al jazeeraUS President Joe Biden says it was “looking tough” for a ceasefire agreement in Gaza by the start of Ramadan. He also said he was concerned about violence in East Jerusalem without a ceasefire.
Three more children die of malnutrition and dehydration at Gaza’s al-Shifa hospital, Palestinian officials said, bringing the confirmed toll from starvation to 23.
Five people were killed by airdropped aid boxes because parachutes failed to open, highlighting the problem of getting desperately needed humanitarian relief into Gaza amid Israeli restrictions.
At least 30,878 Palestinians have been killed and 72,402 injured in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7. The death toll in Israel from Hamas’s October 7 attacks stands at 1,139, and dozens continue to be held captive.
It’s just after 07:00am (05:00 GMT) in the occupied Palestinian territories and Israel.
Here are some of the latest developments overnight:
At least 20 people were killed in Israeli air raids on Gaza on Friday, with many more wounded and missing under the rubble, according to the Wafa news agency.
The US military outlined its plans for the floating port in Gaza, saying some 1,000 troops will be deployed to transport and build the pier. It could take up to 60 days to realise the plan, a spokesperson said.
Criticism of the US port plan grew, with Doctors Without Borders describing it as a “glaring distraction” from Israel’s “indiscriminate” and “disproportionate” military assault on the enclave.
The US military denied responsibility for an airdrop of humanitarian aid that reportedly killed at least five people in Gaza.
Japan has reportedly scheduled a UNSC meeting for Monday to discuss theallegations of sexual violence during the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7.
The United States military says it carried out a “self-defense strike” against two anti-ship missiles fired by Houthi rebels in Yemen.
“At approximately 9:50 a.m. (Sanaa time), United States Central Command conducted a self-defense strike against two Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists’ truck-mounted anti-ship missiles in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen,” US Central Command said in a post on X.
“These actions are taken to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for US Navy and merchant vessels,” CENTCOM added.
CENTCOM also said that Houthi rebels launched two missiles at a Singapore-flagged vessel, but the projectiles did not make contact and no damage was reported.
US forces have been carrying out regular strikes against Houthi targets for months amid the rebel group’s attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea.
The US ambassador to Japan has praised Tokyo for exercising “true leadership” at the UN Security Council by scheduling a meeting to discuss allegations of sexual violence during the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7.
“Japan is setting the eyes of the world to see the full horror and depravity of Hamas’ use of sexual violence as a weapon,” Rahm Emanuel said in a post on X.
“We will not turn our back, turn our eyes away, or place our hands over our ears when it comes to the victims’ stories from October 7 and afterward. Japan is exercising true leadership.”
Japan, which currently holds the presidency of the UN Security Council, will chair a meeting on Monday to discuss a report by UN experts that found there are “reasonable grounds to believe” rape and gang rape occurred during the October 7 attack on Israel.
The report, however, did not draw conclusions “on attribution of alleged violations to specific armed groups”.
Hamas has denied that its fighters carried out sexual violence during their incursion into southern Israel.
The Wafa news agency is reporting a fresh wave of attacks by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank overnight, including in the Masafer Yatta area near the city of Hebron and the village of Burqa near the city of Ramallah.
The separate groups of settlers wounded two Palestinians including an elderly man in Masafer Yatta and attempted to set a house on fire in Burqa, Wafa said.
The attacks come as the UN said it had documented a dramatic increase in the intensity, severity and regularity of both Israeli settler and state violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, particularly since the deadly Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7.
UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron has said that a ceasefire in Gaza is possible soon if Hamas will agree to an Israel-backed proposal to pause fighting for 45 days in return for the release of captives.
“Hamas should sign that today. Then we could have that pause for 45 days, or maybe even longer, and use that pause to build momentum for a permanent, sustainable ceasefire without a return to fighting,” Cameron said in an interview with Sky News.
“We all want to see this terrible fighting stop. And that would be the best way to make it happen. But it is for Hamas to make that decision and they should do that today.”
Israeli officials have previously said a ceasefire agreement would only delay their threatened assault on the city of Rafah in southern Gaza, while Hamas has insisted on a permanent ceasefire and the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza as part of any deal.
Mr.BadGuy
Publisher
Mr.BadGuy
Publisher
These soldiers are from a country whose president is a Jew Zelensky. Orthodox churches are also being destroyed in this country. Synagogues are not touched. Surprisingly, it turns out that Jews get along well with the Bandera Nazis.