Closing summary
We’re closing our live coverage of the Middle East crisis for the time being but we’ll be back with you in the coming hours. In the meantime, here are the key developments:
Three US service members have been killed during an unmanned aerial drone attack on US forces in north-east Jordan near the Syria border on Saturday night. In a statement released on Sunday, Joe Biden said that while an investigation into the attack remains underway, the US knows “it was carried out by radical Iran-backed militant groups operating in Syria and Iraq”.
The US will respond to the attack on its troops, Biden said. During a campaign event at South Carolina on Sunday following the attack which killed three US service members and injured dozens of others, Biden said: “We shall respond.” In his earlier statement he also said: “Have no doubt - we will hold all those responsible to account at a time and in a manner of our choosing.”
A senior official with Hamas, Sami Abu Zuhri, said the attacks on US forces were tied directly to Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza. Speaking to Reuters, Abu Zuhri said: “The killing of three American soldiers is a message to the US administration that unless the killing of innocents in Gaza stops, it must confront the entire nation.”
At least 165 Palestinians were killed and 290 injured over the past 24 hours, Gaza’s health ministry said on Sunday. That brings the total number of Palestinians killed in the Israeli onslaught on Gaza to 26,422 since 7 October, not including the thousands thought to be buried under the rubble of collapsed buildings. The huge death toll comes despite last week’s ICJ interim ruling that Israel must do everything possible to avoid killing Palestinian civilians.
Palestinian medics and residents said Israel continued to bomb areas around the two main hospitals in Khan Younis, hindering efforts by rescue teams to respond to desperate calls from people caught in the Israeli bombardment. “There is a complete failure of the healthcare system at Nasser and Al-Amal hospitals,” said health ministry spokesperson Ashraf al-Qidra.
The United Nations secretary general, António Guterres, has appealed to the 10 donor countries that have withdrawn funding from the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees to reconsider, saying the agency and Palestinians in desperate need should not be penalised due to the alleged acts of a dozen staff. Guterres said nine UNRWA staff had already been dismissed for alleged involvement in Hamas’s attack on Israel on 7 October and any UN employee involved in acts of terror would be held accountable, including through criminal prosecution. Aid agencies have repeatedly warned in recent weeks that ordinary Gazans are at risk of famine after Israel stopped most food aid from entering the territory and cut off water supplies.
Talks on Sunday initiated by Qatar, the US and Egypt and aimed at brokering a hostage deal between Israel and Hamas were “constructive” but “significant gaps” remain, a statement from the Israeli prime minister’s office has said. US officials have reportedly proposed an initial 30-day temporary ceasefire to allow for the remaining female, elderly and wounded Israeli hostages to be freed. This would be followed by a second 30-day pause where Israeli soldiers and male hostages would be released, in tandem with an increase in the trickle of aid permitted into Gaza.
Far-right Israeli ministers and ministers belonging to Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party have attended a conference on the resettlement of Gaza, at which the national security minister Itamar Ben Gvir said Israelis needed “to find a legal way to voluntarily emigrate [Palestinians],” Haaretz newspaper has reported. Communications minister Shlomo Karhi told the conference that in war, “‘voluntary’ is at times a state you impose [on someone] until they give their consent.’”
The Palestinian prime minister Mohammad Shtayyeh has called for the countries that have paused their funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), to reverse the decision.
Aid agencies had already been saying that Gazans face famine after Israel prevented most food supplies from getting through and cut off water supplies.
UN officials and aid groups are urging countries to reconsider their decision to pause funding for the UN refugee agency for Palestinians, a vital source of aid in Gaza.
Ten countries have paused funding following allegations from Israel that a dozen of UNRWA’s staff were involved in the 7 October Hamas attacks on Israel.
The Guardian’s Rafqa Touma has this explainer on this history of UNRWA and its importance in the Gaza Strip:
Far-right Israeli ministers attend conference on resettlement of Gaza, 'voluntary' transfer of Palestinians
Far-right Israeli ministers and ministers belonging to Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party have attended a conference on the resettlement of Gaza, at which the national security minister Itamar Ben Gvir said Israelis needed “to find a legal way to voluntarily emigrate [Palestinians],” Haaretz newspaper has reported.
The conference held in Jerusalem on Sunday was attended by thousands of people including finance minister Bezalel Smotrich as well as other members of the Knesset and coalition government, rabbis, settlement activists and families of soldiers fighting in Gaza.
In his speech, Ben Gvir said:
If we don’t want another October 7, we need to go back home and control [Gaza]. We need to find a legal way to voluntarily emigrate [Palestinians] and impose death sentences on terrorists … I turn to you, prime minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu: this is time for brave decisions.
Members of the Likud party, who have talked openly about the “voluntary emigration” of Palestinians since the war began, returned to the theme at the conference, according to Haaretz.
Communications minister Shlomo Karhi said that in war, “‘voluntary’ is at times a state you impose [on someone] until they give their consent.’”
Tourism minister Haim Katz meanwhile said that, “Today, after 18 years [from disengagement from Gaza], we have the opportunity to rebuild and expand the land of Israel. This is our final opportunity.”
As we reported earlier, it was another deadly weekend for Palestinians in Gaza, with at least 165 Palestinians killed and 290 injured over the past 24 hours, according to the territory’s health ministry.
That brings the total death toll to 26,422 since 7 October, not including the thousands thought to be buried under the rubble of collapsed buildings.
It is difficult to independently verify details of the dead but the Associated Press reported that at last 17 people were killed in two Israeli airstrikes that hit apartment buildings in central Gaza.
Another Israeli strike hit a building in Zawaida, also in central Gaza, killing 13 people and another strike on an apartment block in the Nuseirat refugee camp killed four people.
Another 10 Palestinians were killed in a strike that hit a residential building in the Shati refugee camp in Gaza City, AP reported, citing Dr Moataz Harara, a physician at al-Shifa hospital, where the dead were taken.
In addition, Al Jazeera on Sunday reported the killing of two brothers, 13 -year-old Nahedh Barbakh and 20-year-old Ramez Barbakh, who it said were shot dead by Israeli forces on Wednesday on a supposedly safe route while carrying a white flag as they followed Israeli evacuation orders to flee their home in Khan Younis. It was not possible to verify the report.
'Significant gaps' remain after Gaza ceasefire talks, Israel says
Israel has said “significant gaps” remain between the parties after Gaza ceasefire talks initiated by the US, Qatar and Egypt and held at an unspecified location in Europe.
A statement by prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the talks were “defined as constructive”, adding: “There are still significant gaps which the sides will continue to discuss at additional mutual meetings to be held this week.”
