Live blog: US asks Israel to pull troops from Egypt-Gaza border

Friday, August 23, 2024

1636 GMT –– US President Joe Biden has asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to move Israeli troops back from Gaza's border with Egypt as part of an initial phase of a ceasefire deal so that talks could continue, Axios reported.

Netanyahu partially accepted Biden's request made in their call on Wednesday and agreed to give up an Israeli troop position along one part of the Egypt-Gaza border, three Israeli officials told Axios.

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1858 GMT –– Illegal Israeli settlers abduct two Palestinians in occupied West Bank

Illegal Israeli settlers kidnapped two Palestinian youths in the city of Jericho, eastern occupied West Bank, Wafa news agency reported.

Armed settlers attacked Adi Husni Al-Najjar and Ramadan Jamil Nassar, both former prisoners, near the town of Al-Auja. The settlers shot at their vehicle's tires before abducting them.

Amjad Al-Najjar, a spokesperson for the Palestinian Prisoners' Society, told Anadolu that the two youths are from the al Fawar camp, southern West Bank. He added that their families are reaching out to authorities, including the Palestinian-Israeli liaison, to obtain any information about their whereabouts and well-being.

1850 GMT –– ICC prosecutor urges judges to urgently rule on warrants for Israeli officials

The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court has stressed the court had jurisdiction to investigate Israeli nationals and asked judges to urgently decide on arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his defence minister Yoav Gallant.

In court filings made public, prosecutor Karim Khan urged judges weighing the arrest warrants sought against Israeli officials to not delay. "Any unjustified delay in these proceedings detrimentally affects the rights of victims," he said.

Khan stressed that the court had jurisdiction over Israeli nationals who commit atrocity crimes in the Palestinian territories and asked the judges to dismiss legal challenges filed by several dozen governments and other parties.

"It is settled law that the court has jurisdiction in this situation," the filing said, dismissing legal arguments based on provisions in the Oslo Accords and assertions by Israel that it is carrying out its own investigations into alleged war crimes.

1840 GMT –– Seven civilians wounded in Israeli strikes: Syria

Seven civilians were wounded in Israeli strikes on Syria's central region, the Syrian defence ministry said.

Reported Israeli strikes on Syria have intensified sharply since the start of the war in Gaza last October.

In a statement, the Syrian ministry said its air defences had shot down some of the Israeli rockets. "The aggression resulted in seven civilians being injured and caused material damage," the statement read.

1652 GMT –– Israeli army reports two rockets fired from Gaza towards southern Israel

The Israeli army has said two rockets were fired from Gaza towards the southern city of Sderot.

The statement noted that a rocket was intercepted by the army's air defences, while the other landed in an open area, causing no damage or casualties.

Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth said sirens wailed in Sderot and other surrounding areas for the first time in three weeks over the rockets firing.

1650 GMT –– One more Israeli soldier killed, 4 injured in central Gaza fighting

The Israeli army has said that another soldier was killed and four others seriously injured in fighting in central Gaza.

In a statement, the military identified the killed soldier as Sgt. First Class Evyatar Atuar, 24, of the army's 6,310th Battalion.

The soldier's death brings the number of Israeli soldiers killed since the start of the Israeli ground offensive in Gaza on Oct. 27, 2023 to 333, while total army deaths since the launch of the Israeli onslaught against Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023 jumps to 696.

1614 GMT –– Palestine calls for international pressure on Israel to facilitate Abbas' visit to Gaza

Palestine on Friday called for international pressure on Israel to help ensure President Mahmoud Abbas's planned visit to Gaza.

Varsen Aghabekian Shahin, Palestinian Authority's minister of state for foreign affairs, told Anadolu that Palestine "is moving forward with plans for President Abbas's visit to Gaza."

She urged for international pressure on Israel to make the visit possible, saying: "All countries aware of the visit should participate in its arrangements and exert pressure on the occupying state (Israel). We hope the visit will happen."

1515 GMT –– Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon kill eight, including child

Lebanon's Health Ministry has said that Israeli strikes killed eight people including a child in different parts of the south.

The ministry said an "Israeli enemy drone strike" killed two people including a "seven-year-old" in Aita al-Jabal, and that three other Israeli strikes killed six people in three other locations in the south.

Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said a "hostile drone" targeted a house in Aita al-Jabal with "two guided missiles". The ministry said Israeli strikes included a raid "on the village of Tayr Harfa that killed three people", with Hezbollah later mourning three members killed by Israeli fire, including a man from that same village.

1459 GMT –– At least 15 Palestinians killed in series of Israeli attacks across Gaza

At least 15 Palestinians have been killed and others injured in a series of Israeli raids across Gaza, sources and witnesses said.

A medical source told Anadolu that 10 Palestinians were killed in Israeli airstrikes in several areas of the city of Khan Younis, southern Gaza, including a strike on a gathering of people.

In Rafah, also in southern Gaza, Israeli forces destroyed residential buildings and a cemetery, according to witnesses. In central Gaza, four Palestinians were killed in an airstrike on a home belonging to the Siyyam family in Nuseirat refugee camp, a medical source said.

A Palestinian was killed and another injured by an Israeli drone which struck them while they were collecting pieces of wood in the Bureij refugee camp, according to a statement by the civil defence unit.

1444 GMT –– 'Progress made' in Cairo talks on Gaza truce: White House

Talks in Cairo on reaching Gaza truce have made progress, the White House has said, also confirming that CIA chief William Burns was taking part.

"There has been progress made. We need now for both sides to come together and work towards implementation," National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said, describing talks Thursday as preliminary in nature ahead of more in-depth discussions.

1400 GMT –– US, Israeli defence chiefs discuss Israeli-Lebanese border situation

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant discussed continued exchanges of fire on the Israeli-Lebanese border.

Austin said that he called Gallant the day prior to exchange views on "the risk of escalation from Iran, Lebanese Hezbollah, and Iran-backed terrorist groups across the Middle East."

"I confirmed the United States commitment to Israel’s security and shared that the United States is well postured across the region to defend Israel and protect US personnel and facilities," he said on X.

Austin said they also discussed progress towards securing a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip and the release of all hostages.

1340 GMT –– Former Israeli hostage denies reports of torture

A former Israeli captive in Gaza denied reports suggesting that she had been beaten and had her hair cut while in detention.

In an Instagram post, Noa Argamani said: "I can't ignore what has been going on in the media here in the last 24 hours, things are out of context."

"They (Palestinians) didn't beat me and didn't cut my hair. I was in a building (in Gaza) that was blown up by the (Israeli) Air Force," she stressed.

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1159 GMT –– Hamas slams Israeli 'refusal' of Gaza deal over border troops

A Hamas official has accused Israel's prime minister of refusing to agree to a final truce accord for Gaza, where the presence of Israeli troops on the Egyptian border remained a major sticking point.

An Israeli team was in Cairo "negotiating to advance a hostage (release) agreement", Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's spokesperson Omer Dostri told AFP.

But Hamas representatives were not taking part and an official from the resistance movement, Osama Badran, told AFP that Netanyahu's insistence that troops remain on the Philadelphi border strip reflects "his refusal to reach a final agreement".

Egypt with fellow mediators Qatar and the United States have for months tried to reach a deal to end more than 10 months of Israeli war on Palestinians in Gaza.

1145 GMT –– Three more Hezbollah members killed fighting Israeli army

Three of Hezbollah's fighters were killed in clashes with the Israeli army, the Lebanon-based group said in a statement.

The group identified the fighters as Qassem Saleh Harqous, 20, Hassan Wissam Harqous, 19, and Aqeel Qassem Gharib, 34, who were killed "on the road to Jerusalem," referring to the group members fighting Israel in support of Palestinians facing the onslaught on Gaza.

The new fatalities brought the total number of Hezbollah fighters killed in combat with Israeli forces since last October to 424, according to an Anadolu tally.

1139 GMT –– Baby in Gaza paralysed by polio amid Israel's limit on supplies

A 10-month-old baby in Gaza has been paralysed due to polio, a first case in more than 25 years, the UN has confirmed.

Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), has warned that polio would not “make the distinction between Palestinian and Israeli children”, highlighting fears of regional spread.

The World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed the case late on Thursday as UN agencies active in Gaza rush to organise a polio vaccination campaign which is constantly disrupted by Israel's restrictions on medical supplies and aid.

