Israel-Palestine live: Biden urges Egypt, Qatar to press Hamas for hostage deal

An Israeli source told the Times of Israel that 28 Israeli embassies across the world will be closed today amid fears of an Iranian reprisal attack following the deadly Israeli strike on the country's consulate in Damascus, Syria earlier this week.

The move also comes as protests are planned across the world on the occasion of Quds (Jerusalem) Day, which has been marked on the last Friday of Ramadan every year since the 1979 Islamic Revolution of Iran.

Six months on, the entire edifice that allowed Israeli forces to kill more than 33,000 Palestinians and wound another 75,000, displace a population of over 2.3 million and then starve them, demolish the north of Gaza, dismantle the health service and signal that it would do the same in Rafah for the next six months, is tumbling down.

Political leaders who framed this carnage as Israel’s right to defend itself, journalists who peddled fictional horror stories about beheaded babies and mass rape on 7 October, and editors who day in, day out ignored stories about aid convoys being targeted by Israeli forces are rushing for cover.

All the arguments they used to maintain this slaughter are crumbling in their hands - that this is a just war, that Israel must be allowed to finish the job, that the action taken is proportionate, that the legal process in the International Court of Justice hinders peace talks and can be ignored, that the UK and US can simultaneously admonish Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and continue to arm him.

The dam has burst. The Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron can no longer play cat and mouse with Foreign Affairs Select Committee chair Alicia Kearns, who revealed a few days ago that government lawyers knew that Israel had breached international humanitarian law.

More than 600 prominent lawyers, academics and former judges, including former Supreme Court president Lady Hale and two other former justices in the court, signed a letter warning the UK government that it was breaching international law by continuing to arm Israel.

Opinion by David Hearst.

READ MORE: For the defenders of Israel's war on Gaza, the game is up

The UN Human Rights Council has adopted a resolution calling for Israel to be held accountable for possible war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during its war on the Gaza Strip.

The resolution also called for a halt of arms sales to Israel, warning of the risk of genocide during the war.

The resolution, adopted with 28 countries voting in favour, 13 abstaining and six voting against, marks the first time the UN body has taken a position on the war.

One Palestinian was shot and killed by Israeli forces during their raid on the Nur Shams refugee camp near Tulkarem, in the occupied West Bank.

Israeli police say the man, 31-year-old Saed Abu Alawi, was "hurling an explosive device at troops" while Al Jazeera reports that he was filming the raid before an Israeli sniper shot him in the chin and neck.

At least 457 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank since 7 October. Abu Alawi was reportedly married and expecting his second child.

The UN's Palestinian refugee agency, Unrwa, has said that 62 percent of all homes in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed.

"Over 75 percent of the population have been displaced - the majority multiple times. When will it end?" the agency asked on X.

Israeli police forces arrested eight worshippers in Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque, suspecting them of screaming chants inciting and supporting terrorism during the final Friday of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Four of those arrested are from East Jerusalem, while the other four are from northern Israel.

Good morning Middle East Eye readers,

Here are the latest updates:

• Following US pressure to get more aid into Gaza, Israel agreed to reopen the Erez crossing which should facilitate delivering aid to northern Gaza
• Far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir slammed the moves to allow more aid into the enclave, saying the government did not vote on the matter
• CIA Director Bill Burns and head of Mossad David Barnea are expected to head to Cairo as Biden pressured Israeli Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu to reach a ceasefire deal "without delay"
• Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong called the Israeli prime minister's remarks on the killing of aid workers in Gaza, which included an Australian citizen, "deeply insensitive"

Good evening Middle East Eye readers,

Gaza's health ministry said that 62 people have been killed by Israel in Gaza over the last 24 hours, bringing the total to 33,037 Palestinians killed in the enclave since 7 October.

Another 92 people have been wounded, bringing the total to 75,668 since the start of the war.

President Joe Biden demanded an immediate ceasefire in Gaza during a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday, the White House announced.

In other developments:

• World Central Kitchen called for an "independent, third party investigation" into the Israel strikes that killed seven of the organisation's aid workers in Gaza on 1 April.
• Egypt had presented a proposal for a ceasefire, but it contained nothing new, a senior Hamas leader said on Thursday.
• Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said to Al Jazeera TV on Thursday that the European Union ought to consider whether its strategic partnership with Israel should persist if the EU determines that Israel has violated humanitarian law in its war in Gaza.
• More than 135 people formed a blockade at every entrance of Lockheed Martin's research campus in Sunnyvale, California, on Thursday to demonstrate against the military contractor's involvement in the war in Gaza.
• McDonald's Corp has decided to purchase its Israeli branches from Alonyal Ltd, taking direct control of the operations several months after the franchise became a focal issue during the early stages of the war in Gaza.
• Civil servants in the UK in charge of arms exports to Israel have called to "cease work immediately" amid concerns of potential complicity in war crimes committed in Gaza.

About 424 air strikes conducted by the US and Britain in Yemen have resulted in 37 deaths and 30 injuries, Abdul Malik al-Houthi, the leader of Yemen's Houthi movement, said on Thursday.

In a televised speech, al-Houthi said that 90 vessels in the Red Sea were attacked, and there was a surge and spread of drone strikes into new areas.

