Live blog: Netanyahu wants war to continue — Hamas

Friday, May 10, 2024

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1811 GMT — Palestinian resistance group Hamas wants calmness and a prisoners swap deal, but Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants the war to continue, Hamas senior official Khalil Al Hayya said, adding Hamas did not suspend nor withdraw from the ceasefire negotiations.

1813 GMT — S Africa seeks new emergency measures against Israel - ICJ

South Africa sought new emergency measures by the International Court of Justice against Israel over its latest offensive against the Gaza city of Rafah, the court said in a statement.

It is the third time since December that South Africa has launched action against Israel over the Gaza war. Israel has condemned South Africa's allegations that it has launched a "genocide" against the Palestinian territory.

1805 GMT — US weapons shipments to Israel 'breach legal limits,' say high-level US officials

The Biden administration's weapons shipments to Israel "breach legal limits," former high-level US officials said ahead of the submission of a report by State Department to Congress about whether Israel is using US weapons in accordance with American and international laws.

According to former US officials quoted by the Washington Post, the US has been “selective in how it invokes international law” and “how it balances rights concerns with realpolitik”.

“Just from a legal perspective within US domestic law, there’s a much wider body of rules that is being ignored right now,” said Josh Paul, former director of the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs at the State Department, who resigned shortly after Oct. 7 in protest of the US policy on Gaza.

“The arms are just continuing to flow,” Paul added.

US weaponry was used in a significant number of these incidents, according to the report.

1755 GMT — US 'cannot continue to be complicit' in Gaza humanitarian disaster: Senator

The US cannot be complicit in Israel's war in Gaza against the Palestinian people, Independent Senator Bernie Sanders said.

"For five days, almost no humanitarian aid has gotten into Gaza. Israel's military operation in Rafah has closed both main border crossings. No food, no water, no medicine, no fuel. Children are starving."

"The US cannot continue to be complicit in this humanitarian disaster," Sanders said on X.

1748 GMT — Spain’s deputy premier accuses Eurovision of ‘whitewashing Israel’s genocide’

Spain’s second deputy Prime Minister Yolanda Diaz accused Eurovision of “whitewashing Israel’s genocide."

Just one day ahead of the song contest's finals, Diaz slammed the contest in a post on X.

“Eurovision is joy, peace and diversity. It is not a showcase to whitewash Israel’s genocide against the Palestinian people, which is death, destruction and hate,” she said.

Diaz, also Spain’s labor minister, added that “Israel is incompatible with the values promoted by the contest and should not participate.”

1745 GMT — Hamas' Al Qassam Brigades hit Israeli targets in Beersheba area with rockets

Al Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, said its fighters fired a barrage of rockets on Israeli targets in the area of Beersheba, southern Israel.

In a brief statement, Al Qassam Brigades said the rocket attack on Beersheba came "in response to the (Israeli) massacres against (Palestinian) civilians."

In a separate statement, the group said it fired another barrage of rockets on Beersheba.

1718 GMT — UN calls Israeli envoy's shredding of UN charter 'theatric'

The UN criticised Israel's ambassador to the UN for his act of shredding a copy of the UN Charter on stage at the General Assembly, calling it a theatrical action and urging all members to respect the UN Charter.

"We don't comment on the various remarks made by different ambassadors, and the theatrics, both of the past and the present, are things that are part and parcel of the presentations the member states make," said UN Deputy Spokesman Farhan Haq when asked about Gilad Erdan's actions ahead of the vote on the reevaluation of Palestine's UN membership.

"Regarding the charter, obviously, this is an organisation that is premised on respect for the UN Charter, and all of the member states have pledged to uphold the UN Charter, and we expect them to fulfil that obligation," he added.

1652 GMT — Biden administration won't conclude Israel violated terms of US weapons agreement: sources

A soon-to-be-released Biden administration review of Israel's use of US-provided weapons in its military offensive in Gaza does not conclude that Israel has violated the terms for their use, according to three people who have been briefed on the matter.

The report is expected to be sharply critical of Israel, even though it didn’t conclude that Israel violated the terms of US-Israel weapons agreements, according to one US official.

