Live blog: No alternative to UN Palestinian refugee agency – Guterres

Friday, July 12, 2024

1703 GMT –– United Nations chief Antonio Guterres declared that there is no alternative to the UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA and 118 countries backed the relief organisation as indispensable, amid stepped-up efforts by Israel to dismantle it.

The UN Relief and Works Agency provides education, health and aid to millions of Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon. Since war erupted nine months ago between Israel and the Palestinian resistance group Hamas in Gaza, UN officials have stressed that UNRWA is the backbone of aid operations.

"My appeal to everyone is this: Protect UNRWA, protect UNRWA staff, and protect UNRWA's mandate - including through funding," Guterres told an UNRWA pledging conference in New York. "Let me be clear: there is no alternative to UNRWA."

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1830 GMT –– One more Hezbollah member killed in clashes with Israeli army

The Lebanese Hezbollah group announced the death of another fighter in clashes with Israel.

In a statement, the group identified the fighter as Ali Hasan Nahla, which said he was killed "on the road to Jerusalem," in reference to the Hezbollah fight in support of the Palestinian resistance facing the Israeli devastating onslaught in Gaza.

The new fatality brings the total number of Hezbollah fighters killed in clashes with Israeli forces since October 8, 2023, to 367, according to an Anadolu news agency tally.

1752 GMT –– Egypt denies security arrangements with Israel over Gaza borders: media

An Egyptian source denied the existence of security arrangements between Cairo and Tel Aviv over the borders with Gaza.

The state-affiliated Al-Qahera News channel cited a source, without mentioning his name, who denied the existence of such security arrangements and considered it as "Israeli rumours."

"There are Israeli parties that work through spreading rumours on new security arrangements with Israel in an attempt to hide its failures in Gaza," the source said, without naming them. He added that there are still stuck points that prevent progress in the Gaza ceasefire negotiations.

"Egypt has exerted big efforts in the past period to achieve progress in the truce negotiations in Gaza," the Egyptian source also said.

1647 GMT –– Israeli strike kills four aid workers: UK-based group

A UK-based aid group said one of its employees in Gaza was killed in an Israeli strike that hit its warehouse located inside an Israeli-declared humanitarian safe zone. The strike also killed three staffers from other aid groups using the warehouse, the al-Khair foundation said in a statement sent to The Associated Press.

The Israeli army did not immediately respond to AP’s request for comment on Friday’s strike. The warehouse was located in Muwasi, an area on Gaza’s Mediterranean coast that is part of a "humanitarian safe zone" where Israeli has told Palestinians to take refuge.

1624 GMT –– Palestinian dies from injuries sustained during Israeli raid

A Palestinian succumbed to his wounds sustained during a raid by Israeli forces on a village in the northern occupied West Bank.

In a statement, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society announced the death of a Palestinian in the village of Abwein, northwest of Ramallah city, after he was taken to a hospital.

The Palestinian official news agency Wafa said the Palestinian was directly shot by the Israeli forces during clashes with Palestinians in the village.

1547 GMT –– El Ghazi wins case against Mainz over pro-Palestine posts

A German labour court said that Bundesliga football club Mainz had unfairly terminated the contract of winger Anwar El Ghazi after the player made pro-Palestinian comments about the war in Gaza on social media.

The court in the city of Mainz said in a statement it had ruled in favour of El Ghazi, who had brought a case against the club.

Mainz's decision to dismiss the former Dutch international last year "did not terminate the employment relationship" and the contact between the parties remained valid, the court said.

The ruling entitled El Ghazi to a payment from Mainz of more than $1.63 million, AFP's sports subsidiary SID reported.

1533 GMT –– Bodies of over 60 Palestinians retrieved from western Gaza City

At least 61 Palestinian bodies were retrieved after a partial withdrawal of Israeli forces from an area southwest of Gaza City, four days after initiating a military operation there.

Mahmoud Basal, the Palestinian Civil Defence spokesperson in Gaza, stated that “the Israeli army is retreating from the Tal al Hawa neighbourhood, the industrial area, and the Patient Friend’s Hospital, extending to Route 8 on the southern outskirts of Tal al Hawa."

Basal added that "Civil Defence teams discovered the remains of deceased individuals and completely incinerated residences in Tel al-Hawa and the industrial area."

"We retrieved charred bodies from a single family, and we continue to receive distress calls from the Tal al Hawa neighbourhood and the industrial area,” he added.

1457 GMT –– World Court to deliver opinion on Israeli occupation on July 19

The International Court of Justice will deliver its opinion on the legal consequences of Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories on July 19, the ICJ said.

A record 52 countries presented arguments at what is also known as the World Court about the legal ramifications of Israel's actions in the territories in February after the UN General Assembly asked the ICJ in 2022 for an advisory, non-binding, opinion.

While Israel has ignored such opinions in the past, the ICJ ruling next week could add political pressure over its devastating nine-month-old war against the Palestinian resistance group Hamas in Gaza.

The UN-affiliated ICJ is the only international court that adjudicates general disputes between nations and it gives advisory opinions on international legal issues.