The intelligence summit in Europe – with the participation of Mossad Director David Barnea, ISA Director Ronen Bar, Maj.-Gen, (Res.) Nitzan Alon, the Director of the CIA, the Prime Minister of Qatar and the Egyptian Intelligence Minister – concluded a short while ago.
— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) January 28, 2024
The statement did not elaborate on what the gaps were and there were no statements from the other parties.
The talks have reportedly focused on a pause in Israel’s brutal military assault on Gaza in exchange for the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas.
In the UK, the Labour MP Kate Osamor has had the whip suspended while she is investigated for saying Gaza should be remembered as a genocide on Holocaust Memorial Day.
The MP for Edmonton in north London is due to meet party whips on Monday after issuing an apology over the message she sent on the eve of the day marking the murder of 6 million Jews during the second world war.
Osamor had distributed the message to her party members, saying Holocaust Memorial Day should be observed, but other genocides should also be remembered – listing Gaza as one of them.
The former shadow development secretary, who served in Jeremy Corbyn’s top team, shared a photograph of herself signing the Westminster remembrance book of the Holocaust Educational Trust.
She also wrote that there was an ‘“international duty” to remember the victims of the Holocaust, as well as “more recent genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and now Gaza”.
Gunmen captured after deadly attack on Catholic church in Istanbul
Two gunmen who opened fired inside a Catholic church in Istanbul, killing one person, have been detained, AFP reports. The news agency writes:
The shooting, condemned by Pope Francis and Turkish officials, was claimed by the so-called Islamic State group in a statement issued on its Telegram channels.
Two masked men carried out the attack at around 11.40 am (0840 GMT) at the Santa Maria church in the Sariyer district, on the European side of Turkey’s largest city, interior minister Ali Yerlikaya said on social media.
Turkish officials said it looked like a targeted attack against one person rather than against the Catholic church.
The minister said an individual initially identified only as CT was the target of the gun attack and had lost his life. He was among those attending Sunday’s service.
Turkish police detained the two suspects as they fled the scene, Yerlikaya announced late on Sunday, identifying the victim as Tuncer Cihan.
Istanbul governor Davut Gul said there had been no other injuries.
Local officials said around 40 people attended the mass including Poland’s consul general in Istanbul Witold Lesniak and his family.
They also suggested that, but for a weapons malfunction, there might have been more casualties.
Israeli forces are raiding the West Bank city of Jenin, Al Jazeera is reporting citing the Palestinian news agency Wafa.
The broadcaster also said clashes had erupted in the village of Muthalath al-Shuhada, south of Jenin and that Israeli soldiers had stormed residential neighbourhoods in the town of Ya’bad, south-west of Jenin.
Israeli forces have repeatedly raided cities and towns across the occupied West Bank since Hamas 7 October attack on Israel.
According to the UN agency Ocha, 361 Palestinians including 92 children have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers as of Friday.
A US Muslim group has criticised former House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi after she suggested, without offering evidence, that some protesters demanding a ceasefire in Gaza could be linked to Russia and urged the FBI to investigate.
Her comments were dismissed as “unsubstantiated smears” by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), who said such remarks amounted to dehumanization of the Palestinian people, Reuters reported.
Pelosi made the remarks in a CNN interview after she was asked whether opposition to President Joe Biden’s policy in the war in Gaza could hurt the Democrat in November’s presidential election. She said:
For them to call for a ceasefire is Mr. Putin’s message, Mr. Putin’s message. Make no mistake, this is directly connected to what he (Russian President Vladimir Putin) would like to see.
I think some of these protesters are spontaneous, and organic, and sincere. Some I think are connected to Russia. Some financing should be investigated and I want to ask the FBI to investigate that.
Pelosi’s comments marked the first time a prominent US lawmaker has accused Russia’s leader of backing US protesters calling for a ceasefire.
The Russian embassy in Washington was not immediately available to comment.
Protests demanding a ceasefire in Gaza have recently occurred across the US, including near airports and bridges in New York City and Los Angeles, vigils outside the White House and marches in Washington. Demonstrators have also interrupted Biden speeches and events.
The protests have been organised by a range of human rights, Jewish and anti-war activist groups. Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesperson for CAIR, said:
It is unconscionable that an individual with such influence in this nation would spread unsubstantiated smears targeting those who seek an end to the slaughter of civilians in Gaza and a just resolution to that conflict.
CAIR national executive director Nihad Awad added that Pelosi’s comments:
echo a time in our nation when opponents of the Vietnam War were accused of being communist sympathisers and subjected to FBI harassment.
This is Helen Livingstone, taking over from my colleague, Maya Yang.
Updated
Summary
Here is where the day stands:
Three US service members have been killed during an unmanned aerial drone attack on US forces in north-east Jordan near the Syria border on Saturday night. In a statement released on Sunday, Joe Biden said that while an investigation into the attack remains underway, the US knows “it was carried out by radical Iran-backed militant groups operating in Syria and Iraq”. Biden added that many others were wounded.
The US will respond to the attack on its troops over the weekend, Biden said on Sunday. During a campaign event at South Carolina on Sunday following the attack which killed three US service members and injured dozens others, Biden said: “We shall respond.” Biden also went on to ask for a moment of silence.
US central command (Centcom) said that it is currently withholding the identities of the service members killed in Saturday night’s attack until 24 hours after their families have been informed. In a statement released on Sunday, Centcom said: “As a matter of respect for the families and in accordance with DoD [Department of Defense] policy, the identities of the service members will be withheld until 24 hours after their next of kin have been notified.”
US defense secretary Lloyd Austin has responded to the attacks on US troops in Jordan, saying: “Iran-backed militias are responsible for these continued attacks on US forces, and we will respond at a time and place of our choosing.”
Jordan has condemned the “terrorist attack” on a military advance post along the border with Syria, Reuters reports. It added that it is cooperating with the US to secure the border and fight terrorism.
A senior official with Hamas, Sami Abu Zuhri, said that last night’s attacks on US forces were tied directly to Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza which have killed more than 26,000 Palestinians since last October. Speaking to Reuters, Abu Zuhri said: “The killing of three American soldiers is a message to the US administration that unless the killing of innocents in Gaza stops, it must confront the entire nation.”
Updated
World Health Organization chief Tedros Ghebreyesus has joined UNRWA’s appeals to donors to continue funding the agency for Palestinian refugees.
In a tweet on Sunday, Tedros wrote:
We appeal to donors not to suspend their funding to UNRWA at this critical moment. Cutting off funding will only hurt the people of Gaza who desperately need support.”
