Live blog: Urgent truce should be declared in Gaza, Türkiye tells US

Thursday, March 7, 2024

1825 GMT — An urgent ceasefire should be declared and humanitarian aid must be increased in Gaza, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has told US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan during a meeting in Washington, diplomatic sources said.

The meeting also highlighted the necessity for the Ukraine war not to prolong further, and emphasised that the resolution should be within the "territorial and political integrity of Ukraine."

Israel has killed more than 30,000 Palestinians in Gaza since the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas operation. The Israeli military campaign and siege have also led to mass displacement, destruction and shortages of food.

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1843 GMT — Hezbollah kills Israeli soldiers when group targeted Metula settlement

Hezbollah has said that it killed Israeli soldiers and injured others when the group targeted positions in a settlement near the southern border of Lebanon.

The Lebanese group said its fighters targeted "the positions of enemy soldiers in the Metula settlement, hitting them directly and causing casualties," without specifying the number killed or injured.

The group indicated that the attack was "in response to the Zionist attacks on the steadfast southern villages and civilian homes, the latest of which targeted the town of Aitaroun."

1832 GMT — Spain announces $22M in emergency aid to UN agency

Spain will send $21.8 million to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) in emergency aid, Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares has announced.

Speaking at a joint news conference with UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini in Madrid, Albares said the agency, which serves six million Palestinian refugees in Gaza as well as in the broader region, is "indispensable," especially in the "face of the catastrophe of Gaza."

"This is literally a question of life or death for more than two million people living in Gaza," he said, and also highlighted the looming famine that is beginning to kill children.

1658 GMT — Biden to announce a plan for a temporary port on Gaza's coast

President Joe Biden will announce a plan for the US military to help establish a temporary port on the Gaza coast, increasing the flow of humanitarian aid for the beleaguered territory during the Israeli war on Gaza, according to administration officials.

The officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to preview the announcement, said the operation will not require that American troops be on the ground to build the pier that is intended to allow more shipments of food, medicine and other essential items.

The officials did not provide details about how the pier would be built. One noted that the US military has "unique capabilities" and can do things from "just offshore."

1658 GMT — 27 Gaza detainees held by Israel died at military facilities: report

Twenty-seven Palestinian detainees from Gaza have died at Israeli military facilities since last October, according to Haaretz newspaper.

The detainees lost their lives at the Sde Teiman and Anatot facilities or while being questioned by Israeli investigators, Haaretz said.

No details were provided by the Israeli army about the death of the Israeli detainees, only saying that some suffered from prior health conditions or were wounded during the Gaza war. The army said an investigation has been launched by the Investigative Military Police into the deaths.

1629 GMT — Germany, UK stress urgent need for humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza

Germany and the UK have emphasised the urgent need for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza as the humanitarian situation in the enclave continues to worsen.

"We both sent an urgent appeal today – on behalf of the United Kingdom and Germany – when we say we urgently need to agree on a humanitarian cease-fire. We need a breakthrough in the negotiations," German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said at a joint press conference with her British counterpart David Cameron in Berlin.

Baerbock's remarks were echoed by Cameron, who said diplomatic talks should focus on how to stop the fighting. "We want this pause to happen now with this hostage deal that is now on the table and Hamas should accept it," he added.

1554 GMT — Israel reportedly threatens war on Lebanon if no deal reached

Israel has set a March 15 deadline for a political settlement with Lebanon or it will escalate the current border clashes with Hezbollah into a war, according to a Lebanese newspaper.

Al Akhbar newspaper said that Tel Aviv told mediators that it will go into a full-scale war in Lebanon if no deal to push Hezbollah from the border is reached by March 15.

On Wednesday, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant told US special envoy Amos Hochstein that cross-border clashes with Hezbollah would bring Israel closer to a decision regarding military action in Lebanon.

Al Akhbar newspaper, citing Western officials, said Hochstein does not believe the cross-border clashes between Lebanon and Israel can be halted before a truce deal is reached in Gaza.

1514 GMT — Israel will push on with Gaza offensive, including in Rafah: Netanyahu

Israel will push on with its offensive against Hamas, including into the southern Gaza city of Rafah, despite growing international pressure to stop, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said.

"There is international pressure and it's growing, but particularly when the international pressure rises, we must close ranks, we need to stand together against the attempts to stop the war," he said.

