Live blog: OIC to set up media watchdog to document Israeli crimes in Gaza

Saturday, February 24, 2024

1918 GMT — A media monitoring unit will be established to document and expose Israeli crimes and violations in Gaza, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation's (OIC) secretary-general has announced.

The body will work to ensure accurate information on the "Palestinian crisis" is available to the international community, Hissein Brahim Taha said at the opening speech of a meeting of OIC information ministers in Istanbul.

Stressing the need for Israel's attacks on Gaza to be closely monitored by the news outlets, Taha said the content produced by the media monitoring unit will be accessible from the OIC website.

Israel is trying to hide the truth and the crimes it has committed in the region and to silence journalists, he asserted, adding that Tel Aviv is endeavouring to keep the reality of the situation hidden from the international community.

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1923 GMT — 'Inflammatory, dangerous': EU blasts new Israeli settlement plans in occupied West Bank

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has raised concern over Israel's announced plans to construct 3,300 new housing units in illegal settlements across the occupied West Bank.

"The announcement by Israeli Minister (Bezalel) Smotrich to build 3,300 new units in illegal occupied West Bank settlements is inflammatory and dangerous," he said on X.

"Settlements make Israelis and Palestinians less safe, fuel tensions, obstruct peace efforts, and constitute a grave breach of international law," he added.

1841 GMT — US military shoots down missile launched into Gulf of Aden: CENTCOM

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) has said that the USS Mason (DDG 87) shot down one Anti-Ship Ballistic Missile launched into the Gulf of Aden from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen that was likely targeting a fuel tanker.

Neither the USS Mason nor the US-flagged, owned, and operated tanker MV Torm Thor were damaged and there were no injuries, CENTCOM added in a statement.

1744 GMT — Israeli leaders to discuss Paris talks on Gaza truce: adviser

The Israeli war cabinet will be briefed by negotiators who held mediated talks in Paris on a possible Gaza truce, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's national security adviser has said.

Tzachi Hanegbi told Channel 12 TV that the fact the negotiators believed their Friday meeting with Qatari, Egyptian, and US mediators warranted convening the evening war cabinet session "shows that they did not come back empty-handed".

1647 GMT — Hunger-stricken Palestinians in Gaza brave Israeli fire for bags of flour

The Israeli army has targetted Palestinians gathering to receive aid near Street 17 in the Sheikh Ajleen neighbourhood or Kuwait Roundabout south of Gaza City, resulting in casualties, according to eyewitnesses.

Thousands of Palestinians gathered in Rashid Street to obtain flour after it ran out in the enclave, forcing them to resort to animal fodder to alleviate their hunger amid an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe due to shortages of food, water, and medicine exacerbated by Israeli restrictions, according to the UN.

Palestinians try to protect themselves from Israeli fires either by seeking cover behind barriers or by lying flat on the ground.

1617 GMT — Israeli air strike targets central Rafah home, causing fatalities, injuries: Palestinian authorities

Several Palestinians were killed and others were injured due to Israeli air strikes targeting a house belonging to the “Shahin” family in the centre of Rafah city, southern Gaza, Palestinian authorities have said.

The Palestinian Civil Defence in Gaza said in a statement received by Anadolu that its staffers “managed to retrieve several martyrs and transfer several wounded from the Shahin family's house in the centre of Rafah city as a result of the Israeli targeting.”

An Anadolu correspondent, citing eyewitnesses, reported that the air strike targeting the Shahin family's house in the administrative district of Rafah resulted in extensive destruction in the targeted area, which housed displaced people from various areas in Gaza.

1520 GMT — Gaza rally denounces ongoing Israeli war, starvation practices

Hundreds of Palestinians, including children from northern Gaza, participated in a demonstration, condemning the ongoing Israeli war and the blocking of aid.

The participants in the demonstration, which traversed the streets of Beit Lahia town in northern Gaza, held up banners reading: "Our wounds and illnesses await treatment", "Hunger threatens the children of Gaza," and "Northern Gaza without food and water."

According to an Anadolu correspondent, Palestinians chanted slogans condemning the Israeli war and the policy of starvation in the northern region of the strip.

1500 GMT — Raising awareness on Israel's 'barbarities' one of Türkiye's top duties: Erdogan

Raising awareness of the "barbarities" committed against the people of Gaza and preventing Israeli disinformation are among Türkiye's chief duties, the country's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said.

"Recording and announcing the barbarities against our brothers in Gaza and preventing Israel's disinformation efforts are among our most important duties," Erdogan said in a video message to the Extraordinary Session of the Islamic Conference of Information Ministers, an event in Istanbul involving OIC member and observer countries.

Erdogan said Israel is using all means at its disposal to cover up its "war and crimes against humanity," including through propaganda and by distorting facts.