1649 GMT — UN votes symbolically in favour of Palestinian membership

The United Nations General Assembly voted overwhelmingly to grant the Palestinians some additional rights in the global body after their drive for full membership was blocked by the United States.

"I have stood hundreds of times before at this podium, but never for a more significant vote than the one about to take place, a historic one," Palestinian Ambassador to the UN Riyad Mansour said before the vote, his voice full of emotion.

He added, "The day will come when Palestine will take its rightful place among the community of free nations."

Israel reacted angrily, with its UN ambassador, Gilad Erdan, saying the resolution made him sick.

The United Arab Emirates underscored the importance of the resolution that called for a reevaluation of Palestine's membership to the UN, saying that "fulfilling the UN's historic obligation towards the Palestinian people is long overdue, but it is never too late."

Drawing attention to the persecution and the denial of their basic rights that Palestinians endured for over 75 years, UAE's envoy at the UN, Mohamed Abushahab, stated that the resolution they have spearheaded "would have a profound impact on the future of the Palestinian people."

He urged the international community to recognise Palestine's rightful place in the global arena and to support their bid for full membership.

1616 GMT — Palestinian death toll in Gaza rises to 34,943 — ministry

At least 34,943 Palestinians have been killed and 78,572 injured in Israel's military offensive in Gaza since October 7, Gaza's health ministry said in a statement.

1552 GMT — 8 fatalities reported as Israeli airstrike hits house north of Gaza refugee camp

At least eight Palestinians were killed and others injured in a house north of a refugee camp in central Gaza amid an Israeli air strike.

According to a statement from the al-Awda Hospital in the enclave, eight fatalities were reported, and an unspecified number of injuries arrived at the hospital following the Israeli air strike on a house north of the Nuseirat Refugee Camp.

1533 GMT — Hamas' al-Qassam Brigades say they saved Israeli hostage attempting suicide

Hamas’ military wing, al-Qassam Brigades, announced that they managed to rescue an Israeli prisoner who had attempted suicide in captivity.

“We rescued, a few days ago, in the final moments, one of the enemy's prisoners after he attempted suicide in his place of captivity,” the armed wing said in a statement on Telegram.

They added: “We hold the enemy and (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu personally responsible for the deteriorating physical and mental health of some of the enemy's prisoners.”

1436 GMT — Multiple arrests as US police clear MIT, UPenn Gaza protests

Police carried out pre-dawn swoops on students protesting Israel's war on Gaza at two prestigious US universities in the latest student protests on campuses across the country.

The police action at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) near Boston in the northeast resulted in around 10 arrests, according to university president Sally Kornbluth, who said she had "no choice" but to dismantle the "high-risk flashpoint."

At the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, officers in tactical gear forcibly removed several dozen students who had linked arms around a statue of Benjamin Franklin, NBC reported. It said they had been given two minutes to leave.

Students did not resist arrest at either US university and both of those actions appeared to have been relatively peaceful.

1417 GMT — Norway calls for accountability after attack on UN agency’s headquarters in East Jerusalem

Norway called for accountability after Israeli extremists attacked the headquarters of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) in the occupied East Jerusalem.

Expressing that he was “shocked” by the attack, Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said on X: "As host country, Israel has a duty to protect UN personnel and premises at any time."

He said that UNRWA is the “lifeline for millions of Palestine refugees,” adding: “The incidents must be investigated, those responsible must be held accountable.”

Rafah is "on a knife's edge," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said amid ongoing Israeli attacks on Gaza's southernmost city.

"The situation in Rafah is on a knife's edge as airstrikes continue throughout southern Gaza. Over 1 million Palestinians, half of whom are children, have crowded in the Rafah Governate for shelter," Guterres said at a news conference in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi.

"Around 100,000 Palestinians are moving north from Rafah, yet humanitarian partners have no tents or food stores left in south Gaza," he added.

Guterres stressed that under international humanitarian law, the safety of civilians must be ensured in a conflict.

