Live blog: UK's Sunak calls for end to 'terrible' Gaza war, immediate truce

Saturday, April 6, 2024

2130 GMT — British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said the "terrible" war between Israel and Hamas "must end", six months on from the start of the conflict.

"This terrible conflict must end. The hostages must be released. The aid — which we have been straining every sinew to deliver by land, air and sea — must be flooded in," he added.

"Six months later, Israeli wounds are still unhealed. Families still mourn and hostages are still held by Hamas."

Sunak said the children of Gaza needed a "humanitarian pause immediately, leading to a long-term sustainable ceasefire".

"That is the fastest way to get hostages out and aid in, and to stop the fighting and loss of life," Sunak said.

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1830 GMT — Israeli opposition Lapid heads to Washington for talks

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid was headed to Washington for talks with top officials, his party said, as tensions between the two governments grow over Israel's handling of the war on Gaza.

Lapid is expected to meet Secretary of State Antony Blinken, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and other officials, his centrist Yesh Atid party said on X.

Previously, President Joe Biden in a phone call with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu "made clear that US policy with respect to Gaza will be determined by our assessment of Israel's immediate action."

1907 GMT — Israeli hostage's sister blames Netanyahu for his death in Gaza

Israel's army said its troops recovered the body of a hostage abducted by Palestinian fighters during the October 7 attack and later killed in captivity in Gaza.

The recovery of Elad Katzir's body brings to 12 the number of bodies of hostages which the army says it has brought home from Gaza during the war.

Katzir's sister expressed fury at the authorities.

"Elad was kidnapped from his home in Nir Oz in one piece," Carmit Palty Katzir wrote on her Facebook page.

She blamed the Israeli authorities for her brother's death, saying he would have returned alive had the authorities agreed to a new truce deal.

1900 GMT — Hamas’ military wing says it killed 5 Israeli soldiers in southern Gaza

The armed wing of the Palestinian resistance group Hamas announced that its forces had killed five Israeli soldiers in southern Gaza after a series of clashes in Al Amal neighbourhood.

Several Israeli troops were also injured in the clashes that took place in the area, located in Khan Younis city, the Al Qassam Brigades group said on Telegram, adding that its fighters had targeted the Israeli soldiers at "point-blank range."

1815 GMT — Iran renews vow to avenge Syria strike attributed to Israel

A top military commander renewed Iran's promise to retaliate after an air strike earlier this week widely blamed on Israel destroyed Iran’s consulate in Syria, killing 12 people, including two elite Iranian generals.

Gen. Mohammad Bagheri, Iran’s joint chief of staff, told mourners gathered for the funeral of Gen. Mohammad Reza Zahdi that Iran will decide when and how to stage an “operation” to take revenge. Zahdi was the highest-ranking commander slain in Monday’s attack.

“The time, type, plan of the operation will be decided by us, in a way that makes Israel regret what it did," he said. "This will definitely be done.”

1800 GMT — Gaza ceasefire talks to resume Sunday in Cairo: Egyptian media

Negotiations to secure a ceasefire in Gaza after roughly half a year of Israeli attacks on the enclave will resume in Cairo on Sunday, Egyptian media reported.

This was reported by private broadcaster Al Qahera News on Saturday, citing unnamed "high-level Egyptian sources," while no official statement has been issued by Egyptian authorities as of 1345 GMT.

The sources added that the US' CIA Director Bill Burns, Qatar's Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, and an Israeli delegation are also participating in the talks.

A senior delegation from Gaza-based group Hamas is also expected to also arrive in Cairo at Egypt's invitation Sunday to discuss developments related to the ceasefire in Gaza, the report further said.

1655 GMT — Ambrey says vessel was targeted approximately 61NM southwest of Yemen's Hodeidah

British maritime security firm Ambrey has received information that a vessel was targeted approximately 61 nautical miles southwest of Hodeidah in Yemen.

Iran-aligned Houthis have staged attacks on shipping in the Red Sea region for months in solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza war.

1604 GMT — Egypt to exert utmost, unyielding efforts to bring end to hostilities in Gaza: Sisi

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el Sisi has said that his country is making every effort to stop the ongoing Israeli war in Gaza.

