Summary of the day so far
Here’s a recap of the latest developments:
More than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since 7 October, according to the latest figures by the territory’s health ministry on Thursday.
More than 100 Palestinians were killed as they gathered to receive humanitarian aid in Gaza City on Thursday, health officials said. At least 112 people were killed and more than 280 wounded in the incident, the Palestinian health ministry said.
There were conflicting reports about events leading up to the deaths. Witnesses said Israeli troops fired on a large crowd of Palestinians racing to pull food off an aid convoy, and Gaza’s health ministry described it as a “massacre”. Israel challenged the death toll and said many of the victims were run over by the trucks.
Hamas warned it could end hostage release negotiations after the incident. In a statement, it said: “The negotiations conducted by the movement’s leadership are not an open process at the expense of the blood of our people.”
Joe Biden acknowledged the deadly incident will complicate talks on a ceasefire. The US president told reporters he was reviewing the reports and said “there’s two competing versions of what happened. I don’t have an answer yet.” The US is urgently seeking information on what took place in northern Gaza, a spokesperson for the US state department has said.
Israel’s military published a video of what it claimed were people looting aid trucks in Gaza in the buildup to the incident. Due to forced relocation and the lack of access to aid, agencies have warned that much of the population in Gaza is suffering from food deprivation, with one in six children under the age of two found to be malnourished during screening in January, and reports yesterday that one in five pregnant women seen in a Gaza clinic are also malnourished.
Egypt and Jordan issued separate statements condemning Israel after the incident. Egypt said: “We consider targeting peaceful citizens rushing to pick up their share of aid a shameful crime and a flagrant violation of international law”.
Two Israeli men have been killed in a shooting attack at a gas station in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on Thursday, Israel’s army and medics said. The Israeli military said the gunman was “neutralised” by security forces, adding that troops were pursuing other suspects in the area.
The US defense secretary, Lloyd Austin, has said more than 25,000 women and children had been killed by Israel since 7 October. Austin added that about 21,000 precision-guided munitions had been provided to Israel since the start of its war in Gaza.
Israel is reviewing possible curbs on access to al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem over the upcoming Ramadan fasting month, a government spokesperson said. Far-right interior security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said last week there would be a quota for people wishing to take part in prayers at the al-Aqsa mosque during Ramadan. Israel has been restricting the numbers attending the mosque since 7 October.
The archbishop of Canterbury has expressed his deep regret at his decision to refuse to meet a renowned Palestinian pastor if he shared a political platform with the former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.
Justin Welby said in a post on social media he would now meet the Rev Dr Munther Isaac next week.
The pastor of the Christmas Evangelical Lutheran church in Bethlehem, who has been highly critical of Israel in Gaza, saw his Christmas sermon go viral when he said if Jesus Christ was born today it would have been under the rubble.
He revealed the archbishop had refused to meet him in an interview with the Guardian.
Recently I declined to meet with Rev Dr Munther Isaac during his UK visit. I apologise for and deeply regret this decision, and the hurt, anger, and confusion it caused.
I was wrong not to meet with my brother in Christ from the Holy Land, especially at this time of profound suffering for our Palestinian Christian brothers and sisters. I look forward to speaking and praying with him next week.
Isaac replied:
Thank you archbishop. I welcome this statement, and I look forward to our meeting next week as brothers in Christ.
Updated
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) was not involved in the aid distribution in northern Gaza today that turned deadly and resulted in the deaths of more than 100 people, the head of the agency has said.
“Another day from hell,” UNRWA commissioner-general Philippe Lazzarini posted to social media, noting that more than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the outbreak of war in October. He wrote:
An additional 100 people are reportedly killed & 700 injured when they were desperately trying to get lifesaving humanitarian aid from a convoy.
Neither UNRWA nor any other UN agency were involved in this distribution. When will this madness end?
Another day from hell.#Gaza reaches an unprecedented reported death toll of 30,000 Palestinians killed, while an additional 100 people are reportedly killed & 700 injured when they were desperately trying to get lifesaving humanitarian aid from a convoy.
— Philippe Lazzarini (@UNLazzarini) February 29, 2024
Neither @UNRWA nor any…
US 'urgently' seeking information on Gaza aid deaths, says State dept
The US is urgently seeking information on what took place in northern Gaza, where health authorities said more than 100 Palestinians were shot dead by Israeli forces as they waited for an aid delivery, a spokesperson for the US state department has said.
Matthew Miller, speaking to reporters, said the US understands that Israel is conducting an investigation of the incident.
We are urgently seeking additional information on exactly what took place. We have been in touch with the Israeli government since early this morning and understand that an investigation is underway. We will be monitoring that investigation closely and pressing for answers.
He added that Washington continues to make clear to Israel that all possible measures must be taken to allow the entry of more aid into Gaza.
Updated
Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister, Najib Mikati, has said he is confident that the Iran-backed armed group Hezbollah would adhere to a ceasefire if Israel did the same in Gaza.
Mikati, in an interview with Reuters, said a halt to fighting in the Gaza Strip as early as next week would trigger indirect talks to end hostilities along Lebanon’s southern border with Israel.
He said a deal to halt military action in Gaza was “on the horizon” and could begin as early as next week, adding:
If we are able to reach a cessation of military operations in Gaza, then I believe that we will have ahead of us weeks packed with negotiations, so that we can reach what I have always called long-term stability in the south.
Asked whether Hezbollah had signalled a willingness to move forward with talks, the Lebanese leader suggested the “cooperation” shown by “all sides” to facilitate the maritime deal could be replicated for a land border deal. He said:
I am certain that the moment that Israel stops its violations against Lebanon, I am convinced that Hezbollah will not violate – or will not respond to something that did not happen.
Hezbollah itself has indicated it was ready to halt its cross-border attacks if a Gaza ceasefire comes into force.
