Live blog: Protests mount against US for not stopping Israel's war on Gaza

Sunday, May 19, 2024

2050 GMT — US President Joe Biden has said he heard the voice of Gaza war protesters as some students turned their backs on his graduation ceremony speech at the former university of civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr.

A small number of graduates carried out the silent protest, with some holding Palestinian flags and one holding up a fist as Biden spoke at Morehouse College, a historically Black university in Atlanta, Georgia.

Others wore keffiyeh scarves over their gowns in a sign of solidarity with the protests that have roiled campuses across the United States over Israel's offensive on Gaza since October 7.

"I support peaceful, non-violent protest. Your voices should be heard, and I promise you I hear them," said Biden, who wore a maroon and black gown in the colours of the all-male university.

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2059 GMT — White House's Sullivan briefs Netanyahu on Saudi crown prince meeting

White House national security advisor Jake Sullivan held constructive meetings with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and briefed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on it along with discussing the war in Gaza, according to a US statement.

Sullivan spoke with Netanyahu and his team about his meetings in Saudi Arabia and "the potential that may now be available for Israel, as well as the Palestinian people." The two also discussed the war in Gaza and the need to minimize civilian casualties.

"Mr. Sullivan reaffirmed the need for Israel to connect its military operations to a political strategy that can ensure the lasting defeat of Hamas, the release of all the hostages, and a better future for Gaza," the statement added.

1930 GMT — Tens of thousands join Palestine solidarity march in Pakistan's Peshawar

Tens of thousands of Pakistani citizens, including women and children, have rallied in the northwestern city of Peshawar to voice their support for the Palestinians.

Billed as "Gaza Million March," the rally was organised by the country's mainstream religiopolitical party Jamaat-e-Islami (JI).

It was one of the largest Palestinian solidarity marches since Israel launched its latest war on Gaza in October last year, according to organisers.

The protesters held Palestine’s flags as well as banners carrying pro-Palestine and anti-Israel slogans. Led by JI's newly-elected chief Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman, the march gathered at Peshawar’s Ring Road area.

Rehman, who was sporting a keffiyeh or a traditional Palestinian scarf, in a speech lambasted the international community, including Arab rulers for being "silent on the genocide in Gaza."

1920 GMT — Pro-Palestinian protesters set up a new encampment at Drexel University

Pro-Palestinian protesters set up a new encampment at Drexel University in Philadelphia over the weekend, prompting a lockdown of school buildings, a day after authorities thwarted an attempted occupation of a school building at the neighbouring University of Pennsylvania campus.

After several hundred demonstrators marched from Philadelphia’s City Hall to west Philadelphia on Saturday afternoon, Drexel said in a statement that about 75 protesters began to set up an encampment on the Korman Quad on the campus. About a dozen tents remained Sunday, blocked off by barricades and monitored by police officers. No arrests were reported.

Drexel President John Fry said in a message Saturday night that the encampment “raises understandable concerns about ensuring everyone’s safety,” citing what he called “many well-documented instances of hateful speech and intimidating behaviour at other campus demonstrations.” University buildings were “open only to those with clearance from Drexel’s Public Safety,” he said.

1918 GMT — Moroccans in pro-Palestinian march rally against Israel ties

Thousands of Moroccans demonstrated Sunday in Casablanca in support of the Palestinian people and against ties with Israel, an AFP journalist said, more than seven months into the Gaza war.

Protesters in Morocco's commercial capital chanted "Freedom for Palestine", "If we don't speak out, who will?" and "No to normalisation", and many wore keffiyeh scarves or waved Palestinian flags.

1821 GMT — Illegal Israeli settlers block aid trucks from West Bank to Gaza

Illegal Israeli settlers blocked humanitarian aid trucks on their way to the besieged Gaza from the occupied West Bank, according to Israeli media.

Illegal settlers put roadblocks to prevent the trucks at the Tarqumiya checkpoint south of the West Bank city of Hebron, Israel Hayom newspaper reported.

Israeli police moved to the scene to reopen the road and allow the aid trucks to move, the daily said.

1838 GMT — Two Israeli soldiers killed in southern Gaza, military says

Two Israeli soldiers were killed in a battle in the southern part of Gaza, the military said.

Israel's military has been focusing its offensive in the southern part of Gaza, where it says the remaining Hamas brigades are holed up.

A third soldier who had been severely wounded in northern Gaza on May 15 also died, the military said.

1610 GMT — Biden says he hears voices of protesters in solidarity with Palestine

US President Joe Biden said he hears the voices of the protesters in solidarity with Palestine, stating that he is working for a lasting peace for the conflict in Gaza.

"I support peaceful, nonviolent protest. Voices should be heard. And I promise you I hear them," said Biden during his commencement address at More house College, the historically Black and male-only institution in Atlanta, Georgia.

