Live blog: Israeli aid efforts to Gaza insufficient — Biden

Wednesday, April 10, 2024

1846 GMT — US President Joe Biden has said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not done enough to ensure that humanitarian aid is entering besieged Gaza while urging Hamas to move on a proposal for a Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal.

Biden enumerated the pledges the Israeli leader made to him, including bolstering the amount of aid entering Gaza, and "reducing significantly" civilian casualties in Gaza and elsewhere in the region where Israel is carrying out military action.

"I have been very blunt, straightforward with the prime minister as well as his war cabinet, as well as the cabinet," Biden said. The president pointed to a recent increase in the number of trucks carrying humanitarian aid that have been able to enter Gaza, but said, "It's not enough."

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1853 GMT — Turkish, US top diplomats discuss Gaza over phone call

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, according to Turkish diplomatic sources.

Fidan and Blinken also exchanged views on the regional security issues during a telephone call.

Fidan and Blinken recently held a closed-door meeting in Brussels on the sidelines of a NATO meeting, where they discussed the upcoming visit of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to the US upon the invitation of his counterpart, Joe Biden.

1838 GMT — Israel plans to detour aid for northern Gaza from another crossing

Israel will soon open a new crossing to deliver humanitarian aid into hard-hit northern Gaza, Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has said.

Gallant’s announcement comes at a time of heavy US pressure to increase the flow of desperately needed aid into Gaza.

Israeli officials say the new crossing will be built instead of using the damaged Erez crossing, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged last week to open.

1834 GMT — Targeting Haniyeh's sons reveals ‘extent of the Israeli failure': Houthis

The Yemeni Houthi group has said that the targeting of the sons of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh reveals “the extent of the Israeli failure in the field” in Gaza.

“We extend our condolences to the head of the political bureau of the Hamas movement on the martyrdom of three of his sons and a number of his grandchildren as a result of an Israeli aggression airstrike,” the group's spokesman Mohammed Abdul-Salam wrote on X.

“These great sacrifices, along with the rest of the sons of Gaza and the occupied West Bank, only enhance the steadfastness of the Palestinian people in the face of Israeli arrogance,” he added.

1816 GMT — Erdogan offers condolences to Hamas' Haniye

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan offered condolences in a phone call to Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh over the death of his three sons in Gaza, his office has said.

Erdogan told Haniyeh that "Israel will definitely be held accountable before the law for the crimes against humanity it committed", the presidency said in a statement on social media.

1748 GMT — Israel's killing of Haniye's sons aims to disrupt talks: Hamas

The slaying of Hamas bureau chief Ismail Haniye's children and his grandchildren by Israel is nothing more than a revenge killing aimed at disturbing the talks, a Hamas official has said.

In briefing TRT World, the official further added that the killing is additional proof that the Israeli military is bankrupt and frustrated, as it has not been able to make any meaningful progress on the ground.

1732 GMT –– Israel confirms it killed Hamas leader’s sons in Gaza strike

Israel's military has confirmed its forces carried out an air strike in Gaza that killed three of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh's sons.

A military statement said "the three operatives" targeted in the strike were Amir, Mohammed and Hazem Haniyeh, adding that they were members of Hamas's military wing.

The Palestinian resistance group earlier said some of Haniyeh's grandchildren were also killed in the strike on a car.

1708 GMT –– Yemen’s Houthis target four vessels in Gulf of Aden: spokesman

Yemen's Houthis have said they targeted four vessels, including what they described as a US warship, with drones and naval missiles in the Gulf of Aden, part of their campaign of solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza under Israeli attacks.

The Iran-aligned group attacked "MSC Darwin ship, MSC GINA, MV Yorktown" along with the US destroyer, the group's military spokesman Yahya Sarea said in a televised speech.

The US military said on Tuesday that it had destroyed an inbound anti-ship ballistic missile over the Gulf of Aden that was launched by Houthis and likely targeting the MV Yorktown.

