Photograph: Khaled Elfiqi/EPA
Closing summary
It has gone 6pm in Gaza, Tel Aviv and Beirut, and 7pm in Sana’a. We will be closing this blog soon, but you can stay up to date on the Guardian’s Middle East coverage here.
Here is a recap of the latest developments:
UN secretary general António Guterres called for an immediate ceasefire and for Gaza to be flooded with aid, during a visit to the Rafah border crossing on Saturday as part of his annual Ramadan solidarity visit to the region. Stood near a long line of waiting trucks, Guterres declared it was time to “truly flood Gaza with life-saving aid,” calling the starvation inside Gaza a “moral outrage”. Guterres also described Palestinians in Gaza as being “stuck in a non-stop nightmare” and said the world the world has seen enough of the horrors in Gaza.
Guterres said it was time for Israel to give an “ironclad commitment” for unfettered access to humanitarian goods throughout Gaza. Speaking during a visit to the Rafah border crossing, he also called for the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza and said the UN would continue to work with Egypt to “streamline” the flow of aid into Gaza.
During his visit to the Rafah border crossing on Saturday, Guterres also said there was a clear international consensus that any ground assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where more than half of Gaza’s population has taken refuge, would cause a humanitarian catastrophe. Israel said on Friday it would send its troops to fight Hamas in the nearby city of Rafah, even without US support.
Philippe Lazzarini, the commissioner general of the United Nations Palestinian refugee agency (Unrwa), said on Saturday “for the second time this week, a food convoy has been denied to northern Gaza” in a post on X. He wrote: “Today, the Israeli authorities denied another Unrwa convoy with much needed food supplies from going to the north where people are on the verge of famine. The last time Unrwa was able to send food aid to the north was nearly month ago.”
Five of the injured Palestinians at the Gaza Strip’s al-Shifa hospital, which is being besieged by Israeli forces, have died, Gaza’s health ministry said in a statement on Saturday. The medical facility is under siege for the sixth day in a row with no water, food nor health services, the ministry added.
Hamas expressed gratitude for the stances taken by Russia, China, and Algeria in vetoing the US draft resolution that failed to pass during the recent UN security council vote on Friday. In a statement published on its Telegram channel, Hamas criticised the resolution for its “misleading language that aligns with the interests of Israel,” allowing Israeli forces to “sustain their aggression” and providing cover and validation for the “extermination campaign” against Palestinians in Gaza.
A vote at the UN security council on a new text calling for an “immediate” ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war was postponed to Monday, diplomatic sources told AFP.
Israeli forces said on Saturday that more than 170 gunmen were killed during a prolonged operation at al-Shifa hospital. However, according to Hamas representatives, the deceased individuals identified in Israeli reports were not combatants but rather patients and displaced individuals. Hamas have accused Israel of war crimes.
At least 72 Palestinians were killed and 144 injured in Israeli strikes in the past 24 hours, said the Gaza health ministry, which is run by Hamas. According to the statement, at least 32,142 Palestinians have been killed and 74,412 have been injured in Israeli strikes on Gaza since 7 October. The ministry does not distinguish between combatants and non-combatants.
Nearly 600 relatives of 81 hostages have appealed to US president Joe Biden to urge Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to negotiate a deal for their release. In a letter sent to the US president, families expressed their disappointment with the Israeli government’s perceived lack of commitment to finalising the agreement.
“Never before have so many of Gaza’s children needed medical care,” said Unicef spokesperson, James Elder, in a video posted on social media, which showed him visiting Nasser hospital in Khan Younis and reflecting on the children he met the last time he was there. Local and UN health officials said fighting, fuel shortages and Israeli raids put Nasser hospital completely out of service in February.
The Israeli army arrested 15 Palestinians in the West Bank overnight, reports Al Jazeera citing an update by the Palestinian Prisoners Club. According to the update, the arrests took place in the governates of Hebron, Ramallah, Bethlehem, Tubas, Nablus, and Jerusalem.