He added that Israel would operate throughout Gaza, "including Rafah, the last Hamas stronghold".

1455 GMT — US air drops aid to Gaza for third time in week: military

American C-130 cargo planes airdropped aid to Gaza, the US military said, its third joint operation with Jordan to deliver assistance in less than a week.

US officials say the drops are aimed at supplementing the insufficient supply of aid being brought in by ground to Gaza, but the amount of food provided by air is only enough to feed a tiny fraction of the people in need in the coastal territory, which has been devastated by months of Israeli bombardment.

"US C-130s dropped over 38,000 meals, providing life-saving humanitarian assistance in northern Gaza, to enable civilian access to critical aid," the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on social media.

"The combined, joint operation included US Air Force and Jordanian C-130 aircraft and US Army soldiers specialised in aerial delivery of US humanitarian assistance supplies," CENTCOM said.

1430 GMT — Gaza truce talks not 'broken down', gaps narrowing: US envoy

Talks for a truce in Gaza have not yet "broken down", the US ambassador to Israel has said.

"The differences are being narrowed. It's not yet an agreement. Everyone's looking towards Ramadan, which is coming close. I can't tell you that it will be successful, but it is not yet the case that it is broken down," Jack Lew said at a conference in Tel Aviv.

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1431 GMT — UN urges Israel to allow aid to Gaza through port

The UN's food agency has said it was pressing Israel to allow it to use the Ashdod port north of Gaza to make it easier to reach starving Palestinians.

"We have several requests with the Israelis," World Food Programme (WFP) Deputy Executive Director Carl Skau told AFP in Rome, after its latest failed attempt to get food to northern Gaza.

"We want to use the Ashdod port, which would be much more efficient than going through Jordan or even Egypt," Skau said.

1402 GMT — Around 240 Palestinian women detained by Israel since October: NGO

Around 240 Palestinian women have been detained by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank and Israel since last October, according to a local non-governmental organisation.

"This year is the bloodiest for Palestinian women," the Palestinian Prisoner Society said in a statement marking International Women's Day on March 8.

"Targeting Palestinian women has been one of the most prominent and systematic policies of the Israeli occupation," it added. "Though some women were released from detention, it’s certain that there are women who are still detained in the occupation camps, and are subjected to enforced disappearance."

"In total, some 60 Palestinian women prisoners are still languishing in Israeli prisons," it added.

1359 GMT — Norway urges companies to avoid trade, business with Israeli settlements

The Dutch government urged companies in Norway to avoid trade and business activities that contribute to maintaining illegal Israeli settlements.

"For years, Norway has been clear that the settlement policy in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, is in violation of international law, including humanitarian law and human rights," Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said in a statement.

Barth Eide said businesses should be aware that through "economic or financial activity in the Israeli settlements in violation of international law, they risk contributing to violations of international humanitarian law or human rights."

Last year "was also the deadliest year for Palestinians in the West Bank since the UN began recording. I repeat that the injustice to which the Palestinians are subjected must stop," he said.

1346 GMT — Israeli police block Gaza aid convoy organized by Jewish, Arab activists

Israeli police blocked a humanitarian aid convoy organized by Jews and Arabs for the blockaded Gaza.

"We are 10 minutes from the borders with Gaza. We have a truck full of food for the people starving in Gaza. The police and the army won't let us get in,'' Standing Together movement, which comprises Jewish and Arab activists, said in a video statement on X.

''We are staying here. We will keep holding on until they will let us in because there is no reason to let people starve to death in Gaza." Another statement by the grassroots movement said the Gaza war and starving the elderly, children, women, and the sick "serve no one." "It only brings suffering and death to us all," it added.

1316 GMT — EU condemns Israel's plans to further expand illegal settlements

In a strong rebuke of Israel's recent plans to expand illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank, the EU has issued a condemnation, saying the plans only serve to obstruct efforts for peace.

"The EU urges Israel to reverse these decisions. The EU reiterates that settlements are illegal under international law and constitute an obstacle to peace, as they threaten the two-state solution," it said in a statement.

"The EU’s position remains unchanged: it will not recognise any changes to the pre-1967 borders, including with regard to Jerusalem, other than those agreed by the parties," it added.