We appeal to donors not to suspend their funding to @UNRWA at this critical moment. Cutting off funding will only hurt the people of #Gaza who desperately need support.https://t.co/xx85VOCIjx
— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) January 28, 2024
Since last October, Israel’s attacks on Gaza have left close to 2 million Palestinians forcibly displaced amid shortages in food, water, fuel and medical supplies.
Famine in Gaza 'inevitable', UN special rapporteur says
The UN special rapporteur on the right to food said that the Gaza strip is facing “inevitable famine” due to western countries to pause funding following Israel’s accusations that several of the group’s staff members participated in Hamas’s attacks last October.
The Guardian’s Bethan McKernan and Ruth Michaelson report:
Michael Fakhri, the UN special rapporteur on the right to food, said on Sunday “famine was imminent” and now ‘inevitable’, in a comment following the news that the US and nine other countries were suspending additional funding to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA).
‘This collectively punishes over 2.2 million Palestinians,’ he said.
According to the UN secretary-general,António Guterres, 12 UNRWA staff members were identified by Israel, nine of which had been fired, one killed and the identities of two more were being checked. A UN investigation has been launched.
Israel has not publicly shared the details of its allegations against the UNRWA employees, which according to the Axios website were provided by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), and internal security service, the Shin Bet. The information ‘pointed to the active participation of UNRWA staffers along with the use of the agency’s vehicles and facilities’, it reported.
Read the full story here:
Updated
US defense secretary Lloyd Austin has responded to the attacks on US troops in Jordan, saying:
Iran-backed militias are responsible for these continued attacks on US forces, and we will respond at a time and place of our choosing.
Egypt has also condemned the attacks which killed three US troops and injured dozens more, with its foreign ministry saying:
Egypt affirmed its strong condemnation of any terrorist acts that threaten the security and stability of the Hashemite kingdom of Jordan, expressing full solidarity with Jordan in this delicate situation ... Egypt emphasized the necessity of confronting all forms of terrorism and rejecting all manifestations of violence to ensure the stability of the region.
Updated
Joe Biden on attack on US forces near Syrian border: 'We shall respond'
The US will respond to the attack on its troops over the weekend, the US president said on Sunday.
During a campaign event at South Carolina on Sunday following the attack which killed three US service members and injured dozens others, Biden said: “We shall respond.”
Biden also went on to ask for a moment of silence.
Updated
A senior official with Hamas, Sami Abu Zuhri, said that last night’s attacks on US forces were tied directly to Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza which have killed more than 26,000 Palestinians since last October.
Speaking to Reuters, Abu Zuhri said:
The killing of three American soldiers is a message to the US administration that unless the killing of innocents in Gaza stops, it must confront the entire nation … The continued American-Zionist aggression on Gaza is capable of exploding the situation in the region.
Updated
Here is Reuters’ report on what to know about the military outpost Tower 22 where the reported attacks against US troops occurred last night:
Location:
Tower 22 holds a strategically important location in Jordan, at the most northeastern point where the country’s borders meet Syria and Iraq.
Purpose:
Little is publicly known about the base. But it is near Al Tanf garrison, which is located across the border in Syria, and which houses a small number of US troops. Tanf had been key in the fight against Islamic State and has assumed a role as part of a US strategy to contain Iran’s military build-up in eastern Syria. Tower 22 is located close enough to US troops at Tanf that it could potentially help support them, while also potentially countering Iran-backed militants in the area and allowing troops to keep an eye on remnants of Islamic State in the region.
US troops in Jordan:
Jordan’s army is one of the largest recipients of Washington’s foreign military financing. The kingdom has hundreds of US trainers and is one of the few regional allies that hold extensive exercises with US troops throughout the year. Since the start of the Syrian conflict in 2011, Washington has spent hundreds of millions of dollars to help Amman set up an elaborate surveillance system known as the Border Security Programme to stem infiltration by militants from Syria and Iraq.
Many unknowns:
It is unclear how many US troops are actually stationed on Tower 22. Also unclear are the type of weapons kept, air defenses used, and what exactly went wrong.
Updated
Jordan condemns "terrorist attack" on military advance post along border
Jordan has condemned the “terrorist attack” on a military advance post along the border with Syria, Reuters reports.
It added that it is cooperating with the US to secure the border and fight terrorism.
Jordan’s statements come as a drone attack on US troops killed three service members and injured at least three dozen others last night.
Updated
Some wounded US troops were medically evacuated from the US base for further treatment, two different officials told Reuters. An official said that the drone struck near the base’s barrack, which resulted in three US troops’ deaths and at least 34 others injured.
The Guardian’s Patrick Wintour reports:
The spectre of a direct US-Iranian military conflict drew closer on Sunday when the US president Joe Biden announced three US servicemen have been killed and more than 34 injured following a drone attack on a US service base on the border of Jordan and Syria. Biden blamed Iranian backed militia mainly based in Iraq for the ‘despicable’ attack and vowed revenge.
Responsibility for Saturday’s attack on Tower 22, a military outpost on the Jordanian Syrian Iraqi borders was claimed by the Iranian backed umbrella group Islamic Resistance, and the US made no attempt to disguise its belief that Iran was ultimately responsible.
Four separate drone strikes had been fired at three US bases, and the US was investigating why the T-22 base’s defence mechanism did not repel the drone. Many of the American servicemen wounded have suffered traumatic brain injury, but the extent of injuries has not been disclosed. An official said the drone struck near the barracks, which would explain the high number of casualties.
US forces have faced a near daily barrage of drone and missile strikes in Iraq and Syria since the 7 October attack on Israel by Hamas, but this incident draws the US much closer to a direct conflict with Iran, an outcome both sides insist they wish to avoid, but may now be unable to prevent as the incidents proliferate and escalate in impact.
Read the full story here:
Updated
Here is a map of north-eastern Jordan and US base Tower 22, where the attack is reported to have occurred on Saturday night:
Updated
US House speaker Mike Johnson has released the following statement following the attacks on US troops on Saturday night which killed three service members while injuring dozens of others:
We are saddened by the loss of three American heroes in Jordan last night, and we are praying for their families and for the 25 other service members who have been injured.
America must send a crystal clear message across the globe that attacks on our troops will not be tolerated.”
We are saddened by the loss of three American heroes in Jordan last night, and we are praying for their families and for the 25 other service members who have been injured.
— Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) January 28, 2024
America must send a crystal clear message across the globe that attacks on our troops will not be…
Updated
Republican politicians were quick to pin blame for the US service members’ deaths at the president’s door.
“Joe Biden emboldened Iran for many years by tolerating attacks on our troops, bribing the ayatollahs with billions of dollars, and appeasing them to no end,” Arkansas senator Tom Cotton said in a post on Twitter/X.