Tens of thousands of people have taken part in a major pro-Palestinian demonstration in Dublin. Organisers called for an end to Israel’s action in Gaza and for the Irish government to “take action to hold Israel accountable”. The Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) said it was the fifth such national mobilisation.
Hezbollah claimed to have targeted an Iron Dome battery on Saturday, situated close to the northern village of Kfar Blum, in the Hula Valley in Israel, using two drones loaded with explosives, the Times of Israel reported. The Israeli publication said local authorities had confirmed that the impact ignited a fire but that no casualties or damage resulted from the attack. The incident could not be independently verified.
US fighter jets from the USS Dwight D Eisenhower aircraft carrier struck three underground storage facilities in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen late on Friday. The official, who spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss a military operation not yet made public, said the ship is in the Red Sea.
In a statement late on Friday, US Central Command (Centcom) said its forces also destroyed four unmanned aerial vehicles in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.
Centcom also said Houthis fired four anti-ship ballistic missiles toward the Red Sea, but no injuries or damage were reported by US, coalition or commercial ships.The Indian navy handed over 35 Somali pirates to the police in Mumbai on Saturday, after 100 days of anti-piracy operations east of the Red Sea, where piracy has resurfaced for the first time in nearly a decade. Somali pirates have taken advantage of western forces’ focus on protecting shipping from attacks in the Red Sea by Yemen’s Houthi militants, by making or attempting more than 20 hijackings since November.
The shadow UK foreign secretary, David Lammy, urged David Cameron to publish the Foreign Office formal legal advice on whether Israel is breaching international humanitarian law in Gaza. Lammy’s move came as two human rights groups were given permission for an oral hearing to seek a judicial review of the government’s refusal to ban arms exports to Israel.
Updated
Tens of thousands of people take part in a major pro-Palestinian demonstration in Dublin
Tens of thousands of people have taken part in a major pro-Palestinian demonstration in Dublin, having travelled from across Ireland to take part in the event in the centre of the Irish capital, reports the Press Association.
Organisers called for an end to Israel’s action in Gaza and for the Irish government to “take action to hold Israel accountable”. The Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) said it was the fifth such national mobilisation.
According to the Press Association, crowds gathered at Parnell Square before a procession across the city centre to the Department of Foreign Affairs at St Stephen’s Green, where there were speeches and performances of Irish and Palestinian music.
Speakers at the rally included IPSC chairwoman Zoe Lawlor and independent senator Frances Black. Lawlor said: “It’s crucial that we keep up the pressure on our government to sanction Israel for its crimes.”
'Never before have so many of Gaza’s children needed medical care', says Unicef spokesperson
Unicef spokesperson James Elder said that “never before have so many of Gaza’s children needed medical care” in a video posted on social media, which showed him visiting Nasser hospital in Khan Younis and reflecting on the children he met the last time he was there.
In the video, he asks where a young boy named Mohamed, a young girl named Shaima and twin babies, Hannah and Kahled, that he met in Nasser hospital are now. The post on X also highlights the fact that in the northern Gaza Strip, one in three children under the age of two years suffer from acute malnutrition.
At Nasser hospital in Gaza UNICEF Spokesperson @1james_elder reflects on the children he met the last time he was there.
— UNICEF (@UNICEF) March 22, 2024
An immediate humanitarian ceasefire provides the best chance to save lives, end suffering and enable the urgent delivery of life-saving aid. pic.twitter.com/K7gr0ktOOq
Unicef added that “an immediate humanitarian ceasefire provides the best chance to save lives, end suffering and enable the urgent delivery of life-saving aid”.
Local and UN health officials said fighting, fuel shortages and Israeli raids put Nasser hospital completely out of service in February. Gaza health ministry spokesperson Ashraf al-Qidra said that the hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis went out of action early on 18 February.
At the time, the hospital was still sheltering scores of patients suffering from war wounds and from the worsening health crisis in Gaza, but there was no power and not enough staff to treat them all, health officials said.