"It's a humanitarian crisis in Gaza," said Biden. "That's why I've called for an immediate ceasefire, an immediate ceasefire to stop the fighting and bring the hostages home."

"What happens in Gaza, what rights do the Palestinian people have? I'm working to make sure we finally get a two-state solution. The only solution where two people live in peace, security, and dignity," Biden added.

1519 GMT — Air strike kills 27 in central Gaza and fighting rages as Israel's leaders are increasingly divided

An Israeli air strike killed 27 people in central Gaza, mostly women and children, and fighting with Hamas raged across the north as Israel's leaders aired divisions over who should govern Gaza after the war, now in its eighth month.

The air strike in Nuseirat, a built-up Palestinian refugee camp in central Gaza dating back to the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, killed 27 people, including 10 women and seven children, according to records at Al Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in nearby Deir al-Balah, which received the bodies.

A separate strike on a Nuseirat street killed five people, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent emergency service. In Deir al-Balah, a strike killed Zahed al-Houli, a senior officer in the Hamas-run police, and another man, according to the hospital.

1300 GMT — Gaza death toll passes 35,400 as Israel continues its onslaught

At least 35,456 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s ongoing offensive on Gaza since last October 7, the Health Ministry in the besieged enclave said.

A ministry statement added that 79,476 other people have also been injured in the onslaught.

“Israeli attacks killed 70 people and injured 110 others in the last 24 hours,” the statement said.

“Many people are still trapped under rubble and on the roads as rescuers are unable to reach them,” it added.

1240 GMT — Foreign presence on Gaza’s coast constitutes ‘occupation’ — Palestinian groups

Palestinian groups warned that any foreign troop presence on the coast of Gaza would be considered an “occupation force.”

“The US floating pier on Gaza ’s coast is a source of concern,” the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) said in a statement.

“We warn against its potential misuse for purposes beyond aid delivery such as displacement or bolstering the Israeli occupation's interests,” it warned.

The PFLP called for opening Gaza’s crossings, including the Rafah border terminal with Egypt, “to ensure unhindered aid flow without restrictions or conditions.”

The Palestinian group reiterated its rejection of any US, Israeli or foreign presence in Gaza, saying “Any force from the US, Israel or any other country on our lands will be considered a legitimate target for our forces.”

1133 GMT — UN aid chief warns of 'apocalyptic' consequences of Gaza shortages

The stranglehold on aid reaching Gaza threatens an "apocalyptic" outcome, the UN's humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths said as he warned of famine in the besieged territory.

"If fuel runs out, aid doesn't get to the people where they need it, that famine, which we have talked about for so long, and which is looming, will not be looming anymore. It will be present," Griffiths said.

"And I think our worry, as citizens of the international community, is that the consequence is going to be really, really hard. Hard, difficult, and apocalyptic," he told AFP on the sidelines of meetings with Qatari officials in Doha.

1111 GMT — 6 arrested after pro-Palestinians, Israeli supporters clash in Melbourne

Police arrested at least six people following a clash between pro-Palestinians and Israeli supporters in Melbourne, Australia.

About 7,000 people were in attendance across two separate rallies, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

"While the organisers had confirmed separate locations and routes for their events, protesters from one group moved to … counter protest," police said in a statement.

The detainees were later released and will receive a summons to appear in court.

1043 GMT — Hundreds of pro-Palestinian supporters rally in US on 76th anniversary of Nakba

Hundreds of people held demonstrations in New York City and Washington DC in support of Palestine, marking the 76th anniversary of the Nakba.

The police warned the demonstrators to move away from the road and later intervened and detained some of them.

In Washington, DC, pro-Palestine supporters rallied near the US Capitol, protesting Israel's attacks in the besieged Palestinian enclave of Gaza.

Organized by American Muslims for Palestine, the march drew participants from various communities, including Jewish groups. They were carrying banners, reading "State of Israel does not represent world Jewry" and "Authentic Rabbis always opposed Zionism and the State of Israel."

1041 GMT — Israel prevents 690 patients from traveling abroad for treatment — Gaza gov't

The government media office in Gaza said that Israel's closure of the Rafah and Kerem Shalom crossings for the 13th consecutive day is preventing 3,000 aid trucks from entering the strip and 690 patients from seeking treatment abroad.

In a statement, the office said, “The Israeli occupation prevents the entry of food and supply aid and medical supplies into the Gaza Strip."

“Israel also prevents the entry of fuel into hospitals and agencies that provide humanitarian services which doubles the deep humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip,” it added.

1008 GMT — Israel detains 18 more Palestinians in occupied West Bank

The Israeli army has detained at least 18 Palestinians across the occupied West Bank.

