Live blog: Palestine drafts UN resolution for Israel to end occupation

Tuesday, September 17, 2024

1554 GMT — The Palestinian Permanent Mission to the UN has submitted a first draft resolution to the General Assembly demanding Israel end its presence in the occupied Palestinian territories within 12 months.

The move came after the General Assembly granted the mission additional rights and privileges to participate at the UN.

UN General Assembly President Philemon Yang reiterated the International Court of Justice's "advisory opinion" on Israel's actions in occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem.

Yang emphasised that the UN, General Assembly and Security Council have a responsibility to take steps to end Israel's illegal occupation.

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1832 GMT — US believes Israel-Hezbollah conflict requires a diplomatic solution: White House

The US continues to believe that there needs to be a diplomatic solution to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre has said.

Lebanon's Hezbollah promised to retaliate after blaming Israel for detonating pagers on Tuesday that killed at least eight people and wounded 2,750 others, including many of the militant group's fighters and Iran's envoy to Beirut.

"So we continue, we continue to believe that there ... should be a diplomatic resolution to this," Jean Pierre said.

1830 GMT — Türkiye urges UN states to support Palestine's resolution in 'pursuit of justice'

Türkiye has urged global support for Palestine's draft resolution that was submitted to the UN General Assembly (UNGA) demanding Israel end its presence in the occupied Palestinian territories within 12 months.

"As a co-sponsor of resolution, introduced by Palestine, and a committed advocate for the International Court of Justice (ICJ) proceedings, Türkiye regards this session as both timely and essential," said Turkish envoy to the UN Ahmet Yildiz during an emergency UNGA session on the legal consequences of Israel's activities in occupied Palestinian territories.

"The resolution is not merely procedural; it is emblematic of a broader movement within the international community to rectify long-standing injustices," he said about the significance of the resolution.

1819 GMT — Israel has stopped issuing visas to international NGO workers: UNRWA chief

The Israeli government has stopped issuing visas to members of international non-governmental organisations (NGOs), the head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) has said.

“The Israeli Authorities have stopped giving visas to heads and staff of the international NGO community,” Philippe Lazzarini said on X.

“For years, these organizations have been providing humanitarian assistance to people in need in close partnership with the UN,” Lazzarini said.

1758 GMT — Hamas says Lebanon pager blasts are escalation that will lead Israel to defeat

Hamas has condemned the series of pager blasts across Lebanon as part of Israel's "aggression" in the region, saying they were an escalation that would only lead Israel to "failure and defeat", according to a statement released by the group.

1702 GMT — Israeli military says no change to home defence instructions

The Israeli military has said that senior commanders, including Chief of Staff General Herzi Halevi, had held a situational assessment "focusing on readiness in both offence and defence in all arenas" without giving details.

It said there was no change in the instructions to civilians but added: "The public are asked to remain alert and vigilant, and any change in policy will be updated immediately."

1650 GMT — EU's top diplomat urges more pressure for Gaza deal

The European Union's foreign policy chief has called for more pressure on Israel and Hamas for a Gaza ceasefire as a deal remained out of reach despite several rounds of talks.

Josep Borrell said Israeli hostages and the people of Gaza could not wait any longer, as the clock ticks down to one year since October 7.

"The only thing I can say is that all actors involved have to continue putting pressure on both parties to reach this agreement," he said in Dubai during a visit to the United Arab Emirates.

"But it's coming late. Every day that the agreement is not being reached, it means more hostages will be retained and more people will be killed.

"So it's not a matter of waiting for tomorrow. Tomorrow is already too late."

1547 GMT — Israel pursues political, military goals by building divisive corridors in Gaza

As Israel continues its brutal attacks on Gaza, the new corridors it is building as part of its policy of dividing Gaza are changing the geographical structure and fabric of Palestinian lands.

Israel has built military roads such as the Netzarim Corridor, the Philadelphi Corridor and the David Corridor, separating the cities from each other in order to divide Gaza, change its geographical structure, confiscate Palestinian lands and turn them into projects that will serve its military and political goals.

Palestinians say that with such projects Israelis deepen the occupation, change the historical nature of Gaza and make it harder for displaced Palestinians to return to their homes.

1241 GMT — Lebanon lodges new UN complaint against Israel after deadly strike on Froun town

Lebanon has filed a new complaint with the UN Security Council against Israel over a deadly air strike that killed four firefighters.