Updated
Joe Biden discussed the “tragic and alarming incident” in northern Gaza with the leaders of Egypt and Qatar, as well as ways to secure the release of Hamas hostages and a six-week ceasefire, the White House said.
A readout of a call between the US president and the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, said the two leaders “underscored that the release of hostages would result in an immediate and sustained ceasefire in Gaza over a period of at least six weeks”. It continued:
Both leaders grieved the loss of civilian lives and agreed that this incident underscored the urgency of bringing negotiations to a close as soon as possible and expanding the flow of humanitarian assistance into Gaza.
UN chief 'condemns Gaza aid incident'
The UN’s secretary general, António Guterres, condemns the “incident” in northern Gaza in which “more than 100 people were reportedly killed or injured while seeking life-saving aid”, a statement from his spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said.
The statement reads:
The Secretary-General condemns the incident today in northern Gaza in which more than a hundred people were reportedly killed or injured while seeking life-saving aid. The desperate civilians in Gaza need urgent help, including those in the besieged north where the United Nations has not been able to deliver aid in more than a week.
Updated
Here are some images from the newswires from Gaza City, after more than 100 Palestinians were killed as they waited for an aid convoy on Thursday, bringing the total death toll since the start of the war in Gaza to more than 30,000, according to Palestinian health officials.
Updated
Italy’s foreign minister, Antonio Tajani, has called for an “immediate ceasefire” in Gaza and urged Israel to protect the Palestinian population.
Posting to social media on Thursday, Tajani wrote:
The tragic deaths in Gaza demand an immediate ceasefire to facilitate more humanitarian aid, the release of hostages and the protection of civilians.
His comments came hours after the news that more than 100 Palestinians were killed as they waited for an aid delivery in Gaza City.
Tajani called on Israel to “rigorously ascertain facts and responsibilities” regarding the incident, which Gaza’s health ministry has described as a “massacre” and blamed Israeli troops. Israel has claimed that many of the victims had been run over by the aid lorries.
Le tragiche morti a #Gaza richiedono un immediato cessate il fuoco per favorire più aiuti umanitari, la liberazione degli ostaggi e la protezione dei civili. Chiediamo con forza ad #Israele di tutelare la popolazione a Gaza e di accertare, con rigore, fatti e responsabilità.
— Antonio Tajani (@Antonio_Tajani) February 29, 2024
Italy’s prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, expressed her “deep dismay and concern” over the violence, calling on Israel to “urgently ascertain the dynamics of the incident and relative responsibilities”.
Updated
Two Israeli men have been killed in a shooting attack at a gas station in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on Thursday, Israel’s army and medics said.
The Israeli military said the gunman was “neutralised” by security forces, adding that troops were pursuing other suspects in the area.
A spokesperson for Magen David Adom, Israel’s emergency response service, said it received a report at about 5pm local time of gunshot wounds at a gas station near the Eli settlement.
It added:
We performed medical tests, but ... in a short time we had to determine their death.
Updated
More than 25,000 women, children killed by Israel in Gaza - Pentagon chief
The US defense secretary, Lloyd Austin, said earlier today that more than 25,000 women and children had been killed by Israel since 7 October 2023, adding that Israel can and should do more to protect civilians.
During a US congressional hearing (ostensibly about his health), Austin was asked how many Palestinian women and children had been killed by Israel, Reuters reports.
He said:
It is over 25,000.
Austin added that about 21,000 precision-guided munitions had been provided to Israel since the start of its war in Gaza.
Meanwhile, beyond the Reuters report, this is an extraordinary figure not just in the tragedy of it but in the mathematics of it. Lt Col Peter Lerner, the spokesman of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), moments ago told CNN in a live interview with anchor Wolf Blitzer that Israel has killed “12,000 Hamas terrorists” in its war in Gaza since Hamas attacked southern Israel on 7 October.
This morning, the Gaza health ministry said that the death toll in Gaza at the hands of Israel since then has surpassed 30,000 and the reality on the ground is probably higher.
Updated
Joe Biden got on the telephone directly with senior figures in Egypt and Qatar after the news emerged of the 100-plus people killed in Gaza City earlier today as food trucks arrived, in circumstances that have not yet become completely clear.
Egypt, Qatar and the US have been orchestrating talks for a temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, which Biden had said he was hopeful could come to fruition by Monday but now, he admits, will “probably not” happen, although he has not given up hope.
“Hope springs eternal. I was on the telephone with people in the region … Probably not by Monday, but I’m hopeful,” the US president said, according to the White House media pool report.
Biden said he hasn’t yet learned what happened in the incident that has resulted in so many deaths and injuries in Gaza City today.
“I don’t have an answer yet,” he said.
Updated
Biden says killing of more than 100 Palestinians near aid trucks will complicate ceasefire talks
Joe Biden said moments ago outside the White House, while on his way to the US-Mexico border, that he’s reviewing the reports of Israeli troops shooting people crowding for desperately needed food aid in Gaza – but he already is clear that that the deadly incident will complicate talks on a ceasefire.
“I know it will,” the US president told reporters gathering on the south lawn at the White House as he left for a visit to the US-Mexico border today, when asked whether the tragedy Gaza unfolding in would complicate negotiations.
Health authorities in Gaza said the IDF fired on people waiting for aid near Gaza City on Thursday had killed 104 Palestinians and wounded 280, with one hospital saying it had received 10 bodies and dozens of injured patients, Reuters adds.
Biden added:
We’re checking that out right now. There’s two competing versions of what happened. I don’t have an answer yet.
The president also said that his previous comments that he hoped for a temporary ceasefire by Monday, in the battle Israel is waging in Gaza with the goal of destroying Hamas, would now “probably not” happen.
Updated
Summary of the day so far …
It has just gone 6pm in Gaza and Tel Aviv. Here are the headlines …
The Hamas-run health ministry says more than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since 7 October on a day when at least 104 people were reported killed among a crowd of Palestinians gathered to receive humanitarian aid in Gaza City. Health authorities said at least 280 were injured in the incident.