UN secretary general calls for an immediate ceasefire and for Gaza to be flooded with aid
The Associated Press (AP) have more on the UN secretary general António Guterres’ comments during a visit to the Rafah crossing on Saturday.
Stood near a long line of waiting trucks, Guterres declared it was time to “truly flood Gaza with life-saving aid,” calling the starvation inside Gaza a “moral outrage.” He called for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, reports the AP.
Guterres spoke on the Egyptian side of the border not far from the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where Israel plans to launch a ground assault despite widespread warnings of a potential disaster. More than half of Gaza’s population has taken refuge there.
“Any further onslaught will make things even worse — worse for Palestinian civilians, worse for hostages and worse for all people in the region,” Guterres said.
He spoke a day after the UN security council failed to reach consensus on the wording of a resolution supporting “an immediate and sustained ceasefire.”
According to the AP, Guterres repeatedly noted the difficulties of getting aid into Gaza, for which international aid agencies have largely blamed Israel.
“Here from this crossing, we see the heartbreak and heartlessness … a long line of blocked relief trucks on one side of the gates, the long shadow of starvation on the other,” he said.
He added: “It is time for an ironclad commitment by Israel for total … access for humanitarian goods to Gaza, and in the Ramadan spirit of compassion, it is also time for the immediate release of all hostages.”
Hamas is believed to be holding around 100 hostages as well as the remains of 30 others taken in its 7 October attack that killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians.
Israel’s invasion has killed more than 32,000 people, according to Gaza health officials, and displaced 80% of its 2.3 million people.
Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry does not differentiate between civilians and combatants, but has said women and children make up the majority of the dead. Israel blames Hamas for civilian deaths and accuses it of operating within residential areas.
Updated
UN secretary general António Guterres has shared the following update on his X account from today’s visit to the Rafah crossing:
Every year, I undertake a solidarity mission during the holy month of Ramadan, a time for spreading compassion, community & peace.
— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) March 23, 2024
This year, I have come to the Rafah crossing to spotlight the hardship and pain of Palestinians in Gaza – and the obstacles to easing their plight. pic.twitter.com/EJmtL966O4
Five of the injured Palestinians at al-Shifa hospital have died, says health ministry
Five of the injured Palestinians at the Gaza Strip’s al-Shifa hospital, which is being besieged by Israeli forces, have died, Gaza’s health ministry said in a statement on Saturday, according to Reuters.
The medical facility is under siege for the sixth day in a row with no water, food nor health services, the ministry added.
On Monday, Israeli troops entered al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City and commenced a thorough search of the extensive facility, which the military claims is linked to a tunnel network serving as a base for Hamas and other Palestinian combatants.
Israeli forces said on Saturday that more than 170 gunmen have been killed during a prolonged operation at the hospital. However, according to Hamas representatives, the deceased individuals identified in Israeli reports were not combatants but rather patients and displaced individuals.
Hamas have accused Israel of war crimes.
UN secretary general António Guterres said it was time for Israel to give an “ironclad commitment” for unfettered access to humanitarian goods throughout Gaza. Guterres also called for the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza.
The UN would continue to work with Egypt to “streamline” the flow of aid into Gaza, he added, speaking during a visit to the Rafah border crossing.
Updated
72 Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes in the past 24 hours, says health ministry
The latest figures from the Gaza health ministry, which is run by Hamas, said 72 Palestinians were killed and 144 injured in Israeli strikes in the past 24 hours.
According to the statement, at least 32,142 Palestinians have been killed and 74,412 have been injured in Israeli strikes on Gaza since 7 October.
The ministry does not distinguish between combatants and non-combatants.
UN secretary general appeals for an end to Gaza's 'non-stop nightmare'
UN secretary general António Guterres said the world has seen enough of the horrors in Gaza and appealed for a ceasefire to allow in more aid.
He spoke at the crossing on the Egyptian side of Rafah, where most of Gaza’s population has sought refuge but Israel vows to send in ground troops against Hamas militants, despite the fears of Guterres and other global leaders.