“He left our troops as sitting ducks and now three are dead and dozens wounded. The only answer to theses attacks must be devastating military retaliation against Iran’s terrorist forces, both in Iran and across the Middle East,” he added.
My statement following the Iran-backed attacks in Jordan that killed three U.S. service members and injured 25: pic.twitter.com/L8ckks5ch4
— Tom Cotton (@SenTomCotton) January 28, 2024
Florida congressman Byron Donalds adopted a similar line, saying: “This never should have happened. Biden’s appeasement strategy towards Iran & it’s [sic] proxies DOES NOT WORK. Peace through strength ensures a safer world for all,” he wrote.
I am deeply saddened to learn of the deaths of three American servicemen in Jordan. May their memories be a blessing.
— Congressman Byron Donalds (@RepDonaldsPress) January 28, 2024
This never should have happened.
Biden's appeasement strategy towards Iran & it's proxies DOES NOT WORK.
Peace through strength ensures a safer world for all. pic.twitter.com/EK7cg1mNFn
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Mark Hertling, former commander of the US army in Europe, said the American deaths were “tough news”.
In a post to Twitter/X, he said: “Iranian-backed PMFs [popular mobilization forces] are all over this region, and it’s been a continuous challenge addressing them for over a decade. Many think it’s easy to ‘eliminate’ this threat. It isn’t.”
Tough news this morning regarding the death of 3 US service members in Jordan. Iranian-backed PMFs are all over this region, and it’s been a continuous challenge addressing them for over a decade.
— MarkHertling (@MarkHertling) January 28, 2024
Many think it’s easy to “eliminate” this threat. It isn’t. https://t.co/RJTvkZJANZ
Another retired US army general, Wesley Clark, former supreme allied commander Europe, also took to X to urge strikes on Iran, backers of militant groups throughout the Middle East. He said: “The US should stop saying ‘we don’t want to escalate.’ This invites them to attack us. Stop calling our strikes ‘retaliation.’ This is reactive. Take out their capabilities and strike hard at the source: Iran.”
Three U.S. troops killed in Jordan by Iranian backed militia. The U.S. should stop saying “we don’t want to escalate.” This invites them to attack us. Stop calling our strikes “retaliation.” This is reactive. Take out their capabilities and strike hard at the source: Iran.
— Wes Clark (@GeneralClark) January 28, 2024
Updated
Joe Biden immediately attributed a drone strike that killed three US soldiers and injured at least 34 more to “Iran-backed militant groups operating in Syria and Iraq”.
A statement from the US military said that US troops were stationed “at a base in northeast Jordan, near the Syria border”.
Muhannad al-Mubaidin, a spokesperson for the Jordanian government, told public broadcaster Al-Mamlaka that the soldiers were not targeted on Jordanian soil, but at the US-controlled al-Tanf airbase inside Syrian territory.
The drone strike on US forces follows rising tensions along Jordan’s border with Syria, as Amman has scaled up a campaign to strike Iranian-backed drug and weapons-smuggling networks inside Syrian territory. A series of airstrikes on the town of Orman in As Suwayda province killed 10 people earlier this month, according to monitoring groups.
Officials across the Middle East, particularly in the Gulf and Jordan, have increasingly drawn attention to Syrian’s central role in smuggling networks for the powerful stimulant captagon, an amphetamine-like substance. The drug has proven to be a cash cow for the regime of Bashar al-Assad in Damascus, leading to accusations that Syria is operating as a “narco-state”, due to its dependence on profits from the drug, which regional officials hoped would be curbed by normalising relations. Instead, mammoth shipments of the drug continue to be intercepted in Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Jordan.
The smuggling networks from Iranian-backed militias in southern Syria also include weapons that some analysts fear are trafficked to Palestinian militant groups in the West Bank, fuelling an increasingly regional war amidst the ongoing conflict in Gaza that has killed over 26,400 people.
US troops in Iraq and also naval forces sailing off the coast of Yemen have increasingly come under fire from Iranian-backed militias, sparking fears of a widening conflict that Washington is struggling to contain. US forces in Iraq have stepped up airstrikes against groups backed by Tehran including three strikes earlier this week targeting Kataib Hezbollah. The US military said following the strike that they’d targeted the group’s headquarters as well as “storage, and training locations for rocket, missile, and one-way attack UAV capabilities”.
The strikes followed a ballistic attack on al-Asad air base in Iraq that injured US military personnel, part of a barrage of attacks on the base that are often intercepted by air defences.
Updated
US central command (Centcom) said that it is currently withholding the identities of the service members killed in Saturday night’s attack until 24 hours after their families have been informed.
In a statement released on Sunday, Centcom said:
As a matter of respect for the families and in accordance with DoD [Department of Defense] policy, the identities of the service members will be withheld until 24 hours after their next of kin have been notified.
Updated
The attack which killed three US service members was not on Jordanian soil but in Syria, according to a Jordanian government spokesperson.
Speaking to Jordanian public broadcaster Al-Mamlaka television, Muhannad Al Mubaidin said that the attack targeted the US al-Tanf base in Syria, Reuters reports.
Meanwhile, Joe Biden said earlier that the attack occurred in north-eastern Jordan near the Syrian border.
Updated
Three US service members killed in drone attack on US forces in north-east Jordan, says Joe Biden
Three US service members have been killed during an unmanned aerial drone attack on US forces in north-east Jordan near the Syria border on Saturday night.
In a statement released on Sunday, Joe Biden said that while an investigation into the attack remains underway, the US knows “it was carried out by radical Iran-backed militant groups operating in Syria and Iraq.”
Biden added that many others were wounded.
He went on to add:
Jill and I join the families and friends of our fallen—and Americans across the country – in grieving the loss of these warriors in this despicable and wholly unjust attack …
We will carry on their commitment to fight terrorism. And have no doubt – we will hold all those responsible to account at a time and in a manner our choosing.
At least 34 personnel are being evaluated for possible traumatic brain injury, according to a US official, Reuters reports.
The attacks mark the first fatalities of US troops in the region since Israel’s war in Gaza began on 7 October.
Updated
Summary
The White House said there was no change in its Israel policy after NBC News reported the US was discussing using weapon sales to Israel as leverage to convince the Israeli government to scale back its war in Gaza.
The UK’s defence secretary, Grant Shapps, said the UK remained “undaunted” after Houthis targeted the HMS Diamond in the Red Sea during their latest round of strikes. Crew on the ship shot down a drone deployed by the Yemen-based group, which appears undeterred despite UK-US military action against the rebels earlier this week. No injuries or damage were sustained, the Ministry of Defence said.