His statement came in a speech on the occasion of Laylat al Qadr, in the presence of several officials and religious figures at Al Manara International Conferences Center in eastern Cairo, according to a statement by the Egyptian presidency.

Sisi addressed the situation in Palestine, saying:

“I will not miss the opportunity to reiterate our unequivocal and steadfast solidarity with our Palestinian brothers in the Gaza Strip, reaffirming that Egypt will exert utmost and unyielding efforts to bring an end to the hostilities and ensure the unfettered delivery of much-needed humanitarian aid and relief into the sector.

“I also underscore Egypt’s unshakable commitment to tirelessly strive toward attaining the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people and the establishment of their independent state along the June 4, 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.”

1532 GMT — Israeli army detains 45 more Palestinians in occupied West Bank raids

Israeli army forces rounded up 45 more Palestinians in overnight raids in the occupied West Bank, according to prisoners' affairs groups.

The arrests included worshippers exiting the Al Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem after observing Laylat al Qadr, the holiest night for Muslims in the month of Ramadan, as well as others in the West Bank cities of Hebron, Jenin, Nablus, Tubas, Tulkarem, Ramallah, and Jericho, the Commission of Detainees’ Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoner Society said in a joint statement.

Both organisations reported instances of “brutal beatings, threats against detainees and their families, and the destruction and demolition of citizens' homes” during the arrests.

This brought the number of Palestinians detained by Israeli forces in the West Bank to 8,080 since last October, according to Palestinian figures.

1358 GMT — Three aid trucks arrive at hospitals in northern Gaza

Three aid trucks containing fuel, medicines, and medical supplies have entered northern Gaza via Salah al Din Street, eyewitnesses said.

Palestinian medical sources said that one of the trucks carried fuel while the two others carried medicines and medical supplies.

They added that the trucks were designated for the Kamal Adwan and Al Awda hospitals in the town of Beit Lahia in northern Gaza.

1320 GMT — UN humanitarian chief calls Gaza war 'betrayal of humanity'

Israel's war on Gaza has escalated into a "betrayal of humanity", the United Nations' humanitarian chief has said.

In a statement on the eve of the six-month anniversary of the war, Martin Griffiths, the outgoing under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief, called for a "collective determination that there be a reckoning for this betrayal of humanity."

"Each day, this war claims more civilian victims," said Griffiths, who will leave his post at the end of June due to health reasons.

"Every second that it continues sows the seeds of a future so deeply obscured by this relentless conflict."

1221 GMT — Hamas delegation heads to Cairo to discuss Gaza ceasefire

The Palestinian resistance group Hamas has announced that a leading delegation from the movement will head to Cairo on Sunday in response to an Egyptian invitation to discuss ceasefire developments in Gaza.

“A leadership delegation from Hamas headed by Khalil Al-Hayya will head tomorrow, Sunday, to Cairo, in response to the call of our brothers in Egypt,” the movement said in a statement.

Hamas confirmed its adherence to its position presented on March 14.

“The demands of our people and national forces are for a permanent ceasefire, the withdrawal of the (Israeli) occupation forces from Gaza, the return of the displaced to their places of residence, freedom of movement, relief and shelter, in addition to a serious hostage exchange deal,” Hamas said.

1159 GMT — Israeli army says it retrieved body of hostage in Gaza’s Khan Younis

The Israeli army has said that it retrieved the body of a hostage during an operation in the city of Khan Younis in southern Gaza.

In a statement, the Israeli army said that “the body of the late hostage Elad Katzir, who according to intelligence information was killed in captivity … was retrieved from Khan Younis.”

Katzir was taken hostage alongside his mother, who was later released on November 24, 2023, as part of a hostage deal between Hamas and Israel, the statement said.

1156 GMT — Hamas refuses to 'back down' on Gaza ceasefire demands

Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has refused to "back down" from its demands for a Gaza ceasefire but agreed to send a delegation for renewed talks in Cairo over the weekend.