There were conflicting reports about events leading up to the deaths. A witness being treated for a gunshot wound told AP that Israeli troops opened fire on the crowd, and the Hamas-led health authority said people had been shot dead. The IDF said that “dozens were killed and injured from pushing, trampling and being run over by the trucks” and it was reviewing the incident.
Israeli government spokesperson Avi Hyman said “we’re not sure of the specifics quite yet” and described the incident during aid distribution as a “tragedy”. An Israeli military official claimed that after an initial crush which injured or killed dozens, “soldiers fired warning shots in the air and then fired towards those who posed a threat and did not move away”. Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas’s office said he condemned what it described as “the ugly massacre conducted by the Israeli occupation army”.
Hamas warned it could end hostage release negotiations after the incident. In a statement, it said: “The negotiations conducted by the movement’s leadership are not an open process at the expense of the blood of our people.”
Israel’s military published a video of what it claimed were people looting aid trucks in Gaza in the buildup to the incident. Due to forced relocation and the lack of access to aid, agencies have warned that much of the population in Gaza is suffering from food deprivation, with one in six children under the age of two found to be malnourished during screening in January, and reports yesterday that one in five pregnant women seen in a Gaza clinic are also malnourished.
A White House national security spokesperson said that the US is looking into the reports. Egypt and Jordan issued separate statements condeming Israel after the incident. Egypt said: “We consider targeting peaceful citizens rushing to pick up their share of aid a shameful crime and a flagrant violation of international law”.
UN human rights chief Volker Türk on Thursday said war crimes had been committed by all parties in the conflict between Israel and Hamas, calling for them to be investigated and for those responsible to be held accountable.
The Palestinian Authority received 407m shekels (£90m / $114m / €105m) from Israel with more funds on the way in the coming days after a deal to release frozen tax funds, the Norwegian government said on Thursday. Norway serves as an intermediary, holding tax revenue equal to the portion that Israel estimates would have gone to Gaza, while the Palestinian Authority would receive the rest.
Israel is reviewing possible curbs on access to al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem over the upcoming Ramadan fasting month, a government spokesperson said. Far-right interior security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said last week there would be a quota for people wishing to take part in prayers at the al-Aqsa mosque during Ramadan. Israel has been restricting the numbers attending the mosque since 7 October.
An Israeli strike hit a Hezbollah truck near the Lebanese-Syrian border on Thursday killing at least one fighter, a security source familiar with the Iran-aligned group told Reuters. A strike near Homs in Syria was attributed to Israel by local media.
Israel appropriated on Thursday several more tracts of land near a major Jewish settlement in the occupied West Bank, but a source briefed on the decision told Reuters that there was no plan for construction there.
The IDF has issued a statement about the reported shooting in the West Bank Israeli settlement of Eli. In a post to Telegram and on social media by spokesperson Daniel Hagari it said:
A short while ago, a terrorist arrived at a gas station in Eli and opened fire. The terrorist was neutralised. IDF soldiers are blocking off routes and pursuing additional suspects in the area.
Eli was founded on Israeli-occupied territory in the early 1980s, and has a population of about 4,400. Four people were killed there in an attack last year.
Israeli media are reporting that one person was killed and one critically wounded in the attack today.
More details soon …
Israeli media is reporting that one person has been killed and another injured in a shooting attack in the West Bank settlement of Eli.
The Times of Israel is reporting “At least one gunman was shot at the scene by security forces, according to footage and first responders. The attack takes place at a gas station near Eli, the location of a deadly terror assault last summer, in which four Israelis were killed.”
More details soon …
Here is a fuller version of the statement from a US national security council spokesperson about today’s events. They are quoted as saying:
This is a serious incident and we are looking into the reports. We mourn the loss of innocent life and recognise the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, where innocent Palestinians are just trying to feed their families. This underscores the importance of expanding and sustaining the flow of humanitarian assistance into Gaza, including through a potential temporary ceasefire. We continue to work day and night to achieve that outcome.
UN humanitarian chief: 'life is draining out of Gaza at terrifying speed'
The UN undersecretary for humanitarian affairs has said that “life is draining out of Gaza at terrifying speed” in reaction to events today which appear to have left over 100 Palestinians dead, with conflicting accounts of the sequence of events that led up to the deaths near an aid convoy.
Martin Griffiths said “Even after close to five months of brutal hostilities, Gaza still has the ability to shock us”.
He went on to say:
Even after close to five months of brutal holstilties, Gaza still has the ability to shock us. I’m appalled at the reported killing and injury of hundreds of people during a transfer of aid supplies west of Gaza City today. This comes as the death toll across Gaza since 7 October hits the 30,000 mark. Life is draining out of Gaza at terrifying speed.
A White House national security spokesperson has said that the US is looking into reports of Palestinians killed waiting for humanitarian aid on Thursday, reports Reuters.
More details to follow …
The Palestinian Authority has received 407m shekels ($114m) from Israel with more funds on the way in the coming days after a deal to release frozen tax funds, the Norwegian government said on Thursday, according to Reuters.
On 18 February, Norway said it had agreed to assist in the transfer of funds earmarked for the Palestinian Authority that were collected by Israel. “This money is absolutely necessary to prevent the collapse of the Palestinian Authority, to ensure that the Palestinians receive vital services, and that teachers and health workers are paid,” Norwegian prime minister Jonas Gahr Stoere said.
The Palestinian Authority exercises limited self-governance in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Under interim peace accords reached in the 1990s, Israel’s finance ministry collects tax on behalf of the Palestinians and makes monthly transfers to the Palestinian Authority. But a dispute broke out over payments in the after the 7 October attack on Israel by Hamas.