“Palestinians in Gaza - children, women, men - remain stuck in a non-stop nightmare,” Guterres said. “I carry the voices of the vast majority of the world who have seen enough”.
According to AFP, Guterres also said in Rafah on Saturday that “any further onslaught will make things even worse.”
Upon his arrival at the Rafah border crossing, the UN secretary general António Guterres was met with a long line of blocked relief trucks on Egypt’s side of the border, which he called a “moral outrage” as Palestinians face starvation in Gaza.
“Here from this crossing, we see the heartbreak and heartlessness of it all. A long line of blocked relief trucks on one side of the gates, the long shadow of starvation on the other,” he said. “That is more than tragic. It is a moral outrage.”
📍#Gaza: For the 2nd time this week, a food convoy has been denied to northern Gaza.
— Philippe Lazzarini (@UNLazzarini) March 23, 2024
🛑 Today, the Israeli Authorities denied another @UNRWA convoy with much needed food supplies from going to the north where people are on the verge of famine.
The last time @UNRWA was able to…
Updated
UN secretary general at Rafah crossing to call for ceasefire
The UN secretary general António Guterres is at the Rafah border crossing from Gaza into Egypt to once again call for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire.
“Nothing justifies the collective punishment of the Palestinian people,” Guterres said. He added:
Now more than ever it is time for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire. It is time to silence the guns. Palestinians in Gaza – children, women, men – remain stuck in a nonstop nightmare. Communities obliterated, homes demolished, entire families and generations wiped out, with hunger and starvation stalking the population.”
Guterres’ comments come days after he received the interim finding of one of two inquiries into the role of the United Nations Palestinian refugee agency (Unrwa), in Gaza.
Israeli authorities have long been hostile to Unrwa, claiming that they had evidence that 12 Unrwa employees, seven of them teachers, had taken part in the 7 October attack and that 1,468 of its employees – about 11% – were “active members” of Hamas or another militant group, Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
Meanwhile, internal UN documents obtained by the Guardian showed that UN staff working with Palestinians in the occupied West Bank have been subjected to a systematic campaign of obstruction and harassment by the Israeli military and authorities since the beginning of the conflict in Gaza five months ago.
Updated
Hezbollah claims to have targeted an Iron Dome battery on Saturday, situated close to the northern village of Kfar Blum, in the Hula Valley in Israel, using two drones loaded with explosives, the Times of Israel reported.
According to reports received by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), two drones were launched from Lebanon and struck two locations near the community.
Times of Israel says the local authorities have confirmed that the impacts ignited a fire but that no casualties or damage resulted from the attack and they are currently conducting an investigation into the incident, which could not be independently verified.
Updated
15 Palestinians arrested in West Bank overnight says Palestinian Prisoners Club
The Israeli army has arrested 15 Palestinians in the West Bank overnight, reports Al Jazeera citing an update by the Palestinian Prisoners Club.
According to the update, the arrests took place in the governates of Hebron, Ramallah, Bethlehem, Tubas, Nablus, and Jerusalem.
Updated
The Indian navy handed over 35 Somali pirates to the police in Mumbai on Saturday, after 100 days of anti-piracy operations east of the Red Sea, where piracy has resurfaced for the first time in nearly a decade, reports Reuters.
India, the largest national force in the Gulf of Aden and northern Arabian Sea region, captured the pirates from the cargo ship Ruen last week, three months after it was hijacked off the Somali coast, says the news agency.
According to Reuters, Somali pirates have taken advantage of western forces’ focus on protecting shipping from attacks in the Red Sea by Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi militants, by making or attempting more than 20 hijackings since November. This has driven up insurance and security costs and added to a crisis for global shipping companies.
With the attacks by the Houthis, who claim solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza during Israel’s war against Hamas, and the surge in piracy, commercial traffic through the region has halved since November as ships take the longer route around southern Africa, India’s navy said.