There were no injuries or damage reported to US, coalition or commercial ships in the incident, the US Central Command added.

1638 GMT –– Israeli doubt Hamas will accept US plan for exchange, ceasefire

Israeli officials have said the chances of Hamas agreeing to a US plan for a proposed prisoner exchange and ceasefire are not good, Israeli media reported.

A new proposal presented in Cairo recommended that a ceasefire plan be implemented in three stages, including the conditional return of Palestinians to northern Gaza, a Palestinian source familiar with peace talks said on Monday.

"Israel is still awaiting Hamas's response to the US proposal for the exchange deal,'' Israel's public broadcaster reported.

1534 GMT –– Israeli army continues genocide crimes in Gaza during Eid

The Israeli army has continued with relentless genocide crimes in Gaza at the beginning of the Eid al-Fitr holiday, according to the Gaza Media Office.

"Gaza observes Eid al-Fitr with more sorrow, grief, and pain, amid the ongoing crimes committed by the Israeli occupation army, and the continuation of the genocide and ethnic cleansing war,'' the office said in a statement.

The holiday marks the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. However, the statement lamented that the occupation succeeded in depriving Gaza residents of experiencing the joy of celebrating Eid al Fitr.

1534 GMT –– Israel minister says ‘Hamas defeated’ but war will continue

Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz has said that "Hamas is defeated" as Israel continues attacks on Gaza and negotiations towards a truce seemed to falter.

Gantz, a former army chief and defence minister, warned of a long war, saying Israeli forces would have to fight in Hamas-ruled Gaza for years to come.

More than six months into Israeli attack, Gantz said, "Victory will come step by step."

"From a military point of view, Hamas is defeated. Its fighters are eliminated or hiding, its abilities are cut off, and we will continue to fight what remains of it."

1528 GMT –– France, other countries air-drop 110 tonnes of aid to Gaza

Several countries including France have air-dropped around 110 tonnes of humanitarian aid to war-torn Gaza, the French president and military said.

"Faced with the humanitarian emergency in Gaza, France continues to deliver medicine and food to the population," President Emmanuel Macron said on X, formerly Twitter, late Tuesday.

"With Jordan and other partners, the air drop today allowed the delivery of more than 110 tonnes of cargo."

The French military on Wednesday said Britain and Germany were involved in the operation, the largest France had taken part in so far.

1502 GMT — Israeli strike kills sons of senior Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh

Three sons of the Palestinian resistance group Hamas' bureau chief, Ismail Haniyeh, have been killed in an Israeli air strike in Gaza, according to reports.

The reports stated Hazem, Ameer and Mohammed Haniyeh were killed with family members in the strike near the Shati refugee camp in Gaza City.

Haniyeh confirmed the deaths in an interview with the Al Jazeera satellite channel, saying his sons “were martyred on the road to liberating Jerusalem and the Al Aqsa Mosque.”

“The criminal enemy is driven by the spirit of revenge and murder and does not value any standards or laws,” he said in the phone interview.

“The enemy believes that by targeting the families of the leaders, it will push them to give up the demands of our people,” he said. “Anyone who believes that targeting my sons will push Hamas to change its position is delusional.”

1330 GMT — Russia urges urgent implementation of UN Gaza truce resolution

Russia has insisted on "urgent" implementation of last month’s UN resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Taking a question from Anadolu news agency at a news conference in Moscow, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said UN Security Council resolutions are binding on all UN countries, including Resolution 2728, passed on March 25, demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

"Russia continues to insist on the imperative for urgent implementation of the aforementioned decision of the Security Council," she stressed.

Zakharova criticised how US representatives on the UN Security Council call "non-binding" some of the resolution's provisions, saying this suggests that the US and "the collective West … will dictate to others what to do, and they themselves will choose what to do or not to do."

1327 GMT — Israeli settlers injure 4 Palestinians in West Bank on Eid holiday

At least four Palestinians were wounded by Israeli settlers’ gunfire in the occupied central West Bank on the first day of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr.

