Closing summary
It is 6pm in Rafah, Tel Aviv and Beirut, and 7.30pm in Tehran. 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:
Israel is seeking Palestinians who are not affiliated with Hamas to manage civilian affairs in planned “humanitarian pockets” of the Gaza Strip, designed as testing grounds for postwar administration of the enclave, a senior Israeli official said on Thursday, according to Reuters. But Hamas said the plan, which the Israeli official said would also exclude anybody on the payroll of the internationally recognised Palestinian Authority, would amount to an Israeli reoccupation of Gaza and was doomed to failure.
UN secretary general, António Guterres said that in north Gaza, one in six children under 2-years-old is acutely malnourished as he called for “an immediate humanitarian ceasefire”. He linked to a news release on the World Food Programme website which highlighted the scarcity of food and safe water. It also said: “diseases are rife, compromising women and children’s nutrition and immunity and resulting in a surge of acute malnutrition.”
In addition, they called for the UN agency assisting Palestine refugees (UNRWA) “to receive the resources it needs to provide life-saving assistance” and “a halt to campaigns seeking to discredit the UN and non-governmental organisations doing their best to save lives”.
In a collective appeal, heads of UN humanitarian entities and global NGOs have implored world leaders to help prevent further deterioration of the crisis in Gaza. The principals of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC), the coordinating body of global humanitarian organisations, released a statement on Wednesday in which it said “civilians in Gaza are in extreme peril while the world watches on”. It listed ten requirements “to avoid an even worse catastrophe”.
Israeli strikes in Gaza kill 48 as fears mount over humanitarian crisis. Seven Israeli strikes hit Rafah early on Thursday, one of them flattening a large mosque and devastating much of the surrounding block. Another strike hit a residential home in Rafah sheltering the al-Shaer family, killing at least four people, including a mother and her child. Strikes in central Gaza overnight killed 44 people, including 14 children and 8 women, according to hospital officials there.
A UN attempt to deliver 10 convoys of food aid to northern Gaza over seven days was suspended earlier this week after trucks were looted by crowds, a driver was beaten and gunfire reported amid chaotic scenes. “In most cases, when food does get taken directly from convoys, it’s because of utter desperation, with people even eating it on the spot,” said Jonathan Fowler, a spokesperson for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).
An Israeli man in his 20s was killed in Thursday’s shooting at a checkpoint on a West Bank highway where gunmen opened fire on cars in the morning rush-hour traffic jam. AP report that five others were injured, including a pregnant woman – some other news agencies have put the number of injured at eight. Security forces killed two of the gunmen and detained the third, police said.
Tensions are rising in the West Bank ahead of Ramadan, which in the past has seen increased clashes, often in connection to restrictions imposed on Palestinian worshippers going to al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem’s Old City during the holy month.
The foreign ministers of 26 European countries on Thursday called for a pause in fighting leading to a longer ceasefire. They urged Israel not to take military action in Rafah “that would worsen an already catastrophic humanitarian situation.”
Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz has said there are “promising early signs of progress” on a new deal to release hostages from Gaza amid regional talks to secure a pause in the war. His comments came as US media reported that CIA chief William Burns was expected in Paris for hostage talks.
Yemen’s Houthis said they had banned Israeli-linked and US and UK-flagged vessels from the Red Sea. Ships that are wholly or partially owned by Israeli individuals or entities and Israel-flagged vessels are banned from the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and Arabian Sea, said statements from an agency controlled by Yemen’s Houthi group seen by Reuters on Thursday.
Israel intercepted what appeared to be an attack launched by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on Thursday near the port city of Eilat, authorities said.
Two missiles were fired at a vessel in an attack south-east of the Yemeni port city of Aden on Thursday, causing a fire onboard, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency said on Thursday. US-led coalition forces are responding to the incident, which took place 70 nautical miles from Aden in the direction of the Red Sea, the UKMTO agency said without elaborating.
The French navy has shot down two drones over the Red Sea where Yemen’s Houthi rebels have been attacking ships, the defence ministry said on Thursday, in the second such incident this week.
Security firm Ambrey also reported a fire aboard a Palau-flagged, British-owned general cargo ship after two missile strikes south-east of Yemen’s Aden. “Merchant shipping is advised to stay clear of the vessel and proceed with caution,” it added.
Japan has had strong words for Israel in the opening of its oral submission at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, which is hearing further argument today in the case “legal consequences arising from the policies and practices of Israel in the cccupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem.” Japan’s legal team said “No country must be allowed to be above the law” and argued that “Israel is acting and has been allowed to act in complete disregard of international law”.
At least 29,410 Palestinians have been killed and 69,465 injured in Israeli strikes on Gaza since 7 October 2023, the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry said in a statement on Thursday. The ministry does not distinguish between combatants and non-combatants.