Gaza’s health ministry spokesperson, Ashraf al-Qidra, was quoted by Reuters as saying there was “a complete failure of the healthcare system at Nasser and al-Amal hospitals”. Palestinian medics and residents said Israel continued to bomb areas around the two main hospitals in the southern city of Khan Younis. The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said medical teams at Amal hospital would be unable to perform surgeries because oxygen supplies were depleted.
At least 26,422 Palestinians have been killed and 65,087 injured in Israeli strikes on Gaza since 7 October, the Gaza health ministry said on Sunday. Over the past day, 165 Palestinians were killed and 290 injured, the ministry added.
The UN secretary general, António Guterres, has pleaded for donor states to “guarantee the continuity” of the body’s Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) after several halted funding over accusations of staff involvement in Hamas’s 7 October attack on Israel. Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan, criticised these comments, saying the UN chief had repeatedly ignored “evidence” presented to him regarding UNRWA’s involvement in “incitement and terrorism”.
Jan Egeland, the secretary general of the Norwegian Refugee Council, said that “lifesaving aid” in Gaza is being threatened by donors “recklessly suspending aid” to UNRWA. Britain, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Finland joined the United States, Australia and Canada in pausing funding to the agency. Also voicing concern, Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories, warned that the decision to pause funding to UNRWA “overtly defies” the order by the international court of justice to allow “effective humanitarian assistance” to reach Palestinian people in Gaza.
Talks aimed at brokering a fresh agreement to release further Israeli hostages in Gaza in exchange for a pause in fighting are expected as US, Qatari, Israeli and Egyptian officials meet in France. The Associated Press reported that US negotiators including the CIA director, Bill Burns, have provided a framework for negotiations focused on a two-month pause in fighting between Israeli forces and Hamas.
Updated
The White House said there was no change in its Israel policy after NBC News reported that the US was discussing using weapon sales to Israel as leverage to convince the Israeli government to scale back its war in Gaza.
Sources told NBC News that, at the direction of the White House, the Pentagon has been reviewing what weaponry Israel has requested that could be used as leverage.
A spokesperson for the US national security council said: “Israel has a right and obligation to defend themselves against the threat of Hamas, while abiding by international humanitarian law and protecting civilian lives, and we remain committed to support Israel in its fight against Hamas. We have done so since 7 October, and will continue to. There has not been a change in our policy.”
Updated
French authorities have been in touch with officials from Egypt, Qatar, Israel and the US with the aim of negotiating a halt to hostilities between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, sources have told AFP.
A security source on Friday told Agence France-Presse that the CIA chief William Burns would meet his counterparts from Israel and Egypt, as well as Qatar’s prime minister “in the coming days”.
Updated
The Israeli military declared a closed military zone at the Kerem Shalom crossing into Gaza after rightwing protesters and some families of hostages tried to stop aid from going into the Palestinian territory, saying it was merely helping Hamas, Reuters reports.
Protests in Israel demanding that the government do more to secure the hostages’ release have been spreading, as little progress has been seen in ceasefire talks mediated by Egypt and Qatar since November amid disputes between Israel and Hamas.
Updated
The CIA director, Bill Burns, is expected to meet the head of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency, David Barnea, the Qatari prime minister, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, and the Egyptian intelligence chief, Abbas Kamel, to discuss fresh efforts to free the 136 remaining hostages held by Hamas and other militant groups in Gaza.
You can read more on what could feature in the meeting in France here:
Updated
Israel’s war in Gaza has caused a severe humanitarian crisis, with most of Gaza’s 2.3 million people left homeless and acutely short of food, water, medicine and fuel.
Here are some of the latest images coming out of the enclave from the newswires:
Turkey is concerned by the decision of some countries to suspend funding for the UN agency for Palestinians, and urges them to reconsider their move, the Turkish foreign ministry said on Sunday.
In a statement, the ministry said the suspension of funding primarily harmed Palestinian civilians.
“Working under very difficult conditions, UNRWA meets the vital needs of millions of Palestine refugees. Since 7 October, more than 150 UNRWA personnel have been killed by Israel in Gaza,” it added.
Updated
The UK’s defence secretary, Grant Shapps, said the UK remained “undaunted” after Houthis attacked the HMS Diamond in the Red Sea during their latest round of strikes.
Crew on the ship shot down a drone deployed by the Yemen-based group, which appears undeterred despite UK-US military action against the rebels earlier this week.
No injuries or damage were sustained, the Ministry of Defence said.
In a post on X, Shapps wrote: “The UK remains undaunted after yesterday’s illegal attack on HMS Diamond by the Iranian backed Houthis. Our commitment to protect innocent lives and the freedom of navigation is absolutely unwavering.”
The UK remains undaunted after yesterday’s illegal attack on @HMSDiamond by the Iranian backed Houthis.
— Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP (@grantshapps) January 28, 2024
Our commitment to protect innocent lives and the freedom of navigation is absolutely unwavering. https://t.co/Rt8yKsG2py
The MoD earlier described ongoing action by the Houthis as “intolerable and illegal”, and said Britain and its allies “reserve the right to respond appropriately” (see post at 12.18 for more details).
It comes after a British-linked oil tanker in the Gulf of Aden was sent up in flames for hours by another rebel strike.
The Houthis have repeatedly launched attacks on vessels around the Red Sea over Israel’s war in Gaza, although they have frequently targeted ships with tenuous or no clear links to Israel.
Updated
Countries pausing funding to key UN aid agency 'overtly defies' ICJ order
A UN expert has warned that countries pausing funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees were breaching a international court of justice order to provide effective aid in Gaza.
Britain, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Finland joined the United States, Australia and Canada in pausing funding after UNRWA revealed an investigation had been launched into 12 members of staff who allegedly took part in the 7 October attack led by Hamas that killed 1,140 people.
Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories, warned that the decision to pause funding to UNRWA “overtly defies” the order by the ICJ to allow “effective humanitarian assistance” to reach Palestinian people in Gaza.
“This will entail legal responsibilities – or the demise of the (international) legal system,” she wrote on X.
Defunding UNRWA at this critical time overtly defies @ICJ's order to allow effective humanitarian assistance "to address the adverse conditions of life faced by Palestinians in Gaza". This will entail legal responsibilities - or the demise of the int'l legal system. https://t.co/xEc80VaMEO
— Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur oPt (@FranceskAlbs) January 28, 2024
Updated
Pope Francis has urged respect for civilians in conflict areas and said people were tired of wars, which he called a “disaster for the peoples and a defeat for humanity”.
After his weekly Angelus prayer in St Peter’s Square, the pope said the population must be respected also in the Middle East, hit by the war between Israel and Hamas.
