Live blog: Israel's offensive on Rafah is ‘recipe for disaster’ — UNRWA

Saturday, February 10, 2024

1400 GMT — The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) has said that a military offensive on Rafah, southern Gaza “in the middle of these completely exposed, vulnerable people is a recipe for disaster.”

“In Rafah southern Gaza, there are 1.4 million people — in tens of kilometres — living in the streets in plastic makeshift shelters,” Phillippe Lazzarini, the UNRWA commissioner-general, said on X.

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1919 GMT —2 killed, 5 injured in Gaza’s Nasser Hospital: MSF

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has said that at least two people were killed and five others injured in the Nasser Hospital in Gaza over the last two days.

“In the past 48 hours, MSF staff report shots fired at people inside Nasser Hospital. Two people were killed, five others injured, including one nurse who was severely wounded,” it said on X.

It noted that the medical staff of the hospital are afraid to move within and around the hospital due to the fear of being shot.

1919 GMT — Netanyahu asks army to prepare for ground offensive in Rafah

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has asked Israeli army to remobilise reserve soldiers in preparation for ground offensive in Rafah according to Israeli media — Channel 13.

1819 GMT — Silent march in London calls for immediate ceasefire in Gaza

A massive gathering has flooded central London as protesters convened in solidarity with Gaza, urging an immediate ceasefire amid the ongoing Israeli attacks in Gaza.

The silent march, a poignant display of unity and resilience, resonated with voices from diverse backgrounds, echoing a resolute call for peace and justice.

The rally, spearheaded by healthcare workers, commenced outside St. Thomas' Hospital, drawing attention to the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza.

1559 GMT — Iran FM in Beirut says only political solution can resolve Gaza war

The Iranian Foreign Minister has said during a visit to Lebanon that a political solution was the only way to end the Gaza war, and that Tehran was in talks with Riyadh on the issue.

He also warned Israel against taking any steps towards a full-scale war against Lebanon, saying that would be Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's "last day."

1553 GMT — Yemen's Houthis say 17 fighters killed in US strikes

A total of 17 Houthi fighters have been killed in US strikes, the Iran-backed Yemeni rebel group said through its official media, following public funerals in the capital Sanaa.

"The bodies of a number of martyrs of the nation and the armed and security forces who were martyred as a result of the bombing of the American-British aggression were carried through Sanaa today in a solemn funeral procession," Houthi official media said, listing their names.

The United States confirmed on Thursday that its military had conducted a number of strikes against missile launchers as Houthi fighters prepared to launch them against commercial shipping and US warships in the Red Sea.

1551 GMT — Russia says South Africa's lawsuit against Israel yielded tangible results

Russian Envoy to the UN Security Council Vasily Nebenzya has said that South Africa's lawsuit against Israel in the UN International Court of Justice (ICJ) yielded tangible results.

Ordering temporary measures against Israel, the ICJ recognised "plausible" information about the genocide in Gaza, Nebenzya said in an interview with the Russian news agency TASS.

"As for the content of the interim measures themselves, it seems hardly possible to implement them without Israel ending its military operation," he noted.

1543 GMT — Jordan warns of Israeli military aggression in southern Gaza’s Rafah

Jordan has warned of the danger of an Israeli attack on Rafah in southern Gaza, according to an official statement.

The Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates warned "of the danger of the Israeli occupation army carrying out a military operation in the city of Rafah, in the southern Gaza, which houses a large number of Palestinian brothers who were displaced there as a safe haven from the ongoing Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip."

1540 GMT — Senior Hamas official in Lebanon survives Israeli strike: sources

A senior Hamas officer has survived an Israeli assassination attempt in Lebanon, Palestinian and Lebanese security sources said, with officials reporting two killed in the attack south of Beirut.

Lebanon's state-run National News Agency (NNA) said an Israeli drone struck a car in the coastal town of Jadra, about 40 kilometres (25 miles) from the border.

The Palestinian source, requesting anonymity for security concerns, told AFP news agency that the strike "was a failed attempt to assassinate a senior official in the (Hamas) movement".

A Lebanese security official, also requesting anonymity, identified the target as Hamas recruitment officer Bassel Saleh.

1250 GMT — Israeli strikes kill dozens in Rafah

Israeli air strikes have killed at least 44 Palestinians in Rafah, hours after Israel's prime minister said he asked the military to plan for the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of people from the southern Gaza city ahead of a ground invasion.

Benjamin Netanyahu did not provide details or a timeline, but the announcement set off widespread panic.

More than half of Gaza's 2.3 million people are packed into Rafah, many after being uprooted repeatedly by Israeli evacuation orders that now cover two-thirds of Gaza's territory. It's not clear where they could run next.

1242 GMT — Casualties as Israel conducts strike in central Lebanon

Israel has struck the coastal area of Wadi al Zeina in central Lebanon, causing casualties, Anadolu Agency reported.

