Israel-Palestine live: Netanyahu rejects Hamas ceasefire proposal, vows ‘total victory’
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Saudi Arabia would be willing to accept a "political commitment" from Israel to create a Palestinian state, rather than anything more binding, in a bid to get a defence pact with Washington approved before the US presidential election, three sources told Reuters.
Months of US-led diplomacy to get Saudi Arabia to normalise relations with Israel and recognise the country for the first time were shelved by Riyadh in October in the face of mounting Arab anger over the war in Gaza.
But Saudi Arabia is increasingly keen to shore up its security and ward off threats from rival Iran so the kingdom can forge ahead with its ambitious plan to transform its economy and attract huge foreign investment, two regional sources said.
To create some wiggle room in talks about recognising Israel and to get the US pact back on track, Saudi officials have told their US counterparts that Riyadh would not insist Israel take concrete steps to create a Palestinian state and would instead accept a political commitment to a two-state solution, two senior regional sources told Reuters.
Belgium accused Israel of bombing the offices of the Belgian development agency, Enabel, in Gaza.
Belgium's foreign affairs minister, Hadja Lahbib, announced that she had summoned the Israeli ambassador for clarification on the issue.
The bombing comes only days after Belgium said it would continue funding Unrwa despite unproven allegations that several employees from the agency might have known about the 7 October attacks.
"Targeting civilian buildings is unacceptable," Lahbib said in a post on X.
The Belgian minister of development, Caroline Gennez, also added her voice saying in a post on X that "attacking civilian buildings is and remains totally unacceptable".
Good morning readers of Middle East Eye,
We are on day 119 of the Israeli war on Gaza and the number of Palestinians killed in Gaza since 7 October now stands at 27,019, according to the Palestinian health ministry.
In its latest update the Palestinian Health Ministry has said that at least 66,139 have been wounded in attacks by the Israeli military.
More than 8,000 missing who are believed to be dead and buried under rubble.
Here are the major developments from the last few hours:
- The UN warns that the Nasser and al-Amal hospitals in Khan Younis are suffering from a “serious shortage of oxygen” to treat patients
- Illegal Israeli settlers have tried to set a car on fire on the outskirts of the Palestinian town of al-Sawiya, south of Nablus, in the occupied West Bank
- The attack comes after the US Treasury Department sanctioned four Israeli settlers following an executive order from the Biden administration authorising action against “persons undermining peace, security, and stability” in the occupied West Bank
- The bodies of 12 people have been found under the rubble of a house destroyed “weeks ago” by an Israeli strike in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, according to Palestinian media
Good evening Middle East Eye readers,
At least 27,019 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed by Israeli attacks since 7 October, the Palestinian health ministry said on Thursday. Another 66,139 have been wounded in the besieged enclave, the ministry said.
At least 118 Palestinians were killed in the last 24 hours and 190 were wounded. Over 30,000 Palestinians who have been forcibly displaced now have no food or water in Khan Younis.
The ministry called on the UN and its institutions to intervene urgently to respond to the needs of the displaced people.
In other developments:
- Nine petitioners, among them former Israeli military chiefs Moshe Ya'alon and Dan Halutz, have submitted an appeal to the Israeli Supreme Court calling to declare the country's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu unfit for office.
- David Cameron, the British foreign secretary, arrived in Lebanon's capital Beirut on Thursday, to discuss tensions with Israel along the border.
- Next week, the US Senate is set to vote on a bipartisan bill aimed at enhancing border security, while also offering additional support to Ukraine and Israel.
- US officials engaged in "very frank" discussions with Israeli authorities regarding violence by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank.
- US President Joe Biden issued an executive order on Thursday that imposes targeted sanctions on Israeli settlers who attack Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
- US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said the current situation in the Middle East is dangerous, but that the United States is committed to preventing the escalation into a broader conflict.
- Israeli forces are searching and raiding homes in northern Gaza on foot, MEE's correspondent in Gaza reported on Thursday.
- A group of 100 prominent figures, including political leaders, humanitarians, artists and scholars have called on the EU to do more to uphold international law in Gaza and allow for aid to come into Gaza.
By MEE correspondent in Gaza
Israeli tanks continue to encircle al-Amal Hospital and the Palestinian Red Crescent Society in Khan Younis City, while snipers position themselves on nearby residential buildings.
While a majority of forces left the hospital, many still stayed behind.
According to the Palestinian Red Crescent, Naeem Yusuf Hasan, 49, was killed by an Israeli sniper while attempting to assist a wounded volunteer near the southern gate of the hospital.
"Naeem works as a security guard at al-Amal Hospital. He was assassinated by an Israeli sniper while attempting to assist a hospital volunteer who had been wounded in the street. He went through the southern gate of the hospital to pull him and provide first aid. However, the sniper directly shot him in the chest," said Naseem Yousuf, head of public relations in the Emergency Unit at Nasser Hospital and brother of Naeem.
"The hospital is completely encircled from all sides, with Israeli special forces and snipers positioned on the roofs of nearby buildings. Naeem's colleagues retrieved his body last night after 10 pm, following the withdrawal of tanks that had surrounded the hospital for 12 hours. We are uncertain whether he has been buried or not," he added.
Next week, the US Senate is set to vote on a bipartisan bill aimed at enhancing border security, while also offering additional support to Ukraine and Israel, Chuck Schumer, the leading Democrat in the chamber, announced on Thursday.
"We cannot simply shirk from our responsibilities just because the task is difficult," Schumer said on the Senate floor, adding that the text of the package will be released by Sunday, with the initial vote taking place no later than Wednesday.