Updated
British warship repels Houthi drone attack in the Red Sea - officials
A British warship, the HMS Diamond, repelled a drone attack on Saturday from Yemen’s Houthi group in the Red Sea, British officials have said.
The Ministry of Defence said in a statement on Sunday:
Deploying her Sea Viper missile system, Diamond destroyed a drone targeting her with no injuries or damage sustained to Diamond or her crew.
These intolerable and illegal attacks are completely unacceptable and it is our duty to protect the freedom of navigation in the Red Sea.
Updated
Summary of the day so far...
Gaza’s health ministry spokesperson, Ashraf al-Qidra, was quoted by Reuters as saying “there is a complete failure of the healthcare system at Nasser and al-Amal hospitals”. Palestinian medics and residents said Israel continued to bomb areas around the two main hospitals in the southern city of Khan Younis. The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said medical teams at Amal hospital would be unable to perform surgeries because oxygen supplies were depleted.
At least 26,422 Palestinians have been killed and 65,087 injured in Israeli strikes on Gaza since 7 October, the Gaza health ministry said on Sunday. Over the past day, 165 Palestinians were killed and 290 injured, the ministry added.
The UN secretary general, António Guterres, has pleaded for donor states to “guarantee the continuity” of the body’s Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) after several halted funding over accusations of staff involvement in Hamas’s 7 October attack on Israel. Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan, criticised these comments, saying the UN chief had repeatedly ignored “evidence” presented to him regarding UNRWA’s involvement in “incitement and terrorism”.
Jan Egeland, the secretary general of the Norwegian Refugee Council, said that “lifesaving aid” in Gaza is being threatened by donors “recklessly suspending aid” to UNRWA. Britain, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Finland joined the United States, Australia and Canada in pausing funding to the agency.
Talks aimed at brokering a fresh agreement to release further Israeli hostages in Gaza in exchange for a pause in fighting are expected as US, Qatari, Israeli and Egyptian officials meet in France. The Associated Press reported that US negotiators including the CIA director, Bill Burns, have provided a framework for negotiations focused on a two-month pause in fighting between Israeli forces and Hamas.
Updated
Reuters has this on the desperate plight of some of the families fleeing Khan Younis because of Israel’s assault on the Gaza Strip’s second largest city:
More families were displaced from Khan Younis on Sunday. Some people took dirt roads to get closer to the city of Rafah along the border with Egypt or Deir al-Balah to the north.
Others headed west to an area called al-Mawasi where residents described being crammed into a small area.
“It is as crowded as it can get,” said electrician Abu Raouf, a father of four. “People have lost their ability to think, their ability to feel, they are moving like robots, it is just a matter of time before Israel sends tanks into here as well, there is no place safe.”
Reem Abu Tair left Khan Younis in the cold with three children, one of them an infant.
“We managed to save our lives, we escaped bombings and the destruction that is surrounding us only to end up in the cold. So, if a child does not die from the bombing, he will die from the cold,” Abu Tair said.
Updated
Gaza health ministry: healthcare systems at Nasser and al-Amal hospitals have completely failed
Gaza’s health ministry spokesperson, Ashraf Al-Qidra, has been quoted by Reuters as saying “there is a complete failure of the healthcare system at Nasser and al-Amal hospitals”.
Palestinian medics and residents said Israel continued to bomb areas around the two main hospitals in the southern city of Khan Younis.
As we reported earlier, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society said medical teams at Amal hospital would be unable to perform surgeries because oxygen supplies were depleted.
Nasser hospital was reportedly completely without power overnight. In a statement released on Friday, Médecins Sans Frontières said:
Amid ongoing heavy fighting and bombing in Khan Younis, south Gaza, Palestine/OPT, vital medical services have collapsed at Nasser hospital, currently the largest functioning health facility in the enclave. Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) deplores a situation in which people have been left with no options to go for treatment in case of a large influx of war wounded…
Between 300 and 350 patients remain at Nasser hospital, unable to evacuate because it is too dangerous and there are no ambulances. These patients have war-related injuries such as open wounds, lacerations from explosions, fractures, and burns.
Updated
Norwegian Refugee Council head: UNRWA’s 'lifesaving aid' in Gaza threatened by donors 'recklessly suspending' donations
Jan Egeland, the secretary general of the Norwegian Refugee Council, has said that “lifesaving aid” in Gaza is being threatened by donors “recklessly suspending aid” to UNRWA, theUnited Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees.
“UNRWA has rightly terminated the contracts of those alleged to violate our neutrality principle,” he wrote on X.
“Donors, do not starve children for the sins of a few individual aid workers.”
UNRWA’s lifesaving aid in Gaza threatened by donors recklessly suspending aid. UNRWA has rightly terminated the contracts of those alleged to violate our neutrality principle. Donors, do not starve children for the sins of a few individual aid workers. https://t.co/nUbeX2Iwrp
— Jan Egeland (@NRC_Egeland) January 28, 2024
At least nine countries, including top donors the US and Germany, have paused funding after UNRWA revealed an investigation had been launched into 12 members of staff who allegedly took part in the 7 October attack led by Hamas that killed 1,140 people.
Aid officials have warned the risk of deaths from preventable disease, as well as the risk of famine, are growing as the flows of aid like food and medicine into the territory is a fraction of what it was before the war.
Most of Gaza’s 2.3 million people are now reliant on the aid UNRWA provides, including about one million who have fled Israeli bombardments sheltering in its facilities, according to Reuters.
Updated
Israeli fighter jets have struck two Hezbollah sites in the towns of Zibqin and Houla in Lebanon, Al Jazeera quoted Daniel Hagari, the Israeli military spokesperson, as saying.
Israel’s UN ambassador criticises Guterres over UNRWA continuity comments
Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan, has criticised the UN’s secretary general, António Guterres, over his call for donor states to “guarantee the continuity” of UNRWA (see post at 07.32 for more details).
It came after Britain, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Finland joined the United States, Australia and Canada in pausing funding after UNRWA revealed an investigation had been launched into 12 members of staff who allegedly took part in the 7 October attack led by Hamas that killed 1,140 people.
Erdan said the UN chief had repeatedly ignored “evidence” presented to him regarding UNRWA’s involvement in “incitement and terrorism”.
“Every country that continues to fund UNRWA before a comprehensive investigation of the organisation should know that its money might be used for terrorism, and the aid that will be transferred to UNRWA may reach the Hamas terrorists instead of the people of Gaza,” he wrote on X on Sunday.
