Qatar is reassessing its role as a mediator between Israel and Hamas after suffering criticism, its prime minister said on Wednesday. "Qatar is in the process of a complete re-evaluation of its role," Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani told a Doha news conference. This comes as Western powers are seeking to dissuade Israel from escalating regional hostilities in its riposte to the Iranian attack. Read our blog to see how the day's events unfolded.
This blog is no longer being updated. For more coverage of the Israel-Hamas war, please click here.
Summary:
- The EU, the US and the G7 are looking at expanding sanctions against Iran after Tehran's attack on Israel. A two-day EU leaders' summit in Brussels begins on Wednesday, during which the dangerous escalation in the Middle East will loom large on the agenda.
- Iran celebrated the "success" of its weekend drone and missile attack on Israel as it staged an annual military parade on Wednesday.
- Talks on a Gaza ceasefire and a release of hostages are at a "delicate phase", the Qatari prime minister said on Wednesday.
- The UN Security Council is expected to vote Thursday on a Palestinian bid for full UN membership, diplomats told AFP. Earlier, a Security Council committee considering the Palestinian application said it was "unable to make a unanimous recommendation" on the bid.
- At least 33,000 Palestinians have been killed and an estimated 76,575 have been injured in Israel’s military offensive in Gaza, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory. Some 1,170 people were killed in the Hamas-led October 7 attacks that sparked the war and 250 people were taken hostage, according to Israeli figures, with 132 still missing.
Yesterday's key developments:
- Israel said that its strikes in south Lebanon killed two local Hezbollah commanders and another operative, with the Iran-backed group saying three of its members were killed as it launched rockets in retaliation.
- Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz urged countries to place sanctions on Iran's missile programme and proscribe its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organisation.
- Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has warned Israel it will face a "painful response" if it takes the "slightest action" in response to Tehran's weekend attack on Israel.
- US House Speaker Mike Johnson is pushing towards action this week on aid for Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan, unveiling an elaborate plan to break a package into separate votes to squeeze through the House's political divides on foreign policy.
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)
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP & Reuters)
