Live blog: Netanyahu vows to maintain security control over Gaza, West Bank

Monday, February 19, 2024

2030 GMT — Nearly five months into its devastating assault on besieged Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated his stance that Tel Aviv would "preserve its security control" over the blockaded enclave and the occupied West Bank, vowing to push back on mounting international pressure.

"With or without a permanent settlement, Israel will maintain full security control over the entire area west of Jordan," Netanyahu said in a recorded message posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.

"This, of course, includes Judea and Samaria [the occupied West Bank] and the Gaza Strip," he added.

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1941 GMT — Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon wounds 14 people

14 people have been wounded in two Israeli air strikes near the city of Sidon, official media said, while the Israeli army claimed it had targeted "Hezbollah weapons storage facilities".

One of the strikes targeted a factory "in an industrial area of Ghaziyeh, wounding at least eight workers", seven of them Syrians, a Lebanese security source, requesting anonymity as they were not authorised to speak to the media, said earlier.

Lebanon's state-run National News Agency [NNA] said the strikes targeted a warehouse where tyres and electricity generators were manufactured and the vicinity of a factory, leaving "14 wounded, most of them Syrian and Palestinian workers".

The Israeli army said in a statement that "fighter jets struck two Hezbollah weapons storage facilities adjacent to the city of Sidon".

1719 GMT — EU calls for 'immediate humanitarian pause' in Gaza — Borrell

All EU countries except Hungary joined a call for an "immediate humanitarian pause" in the Gaza war, foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said.

The European Union has struggled for a united response on Israel's war on Gaza since October 7.

But Borrell said foreign ministers from 26 states had agreed a statement calling for "an immediate humanitarian pause that would lead to a sustainable ceasefire".

The EU countries also reiterated their calls for Israel not to launch an assault on the Gaza city of Rafah, which has become the main shelter zone in the stricken territory.

1847 GMT — UN chief wants Security Council to 'speak with one voice' in Gaza humanitarian ceasefire

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres wants to see the Security Council "speak with one voice" as the US proposed a rival draft resolution after Algeria requested a vote on its draft resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, his spokesperson has said.

Asked about the US' draft resolution, Stephane Dujarric said: "We understand negotiations are still ongoing. So I don't think I'll get into the details of it."

"What the Secretary-General would like to see, first of all, on the ground is a humanitarian ceasefire, the immediate release of all hostages, increasing humanitarian access," he said.

1810 GMT — Norway set to serve as 'go-between' for Palestinian Authority getting revenues from Israel

Norway has said under a new deal, it will act as a go-between to enable the Palestinian Authority to get revenues collected by Israel on its behalf.

The Scandinavian government the move came following the deadlock between the parties.

Jonas Gahr Store, the Norwegian prime minister, said in a statement: "With our assistance to this solution, the Palestinian Authority will be able to pay salaries, thus making it possible to continue to provide essential services to the Palestinian population, keep schools open, and ensure that health workers are paid."

1717 GMT — Brazil president recalls ambassador in Israel for talks: local media

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has recalled his ambassador to Israel for consultations, according to a column in the newspaper Folha de S. Paulo.

The Brazilian ambassador had previously been summoned by Israel's foreign minister for a reprimand following comments by Lula likening the war in Gaza to the Nazi genocide during World War II.

1712 GMT — Germany voices concern over Israeli threat to attack Rafah during Ramadan

Germany has expressed concern over the latest remarks by Israel’s War Cabinet Minister Benny Gantz who threatened to invade Rafah city during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan if hostages held by Hamas are not released.

"We view this announcement with concern," deputy foreign ministry spokesperson Kathrin Deschauer said at a press briefing in Berlin.

She reiterated the urgent need for a humanitarian pause amid the dramatic deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Gaza as a result of the Israeli military offensive.

1627 GMT — US proposes UN resolution supporting temporary ceasefire in Gaza

The United States has proposed a rival draft United Nations Security Council resolution that would underscore the body's "support for a temporary ceasefire in Gaza as soon as practicable," according to the text seen by Reuters.

The draft text also "determines that under current circumstances a major ground offensive into Rafah would result in further harm to civilians and their further displacement including potentially into neighbouring countries."

It was not immediately clear when or if the draft resolution would be put to a vote.