0807 GMT –– Egyptian-Israeli talks in Cairo seeking Gaza ceasefire, prisoner exchange stall

The negotiations between Egyptian and Israeli delegations in Cairo seeking a Gaza ceasefire and a prisoner exchange deal with Hamas failed to progress, reported Israeli media.

The Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation reported that the talks, which were aimed at securing a ceasefire in Gaza and the exchange of prisoners between Israel and Hamas, “made no progress,” leaving the situation at a standstill.

The latest round of mediated negotiations ended on August 16 in Doha, Qatar with the US presenting the parties with what the White House described as a "final bridging proposal" that it put on the table for Israel and Hamas, claiming it is consistent with the principles supported by Biden on May 31.

The details of the proposal remain shrouded in secrecy.

0804 GMT –– Israel's evacuation orders displaced 90% of Gaza residents: UN

Successive Israeli evacuation orders in Gaza, including 12 just in August, have displaced 90 percent of its 2.1 million residents since Israel's war on the enclave began in October, the top United Nations humanitarian official for the Palestinian territory says.

Muhannad Hadi said the evacuation orders are endangering civilians instead of protecting them. “They are forcing families to flee again, often under fire and with the few belongings they can carry with them, into an ever-shrinking area" that is crowded and unsafe.

Civilians are being deprived of medical care, shelter, water wells and humanitarian supplies, “running from one destroyed place to another, with no end in sight," he said.

Hadi said in the statement that international humanitarian law requires the protection of civilians. "The way forward is as clear as it is urgent: Protect civilians, release the hostages, facilitate humanitarian access, agree on a ceasefire."

0728 GMT –– Israeli soldiers share videos documenting ‘war crimes’ in Gaza

In a disturbing revelation, videos circulated on social media by Israeli soldiers have shown graphic evidence of "war crimes" committed in Gaza during the ongoing Israeli onslaught that began last October 7.

The footage has sparked outrage, depicting acts of violence and destruction carried out by Israeli forces against Palestinian civilians and their properties.

The videos, which were quickly shared by activists across social media platforms, include footage of Israeli soldiers arresting individuals in Gaza and destroying a mosque.

Other clips reveal horrifying scenes of Palestinian bodies left in the streets to be scavenged by stray dogs.

0722 GMT –– Israeli army claims it targeted Hezbollah sites in Lebanon

The Israeli army claimed that it carried out strikes against Hezbollah sites in southern Lebanon.

In a statement, the Israeli army said that its forces "identified a cell" that was allegedly "planning to launch rockets towards Israel".

The Israeli army "eliminated the cell in the area of Tayr Harfa in southern Lebanon," it added.

The army claimed that following the airstrike, a rocket launch was detected from the same area, suggesting the presence of additional weapons and rockets at the site.

It added that Israeli forces had shelled the Shebaa area in southern Lebanon, but did not provide further details.

There was no immediate comment from the Lebanese Hezbollah group on the Israeli claims.

0507 GMT –– Israeli attacks on civilian gathering, displaced camp kill four

Israeli air attacks on two civilian gatherings in southern Gaza overnight killed at least four Palestinians, including a child, and injured several others.

According to medical sources at the Nasser Hospital, the Palestinian news agency WAFA reported that the hospital received the bodies of three victims, including a child, after an attack on a gathering in the town of Abasan.

Additionally, another Israeli air strike on the Zaytoun neighbourhood in Gaza City resulted in one death and multiple injuries.

0341 GMT — Harris pledges to get Gaza ceasefire deal 'done'

Kamala Harris has pledged to get a Gaza ceasefire and said as US president she would not "cosy up" to dictators like her Republican opponent Donald Trump.

"Now is the time to get a hostage deal and a ceasefire deal done," the vice president told supporters at the Democratic National Convention as she accepted the party's presidential nomination.

2050 GMT — Palestine invites those 'who have spine' to visit besieged Gaza

Palestine's envoy to the UN has reiterated his call for a ceasefire in besieged Gaza and invited the UN Security Council members to witness firsthand the "horror" endured by Palestinians during the last 10 months of Israeli carnage.

Speaking at a Security Council session on Palestine, Riyad Mansour said he calls on "all those who have spines to come and say we are coming to demand a ceasefire and to demand it now in the Gaza Strip."