"Hamas confirms its adherence to the position it presented on March 14 ... and we will not back down from this position," a statement said, referring to the group's demands that include a complete ceasefire in Gaza and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Palestinian territory.

1128 GMT — 46 more Palestinians killed in Gaza as Israeli onslaught continues: Health Ministry

At least 46 more Palestinians have been killed and 65 others injured over the last 24 hours, as Israel continued its onslaught on besieged Gaza, Palestine's Health Ministry in the territory said.

“The Israeli occupation (forces) committed four massacres against families in the Gaza Strip, leaving 46 martyrs and 65 injured during the past 24 hours,” a ministry statement said.

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

1101 GMT — Palestinian death toll from Israeli attacks reaches 33,137: ministry

The health ministry in Gaza has said that at least 33,137 people have been killed in the territory during nearly six months of war on Gaza.

A ministry statement also added that 75,815 people have been wounded in Gaza since October 7.

0432 GMT — Israeli info on aid worker killings 'not sufficient': Australia

Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong has said that information from Israel about the death of an Australian aid worker killed in a Gaza air strike was "not sufficient".

US-based World Central Kitchen — founded by Spanish-American celebrity chef Jose Andres — said a "targeted attack" by Israeli forces on Monday had killed seven aid workers.

After being briefed by Israeli authorities, Australia had "made clear that we have not yet received sufficient information to satisfy our expectations" about Frankcom's death, Wong told reporters.

"We expect full accountability for her death and for the World Central Kitchen colleagues who also perished with her," Wong said.

0318 GMT — Australia to appoint 'special adviser' on probe into Israel airstrike

Australia's government said it would appoint a special adviser to work with Israel to ensure "full confidence" in investigations into an airstrike in Gaza that killed seven aid workers, including an Australian.

"The government will appoint a special adviser who we have requested the Israelis work with so we can be advised about the appropriateness of the process," Foreign Minister Penny Wong said in a televised media conference in Adelaide.

"We want to have full confidence in the transparency and accountability of any investigation, and we will continue to work to achieve that."

0053 GMT — Denmark to implement ‘very restrict approach’ in military exports to Israel

Denmark announced that it would implement a “very restrictive approach” for military exports to Israel amid the “disastrous consequences” of the ongoing onslaught in Gaza.

"As a result of the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas and the disastrous consequences this has for the civilian population of Gaza, as of March 25, 2024, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has further tightened our approach to exporting military equipment to Israel," Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said in written comments to a local news outlet Thursday.

He said Denmark will be moving from an already restrictive approach to a very restrictive approach when assessing specific applications for the export of military equipment and dual-use products to Israel.

"All arms exports to Israel, as applications, will continue to be assessed on a case-by-case basis," he said, but the applications are now being assessed based on a "very restrictive approach" to the UN arms trade treaty and EU rules on arms exports.

The restriction has been placed by the government following four human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, who took Denmark to court for not complying with legal obligations in allowing arms exports to Israel.

0016 GMT — Pelosi joins call for Biden to stop supply of US arms to Israel

Representative Nancy Pelosi, former House speaker and a key ally of Joe Biden, has signed a letter from dozens of congressional Democrats to the president and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, urging a halt to weapons transfers to Israel.

Support from Pelosi, a veteran member of Biden's Democratic Party, for stopping the transfer of weapons to Israel showed that the view is increasingly becoming mainstream in the party.

The letter called on the Biden administration to conduct its own probe into an Israeli air strike that killed seven staff of the aid group World Central Kitchen on Monday.

"In light of the recent strike against aid workers and the ever-worsening humanitarian crisis, we believe it is unjustifiable to approve these weapons transfers," the letter said. It was signed by Pelosi and 36 other Democrats, including Representatives Barbara Lee, Rashida Tlaib and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

0000 GMT — Israeli army admits killing settler near Gaza on October 7

The Israeli army acknowledged that it killed a settler by fire from one of its helicopters in Gaza on October 7.

''According to the investigation, amid battles that took place in southern Israel on October 7, an IAF helicopter opened fire against a car with several terrorists in it,'' the Times of Israeli newspaper cited a military statement.

