Live blog: US looking into Israeli human rights abuses in Gaza — Blinken

Monday, 22 April, 2024

1834 GMT –– US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said that the United States was looking into allegations of human rights abuses by Israel in its war on Gaza.

Unveiling the State Department's annual human rights report, Blinken denied the United States has a double standard when it comes to Israel and human rights.

"Do we have a double standard? The answer is no," Blinken told reporters.

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1848 GMT –– Hamas has 'moved goal post' on hostage talks: US

Palestinian resistance group Hamas has "moved the goal post" and changed its demands in the hostage negotiations with Israel mediated by Egypt and Qatar, US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller has said.

Speaking at a daily press briefing, Miller said the United States would continue to push for an agreement that would see hostages taken on Oct. 7 released and a pause in fighting in Gaza.

1822 GMT –– Palestine calls extraordinary meeting of Arab League

Palestine called for holding an extraordinary meeting of the Arab League to discuss Israeli attacks in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

“The meeting was called amid a genocide being committed against the Palestinian people and rising attacks and terrorism by settlers in the occupied West Bank,” Palestinian delegate to the pan-Arab body Muhannad al Aklouk told the state news agency Wafa.

1809 GMT –– Israel's Gaza war has negatively impacted human rights: US report

Israel's war on Gaza that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians in the besieged enclave and resulted in a severe humanitarian crisis has had "a significant negative impact" on the human rights situation in the country, the US State Department said in its annual report.

Significant human rights issues include credible reports of arbitrary or unlawful killings, enforced disappearance, torture and unjustified arrests of journalists among others, said the State Department's 2023 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices.

So far the Biden administration has claimed it has not found Israel in breach of international law.

Washington gives $3.8 billion in annual military assistance to its longtime ally. Progressive Democrats and Arab American groups have criticised the Biden administration's steadfast support for Israel, which they say provides it with a sense of impunity.

But this month, President Joe Biden for the first time threatened to condition support for Israel, and insisted that it take concrete steps to protect humanitarian aid workers and civilians.

1742 GMT –– Israeli defence minister backs army unit accused of abuses

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant reiterated support for an army battalion accused of abuses and human rights violations against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

Gallant toured border outposts in Gaza and spoke to soldiers of the Netzah Yehuda Battalion, his office said in a statement.

"The defence establishment is behind you, no one will teach us about values and morals," Gallant told soldiers of the combat unit.

On Saturday, the Axios news site reported that Washington was planning to impose sanctions on the Israeli army unit.

1640 GMT –– UN expresses concerns over Gaza mass graves, demands probe

The United Nations has expressed concern over reports of mass graves in Gaza.

Health workers in the southern city of Khan Younis have exhumed at least 283 bodies of people from a mass grave at the Nasser Hospital, Palestinian civil defence agency in Gaza has reported earlier.

The UN has called for a full investigation of the incident "in a way that is credible, independent".

1632 GMT –– Second Israeli army commander resigns

The chief of the Israeli army's Central Command plans to resign in August, in the second such resignation by military commanders on Monday, according to Israeli media.

Major General Yehuda Fox informed Army Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi of his intention to step down in August after a three-year tenure as the general in charge of the occupied West Bank region, the Israeli public broadcaster KAN reported.

KAN, however, did not specify the reason behind Fox’s planned resignation, which was announced hours after Maj. Gen. Aharon Haliva, head of the Israeli army's Military Intelligence Directorate (AMAN), resigned over his failure to predict the Hamas attack.

Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper said Fox’s resignation was not related to the failure to predict the Hamas attack.

The newspaper said Fox is a possible candidate to assume higher posts in the army as investigations into the Hamas attack are likely to result in the ousting of some top generals.

1535 GMT –– Macron discusses MidEast crisis with Israel's Netanyahu, Egypt's Sisi

French President Emmanuel Macron held phone calls with Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al Sisi to discuss ways of avoiding an escalation in the Middle East crisis, said France and Egypt.

The French presidency said Macron, in his call with Netanyahu, had reaffirmed Paris's desire to avoid an escalation in the Middle East and to stand up to what it said were Iran's efforts to destabilise the region.

The French presidency added that Macron had also reiterated to Netanyahu that France wanted an immediate and lasting ceasefire in Gaza and said Paris was working to ease tensions arising from clashes on the border between Israel and Lebanon.

In a separate statement, Egyptian presidential spokesperson Ahmed Fahmy said Macron had also discussed the Middle East crisis with the Egyptian leader and that both Macron and Sisi had agreed on the need to avoid further regional escalation.

1517 GMT –– UNRWA has robust neutrality steps, Israel yet to back up claims, review says

A review of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) has found that it has robust frameworks to ensure compliance with humanitarian neutrality principles though issues persist, in a report which could prompt some donors to review funding freezes.