An Israeli drone strike targeted a civil defence fire truck in the town of Froun in southern Lebanon on September 7, leaving four firefighters dead.

The complaint was submitted by Lebanon's mission to the UN upon instructions from caretaker Foreign Minister Abdullah Bou Habib, according to the state-run National News Agency.

1212 GMT — Israel widens war on Palestine's Gaza to include Lebanon front

Israel has announced the expansion of its war aims, widening its nearly year-long attacks on Gaza to focus on Hezbollah along its northern border with Lebanon.

The announcement came with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken due back in the region this week to try to revive stalled ceasefire talks for the Israeli war on Gaza.

"The political-security cabinet updated the goals of the war this evening so that they include the following section: the safe return of the residents of the north to their homes," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said in a statement.

1159 GMT — Israeli strike kills three in Lebanon's Blida village: ministry

An Israeli strike on Lebanon has killed three people, the Health Ministry has said, with Israel saying they were Hezbollah militants, as tensions intensified.

The Health Ministry said an "Israeli enemy strike" on the border village of Blida killed "three people and wounded two", without specifying if they were militants or civilians.

Hezbollah did not immediately announce any members had been killed, but claimed a series of attacks on Israeli troops and positions near the border on Tuesday.

1143 GMT — UN expert calls European arms sales to Israel amid continued attacks on Gaza 'regrettable'

A UN independent expert has expressed concern over continued European arms sales to Israel amid its attacks on Gaza, calling the situation "regrettable."

In an interview, George Katrougalos, special rapporteur on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order, decried the escalating humanitarian crisis in Gaza, stressing the high civilian death toll.

Katrougalos urged the international community to take a more active stance in pressuring Israel to halt hostilities and agree to an immediate ceasefire.

1124 GMT — Israel’s full-scale war in Lebanon closer ‘than ever’: report

Israel’s full-scale war in southern Lebanon is closer now than ever before amid escalating cross-border clashes with Hezbollah, an Israeli newspaper has said.

The Jerusalem Post said that if the offensive did not take place in four to six weeks, it may be impossible to launch a large-scale offensive until spring 2025.

“Right now is the closest Israel has been to a full war with Hezbollah since October 7,” the newspaper said in an analysis.

1001 GMT — Turkish FM to take part in Gaza contact group meeting in Jordan

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will travel to Jordan on Wednesday to participate in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and Arab League Contact Group meeting on Gaza.

Key topics include steps to end the "genocide" in Gaza, implementing a two-state solution, and ensuring uninterrupted humanitarian aid delivery to the region.

Increasing support for the work of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) will also be on the agenda.

Fidan is expected to advocate for increased international pressure on Israel and push for Palestine's full membership in the UN.

He will also reiterate calls for more countries to intervene in the genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice.

0952 GMT — Hezbollah, Israel trade attacks as border tension mounts

Lebanese group Hezbollah claimed attacks against military sites in northern Israel as Tel Aviv bombed border towns in southern Lebanon.

Hezbollah said that its fighters had targeted buildings used by Israeli soldiers in the Manara settlement with “appropriate weapons,” resulting in a direct hit.

The group said it also attacked Israeli forces in the vicinity of the Al-Abad site with a missile, causing casualties among soldiers.

The attacks came as US Special Envoy Amos Hochstein continued his talks with Israeli officials in Tel Aviv to prevent a full-scale war between Israel and Hezbollah.

0858 GMT — Israel kills 26 more Gazans as death toll passes 41,250

At least 26 more Palestinians lost their lives in relentless Israeli attacks in Gaza, taking the overall death toll since last October 7, to 41,252, the Health Ministry in the battered territory said.

A ministry statement added that some 95,497 others have been injured in the ongoing assault.

“Israeli forces killed 26 people and injured 84 others in three ‘massacres’ of families in the last 24 hours,” the ministry said.

0831 GMT — Scores killed, injured in Israeli air strikes on Gaza refugee camp

Scores of people were killed and injured in Israeli air strikes on the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza, the Civil Defence Service said.

Israeli warplanes bombed several houses on the eastern side of the camp as dozens of people were inside, the service said.

“More than 50 people are estimated to have been inside these houses during the Israeli attack,” it added in a statement.

The service said four people, including a child, had so far been recovered, while scores of people remained under the rubble of destroyed houses.

