a statement, the Palestinian Health Ministry said Maymuna Harahesha, 20, was killed by the Israeli forces in northern Hebron city, southern the occupied West Bank.

0905 GMT — Chilean president calls Israel's attacks in Gaza 'barbarism'

Chilean President Gabriel Boric condemned Israel's ongoing attacks in the besieged Palestinian enclave of Gaza, calling them “barbarism.”

Boric shared on X a photo of a baby, Sabreen, in an incubator, who lost her mother, father and a 4-year-old sister in an Israeli attack in Rafah on April 20.

"Let us never cease to be surprised and outraged by the barbarism being carried out by the Israeli government in Gaza," he said.


Speaking to reporters at the presidential palace, the president said that his country’s ambassador, who was recalled from Israel, will not be sent back to Tel Aviv as long as the massacre in Gaza continues.

0830 GMT — Saudi Arabia condemns massacres committed by Israel following discovery of mass graves

Saudi Arabia condemned the Israeli war crimes committed against Palestinians following the discovery of mass graves in the courtyard of the Nasser Medical Complex in the city of Khan Younis in southern Gaza.

In a statement, the kingdom's Foreign Ministry expressed "condemnation of the continued and unchecked heinous war crimes committed by the Israeli occupation forces, the latest of which is the mass graves discovered in the Nasser Medical Complex in the city of Khan Younis."

It also said the international community's failure to hold Israel accountable for its violations of international law "will only result in more violations and exacerbation of humanitarian tragedies and destruction."

0711 GMT — Lebanon's Hezbollah says fired 'dozens' of rockets at Israel

Lebanon's Hezbollah movement said it fired a fresh barrage of rockets across the border after a strike blamed on Israel killed two civilians.

The group had already fired rockets at northern Israel late on Tuesday "in response" to the civilian deaths.

Hezbollah has stepped up its rocket fire on Israeli military bases in recent days.

Hezbollah fighters fired "dozens of Katyusha rockets" at a border village in northern Israel "as part of the response to the Israeli enemy's attacks on... civilian homes," the group said in a statement.

0700 GMT — Deadly Israeli air strikes hit Nuseirat refugee camp and Rafah

At least three Palestinians were killed and another was injured in an Israeli air strike on central Gaza.

A medical source told Anadolu Agency that the Israeli air strike targeted a gathering of people near the Al Arban school in the Nuseirat refugee camp, leaving three people dead and one more injured. The victims were transferred to the Al Awda Hospital in the camp.

The Israeli warplanes also carried out a series of heavy bombardments on the northwestern areas of the camp, according to the official Palestinian news agency Wafa.

0657 GMT — Israeli media predict offensive in Gaza's Rafah soon

Israel is poised to send troops into Rafah Israeli media reported, saying preparations were under way to evacuate war-displaced Palestinian civilians who have been sheltering there.

The Rafah sweep, postponed for several weeks amid disputes with Washington, will happen "very soon," the mass-circulation Israel Hayom newspaper said, citing a decision by the Israeli government after ceasefire talks with Hamas stalled.

Several other Israeli media outlets carried similar reports. Some noted footage on social media that appeared to show the erection of a tent city for Rafah evacuees.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office and the Israeli military spokesperson's office had no immediate comment.

0655 GMT — Germany to resume cooperation with Palestinian UNRWA agency

The German government plans to resume cooperation with the UN agency for Palestinians (UNRWA) in Gaza, the foreign and development ministries said in a joint statement.

The decision follows an investigation by the former French foreign minister Catherine Colonna into whether some UNRWA employees were involved in the October 7 attack by Hamas.

The Colonna-led review of the agency's neutrality on Monday concluded Israel had yet to back up its accusations that hundreds of UNRWA staff were operatives in Gaza groups.

The German ministries urged UNRWA to swiftly implement the report's recommendations, including strengthening its internal audit function and improving external oversight of project management.

"In support of these reforms, the German government will soon continue its cooperation with UNRWA in Gaza, as Australia, Canada, Sweden and Japan, among others, have already done," said the ministries in the statement.

0530 GMT — Israel says US military aid sends 'strong message' to enemies

Israel said the US Senate approval of $13 billion in military aid sent a "strong message" to its enemies.

