Live blog: Israeli settlers, forces kill three Palestinians in West Bank

Monday, April 15, 2024

1859 GMT — Armed Israeli settlers shot dead two Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, hours after Israeli forces killed a Palestinian teen during a military raid, officials have said.

"About 50 settlers, a large number of them armed, attacked the residents of Khirbet al-Tawil village east of Aqraba in the province of Nablus. They opened fire on the youth and this led to the death of two of the youth and the injury of others,” Salah Bani Jaber, the mayor of Aqraba, told Reuters.

Israeli forces prevented ambulances from reaching the scene of the clashes, Wafa said.

Palestinian Health Ministry records show at least 460 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank have been killed by Israeli forces, or settlers, since the start of Israel's war on Gaza.

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1859 GMT — Portuguese PM not as keen as Spain's leader on Palestine statehood

Portugal's new prime minister told his Spanish counterpart his country will "not go as far" as Spain in its plan to recognise a Palestinian state without a concerted European Union approach.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who has visited several countries in the past few days on a diplomatic campaign to garner support for the initiative, reiterated his plan to recognise Palestinian statehood in the coming months.

But Luis Montenegro, who met Sanchez in Madrid, said that while Portugal will support a full UN membership for a Palestinian state in an upcoming General Assembly vote, it would wait for the EU to work out a common stance on the matter before moving forward.

1833 GMT — Pro-Palestinians shut down Golden Gate Bridge in US

Pro-Palestinian protesters shut down Highway 101 on the Golden Gate Bridge, blocking traffic on the iconic bridge in San Francisco.

While stopping their vehicles and blocking all southbound lanes of the span, the protestors demanded the US stop arming and funding Israel in the ongoing Gaza war.

Protestors carried banners reading "Stop the World for Gaza," and "End the Siege on Gaza Now."

1812 GMT — US describes Hamas as 'barrier' for Gaza hostage deal

Israel has moved in a "significant way" but Hamas is the "barrier" to a deal that would see fighting in Gaza paused and hostages released, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller has said.

Hamas rejected the latest proposal for a deal and has said any new hostage deal must bring about an end to the Gaza war and withdrawal of all Israeli forces.

"Israel moved a significant way in submitting that proposal. And there was a deal on the table that would achieve much of what Hamas claims it wants to achieve, and they have not taken that deal," Miller told a press briefing.

1734 GMT — Turkish president, Qatari emir discuss humanitarian situation in Gaza

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani discussed bilateral relations and the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

In a phone call, the leaders talked about Türkiye-Qatar ties, global and regional issues, Israel's ongoing offensive on Gaza, and the humanitarian situation in the Palestinian enclave, according to a statement by the Turkish Communications Directorate.

For his part, Erdogan underlined the need for unity in the Islamic world to step up efforts toward stopping Israel's attacks on Gaza and punish crimes against humanity it has committed throughout the ongoing offensive.

1641 GMT — Israeli military asks Palestinians not to return to north Gaza

The Israeli military has renewed warnings for Palestinians not to return to northern Gaza, a day after witnesses and medical officials said Israeli troops opened fire and killed five people among throngs of displaced residents trying to walk back to their homes in the devastated area.

Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were driven from the north after Israeli forces first launched their offensive on southern Israel. In the months of fighting since, vast parts of the north have been flattened, including much of Gaza City.

After months of Israeli restrictions on aid to the north, the some 300,000 who remained there are on the brink of famine, according to the UN

1641 GMT — US wants to prevent Middle East conflict from spreading: Biden

US President Joe Biden has said he wants to prevent the conflict in the Middle East, where Israel is waging war in Gaza and fending off Iranian attacks, from "spreading more than it already has."

"We're committed to a ceasefire that will bring the hostages home and prevent the conflict from spreading more than it already has," Biden said as he met with Iraq's Prime Minister Mohamed Shia al-Sudani at the White House.

1639 GMT — Pro-Palestinian demonstrators in US block traffic into Chicago airport

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators have blocked a freeway leading to three Chicago O'Hare International Airport terminals, temporarily stopping vehicle traffic into one of the nation's busiest airports.

Protesters linked arms and blocked lanes of Interstate 190 around, a demonstration they said was part of a global “economic blockade to free Palestine,” according to Rifqa Falaneh, one of the organisers.

Similar demonstrations blocking a freeway in California's Bay Area also took place.