For months, Senate negotiators have been discussing the package. Donald Trump, the former president who is eyeing a return to the White House, has called on lawmakers to turn down the deal.
The US Central Command announced in a statement on Thursday that two anti-ship ballistic missiles were fired from areas in Yemen under Houthi control, presumably aimed at the M/V KOI ship in the Red Sea.
"The missiles impacted in the water without hitting the ship," it said, adding there were no injuries and no damage reported to the Liberian-flagged, Bermuda-owned cargo M/V KOI, or the coalition ships in the area.
Yemen's Houthis said their naval forces targeted a "British merchant vessel" in the Red Sea, part of the group's campaign to disrupt vital shipping lanes to protest against Israel's bombardment of Gaza.
US officials engaged in "very frank" discussions with Israeli authorities regarding violence by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Thursday.
His comments came after Washington sanctioned four individuals it accused of participating in the violence.
During a press conference, Miller mentioned that the US had raised specific cases and requested Israel to take measures against individuals.
A Qatari official told Reuters on Thursday that Hamas has favourably received a truce proposal, which includes a ceasefire and the release of hostages in the Gaza Strip, but has yet to give a response.
"There is no deal yet. Hamas has received the proposal positively but we are waiting for their response," the official said.
A Hamas official told Reuters that they received the proposal but, "We haven't given response to any of the parties. It is still being studied."
"We cannot say the current state of negotiation is at zero, and at the same time we cannot say that we have reached an agreement," the official told Reuters.
Israel characterised most West Bank settlers as “law-abiding” and stated it deals with those who are not, indicating displeasure on Thursday as Washington issued sanctions on settlers alleged to have assaulted Palestinians.
“Israel takes action against all law-breakers everywhere, and therefore there is no need for unusual measures on the issue,” a statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said.
Israeli settlements are illegal under international law.
This comes after US President Joe Biden issued an executive order targeting Israeli settlers who engage in violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
US President Joe Biden issued an executive order on Thursday that imposes targeted sanctions on Israeli settlers who attack Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
Based on the order, the administration will also specifically sanction four Israeli settlers who engaged in violent activity against Palestinians, including an incident where settlers set fire to cars in an attack that killed one Palestinian civilian.
In a press call with reporters on Thursday, a senior US official said the move is being taken to curb the surge in violence in the occupied West Bank since the war in Gaza began on 7 October.
"All property and interest in property in the United States of those individuals will be blocked," one US official said during the call.
The official added that the executive order will also bar Americans from "making any contribution or provision of funds" to the sanctioned individuals.
On Thursday, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said the current situation in the Middle East is dangerous, but that the United States is committed to preventing the escalation into a broader conflict.
Austin emphasised the US would implement a multi-layered approach in response to the fatal assault in Jordan, which resulted in the death of US soldiers.
The fate of a Palestinian girl trapped in a car in Gaza with her dead family remains unknown, days after the Red Crescent dispatched an ambulance to the area.
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society released an audio recording of six-year-old Hind Rajab's three-hour phone conversation with desperate dispatchers on Monday as they waited for fighting in the area to calm before sending help.
"Hind kept asking us to come and get her, to send someone to get her. She said it was getting dark," dispatcher Rana al-Faqeh told Reuters.
Although the Red Crescent decided it was safe enough to send an ambulance four hours after the call began, they soon lost contact and have had no further contact with either its two crew members or Rajab.
The first to speak with the Red Crescent was Rajab's 15-year-old relative Layan Hamadeh, trapped in the same vehicle near a petrol station in Gaza City as Israeli tanks and troops approached.
"They are shooting at us. The tank is next to me," Hamadeh could be heard saying on another audio recording released by the Red Crescent, followed by yelling amid the rattle of a burst of gunfire.
The Israeli army arrested and imprisoned an 82-year-old Palestinian woman in Gaza under a law aimed at detaining unlawful combatants, Haaretz reported.
According to the report, Fahamiya Khalidi, who suffers from Alzheimer's, was sheltering at a school in Gaza after she was forcibly displaced due to the ongoing conflict.
In December, she was arrested and imprisoned under the Incarceration of Unlawful Combatants Law, and taken to Israel’s Damon Prison. She was released on 19 January.
Khalidi’s caregiver, who had to stay with her at all times because her children live abroad, was also arrested and remains in custody.
Many of the details regarding Khalidi’s arrest and detention remain unknown, because she had a difficult time reconstructing and recalling what has happened to her since her release.
Reports state that Khalidi was sometimes held in handcuffs, and was in a wheelchair due to the difficulty she faced walking.
She was not the only elderly and disabled person held in Israeli custody, Haaretz reported, citing various other reports.
Click on the link below to read the full story.
Read more: Israel imprisoned 82-year-old Palestinian woman as 'unlawful combatant'
David Cameron, the British foreign secretary, arrived in Lebanon's capital Beirut on Thursday, to discuss tensions with Israel along the border.
He met with Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati, and spoke about the clashes between Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah, which have been ongoing since the start of the war on Gaza on 7 October.
Mikati discussed with Cameron "ways to implement UN Resolution 1701", his office said. The UN Security Council passed the resolution to end the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah War. It called for Israel's withdrawal from Lebanon and the disarmament of armed groups, including Hezbollah.
"Lebanon supports a peaceful solution in the region," Mikati said, adding: "Lebanon supports the implementation of international resolutions to the letter, especially Resolution 1701."
