The day so far
Israeli far-right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich said prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US president Donald Trump had agreed to revive the contentious E1 settlement scheme – although there was no immediate confirmation from either leader. It comes after we reported earlier that Smotrich announced plans to begin construction on a settlement that would divide the West Bank and cut it off from East Jerusalem.
Qatar, Iraq and Jordan have all issued strong condemnations of recent statements concerning the occupied West Bank. In a statement from Doha on Thursday, Qatar’s foreign ministry said it “strongly condemns” Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich’s approval of plans to construct a settlement that would separate East Jerusalem from the occupied West Bank, calling it “a blatant violation of international legitimacy, particularly United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334”.
Israeli advocacy group Peace Now has condemned plans to expand settlements in the occupied West Bank, which are illegal under international law, the group said. The plans, announced by Israel’s far-right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich, approve tenders for more than 3,000 housing units in the controversial E1 settlement project between Jerusalem and Ma’ale Adumim in the West Bank.
In an act of international journalistic solidarity, the Swedish Union of Journalists (SJF) staged a demonstration in Stockholm, protesting the targeted killings of Palestinian journalists in Gaza. The demonstration follows am Israeli airstrike on Sunday that claimed the lives of four Al Jazeera journalists and two freelance media workers sheltering near a tent outside the Al-Shifa Hospital.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza has just issued its daily death toll. It says 54 people have been killed and 831 injured in the past 24 hours, adding that some victims remain under the rubble or on roads that ambulance and civil defence crews are unable to reach.
Mossad spy chief David Barnea is visiting Qatar to revive Gaza peace talks, two Israeli officials told Reuters on Thursday. The visit follows a reported expression of eagerness by Hamas for a swift return to Gaza ceasefire negotiations during a meeting with Egypt’s intelligence chief in Cairo.
Italy’s defence ministry says it has completed the largest medical evacuation from Gaza since January last year, flying 31 children and 83 accompanying relatives to Ciampino, Milan and Pisa overnight. The patients and their families have been admitted to Italian hospitals for medical care and specialist treatment. With this mission, Italy says it has now taken in more than 180 children from Gaza, along with 580 people in total, for treatment.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has denied accusations that Israel is committing genocide or intentionally starving civilians in Gaza, saying such claims are “false”.
More than 100 international NGOs have accused Israel of using humanitarian aid as a weapon in Gaza, saying most major agencies have been unable to deliver a single truck of supplies since early March.
In a statement carried by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the World Health Organisation says medical supply entry into Gaza remains “difficult and ever changing” despite the delivery of 80 trucks of supplies since June 25, when a suspension of more than three months was lifted.
Riot police at Greece’s largest port, Piraeus, cordoned off an area around a cruise ship early Thursday to prevent several hundred protesters from approaching the vessel. The Crown Iris, carrying Israeli tourists, has faced demonstrations at Greek islands and mainland ports along its route, some of which have led to clashes with police.
Human Rights Watch has described as “abhorrent” reports that the Israeli government is in talks with five countries – Indonesia, Somaliland, Uganda, South Sudan and Libya – about taking displaced Palestinians from Gaza. Israeli broadcaster Channel 12 reported on Wednesday that such discussions were taking place.
The head of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) says he is working to reinstate a documentary about the October 7 attacks after its removal from the schedule sparked a public outcry in Israel. Cameron Bailey, TIFF’s CEO, said the Canadian film The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue was initially withdrawn due to issues surrounding “legal clearance of all footage”.
Palestinians struggle to collect humanitarian aid airdropped by parachutes into Gaza City, northern Gaza Strip, on Thursday.