''It was later revealed, based on eyewitnesses and surveillance camera footage, that the vehicle also had Israeli hostages in it,'' said the newspaper.

''As a result of the shooting, most of the terrorists in the vehicle were killed, and apparently the late Efrat Katz.''

The findings were shared with Katz’s family on Friday, according to the statement.

The military said the probe found that its surveillance systems could not distinguish Israeli hostages from Hamas terrorists in moving vehicles, and therefore the shooting was ''defined as shooting at a vehicle with terrorists.''

2353 GMT — Targeting World Central Kitchen’s crew in Gaza ‘should not have occurred’: Israeli army

The Israeli army admitted that an attack on the World Central Kitchen in Gaza that killed seven aid workers “should not have occurred.”

The army acknowledged an investigation of the attack that “those who approved the strike were convinced that they were targeting armed Hamas operatives and, not WCK employees.”

“The event occurred on April 1, 2024, during an operation to transfer humanitarian aid from the WCK to the Gaza Strip,” it said in a statement.

It added that “the investigation found that the forces identified a gunman on one of the aid trucks, following which they identified an additional gunman.”

“After the vehicles left the warehouse where the aid had been unloaded, one of the commanders mistakenly assumed that the gunmen were located inside the accompanying vehicles and that these were Hamas terrorists,” it said.

The army claimed investigation results showed its forces “did not identify the vehicles in question as being associated with World Central Kitchen.”

2315 GMT — Jordan demands opening of all crossings, end to starvation in Gaza

Jordan has urged the opening of all land crossings into besieged Gaza and an end to starvation in the blockaded enclave.

"All land crossings to Gaza must be opened. A ceasefire must begin now," Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi wrote on X. "UN must be in charge of all humanitarian operations and have full access."

Safadi noted that "anything short of that'll be another lie and won't even begin to address the catastrophe Israel has created," stressing that "starvation of Gazans must end."

2217 GMT — Illegal Israeli settlers torch 4 Palestinian homes in eastern West Bank

Israeli illegal settlers have burned four Palestinian homes in a Bedouin community in northern Jericho in the eastern occupied West Bank.

Hassan Malihat, general supervisor of the Al-Baydar Organisation for Defending Bedouin Rights, told Anadolu Agency that Zionist settlers attacked the Ras Al-Ain Bedouin community and torched the homes.

He warned of the implementation of ethnic cleansing against the Palestinians from a settlers' war against the Palestinian Bedouin communities in the eastern West Bank, known as the Al-Aghwar area, which constitutes 30 percent of the total West Bank area.

Malihat stressed "the necessity to provide international protection for the Bedouins in the light of the ethnic cleansing against them."

2200 GMT — Israel conducts raids in West Bank, wounds 3 Palestinians

The Israeli army has wounded at least three Palestinians during night raids in the occupied West Bank.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said the army raided the village of Osarin, near Nablus in the northern West Bank, and fought with Palestinians.

It added that medical teams transferred one Palestinian wounded by an Israeli live bullet to the hospital.

The official Palestinian news agency, WAFA, reported an Israeli invasion into the town of Beit Ummar in the southern occupied West Bank, where the army opened fire at Palestinians, resulting in wounds to two civilians, including a 14-year-old.

2132 GMT — Colombia seeks to intervene in ICJ genocide case against Israel

Colombia has asked the International Court of Justice [ICJ] to allow it to intervene in the lawsuit that South Africa filed against Israel for acts of "genocide" in besieged Gaza, the court reported.

"Today, Colombia, invoking Article 63 of the Statute of the Court, filed in the Registry of the Court a declaration of intervention in the case concerning the Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip," it said in a statement.

Colombia made it clear that it does not seek to become part of the process initiated by South Africa, but it wants to submit its declaration "in the genuine belief that the States parties to the Genocide Convention should do everything in their power to contribute to ensure the prevention, suppression and punishment of genocide."

The ICJ at the Hague has the prerogative to allow states to give their views, and several states have said they will also seek to intervene in the case.

The Colombian Foreign Ministry urged other countries to "join the process."