"And, of course, what happens in Gaza has profound repercussions in the occupied West Bank, where we see a deeply disturbing spike in settler violence, excessive use of force by the Israeli Defence Force (military), demolitions and evictions," he said.

1402 GMT — 2 people killed in Israeli airstrike on southern Lebanon

At least two people were killed and several others injured in an Israeli airstrike on the town of Tayr Harfa in southern Lebanon, Lebanon’s National News Agency reported.

The agency said that a drone “directly targeted” with two missiles a team of workers from a mobile telecommunications company. The workers were carrying out maintenance work on one of the transmission stations in the town in the presence of civil defence members, it added.

1335 GMT — Palestinian groups urge people in West Bank, Jerusalem to launch uprising to save Gaza, Rafah

Palestinian factions called on the people in the West Bank, Jerusalem, and the occupied territories to rise up in support of Gaza and help save Rafah from a humanitarian catastrophe and a war of genocide amid Israeli aggressions.

In a statement, the Palestinian groups said: “We call on our people in the West Bank, Jerusalem, and the occupied territories to launch a fierce uprising in support of Gaza and to save Rafah from the humanitarian catastrophe and genocide war.”

1316 GMT — US, Israel ‘threatening’ ICC promote 'culture of impunity' — UN

A group of UN experts expressed "utter dismay" over statements made by US and Israeli officials “threatening to retaliate” against the International Criminal Court (ICC), saying such threats promote a "culture of impunity."

"At a time when the world should unite to end the terrible bloodshed in Gaza and seek justice for those unlawfully killed, injured, traumatised, or taken hostage, since October 7, it is distressing to see State officials threatening to retaliate against a Court for pursuing international justice," the experts said in a statement.

"It is shocking to see countries that consider themselves champions of the rule of law trying to intimidate an independent and impartial international tribunal to thwart accountability," they added.

The experts underlined that threats of retaliatory action “violate human rights norms against attacks on justice personnel and exceed the accepted limits of freedom of expression.”


They urged states to respect the court’s independence as a judicial institution and protect the independence and impartiality of those who work within the court.

1303 GMT — Only hospital in central Gaza to run out of fuel in 48 hours

The Gaza government warned that al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah city in central Gaza would run out of fuel within 48 hours, threatening to halt health services and spark a humanitarian crisis following Israel's sixth day of closing border crossings into the besieged enclave.

“The administration of al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the central governorate announced that fuel is about to run out within the next 48 hours, thus halting health and medical services,” the Gaza media office said in a statement.

It added that “the cessation of fuel supply to the last hospital providing health services in the Gaza Strip comes after the destruction of the health sector and the medical system by the occupation (Israel), and the closure of 33 hospitals from service completely.”

The office held Israel, the US, and all relevant parties fully responsible “for any catastrophe or real crisis that may occur at any moment due to the depletion of fuel at al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital.”

It cautioned that "this crisis may result in deaths of patients and children, especially patients and wounded individuals admitted to intensive care units and nurseries."

1248 GMT — Rafah offensive would lead to 'humanitarian disaster': UN chief

An Israeli ground attack in Gaza's Rafah would lead to an "epic humanitarian disaster", UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned after negotiators left truce talks in Cairo without a deal.

"A massive ground attack in Rafah would lead to (an) epic humanitarian disaster and pull the plug on our efforts to support people as famine looms," Guterres said during a visit to Nairobi, adding that the situation in the southern Gaza city was "on a knife's edge".

"We are actively engaged with all involved for the resumption of the entry of life-saving supplies — including desperately needed fuel — through Rafah and Kerem Shalom crossings," he said, reiterating his calls for a ceasefire.

1217 GMT — Israel reports detecting 3 missiles launched from Lebanon

Israel reported the detection of three anti-tank missiles launched from Lebanon toward the Upper Galilee area, according to local media.

The private Israeli Channel 12 reported that three anti-tank missiles were fired at Misgav Am in the Upper Galilee near the southern Lebanese border.

One of the missiles hit a building while the other two caused fires in the area, it added.

1132 GMT — EU slams attack on UNRWA headquarters in East Jerusalem by Israeli extremists

The EU slammed the attack on the headquarters of UNRWA in occupied East Jerusalem by a group of Israeli extremists.