1453 GMT –– Hamas accuses Netanyahu of stalling prisoner exchange agreement

Hamas slammed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s attempts to introduce new demands that were not part of previous proposals discussed with mediators from Egypt and Qatar.

Izzat al Rishq, a member of Hamas’ political bureau, accused Netanyahu of stalling the talks, searching for reasons to obstruct the prisoner exchange agreement.

On Thursday, Netanyahu said that any agreement resulting from current negotiations “must allow Tel Aviv to return to combat in Gaza,” claiming that Hamas “is holding firm to demands that jeopardize Israel's security.”

“Netanyahu's frantic attempts to add new demands and titles, which were not included in all previous proposals with the mediators, confirm that he is still stalling, procrastinating, and seeking to obstruct the agreement,” al Rishq said in a statement published by Hamas on Telegram.

1426 GMT –– EU commissioner condemns demolition of school by Israel in West Bank

The top EU crisis management official on Friday condemned the demolition of a school by Israel in the occupied West Bank, reminding that education facilities are protected under international humanitarian law (IHL).

"I condemn the demolition by Israel of a school in Khallet Amera in the West Bank," Janez Lenarcic, EU commissioner for crisis management, said on X. "Depriving children of their right to education is unacceptable."

"Education facilities are protected by IHL," Lenarcic added.

1322 GMT –– Houthis report new US-UK airstrikes on Hudaida Airport

Yemen’s Houthis reported that US and UK aircraft conducted three air strikes on the Hudaida International Airport in the western Yemeni governorate overlooking the Red Sea.

"Aircraft from the American-British coalition carried out three air strikes on the Hudaida International Airport," said the Houthi-affiliated al Masirah satellite channel.

The channel did not provide additional details regarding the outcome of the airstrikes, and there was no comment from Washington or London on the Houthi statement.

1314 GMT –– Over 6,000 Palestinians missing since Oct. 7: Red Cross

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said about 6,400 Palestinians have been reported missing since October 7, 2023 and they are yet to be found, a British daily reported.

It is assumed that they are either trapped under debris, buried without identification, or held in Israeli detention, while others have been separated from their loved ones, who have been unable to contact them, according to the report of The Guardian.

Since April, the ICRC said about 1,100 new cases of missing people have been registered and remain unsolved.

"Each week we can receive anywhere between 500 and 2,500 calls to our hotlines, and the majority of these are requests for missing family members," Sarah Davies, an ICRC spokesperson, said in the report.

1248 GMT –– Netanyahu’s new demands complicate potential hostage exchange, ceasefire with Hamas: Media

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu heightened his demands as discussions between Tel Aviv and the Palestinian group Hamas resumed regarding a new ceasefire and hostage exchange in Gaza, Israeli media reported on Friday.

According to Israel's Walla website, Netanyahu has set stringent conditions for the cease-fire and hostage exchange agreement.

Last week, as negotiations resumed between Israel and Hamas for a cease-fire and hostage exchange agreement, Netanyahu introduced new conditions. One of the most notable conditions concerned Gaza's border with Egypt and the Rafah border crossing, it said.

1237 GMT –– Skirmishes continue between Hezbollah, Israeli army

The Lebanese group Hezbollah announced that it launched missile attacks on two military sites in northern Israel, and the Israeli army in response fired bursts of gunfire at towns in southern Lebanon.

In a statement, Hezbollah said it "targeted the surveillance equipment at the new centre for military collection and reconnaissance crews in the Metulla region, with guided missiles."

Hezbollah added that it had achieved a direct hit. In a separate statement, Hezbollah noted that it used missile weapons to target a group of Israeli soldiers engaged in fortification and demolition work near the Hanita site in the north, without disclosing the results of the attack.

1207 GMT –– Former Israeli premier warns of intl arrest warrants for Israeli leaders

Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert warned that Israeli leaders could face international prosecution and arrest warrants for crimes committed against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

In an article published by the Israeli daily Haaretz, Olmert said Israel would have no defence when accused of committing crimes against Palestinians in the West Bank.

"I issue this warning because if we continue to reconcile with crimes against the Palestinians in Judea and Samaria (West Bank), serious and painful sanctions will be levied against Israel, and we won't have a good defence," he said.

"Everyone knows about the reports on the settlers – who attack, loot, destroy, ruin, burn and kill innocent people – and also attack Israeli soldiers who are unwilling to lend a hand to their crimes," he added.

1144 GMT –– Israel razed 35% of buildings in Gaza's Shujaiya: municipality

The Gaza City Municipality disclosed that the Israeli army had completely destroyed 35 percent of the buildings and residential structures in the Shujaiya neighbourhood east of Gaza City.

In a statement, the municipality said that "the Israeli army intentionally targeted vital facilities and infrastructure, aiming to render Gaza uninhabitable," noting that "it razed 35 percent of the buildings and residential structures solely in the Shujaiya neighbourhood."

"The Israeli army deliberately aimed at water tanks, trees, mosques, schools, and all essential facilities in the city," it added.

