Israel-Palestine live: Israel’s response to South Africa’s genocide case at the ICJ ends

A journalist, identified as Ahmed Badir, has been killed in an Israeli bombing which targeted a house adjacent to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Hospital in Deir al Balah, according to Gaza’s government media office. 

According to the office, Badir worked for the al-Hadaf media network. 

The Palestinian Ministry of Health says that around 113 journalists have been killed by Israeli attacks on Gaza since 7 October. 
 

Egypt and Qatar have been trying separately to mediate between Israel and Gaza to negotiate a new ceasefire and the release of Israeli captives, according to Reuters. 

The resumption in talks comes after an Israeli delegation visited Egypt on Tuesday to discuss the possibility of a long-term ceasefire in return for the freeing of captives held in Gaza, two Egyptian security sources said. 
 

"The gate is closed." This phrase is repeated several times a day among Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, describing their lives under the ongoing Israeli closure of their towns and villages.

Israel has been increasingly installing iron gates at the entrances to Palestinian villages and towns in the West Bank to prevent the movement of residents.

Israel started placing gates at the entrances of towns and villages during the Second Intifada in 2000, but it has doubled down on the practice, seen by Palestinians as collective punishment, especially since 7 October.

After the current war on Gaza started, Palestinians have recorded a huge jump in the number of these gates, with 28 installed in just one day at the entrances to villages close to the city of Ramallah.

The gates enable Israeli soldiers to control their opening and closing according to "security standards", as the military describes it.

Closing the gate may last for many days or even months, severely constricting the movement of Palestinians and forcing them to use alternative, bumpy dirt roads, resulting in hours of driving to arrive at their destinations.

For the full story, click on the link below. 

Read more: Israel cages Palestinian towns in West Bank with iron gates

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the Hague will hold hearings on Thursday and Friday in response to South Africa's accusation of genocide against Israel.

More than 23,000 Palestinians have been killed in the ongoing war on Gaza, including more than 9,000 children.

South Africa wants an emergency order calling on Israel to suspend its military campaign, which it launched after an attack by Hamas-led Palestinian fighters on 7 October, which killed 1,140 people, according to Israeli officials.

The state filed the lawsuit at the end of December, citing statements made by Israeli public officials and the actions of its military.

It is the first time Israel is being tried under the United Nations’ Genocide Convention, which was drawn up after the Second World War in light of the atrocities committed against Jews and other persecuted minorities during the Holocaust.

Here Middle East Eye answers some commonly asked questions about the case.

Read more: What you need to know about South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the ICJ

The Israeli army has targeted a residential building only a few metres away from Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Hospital, killing and wounding at least 40 people, according to Gaza officials. 

The Gaza government media office says the area had been deemed "safe" by the Israeli army.

“This is a continuation of the deception and fabrications by the Israeli occupation army to mislead public opinion,” the media office said.

“We condemn in the strongest terms the ongoing massacres and crimes of the occupation against our Palestinian people, and we call on the whole world to stop the genocidal war waged against civilians,” the office added.

Amid mounting calls for a comprehensive ceasefire in Israel’s onslaught on Gaza, South Africa has invoked the Genocide Convention and lodged a case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the Hague. 

The application, filed last month, delineates the atrocities perpetrated by Israel in Gaza in the wake of the 7 October operation by Hamas.

The application, while acknowledging and unequivocally condemning the actions of Palestinian armed groups on 7 October, emphasises that these acts cannot serve as justification for the crime of genocide. 

The South African document notes that the Genocide Convention states that all parties to the convention have a duty to prevent or punish the crime of genocide, and based on emerging evidence in Gaza, it is South Africa’s view that Israel has contravened the convention both by perpetrating genocide and by not acting to prevent genocide, nor punishing incitement to genocide. 

It argues that Israel’s acts and omissions are genocidal in nature, as it seeks to bring about the destruction of Palestinians as a national, racial or ethnic group. 

Read more: How South Africa's genocide case is challenging the imperial order

Israeli forces raided the West Bank city of Nablus and besieged the Old City, injuring at least 12 Palestinians, Al Jazeera reports.

Former Shin Bet chief Ami Ayalon said in an interview with Haaretz that the release of all Palestinian prisoners, including Palestinian political figure Marwan Barghouti, in exchange for all the hostages held by Hamas may present a proper peace deal.

To Ayalon, the release of all hostages would be the closest thing to a "picture of victory" that Israel could present in its war in Gaza. Additionally, he believes Barghouti is "the only Palestinian leader who can be elected and lead a united and legitimate Palestinian leadership toward a path of mutually agreed separation from Israel."