“The EU strongly condemns the attack against the UNRWA premises in East Jerusalem. Perpetrators must be held to account,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on X.

Stressing that Israel has a responsibility to ensure the safety of humanitarian workers, he said: “UNRWA is an irreplaceable lifeline to millions in Gaza and the region.”

1107 GMT — Unavailability of fuel to halt humanitarian, communication, banking activities in Gaza within days: UN humanitarian office

The UN humanitarian office warned that if the supply of fuel does not resume immediately it will affect all life-critical sectors in Gaza.

"Humanitarian operations cannot run without fuel. Unless the supply of fuel resumes immediately, humanitarian, communication, and banking activities will halt within days," Georgios Petropoulos, the head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) sub-office in Gaza, told a UN briefing in Geneva.

"Protection of civilians, humanitarian assets and supplies with assurance from all parties to the conflict remain a major concern," Petropoulos added.

The current availability of fuel will enable communication service providers to continue operating for another 24 hours, after which network disruptions will commence, he stressed.

1050 GMT — Qassam Brigades say they ambushed Israeli forces in southern Gaza

The Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Palestinian resistance group Hamas, said Friday that they ambushed Israeli forces in the Saad Sayel barracks site, eastern Rafah in southern Gaza.

In a statement, the Qassam Brigades said its fighters “ambushed a Zionist force after detonating a pre-prepared minefield inside the Saad Sayel barracks site east of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.”

It also said its fighters “executed a military operation near Al-Dawa Mosque, located east of Rafah.”

The operation involved targeting “a building housing several Israeli soldiers with a TBG shell, striking a troop carrier beneath the building with a Yassin 105 shell, and deploying an anti-personnel shell along with a full strike against a group of Israeli soldiers positioned near a tanker.”

The attack resulted in a number of casualties, it added.

1019 GMT — Germany condemns 'escalation of violent protest' against UNRWA in east Jerusalem

Germany condemned the "escalation of violent protest" against the UN agency for Palestinian refugees in east Jerusalem after the agency temporarily closed its headquarters there following repeated attacks.

"Israel must ensure the protection of UN facilities and personnel in the occupied Palestinian territories," the German foreign ministry said on X, formerly Twitter. "The UN need to be able to serve their important mandate in Gaza, the West Bank and east Jerusalem."

0957 GMT — Mossad openly admitted for 1st time 'surprised' by Hamas attack on October 7

Israeli intelligence agency Mossad has openly admitted for the first time that it was surprised by the attack carried out by Palestinian resistance group Hamas on October 7 of last year.

“Israel's Mossad intelligence agency has admitted for the first time that it was surprised by the events of October 7, 2023,” Israeli security expert Yossi Melman wrote in Haaretz on Friday.

According to Melman, Mossad prepared a document for the new edition of the Israel Intelligence Heritage and Commemoration Center’s bulletin detailing the agency's activities during the war in Gaza.

"The Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations (Mossad, or in its official English name – Israeli secret intelligence service) was also surprised on the morning of the holiday of Simchat Torah (October 7) by the code red alert sirens that pierced the sky,” reads the document, according to Haaretz.

0856 GMT — Another Hezbollah fighter killed in border clashes with Israel

One more Hezbollah fighter was killed in clashes with Israeli forces near the border with Lebanon, the Lebanese group said.

The group identified the slain fighter as Hassan Krayyim from the town of Deir Siriane, “who was martyred on the road to Jerusalem due to his injuries.”

The new fatalities brought to 294 Hezbollah fighters killed in clashes with Israeli forces since October 8, 2023, according to an Anadolu tally based on statements released by the group.

In the past few hours, the intensity of the mutual shelling between the group and Israel has increased. The latter claimed to have attacked more than 20 targets in a Lebanese area within minutes, while Israeli media reported that the party launched dozens of rockets and drones on the western Galilee.

0802 GMT — Israeli extremists torch part of UN compound in Jerusalem

The main United Nations aid agency for Palestinians closed its headquarters in East Jerusalem after local Israeli extremists set fire to areas at the edge of the sprawling compound, the agency said.