The report also said Israel had yet to provide supporting evidence for its claim - based on a staff list it was given in March - that a significant number of UNRWA staff were members of terrorist organisations.

The United Nations appointed former French foreign minister Catherine Colonna to lead the UNRWA neutrality review in February after Israel alleged that 12 UNRWA staff took part in the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attacks, which was followed by the Israeli war on Gaza.

Israel stepped up its accusations in March, saying over 450 UNRWA staff were military operatives in Gaza terrorist groups.

Israel's mission to the UN did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Colonna-led review.

1440 GMT –– Gaza health system 'completely obliterated': UN expert

Israel's war in Gaza has from the start been a "war on the right to health" and has "obliterated" the Palestinian territory's health system, a UN expert said.

Tlaleng Mofokeng, the United Nations special rapporteur on the right to health, accused Israel of treating human rights as an "a la carte menu".

Just days into the war that has been raging in Gaza since Hamas's unprecedented attacks inside Israel on October 7, "the medical infrastructure was irreparably damaged", she told reporters in Geneva.

Amid the unrelenting Israeli bombardment of Gaza, healthcare providers had for months been working under dire conditions with very limited access to medical supplies, she said.

"This has been a war on the right to health from the beginning," said Mofokeng, who is an independent expert appointed by the UN Human Rights Council but who does not speak on behalf of the United Nations. "The health system in Gaza has been completely obliterated and the right to health has been decimated at every level".

1412 GMT –– Türkiye, Iraq discuss Israeli oppression on Gaza: Erdogan

Türkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that he discussed Israeli oppression in Palestine with the Iraqi leadership.

"With my counterparts, we discussed the effects of Israel's oppression in Palestine on our region and held consultations about joint steps we could take," Erdogan said in a news conference.

Erdogan arrived in Iraq’s capital Baghdad to hold meetings with Iraqi officials. In the meeting, bilateral relations between Türkiye and Iraq, Israel's war on Gaza, regional and global issues, and counterterrorism efforts were discussed.

1349 GMT –– Medical evacuation approval rate in Gaza 'very low': UN expert

The UN special rapporteur on the right to health warned that the medical evacuation rate in Gaza is "very low," standing at 47 percent, as many healthcare facilities are "completely dysfunctional."

Responding to Anadolu news agency's question in a press briefing in Geneva, Tlaleng Mofokeng stressed it is hard to gather data on how many people need medical evacuation due to the destruction of civilian infrastructure.

Mofokeng said reporting and collecting health data is going to be a "very big task" right now, adding: "But we know that a lot of people have been evacuated to the neighbouring countries and regions. And even that, in itself, takes extremely long to complete as a process."

"There isn't a systemic structured, focused and deliberate intent to ensure that people's rights to health are protected," she said.

Noting that she does not have information on whether any medical evacuation took place in recent days, the rapporteur said: But I know that 4,373 patients have been assisted through the WHO work."

"The approval rate is 47 percent, which is still very low if you account for the types of injuries that are being seen at the moment," Mofokeng said. "And I mean, the point is Gaza should not be evacuating people for support, right? These facilities and the health services should be able to adequately respond to their needs, where they live, and where they reside."

She called the medical evacuations "just another layer of support but not a permanent solution" to what is needed.

1244 GMT –– Columbia University cancels in-person classes after pro-Palestinian protests

Columbia University students will attend classes virtually as school officials hope to deescalate tensions on the New York City campus after pro-Palestinian demonstrations led to mass arrests last week.

In a statement, Columbia President Nemat Minouche Shafik said the university was cancelling in-person classes while denouncing antisemitic language and intimidating and harassing behaviour that she said had occurred on campus recently.

More than 100 pro-Palestinian protesters were arrested on Thursday on the campus after Shafik authorised New York police to clear an encampment set up by students demonstrating against Israel's actions in Gaza.

1243 GMT –– Germany voices ‘great concern’ over violence by illegal Israeli settlers

Germany has voiced "great concern" over the latest round of violence by illegal Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank and urged the Israeli government to take measures to protect Palestinians from violent attacks.

"We view the latest outbreaks of violence with great concern. Of course, this also applies above all to the violence that comes from extremist settlers," Christian Wagner, a deputy Foreign Ministry spokesperson, said at a press conference in Berlin.

"Israel, as the occupying power in the West Bank, has of course the duty and task to ensure security there, within the framework of the applicable law," he added.

1232 GMT –– Over 280 bodies recovered so far from mass grave in Khan Younis

Health workers have uncovered at least 283 bodies of people from a mass grave at the Nasser Hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis, Gaza's civil defence agency said.

"Civil defense crews retrieved 73 more bodies from the mass grave, bringing the total figure to 283 bodies since Saturday," the agency said in a statement.