Reuters reports that the pirates seized by Indian commandoes face up to life in prison as the first to be prosecuted under India’s 2022 anti-piracy law, which enables the navy to apprehend and arrest pirates on the high seas.
Here are some of the lates images on the newswires:
US fighter jets from the USS Dwight D Eisenhower aircraft carrier struck three underground storage facilities in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen late on Friday, according to a US official, reports the Associated Press (AP).
The official, who spoke to the news agency on condition of anonymity to discuss a military operation not yet made public, said the ship is in the Red Sea.
Strikes and explosions were seen and heard in Sana’a on Friday night, according to witnesses and videos, some circulating on social media. Footage showed explosions and smoke rising over the Houthi-controlled capital.
According to the AP, there was no official confirmation of the injured or the origin of the explosions. Yemeni TV station Al-Masirah, which is linked to the Houthis, reported strikes hitting the city.
In a statement late on Friday, US Central Command (Centcom) said its forces also destroyed four unmanned aerial vehicles in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.
Centcom also said Houthis fired four anti-ship ballistic missiles toward the Red Sea, but no injuries or damage were reported by US, coalition or commercial ships.
March 22 Red Sea Update
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) March 23, 2024
On March 22, between approximately 4:22 a.m. and 11:10 p.m. (Sanaa time), United States Central Command (CENTCOM) forces successfully engaged and destroyed four unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen in self-defense.
During… pic.twitter.com/lFHlCaduX3
Updated
Hamas expresses gratitude to stances taken by Russia, China, and Algeria on US draft resolution
Hamas expressed gratitude for the stances taken by Russia, China, and Algeria in vetoing the US draft resolution that failed to pass during the recent UN security council vote on Friday.
In a statement published on its Telegram channel, Hamas criticised the resolution for its “misleading language that aligns with the interests of Israel,” allowing Israeli forces to “sustain their aggression” and providing cover and validation for the “extermination campaign” against Palestinians in Gaza.
The statement went on to say: “We are thankful for the principled position taken by Russia, China, and Algeria in rejecting the biased American proposal of aggression against our people.”
Eleven council members voted for the US resolution on Friday morning. However, as permanent security council members the Russian and Chinese votes counted as vetoes.
A vote at the UN security council on a new text calling for an “immediate” ceasefire was postponed to Monday, diplomatic sources told AFP.
Updated
UN chief arrives in Egypt for visit to Gaza border
Reporting from Jerusalem, the Guardian’s Lorenzo Tondo has this update on the UN secretary general António Guterres planned visit to the Gaza border today:
UN secretary general António Guterres has just arrived in north Sinai, in Egypt, reads a post on X by the UN spokesperson.
This is Guterres’ first stop during his annual Ramadan solidarity visit to the region.
Secretary-General @antonioguterres has just arrived in North Sinai, #Egypt. This is his first stop during his annual Ramadan solidarity visit to the region. pic.twitter.com/eCcWIRYKyw
— UN Spokesperson (@UN_Spokesperson) March 23, 2024
The UN secretary general plans to reiterate his call for a humanitarian ceasefire, though renewed international pressure has so far failed to dissuade Israel from the planned ground offensive in Rafah, where most of Gaza’s population has taken shelter.
Updated
Relatives of hostages send letter to Biden urging him to press Israel for deal to free them
Nearly 600 relatives of 81 hostages have appealed to US president Joe Biden to urge Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to negotiate a deal for their release.
In a letter sent to the US president, families expressed their disappointment with the Israeli government’s perceived lack of commitment to finalising the agreement.
The letter, marking the first instance of a substantial number of hostage families reaching out to Biden, was facilitated by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, the Times of Israel reported.
🚨🚨🚨Family members of 81 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza sent a letter to President Biden calling him "to use the means available to you, to press and convince all parties, including the Israeli Prime Minister, to agree to the deal that you assess is reasonable" pic.twitter.com/VaArxOkOJF
— Barak Ravid (@BarakRavid) March 22, 2024
“We are increasingly frustrated and concerned by the absence of consistent communication and dedication from the Israeli prime minister and the war cabinet to the cause of freeing hostages,” the letter conveyed.