0430 GMT — Israel blocks 83 percent of food assistance to Gaza — aid groups

People in Gaza are surviving on an average of one meal per day as the Israeli army blocks 83 percent of the necessary food aid, according to a joint statement by 15 aid organisations.

The statement noted a significant increase in aid obstruction compared to 2023, when 34 percent of food aid was blocked.

Amjad Al Shawa, director of the Palestinian NGOs Network (PNGO), highlighted the dire situation, saying the entire population of Gaza is now reliant on aid, and the shortages have led to widespread hunger.

“We are overwhelmed [with] these needs and [these] urgent requirements”, Al Shawa said.

The organisations involved in the statement include Save the Children, ActionAid, Christian Aid, and Islamic Relief.

0410 GMT — Israeli forces conduct arrests in Balata camp and Madama village

Israeli troops have raided the Balata refugee camp near Nablus in the occupied West Bank, arresting three Palestinian men, according to the Wafa news agency.

Additionally, a fourth man was arrested in the nearby village of Madama, south of Nablus, Wafa reported.

0030 GMT — Israel vows to return settlers to areas near Lebanon border

Israel has expanded its stated goals of the war on besieged Gaza to include enabling settler to return to communities in northern Israel that have been evacuated due to clashes between Israeli military and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The decision was approved by PM Benjamin Netanyahu's security cabinet, Netanyahu's office said.

It comes amid reports of Israeli military planes dropping leaflets on the residents of southern Lebanon, warning them of consequences if they don't flee.

Israeli military's preparations to invade southern Lebanon will be complete by December, local media reported last week.

On Monday, Israel's Defence Minister Yoav Gallant told a visiting US envoy that "military action" was the "only way left to ensure the return of Israel's northern communities to their homes", fuelling fears of a possible Israeli invasion of southern Lebanon.

2207 GMT — Houthi official says US offered to recognise group's government

A senior Houthi official has said that the US offered to recognise the Houthi government in Sanaa in a bid to stop the Yemeni group's attacks, in remarks a US official said were false.

The Houthi official's remarks came a day after a ballistic missile from the group reached central Israel for the first time, prompting Netanyahu to say Israel would inflict a "heavy price" on them.

"There is always communication after every operation we conduct," Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, a member of the Houthi movement's political bureau, told Al Jazeera Mubasher TV.

"These calls are based on either threats or presenting some temptations, but they have given up to achieve any accomplishment in that direction."

A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, called the remarks "a total fabrication."

Al-Bukhaiti said the calls after attacks included some from the US and the United Kingdom indirectly through mediators and that the threats included direct US military intervention against countries that intervene militarily "in support of Gaza."

2148 GMT — Blinken to travel to Egypt to discuss Gaza ceasefire

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will address Gaza ceasefire efforts with Egyptian officials this week, the State Department said, as he visits the North African country, which has played an important role in truce talks.

This will be his 10th Gaza truce mission to Middle East. All of his previous attempts to convince ally Israel for a truce failed due to PM Netanyahu's intransigence and sabotage.

Blinken "will meet with Egyptian officials to discuss ongoing efforts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza that secures the release of all hostages, alleviates the suffering of the Palestinian people, and helps establish broader regional security," spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement.

2130 GMT — UN chief condemns 'collective punishment' of Palestinians

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has told the AFP news agency that nothing justifies Israel's collective punishment of the people of Gaza as they endure "unimaginable" suffering.

Guterres lashed out at Israel's handling of its carnage in the devastated Palestinian territory, now almost in its second year, as the UN prepares to host world leaders starting next week.

"It is unimaginable, the level of suffering in Gaza, the level of deaths and destruction have no parallel in everything I've witnessed since (becoming) secretary-general," said Guterres, who has led the embattled international organisation since 2017.

"The truth is that nothing justifies the collective punishment of the Palestinian people, and that is what we are witnessing in a dramatic way in Gaza," he added, decrying the widespread carnage and hunger blighting Gaza.

2035 GMT — Casualties as Israel strikes Gaza

Israel has killed six Palestinians in northern and central besieged Gaza, Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.

Citing local sources, WAFA said Israel targeted a group of Palestinian civilians in the north of the blockaded enclave, killing three and wounding several others.

In the Nuseirat camp, Israel targeted a house with warplanes, killing three and wounding others.

For our live updates from Monday, September 16, 2024, click here.