According to the statement, civil defence crews are still searching for more bodies in the grave.

A mass grave was found in the hospital’s courtyard on Saturday after the Israeli army withdrew from the city on April 7 following a 4-month ground offensive.

"We believe that there are hundreds of bodies still missing after being executed by the Israeli occupation and buried in mass graves,'' he told Anadolu news agency.

1221 GMT –– UN chief accepts independent review of UNRWA

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has accepted the recommendations from an independent review of UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA's ability to ensure neutrality and respond to allegations of breaches, his spokesperson said.

"He has agreed with Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini that UNRWA, with the Secretary-General’s support, will establish an action plan to implement the recommendations," UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.

"Moving forward, the Secretary-General appeals to all stakeholders to actively support UNRWA, as it is a lifeline for Palestine refugees in the region."

The review, led by former French foreign minister Catherine Colonna, is due to be released later on Monday.

1159 GMT –– Israel to expand 'humanitarian zone' in Gaza ahead of Rafah ground attack

Israel is preparing to expand a “humanitarian zone” for Palestinian civilians ahead of a planned ground offensive in Rafah in southern Gaza, Israeli media said.

According to Israeli Army Radio, the humanitarian zone will extend from the southern town of Al Mawasi along the coastal strip to the outskirts of Deir al Balah in central Gaza. "The humanitarian zone will accommodate around one million people," the broadcaster said.

1126 GMT –– Hezbollah, Israeli army exchange fire near Lebanon border

Hezbollah and the Israeli army exchanged fire across Lebanon in a new round of confrontations.

Hezbollah said in a statement that it targeted Israeli "spy installations" near the border village of Wazzani in the Marjayoun district in southern Lebanon with "appropriate weapons.''

It also targeted Israeli troops' positions near the Hanita site in Israel, opposite the town of Alma al Shaab in Lebanon, with artillery shells, and also hit a gathering of soldiers near the Israeli site of Dahiyra with rockets.

1015 GMT — Pakistan PM Sharif lauds Iran for 'strong stand' on Gaza

Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has lauded Iran for taking a strong stand on the humanitarian situation in Gaza, and called for an immediate cessation of hostilities there.

Addressing a joint press talk alongside visiting Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in Islamabad, Sharif called on Muslim countries to unite and raise their voice for an end to the conflict.

1002 GMT — Israeli army arrests Palestinian for allegedly killing illegal settler in occupied West Bank

The Israeli army has said that it arrested a Palestinian man in the occupied West Bank village of Duma on suspicion of killing a settler whose body was found 10 days ago.

"The General Security Service (Shin Bet), the police, and the army arrested late Monday Ahmed Dawabsha, 21, from the village of Duma," army spokesperson Avic hay Adraee said on X.

He claimed that Dawabsha confessed during initial interrogation that he killed Benjamin Ahimeir from Jerusalem on April 12 near Ma'ale HaShalom area.

0936 GMT — Israeli attacks kill at least 54 more Palestinians in 24 hours

At least 34,151 people have been killed in Gaza from Israeli attacks, according to the enclave's Health Ministry.

The tally includes at least 54 deaths in the past 24 hours, a ministry statement said, adding that 77,084 people have been wounded in Gaza since October 7.

0934 GMT — 25 more Palestinians arrested by Israeli army in occupied West Bank raids

The Israeli army has rounded up 25 more Palestinians in fresh raids across the occupied West Bank late Sunday and early Monday, according to prisoners' rights groups.

Most of the arrests took place in the cities of Nablus, Jenin, Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Hebron and Qalqilya, the Commission of Detainees' Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoners Society s aid in a joint statement.

0902 GMT — Israeli military intelligence chief resigns

The Israeli military has said the head of its intelligence corps has resigned over the failure to prevent Hamas’ unprecedented October 7 attack, which broke through Israel’s vaunted defences.

Aharon Haliva, the head of Israel’s military intelligence, became the first senior Israeli figure to step down on Monday, after the attack, which Israel claims killed 1,200 people, with roughly 250 more taken hostage.

0839 GMT — 'Collective punishment' of Palestinians unacceptable: Ireland

Ireland's foreign minister on Monday called the "collective punishment" of Palestinians by Israel following the Oct. 7 attack "not acceptable," saying Israel's response was not proportionate.

"We believe that the response has been fully disproportionate and has also been, in our view, a breach of humanitarian law in terms of the destruction of Gaza and also in terms of the killing of civilians, innocent men, women and children," Michael Martin said in a doorstep speech ahead of a EU Foreign Ministers Council meeting.

"We believe that cannot be justified," Martin said and added: "The population of Gaza has been collectively punished because of the activities of Hamas, that's not acceptable."

