KEY POINTS
- Hezbollah drones launched from Lebanese territory reach Israeli beaches
- Iran's Ayatollah Ali Khamenei blasts "purpose" of new US sanctions
- United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations reports "attack" incident off Djibouti
The war in Gaza has passed 200 days, but tensions across the Middle East are still high amid escalating fire exchanges in the Israel-Lebanon border and attacks toward American bases in Syria from Iraq.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Wednesday announced that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has eliminated half of Hezbollah's southern Lebanon brigade commanders, adding that the remaining commanders have gone into hiding.
- IDF says it attacked 40 Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon
- Pelosi slams Netanyahu's Gaza offensive policies, calls for his resignation
- Anti-tank missiles from Lebanon damage 2 homes in northern Israel, causes fire
- IDF footage shows large, successive blasts in its strikes targeting Hezbollah posts in Ayta ash-Shab
- Yahya Sinwar was recently aboveground, held inspections and spoke with Hamas fighters: Report
- Israeli army spokesperson denies claims IDF buried bodies at Nasser Hospital
- Israel prepares tens of thousands of tents ahead of Rafah evacuation: Report
- Hamas publishes video of American-Israeli hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin
- Germany signals it will resume UNRWA donations after independent report
The European Union on Wednesday called for an independent investigation into reports that mass graves were unearthed at Gaza hospitals that were previously raided by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
Kuwait and Jordan said in a joint statement that Middle Eastern nations should avoid military escalation. They also emphasized the need for a United Nations Security Council resolution that calls for an immediate ceasefire in the devastated Gaza Strip.
The situation in the Israeli-Lebanese border has become troublesome in recent days as Iran-backed Hezbollah continues to attack IDF bases. The Israeli army has been responding in kind, and on Wednesday reportedly launched over a dozen strikes in southern Lebanon.
Talks for a truce plan in Gaza have stalled following escalated tensions between Iran and Israel earlier this month, but a senior Hamas source on Wednesday denied reports that the Palestinian terror group only had fewer than 20 hostages to release in the first phase of a temporary ceasefire.
Hostilities in Gaza were triggered by Hamas' Oct. 7 massacre in Israel, but fighting in the Israel-Palestine conflict has been ongoing for decades. Multiple global leaders, including U.S. President Joe Biden, have floated a two-state solution to hopefully put an end to the conflict.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, however, has repeatedly rejected a unilateral recognition of Palestinian statehood despite increasing international pressure.
The live update has ended.
Germany signals it will resume UNRWA funding
Germany on Wednesday signaled it will resume funding for the UN's aid agency for Palestinians (UNRWA) after it suspended donations to the agency earlier this year.
The European nation was just one of many countries that halted funding to UNRWA after an Israeli exposé that accused 12 UNRWA staffers of being involved in Hamas' Oct. 7 massacre in Israel.
An independent body that reviewed the agency said in a report published Tuesday it did find "neutrality-related issues" in UNRWA's system but Israel has not yet provided proof of terrorism among the personnel.
Hamas publishes sign of life of hostage whose mother was listed on TIME's 100
Hamas has published a propaganda video of American-Israeli Hersh Goldberg-Polin, whose mother, Rachel Goldberg-Polin was recently recognized as one of the TIME Magazine's 100 most influential people list.
In the video, the hostage's left arm is amputated and puts on a brave face as he accused the Netanyahu government of "neglecting" the remaining hostages in captivity in Gaza. He said the remaining abductees were in an "underground hell" without food, water, and treatment.
Hersh Goldberg-Polin, 23. He is an American-Israeli dual citizen. Seen here before his kidnapping and in a recently released hostage video, his arm blown off. It’s been 200 days in hell. There are 133 of him. Bring them home 🇺🇸 🇮🇱 pic.twitter.com/W2dsCBvDRU
— Yael Bar tur 🎗️ (@yaelbt) April 24, 2024
Israel procured thousands of tents for Palestinian civilians amid looming Rafah raid: Report
Israel has obtained tens of thousands of tents for Palestinian civilians that it plans to evacuate from Rafah in the coming weeks ahead of a ground incursion of the overcrowded southern Gaza city where over a million Palestinians are sheltering, Reuters reported Wednesday, citing Israeli sources.
