Israel-Palestine live: Biden urges Egypt, Qatar to press Hamas for hostage deal
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On Monday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau conveyed his apprehensions regarding Israel's intended military operation in Rafah during a conversation with Benny Gantz, a member of Israel's war cabinet, according to a statement from Trudeau's office.
"The Prime Minister shared his concern around Israel's planned offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah and the severe humanitarian implications for all civilians taking refuge in the area," Trudeau's office said in a statement.
"He underscored the need to increase the volume of life-saving humanitarian aid for civilians and to ensure aid reaches all those in need, safely and without delay."
Al Jazeera Arabic correspondent Ismail al-Ghoul and his team were released by Israeli forces after being assaulted and detained for 12 hours in al-Shifa Hospital on Monday.
In tweets from Ghoul, he wrote in Arabic that the occupation bulldozed the journalists’ tent and destroyed their cars during the storming of the Shifa medical complex.
"We were forced to surrender ourselves to the occupation forces, who forced us to completely remove our clothes," he wrote.
"The occupation forces handcuffed us, blindfolded us, and interrogated all the journalists present at the scene," he added, saying that they were kept without clothes for 12 hours, along with being handcuffed and blindfolded.
A multi-faith coalition of 60 of New York City’s religious leaders rallied at Senator Chuck Schumer and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand’s New York City offices to demand a permanent ceasefire in Gaza on Monday.
“We are here today as people of faith grieving the unimaginable devastation and suffering happening in Gaza after five months of relentless, indiscriminate bombing and starvation of an entire population, carried out by the Israeli military and funded by our own government,” Miriam Grossman from Rabbis for Ceasefire said.
During a national day of advocacy titled Christians for a Free Palestine, faith leaders from the Christian community in New York City, along with their Jewish, Muslim, and Buddhist counterparts, submitted letters directed to their federal representatives- including Schumer and Gillibrand; and Representatives Dan Goldman, Jerry Nadler, Yvette Clarke, Grace Meng, and Adriano Espaillat.
Along with calling for a ceasefire, they called for an end to Israel’s blockade on humanitarian aid into Gaza, and the safe return of all hostages.
On Monday, EU foreign ministers unanimously agreed on imposing sanctions against settlers who intimidate Palestinians in the West Bank, Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares told journalists, following his discussions with EU colleagues in Brussels.
"Today, we have approved, unanimously, the sanctions against the violent settlers that harass the Palestinians in the West Bank," he said.
US President Joe Biden had a conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, during which they talked about Rafah and the steps being taken to boost assistance to Gaza, according to a statement from the White House.
"President Biden spoke with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel to discuss the latest developments in Israel and Gaza, including the situation in Rafah and efforts to surge humanitarian assistance to Gaza," the White House said.
In a separate statement, Netanyahu mentioned that during their conversation, they talked about Israel's dedication to achieving its goals for the war, the dismantlement of Hamas, the freeing of all hostages, and ensuring that Gaza could no longer threaten Israel.
This would be done "while providing the necessary humanitarian aid that helps achieve those goals", Netanyahu said in a statement.
This conversation marked the first time Biden and Netanyahu had spoken since 15 February.
Israel has hit out at an International Court of Justice (ICJ) emergency order for it to step up humanitarian aid, branding it "morally repugnant".
In a filing to the world court made public on Monday, Israel said it "has real concern for the humanitarian situation and innocent lives, as demonstrated by the actions it has and is taking".
"Much like South Aftica's application that instituted the present proceedings, they are wholly unfounded in fact and law, morally repugnant, and represent an abuse both of the Genocide Convention and of the Court itself," read the filing.
The Israeli military onslaught on Gaza has killed at least 31,000 Palestinians since 7 October, while the siege it lays on the small enclave has led to mass starvation. Many experts have branded the destruction a genocide.
Following an application from South Africa, the ICJ in January delivered an interim ruling calling on Israel to take measures to prevent acts of genocide in Gaza.
The Israeli military said it killed 20 people it described as "terrorists" during their assault on al-Shifa hospital in Gaza.
“Twenty terrorists have been eliminated at the al-Shifa Hospital thus far in various engagements, and dozens of apprehended suspects are currently in questioning,” the army said.
The military added that it had detained dozens of people and said that it was "continuing to thwart terrorist activity in the Shifa hospital".
Around 30,000 Palestinians are currently under siege at Gaza City’s al-Shifa Hospital, following an overnight raid by the Israeli army on Monday.
The military launched the raid, with tanks advancing towards the hospital as they shelled it, just as Palestinians sheltering in the building were about to have their pre-dawn Ramadan meal before starting the day's fast.
Initial reports said that several people have been killed and wounded in the latest ongoing raid.
At least 80 people have been arrested during the night raid at the site that has been the centre of key events and attacks since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza.
