Closing summary
It is 4pm in Gaza and Tel Aviv. Here is a summary of events today
Israel has recalled its negotiating team from Qatar, ending immediate attempts to negotiate a ceasefire and hostage release deal with Hamas. The move comes in the wake of a UN security council vote demanding a ceasefire, and Hamas rejecting the latest proposals.
In a statement, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said “Israel will not cave to Hamas’s delusional demands”. It said the Hamas position was “clear proof it is not interested in continuing talks, and a sad testament to the damage caused by the UN Security Council resolution.”
Late on Monday night Hamas issued a statement rejecting the latest deal offer. It Israel was not responding to its core demands of a “comprehensive ceasefire, an withdrawal from the Strip, the return of displaced people and a real prisoner exchange.”
The moves follow the UN security council on Mondaypassing a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, and the release of the 134 hostages believed to still be held there by Hamas and other groups. It was the first time a resolution about an Israel-Gaza war ceasefire avoided being vetoed by one of the US, China or Russia.
The lack of a US veto angered Netanyahu, who cancelled a planned visit to Washington by two of his ministers. Israel’s foreign minister Israel Katz said Hamas had been emboldened to reject a deal by the vote, and had been sent the message “you don’t have to hurry” because international pressure was being bought to bear on Israel.
A planned cabinet discussion in Israel on a proposed bill to extend compulsory military service to ultra-Orthodox students has been postponed at the last minute.
UN humanitarian office (OCHA) spokesperson Jens Laerke told a UN briefing Tuesday that Israel “cannot claim to adhere” to internation law while blocking Unrwa food convoys. Israel has said it will no longer work the the UN’s agency for Palestinian refugees, accusing Unrwa of collaborating with Hamas in Gaza – a charge Unrwa has denied.
At least 32,414 Palestinians have now been killed in Israel’s military offensive on Gaza since 7 October, the Hamas-led Gaza health ministry said on Tuesday. It has not been possible for journalists to independently verify the casualty figures being issued during the conflict.
Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that 30 Palestinians were killed by an Israeli airstrike near the al-Shifa hospital. It follows earlier reports that 18 people were killed in a strike on Rafah, including nine children. In its daily operational briefing earlier today, Israel’s military said it had carried out strikes on 60 targets in the last 24 hours, which it claimed were aimed at terrorist infrastructure.
Israel’s military has said there were no casualties but that a fire broke out in the northern community of Avivim after what it described as “three launches” from Lebanon. The IDF also said that “launches were identified from Lebanon toward the IDF aerial control unit in the area of Meron in northern Israel,” but there were no injuries or damage.
A proposed bill to extend compulsory military service to ultra-Orthodox students, historically exempt from conscription, has ignited a fierce debate in Israel. Netanyahu has reportedly warning that failure to pass the law could jeopardise the stability of the government. A protest for military service equality was being held in Jerusalem on Tuesday.
Doha-based Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh has been greeted in Tehran by Iran’s foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian. It is Haniyeh’s second visit to Iran since 7 October.
The UK Home Office is investigating allegations that two Israeli survivors of the 7 October attacks were subjected to antisemitic comments by a Border Force officer upon their arrival at Manchester airport.
It has been announced that Israel’s Tel Aviv will no longer host the 2025 European championships in artistic gymnastics, due to “the current situation in Israel”.
Israeli media is reporting that Israel has carried out airstrikes in the northeastern city of Baalbek in Lebanon.
More details soon …