1606 GMT — 'Civilians are never legitimate targets': US

The United States has strongly condemned the killing of Israeli teenager Binyamin Achimair and is increasingly concerned by the violence against Palestinians and their property that ensued in the occupied West Bank after his death, the State Department has said.

That violence resulted in the killing of two Palestinians, Jihad Abu Aliya, 25, and Omar Ahmad Abdulghani Hamed, 17, the department said in a statement. "We strongly condemn these murders," it added.

"The violence must stop.  Civilians are never legitimate targets.  We call on the authorities to take measures to protect all communities from harm, and we urge Israel and the Palestinian Authority to do everything possible to de-escalate tensions," the department said.

1554 GMT — Netanyahu 'existential threat' to Israel: opposition leader

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid has termed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government as an “existential threat” to Israel.

"If we don't move this government, it will bring destruction upon us,” Lapid said on social media platform X.

Recent days saw attacks by illegal Israeli settlers on Palestinian towns in the occupied West Bank.

At least two Palestinians were killed and several Palestinian homes and vehicles were torched in the settler violence

1551 GMT — Lebanese officials charge Mossad of 'Hamas member's' murder

A Lebanese minister and two senior officials said preliminary findings suggest Israel's Mossad spy agency was behind the killing of a US-sanctioned Lebanese man accused of being a member of Hamas.

The body of Mohammad Sarur, 57, was found riddled with bullets in a villa in the Lebanese mountain town of Beit Mery last Tuesday.

Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi told al-Jadeed TV that, "according to the data we have so far, (the killing) was carried out by intelligence services".

1441 GMT — Nothing in last 48 hours affects UK's position on Gaza — Sunak

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has confirmed that nothing that has happened in the last 48 hours has affected the UK's position on Gaza.

He also said that he would soon speak with his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu on how to prevent escalation in the region.

1340 GMT — US destroys Houthi targets in Yemen

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) has said its forces destroyed Houthi targets in Yemen.

"Iranian-backed Houthis launched one anti-ship ballistic missile (ASBM) toward the Gulf of Aden from a Houthi-controlled area in Yemen on Saturday," CENTCOM said on X.

There were no injuries or damage reported by US, coalition, or commercial ships, it added.

1315 GMT — Israel releases 150 detainees, Gaza officials allege mistreatment

Gaza's crossings authority has said Israel released around 150 detainees from the Palestinian territory, alleging that they had been mistreated in detention.

Israeli soldiers have rounded up hundreds of Palestinians during their more than six-month military offensive in Gaza, holding them without charge before releasing some in groups.

The latest detainees to be released were taken to Israel and returned via the Kerem Shalom border crossing before some were treated in a hospital in Rafah, in the south of the besieged territory, according to the Gaza crossings authority and an AFP journalist.

1233 GMT — Hezbollah claims an attack on Israeli troops inside Lebanon

Hezbollah has claimed it had detonated "explosive devices" targeting Israeli soldiers who the group said had crossed into Lebanese territory, adding several Israeli soldiers were killed and injured in a bomb explosion in southern Lebanon.

The group said that its fighters had detonated several explosive devices at an Israeli force in Tal Ismail area near Lebanon’s border with Israel, leaving several soldiers killed and injured.

An Israeli official later confirmed that four Israeli soldiers were wounded in an explosion hundreds of metres inside Lebanon.

1213 GMT — UN experts denounce use of purported AI to commit 'domicide' in Gaza

The UN experts have deplored the use of purported AI and related military directives by Israel in Gaza, causing damage to civilian structures and services.

"If proven true, the shocking revelations of the use of AI systems by the Israeli military such as 'Gospel,' 'Lavender' and 'Where's Daddy?' combined with lowered human due diligence to avoid or minimise civilian casualties and infrastructure, contribute to explaining the extent of the death toll and home destruction in Gaza," the experts said in a statement.

The experts underscored that more than 15,000 deaths, almost half of all civilian deaths so far, occurred during the first six weeks after Oct. 7, "when AI systems seem to have been largely relied upon for target selection."

"We are especially concerned about the alleged use of AI to target 'family homes' of suspected Hamas operatives, typically at night when they sleep, with unguided munitions known as 'dumb' bombs, with little regard for civilians who may be in or around that home," they said.

1135 GMT — Aid to Gaza increased dramatically, US claims

Humanitarian aid getting into Gaza has increased by a large amount in the last few days, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby claims, adding the United States needs to see that aid sustained.

"The aid has increased and quite dramatically in just the last few days," Kirby said in an interview with MSNBC. "That's important but it has to be sustained."