Under the agreed solution, Norway serves as an intermediary, holding tax revenue equal to the portion that Israel estimates would have gone to Gaza, while the Palestinian Authority would receive the rest, the Nordic country has said.
Israeli government spokesperson Avi Hyman has spoken to reporters. He said “we’re not sure of the specifics quite yet” and described Thursday’s incident during aid distribution near Gaza City, as a “tragedy”.
Hyman claimed that initial indications were that deaths were caused by delivery drivers plowing into a surging crowd: “At some point the trucks were overwhelmed and the people driving the trucks, which were Gazan civilian drivers, plowed into the crowds of people, ultimately killing, my understanding is, tens of people. It’s obviously a tragedy but we’re not sure of the specifics quite yet.”
Health authorities in Gaza say 104 people have been killed and 280 injured in the incident.
The precise details of the incident remain unclear, and it has not been possible for journalists to independently verify the casualty figures being issued.
AP have spoken to a witness of Thursday’s incident in which health officials in Gaza say at least 104 people were killed:
Kamel Abu Nahel, who was being treated for a gunshot wound at Shifa hospital, said he and others went to the distribution point in the middle of the night because they heard there would be a delivery of food. “We’ve been eating animal feed for two months,” he said.
He said Israeli troops opened fire on the crowd, causing it to scatter, with some people hiding under nearby cars. After the shooting stopped, they went back to the trucks, and the soldiers opened fire again. He was shot in the leg and fell over, and then a truck ran over his leg as it sped off, he said.
Medics arriving at the scene on Thursday found “dozens or hundreds” lying on the ground, according to Fares Afana, the head of the ambulance service at Kamal Adwan hospital. He said there were not enough ambulances to collect all the dead and wounded and that some were being brought to hospitals in donkey carts.
Updated
Israel says it is still reviewing access to al-Aqsa mosque during Ramadan
Israel is reviewing possible curbs on access to al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem over the upcoming Ramadan fasting month, a government spokesperson said after media reports that the far-right minister for police might be overruled on the issue.
According to Reuters, national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said last week there would be a quota for members of Israel’s 18% Muslim minority who wish to take part in peace prayers at al-Aqsa mosque. But Israel’s Channel 12 TV reported on Wednesday that Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu would overrule Ben-Gvir.
“The specific issue of prayer on the Temple Mount, in al-Aqsa, is currently still under discussion by the cabinet,” government spokesperson Avi Hyman said in a briefing on Thursday. He added that a final decision would take security and public health, as well as the freedom of worship, into account.
A Ben-Gvir spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment from Reuters. On Wednesday, Ben-Gvir posted on X that any attempt to override his authority would amount to a “capitulation to terror”, and urged Netanyahu to deny the Channel 12 report.
Hamas warns it could end hostage release negotiations
Hamas has release a statement warning it could stop taking part in negotiations after the incident today which health authorities in Gaza say has killed at least 104 Palestinians who were seeking humanitarian aid amid the widespread food deprivation in the Gaza Strip.
Reuters reports in its statement Hamas said:
The negotiations conducted by the movement’s leadership are not an open process at the expense of the blood of our people.
Here are some of the latest images sent to us over the newswires from the Gaza Strip.
In the wider region there have been a couple of other developments. Reuters reports, citing Iraqi security sources, that a drone strike by Turkey in northern Iraq has killed two fighters from the Sinjar Resistance Units (YBS), a militia affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers’ party (PKK).
Additionally there are reports of a strike near Homs in Syria, which local media is attributing to Israel. Israel is believed in recents months to have struck at targets inside Lebanon and Syria, but rarely publicly acknowledges strikes in Syria.
Egypt and Jordan condemn what they describe as the 'shameful crime' and 'brutal targeting' of Palestinians seeking aid
Egypt and Jordan have issued separate statements condeming Israel after the incident this morning which health officials in the Gaza Strip say has killed at least 104 people.
In a statement, Jordan’s foreign ministry said:
We condemn the Israeli occupation forces’ brutal targeting of the gathering of Palestinians who were waiting for aid on the Nabulsi roundabout near Al-Rashid street in Gaza.
Egypt issued a statement which said “we consider targeting peaceful citizens rushing to pick up their share of aid a shameful crime and a flagrant violation of international law” after saying the country condemned the “inhumane Israeli targeting” of what it described as “unarmed Palestinian civilians in the Nabulsi roundabout in the northern Gaza.”
The IDF says it has the incident under review and has claimed that “dozens of Gazans were injured as a result of pushing and trampling”.
In a statement on its official Telegram channel, Israel’s military has also said “The IDF will continue to assist in the transfer and coordination of humanitarian aid.”
Updated
Israel’s military has published a video of what it claims is a mob looting aid trucks in Gaza in the buildup to the incident which health officials in Gaza says has killed at least 104 people.
Itay Blumental, who is a military correspondent at Israel public broadcasting corporation, has posted this interpretation of the IDF’s claim about what has happened. He wrote:
About 30 trucks with humanitarian aid entered [under] the operation of international agencies and the Israel Defense Forces after checking from Rafah and Kerem Shalom to the north of the Gaza Strip on the coastal axis. The final destination: humanitarian shelters in Gaza City and the Rimal neighbourhood.
Toward 4am thousands of Gazans arrived from the coastline and attacked the trucks – dozens were killed and hundreds were injured from trampling, crowding and overcrowding when crowds boarded the trucks and took everything that came near
In a report received by the security bodies, fire was opened from humanitarian shelters in the north of the Gaza Strip on some of the trucks that started moving north. Later these trucks were also looted.
Early in the morning, after the chaos with the trucks, hundreds of Gazans approached the IDF force and a tank … whose mission was to secure one stage of the logistics operation. According to army officials, when the crowd approached the force, they first fired into the air, and when the mob did not stop, it was fired at him live shooting. There are a few casualties in this incident.