1636 GMT — Russia's UN envoy criticises US for opposing Gaza ceasefire

Russia’s ambassador to the UN has criticised the US for standing in the way of a ceasefire in Gaza, as it signalled it will block another UN Security Council resolution presented by Algeria.

Speaking to reporters, Vasily Nebenzya said that “only one delegation” has blocked a possible ceasefire in Gaza for nearly five months.

Saying Russia proposed a ceasefire resolution on Oct. 16, he said so many lives could have been saved if a ceasefire had been passed.

1558 GMT — Israel launches air strikes in southern Lebanon

Israeli warplanes have launched air strikes in the town of Ghaziyeh in southern Lebanon, according to the Lebanese media.

The strikes targeted a vehicle in the town on the southern outskirts of Sidon, the state-run National News Agency reported.

Ambulances were seen rushing to the scene of the attack. The AFP photographer reported the sound of at least two successive strikes in Ghaziyeh, with dark smoke billowing across the area.

One of the strikes appeared to have targeted a hangar close to the main coastal highway, the photographer added.

1545 GMT — People of Gaza ‘living hell on earth’: Irish diplomat

Ireland’s Foreign Minister Tanaiste Micheal Martin has said he hopes that work for a ceasefire can gain momentum for the sake of the “ordinary people of Gaza who are living hell on earth at the moment.”

Speaking to the press ahead of the Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels , Martin acknowledged it would not be easy to get a unified position on Irish and Spanish proposals for the EU to review whether Israel was in breach of human rights clauses in the EU-Israel trade agreement.

A ground invasion in the city of Rafah would be “absolutely catastrophic,” he warned before joining the ministerial meeting.

1515 GMT — UN official warns of humanitarian crisis in Gaza

The UN senior humanitarian and reconstruction coordinator for Gaza has sounded alarm on the potential dire consequences facing Gaza civilians as Israel threatens to target the southern city of Rafah.

Sigrid Kaag's warning came during a critical meeting of European Union foreign ministers in Brussels, where she stressed the urgent need to address the escalating humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

"The consequences of Israel's attack on Rafah would be disastrous for civilians," Kaag said.

1359 GMT — Israeli protesters repeatedly block aid convoys bound for Gaza

Even as the threat of famine stalks the war-ravaged Gaza, Israeli protesters have gathered repeatedly to stop desperately needed aid from getting into the Palestinian territory.

The latest protest on Sunday came as Hamas threatened to suspend talks to free hostages unless more aid gets in.

Despite those threats, just over 100 people gathered at Nitzana, where the Egyptian Sinai meets Israel's Negev desert, with some saying they were hoping to pile pressure on in a bid to free the captives.

A survey for Israel's Channel 12 television at the end of January suggested 72 percent of Israelis believed Gaza should not receive any aid while hostages are still being held.

1337 GMT — Israel army arrests more Palestinians in occupied West Bank raids

The Israeli army has rounded up 25 more Palestinians in military raids across the occupied West Bank, according to prisoners' affairs groups.

Most of the arrests took place in the cities of Al Halil, Ramallah, Jerusalem, Nablus and Jenin, the Commission of Detainees' Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoners Society said in a joint statement.

"The arrests were marked by acts of sabotage and destruction of citizens’ homes, in addition to severe beatings of detainees and their families, and the confiscation of money,” the statement said.

1336 GMT — Israel's war on Gaza takes bite on its GDP

Israel's GDP has shrunk by almost one-fifth in the final quarter of 2023, compared to the three months prior, according to official figures.

The 19.4 percent fall in the final quarter was attributed to the scale of the ongoing Israel's war on Gaza affecting the economy.

Overall, Israel's GDP grew by 2.0 percent in 2023, short of the 2.3 percent projection made by the Bank of Israel after the war's outbreak in October, the Central Bureau of Statistics figures showed.

1304 GMT — Spain to impose sanctions on violent Israeli settlers if no EU deal

Spain will impose sanctions on violent Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank unilaterally if its European Union partners fail to reach an agreement on the issue, Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares has said.

He said Spain, which has also been critical of Israel's military offensive in Gaza, will push for the approval of such sanctions during a meeting of EU's foreign ministers held in Brussels on Monday.

"If there's no agreement, Spain will proceed individually with these sanctions against the violent settlers," Albares told reporters before the meeting.