1024 GMT — Israeli army arrests more Palestinians in occupied West Bank raids

At least 25 Palestinians were detained in fresh Israeli raids in the occupied West Bank, according to prisoners' affairs groups.

Most arrests took place in Tulkarm city, while others occurred in the cities of Jerusalem, Ramallah, Jenin, Tubas, and Nablus, the Commission of Detainees' Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoners Society said in a joint statement.

At least 8,240 Palestinians have been detained by Israeli forces in the West Bank since Oct. 7, the statement added.

1022 GMT — Hamas leader Haniyeh's grandchild succumbs to injuries

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh's granddaughter Malach Haniyeh has reportedly succumbed to injuries she received in an Israeli strike.

The Israeli strike took place last week in Gaza and killed Malach’s father and two of his brothers.

After battling for her life for a week, Malach has died, Israeli media reported on Monday, citing Palestinian sources.

1003 GMT — Israel kills 68 more Palestinians, Gaza death toll hits 33,797

Israeli attacks in Gaza have killed 68 more Palestinians, pushing up the death toll since last October to 33,797, the Health Ministry in the besieged enclave said, adding that 76,465 people have been wounded.

"The Israeli occupation (forces) committed seven massacres against families in Gaza, leaving 68 martyrs and 94 injured during the past 24 hours," a ministry statement said.

0857 GMT — Palestinian killed by Israeli army gunshot in West Bank

A Palestinian was killed, and two others were injured by Israeli army gunfire during its raid into the occupied northern West Bank city of Nablus.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said in a statement that its teams evacuated a fatality and two gunshot injuries during the Israeli occupation forces' raid into the city of Nablus.

The army raided several neighbourhoods in the western part of the city, leading to clashes with dozens of Palestinians, witnesses told Anadolu.

They noted that the army besieged a residential building in the Marej neighbourhood, with sounds of live fire being heard from the area.

0827 GMT — Israeli forces storm occupied West Bank city amid clashes with Palestinian residents

Israeli forces have stormed the city of Nablus in the occupied West Bank, besieging a residential building amid clashes.

The army raided several neighbourhoods in the western part of the city, leading to clashes with dozens of Palestinians, witnesses told Anadolu.

They said that the army besieged a residential building in the al-Marej neighbourhood, with sounds of live fire being heard from the area.

0024 GMT — Gaza sports academy says 3 children killed in Israeli bombing

Three Palestinian children who were players at Al Wahda Academy in Gaza were killed in Israeli raids on the city of Deir al Balah in central Gaza, the sports institution announced.

“We are torn over the martyrdom of players Sami Bilal Abu Issa and Muhammad Bilal Abu Issa from Al Wahda Academy,” it said in a statement.

In a separate statement, the academy said the child Adam Ramez Nabhan was killed in another Israeli bombing on Friday.

A medical source confirmed to Anadolu that players Sami Abu Issa, 4, and Muhammad Abu Issa, 6, who were brothers, were killed on Saturday in an Israeli bombing that targeted a residential house in the center of the city.

The source said that Nabhan, 6, was killed in another Israeli bombing on Friday.

0001 GMT — Palestine urges world court to issue arrest warrants for illegal West Bank settlers

Palestine urged the International Criminal Court (ICC) to issue arrest warrants against illegal Jewish settlers committing crimes in the occupied West Bank and called for international intervention to compel Israel to halt settlement projects.

In a statement, the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs urged the court to swiftly issue arrest warrants for extremist settlers and their backers who commit crimes against Palestinians.

It also called on the international community to urgently intervene to force Israel to cease all settlement activities, dismantle armed settler organisations and militias, withdraw weapons, halt funding and punish those providing support and protection.''

2000 GMT — Netanyahu postpones Rafah invasion — Public broadcaster

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has decided to postpone the ground invasion of the city of Rafah in southern Gaza, following an unprecedented retaliatory attack by Iran on Israel, the country's public broadcaster reported.

Claiming it to be “the last stronghold of Hamas,” Netanyahu has insisted on invading Rafah, where around 1.4 million displaced Palestinians have taken refuge from the incessant attacks.

Despite growing international outcry over the invasion plan, the prime minister last week said a date had been set for the offensive.

According to the public broadcaster, the postponement of the ground invasion came after consultations with the Israeli security apparatus.

The postponement comes after Iran launched around 300 missiles and drones towards Israel late Saturday evening. Tel Aviv claimed to have intercepted most of them.

For our live updates from Sunday, April 14, click here.