Witnesses said an Israeli airstrike targeted a vehicle in the Wadi al Zeina area, Chouf district. More details and reactions were not immediately available.

This is the second time that Lebanon has seen bombing deep into its territory since the outbreak of confrontation between Hezbollah and the Israeli army last October.

1239 GMT — Gaza death toll tops grim 28,000 ahead of Rafah invasion

At least 28,064 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza during Israel's war on the besieged territory, according to the Health Ministry.

The latest toll includes 117 deaths over the past 24 hours, a ministry statement said, while a total of 67,611 people have been wounded in Gaza since the war broke out on October 7, it added.

1152 GMT — Saudi warns of 'catastrophe' if Israel moves on Rafah

Saudi Arabia has said that Israel's planned army operation in overcrowded Rafah would cause a "humanitarian catastrophe" and called for the United Nations Security Council to intervene.

The kingdom "warned of the extremely dangerous repercussions of storming and targeting" Rafah and affirmed its "categorical rejection and strong condemnation of their forced deportation", in a foreign ministry statement carried by state media.

"This continued violation of international law and international humanitarian law confirms the necessity of convening the Security Council urgently to prevent Israel from causing an imminent humanitarian catastrophe," the statement added.

1146 GMT — Germany warns Israeli attack on Rafah would lead humanitarian catastrophe

Germany has said an Israeli attack on Rafah in Gaza would lead to a humanitarian catastrophe.

“The plight in Rafah is already incredible. 1.3 million people are seeking protection from the fighting in a very small area. An offensive by the Israeli army on Rafah would be a humanitarian catastrophe in the making. The people in Gaza cannot disappear into thin air,” German Foreign Minister Annalena Bearbock said on X.

0933 GMT — Israel's Rafah invasion can cause 'tens of thousands' casualties

Hamas has warned that any Israeli military operation in the Gazan city of Rafah could lead to "tens of thousands" of dead and injured.

The Palestinian group, at war with Israel, warned in a statement of catastrophic repercussions of going into the city, where more than one million civilians have fled to escape Israeli bombardment elsewhere in Gaza.

0807 GMT — Israel targets Palestinians packed Rafah, kills dozens

Israeli air strikes have killed at least 28 Palestinians in Rafah early Saturday, hours after Israel's prime minister said he asked the military to plan for the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of people from the southern Gaza city ahead of a ground invasion.

Benjamin Netanyahu did not provide details or a timeline, but the announcement set off widespread panic. More than half of Gaza's 2.3 million people are packed into Rafah, many after being uprooted repeatedly by Israeli evacuation orders that now cover two-thirds of Gaza's territory. It's not clear where they could run next.

Word of the invasion plans capped a week of increasingly public friction between Netanyahu and the Biden administration. US officials have said an invasion of Rafah without a plan for the civilian population would lead to disaster.

Overnight into Saturday, three airstrikes on homes in the Rafah area killed 28 people, according to a health official and Associated Press journalists who saw the bodies arriving at hospitals. Each strike killed multiple members of three families, including a total of 10 children, the youngest three months old.

0436 GMT — US considers sanctions on Israeli soldiers in West Bank: report

The US is reportedly preparing to impose sanctions on Israeli soldiers serving in the occupied West Bank, according to Israeli state television channel, KAN.

It said the US has repeatedly warned Israel about settler violence against Palestinians but the response from Tel Aviv has not been satisfactory.

The report noted that if Israel does not respond to US questions and demands regarding settler violence in the West Bank within 60 days, the US will impose sanctions on members of the army, including soldiers and commanders.

It also reported that Israel is taking the Biden administration's threats seriously and is preparing for the possibility of sanctions being expanded to include army officials, members of parliament, and ministers.

0321 GMT — Israel PM orders army to prepare to operate in Gaza's Rafah

Israeli air strikes pummelled densely crowded Rafah after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered his troops to "prepare to operate" in the southern border city that has become a last holdout for displaced Palestinians.

Netanyahu's planned war on Rafah, where an estimated 1.3 million people have sought refuge, has drawn condemnation from rights groups and Washington, while Palestinians have said they have nowhere left to retreat.

Witnesses reported new strikes on Rafah early Saturday, after the Israeli military intensified air raids, with fears rising among Palestinians of a coming ground invasion.

The US State Department said it does not support a ground offensive in Rafah, warning that, if not properly planned, such an operation risks "disaster".

0134 GMT — Moody’s downgrades Israel’s credit rating due to war on Gaza

The US rating agency Moody's downgraded Israel's credit rating due to the impact of its ongoing war in Gaza, lowering it by one notch from A1 to A2.

In a statement, Moody's said it had done so after assessing that "the ongoing military conflict with Hamas, its aftermath and wider consequences materially raise the political risk for Israel as well as weaken its executive and legislative institutions and its fiscal strength, for the foreseeable future."