1338 GMT — Israeli navy targets Palestinian fishing boat off southern Gaza

Israeli naval forces have targeted a Palestinian fishing boat off the coast of southern Gaza, damaging the vessel.

"An Israeli military boat opened heavy fire at a Palestinian fishing boat, while the fisherman tried to avoid the gunfire and quickly rowed his boat out of the sea," an Anadolu correspondent reported on the incident, which occurred off the coast of Gaza City of Khan Younis.

The continued Israeli fire severely damaged the fleeing craft before the fisherman on board could return to shore, the correspondent added.

1312 GMT — Israeli delegation talks of ‘positive atmosphere’ amid returning from Paris talks

Israeli media has said that the Israeli negotiating delegation returned from Paris and spoke of "good negotiations and a positive atmosphere."

“The Israeli delegation participating in the talks to reach a new agreement to release the hostages, which took place in Paris, returned to Israel early in the morning,” the daily Yedio th Ahronoth reported.

It quoted unnamed informed officials saying that the negotiations were “good, and even lasted longer than planned.”

“There is still a way to go," they added.

Meanwhile, the Israeli Channel 13 quoted an Israeli political official as saying: “There is significant progress in the negotiations. This creates the appropriate conditions for an exchange deal.”

“The Israeli delegation reached an agreed upon plan with which negotiations could begin and the list of names could be discussed,” he added.

1302 GMT — Total chaos among Israeli military ranks in Gaza: Former army general

Former Israeli Maj. Gen. Itzhak Brik has revealed the "total chaos" suffered by soldiers in Gaza in terms of the availability of equipment and logistical services needed for war.

Brik, a former military general, told the Israeli daily Maariv about the "total chaos in Israeli army ranks that is not talked about in the media.”

He said, “The equipment, logistics, food, and everything needed to move us forward is not working, because the army has entrusted everything to private companies."

Brik pointed out that he has met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu six times since the start of the war on Gaza on Oct. 7.

“But his staff did not want him (Netanyahu) to hear the truth, so they kept him away from me,” he said, adding: “I told him that the army is not ready to go immediately to war, because there are soldiers who have not trained for five years and there is a shortage of equipment."

1219 GMT — UN, West just watching Israeli crimes in Gaza for 140 days: Erdogan

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has criticised the UN and Western countries for “just watching the humanitarian crimes” committed by Israel in Gaza for the last 140 days.

“So much so that the UN Security Council does not and cannot call for an immediate ceasefire,” Erdogan decried, speaking at a meeting of the Justice and Development (AK) Party in Türkiye’s northwestern province of Sakarya.

“Neither Western powers nor the UN Security Council have made a useful effort to prevent Israeli violence,” he stressed.

1208 GMT — Israeli army arrests 22 more Palestinians in occupied West Bank raids

Israeli forces have detained 22 more Palestinians across the occupied West Bank, according to prisoners’ rights groups.

“The Israeli occupation forces arrested at least 22 citizens from the West Bank, including journalist Sami Al Saei, two children, and former prisoners,” the Commission of Detainees' Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoners Society said in a joint statement.

1156 GMT — War on Gaza inflicts unprecedented levels of destruction: WHO

World Health Organization (WHO) spokesperson Tarik Jasarevic has said the war in Gaza, going on since Oct. 7, has caused unprecedented destruction.

The war in Gaza has resulted in unprecedented levels of destruction, Jasarevic said, stressing that between 70 to 80 percent of civilian infrastructure, including homes, hospitals, schools, water, and sanitation facilities, have been destroyed or severely damaged.

Jasarevic said it will take decades to repair the infrastructure in Gaza, including the health system that is barely surviving.

“Only 13 out of 36 hospitals are partially or minimally functioning in Gaza, the majority of them being located in the south of Gaza,” he further said.

0917 GMT — Israel targets Hezbollah position in Lebanon: army

The Israeli army has said it bombed Hezbollah targets in four different areas in southern Lebanon.

“During the night, warplanes attacked launch positions and infrastructures of the Hezbollah terrorist organization in the Jabal Blat area,” an Israeli army statement said.

It said that an observation post of Hezbollah was attacked in the Ayta ash-Shab area.

The army, it added, also “attacked with artillery the Hanine area and the Marvin area to eliminate threats."

There was no comment from Hezbollah on the Israeli army's statement.

Earlier, Israeli Army Radio said that two missiles were fired from Lebanon and landed in an open area in Adamit, Western Galilee.

No further details were provided.

0852 GMT — Palestinian death toll tops 29,600 as Israel intensifies strikes

At least 92 Palestinians were killed and 123 others were injured over the last 24 hours as Israel continues its onslaught on besieged Gaza, the territory's Health Ministry has said.