A new report predicting imminent famine in northern Gaza is an "appalling indictment" of conditions in the enclave, the UN secretary general said on Monday.
The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said on Monday that famine is expected in northern Gaza anytime from March.
"This is an entirely manmade disaster - and the report makes clear that it can be halted," Antonio Guterres told reporters at the UN headquarters in New York.
He called on Israel to ensure access to humanitarian goods throughout Gaza.
The arrest on Monday of Al Jazeera Arabic correspondent Ismail al-Ghoul and his team has been condemned by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).
The media monitor warned that the arrest of the staff members in Al-Shifa Hospital was an indication that the treatment of media in Gaza was getting worse.
“Journalists play an essential role in a war. They are the eyes and the ears that we need to document what’s happening and with every journalist killed, with every journalist arrested, our ability to understand what’s happening in Gaza diminishes significantly,” Jodie Ginsberg, chief executive officer of the CPJ, told Al Jazeera.
“This is the worst conflict for journalists that the Committee to Protect Journalists has ever documented, and the situation is simply getting worse”.
The head of the UN Palestinian refugee agency (Unrwa) has been denied entry to Gaza by Israeli authorities.
Philippe Lazzarini was speaking alongside Egyptian foreign minister Sameh Shoukry at a Cairo news conference where said he had intended to go to the southern city of Rafah on Monday "but I have been informed an hour ago that my entry into Rafah is declined".
"You were declined by the Israeli government, refused the entry which is an unprecedented move for (a) representative at this high position," added Shoukry.
According to Reuters, Lazzarini has visited the Gaza Strip four times since Israel began its attack on Gaza on 7 October.
The Palestinian police general killed by Israeli forces on Monday morning was in charge of securing the entry of aid trucks into northern Gaza, according to Al Jazeera.
Citing unnamed sources, the Qatar-based network said Faiq Mabhouh, the director-general of Gaza's police operations, was credited for the recent coordination between local leaders and Unrwa to secure and distribute aid coming from the south.
His efforts resulted in the safe entry of aid trucks for two nights in a row, following weeks of Israeli targeting of convoys and aid seekers.
Over two dozen aid trucks entered Gaza City over the weekend and reached isolated areas in the north for the first time in months.
According to the Israeli military, Mabhouh was killed during an exchange of fire with troops during the ongoing raid on al-Shifa Hospital and west Gaza City.
Since Arab and western countries, including the US, began air dropping aid into Gaza, I have wondered: why are they not using land routes, as thousands of trucks stacked with vital humanitarian supplies sit on the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing?
According to a February report from Al Jazeera, aerial and satellite footage showed more than 2,000 aid trucks waiting to cross at Rafah.
And why are these aid drops coming five months after Israel launched its war on Gaza? While this might seem like a humanitarian effort at first glance, there appear to be ulterior motives at play.
Since the war began last October, international appeals have mounted to bring lifesaving aid to besieged Palestinians in Gaza. But neither these appeals, nor the horrifying video footage that has emerged of starving civilians, has moved neighbouring countries to stop the Israeli atrocities that have killed more than 31,000 people and created conditions of widespread hunger.
Although a trickle of aid is still entering Gaza, it is nowhere near enough. Israel is deliberately depriving Palestinians in Gaza of the basic necessities of life.
The recent wave of air-dropped aid came as a surprise to many, accompanied by loud media fanfare. A number of countries have taken part in aid drops, including Egypt, Jordan, France, the UAE, Qatar, and now the US.
The Biden administration has also announced plans to build a pier on the coast of Gaza to deliver aid via sea - rather ironic, as the Americans simultaneously supply missile systems to Israel. The US is offering humanitarian aid to a population it has helped to devastate. The hypocrisy is breathtaking.
Read more: Air-dropped aid humiliates and endangers Palestinians - the siege must be lifted by Ghada Alhaddad
Al Jazeera Media Network called for the immediate release of journalist Ismail Alghoul who was assaulted and arrested by Israeli forces at al-Shifa Hospital on Monday.
"The targeting [of Alghoul] is an attempt by the occupation army to intimidate journalists to stop them from reporting its crimes against civilians in Gaza," the Qatar-based network said in a statement.
"What Ismail Alghoul endured is part of a systematic targeting of Al Jazeera by the occupation authorities."
The World Health Organization chief said on Monday that hospitals should not be a battleground, as he expressed concern over the situation at al-Shifa hospital, which is under Israeli attack.
"The hospital has only recently restored minimal health services. Any hostilities or militarisation of the facility jeopardise health services, access for ambulances, and delivery of life-saving supplies," Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on social media platform X.
The Israeli military said it killed a Palestinian police general in the Gaza Strip during its ongoing raid on al-Shifa hospital.
Faiq Mabhouh, the director general of operations at Gaza's internal security body, was killed in a fire exchange, the military said in a statement.
Middle East Eye could not independently verify the claim.