Dozens of lawmakers stormed out of the UK’s parliament on Wednesday with tempers flaring as the three biggest political parties sought to outmanoeuvre each other over a vote on a ceasefire in Gaza. The uproar followed a decision by the speaker to ignore precedent and allow a vote which helped the opposition Labour party avoid a large-scale rebellion among its own lawmakers over its position on the Israel-Hamas war.
The US has urged the international court of justice (ICJ) in The Hague not to issue a ruling calling for Israel’s immediate withdrawal from the occupied Palestinian territories, arguing that Israeli security had to be taken into account in any solution to the conflict.
UNRWA has no “plan B” past March should donor countries that withheld funding after Israeli allegations uphold their suspensions, the head of its Lebanon office said on Thursday. Sixteen countries suspended funding pending an investigation by the UN’s oversight office that Lebanon chief Dorothee Klaus said would be ready in a few weeks.
An Israeli bombing of an United Nations relief and works agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) building housing displaced people in the Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip has resulted in casualties, according to Al Jazeera. The Qatar-based broadcaster said an Israeli raid was targeting a Palestinian vehicle east of the camp at the time. Footage of the incident, verified by Al Jazeera, indicated the death of at least one person as well as the injuries of several others.
A Palestinian man being treated at a Gaza hospital for severe bruising on his face, cuts on his fingers and other injuries said Israeli soldiers beat him with chunks of masonry and chairs after bursting into his home on 20 February, reports Reuters. The account by Ramadan Shamlakh, 22, which Reuters could not verify from another source, was the latest in a series of allegations of mistreatment of Palestinians by Israeli forces since the start of their war against Hamas. The Israeli army says it treats detainees in accordance with international law.
The UK has worked with Jordan to drop aid to a hospital in northern Gaza. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office said the UK-funded consignment was delivered by the Jordanian air force to the Tal Al-Hawa hospital on Wednesday. The hospital, set up by the Jordanian air force, is located in Gaza City.
Oxfam’s head of policy and advocacy, Katy Chakrabortty said the “playground politics” in the UK parliament vote on an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and Israel was a “disgrace”. Responding to Wednesday night’s events in parliament, Chakrabortty said: “It is a disgrace that there has been so much playground politics in parliament this evening, while so many lives are at stake.”
Israeli media reported that there were clashes between security forces and Israeli protesters at the Kerem Shalom border crossing between Israel and the Gaza Strip. Demonstrators have repeatedly gathered there attempting to blockade humanitarian aid entering Gaza, arguing that the hostages held by Hamas should be released in return for the aid.
An Australian logistics expert who is working at a hospital in Rafah has warned that “everyone here is struggling” while raising fears of a “catastrophic” Israeli ground offensive in the southern Gaza city. Lindsay Croghan, who is on assignment with Médecins Sans Frontières, also said there must be an “immediate and unconditional ceasefire” because a prolonged debate “equates to more deaths”.
The White House special envoy Brett McGurk will meet Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the national security adviser Tzachi Hanegbi in Israel on Thursday afternoon to discuss potential hostage talks and Netanyahu’s proposed Israel Defense Forces (IDF) operation in Rafah, according to The Times of Israel.
Israeli strikes in Gaza kill 48 as fears mount over humanitarian crisis and West Bank violence
Seven Israeli strikes hit Rafah early on Thursday, one of them flattening a large mosque and devastating much of the surrounding block, reports AP.
Footage from the scene showed al-Farouq Mosque pancaked to the ground, with its concrete domes tumbled around it and nearby buildings shattered.
Another strike hit a residential home in Rafah sheltering the al-Shaer family, killing at least four people, including a mother and her child.
Strikes in central Gaza overnight killed 44 people, including 14 children and 8 women, according to hospital officials there.
Elsewhere, Thursday’s shooting at a checkpoint on a West Bank highway where gunmen opened fire on cars in the morning rush-hour traffic jam killed an Israeli man in his 20s. AP report that five others were injured, including a pregnant woman. Security forces killed two of the gunmen and detained the third, police said.
Hamas in a statement Thursday praised the attack in Jerusalem and said it was a “natural response” to Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza and raids in the West Bank, and called for more attacks until they can achieve a “fully sovereign” Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital. The militant group did not claim responsibility for the attack.
Tensions are rising in the West Bank ahead of Ramadan, which in the past has seen increased clashes, often in connection to restrictions imposed on Palestinian worshippers going to al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem’s Old City during the holy month.
Also, heads of 13 UN agencies and five other aid groups issued a joint plea for a ceasefire late on Wednesday, warning that an attack on Rafah will bring “mass casualties” and could “deal a death blow” to the humanitarian operation bringing aid to Palestinians, which “is already on its knees.” Earlier this week, the World Food Program had to halt food deliveries to northern Gaza because of increasing chaos.
The foreign ministers of 26 European countries on Thursday called for a pause in fighting leading to a longer ceasefire. They urged Israel not to take military action in Rafah “that would worsen an already catastrophic humanitarian situation.”
Updated