Ayalon also criticised the Israeli government's policy towards Palestinians, most notably prime minister Netanyahu's policies.

"The misconception was that the Palestinians aren't a people, and if we allow them to have economic prosperity, they'll give up the dream of independence," he said. "In the end, the Palestinians define themselves as a people. They're willing to kill and be killed for their independence, and the terrorists who are killed turn into martyrs in their eyes."

US top diplomat Antony Blinken will make a surprise visit to Bahrain on Wednesday, a State Department official said, the latest leg of a crisis tour of the Middle East. 

After meeting Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah, Blinken will fly to Bahrain, home base of the US Fifth Fleet, for talks with King Hamad on preventing a regional escalation of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

Reporting by AFP

The meeting between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was described as "tense" and involving "quarrels and arguments", according to Sky News Arabia. 

Citing unnamed sources, the TV channel said Palestinian officials asked Blinken to pressure Israel to release Palestinian tax funds.

The officials told Blinken: “If you can't release the funds, how will you be able to put pressure on Israel to achieve peace and a Palestinian state?”

Blinken reportedly renewed his call for reform in the Palestinian Authority and its security services. Palestinians responded by saying: "You should reform yourselves and your policy toward the Palestinian issue."

Yemen's Houthi movement said it targeted a US ship on Wednesday morning as a "primary response" to a previous American attack that killed 10 members of the group. 

Military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said in a brief statement that a US ship "supporting Israel" was targeted with ballistic missiles and drones.

The US said earlier that it came under attack in the Red Sea but no injuries or damage were reported. 

Nearly 90 percent of Arabs view the Hamas-led attack against Israel on 7 October as a "legitimate resistance operation", according to a new poll published by the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies on Wednesday. 

The survey, which also showed a majority support for Hamas, was based on a sample of 8,000 respondents, men and women, from 16 Arab countries. 

Of the 90 percent who viewed the assault as legitimate, 19 percent of respondents said it was somewhat flawed but legitimate, while three percent said it was legitimate but involved heinous or criminal acts. Only five percent viewed it as an illegitimate operation. 

According to the study, Arabic public opinion did not believe the attack was launched to pursue a foreign agenda. 

Nearly 35 percent of respondents said the continued Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories was the most important reason behind the attack. Around 24 percent attributed it to defending Al-Aqsa Mosque against Israeli violations and eight percent attributed it to the ongoing blockade of Gaza.

There was also an "Arab consensus" of 92 percent of respondents expressing solidarity with the Palestinian people, the poll showed. 

A total of 69 percent expressed solidarity with Palestinians and support for Hamas, while 23 percent expressed solidarity with Palestinians but opposed Hamas.

Other findings showed that the majority of respondents expressed psychological stress due to the war, rejected comparisons between Hamas and Islamic State, and viewed the US position negatively. 

Israeli forces have killed at least 147 Palestinians and wounded 243 more across the Gaza Strip over the past 24 hours, the health ministry said on Wednesday. 

This brings the death toll since 7 October to at least 23,357 with 59,410 wounded and more than 7,000 missing who are believed to be dead and buried under rubble. 

Overall, four percent of Gaza's population has been killed, wounded or gone missing in three months of bombardment. 

The majority of victims are children and women, according to health officials.

An Israeli MP from the ruling Likud party criticised US Secretary of State Antony Blinken for rejecting plans promoted by some lawmakers calling for a "voluntary migration" of Palestinians out of Gaza, which many warn is euphemism for forced displacement.

Danny Danon, who previously served as the Israeli ambassador to the UN, said he does not understand why Blinken opposes discussion of the idea, according to Haaretz.  

"I will talk about voluntary immigration, why does the American secretary of state say not to talk about it?" Danon said in a radio interview on Wednesday.

He added that a "thousand Gazans left for Canada" last week and were allowed to receive asylum.

Middle East Eye could not independently verify the veracity of the claim. 

"Relations with the Americans are important, but our interests are different from theirs. Americans want to move on and move forward, we can't talk about moving forward. We need to tell the Americans this is our war and our life, and we will decide," Danon said. 

He also expressed concern over the "very disturbing change of direction" by the Israeli army in Gaza amid reports of switching to so-called lower-intensity operations. 

"We will not overpower the enemy with niceness. We are making a mistake, and we should fix it. The IDF (Israeli army) has the possibility to bring results, but the current method of operation takes us away from our goal. I am shouting from the bottom of my heart, we must not do half a job."

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has arrived in Ramallah to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. 

It's the latest stop by Blinken in a regional tour that included visits to Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar the UAE, Jordan and Israel. 

Meanwhile, a small protest took place in Al-Manara Square to denounce US support for Israel and reject Blinken's visit.