Acknowledging the efforts made by the US in securing a temporary truce in late November, during which some hostages were released from Hamas captivity, the families highlighted the severe conditions endured by those still held in Gaza.
The letter described the suffering of the hostages, including reports of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, hunger, and threats to their lives.
Despite the release of some hostages, it is estimated that 130 individuals abducted by Hamas on 7 October remain captive in Gaza, with uncertainties surrounding their wellbeing.
The families expressed their willingness to collaborate with the Biden administration to mobilise support from the Israeli and US public to facilitate the realisation of a comprehensive agreement.
Updated
UN chief to visit Gaza border as Israel vows Rafah attack
UN secretary general António Guterres is expected to visit Egypt’s border with Gaza on Saturday, after Israel vowed to send its troops to fight Hamas in the nearby city of Rafah, even without US support, reports news agency Agence France-Presse (AFP).
During his visit, Guterres plans to reiterate his call for a humanitarian ceasefire, though renewed international pressure has so far failed to dissuade Israel from the planned ground offensive in Rafah, where most of Gaza’s population has taken shelter.
Despite warnings that such an operation would cause mass civilian casualties and worsen the humanitarian crisis gripping the territory, Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he will press ahead with the attack.
“I hope to do that with the support of the US, but if we need to, we will do it alone,” Netanyahu told visiting US secretary of state Antony Blinken on Friday.
International efforts to pause the almost six months of fighting have intensified, with the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza reporting 32,070 people killed in the Palestinian territory as of Friday and multiple UN warnings of imminent famine.
The Gaza health ministry reported, in a preliminary tally early Saturday morning, another 67 people killed overnight, including 10 in a strike on a home north of Gaza City.
Updated
Israel says 170 Gaza gunmen killed in hospital raid
Over 170 gunmen have been killed during a prolonged operation at the main hospital in Gaza, Israeli forces revealed on Saturday.
However, according to Hamas representatives, the deceased individuals identified in Israeli reports were not combatants but rather patients and displaced individuals. Hamas denounced Israel for alleged war crimes.
At the break of dawn on Monday, Israeli troops ventured into al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City and commenced a thorough search of the extensive facility, which the military claims is linked to a tunnel network serving as a base for Hamas and other Palestinian combatants.
“Thus far, the forces have neutralised in excess of 170 terrorists within the hospital vicinity, interrogated more than 800 suspects, and uncovered numerous weapons and infrastructure associated with terror activities,” stated the Israeli military.
The military disclosed on Thursday that over 350 militants from Hamas and Islamic Jihad have been apprehended at the hospital, marking the largest number captured simultaneously since the onset of the war last October.
Contrary to the military’s assertions, Hamas and medical personnel refute claims that the hospital is used for military purposes or to harbour fighters. Hamas representatives have recently contended that the deceased individuals previously identified in Israeli reports were not combatants but rather civilian patients.
Both the claims from Hamas and Israeli forces could not be independently verified.
Updated
Cameron urged to publish Foreign Office legal advice on Israel’s war in Gaza
The shadow UK foreign secretary, David Lammy, has urged David Cameron to publish the Foreign Office formal legal advice on whether Israel is breaching international humanitarian law in Gaza.
Lammy’s move comes as two human rights groups have been given permission for an oral hearing to seek a judicial review of the government’s refusal to ban arms exports to Israel.
“Given the gravity of the situation in Gaza, the degree of public and parliamentary interest and the risks to the credibility of the UK’s export controls regime, there is a compelling case to publish the government’s legal advice,” Lammy wrote in a letter to Lord Cameron, the foreign secretary.
Arms export licences should not be granted if “there is a clear risk that the items might be used to commit or facilitate a serious violation of international humanitarian law”, the letter said.