The latest development comes amid continuing pressure from Israeli allies to ensure that Gazan civilians are protected before it raids Rafah.
IDF denies 'completely false' claims about Israeli army burying bodies in hospitals
Lt. Col. Avichay Adraee, the IDF's spokesperson for Arab media, on Wednesday said reports that the Israeli army buried the bodies of Palestinians were "completely false."
He said the bodies were buried by Palestinians at the Nasser Hospitals and they were exhumed to locate kidnapped and missing Israelis. The bodies of those who weren't abducted or missing were "returned to their place in an orderly and decent manner," he added.
Sinwar was recently aboveground: Hamas source
Hamas' most senior official in the Gaza Strip, Yahya Sinwar, left the Palestinian terror group's tunnels and recently "inspected areas" in the enclave, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported Wednesday, citing a senior Hamas source.
The source added that Sinwar also spoke with Hamas fighters aboveground, further reiterating that the senior Hamas official was "not isolated from reality" and Netanyahu's claims about the notorious terror leader were just a means of covering up "his failure to achieve the goals declared to the Israeli street and to his allies."
IDF publishes footage of massive attacks on Hezbollah targets
The Israeli army has published footage of the massive attacks it carried out against Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon Wednesday afternoon.
The video shows multiple, successive explosions in a mountainous area of Ayta ash-Shab in southern Lebanon.
צה"ל השלים לפני זמן קצר תקיפה רחבה של כ-40 מטרות של ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה במרחב עייתא א שעב שבדרום לבנון באמצעות מטוסי קרב וארטילריה. בין המטרות שהותקפו- מתקני אחסון, אמצעי לחימה ותשתיות טרור ומטרות נוספות ששימשו את הארגון במרחב>> pic.twitter.com/Nif0T6xvhS
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) April 24, 2024
2 homes damaged by missiles fired from Lebanon: Local media
Two homes were damaged after anti-tank missiles were launched from Lebanon toward Israel Wednesday, local i24 News reported. A fire also broke out in the Avivim community due to the missile launches.
After anti-tank missiles launched from Lebanon damaged two houses and sparked a fire in the community of Avivim, our @Zachonearth brings the latest updates from northern Israel pic.twitter.com/medkb9kj98
— i24NEWS English (@i24NEWS_EN) April 24, 2024
Pelosi calls for Netanyahu's resignation
Former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called on Netanyahu to step down in a recent interview with Irish broadcaster RTE's Six One News. Pelosi noted that while the U.S. recognizes Israel's right to self-defense, Netanyahu's policies in response to Hamas' Oct. 7 massacre were "terrible."
"He should resign. He's ultimately responsible," she said, adding that she's unsure if the Israeli prime minister was "afraid of peace, incapable of peace, or just doesn't want peace." She went on to note that Netanyahu "has been an obstacle to the two-state solution," which a growing number of global leaders have said should resolve the longstanding Israel-Palestine conflict.
Israeli army strikes 40 Hezbollah targets
A total of 40 Hezbollah "terrorist targets" were struck in southern Lebanon Wednesday afternoon local time, the IDF said. Among the targets were storage facilities and other terror infrastructures of the Iran-backed militia.
📍Southern Lebanon:
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) April 24, 2024
40 Hezbollah terrorist targets were struck a short while ago, including storage facilities, weaponry and additional terror infrastructures used by the Hezbollah terrorist organization in the area.
Israel's Gallant says half of Hezbollah's southern Lebanon brigade commanders eliminated
Israel's defense minister on Wednesday said half of Hezbollah's commanders in southern Lebanon have been eliminated, multiple local outlets reported.