The exact sequence of events remains unclear, and is likely to be highly disputed. The office of the president of the Palestinian Authority has blamed Israeli forces for what it described as an “ugly massacre”. The IDF has said “the incident is under review.”
Due to forced relocation and the lack of access to aid, agencies have warned that much of the population in Gaza is suffering from food deprivation, with one in six children under the age of two found to be malnourished during screening in January, and reports yesterday that one in five pregnant women seen in a Gaza clinic are also malnourished.
Updated
Palestinian president condemns what he describes as 'ugly massacre' of people waiting for aid
Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas’s office said he condemned what it described as “the ugly massacre conducted by the Israeli occupation army this morning”. Health authorities in Gaza say 104 people have been killed and 280 wounded in the incident.
The Palestinian news agency Wafa reports the presidency said:
The killing of this large number of innocent civilian victims who risked their livelihood is considered an integral part of the genocidal war committed by the occupation government against our people. Israeli and the Israeli occupation authorities bear full responsibility and will be held accountable for it before international courts.
The International Court of Justice in The Hague has been hearing two cases that involve Israel. One is a South African-led case accusing Israel of breaching the genocide convention with its actions in Gaza, and the other is a UN general assembly request for an advisory opinion of the legality of Israel’s policies in occupied Palestinian territory. Israel denies all the charges.
Reuters quotes Abbas’ office saying he “condemned the ugly massacre conducted by the Israeli occupation army this morning against the people who waited for the aid trucks at the Nabulsi roundabout”.
The precise details of the incident remain unclear, and it has not been possible for journalists to independently verify the casualty figures being issued.
Updated
Israeli troops opened fire at 'several people' in Gaza crowd - Israeli source tells Reuters
Reuters have just reported on a statement from the Israeli military on the attacks in Gaza City on Thursday.
An Israeli source said Israeli troops opened fire on Thursday at “several people” among a crowd that surrounded aid trucks in the Gaza Strip after feeling under threat.
Gaza health authorities had said more than 70 people waiting for aid were killed by Israeli fire, but a Gaza health ministry spokesperson said the death toll has now risen to 104 people.
In a statement, the Israeli military said dozens of people were injured in pushing and trampling that occurred as they tried to take aid from the trucks. It said the incident was under review.
Israel appropriates 650 acres of West Bank land near big settlement
Israel appropriated on Thursday several tracts of land near a major Jewish settlement in the occupied West Bank, but a source briefed on the decision told Reuters that there was no plan for construction there.
An announcement by the Civil Administration, part of Israel’s defence ministry, said the tracts amounted to 2,640 dunams, or 652 acres. The Israeli source told Reuters that the tracts of land would now be designated part of Maale Adumim settlement, east of Jerusalem.
At least one Hezbollah fighter killed in an Israeli strike near Lebanese-Syria border - Reuters sources
An Israeli strike hit a Hezbollah truck near the Lebanese-Syrian border on Thursday killing at least one fighter, a security source familiar with the Iran-aligned group told Reuters.
Israel has been carrying out an unprecedented wave of deadly strikes in Syria targeting cargo trucks, infrastructure and people involved in Iran’s weapons lifeline to its proxies in the region, sources with direct knowledge of the matter had previously told Reuters.
The sources said Israel had shifted strategies after the 7 October rampage by Hamas fighters into Israeli territory and the ensuing Israeli bombing campaigns in Gaza and Lebanon.
As mentioned previously, there are conflicting reports as to whether an apparent Israeli attack on a crowd of Palestinians waiting for humanitarian aid in Gaza City involved shooting or shelling.
According to AFP, a Gaza emergency doctor said on Thursday that Israeli forces shot dead at least 50 people who rushed towards trucks loaded with humanitarian aid for Gaza City residents.
“The number of martyrs rose to at least 50 … and more than 120 were injured, including women and children, as a result of the occupation’s shooting” on the crowd in Gaza City, Amjad Aliwa, director of the emergency department of al-Shifa hospital, said in a statement.
The Israeli army said it was “checking” reports on the incident, while the UN’s humanitarian office (Ocha) said it was “familiar with the reports”.
The health ministry in Gaza meanwhile said at least 70 people had been killed and another 280 injured in the same incident.
A witness told AFP the incident occurred at the Nabulsi roundabout in the western part of Gaza City, when thousands of people rushed towards the trucks.
“Trucks full of aid came too close to some army tanks that were in the area and the crowd, thousands of people, just stormed the trucks,” the witness told AFP, declining to be named for safety reasons. “The soldiers fired at the crowd as people came too close to the tanks.”
The UN estimates that 2.2 million people, the vast majority of Gaza’s population, are threatened with famine, particularly in the north where destruction, fighting and looting make the delivery of food almost impossible.
According to UNRWA, just over 2,300 aid trucks have entered the Gaza Strip in February, down by about 50% compared to January.
Updated
Further on the reports of an attack on a crowd of Palestinians waiting for humanitarian aid in Gaza City, there are conflicting reports on whether it was a shooting or shelling.
It is a breaking story and we will update with further information as it comes in.
Updated
Israel’s defence minister says the country’s ultra-Orthodox community must share the burden of military service
Israel’s defence minister, Yoav Gallant, has sparked a political row after saying that the country’s ultra-Orthodox community must share the burden of military service.
During a news conference on Wednesday night, Gallant said that that he would not introduce a military draft bill – legislation exempting Haredi citizens from conscription that expires at the end of March – unless it had the support of all the factions in Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition government of rightwing and ultra-Orthodox parties.
“The Torah kept the Jewish people safe during 2,000 years of exile. That said, without a physical existence, there is no spiritual existence. The security challenges at our doorstep prove: everyone must shoulder the burden,” he said.
Military service is compulsory for Jewish men and women in Israel, with the exception of the ultra-Orthodox community. The arrangement has been in place in one form or another since the state’s founding in 1948, when only about 400 Haredi men were eligible.