0705 GMT — US military airdrops humanitarian aid into Gaza

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) has said they have airdropped humanitarian aid into northern Gaza to assist civilians affected by Israeli attacks.

Planes dropped approximately 50,688 meals bringing the total volume of assistance dropped by the US to nearly 1,001 tonnes, it wrote on X.

"During today's mission, one bundle landed in the sea. USCENTCOM does not assess civilian harm or damage to infrastructure at this time but continues to monitor the situation," CENTCOM said.

0622 GMT — Several killed in Israeli air strikes on refugee camps

Israeli artillery shelling targeted the eastern part of al Maghazi Refugee Camp and the southeastern area of Khan Younis, Palestine's official news agency Wafa reported.

Civilians were killed and others wounded in an Israeli airstrike targeting al Taqwa Mosque in the al Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza.

Another Israeli air strike targeted the entrance of the al Bureij Refugee Camp and the al Nuseirat Refugee Camp.

Several other Palestinians were injured in an Israeli air strike in the vicinity of al Sawarha cemetery in al Nuseirat Refugee Camp and a house in the al Burouk area in Deir al Balah in central Gaza.

Furthermore, Israeli warplanes hit the al Zaytoun neighbourhood south of Gaza City and the al Mawasi area west of Khan Younis city.

0305 GMT — Blinken, Gallant discuss Israel's war on Gaza over phone call

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has spoken by phone with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant

“The Secretary and the Minister discussed efforts to protect Israel’s security and negotiations to secure the release of hostages, enable an immediate ceasefire, and increase the flow of life-saving humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians in Gaza,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement.

During the call, Blinken “also underscored the importance of measures to de-escalate tensions in the region,” said the statement.

The call came after the Axios news site reported that the US is preparing to impose sanctions on the Israeli military's Netzah Yehuda battalion over human rights violations committed by the combat unit against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

0249 GMT — Doctors Without Borders teams face violence, restrictions on movement in occupied West Bank

The international medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has said that its teams in the occupied West Bank are subjected to violence and restrictions on movement.

“In West Bank, MSF has been seeing increased violence and restrictions on movement, including blockages of ambulances,” it said on X.

“People with life-threatening injuries cannot wait to reach hospitals.

“Attacks against health workers and the disruption of access to healthcare are unacceptable,” it added.

0130 GMT — Israeli strikes on Rafah kill 24 Palestinians, mostly children

The number of Palestinians killed in Israeli air strikes on two homes in the city of Rafah in southern Gaza has risen to 24, including 16 children and six women, medical sources told Anadolu Agency.

The sources said a number of Palestinians had succumbed to injuries they sustained in the Israeli air raids on Saturday evening targeting two houses, one in eastern Rafah and the other in its centre.

They noted that others are still missing under the rubble.

On Saturday evening, the civil defence service in Gaza announced the retrieval of several victims from an Israeli aerial bombardment on a residential building in the eastern part of Rafah.

In a statement, they said their teams had retrieved victims from “the targeting by occupation aircraft of a multi-story residential building belonging to the Abdul-Aal family on George Street in eastern Rafah.”

Their teams "are still attempting to retrieve more fatalities and search for the missing people.”

This comes amid Israeli threats to invade Rafah despite warnings from the international community and the UN against entering the city, which is considered the last refuge for displaced people in Gaza.

0005 GMT — Egypt, UN reiterate necessity of ending Israeli 'violations' against civilians in Gaza

Egypt and the United Nations reiterated the necessity of ending Israeli “violations” against civilians in Gaza, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said Sunday.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry met with the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, in Cairo as part of her tour, which also includes Jordan.

Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ahmed Abu Zeid said that Shoukry and Albanese “reiterate the necessity of ending Israeli violations against civilians in Gaza, sustaining full aid delivery and eliminating violence and attacks by Israeli settlers in West Bank.”

They also stressed “the necessity of stopping Israeli practices aimed at displacing Palestinians from their lands and implementing policies of collective punishment and indiscriminate targeting of civilians.”

Shoukry warned that the current state of affairs “increases the risks of the situation exploding in all of the occupied Palestinian territories.”

2330 GMT — Rockets fired from Iraq at US-led coalition base in Syria

Rockets were fired late Sunday from northern Iraq at a military base in Syria housing a US-led coalition, according to Iraqi security forces.

In response, the Iraqi forces launched a major search operation in northern Nineveh province and found the vehicle used in the attack, they said in a statement.

It is the first major attack against the coalition forces in several weeks.

The group has claimed most of the attacks on US forces carried between mid-October and early February.

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group for Shia militia factions, has said it is acting in solidarity with Palestinians and out of anger at US support for Israel in the Gaza war.

For our live updates from Sunday, April 21, click here.