1205 GMT — South Africa exploiting World Court on behalf of Hamas: Israel

Israel has accused South Africa of exploiting the ICJ to help the Palestinian resistance group Hamas by again petitioning the World Court to take measures against Israel.

"South Africa continues to act as the legal arm of Hamas in an attempt to undermine Israel's inherent right to defend itself and its citizens, and to release all of the hostages," Israel's Foreign Ministry said.

"The repeated requests for provisional measures made by South Africa in order to assist Hamas are yet another cynical exploitation of the International Court of Justice in the Hague, which has already twice rejected the baseless attempts to deny Israel its right and obligation of self-defence," it said.

1159 GMT — Palestine hails South Africa's urgent ICJ appeal for Gaza

Palestine has welcomed South Africa's urgent request for additional interim measures from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to secure the safety of Palestinians in Gaza amid a deadly Israeli onslaught.

South Africa on Thursday said it requested the Hague-based court to act urgently to prevent a "catastrophic famine" and "genocide" in Gaza.

"The Palestinian people are no longer at immediate risk or death by starvation. The Palestinian people are dying of starvation," the Palestinian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. "Israel is massacring the Palestinian people seeking to obtain extremely limited humanitarian aid."

1157 GMT — Israel returned 47 exhumed bodies: Gaza authorities

Authorities in Gaza have said that Israel had returned dozens of bodies that had been exhumed from graves in the besieged territory in recent weeks.

Israeli forces have on several occasions taken bodies from Gaza to Israel for examinations as they look for hostages seized during Hamas's October 7 attack.

The 47 new bodies sent back by Israel "have been transferred to Al Najjar Hospital" in Rafah, in southern Gaza, the besieged territory's crossings and borders authority said in a statement.

1128 GMT — Denmark appeals for provision of more humanitarian aid to Gaza

Denmark has appealed for the provision of more humanitarian aid to blockaded Gaza.

Denmark’s Minister for Development Cooperation and Global Climate Policy Dan Jorgensen in a post on X said that he is joining partners in an appeal to Israel to facilitate the humanitarian operations.

"Assure delivery of more aid to Gaza, including allowing more convoys of humanitarian assistance to cross the border to Gaza, facilitate their operations and let in more medical items," the minister appealed to the Israeli authorities.

1100 GMT — Hamas delegation leaves Cairo for consultations over ceasefire

Hamas delegation has left Cairo for consultations, as parties continue discussions on a ceasefire deal in Gaza, according to a statement by the Palestinian resistance group.

The statement added that talks and efforts continue for ceasefire, return of displaced people and aid entry into Gaza.

1032 GMT — Turkish Red Crescent sends its biggest Gaza aid shipment yet

Türkiye's Kizilay (Red Crescent) is sending its biggest aid shipment yet to Gaza via Egypt, with a ship carrying some 3,000 tons of food, medicine and equipment leaving for the Egyptian port of Al Arish.

Türkiye has repeatedly called for a ceasefire and warned of consequences if calm cannot be achieved by the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, starting on Sunday.

"This aid, which will be delivered to Gaza with the support and cooperation of the Egyptian Red Crescent, will keep the hopes of Palestinians alive on the eve of Ramadan," Türkiye's ambassador to Cairo, Salih Mutlu Sen, said on social media platform X.

0950 GMT — Death toll from Israeli war on Gaza exceeds 30,800

Palestinian health officials in Gaza said at least 30,800 people have been killed in the Israeli war on the tiny enclave that entered its sixth month.

The latest toll includes 83 deaths over the past 24 hours, a ministry statement said, while 72,298 people have been wounded in Gaza since the war erupted on October 7.

0943 GMT — Egyptians officials say ceasefire talks are stuck

Egyptian officials say negotiations over a ceasefire in Gaza have reached an impasse over Hamas’ demand for a phased process culminating in an end to the war.

The US, Egypt and Qatar have been trying for weeks to broker an agreement on a six-week ceasefire and the release of 40 hostages held in Gaza in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned in Israel.

The officials said that Hamas has agreed on the main terms of such an agreement as a first stage, but wants commitments that it will lead to an eventual, more permanent ceasefire.

0855 GMT — Norway calls firms to avoid trading with Israeli settlements

Norway’s government has urged Norwegian companies to avoid trade and business activities that contribute to maintaining illegal Israeli settlements.

Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said that “for years, Norway has been clear that the settlement policy in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, is in violation of international law, including humanitarian law and human rights.”