However, as the ultra-Orthodox population has grown – the community is forecast to make up 16% of the country by 2030 – debates over conscription, integration into the workforce and clashes between religious and secular lifestyles have become pressing political issues.
Fellow emergency war cabinet minister, centrist Benny Gantz, welcomed Gallant’s call to scrap the blanket exemptions for ultra-Orthodox citizens, leading some ultra-Orthodox politicians to accuse the pair of using the issue to try to bring down Netanyahu’s government. If an agreement over the military draft bill cannot be reached, the ultra-Orthodox parties could leave the coalition, triggering new elections.
Gallant also defied Netanyahu in March last year by calling on the prime minister to scrap his contentious judicial overhaul. Netanyahu was forced to reverse a decision to fire Gallant after mass protests brought Israel to a standstill.
The defence minister, however, later voted in line with the government to pass the first part of the overhaul package last July.
A majority of Democrats prefer a presidential candidate who does not back US military aid for Israel, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll.
The three-day poll, which closed on Wednesday, showed 56% of respondents who identified themselves as Democrats said they were less likely to support a candidate who backs military assistance for Israel, compared to 40% who said they would be more likely to support such a candidate.
Reuters say the poll results illustrate a potentially critical vulnerability for US president Joe Biden, who has angered some within his party by supporting Israel in its war against Hamas militants, ahead of a close November election in which Biden will be loath to lose any support within his party.
Biden’s early and vocal support of Israel and his refusal to condition military aid on a change in military tactics has sparked outrage in his party. On Tuesday, more than 100,000 Michigan voters in the Democrats’ presidential primary cast “uncommitted” ballots in a protest to Biden’s support for Israel’s military campaign.
Democrats also overwhelmingly said they wanted a presidential candidate who would call for a ceasefire in the conflict, according to the Reuters/Ipsos poll.
The nationwide poll, which was conducted online, surveyed 1,185 US adults and had a margin of error of about 3 percentage points.
At least 70 people killed in an attack on a crowd of Palestinians waiting for humanitarian aid, says Gaza health ministry
There are some more updates coming from the newswires about an apparent Israeli attack on a crowd of Palestinians waiting for humanitarian aid in Gaza City which we reported on earlier.
Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry says at least 70 people were killed in the attack. This is higher than the death toll of 50 reported previously by AP. Health ministry spokesperson Ashraf al-Qidra said another 280 were injured in the attack early on Thursday.
According to Reuters, an Israeli military spokesperson said there was no knowledge of any Israeli shelling there when asked about Palestinian casualties near Gaza City.
There are conflicting reports on the newwires as to whether the attack was a shooting or shelling.
Updated
UN rights chief says war crimes committed by all parties in Israel-Hamas conflict
UN human rights chief Volker Türk on Thursday said war crimes had been committed by all parties in the conflict between Israel and Hamas, calling for them to be investigated and for those responsible to be held accountable, reports Reuters.
“Clear violations of international human rights and humanitarian laws, including war crimes and possibly other crimes under international law, have been committed by all parties,” Turk told the UN human rights council in Geneva. “It is time – well past time – for peace, investigation and accountability,” he added.
Türk, who was presenting a report on the human rights situation in Gaza and in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, said his office had recorded “many incidents that may amount to war crimes by Israeli forces”.
He said there were also indications that Israeli forces have engaged in “indiscriminate or disproportionate targeting” in violation of international law. Israel has said it is doing all it can to minimise harm to civilians.
Türk said Palestinian armed groups launching indiscriminate projectiles across southern Israel and the holding of hostages also violated international humanitarian law.
Last month, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague ordered Israel to prevent acts of genocide against Palestinians and do more to help civilians, although it stopped short of ordering a ceasefire.
Türk said the prospect of an Israeli ground assault in the southern border town of Rafah, where 1.5 million people are estimated to be crammed after fleeing their homes further north to escape Israel’s offensive, “would take the nightmare being inflicted on people in Gaza into a new, dystopian, dimension.”
“For my part, I fail to see how such an operation could be consistent with the binding provisional measures issued by the ICJ,” he said. Türk added that such a ground offensive would incur massive loss of life, increase the risk of atrocity crimes, spur more displacement and “sign a death warrant for any hope of effective humanitarian aid”.
Austria’s foreign minister on Thursday urged Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group and Israel against escalating the conflict along the volatile Israel-Lebanon border and expressed hope for a pause in the fighting in Gaza in time for the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in March, reports AP.
The Middle East has witnessed enough devastation and cruelty, said Alexander Schallenberg, speaking after meeting his Lebanese counterpart in Beirut. Schallenberg said he came to Lebanon after visiting Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian city of Ramallah in the Israeli occupied West Bank. “Everybody is asked not to escalate and it always takes two sides,” Schallenberg said.
Overnight, Israeli airstrikes on Lebanese villages along the southern border killed two people and wounded 14 others in the village of Kafra, the state-run National News Agency reported.
The Hezbollah-Israel exchanges have mostly focused on the stretches along the border but on Monday, Israel’s air forces attacked areas near the north-eastern city of Baalbek after Hezbollah fighters shot down an Israel drone flying over Lebanon. Israel was also blamed for a strike in Beirut in January that killed top Hamas official Saleh Arouri.
“The region has accounted enough devastation, enough cruelty and we should try to solve the problems and not create further problems,” Schallenberg said.
He also criticised Yemen’s Houthi rebels who have been attacking ships in the Red Sea, saying: “They think they can play with fire without getting burnt.”
Additionally, AP have reported:
Fares Afana, the head of the ambulance service at Kamal Adwan hospital, said medics arriving at the scene found “dozens or hundreds” lying on the ground. He said there were not enough ambulances to collect all the dead and wounded and that some were being brought to hospitals on donkey carts.
Dr Mohammad Salha, the acting director of the al-Awda hospital, said it received 90 injured and three dead, who were transferred to Kamal Adwan.