The UN Secretary-General has proven once again that the security of the citizens of Israel is not really important for him. After years in which he ignored the evidence presented to him personally about UNRWA's support and involvement in incitement and terrorism, and before he… pic.twitter.com/L8DfdUSeYG
— Ambassador Gilad Erdan גלעד ארדן (@giladerdan1) January 28, 2024
“The abhorrent alleged acts of these staff members must have consequences,” Guterres said in a statement.
“But the tens of thousands of men and women who work for UNRWA, many in some of the most dangerous situations for humanitarian workers, should not be penalized. The dire needs of the desperate populations they serve must be met,” he added.
Updated
The Israeli army on Sunday said special forces were continuing to engage in “intensive battles” in Gaza’s main southern city of Khan Younis, where it claimed troops eliminated “terrorists and located large quantities of weapons”.
Strikes were also carried out in central and northern Gaza, it added.
Uganda has distanced itself from an opinion written by a Ugandan judge on the international court of justice (ICJ) dissenting from the panel’s ruling in South Africa’s genocide case against Israel, saying the remarks do not reflect Uganda’s position.
Julia Sebutinde was the only judge on the 17-member ICJ panel to vote against all six measures adopted by the court in a ruling ordering Israel to take action to prevent acts of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, according to Reuters.
Sebutinde was one of only two judges who issued dissenting judgments while 15 voted for the emergency measures, which covered most of what South Africa had asked for in the case.
𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐈𝐂𝐉 𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐆𝐚𝐳𝐚 (𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐀𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚 𝐯. 𝐈𝐬𝐫𝐚𝐞𝐥).@UgandaMFA @Tybisa pic.twitter.com/pkTzuwkYDg
— Government of Uganda (@GovUganda) January 27, 2024
“The position taken by judge Sebutinde is her own individual and independent opinion, and does not in any way reflect the position of the government of the republic of Uganda,” the government said in a statement.
It added that the east African country supported the position of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) on the conflict that was adopted at its summit in the Ugandan capital this month.
That NAM position contained in a document issued at the end of the summit condemned Israel’s war in Gaza and killing of civilians. It also called for an immediate ceasefire and unimpeded humanitarian access.
The movement was formed officially in 1961 by countries opposed to joining either of the two major cold war-era military and political blocs.
Updated
Palestine Red Crescent says doctors can't perform surgeries at al-Amal hospital due to 'oxygen depletion'
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) says that medical teams at the al-Amal hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis cannot perform surgical operations due to “oxygen depletion”.
🚨The PRCS warns of the inability of medical teams at Al-Amal Hospital in #KhanYunis to perform surgical operations due to oxygen depletion.#ALAmalHospital #Gaza
— PRCS (@PalestineRCS) January 28, 2024
#NotATarget ❌#IHL pic.twitter.com/keAJoZ7yHq
The PRCS on Saturday condemned the siege and targeting of al-Amal hospital and its branch headquarters in Khan Younis for the sixth consecutive day.
In a statement posted to X, the PRCS said: “The occupation continues to bombard the vicinity of the hospital and open fire, jeopardising the safety of medical staff, the wounded, patients, and approximately 7,000 displaced individuals who sought refuge there to escape Israeli bombardment.”
Since the beginning of the “continuous targeting” of al-Amal hospital and the PRCS’s headquarters for about four weeks, dozens of people had been killed and injured inside the facilities and surrounding areas, it added.
Updated
The UK’s foreign secretary, David Cameron, should ensure the UK is “on the right side of history” after the international court of justice (ICJ) ruling on Israel’s war in Gaza, the Scottish National party (SNP) said.
The UN court stopped short of ordering a ceasefire in Gaza in a ruling published on Friday after an action brought by South Africa, but ordered Israel to ensure its forces do not commit acts of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
In a letter to Cameron, Brendan O’Hara, the SNP’s foreign affairs spokesperson, said: “One could argue that it needn’t take a ruling by a court to persuade a democratic, or morally sound, nation to take action to prevent genocide.”
He added: “I hope that the secretary of state will not need this letter to serve as a reminder of the legal obligations which now fall on the UK government, legal obligations which should have been moral obligations three months ago.”
O’Hara went on to urge the UK government to avoid giving Israel a “blank cheque”, adding that “we are past turning a blind eye”.
He said:
I urge the UK government to commit to standing with South Africa, on the right side of history.
Today’s ruling will not end this war, but I am asking the UK government to do what is right and adhere to the provisional measures.
The UK government must act swiftly and firmly to persuade its friend, Israel, to abide by the order and prevent acts of genocide against the Palestinian people.
Updated
Death toll in Gaza reaches 26,422, says health ministry
At least 26,422 Palestinians have been killed and 65,087 injured in Israeli strikes on Gaza since 7 October, the Gaza health ministry said on Sunday.
Over the past day, 165 Palestinians were killed and 290 injured, the ministry added.
Most of the casualties have been women and children, the ministry has said, and thousands more bodies are likely to remain uncounted under rubble across Gaza.
Qatar’s prime minister and foreign minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, and Iran’s foreign minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, have discussed efforts to de-escalate the war in Gaza, according to the Qatari foreign ministry.
In a statement, the ministry said:
During the call, they discussed cooperation relations between the two countries and the latest developments in the war on Gaza Strip along with ways of de-escalating the situation.
The prime minister and minister of foreign affairs affirmed Qatar’s commitment to its efforts in mediating and facilitating negotiations between Iran and western countries, including continuing to implement the recent agreement between Iran and the United States brokered by Qatar.
Qatar was critical in securing a week-long truce in November in which more than 100 hostages were released in return for 240 women and children held in Israeli jails. Numerous rounds of negotiations have since faltered.
The Israeli military has reportedly issued another order for residents of some of the neighbourhoods in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip to evacuate.
Avichay Adraee, the Israeli army’s Arabic-language spokesperson, said Palestinians in the neighbourhoods of Nassr and al-Amal, along with those of the area’s refugee camp and city centre, must “immediately” leave.
They were told to go to al-Mawasi, where hundreds of thousands were previously forced to move to.
The Israeli army’s air force also confirmed “intense fighting” is ongoing in Khan Younis, and it conducted multiple airstrikes on Sunday.
UN chief appeals to refugee agency's donors to ensure 'continuity'
The UN secretary general, António Guterres, has pleaded for donor states to “guarantee the continuity” of the body’s Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) after several halted funding over accusations of staff involvement in Hamas’s 7 October attack on Israel.
Agence France-Presse reports Guterres said in a statement on Saturday:
While I understand their concerns – I was myself horrified by these accusations – I strongly appeal to the governments that have suspended their contributions to, at least, guarantee the continuity of UNRWA’s operations.