"Gaza does not need more paralysis and death. First by bombs and bullets, now combined with occupation-sponsored famine and disease, Gaza has witnessed life destroyed. It needs life to be restored, and it needs it right now," Mansour said.

Describing the collapse of essential services under the ongoing Israeli assault, he said: "The Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip have witnessed and felt in their flesh, the planned collapse of all the requirements of life."

"Israeli government does not care about even its own citizens... It cares more about killing Palestinians than it cares about saving Israelis," the envoy said.

2117 GMT — Houthis claim attacks on ships in Red Sea, Gulf of Aden

Yemen's Houthi group has said it targeted two ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden for violating its ban on accessing "ports of occupied Palestine" via international shipping lanes.

"In response to American and British aggression against our country, the (Houthi) armed forces conducted two military operations in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden using several war boats, ballist ic and cruise missiles and drones," the group's military spokesperson, Yahya Saree, said in a recorded video message.

He added that the group's forces "targeted the (Greek-flagged) oil tanker SOUNION in the Red Sea, causing it to sink, and the (Panama-flagged commercial) vessel SW North Wind I in the Gulf of Aden, hitting it accurately."

Saree said "the targeting of the two ships was due to their violation of the ban on entering the ports of occupied Palestine," without specifying the ownership of the vessels.

2059 GMT — UN slams new Israeli ultimatum for Gaza residents

The UN has warned of the adverse effects of Israel's new ultimatum for tens of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza, saying such ultimatums are endangering the lives of civilians.

"The Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Muhannad Hadi, today warned that successi ve mass evacuation orders issued by Israeli forces are exposing people in Gaza to harm and depriving them of the essentials they need to survive," UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters at a news conference.


"There has been an average of one evacuation order every two days this month – forcing as many as a quarter of a million Palestinians to uproot their lives yet again," Dujarric quoted Hadi as saying.

"Hadi said that if these evacuation orders are meant to protect civilians, they are in fact doing the exact opposite. They are forcing families to flee again – often und er fire and with the few belongings they can carry with them – into an ever-shrinking area that is overcrowded, polluted, with limited services and – like the rest of Gaza – unsafe," Dujarric noted.

2022 GMT — Northern Israel hit by rocket fired from Lebanon

A house in the Upper Galilee region of northern Israel has been hit by a rocket fired from southern Lebanon, the Israeli media reported.

According to the public broadcaster, KAN, a house in the Zarit settlement was "directly hit" and sustained material damage due to a rocket fired from southern Lebanon, with no casualties reported.

The broadcaster also noted that sirens sounded in several areas of the Upper Galilee.

Meanwhile, Hezbollah said in several statements that it carried out 12 attacks on soldiers and military sites in northern Israel, including targeting buildings used by soldiers in the Zarit settlement.

2017 GMT — US, UK, China demand end to Israeli settler violence in West Bank

Several UN Security Council Members, including the US, UK and China, have condemned Israeli settler violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, and urged the Israeli government to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza.

"Actions in the West Bank that could escalate tensions at this fragile moment must stop," US envoy to UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield told a UN Security Council session on Palestine, describing the attacks by Israeli settlers as "unacceptable" and called for their cessation.

Meanwhile, China's Fu Cong criticised Israel's ongoing military operations and the expansion of illegal settlements, saying: "Blind faith in achieving a total victory in Gaza through military means will only result in more civilian casualties."

Russian envoy Dmitry Polyanskiy also expressed disappointment over the lack of progress and accused Israel of obstructing humanitarian aid in Gaza.

"Israel is now insisting on keeping the idea of a military presence in Gaza, including their control over the crossing with Egypt and the Philadelphi corridor. We do note that such a change as to the parametres of the deal is also something that some countries in the region vehemently object to," he said, and asked the US: "On whose behalf are you acting when you push through a deal that is different from the original one?”

"The Security Council never blessed the deal formulated in this way," he added.

Israeli troops and Zionist settlers have killed nearly 680 Palestinians in occupied West Bank since October last year. The United Nations' Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says it has recorded some 1,270 attacks by illegal Israeli settlers against Palestinians over the past 10 months, "causing deaths and injuries and damage to property."

For our live updates from Thursday, August 22, 2024, click here