Israel defence chief heading to US
Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant is headed to Washington today to discuss the next phase of the war and escalating hostilities on the border with Lebanon.
In a statement, Mr Gallant, who will meet his counterpart Lloyd Austin and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, said: “We are prepared for any action that may be required in Gaza, Lebanon, and in more areas.”
The Israeli minister also said the “transition to Phase C in Gaza is of great importance”.
“I will discuss this transition with US officials, how it may enable additional things and I know that we will achieve close cooperation with the US on this issue as well,” Mr Gallant said.
Iran-backed Hezbollah has been trading fire with Israel since the Israel-Hamas war erupted.
The group has said it will not stop until there is a ceasefire in Gaza.
US envoy Amos Hochstein visited Israel and Lebanon last week in an attempt to cool tensions, amid an uptick in cross-border fire.
Abandoned ship left drifting in Red Sea
We are receiving more information on the distress call from a vessel near Yemen that the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations reported earlier (see post at 12.06pm).
It says the vessel, which was southeast of Yemen, reportedly “suffered flooding that cannot be contained”.
This forced the crew to abandon the ship, and they were picked up by another vessel.
In pictures: Palestinians search for casualties after strike in Gaza City
Palestinians have been searching for casualties outside the UNRWA headquarters in Gaza City after an Israeli strike.
Yesterday, at least 42 people were killed in Israeli attacks on districts of Gaza City in the north of the Palestinian enclave, according to the director of the Hamas-run government media office.
The Israeli military released a brief statement saying “IDF fighter jets struck two Hamas military infrastructure sites in the area of Gaza City.”
Israeli tanks ‘at edge of Rafah refuge zone’, residents say
Israeli tanks have advanced to the edge of the Mawasi displaced persons’ camp in the northwest of the southern Gaza city of Rafah, residents have told Reuters.
“The fighting with the resistance has been intense. The occupation forces are overlooking the Mawasi area now, which forced families there to head for Khan Younis,” one resident said.
What is happening on the ground?
Israel has said its advance is focused on the two areas its forces have yet to seize: Rafah on Gaza’s southern tip and the area surrounding Deir al-Balah in the centre.
Residents have said Israeli tanks had pushed deeper into western and northern Rafah in recent days.
The Israeli military has said it is continuing “intelligence-based, targeted operations” in the Rafah area and had located weapons stores and tunnel shafts, and killed Palestinian gunmen.
The armed wings of Hamas and the Islamic Jihad movement have said their fighters have attacked Israeli forces in Rafah with anti-tank rockets and mortar bombs and pre-planted explosive devices.
More than 37,500 Palestinians killed, health ministry says
At least 37,598 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza since 7 October, the Hamas-run health ministry in the enclave has said.
A further 86,032 have been injured.
The figures reported by the ministry do not differentiate between fighters and civilians.
Distress call from vessel near Yemen
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations says it has received a report of a distress call from a vessel off Yemen.
It has said the authorities are investigating the incident off the southeastern coastal town of Nishtun.
“Vessels are advised to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity to UKMTO,” it added.
Video emerges of Palestinian strapped to jeep by Israeli soldiers
An investigation is under way after Israeli army forces strapped a wounded Palestinian man to the hood of a military jeep during an arrest raid in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin yesterday.
The Israeli military confirmed the incident after a video circulated on social media showing the man tied to the moving vehicle.
The Reuters news agency named him as Mujahed Azmi.
The Israeli military said its forces were fired at and exchanged fire, wounding a suspect and apprehending him.
Soldiers then violated military protocol, the statement said.
“The suspect was taken by the forces while tied on top of a vehicle,” it said.
The military said the “conduct of the forces in the video of the incident does not conform to the values” of the Israeli military and that the incident will be investigated and dealt with.
The man was transferred to medics for treatment, the military said.
Violence in the West Bank was already on the rise before the 7 October attacks but it has escalated since then, with frequent army raids on militant groups and deadly Palestinian street attacks.
Drones attack Red Sea ship
An aerial drone likely launched by Yemen’s Houthis has struck and damaged a vessel in the Red Sea.
The drone attack happened today off the coast of the rebel-held port city of Hodeidah, the UK Maritime Trade Operations centre said.
It said the vessel sustained damage but its mariners on board “were reported safe”. It did not elaborate on the extent of the damage, but said an investigation is ongoing.
The attack comes as the US sent the USS Dwight D Eisenhower back home after an eight-month deployment leading the American response to Houthi assaults.
The attacks have seen shipping drastically drop through the route crucial to Asian, Middle East and European markets in a campaign the Houthis say will continue as long as the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza continues.
Netanyahu says he is ‘ready to suffer personal attacks’ in US arms spat
Benjamin Netanyahu has said there has been a “dramatic drop” in the supply of weapons from the US in his latest comments on the ongoing spat about arms exports to Israel.
Speaking at a cabinet meeting, the Israeli prime minister explained why he made public comments about the dwindling supply in a video criticised by the White House.
“About four months ago, there was a dramatic drop in the supply of armaments arriving from the US to Israel,” he said.
“For weeks we asked our American friends to speed up the shipments. We did it time and time again.
“We did it at the highest levels, and at all levels, and I want to emphasise – we did it in private rooms. We got all sorts of explanations, but one thing we didn’t get: the basic situation didn’t change.
“After months of no change in this situation, I decided to give it a public expression. I did this based on years of experience, and knowing that this step is essential to extracting the cork.”
He said he expected that “this would involve personal attacks against me from home and abroad”.
But he added he was “ready to suffer personal attacks for the sake of Israel’s security”.
“I hope and believe that this issue will be resolved in the near future,” he said.
For context: This week, Mr Netanyahu issued a video in which he said US secretary of state Antony Blinken had assured him the Biden administration was working to lift restrictions on arms deliveries to Israel.
He also said he told Mr Blinken that it was “inconceivable” that in the past few months Washington was withholding weapons and ammunitions to Israel.
The White House expressed disappointment over the criticism.
Good morning – here’s the latest
Welcome back to our coverage of the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Before we get to our live updates, here’s a roundup of the main events from the past 24 hours:
- At least 42 people were killed in Israeli strikes on the districts of Gaza City in the north of the Palestinian enclave, the director of the Hamas-run government media office said;
- The Israeli military released a statement saying IDF fighter jets struck two Hamas military infrastructure sites;
- Separately, the Gaza health ministry said at least 25 Palestinians had been killed in Mawasi in western Rafah and 50 wounded after an Israeli tank shell hit a tent housing displaced families yesterday;
- An Israeli man was shot dead in a Palestinian town in the northern West Bank, Israel’s army said;
- Yemen’s Houthis claimed they attacked a US aircraft carrier in the Red Sea, and a Liberia-flagged ship in the Arabian Sea. The US later said the claim that an American carrier had been attacked was false;
- The EU’s foreign affairs chief called for an independent investigation into a shelling which damaged the office of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Gaza.