1301 GMT — 'Appalled by Israeli violations against Palestinian women and girls': UN experts

UN experts have expressed alarm over credible allegations of egregious human rights violations to which Palestinian women and girls continue to be subjected in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

Palestinian women and girls have reportedly been arbitrarily executed in Gaza, often together with family members, including their children.

"We are shocked by reports of the deliberate targeting and extrajudicial killing of Palestinian women and children in places where they sought refuge, or while fleeing. Some of them were reportedly holding white pieces of cloth when they were killed by the Israeli army or affiliated forces," the experts said.

1218 GMT — Protesters burn Israeli flag in front of ICJ

A group of protesters burned an Israeli flag in front of the International Criminal Court (ICJ) as public hearings on Israeli practices in Palestine began.

One of the protesters is seen in an Anadolu footage to have taken down the flag from a car window as the vehicle drove by the protesters. The flag was burned by protesters later on.

The public hearings started following the UN General Assembly's request for an advisory opinion on the legal consequences arising from policies and practices of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

1207 GMT — Qatar decries Israel over pressure on Hamas to free hostages

Conflict mediator Qatar has criticised comments from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in which it said he asked the Gulf state to pressure Hamas into freeing Israeli hostages, describing them as a new attempt to prolong the Gaza war.

Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said at the weekend that the pattern of negotiations for a framework ceasefire deal for Israel's war on Gaza was "not very promising" in recent days.

"The Israeli Prime Minister's recent statements in which he calls on Qatar to pressure Hamas into releasing the (Israeli) hostages are nothing but a new attempt by him to delay and prolong the war for reasons that have become clear to everyone," Qatar's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed Al Ansari posted in a statement on social media platform X.

1141 GMT — Fight during Ramadan to continue unless Hamas frees hostages: Israel

Deadly fighting has raged on in Gaza after Israel warned that, unless Hamas frees all hostages, it will push on with its offensive during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, including in the far-southern Rafah area.

Global concern has mounted over the fate of around 1.5 million Palestinians who have been forced into Rafah near the Egyptian border, enduring bombardment and dire food shortages as they live in crowded makeshift shelters and tents.

1130 GMT — EU warns Israel against 'catastrophic' Rafah offensive

The European Union has warned Israel against launching an offensive in Rafah that ministers said would create a disaster for the roughly 1.5M refugees crammed into the city on the southern edge of Gaza.

"An attack on Rafah would be absolutely catastrophic, it would be unconscionable," Ireland's Foreign Minister Micheal Martin said before a meeting with foreign ministers from the 27 EU member states in Brussels.

"Over 1.5M people are crowded into a very small corner of Gaza. They're weary, they are exhausted, they have nowhere else to go - how can anyone contemplate adding to that trauma?" he said.

1118 GMT — Houthi attack 'severely damages' ship in key strait leading to Red Sea

A missile attack by Yemen's Houthis that damaged a Belize-flagged ship travelling through the Bab el Mandeb Strait that connects the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden has forced the crew to abandon the ship, authorities have said.

Another ship reportedly came under attack as well in the Gulf of Aden.

The Houthis also claimed they shot down an American MQ-9 Reaper drone, something not immediately acknowledged by US forces in the region.

1011 GMT — Palestinian death toll in Gaza hits 29,000: ministry

Israel has killed at least 29,092 Palestinians and wounded 69,028 others in its war on Gaza, the Palestinian health ministry in the besieged enclave said.

Moreover, a total of 107 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli strikes in the last 24 hours alone, the ministry said in a statement.

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0805 GMT — Israeli army says another soldier killed in Gaza

Another Israeli soldier was killed in military clashes with Palestinian resistance fighters in Gaza, according to the country's army.

Sgt Simon Shlomov, 20, from the 202nd Paratroopers Brigade, died in clashes in the south of Gaza, the Israeli army said in a statement without providing further details.

With the latest death, the number of soldiers killed since October 7 has increased to 574, including 236 who have died since the start of the ground offensive on October 27.

0749 GMT — Israeli army closes four roads near Lebanese border: Media

The Israeli army said it closed four roads to traffic near the Lebanese border on, according to Israeli media.

The decision was made after an assessment by the army of the situation in the region, leading to the closure of four roads until further notice, Israel's public broadcaster KAN reported.

