The Israeli military on Saturday said it had arrested hundreds of alleged militants in Gaza over the past week and transferred more than 200 of them to Israel for further interrogation. Also on Saturday, an Israel-affiliated ship off India's west coast was struck by a drone, causing a fire, British maritime security firm Ambrey said. Read our live blog to see how the day's events unfolded. All times are Paris time (GMT+1).
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Summary:
- An Israel-affiliated merchant vessel was struck by an uncrewed aerial vehicle off India's west coast, British maritime security firm Ambrey said on Saturday, in the first such known attack so far away from the Red Sea since the Gaza war.
- Israel continued to strike Gaza Saturday with Hamas authorities reporting heavy shelling in several cities hours after the UN demanded more aid be allowed into the besieged Palestinian enclave.
- After five days of negotiations to avoid a US veto, the UN Security Council adopted a text on Friday calling for the "immediate" delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza. The resolution refrains from calling for a "ceasefire", a condition that is unacceptable to Israel and its ally, the US, but calls instead "to create the conditions for a sustainable cessation of hostilities".
- Israeli officials say 1,139 were killed in the Hamas-led October 7 attacks in southern Israel, among them 695 Israeli civilians, including 36 children. At least 20,258 people have been killed in Israel's ensuing assault on the Gaza Strip, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run enclave.
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Key developments from yesterday:
- The UN Security Council on Friday adopted a resolution calling for speeding up humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip amid reports of widespread hunger but stopped short of calling for a suspension in hostilities.
- The Palestinian representative to the UN called the Security Council resolution demanding more aid deliveries to Gaza "a step in the right direction" on Friday, but reiterated calls for an immediate ceasefire.
- Hamas on Friday said the UN Security Council resolution demanding more aid into the Gaza Strip was "insufficient" while Israel said the UN should focus on the remaining hostages held in the Palestinian enclave.
- Israel's military on Friday ordered residents of Al-Bureij in central Gaza to move south immediately, indicating a new focus of the ground assault that has devastated much of the Strip.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP & Reuters)
Gaza’s health ministry collects data from the enclave’s hospitals and the Palestinian Red Crescent.
The health ministry does not report how Palestinians were killed, whether from Israeli airstrikes and artillery barrages or errant Palestinian rocket fire. It describes all casualties as victims of “Israeli aggression”. The ministry also does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.
Throughout four wars and numerous skirmishes between Israel and Hamas, UN agencies have cited the Hamas-run health ministry’s death tolls in regular reports. The International Committee of the Red Cross and Palestinian Red Crescent also use the numbers.
In the aftermath of war, the UN humanitarian office has published final death tolls based on its own research into medical records. The UN's counts have largely been consistent with the Gaza health ministry’s, with small discrepancies.
For more on the Gaza health ministry’s tolls, click here.
(FRANCE 24 with AP)