“We expect a rise in the number killed,” he said. “There are many wounded still at the reception and the emergency room.”
He said al-Awda is largely out of commission, with no electricity and the operating room running on battery power with only hours left.
Attack on Palestinians waiting for aid in Gaza kills and wounds dozens, say hospital officials
Hospital officials say an apparent Israeli attack on a crowd of Palestinians waiting for humanitarian aid in Gaza City has killed and wounded dozens, reports AP.
The head of the nursing department at Shifa hospital told the Al Jazeera network that about 50 people were killed and 250 were injured in the attack early on Thursday. He did not provide a precise toll. Al Jazeera ran footage showing several bodies and injured people arriving at Shifa, say AP.
The Israeli military said it was looking into the reports.
Updated
CNN are reporting that concern is rising among Biden officials that Israel may launch an incursion into Lebanon.
In a politics piece published on its website on Thursday, CNN cite US administration and intelligence officials as being “concerned that Israel is planning a ground incursion into Lebanon that could be launched in the late spring or early summer if diplomatic efforts fail to push Hezbollah back from the northern border with Israel”.
CNN say the sources are “senior administrations officials and officials familiar with the intelligence”. The US publication’s chief national security correspondent, Alex Marquardt writes:
While a final Israeli decision has yet to be made, the worry is acute enough inside the Biden administration that the prospect of an incursion has made its way into intelligence briefings for senior administration officials, according to one person who received a briefing and was told an operation could happen early summer.
UK should impose sanctions on two far-right Israeli ministers, says Ed Davey
The UK should impose sanctions on two far-right Israeli ministers who have pushed for more settlements on Palestinian land, Ed Davey has argued, saying this is vital to stop the fighting in Gaza spreading to the West Bank.
The Liberal Democrat leader, who returned on Wednesday morning from a visit to Israel where he had spoken to charities, politicians and relatives of Israeli hostages held by Hamas, said there was a risk of the prospect of a two-state solution collapsing.
The UK has already joined other nations in imposing sanctions on four Israeli nationals that it called “extremist settlers” who had violently attacked Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Davey said this should be extended to Itamar Ben-Gvir, the national security minister in Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, and Bezalel Smotrich, the finance minister.
Both are far-right hardline settlers who live in the West Bank and who have expressed deeply hostile and at times violent sentiments about Palestinians.
You can read the full piece from the Guardian’s deputy political editor, Peter Walker, here:
UNRWA say reports of children dying of dehydration and malnutrition in northern Gaza are 'horrendous'
“Reports that at least six more children have died of dehydration and malnutrition in northern Gaza are horrendous,” said the UN Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) on Thursday.
In a post on X, UNRWA linked to an Al Jazeera news article from Wednesday which reported the news, citing information from the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza. Al Jazeera’s article includes ministry reports of two children dying at the al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City and four children at the Kamal Adwan hospital in northern Gaza. It said that a further seven children remained in critical condition.
In its social media post on Thursday, UNWRA said: “Unimpeded access across the Gaza Strip is needed now. An immediate ceasefire continues to be a matter of life and death.”
Reports that at least 6 more children have died of dehydration & malnutrition in northern #Gaza are horrendous.
— UNRWA (@UNRWA) February 29, 2024
Unimpeded access across the #GazaStrip is needed NOW. An immediate ceasefire continues to be a matter of life & death.https://t.co/37Un8Tuq1K
Canada is working to airdrop humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip as soon as possible, a cabinet minister said on Wednesday, reports the Associated Press (AP).
The confirmation that an active effort is under way comes after Canadian international development minister Ahmed Hussen said Ottawa was exploring new options to deliver aid.
He said the provision of airdrops in partnership with like-minded countries in the region, such as Jordan, was on the table.
According to AP, Hussen said last week that the provision of aid is nowhere near what is needed and a tedious inspection process was slowing down the movement of supplies brought in by truck.
He made the comments after a trip to the Rafah border crossing, the only way in or out of the Gaza Strip since the Israel-Hamas war began in October.
Canada has put $100m Canadian ($74m) toward aid for Gaza since the start of the conflict, including $40m Canadian ($30m) committed in January.
New Zealand designates entirety of Hamas a 'terrorist entity’
New Zealand on Thursday became one of the last western countries to designate all of Hamas as a “terrorist entity”, saying its 7 October attacks on Israel had shattered the notion its political and military wings are separate, reports news agency Agence France-Presse (AFP).
“The organisation as a whole bears responsibility for these horrific terrorist attacks,” Wellington said, announcing a move to freeze Hamas assets in New Zealand and ban citizens from providing the group with “material support”.
“The terrorist attacks by Hamas in October 2023 were brutal and we have unequivocally condemned them,” New Zealand prime minister Christopher Luxon said in a statement.
Luxon stressed the designation was about Hamas “and is not a reflection on the Palestinian people in Gaza and around the world” while indicating humanitarian support would continue.
“The designation does not stop New Zealand providing humanitarian and future development assistance to benefit civilians in Gaza,” he added.
New Zealand had designated the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, as a terrorist entity in 2010. But it has been reluctant to follow other western nations in extending the designation to the entire group – which is also a political party. Hamas won elections in Gaza in 2006 and has ruled without fresh polls ever since.
There was, however, political opposition to the move, particularly from the left, reports AFP. Some New Zealand political figures have argued that Hamas’s “terrorist” designation should be matched by a similar designation for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
They point to the IDF’s months-long campaign in the Gaza Strip – launched in response to the 7 October attacks – which has killed more than 30,000 people, according to the Hamas-controlled territory’s health ministry.
Such a move is highly unlikely, say AFP, but New Zealand on Thursday also announced sanctions on about a dozen “extremist Israeli settlers” accused of violence against Palestinians.