He said 34 attacks had been launched in a month, using 125 ballistic missiles and drones.

Since November, the Houthis have launched attacks on international maritime traffic in the Red Sea in what they say is in support of the Palestinians amid the war in Gaza. This has led to retaliatory strikes by the US and Britain starting in February.

Civil servants in the UK in charge of arms exports to Israel have called to "cease work immediately" amid concerns of potential complicity in war crimes committed in Gaza.

The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS), representing government workers, has urgently sought a meeting with the Department for Business and Trade to address "the legal jeopardy faced by civil servants who are continuing to work on this policy", Sky News reported.

"Given the implications for our members we believe there are ample grounds to immediately suspend all such work," the letter sent on Wednesday said.

"We therefore request that you meet with us urgently to discuss this matter and cease work immediately."

According to Sky News, PCS is contemplating taking legal measures against the government.

"As it does not appear to be willing to do so, we are seriously considering taking legal action to prevent our members from being forced to carry out unlawful acts. We do not take such cases lightly and we only do so where we have reasonable prospect of winning," Paul O'Connor, head of bargaining at PCS, said.

McDonald's Corp has decided to purchase its Israeli branches from Alonyal Ltd, taking direct control of the operations several months after the franchise became a focal issue during the early stages of the war in Gaza, Bloomberg reported.

“McDonald’s remains committed to the Israeli market and to ensuring a positive employee and customer experience in the market going forward,” said Jo Sempels, who leads the McDonald’s segment that oversees international markets with licensed restaurants.

According to Calcalist, an Israeli financial news website, the chain intends to search for a new franchisee for its Israeli operations a few months after finalising the acquisition. McDonald's announced that the deal with Alonyal hinges on specific prerequisites, expecting the transaction to conclude in the next few months.

Over 30 years ago, Alonyal introduced the McDonald's brand to Israel, expanding the business to include 225 locations and over 5,000 staff members, Bloomberg reported.

Following the attacks on 7 October, the franchise faced backlash when images and videos on Instagram revealed its Israeli stores providing meals to soldiers. This prompted franchise operators in Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, and Pakistan to publicly criticise the actions.

In a statement a few days later, Chris Kempczinski, the CEO of McDonald’s, said that the company “firmly condemns violence and hate speech” and feels “deeply disturbed by the acts of antisemitism and Islamophobia," Bloomberg reported.

More than 135 people formed a blockade at every entrance of Lockheed Martin's research campus in Sunnyvale, California, on Thursday to demonstrate against the military contractor's involvement in the war in Gaza.

"We have gathered here to disrupt Lockheed Martin's operations and demand that the US stop all arms sales to Israel," Maramiya Yensoon, an activist, said.

"We urge Congress and Biden to push for a permanent ceasefire, and fellow communities to take up calls for ceasefire themselves until Biden acts."

Lockheed Martin, the leading global arms producer, provides Israel with F-16 and F-35 fighter jets, Hellfire missiles, along with various weapons and surveillance technologies employed in its current air and ground operations in Gaza.

A Lockheed Martin employee also allegedly drove his car through a line of activists and nearly ran over a group of protestors lying down for a die-in before threatening to kill someone, a video on X shows.

This morning a @LockheedMartin employee drove his car through a line of anti-genocide activists and nearly ran over a group of protestors lying down for a die-in before threatening to kill someone. This is the type of people who work at companies like Lockheed that arm Israel. pic.twitter.com/4aRT2bUpz4

— Ariel Koren (@ariel_koko) April 4, 2024

On Thursday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on Israel to prioritise human life above all and to enhance aid delivery to Gaza.

He emphasised that this week's "horrific attack" on World Central Kitchen workers in Gaza needs to be the final occurrence of its kind.

"Right now, there is no higher priority in Gaza than protecting civilians, surging humanitarian assistance, and ensuring the security of those who provide it. Israel must meet this moment," Blinken told reporters at a news conference in Brussels.

President Joe Biden demanded an immediate ceasefire in Gaza during a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday, the White House announced.

Biden "underscored that an immediate ceasefire is essential to stabilise and improve the humanitarian situation and protect innocent civilians, and he urged the prime minister to empower his negotiators to conclude a deal without delay to bring the hostages home," the statement said.

This call comes in the wake of the deaths of seven aid workers in Gaza, which sparked widespread international condemnation of Israel's actions in the war in Gaza.

Biden urged Netanyahu to "announce and implement a series of specific, concrete and measurable steps to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering and the safety of aid workers", a White House statement said.

Biden "made clear that US policy with respect to Gaza will be determined by our assessment of Israel's immediate action on these steps", it said.

According to the White House, Biden also told Netanyahu that the strikes on humanitarian workers as well as the humanitarian situation in Gaza, where the United Nations has warned of famine, "are unacceptable".

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that because of Iran's longstanding actions against Israel, Israel has been responding to Iran both defensively and offensively.

"For years Iran has been working against us directly and through its proxies, and therefore Israel is working against Iran and its proxies, both defensively and offensively," Netanyahu said at the start of a cabinet meeting.

"We will know how to defend ourselves and we will act according to the simple principle that whoever hurts us or plans to hurt us, we will hurt them," he said.