2111 GMT — Israel approves Jordanian aid trucks to enter Gaza directly through Israel

Israel has greenlighted the entry of Jordanian humanitarian aid trucks into besieged Gaza, directly passing through Israeli territory, according to Israeli public broadcaster KAN.

It is the first time Israel gave permission for direct entry of aid passing through Israel to Gaza, which has been under an Israeli onslaught since October 7.

The decision was made following an Israeli Cabinet meeting. KAN reported that trucks would pass through the Allenby Bridge crossing, also known as King Hussein border crossing, between the occupied West Bank and Jordan and then through Israeli territory on its way to Gaza.

2016 GMT — Hamas welcomes UNHRC resolution demanding halt of arms sales to Israel

Palestinian resistance group Hamas has welcomed the UN Human Rights Council passing a resolution demanding a halt in arms sales to Israel and calling for Israel to be held accountable for possible war crimes in Gaza.

In a statement, Hamas called the resolution "an important step on the path of pressuring the (Israeli) occupation to stop its brutal and destructive war against civilians in the Gaza Strip."

The group also called on "the international community and the United Nations to take practical measures to oblige countries and companies that supply weapons to the (Israeli) terrorist occupation entity to implement this resolution immediately."

The statement demanded that countries, particularly the US, "stop providing military and political support to the (Israeli) fascist occupation and its criminal army."

The 47-member Human Rights Council voted 28-6 in favour of the resolution, with 13 abstentions.

The motion was brought by Pakistan on behalf of the Organization for Islamic Cooperation. Argentina, Bulgaria, Germany, Malawi, Paraguay, and the US voted against the motion, excluding Albania.

2000 GMT — US urges Egypt, Qatar to press Hamas on hostage deal with Israel

President Joe Biden has written to the leaders of Egypt and Qatar, calling on them to press Hamas resistance group for a hostage deal with Israel, according to a senior administration official, a day after Hamas accused Tel Aviv of being "intransigent," saying it has rejected every proposal put forward.

The letters to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el Sisi and Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani come as Biden has deployed CIA Director Bill Burns to Cairo for talks this weekend about the hostage crisis.

White House officials say negotiating a pause in Israel's war on Gaza to facilitate the exchange of hostages held in Gaza for Palestinian prisoners held in Israel is the only way to put a temporary ceasefire into effect and boost the flow of badly humanitarian aid into the territory.

Hamas, however, says despite its high flexibility in facilitating a deal, the Israeli position remains "intransigent" and refuses to respond to the Palestinian side's demands.

Among Hamas's demands include a complete halt to Israeli aggression on Gaza, the withdrawal of the Israeli invading army from the tiny enclave, the return of displaced Palestinians to their homes in northern Gaza, an increase in the flow of humanitarian aid into the enclave, and the start of Gaza's reconstruction process.

Tel Aviv believes 134 Israelis are being held hostage in Gaza since October, while it holds at least 9,100 Palestinians in its notorious jails and torture chambers.

1930 GMT — Egypt arrests 10 after rally calling for snapping ties with Israel

A human rights lawyer in Egypt has said that authorities arrested 10 activists who participated in a pro-Palestinian protest, where they accused the government of contributing to the siege of Gaza and called for the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador.

Egypt has condemned Israel's war in Gaza and has played a central role in trying to broker a ceasefire but it has largely banned public protests, and criticism of the country's ties with Israel is highly sensitive.

On Wednesday, nearly 200 people rallied outside the building of the Journalist Syndicate in Cairo, waving the Palestinian flag and chanting slogans: "What a disgrace! Egypt is helping the siege!" and "No to the I sraeli Embassy! No to normalization."

Later Wednesday, 10 activists who took part in the protest were arrested at their homes, and the next day prosecutors ordered their detention for 15 days while investigations were carried out, according to their lawyer Nabeh Elganadi.

Critics have called for Egypt to overturn a 2007 agreement that grants Israel the right to inspect convoys entering Gaza through the Rafah border crossing with Egypt. They say it has allowed Israel to keep the flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza's 2.4 million Palestinians at a trickle.

For our live updates from Friday, April 5, click here.