1051 GMT –– Israeli army breaches area near al-Quds Hospital in western Gaza

Israeli military vehicles resumed their advance in the Tel al-Hawa neighbourhood, southwest of Gaza City, just hours after retreating from the area following an offensive launched four days ago.

Eyewitnesses told Anadolu news agency that Israeli army forces advanced once more toward the vicinity of al-Quds Hospital, Barcelona Park, and the Abu Mazen Junction in the Tel Al-Hawa neighbourhood. Army forces fired machine guns and artillery shells at Palestinians and their homes, they said.

0947 GMT –– Israel's security cabinet extends military service: report

The Israeli government's security cabinet has approved a plan to extend compulsory military service for men to 36 months from the current 32 months, Israel's Ynet news outlet reported.

The 36-month rule will stay in force for the next eight years, Ynet reported, after a meeting of the security cabinet that took place late on Thursday. The measure is likely to be submitted to a vote in a meeting of the full cabinet on Sunday, it said.

0752 GMT — Gaza talks seek 'alternative' to Israeli army on Egypt border

Israeli and Egyptian ceasefire negotiators are in talks about an electronic surveillance system along the border between Gaza and Egypt that could allow Israel to pull back its troops from the area if a ceasefire is agreed, according to sources.

The question of whether Israeli forces stay on the border is one of the issues blocking a potential ceasefire deal because both the Palestinian group Hamas and Egypt, a mediator in the talks, are opposed to Israel keeping its forces there.

A surveillance system, if the parties to the negotiations agree on the details, could therefore smooth the path to agreeing on a ceasefire — though numerous other stumbling blocks remain.

0522 GMT — Israel says a soldier killed near border with Lebanon

Israel's military has said that one of its soldiers was killed in combat near the border with Lebanon a day earlier.

The military identified the dead man as a 33-year-old sergeant.

It did not specify how he died, but Israel's Haaretz newspaper said he was killed in a drone strike.

2300 GMT — Biden says Israel's war on Gaza should end now

President Joe Biden has said that the Israel's war on Gaza must end now, telling reporters his Gaza ceasefire framework had been agreed on by both Israel and Hamas but added that there were still gaps to close.

"That framework is now agreed on by both Israel and Hamas. So I sent my team to the region to hammer out the details," Biden said in a news conference.

"These are difficult, complex issues. There are still gaps to close. We're making progress. The trend is positive. I'm determined to get this deal done and bring an end to this war, which should end now," Biden added.

2227 GMT — Erdogan urges NATO to convince Netanyahu for Gaza truce

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called on all NATO allies to increase pressure on hawkish Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to ensure a ceasefire and uninterrupted delivery of humanitarian aid to besieged Gaza.

Erdogan accused Netanyahu of endangering Israelis and the entire region with his expansionist and reckless policies.

He also added that any cooperation between NATO bloc and Israel will not be approved by Ankara until comprehensive peace is established in Palestine.

"Until comprehensive, sustainable peace is established in Palestine, attempts at cooperation with Israel within NATO will not be approved by Turkey," Erdogan said at a news conference at the NATO summit.

2214 GMT — Israel kills, wounds several Palestinians in southern Gaza

Several Palestinians were killed and wounded as an Israeli warplane targeted a gathering in the city of Khan Younis, southern besieged Gaza, Anadolu Agency has reported.

Witnesses said the fighter jet bombed a crowd of citizens near the Abu Hamid roundabout, resulting in an unspecified number of casualties.

The dead and wounded were transported to Nasser Hospital in the city.

2141 GMT — Israel's negotiating team heads to Egypt for Gaza ceasefire talks

A high-level Israeli delegation led by security agency Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar travelled to Cairo for a fresh round of negotiations with Hamas on a prisoner exchange and ceasefire deal, the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth reported.

The delegation's departure coincided with a meeting of Israel's Security Cabinet at the Kirya military base in Tel Aviv to discuss the ongoing negotiations.

Simultaneously, another Israeli delegation led by Mossad chief David Barnea returned from Qatar after participating in a four-way meeting.

Sources said the meeting included CIA director William Burns, Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel, and Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.

A statement by the Israeli prime minister's office said the meeting discussed clauses of the potential deal on returning the hostages and ways to implement an outline while ensuring all the "objectives of the war."

Hamas, meanwhile, said it had not been informed of any new development regarding the negotiations and accused Israel of "buying time to thwart" the talks.

2000 GMT — Israel bombards northern Gaza

Bombardment shook Gaza's biggest city, an AFP news agency correspondent has said, even after Israel's military declared an end to its aggression in an eastern district.

Witnesses said tanks and troops had moved on to other parts of Gaza City. An AFP correspondent reported air strikes on the Sabra neighbourhood while fighters engaged in heavy clashes with Israeli forces in Tel al-Hawa.

Explosions and orange flashes shook the darkened city before daylight brought automatic weapons fire, AFPTV images showed.

Hamas reported 45 air strikes in the Gaza City area, as well as in Gaza's southernmost city of Rafah.

Our live updates from Thursday, July 11, 2024, click here.