It was the first time Israel has been downgraded, Bloomberg reported. Moody's also lowered its outlook for Israel's debt to "negative" due to "the risk of an escalation" with the far more powerful Lebanese group Hezbollah that operates along its northern border.

0112 GMT — Denmark to continue funding UNRWA

Denmark has confirmed that it would not withdraw funding to the UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) because de-funding would “accelerate a humanitarian conflict” in the besieged Gaza, said media broadcaster, DR News.

Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said Denmark would make the planned financial assistance as scheduled to the UN agency in March.

“UNRWA is the organisation in Gaza that has the ability to ensure the civilian population just a decent living,” said Rasmussen. "We are talking about water, about health clinics, and the possibility of vaccinating children. It is a catastrophic situation in Gaza, and if you cut the legs of UNRWA, you are accelerating a humanitarian conflict.”

He said collective punishment of Palestinians in Gaza is not a way forward to resolve the complex crisis in the region.

"It's quite terrible, but now it's not like we normally have a principle of collective punishment. We are talking about an organisation that has about 30,000 employees – 13,000 are in Gaza," he said.

Rasmussen said countries that have suspended funding to UNRWA have already committed financial assistance to the agency for this year, hence their action on the Israeli allegation was mere “political signaling."

2337 GMT — Rafah's population enduring 'unthinkable suffering': UN relief chief

UN relief chief Martin Griffiths voiced concern about the situation in Rafah as the Israeli premier ordered his army to plan for an invasion.

"Many of the well over 1 million people who make up Rafah's population today have endured unthinkable suffering," Griffiths wrote on X.

His remarks came after Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the army to develop a dual plan to expel civilians from Rafah and to defeat the remaining Hamas fighters.

"Their homes have been destroyed, their streets mined, their neighbourhood shelled. They've been on the move for months, braving bombs, disease, and hunger.

"Where are they supposed to go? How are they supposed to stay safe?" said Griffiths. He reiterated that there is nowhere left to go in Gaza.

"Civilians must be protected, and their essential needs, including shelter, food, and health, must be met," he added.

2306 GMT — US 'complicit' in humanitarian disaster in Gaza: Senator

Independent Senator Bernie Sanders said it is "unacceptable" for the US to send $14 billion to Israel, which is threatening a ground invasion in Rafah in besieged Gaza.

"One of the worst humanitarian disasters in modern history is now unfolding before our eyes in Gaza today, right now, and we, as the government of the United States, are complicit," Sanders said ahead of a Senate procedural vote on whether to advance security aid for Israel and Ukraine.

The question that US Congress must ask is how many more children and innocent people will be "smashed" by PM Benjamin Netanyahu in this process, Sanders said, adding beyond the total destruction of Gaza, Netanyahu "has no plan."

"The US Congress is prepared to spend another $14 billion on military aid to Netanyahu's right-wing government. Fourteen billion dollars more. And 10 billion of this money is totally unrestricted and will allow Netanyahu to buy more of the bombs, he has literally used to flatten Gaza and to kill thousands and thousands of children," he said.

He asked if Congress would "award" Netanyahu with military aid so that it could "annihilate" thousands more men, women, and children.

Sanders made it clear that he would oppose the bill and urged his colleagues to do the same.

2256 GMT — US: Israel must stick to international law on weapons

The United States has briefed Israel on a new US national security memorandum that reminds countries receiving US weapons to stick to international law, the White House has said.

The memo is a statement of administration policy and was sent on Thursday from the White House to senior Cabinet officials responsible for national security to ensure its aims are carried out.

The memo does not impose new conditions on how US military equipment may be used, but it does require the Biden administration to send a report to Congress annually on whether countries are meeting the requirements.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters in response to a question that US officials had briefed Israelis on the memorandum.

"There are no new standards in this memo. We are not imposing new standards for military aid," she said.

"Instead we are spelling publicly the existing standards by the international law including the law of armed conflict."

One section of the memorandum reminds recipients of US military aid to "respect their obligations under international law and reduce the risk of civilian harm."

2241 GMT — Red Crescent loses contact with teams in Al-Amal Hospital in Khan Younis

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society [PRCS] said it lost contact with teams in the Al-Amal Hospital in Khan Younis in southern besieged Gaza amid intensified Israeli attacks on the facility.

"We fully lost communication with our teams in Al-Amal Hospital in Khan Younis due to the [Israeli] occupation continued attack on the hospital," it said.

PRCS voiced concern about the safety of its teams, the wounded and patients inside the hospital.

PRCS said earlier that the Israeli army's attacks on the hospital entered its 19th day.

It noted that its teams are living in an "intimidating atmosphere" around the clock amid catastrophic conditions, lack of medical disposables and fuel, and is running out of oxygen.

For our live updates from Friday, February 9, click here.