Israel's foreign minister on Wednesday thanked the US Senate for approving the military aid package hot on the heels of the House of Representatives.

"The Israel aid package that now passed both houses of Congress is a clear testament to the strength of our alliance and sends a strong message to all our enemies," Israel Katz posted on social media site X.

0200 GMT — US Senate overwhelmingly passes $26.6B military aid for Israel

US Senate has passes $26.6 billion military package for Israel, the American ally accused of carrying out genocide of besieged Palestinians in Gaza using US weapons.

US President Joe Biden pledged to quickly sign the $61 billion bill — also including aid packages for Ukraine and Taiwan — after Congress gave its final approval, saying delivery of the much-needed aid would begin this week.

The US declared its support for Israel since the beginning of the war In October last year. US never holds back in arming Israel, regardless of alarming Gaza civilian casualties.

The United States gives Israel $3.8 billion in annual military dole and often shields its ally at the United Nations.

2145 GMT — Israel prepares to invade Rafah 'very soon' — report

Ignoring global pleas and genocide allegations, Israeli military is preparing to invade the city of Rafah in southern Gaza "very soon," Israeli media have reported.

According to the public broadcaster KAN, which cited unnamed Israeli military sources, the military is preparing for a ground invasion in Rafah that would include "evacuating a significant number of residents."

"According to the army's plan, more than one million Palestinians in Rafah will be asked to evacuate the area to shelters recently established in the southern and central parts of the Gaza Strip," said the broadcaster.

2233 GMT — US has concerns about potential Rafah invasion: Pentagon

The US military still has concerns about a potential Israeli ground invasion in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, the Pentagon has said.

Speaking at a press briefing, spokesperson Pat Ryder recalled a meeting between US and Israeli officials in which he said the two countries agreed on a "shared objective" to defeat resistance group Hamas and shared their thinking on Rafah.

"We've shared ours, but in terms of what their plan looks like. We still have some concerns in terms of the various courses of actions. And so, we'll continue to discuss those concerns related to how they're going to take into account civilian safety and humanitarian assistance," said Ryder.

2209 GMT — Gaza demonstrators in NY university threatened with suspension

Students taking part in a sit-in protest at a school in the US against "the ongoing genocide of Palestinians in Gaza" have been threatened with suspension, activists and the school's student-run newspaper said.

Demonstrators set up what they are calling the Gaza Solidarity Encampment in the University Center lobby at the New School, a private university in New York City, on Sunday.

They have remained there since.

New School administrators ended negotiations with demonstrators without a resolution, the school's chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine said on social media Monday.

They implored community members to join at the University Center to prevent arrests and suspensions from moving forward.

The New School Free Press student-run newspaper reported that Monday's negotiations with Mark Diaz, the executive vice president for Business Operations at the university, were intended to discuss divestment from "corporations benefiting from and complicit in the ongoing genocide and apartheid against Palestinian people."

2206 GMT — UNRWA experienced 'nothing comparable' to current Israeli attack on it

The head of the UN agency helping Palestinian refugees says it has never been under as sustained an attack as it is now in an Israeli campaign to dismantle its activities in besieged Gaza and possibly elsewhere in the Middle East.

In UNRWA's 75-year history, it has experienced "absolutely nothing comparable" to the "ferocity" and scope of the current campaign against its Gaza operations, Philippe Lazzarini told reporters.

It is happening even as many donors have suspended contributions to UNRWA after Israel alleged that 12 employees of the agency participated in the October 7 Hamas surprise blitz in southern Israel, he said.

2123 GMT — Pro-Palestine protesters disrupt conference in Italy

Students protesting Israel's carnage in besieged Gaza have disrupted a conference in Italy focused on its cooperation with other countries in scientific fields and space that ministers from the ruling coalition government attended.

They carried Palestinian flags and attempted to march to the conference venue at Valentino Castle in the city of Turin but were prevented by security forces.

One of the protesters managed to enter the venue, however, carrying a Palestinian flag.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed her solidarity with the security forces.

She strongly condemned the protestors, saying on X that "the State [Italy] stands with those who protect the freedom and security of its citizens."

Recently, students at universities in various cities in Italy have been staging protests demanding that their schools halt scientific cooperation agreements with Israel.

For our live updates from Tuesday, April 23, click here.