In a statement, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society said three of the victims sustained gunshot injuries while a 15-year-old boy was targeted with rubber bullets.

Witnesses told Anadolu that a group of settlers launched an attack on the town of Barqa, sparking clashes with residents.

The witnesses said that the settlers opened fire at Palestinian homes and set fire to a sheep farm during the incident.

1257 GMT — Israeli Defence Ministry hacked, data for sale

A hacker group has claimed to have breached the Israeli Defense Ministry's computers and obtained sensitive information.

Security sources confirmed to Israel Hayom daily that there had been indeed a breach into the ministry's computers.

The hacker group that made the claims on Telegram asserted that it had successfully accessed data from the Defense Ministry's computer systems, the daily added.

Among the documents allegedly belonging to the Defense Ministry were "communications and orders," which the hackers offered for sale for 50 bitcoins (about $3.45 million).

1234 GMT — Israeli shells hit Lebanese towns on Eid al-Fitr: report

Israeli artillery reportedly shelled seven border towns in southern Lebanon on the first day of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr.

Israeli forces opened fire with medium machine guns, accompanied by intermittent artillery shelling, on residential neighbourhoods in the towns of Adaisseh, Kfarkela, and Blida, according to Lebanon's official National News Agency.

The Israeli army also intermittently shelled the towns of Naqoura, Yaroun, Alma Al Shaab, and Jabal al-Bounah, the agency added.

The news agency did not mention any casualty or material damage.

1206 GMT — Israel's Gaza invasion kills over 33,482 Palestinians

Israel's military offensive in Gaza has killed at least 33,482 Palestinians and wounded 76,049 since October 7, the Palestinian enclave's health ministry has said.

There have been 122 Palestinians killed and 56 injured in the past 24 hours, the ministry statement added.

1057 GMT — Ex-German FM accuses Israel of Gaza war crimes

Former German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel accused Israel of committing “war crimes” in Gaza.

“What he (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu) and the Israeli government are doing there are war crimes,” Gabriel said in an interview with the Pioneer news website.

The Israeli government is conducting a military operation in Gaza that is “not only directed against Hamas, but also involves an incredible number of civilian casualties. This violates everything we know: Hague Convention on War on Land, international law of war. That cannot be justified, " he added.

0739 GMT – Israel's actions in Gaza a global threat: Spain PM Sanchez

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez warned that Israel's "disproportionate response" in the Gaza war with Hamas risks "destabilising the Middle East, and as a consequence, the entire world".

Sanchez also insisted that the recognition of a Palestinian state, long resisted by Israel and its key allies, is "in Europe's geopolitical interests".

0734 GMT –– Israel mulling conditional release of 900 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for 40 hostages

Tel Aviv is considering a proposal by the US CIA director to release 900 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for 40 Israeli hostages held captive by Hamas, with the condition that they be deported to another country and not be allowed to return to their homes in Gaza, local media reported.

“A proposal by CIA Director William Burns would see Hamas release 40 hostages, with Israel freeing 900 Palestinian security prisoners, 100 of whom are serving life sentences,” unnamed Israeli officials told the Walla news site on Tuesday.

“Israel was seeking to deport released prisoners overseas instead of allowing them into the West Bank or Gaza, and was demanding a veto on the specific prisoners released,” the officials told the website.

There have been no comments by the concerned parties on the website's reports regarding the Israeli conditions.

0644 GMT –– Massive fire erupts at Nasser Hospital in Gaza on Eid al-Fitr eve

A massive fire erupted in a warehouse at Nasser Hospital in the city of Khan Younis, in southern Gaza, on the eve of the Muslim festival of Eid al-Fitr.

The Civil Defense in the enclave said in a statement that its teams had rushed to the scene to extinguish the fire that broke out on Tuesday.

The statement noted that the fire was difficult to extinguish and control due to the teams' limited resources and the destruction of streets.

The Civil Defense did not specify the reasons for the fire.