Philippe Lazzarini, the head of UNWRA, said in a post on the social media platform X that he had decided to close the compound until proper security was restored. He said Thursday's incident was the second in less than a week.

"This is an outrageous development. Once again, the lives of UN staff were at a serious risk," he said.

"It is the responsibility of the State of Israel as an occupying power to ensure that United Nations personnel and facilities are protected at all times," he said.

0800 GMT — Nearly 110,000 fled Rafah to areas with appalling conditions

UNRWA said that around 110,000 people have fled Rafah for safety.

“As Israeli Forces bombardment intensifies in Rafah, forced displacement continues,” UNRWA stated on X.

“Nowhere is safe in Gaza and living conditions are atrocious,” it said, adding, “The only hope is an immediate ceasefire.”

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) ordered Palestinians to move towards an "expanded humanitarian area" extending from nearby al-Mawasi to Khan Younis and Deir al-Balah. They claimed there would be field hospitals, tents, and extra aid supplies available.

However, Palestinians and UN officials stated that these areas were densely populated, lacked essential services, and were devastated by recent conflict.

On Monday, Israeli forces issued evacuation orders for Palestinians in eastern Rafah, a move widely seen as a prelude to Israel's long-feared attack on the city, home to some 1.5 million displaced Palestinians.

A day later, Israeli forces special control of the Rafah border crossing, which connects Gaza and Egypt, closing it to all traffic.

0750 GMT — Hamas condemns abuse of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails

The Palestinian resistance group Hamas denounced the mistreatment of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.

Hamas said In a statement, “The escalation of the Zionist prison administration's aggressive and criminal policies against our brave prisoners will not weaken their resolve.”

“The Palestinian people will not let their prisoners fall victim to the barbarism of this Nazi occupation,” said Hamas.

The statement highlighted "testimonies documenting the abuse and torture that the prisoner, Commander Ibrahim Hamed, and his fellow prisoners are subjected to, in addition to the isolation and oppression affecting prisoner movement leaders, which led to the killing of a number of prisoners."

0605 GMT — Brazilian university students set up solidarity camp for Gaza

Students of Brazil's University of Sao Paulo established a solidarity camp for Gaza.

Sao Paulo University, hailed as Latin America's most prestigious university, saw students from various faculties protesting against Israel.

The students, who set up the solidarity camp in front of the rectorate, demanded that Brazil severs diplomatic and economic ties with Israel.

They raised Palestinian flags, chanting "Free Palestine" and an "Immediate ceasefire."

0523 GMT — Israel hits Gaza after truce talks end

Israel launched fresh strikes in Gaza after negotiators pursuing a long-stalled truce agreement left talks in Cairo without having secured a deal.

AFP journalists in Gaza witnessed artillery strikes on Rafah on the territory's southern border with Egypt, while witnesses reported air strikes and fighting in Gaza City further north.

0417 GMT — Egypt says Hamas, Israel must show 'flexibility' to seal Gaza truce deal

Egypt has said Hamas and Israel must show "flexibility" if they are to strike a deal for a ceasefire and prisoner exchange in the seven-month war on Gaza, according to a foreign ministry statement.

The readout of a phone call between Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said both diplomats agreed on "the importance of urging the parties to show flexibility and make all the necessary efforts to achieve a ceasefire agreement and put an end to the humanitarian tragedy in Gaza".

0130 GMT — No aid entering Gaza despite Israeli claims — authority

Two key border crossings into Gaza are still closed, with no aid entering the enclave, local authorities said.

The statement by the Gaza-based General Authority for Crossings and Borders came in response to statements from the US State Department on the opening of crossings and entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza.

The statement confirmed that the crossings are still closed and under Israeli control since the Israeli army invaded Rafah, took over the Rafah crossing and closed the Kerem Shalom crossing.

The army claimed earlier to have reopened the Kerem Shalom crossing after closing it on Sunday to deliver aid to Gaza upon a request from US President Joe Biden.

