• It is the 159th day of the war: at least 31,490 people killed” in Gaza and 73,439 wounded since October 7.
• Netanyahu approved the action plan in Rafah. Abu Mazen: «The US must stop him».
• Israeli delegation expected in Doha for negotiations on hostages and truce.
• IDF: «Palestinians opened fire on the crowd waiting for help».
10.47am – NGO: unloading of aid arrived by ship in Gaza completed
The American NGO World Central Kitchen declared that it has completed the unloading operations of the almost 200 tons of food aid for the population of the Gaza Strip, which arrived yesterday by ship from Cyprus at the temporary pier near Gaza City. “All cargo has been unloaded and is being prepared for distribution to Gaza,” Wck wrote in a statement. «This load includes cases of canned goods, including beans, carrots, tuna, chickpeas, corn, rice, flour, oil and salt. A second load will also include cranes to assist distribution,” writes World Central Kitchen, which gives no information on the second load.
10.41 am – Wafa: «At least 80 civilians dead, many women and children»
At least 80 civilians have died, most of them women and children, victims of Israeli air attacks in Gaza in the last few hours: at least according to medical and local sources who spoke to the Palestinian agency Wafa. For its part, the Israeli army claims to have killed around thirty Hamas militiamen in the Strip.
10.29am – Cpj: 95 journalists dead since the war began in Gaza
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CpJ) announced that 95 journalists have died since the war between Israel and Hamas began, including 2 Israelis, 90 Palestinians and 3 Lebanese.
10.28 am – Wafa: «At least 80 civilians dead, many women and children»
At least 80 civilians have died, most of them women and children, victims of Israeli air attacks in Gaza in the last few hours: at least according to medical and local sources who spoke to the Palestinian agency Wafa. For its part, the Israeli army claims to have killed around thirty Hamas militiamen in the Strip.
09.36 am – Unicef: acute malnutrition for 31 percent of children under 2 years
Thirty-one percent of children under 2 in the northern Gaza Strip suffer from acute malnutrition, a staggering increase from 15.6 percent (in January). Malnutrition is spreading rapidly and reaching devastating levels due to the far-reaching impacts of war and ongoing restrictions on the provision of aid. This is what he writes on X Unicef Mena (Middle East and North Africa). According to reports, UNICEF continues, at least 23 children in the northern Gaza Strip have died from malnutrition and dehydration in recent weeks, adding to the growing number of children killed in the Strip during the ongoing conflict – around 13,450 as reported by the Ministry of Palestinian Health.
09.25 am – First shipment of maritime aid unloaded in the Gaza Strip
First shipment of maritime aid unloaded in the Gaza Strip
08.57 am – Israel: «IDF continues operations in central and southern Gaza»
The Israeli army, IDF, is continuing to operate in the center and south of the Strip. The military spokesperson made this known, quoted by the media. In all, “27 Hamas terrorists” were killed in various actions in the last 24 hours both in Nuseirat, in the central part of Gaza and in Khan Yunis in the south, a real Hamas stronghold on the road to Rafah. Hamas weapons depots were also destroyed on site – continued the spokesperson.
08:01 – Al-Arabiya: «There is no breakthrough in the truce negotiations»
The Saudi television network Al-Arabiya reported that “there is still no breakthrough in the negotiations for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of the hostages.” According to the broadcaster, which cites Egyptian sources. «There are obstacles that prevent us from reaching an agreement. Hamas has not said how many abductees are still alive, and Israel will not agree to allow all Palestinians displaced in the southern Gaza Strip to freely return to the north.”
07.55 am – Meeting between Hamas and Houthis to coordinate attacks against Israel
Senior figures from Hamas and Yemen’s Houthi rebels have held a rare meeting to discuss coordinating their actions against Israel. Sources from the Palestinian factions reported this to France Presse. Hamas and the Houthis belong to the “axis of resistance”, a group of movements supported by Iran hostile to Israel and the United States which also includes the Lebanese Hezbollah and Iraqi militias. The Houthis have been attacking Red Sea vessels for months since the war between Israel and Hamas was sparked by the Palestinian terror group’s October 7 attack, saying they are targeting Israel-linked ships in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza .
04:57 – Netanyahu approves plans for Rafah but reopens talks
Israeli officials said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had approved plans for an attack on Rafah, in the southern Strip, where more than a million people displaced from other parts of the territory have sought refuge. The decision was made when a ship towing a barge loaded with food arrived off Gaza on Friday. It was a test for a new sea aid route from Cyprus to the devastated Palestinian territory, where famine looms after a five-month Israeli military campaign. Any attack on Rafah will likely cause civilian casualties and worsen an already acute humanitarian crisis across Gaza. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock tweeted: “A large-scale offensive in #Rafah cannot be justified. Over a million refugees have sought protection there and have nowhere to go. A humanitarian truce is needed immediately so that no more people die and the hostages are finally released.”