Gallant went on to reveal that the other half of the Iranian-backed terror group's brigade-level commanders have now gone into hiding. His statements came after the Israeli army recently revealed that it has assassinated six Hezbollah brigade commanders and more than 30 battalion commanders.
Explosion reported near merchant ship off Djibouti
The UKMTO on Wednesday said it received a report of an "attack" incident off the port of Djibouti on the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. "The Master of a Merchant Vessel reports an explosion in the water a distance from the vessel," the British maritime security monitor said. The commercial ship and its crew were reported safe and authorities are now investigating the incident.
UKMTO WARNING INCIDENT 064 - UPDATE 001
— United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) (@UK_MTO) April 24, 2024
ATTACKhttps://t.co/fX3hWupPWO#MartimeSecurity #MarSec pic.twitter.com/7NPjBjkPFs
Khamenei slams new US sanctions
Iran's Supreme Leader on Wednesday criticized Washington for new sanctions on several Iranian individuals and entities. "What's their purpose? They deceitfully say they're because of nuclear weapons & human rights issues," he said.
Khamenei's statements came after the U.S. and its ally, the United Kingdom, announced new sweeping sanctions targeting Tehran's drone program.
Hezbollah drones reach Israeli waters
A drone attack by Hezbollah reached Haifa beach Tuesday, suggesting that the Iranian-backed terror group has expanded the range of its attacks toward northern Israel. The drone launches came after the IDF assassinated two significant figures in the Lebanese terror organization's Aerial Unit, one of them being a member of the group's elite Radwan Forces.
A correspondent for The Jerusalem Post, who was present at the Haifa beach during the drone attack, revealed Wednesday that chaos ensued shortly after rocket sirens wounded in the area as people tried to seek shelter in an area where no rocket-protection shelters have been installed.
The correspondent noted that the Haifa beach area and surrounding towns such as Acre, were not usually targeted by Hezbollah in the past due to unofficial "rules" between Israel and Lebanon regarding the Israeli-Lebanese dispute.
Senior Hamas source rejects claims there are fewer than 20 hostages to be freed
Hamas is willing to stick by the provisions of a proposed ceasefire that will free 40 hostages in the first phase of a temporary truce, Arabic newspaper Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported Wednesday, citing a senior Hamas source.
The source reportedly rejected claims that the Palestinian militant group was only willing to free fewer than 20 hostages as part of the temporary truce. The source added that there are at least 30 "high-ranking members of Israeli security forces" being held by Hamas.
"It is impossible, of course, to accurately determine the number of living prisoners, but what is certain is that it is higher than the numbers being circulated in the Hebrew media," the source said as per a translation from The Times of Israel.
More than 130 hostages are still being held by Hamas and several other Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip, and some 30 of them are believed dead.
IDF launches over a dozen strikes in southern Lebanon: Lebanese media
More than a dozen strikes were conducted in the areas of Ayta ash-Shab and Ramyeh in southern Lebanon Wednesday, local media reported, citing Lebanese outlets. This comes amid escalating fire exchanges between the IDF and Hezbollah, a Hamas ally and Iranian-backed terror group based in Lebanon.
Jordan, Kuwait urge UN resolution for Gaza ceasefire
Jordan's King Abdullah II and Kuwait's Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah on Wednesday said in a joint statement that tensions should be reduced in the Middle East. The two leaders noted the importance of avoiding military escalation.
They also called for a UN Security Council resolution that would impose an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip amid mounting deaths in the war-torn Palestinian territory.
EU wants probe into reported mass graves in Gaza hospitals
The bloc on Wednesday supported the UN's call for an independent probe into reports that mass graves were found at two hospitals in the Gaza Strip that the Israeli army raided in the past months.
"This is something that forces us to call for an independent investigation of all the suspicious and all the circumstances, because indeed it creates the impression that there might have been violations of international human rights committed," said EU spokesman Peter Stano, adding that an independent investigation was necessary "to ensure accountability."