Israel has alleged several UNRWA staff were involved in Hamas’s attack, leading some key donor countries to suspend their funding.
UNRWA fired several staff over Israel’s accusations, promising a thorough investigation into the claims, which were not specified, while Israel vowed to stop the agency’s work in Gaza after the war.
The row between Israel and UNRWA follows the UN’s international court of justice ruling on Friday that Israel must prevent possible acts of genocide in the conflict and allow more aid into Gaza.
Guterres said:
The abhorrent alleged acts of these staff members must have consequences. But the tens of thousands of men and women who work for UNRWA, many in some of the most dangerous situations for humanitarian workers, should not be penalised.
The dire needs of the desperate populations they serve must be met.
Guterres confirmed that 12 UNRWA employees were cited in the accusations, which the UN is investigating. Nine have been fired, one was dead and the “the identity of the two others is being clarified”, he said.
Several key donor countries to UNRWA have said they will temporarily suspend their current or future following accusations, including the US, the UK, Canada and Switzerland.
Hamas hit out against Israeli “threats” against UNRWA on Saturday, urging the UN and other international organisations not to “cave in to the threats and blackmail”.
Updated
US negotiators making progress on potential deal to pause Israel-Hamas war, reports say
US negotiators are making progress on a potential agreement under which Israel would pause military operations against Hamas in Gaza for two months in exchange for the release of more than 100 hostages captured in the 7 October attack on Israel, according to two senior administration officials, Associated Press reports.
The officials, who requested anonymity to discuss the sensitive discussions, said on Saturday that emerging terms of the yet-to-be sealed deal would play out over two phases.
In the first phase, fighting would stop to allow for the remaining women, elderly and wounded hostages to be released by Hamas.
Israel and Hamas would then aim to work out details during the first 30 days of the pause for a second phase in which Israeli soldiers and civilian men would be released. The emerging deal also calls for Israel to allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza.
The Guardian has not confirmed the terms of the potential agreement and Israel and Hamas have not commented on it.
The AP report continues:
While the proposed deal would not end the war, US officials are hopeful that such an agreement could lay the groundwork for a durable resolution to the conflict.
The New York Times first reported on Saturday that progress has been made towards an agreement for a pause in fighting in exchange for the remaining hostages.
The CIA director, Bill Burns, is expected to discuss the contours of the emerging agreement when he meets on Sunday in France with David Barnea, the head of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency, Qatar’s prime minister, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, and Egypt’s intelligence chief, Abbas Kamel, for talks centred on the hostage negotiations.
President Joe Biden spoke on Friday with the Egyptian president, Abdel Fattah el-Sissi, and Qatar’s ruling emir, Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani, by phone, with the calls with both leaders focusing on the hostage situation.
The White House said in a statement about Biden’s call with the Qatari leader:
Both leaders affirmed that a hostage deal is central to establishing a prolonged humanitarian pause in the fighting and ensure additional life-saving humanitarian assistance reaches civilians in need throughout Gaza. They underscored the urgency of the situation, and welcomed the close cooperation among their teams to advance recent discussions.
Updated
Opening summary
Hello and welcome to today’s live coverage of the Israel-Gaza war and the wider Middle East crisis. I’m Adam Fulton, it’s 8.35am in the Gaza Strip and Tel Aviv and here’s a rundown on the latest news to this minute.
US negotiators are making progress on a potential agreement under which Israel would pause military operations against Hamas in Gaza for two months in exchange for the release of more than 100 hostages, Associated Press reports two senior Biden administration officials as saying.
The officials, who requested anonymity, said on Saturday that the emerging terms of the yet-to-be sealed deal would play out over two phases. In the first, fighting would stop to allow for the remaining women, elderly and wounded hostages to be freed.
Israel and Hamas would then aim to work out details during the first 30 days of the pause for a second phase in which Israeli soldiers and civilian men would be released, the report said. The emerging deal also reportedly calls for Israel to allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza.
The director of the CIA is expected to discuss the prospective agreement when he meets on Sunday in France with the head of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency, the Qatari prime minister and Egypt’s intelligence chief for talks.
The Guardian has not confirmed the terms of the potential agreement and Israel and Hamas have not yet commented on it.
More on that shortly. In other key developments:
The decision by the US, UK and other western nations to freeze funding for the UN’s agency for Palestinian refugees will significantly worsen the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, Palestinians have warned. Britain, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Finland joined the US, Australia and Canada in pausing funding after UNRWA, the UN’s Relief and Works Agency for Palestine, revealed that an investigation had been launched into 12 members of staff who allegedly took part in the 7 October attack led by Hamas that killed 1,140 people.
Israel’s foreign minister said his country would seek to stop the UNRWA from operating in Gaza after the war. Israel was aiming to ensure “UNRWA will not be a part of the day after”, Israel Katz said on Saturday.
Hamas said Israel was on a “campaign of incitement” against UN agencies delivering aid to Palestinians in Gaza. A statement by the militant group highlighted an Israeli accusation of “collusion” between the World Health Organisation and Hamas, which the UN agency rejected on Friday.
The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has increased public pressure on Qatar to help secure the release of the remaining hostages in Gaza. Asked about his closed-door remarks, an audio recording of which was leaked to Israeli TV this week, that he was refraining from thanking Qatar for its mediation and deemed it “problematic”, Netanyahu told reporters: “I take back nothing.”
The Palestinian foreign ministry said an immediate ceasefire was “the only way” to implement Friday’s international court of justice interim ruling. The judgment stopped short of ordering a ceasefire in Gaza but demanded Israel attempted to try to contain death and damage in its offensive. The ministry also condemned what it called the “clear Israeli determination to continue destroying the Gaza Strip and turning it into an inhabitable place”.
The US national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, pressed China’s foreign minister, Wang Yi, to use China’s influence to help rein in Iran’s support for Houthis after their attacks on Red Sea shipping. According to a US official, Beijing has told Washington that it is raising the issue with Tehran. Washington is waiting to see whether China does so and how effective the outreach will be, the official added.
Crews extinguished a fire onboard the fuel tanker Marlin Luanda, after the vessel was struck by a Houthi anti-ship missile in the Gulf of Aden on Friday, the commodities trader Trafigura said. The firefighting effort was supported by Indian, US and French navy vessels, it added. No casualties or injuries were reported onboard.
The Palestine Red Crescent Society on Saturday condemned the siege and targeting of al-Amal hospital and its branch headquarters in Khan Younis for the sixth consecutive day. The “siege and its consequences” were a “blatant violation of international agreements, especially the provisions of international humanitarian law that require the Israeli occupation to respect the Red Crescent emblem”, it said.
Updated