According to a joint statement by the Commission of Detainees’ Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoner Society, the new arrests brought the total number of Palestinians detained by the Israeli forces since Oct. 7, 2023, to 8,775.

The arrests mainly took place in the cities of Tulkarm, Nablus, Ramallah, Jerusalem, and Bethlehem.

During the Israeli arrest campaigns, the Israeli forces beat and abused Palestinians and damaged their homes and properties, the statement also said.

1006 GMT — Jordan demands investigation of 'war crimes' in Gaza

Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said that the kingdom demanded an international investigation into what it said were many war crimes committed during Israel's military campaign in Gaza.

In remarks made during a press conference with the head of the UN Palestinian Refugee Agency (UNRWA), Safadi said those responsible for documented crimes should be brought to justice.

1004 GMT — Gaza's refugee camp, civilian areas under heavy Israeli attacks

Dozens of Palestinians have been killed and others injured in a series of Israeli attacks across all governorates of Gaza, medical sources have said.

In northern Gaza, medical sources said that "more than 40 Palestinians were killed and dozens wounded in three massacres committed by the occupation on Saturday night in northern Gaza, some of them arrived at Kamal Adwan Hospital, and others are still under the rubble."

There was heavy artillery shelling on several areas in the towns of Jabalia and Beit Lahia and the vicinity of the Kamal Adwan Hospital.

For days, clashes between Palestinian resistance fighters and Israeli forces have been escalating east of the city of Jabalia in northern Gaza.

In central Gaza, medical sources confirmed that "the director of the Central Governorate Investigations, Zaher Hamid Al Houli, and his colleague Jihad Al Hamidi were killed in an Israeli attack on the city of Deir Al Balah."

0945 GMT — Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza out of service: Civil Defence

The Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza, has run out of service amid ongoing Israeli attacks, the Palestinian Civil Defence Service has said.

In a statement, the Civil Defence Service said: “Kamal Adwan Hospital in the town of Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip is out of service in light of the Israeli army’s threats and continuous bombing of the hospital’s surroundings.”

"The Israeli army fired artillery shells toward Al Awda Hospital in the Tal Al Zaatar area in the town of Jabalia,” it added.

The Civil Defence Service also said that rescue and medical teams have "recovered hundreds of Palestinian bodies in Jabalia after Israeli bombing,” adding that “many others are still under the rubble."

0623 GMT — Many people killed in Israeli strike on Nuseirat camp in Gaza

A Gaza hospital has said that an Israeli air strike targeting a house at a refugee camp in the centre of the Palestinian territory killed at least 20 people.

"We received 20 fatalities and several wounded after an Israeli air strike targeted a house belonging to the Hasan family in Al Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza," the Al Aqsa Martyrs Hospital said in a statement.

Witnesses said the strike occurred around 3:00 am local time.

0544 GMT — Two Israeli soldiers killed in south Gaza, military says

Two Israeli soldiers were killed in a battle in the southern part of Gaza, the military has said.

Israel's military has been focusing its offensive in the southern part of Gaza where it claims the remaining Hamas brigades are holed up.

0437 GMT — Number of journalists killed in Gaza at 148 in Israeli onslaught

The number of journalists killed by the Israeli army in Gaza has increased to 148.

Abdullah al Najjar was the latest victim of Israeli bombardments, which also killed dozens of civilians overnight in the blockaded enclave’s al Nuseirat, Bureij and Jabaliya refugee camps and the cities of Beit Lahiya, Rafah and Gaza.

The Palestinian news agency, WAFA, said three people were killed and many were injured in an air strike on a house in the northern al Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza.

Other civilians were also killed and injured in an air attack on the house of the Shaheen family in Gaza City and intense artillery fire on areas around Jabaliya, Beit Lahiya and the Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza.

Northern, eastern and central Rafah and the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza were again targets of Israeli warplanes.

2019 GMT — US tightens grip on uni protests against Israel's Gaza invasion

A half-dozen University of Pennsylvania students were among 19 pro-Palestinian protesters arrested during an attempt to occupy a school building, university police have said.

Their arrests came a week after authorities broke up a protest encampment on campus and arrested nine students — and as other colleges across the country, anxious to prepare for commencement season, have either negotiated agreements with students or called in police to dismantle protest camps.

Members of Penn Students Against the Occupation of Palestine announced the action Friday at the school’s Fisher-Bennett Hall, urging supporters to bring “flags, pots, pans, noise-makers, megaphones” and other items, the University of Pennsylvania Division of Public Safety said in a news release.

Officers could be seen closing in “within the hour,” The Philadelphia Inquirer reported. University police supported by city police then escorted the protesters out and secured the building, news outlets reported.

Police said after clearing the building that they recovered “lock-picking tools and homemade metal shields fashioned from oil drums.”

For our live updates from Saturday, May 18, click here.