Netanyahu made the decision after an Israeli war cabinet meeting to discuss a new Hamas proposal for a ceasefire. As a first step, Hamas has proposed to free Israeli women, children, elderly and sick people it is holding hostage in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. The Islamic militant organization seized around 250 Israeli and foreign hostages when it launched an attack in Israel in October, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians. About half of the hostages were released during a week-long truce in November; Israel believes around 130 prisoners remain in Gaza and 32 are dead. The proposal, which came after talks had been stalled for around 10 days, appears to allow for a definitive end to hostilities to be planned after, rather than before, an initial 40-day ceasefire – a significant concession by Hamas.
Netanyahu’s office described the new demands as “unrealistic” but said an Israeli delegation would leave for Qatar, a key mediator in the negotiations, to discuss Israel’s position on a potential deal. Observers said the new announcement about plans to attack Rafah may have been intended to put pressure on Hamas during the talks. US President Joe Biden has called an attack on Rafah a “red line” if undertaken without sufficient precautions to protect civilians.
04.55 am – Biden defends Schumer after the critical speech against Netanyahu in the Senate: «Serious concerns»
(by Viviana Mazza, our correspondent from New York) The leader of the Democratic majority in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, made a “good speech”, says President Joe Biden, in reference to the New York senator’s speech on Thursday in Senate chamber — highly critical of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“He gave a good speech and I think he expressed serious concerns that are not just his, but those of many Americans,” added President Biden. Israelis know “better than anyone that Israel has no hope of succeeding if it is a pariah opposed by the rest of the world,” said in that speech the first American Jewish leader of the Senate Democrats who has always been a staunch supporter of Israel .
“I believe that holding a new election, once the conflict begins to abate, would give Israelis the opportunity to express their vision of the future after the war,” he added, saying he was convinced of the “immense obligation” to speak precisely in as an American Jew. Schumer represents a state where 20% of American Jews live. “Many Israelis,” he continued, “have lost faith in the direction of their government” and “recognize the need for change.”
The speech was criticized by the Israeli ambassador to Washington, Michael Herzog (“counterproductive”), by Netanyahu’s Likud party (“Israel is not a banana republic”), by Republican leaders in Congress (“Grotesque” said Mitch McConnel , head of the Republican minority in the Senate: “Israel is not our colony”). The outcome of the elections – Schumer underlined – is a decision of the Israelis, not of the Americans; but “the US government should insist that Israel act with an enduring two-state vision,” rather than having to “unequivocally support the actions of an Israeli government that includes fanatics who reject the idea of a Palestinian state,” which means “a future of constant war and isolation for the Israelis.”
The senator listed four obstacles to the two states: the existence of Hamas and the Palestinians who support it; the Israeli right; the “terrible” leadership of the Palestinian Authority; and Netanyahu who “has entered into a coalition with right-wing extremists… and has been too tolerant of the deaths of civilians in Gaza which are pushing support for Israel around the world to historic lows.”
– Chuck Schumer (Afp photo)
04.27am – MO: Biden sees taoiseach Ireland, 2 states as viable
US President Joe Biden and Irish taoiseach Leo Varadkar met to discuss the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. In a statement, the White House said the two leaders “reaffirmed their commitment to Israel’s right to self-defense in line with international law and underlined the urgent need to significantly increase deliveries of life-saving humanitarian assistance.” across Gaza, they discussed the critical need to prevent regional escalation, and underlined their shared view that the two-state solution remains the viable path to lasting peace.”
01.33 am – Meeting between Hamas and Houthis to coordinate attacks against Israel
Senior figures from Hamas and Yemen’s Houthi rebels have held a rare meeting to discuss coordinating their actions against Israel. Sources from the Palestinian factions reported this to France Presse. Hamas and the Houthis belong to the “axis of resistance”, a group of Iranian-backed movements hostile to Israel and the United States that also includes Lebanese Hezbollah and Iraqi militias. The Houthis have been attacking Red Sea shipping for months since the war between Israel and Hamas was sparked by the Palestinian terror group’s October 7 attack, saying they are targeting Israel-linked ships in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza .
According to sources from Hamas and Islamic Jihad, last week the leaders of the two Palestinian Islamic terrorist groups, as well as the Marxist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, held an “important meeting” with representatives of the Houthis. The groups discussed “mechanisms to coordinate their resistance actions” for the “next phase” of the war in Gaza, the sources said without specifying where the meeting took place. Palestinian groups and the Houthis also spoke of a possible Israeli ground attack in Rafah, southern Gaza, said the sources, who requested anonymity. The Houthis have confirmed that they will continue their attacks on ships in the Red Sea to “support the Palestinian resistance”, according to Hamas and Islamic Jihad sources.