“Norwegian businesses should be aware that, through economic or financial activity in the Israeli settlements in violation of international law, they risk contributing to violations of international humanitarian law or human rights,” Barth Eide said.

0853 GMT — Israel should be excluded from Eurovision: Belgium

Two Belgian ministers have called for Israel's exclusion from the Eurovision Song Contest while its war on Gaza is ongoing as a punitive measure for the toll on Palestinian civilians.

Controversy over the conflict has hit various cultural events, with organiser The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) resisting calls from some artists and activists for Israel to be dropped from Europe's May 7-11 annual song competition.

Belgium's French-speaking Culture Minister Benedicte Linard and Flemish counterpart Benjamin Dalle added their voices.

"Just like Russia has been excluded from competitions and Eurovision following its invasion of Ukraine, Israel should be excluded until it puts an end to its flagrant violations of international law, which are causing thousands of victims, especially children," she said on X.

0707 GMT — Palestinian families bereaved by Gaza attacks address UN officials

In New York, Palestine’s Mission to the UN brought together a delegation of 10 Palestinians who lost their families in over five months of Israeli attacks on Gaza to meet with UN officials.

Under the auspices of Palestine's UN Ambassador Riyad Mansour, the delegation met with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and members of the UN Security Council and spoke to the media.

0618 GMT — Sweden plans Gaza aid talks with Israel's foreign ministry, EU countries

Sweden has initiated a meeting with Israel's foreign ministry and several European Union member states as well as others "to convey the urgent need to improve humanitarian access to Gaza", Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said.

"The life and health of children in Gaza must be protected," Kristersson said on social media X without providing more detail.

Aid delivery in the Palestinian enclave has collapsed, with only a fraction of the food needed getting in and very little reaching the northern areas where hospitals say children have started dying of malnutrition.

0615 GMT — Egypt’s Sisi urges swift ceasefire in Gaza

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el Sisi said that the situation in Gaza cannot afford any further delay in reaching a ceasefire agreement.

"The humanitarian situation in Gaza cannot afford further delays in reaching decisive solutions for a ceasefire," el Sisi said during his meeting with the Foreign Affairs Committee of the British House of Commons delegation in Cairo.

The meeting discussed "the regional situation, particularly in Gaza," according to a statement by the Egyptian Presidency.

Since Sunday, negotiations have been underway in the Egyptian capital Cairo involving Egypt, the US, Qatar, and Hamas, according to the Egyptian state-run Al Qahera News TV.

A new round of talks for a Gaza ceasefire started in Cairo on Sunday with the participation of delegates from Egypt, Qatar, the US, and Hamas.

0547 GMT — Houthi missile attack kills 3 crew members in Yemen rebels' first fatal assault on shipping

A missile attack by Yemen's Houthis on a commercial ship in the Gulf of Aden killed three of its crew members and forced survivors to abandon the vessel, the US military said. It was the first fatal strike in a campaign of assaults by the the Yemeni group over Israel's war on Gaza.

The attack on the Barbados-flagged, Liberian-owned bulk carrier True Confidence further escalates the conflict on a crucial maritime route linking Asia and the Middle East to Europe that has disrupted global shipping.

The Houthis have launched attacks since November, and the US began an air strike campaign in January that so far hasn't halted their attacks.

0244 GMT — China supports 'full' UN membership of Palestinian state

Beijing supports "full" United Nations membership of a Palestinian state, China's top diplomat has said, adding "The long-cherished wish of the Palestinian people to establish an independent country can no longer be evaded."

"We support Palestine becoming a formal member of the United Nations," Foreign Minister Wang Yi told journalists at a press conference.

"The catastrophe in Gaza once again reminded the world that the fact that the Palestinian territories have been occupied for a long time can no longer be ignored," Wang said.

"The long-cherished wish of the Palestinian people to establish an independent country can no longer be evaded, and the historical injustice suffered by the Palestinian people cannot continue for generations without being corrected," he added.

Beijing has been calling for an immediate ceasefire since the start of the current Israeli war on Gaza in October last year.

0119GMT — Israeli army says 1 soldier killed, 13 injured in Gaza battles

An Israeli soldier was killed and 13 others were injured, including six seriously, in battles in southern Gaza, the army said.