“We are imposing travel bans on a number of people known to have committed violent acts. These individuals will not be able to travel to New Zealand,” said foreign minister Winston Peters. The individuals were not named publicly.
Israel has stopped issuing visas for international staff of humanitarian organisations that work in occupied Palestinian territories, hampering efforts to get food and other vital supplies into Gaza.
Dozens of foreign aid workers, including heads of organisations, have had to leave Israel and the Palestinian territories, or are overstaying their visas and risking deportation so they can continue working, an alliance of aid groups has warned.
Emergency response teams, who have the specialist experience to deal with the multiple challenges of working in Gaza, are particularly affected, said Faris Arouri, director of the Association of International Development Agencies (AIDA), an umbrella group representing aid groups operating in the West Bank and Gaza.
Read Emma’s full piece here:
Here’s some of the latest images coming out of Israel and Gaza:
US President Joe Biden’s administration is considering airdropping aid from US military planes into Gaza, according to the Reuters news agency. It’s as land deliveries become increasingly difficult, a US official said.
Axios, which first reported the US was considering airdrops, cited American officials saying that airdrops will have a limited effect since a military plane can only drop the amount of supplies equivalent to that transported by one or two trucks.
Canada also says it’s working to airdrop aid to the Gaza Strip as soon as possible. International development minister Ahmed Hussen said Ottawa was exploring new options to deliver aid. He said the provision of airdrops in partnership with like-minded countries in the region, such as Jordan, was on the table.
Hussen said last week that the provision of aid is nowhere near what’s needed and a tedious inspection process was slowing down the movement of supplies brought in by truck.
Hamas-run Gaza health ministry says death toll exceeds 30,000
The Hamas-run health ministry says more than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the war began, Agence France-Press reports.
The war between Israel and Hamas has been going on for nearly five months with the death toll updated on Thursday.
The latest figures do not distinguish between combatants and non-combatants and have not been independently verified.
Meanwhile, mediators say a truce deal between Israel and Hamas could be just days away, as aid agencies sound the alarm of a looming famine in Gaza’s north.
The latest overall toll for Palestinians killed in the war came after at least 79 people died overnight across the Gaza Strip, the health ministry said.
The war started after the 7 October attacks by Hamas, in which 1,200 people were killed and another 200 were taken hostage.
Welcome and opening summary
It’s 8:22am in Gaza and Tel Aviv, welcome to our latest Guardian live blog on the Israel-Gaza war and the wider Middle East crisis. I’m Reged Ahmad and I’ll be with you for the next while.
The Hamas-run health ministry has issued their latest death toll in Gaza and says more than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war between Hamas and Israel began nearly five months ago, Agence France-Presse reports. The figure doesn’t distinguish between combatants and non-combatants and can’t be independently verified.
It’s as the US considers airdropping aid into Gaza from US military planes because the deliveries of essentials into the area has become more difficult, according to a US official who spoke to the Reuters news agency.
More on that in a moment but first, here’s a summary of the latest events so far:
Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh said on Wednesday the group is showing flexibility in negotiations with Israel but at the same time it was ready to continue fighting. Another Hamas official, Basem Naim, told Al Jazeera “The gap is still wide”. The two sides have been negotiating around a draft framework that would reportedly see a six week pause in fighting and the release of hostages held in captivity by Hamas for Palestinians who have been detained by Israel.
Qatar has accused Israel of facilitating “the deliberate starvation of the Palestinian people” and called on the international community to apply more pressure on Israel, saying it was “painful” that the delivery of aid was still an issue. Foreign ministry spokesperson Majed Al Ansari said “There are two and a half million people living in complete absence of health and emergency services. Aid should be freely provided without restrictions.”
Israel’s military has claimed it struck “eight significant terror targets” in Gaza overnight which it said had been responsible for rockets fired towards the Israeli city of Ashkelon. The IDF also announced that two further soldiers had been killed during its ground operation inside Gaza.
Houthi leaders have denied they have targeted critical underwater sea telecommunication cables, as Yemen’s UN recognised government warned of an imminent marine environmental disaster if a cargo ship struck by the rebels last week was not quickly rescued. The stricken Belize-flagged Rubymar, which was en route from the UAE to Europe via the Red Sea when she was hit by a Houthi attack, has been drifting and begun to sink.
A German naval frigate sent to protect commercial ships in the Red Sea nearly shot down a US drone by mistake, German media reported Wednesday, according to Agence France-Presse. The German defence ministry confirmed a drone incident involving an allied nation occurred on Monday, without naming the country. The “Hesse” frigate opened fire after efforts to identify an unknown drone “were unsuccessful”, Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said during a visit to the German town of Oberviechtach, adding however that the target was “not hit”.
Families of some of the hostages still being held by Hamas in Gaza have started a four-day march to demand their release. The route started at the site of the Nova music festival, scene of some of the worst atrocities during the 7 October attack, and will finish in Jerusalem.
New Zealand on Thursday became one of the last western countries to designate all of Hamas as a “terrorist entity”, saying the attacks of 7 October had shattered the notion its political and military wings could be separated. “The organisation as a whole bears responsibility for these horrific terrorist attacks,” the government said, announcing a move that spells a freeze on Hamas assets in New Zealand and a ban on providing it with “material support”.
Russian media is reporting that representatives of Hamas and Fatah will meet in Moscow on Thursday to discuss the possibility of a united Palestinian government across both Gaza and the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Israeli strikes killed two people in Lebanon’s south on Wednesday evening, while Hamas earlier fired a volley of rockets towards northern Israel from Lebanon amid escalating cross-border clashes in recent days, Agence France-Presse reports.
Israel carried out strikes Wednesday near Damascus, Syria’s defence ministry said, according to Agence France-Presse. An AFP correspondent in the Syrian capital heard explosions followed by the sirens of ambulances. When asked about the strikes, the Israeli army told AFP: “We do not comment on reports in the foreign media.”
Updated