0015 GMT — Hamas says 'ball is completely' in Israel's hands in truce talks

Palestinian resistance group Hamas has announced that its delegation attending Gaza ceasefire negotiations in Cairo had left the city for Qatar, adding the "ball is now completely" in Israel's hands.

"The negotiating delegation left Cairo heading to Doha. In practice, the occupation [Israel] rejected the proposal submitted by the mediators and raised objections to it on several central issues," the group said in a statement, adding it stood by the proposal.

"Accordingly, the ball is now completely in the hands of the occupation."

2100 GMT — US opposes forcing Palestinians from Gaza, Blinken tells Egypt

Secretary of State Antony Blinken has told his Egyptian counterpart that the United States opposes exodus of Palestinians from Gaza, after Israel seized the fence crossing at Rafah.

In a telephone call with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, Blinken reaffirmed President Joe Biden's "clear position that the United States does not support a major military operation in Rafah and the United States' rejection of any forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza," State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said.

Blinken "also expressed the United States' support for the reopening of Rafah crossing and the continued flow of urgently needed humanitarian assistance," Miller said.

Biden, in an interview with CNN on Wednesday, vowed to stop supplying bombs and artillery shells if Israel goes ahead in Rafah, after his administration confirmed it had already halted a shipment of thousands of bombs.

Despite Biden's warning, hawkish Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel will invade Rafah, vowing "If we have to stand alone, we will stand alone. If we need to, we will fight with our fingernails. But we have much more than fingernails."

More than 1.5 million Palestinians have taken shelter in Rafah after half a year of war, and Israel has issued ultimatum for residents of the east of the city to flee.

2020GMT — UNRWA shuts E. Jerusalem HQ after arson by 'Israeli extremists'

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) has said it is temporarily shuttering its headquarters in occupied East Jerusalem after "Israeli extremists" set fire to the perimetre following weeks of repeated attacks.

"This evening, Israeli residents set fire twice to the perimeter of the UNRWA headquarters in occupied east Jerusalem," agency chief Philippe Lazzarini said on X, formerly Twitter, lamenting that it was the second attack on the compound in a matter of days.

He described how "a crowd accompanied by armed men were witnessed outside the compound chanting 'Burn down the United Nations'."

UNRWA and staff from other UN agencies at the time were on the compound, which has on its grounds petrol and diesel stations for a fleet of UN cars.

"While there were no casualties among our staff, the fire caused extensive damage to the outdoor areas," Lazzarini said, adding that UNRWA staff had put out the fire themselves.

2000 GMT — Pro-Palestine protestors block parking garage at MIT

Police have detained several people at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology after demonstrators blocked a parking garage in their ongoing protest movement connected to Israel's "genocidal" war on Gaza.

At MIT, protesters have been asking administrators to end all research contracts with Israel's Ministry of Defense, which they estimate total $11 million since 2015. On Thursday, the school issued an alert just before 2 pm saying protestors were blocking the entrance to a campus parking garage and spilling onto a nearby street.

About two hours later, authorities split protesters up and pushed them away from the garage. At least three people were detained. Protesters walked away continuing to chant "free Palestine" after the three were detained and police pushed them back. The crowd dispersed and the garage was reopened by 5 pm, the school said.

Hannah Didehbani, an MIT student and one of the leaders of the protest, said the decision to block the entrance to the garage was part of a larger effort to bring attention to what she described as MIT's complicity with the Israeli military. Didehbani said she has been issued a suspension and an eviction notice by the school but said MIT cannot suspend the larger student movement.

"They'd much rather do those things than cut ties to a state that is currently enacting a genocide," she said.

1930 GMT — Xavier University cancels Thomas-Greenfield's commencement speech

Xavier University of Louisiana has reversed course and canceled Saturday's planned commencement address by US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield after news of her appearance sparked outrage among some students.

University President Reynold Verret announced the decision in an email to faculty, staff and students.

Students were outraged over Thomas-Greenfield's invitation to speak because of her being the face of continuous US refusal to call for permanent ceasefire in Gaza at the United Nations. Washington traditionally shields Israel from UN action.

For our live updates from Thursday, May 9, click here.