"David Sasson, 21, a soldier in the Oketz unit (which relies on dogs in many of its activities), fell in a battle in the southern Gaza Strip," it said. It added that "three soldiers from a commando unit and two from the Oketz unit were seriously injured (in the same battle)."

Additionally, seven other soldiers were injured in the same battle, according to the statement. Another soldier from the commando unit was seriously injured in a separate battle in southern Gaza.

"The wounded soldiers were transferred to receive medical treatment at a hospital and their families were notified," it added With the latest causalities, the toll of declared army fatalities since the beginning of the war has risen to 587 soldiers and officers, including 247 since the beginning of the ground attack on the Gaza on October 27, 2023.

The number of injured soldiers has risen to 3,053 officers and soldiers, including 1,467 since the beginning of the ground attack, according to army data.

0104 GMT — US authorised more than 100 weapons sales to Israel, including thousands of bombs: report

The US has quietly approved more than 100 weapons sales to Israel since the start of its war on Gaza last October, including thousands of bombs, as per a new report.

The Washington Post, citing US officials and lawmakers, reported that administration officials told members of Congress in a classified briefing that the sales involved "thousands of precision-guided munitions, small diameter bombs, bunker busters, small arms and other lethal aid."

It reported that some of the weapons transfers were processed without public debate "because each fell under a specific dollar amount that requires the executive branch to individually notify Congress."

However, this move was criticized as a move to bypass legal procedures and political mechanisms to unconditionally support Israel in its attack on the besieged Gaza.

However, the Biden administration is still seeking to send $14 billion worth of additional military aid to Israel and is awaiting approval from the US House of Representatives.

The report came amid growing criticism over the US’s complicity in ongoing Israeli carnage despite countless eye-witnesses' claims and indications that the Israeli occupation forces might not be using the US-provided weapons in accordance with the laws of war.

The Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 prohibits the US from providing aid to any country "when it is made known to the President that the government of such country prohibits or otherwise restricts, directly or indirectly, the transport or delivery of United States humanitarian assistance."

Section 620I of the act does contain an exception that allows a president to continue assistance if he or she formally determines that it is in the US's national security interests to do so.

2200 GMT — Israel kills 15 Palestinians in central Gaza strikes

Israel has killed at least 15 Palestinians in three air strikes that hit buildings in central Gaza.

The bodies were taken to Al Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al Balah, where an Associated Press journalist counted the bodies as they arrived.

People were reported to be still trapped under the rubble.

Two strikes hit buildings in Deir al Balah and a third in the Nuseirat refugee camp.

2229 GMT — UN to test Israeli military road to break Israeli aid blockade to Gaza's north

The United Nations will assess how it can use an Israeli military road near the fence with Gaza to deliver aid to hundreds of thousands of desperate civilians starved by Israel in the north of the Palestinian enclave, a senior UN aid official said.

The UN has warned that at least 576,000 people in Gaza – one-quarter of the population – are on the brink of deliberate starvation due to Tel Aviv's 153-days-long obscuring of the most needed aid deliveries to the brutally besieged enclave.

Jamie McGoldrick, UN aid coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, said the UN had been pushing Israel for weeks to use the Gaza fence road and had received much more cooperation from Israel in the past week.

Last Thursday, Israeli occupation forces killed more than 100 unarmed people as they were trying to reach an aid convoy near Gaza City.

2215 GMT — Three fatalities reported in Houthi attack on ship in Gulf of Aden

The multinational crew of a merchant ship that was hit by a Houthi-launched ballistic missile in the Gulf of Aden reported three fatalities and at least four injuries, the US military has said.

The US Central Command also said in a statement the missile hit caused "significant damage" to the ship.

2024 GMT — Gaza aid due to sail soon from Cyprus: Reuters

Humanitarian aid for besieged Gaza is expected to sail from Cyprus in coming days, a source familiar with the matter told the Reuters news agency.

It was not immediately clear which country was supplying the aid, where it would land or how it would be distributed. Ironically, Cyprus is being used by Britain to supply Israel with weapons for use in Gaza, monitors and media reports claim.

The source said aid was being coordinated with the United Arab Emirates.

"They want the aid to be dispatched before the start of Ramadan" on Sunday, the source told Reuters on condition of anonymity.

Delivering aid to Gaza has become urgent as a humanitarian crisis there deepens.

For our live updates from Wednesday, March 6, click here.