Israel-Palestine live: Netanyahu rejects Hamas ceasefire proposal, vows ‘total victory’

Uganda's government has said that an opinion written by a Ugandan judge at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) dissenting from the panel's ruling in South Africa's genocide case against Israel does not reflect its own position.

Julia Sebutinde was the only judge on the 17-member panel who voted against all six measures adopted by the court, which included ordering Israel to take steps to prevent genocide and allow humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip.

"The position taken by Judge Sebutinde is her own individual and independent opinion, and does not in any way reflect the position of the government of the republic of Uganda," the government said in a statement.

Kampala added that it supported the position of the Non-Aligned Movement on the war, which was adopted during a summit in the Ugandan capital.

The Non-Aligned Movement this month condemned Israel's military campaign and its killing of civilians, and called for an immediate ceasefire and unimpeded humanitarian aid access.

Sebutinde was one of only two judges to issue dissenting judgements at The Hague earlier this week, while 15 others voted to adopt most of South Africa's interim demands. The other dissenting voice was Israeli judge Aharon Barak. 

The number of Palestinians killed by Israeli strikes in Gaza since 7 October has climbed to 26,422, the Palestinian health ministry announced on Sunday.

At least 65,087 others have been injured in that time. 

Over the past 24 hours, 165 Palestinians were killed and 290 injured in the besieged enclave, the ministry added.

Hello MEE readers, 

The number of Palestinians killed in Gaza since 7 October now stands at 26,257, according to the Palestinian health ministry.

At least 64,797 others have been wounded, the ministry added.

Meanwhile, nine countries have now suspended funding for the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (Unrwa). 

The development came after Israel alleged that 12 out of the 30,000 employees at Unrwa were involved in the Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel on 7 October.

The US announced on Friday that it would pause funding to the agency until the allegations were addressed and since then, Australia, Germany, Canada, Italy, Finland, the UK, and the Netherlands have also announced they would halt Unrwa funding.

Today, Philippe Lazzarini, commissioner-general of Unrwa, said that the countries' decisions to suspend funding were shocking, and urged them to reverse course.

"These decisions threaten our ongoing humanitarian work across the region including and especially in the Gaza Strip," Lazzarini said in a statement.

"Palestinians in Gaza did not need this additional collective punishment," he continued on X. "This stains all of us."

Other updates from Saturday include: 

• Gaza’s Government Media Office confirmed that Israeli forces killed journalist Iyad Ahmed al-Rawag in an attack on the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza
• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on Qatar to apply leverage on Hamas in order to bring about the release of the Israelis being held captive in Gaza. 
• Former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert criticised ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir in an interview on Saturday with Israel's Channel 12 News, calling Ben-Gvir “an enemy of the state”. 
• A federal judge in Oakland, California is studying testimony heard in a lawsuit against US President Joe Biden, who is being sued by a group of American Palestinians and aid groups accusing him of failing to prevent genocide in the Gaza Strip.
• Demonstrators carried posters of Israelis held captive in Gaza and banners calling to "bring them home" near Netanyahu's private residence in the upscale coastal town of Caesarea

Demonstrators carried posters of Israelis held captive in Gaza and banners calling to "bring them home" near Netanyahu's private residence in the upscale coastal town of Caesarea on Saturday night.

"There needs to be a change... in order to get a deal done that brings the hostages out," said Ruby Chen, whose son Itay is held in Gaza.

A separate, smaller rally in Tel Aviv called to "end the war", with protesters carrying signs that read: "We've got blood on our hands."

 Philippe Lazzarini, head of Unrwa, said that nine countries' decisions to suspend funding over allegations staff were involved in the 7 October attacks on Israel was shocking, and urged them to reverse course.

"These decisions threaten our ongoing humanitarian work across the region including and especially in the Gaza Strip," Lazzarini said in a statement.

"Palestinians in Gaza did not need this additional collective punishment," he continued on X. "This stains all of us."

Read More: Palestinian officials denounce US and UK decision to pause Unrwa funding

Israeli forces killed journalist Iyad Ahmed al-Rawag in an attack on the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, a statement from the Government Media Office confirmed. 

Rawag was a broadcaster and programme presenter on Sawt Al-Aqsa Radio. 

"The number of journalist martyrs has risen to (120 journalists) since the start of the genocidal war on the Gaza Strip," the office said in a statement.

Unverified reports of Rawag's death have circulated on social media since Friday.

Translation: My brother and colleague, journalist Iyad Ahmed al-Rawag, a correspondent and presenter on Al-Aqsa Radio, was martyred after the occupation bombed his house in the Nuseirat camp in the middle of Gaza ...

May God have mercy on you, Iyad

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on Qatar to apply leverage on Hamas in order to bring about the release of the Israelis being held captive in Gaza. 