You can read Patrick Wintour’s full piece here:
The Guardian’s diplomatic editor, Patrick Wintour, has written a helpful explainer on what the US Gaza ceasefire resolution said and why Russia and China vetoed it. Here is an excerpt:
In the chamber, the Russian ambassador Vasily Nebenzya told the security council the resolution was a “hypocritical spectacle” that put no real pressure on Israel over its war crimes. Moscow also said the episode showed the US administration was more interested in throwing a bone to American voters and persuading a domestic audience it was being even-handed in the crisis.
Explaining Guyana’s abstention, the South American country’s representative Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett said: “Contrary to media reports, this resolution does not call for an immediate ceasefire.”
She also added the demand that a ceasefire should not be linked to or conditioned on the release of hostages. “Two wrongs cannot make a right and the Palestinian people should not be collectively punished and themselves held hostage for the crimes of others.
“If one were to read this resolution without background knowledge, it would be difficult to ascertain which party in this conflict is committing the atrocities in Gaza – atrocities which necessitated this draft resolution being put forward. In a resolution of 41 paragraphs, 2,036 words, the occupying power is mentioned once in the penultimate paragraph.”
You can read the full explainer here:
Here is a video from yesterday’s UN security council meeting where a US resolution urging a ceasefire in Gaza linked to a hostage deal was vetoed by Russia and China.
Eleven council members voted for the resolution on Friday morning; Russia, China and Algeria voted against and Guyana abstained. As Russia and China are permanent members their votes counted as vetoes.
Before the vote, the Russian envoy, Vasily Nebenzya, said any member voting for the resolution “will cover yourselves in disgrace”. The US envoy, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, said after the vote that Russia and China had opposed the resolution because they could not bring themselves to support the clauses in it condemning Hamas.
Updated
Opening summary
It has just gone 11am in Gaza and Tel Aviv. This is our latest Guardian live blog on the Israel-Gaza war and the wider Middle East crisis.
Israeli forces fighting in Gaza have killed more than 170 gunmen during their days-long raid at Gaza’s main hospital, the military said on Saturday, according to a Reuters report.
Israeli troops entered al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City in the early hours of Monday morning and have been combing through the sprawling complex, which the military says is connected to a tunnel network used as a base for Hamas and other Palestinian fighters.
Hamas and medical staff deny that the hospital is used for military purposes or to shelter fighters.
More on that in a moment but first, a summary of the latest developments:
A US resolution urging a ceasefire in Gaza linked to a hostage deal has been vetoed by Russia and China in the UN security council. Eleven council members voted for the resolution on Friday morning; Russia, China and Algeria voted against it and Guyana abstained. As permanent security council members the Russian and Chinese votes counted as vetoes.
A vote at the UN security council on a new text calling for an “immediate” ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war was postponed to Monday, diplomatic sources told AFP.
UN secretary general António Guterres is expected to visit Egypt’s border with Gaza on Saturday, after Israel vowed to send its troops to fight Hamas in the nearby city of Rafah, even without US support. During his visit, Guterres plans to reiterate his call for a humanitarian ceasefire.
The shadow UK foreign secretary, David Lammy, has urged David Cameron to publish the Foreign Office formal legal advice on whether Israel is breaching international humanitarian law in Gaza. Lammy’s move comes as two human rights groups have been given permission for an oral hearing to seek a judicial review of the government’s refusal to ban arms exports to Israel.
The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, has said an Israeli offensive into the southern Gaza town of Rafah would risk “further isolating” Israel and damage its long-term security. Speaking as he left Israel on a short visit during his sixth Middle East trip since the start of the war, Blinken told reporters he had “candid conversations” with officials including prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and senior ministers.
People living in Gaza are facing exorbitant food prices as more than one million residents of the Palestinian territory face famine. Aid officials have referred to Israel’s siege of Gaza as “man-made starvation”, with the territory facing the threat of mass deaths from famine in the coming weeks. Children are already dying from hunger. But an Israeli official on Friday denied that people in Gaza are suffering from starvation.
Updated