“The Israeli occupation committed eight massacres against families in Gaza, leaving 92 martyrs and 123 injured over the past 24 hours,” a ministry statement said.

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

Flouting the International Court of Justice’s provisional ruling, Israel continues its onslaught on Gaza where at least 29,606 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, and 69,737 injured since October 7, according to Palestinian health authorities.

0822 GMT — Brazilian President denounces Israeli onslaughts in Gaza as 'genocide'

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva once again has said that the Israeli military is committing “genocide” in Gaza.

"It is a genocide. Thousands of children are dead and thousands are missing. Soldiers are not dying. Women and children are dying at the hospital," he has said at an event in Rio de Janeiro.

"If that's not genocide, I don't know what genocide is."

The Brazilian president also called for the establishment of a “free and sovereign” Palestinian state.

0624 GMT — Israel kills over 100 Palestinians amid truce talks

More than 100 Palestinians were reportedly killed early Saturday in overnight Israeli strikes across Gaza, while Israel's spy chief was in Paris for talks aimed at "unblocking" progress towards a truce and the return of hostages held by Hamas.

The Paris negotiations follow Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's post-invasion Gaza plan, criticised by the United States and rejected by the Palestinian Authority and Hamas on Friday.

Concerns for civilians deepen as the UN warns of a growing risk of famine, and UNWRA declares early Saturday that Gaza residents are "in extreme peril while the world watches on."

0337 GMT — US downs Houthi drones, strikes anti-ship missiles

American forces shot down three attack drones near commercial ships in the Red Sea and destroyed seven anti-ship cruise missiles positioned on land, the US military has said.

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis have been targeting shipping for months and their attacks have persisted despite repeated American and British strikes aimed at degrading the rebels' ability to threaten a vital global trade route.

Early on Friday, US forces "shot down three Houthi one-way attack (drones) near several commercial ships operating in the Red Sea. There was no damage to any ships," the Central Command (CENTCOM) said on social media.

In a statement later in the day, CENTCOM said US forces destroyed "seven Iranian-backed Houthi mobile anti-ship cruise missiles that were prepared to launch towards the Red Sea."

0320 GMT — Israeli settlements in Palestine violate peace, law: Norway

Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem “constitute a chief obstacle” to any prospect for peace, Norway's delegation at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) has said.

"House evictions, demolitions, force-displacement and settler violence against the Palestinian population are aspects of the Israeli occupation," a director general at the Norwegian Foreign Ministry, Kristian Jervell, said during public hearings about Israel's military activities in Palestine.

He said they are against "fundamental human rights, international humanitarian law, and the right to self-determination of the Palestinian people," and undermine a vision for a two-state solution.

Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory are a transfer that alters the demographic composition, said Jervell.

"The establishment of settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory represents a transfer over decades of parts of the occupying power's own civilian population into the territory it occupies, in breach of article 49/6 of the 4th Geneva Convention," he said.

2210 GMT — Israeli rights group says buffer zone in Gaza 'war crime'

An Israeli rights group has said that the army's buffer zone in Gaza constitutes a "war crime" because it will deprive Palestinians of movement in the area.

"To create the buffer zone, Israel is currently destroying almost everything in the area it has designated for it, including residential buildings, public structures such as schools, medical clinics and mosques, fields, groves and greenhouses," B'Tselem said in a report.

It noted that the planned buffer zone will stretch more than 60 kilometres with a 1-kilometre width, by which "the area will be off limits to Palestinians — even those who lived or cultivated fields in it before the war."

B'Tselem quoted Israeli soldiers who were in Gaza and indicated that "the demolitions are carried out to clear the way for a security zone rather than as a response to intelligence information or findings in the field."

2205 GMT — Israel kills 25 Palestinians in new Gaza massacre

Israel has struck a residential building in the central Gaza town of Deir al-Balah, killing 25 people, including 16 women and children, hospital officials said. At least 50 people were wounded.

Among those living in the building was Mahmoud Zueitar, a Palestinian comedian who is well-known in Gaza for his appearances in TV advertisements.

Throughout the war, Zueitar has posted upbeat and cheerful videos on social media, joking with people about ways they endure bombardment and displacement, praising Palestinian culture and assuring those around him that things will be better one day.

A video posted online showed Zueitar rushing into a Deir al Balah hospital after the strike, carrying his young sister, who was screaming and covered in blood.

"I was always one of the strongest ones refusing to leave Gaza. I always say God, may they not force us out of Gaza, that’s how much I love it and its people," he says in a video later, crying as he cradles the wounded girl on his lap. "But it looks like they want us to leave Gaza."

For our live updates from Friday, February 23, click here.