"Qatar hosts the leaders of Hamas. It also funds Hamas. It has leverage over Hamas," Netanyahu said in a televised news conference. "So they should be so good as to apply their pressure. They positioned themselves as mediators - so please go right ahead, let them be so good as to bring back our hostages."

Qatar and Egypt have open channels to Israel and Hamas, and brokered a November truce in which Hamas freed some of the 253 people it seized on 7 October. In return, Israel approved increased aid for the devastated enclave and released scores of Palestinians it had been holding prisoner. 

Efforts to get a follow-up deal to return at least some of the 132 Israelis being held in Gaza appear to be flagging, and protests in Israel demanding that the government do more are spreading.

There was no immediate Qatari response to Netanyahu's comments. 

Former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert criticised ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir in an interview on Saturday with Israel's Channel 12 News. 

"Ben-Gvir is an enemy of the state," Olmert said. "He and Smotrich want to exterminate the Palestinians in Israel."

A federal judge in Oakland, California is studying testimony heard in a lawsuit against US President Joe Biden, who is being sued by a group of American Palestinians and aid groups accusing him of failing to prevent genocide in the Gaza Strip.

The lawsuit, which claims that Biden failed to fulfil his obligations to international and federal law, was originally filed by several plaintiffs as a last-ditch attempt to stop the deaths of their family members in Gaza.

Despite multiple attempts by the Biden administration to dismiss the case, US District Judge Jeffrey S White allowed for a live hearing.

"In 27 years this is the most difficult case to have come before this court in terms of facts and law," he said.

'This is the most difficult judicial decision in my life'

- Jeffrey S White, US District Judge

"Testimonies we heard were horrifying and gut-wrenching," he continued.

"To the [Palestinian] witnesses we heard today... I say you have been seen and heard… I will study your testimonies and the law and fulfill my constitutional obligation… this is the most difficult judicial decision in my life and I will take it with the utmost seriousness."

Read More: US judge deliberates suit accusing Biden of failing to stop genocide

The Netherlands has announced that it will also pause its funding to Unrwa, joining six others amid investigations into the UN body. 

Dutch News reported that a spokesperson for aid minister Geoffrey van Leeuwen confirmed the decision.

On Friday, Van Leeuwen said Holland would "closely follow and weigh the outcome of the investigation when considering future Dutch financial contributions to Unrwa".

Geert Wilders, a Dutch conservative-liberal politician, posted to X against ever restoring funds, saying: "No more money to UNRWA. Never again."

Unrwa was established in 1949 - a year after the Nakba (or catastrophe) in which 750,000 Palestinians were forced from their homes during the creation of Israel - to provide healthcare, education and humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza, the occupied West Bank, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon. 

The agency has 30,000 employees in total, 13,000 of whom are in the Gaza Strip. 

In the besieged enclave, it runs 183 schools, 22 health facilities and seven women's centres, among several other facilities. 

Its schools are attended by 286,645 students in Gaza, while its medical facilities have 3.4 million average visits per year, according to UN data.

At least 136 of the agency's 13,000 staff members in Gaza have been killed by Israeli attacks since the war broke out on 7 October. 

Its schools, facilities and shelters have been repeatedly targeted by Israeli bombardment, with scores of displaced Palestinian civilians killed while taking refuge in Unrwa facilities. 

Read More: Palestinian officials denounce US and UK decision to pause Unrwa funding

Norway and Ireland have confirmed that they will not follow several other countries in cutting funding to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (Unrwa). 

The US, UK, Finland, Italy, Canada and Australia suspended financing after Israel alleged that 12 of the agency's 13,000 employees were involved in Hamas's attack on southern Israel on 7 October. 

Unrwa said it had severed ties with a number of employees and launched an investigation into the matter.

"The situation for the population in Gaza is catastrophic, and Unrwa is the most important humanitarian organisation there," said Norwegian foreign minister  Espen Barth Eide, adding that Oslo supported the agency's investigation. 

Irish Foreign Affairs Minister Micheal Martin said he had full confidence in Unrwa's decision to suspend suspected staff members and launch a probe. 

"Unrwa's 13,000 employees provide life saving assistance to 2.3m people and at incredible personal cost - with over 100 staff killed in last 4 months. [Ireland] provided Unrwa €18m in 2023 and will continue our support in 2024," Martin wrote on X. 

Britain has said it is "temporarily pausing" future funding for the United Nations' agency for Palestinian refugees (Unrwa) in Gaza, while it reviews "concerning allegations" that Unrwa staff members were involved in Hamas' attacks on southern Israel.

"The UK is appalled by allegations that Unrwa staff were involved in the 7 October attack against Israel, a heinous act of terrorism that the UK Government has repeatedly condemned," the Foreign Office said in a statement on Saturday.

The decision comes after the US, Australia, Canada, Italy and Finland suspended their financing of Unrwa.