0515 GMT –– After Mideast tour, Spain PM to address MPs on Gaza

Spain's Pedro Sanchez, whose criticism of the war on Gaza has raised tensions with Israel, on addresses parliament on the conflict in remarks expected to clarify plans to recognise a Palestinian state.

The prime minister regularly addresses parliament after returning from summits or diplomatic trips such as his three-day visit to Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Qatar on April 1-3.

The trip, which was focused on Gaza, was overshadowed by an Israeli drone strike on a humanitarian convoy of the World Central Kitchen (WCK), killing seven staffers of the NGO which was founded by Spanish-American celebrity chef Jose Andres.

The WCK staffers were in Gaza to deliver food when their convoy was hit by three missiles, with Sanchez denouncing the "brutal attack".

0432 GMT –– Israel due to respond to court petition on Gaza aid increase

Israel faces a deadline to present to the country's top court measures to increase aid to the besieged Gaza, where hunger is spreading after more than six months of war.

Five non-profit groups have taken the state to court, accusing authorities of restricting the entry of relief items and failing to respect their "obligations as an occupying power" to provide basic necessities to Gazans.

"Contrary to Israel's claims that there was no limit on entry of aid to Gaza, several policy choices are hindering" aid delivery, said Miriam Marmur, of rights group Gisha, one of the plaintiffs.

0319 GMT –– UN chief says he is heartbroken that many Muslims in Gaza, Sudan not able to celebrate Eid

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Tuesday that his heart is "broken" knowing that many Muslims in Gaza, Sudan and other places will not be able to celebrate the Eid al-Fitr holiday marking the end of the fasting month of Ramadan because of conflict and hunger. Read the full article here.

2215 GMT — Senior US Democrat wants more answers before approving Israel F-15 sale

The top Democrat on the US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee has said he would not approve a massive arms transfer to Israel until he has more information about how Israel would use the weapons.

"I'm waiting for assurances," Representative Gregory Meeks told CNN. "... I want to make sure that I know the types of weapons and what the weapons would be utilised for," he said.

"I don't want the kind of weapons that Israel has to be utilised to have more death. I want to make sure that humanitarian aid gets in. I don't want people starving to death, and I want Hamas to release the hostages."

2208 GMT — US Senate majority leader, head of Israeli opposition discuss Gaza

US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has met with Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid to discuss bilateral ties and Israel's ongoing war in besieged Gaza.

"We spoke together about strengthening the bipartisan US-Israel relationship, increasing humanitarian aid into Gaza, working for a deal for the release of the hostages, and the path to long-term peace and a two-state solution," Schumer said on X after meeting with Lapid at the US Capitol.

The meeting came weeks after Schumer called for new elections in Israel and harshly criticised the leadership of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The Democrat leader said he believed Netanyahu had "lost his way" by allowing his political survival to take precedence over the best interests of Israel.

2203 GMT — Biden says Netanyahu making 'mistake' on Gaza

US President Joe Biden has said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's besieged Gaza policy was a "mistake" and urged Israel to call for a ceasefire in an interview.

"I think what he's doing is a mistake. I don't agree with his approach," Biden told Univision, a US Spanish-language TV network, when asked about Netanyahu's handling of the war.

Biden reiterated that an Israeli drone attack last week that killed seven aid workers from a US-based charity in Gaza — and sparked a tense phone call with Netanyahu — was "outrageous."

"So, I what I'm calling for is for the Israelis to just call for a ceasefire, allow for the next six, eight weeks, total access to all food and medicine going into the country," added Biden.

2100 GMT — Israeli air strike on home in central Gaza kills 11 people

Israel has killed at least 11 people, including seven women and children, after striking a home in central besieged Gaza, hospital officials say.

After the strike hit in the town of Zawaida, Associated Press footage showed one man carrying the limp body of a little girl and laying her with the bodies of other dead children on the floor at the main hospital in nearby Deir al Balah.

Hospital officials said the dead included five children and two women.

For our live updates from Tuesday, April 9, click here.