This move comes amid heightened tensions along the border between Lebanon and Israel amid intermittent exchanges of fire between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, in the deadliest clashes since the two sides fought a full-scale war in 2006

0613 GMT — ICJ opens hearings into Israel's occupation of Palestine

The state of Palestine will be the first of 52 countries to speak as the International Court of Justice (ICJ) begins six days of hearings, focusing on Israel's open-ended occupation in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and its war on Gaza.

"We want to hear new words from the court," said Omar Awadallah, the head of the UN organisations department in the Palestinian Foreign Ministry, ahead of the case.

"They've had to consider the word genocide in the South Africa case," he said, referring to the separate case before the court. "Now we want them to consider apartheid."

Israel is not scheduled to speak during the hearings, but could submit a written statement.

0246 GMT — Israel's plan to restrict Palestinians' entry to Al Aqsa during Ramadan 'is a crime': Hamas

Israel's plan to restrict Palestinians' entry to Al Aqsa Mosque during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan is "a reflection of the Zionist crimes and religious war waged by radical elements of the Israeli government against the Palestinian people," Hamas said.

The Palestinian resistance group in a statement criticised Benjamin Netanyahu's announcement of his intention to limit Palestinians' access to Islam's third holiest site during the fasting month.

It criticised Netanyahu's approval of Israeli far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir's call to ban Palestinians from entering Al Aqsa during Ramadan, saying it is a "violation of the freedom of worship" in the holy mosque.

It also emphasised that this showed Israel's intention to increase its attacks on Al Aqsa Mosque during Ramadan.

0312 GMT — Israel sets Ramadan deadline for Rafah ground offensive

Israel will launch its long-threatened offensive against Rafah next month if Hamas has not freed the remaining hostages held in Gaza by the start of Ramadan, Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz said.

"The world must know, and Hamas leaders must know — if by Ramadan our hostages are not home, the fighting will continue everywhere, including the Rafah area," Gantz, a retired military chief of staff, told a conference of American Jewish leaders in Jerusalem Sunday.

Speaking at the same Jerusalem conference on Sunday, Netanyahu renewed his vow "to finish the job to get total victory" over Hamas, with or without a hostage deal.

0150 GMT — Israel insists on attacking Gaza to 'impose displacement'

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said that Israel insists on continuing its attacks on Gaza to "impose displacement," especially on the city of Rafah.

"The Israeli government and its army are continuing their attacks on various cities in Gaza, especially Rafah, with the aim of forcibly displacing citizens. We will not accept this, and neither will our brothers, nor the world," he said in a meeting of the Palestinian government held in Ramallah, according to the official Palestinian news agency WAFA.

He emphasised that the situation in Rafah has become "extremely dangerous and difficult," requiring the Palestinian government to act swiftly.

He added that they had gathered to discuss the issue in order to prevent further Israeli attacks and to stop Israel from expelling Palestinians from their land and country.

0133 GMT — WHO helps evacuate 14 patients from Gaza's besieged Nasser Hospital

The World Health Organization (WHO) helped evacuate 14 patients from Nasser Hospital in the city of Khan Younis in southern Gaza, which is under siege by Israeli forces, Palestinian Health Ministry in the blockaded enclave said.

The patients, including five on dialysis and three in intensive care, were transported to hospitals in the south as a result of the WHO's efforts, the ministry said in a statement.

It said pressure was being maintained on Israel to evacuate all patients from the hospital, which it has converted into a military barracks after cutting off its electricity and preventing oxygen devices from operating.

0100 GMT — UN agency says there is not enough food in Gaza

The Israeli army's expansion of its operation in the city of Rafah "risks cutting the lifeline of assistance into Gaza, causing further suffering,”" the UN agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) said.

The agency issued the statement on its X account. UNRWA added that "there is not enough food in Gaza."

"In the Nuseirat (refugee) camp in the middle Gaza, UNRWA and World Central Kitchen provide hot meals to 1,700 people displaced in & around this shelter," the agency noted.

0042 GMT — UN vetoes Security Council resolution demanding ceasefire

The UN Security Council is expected to vote Tuesday on an Arab-backed resolution demanding an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, which the United States announced it will veto.

Algeria, the Arab representative on the council, put the draft resolution in a final form that can be voted on. Council diplomats, speaking on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorised to speak publicly, said the vote will take place Tuesday morning.

In addition to a ceasefire, the final Algerian draft, obtained by the Associated Press, reiterates council demands that Israel and Hamas "scrupulously comply" with international law especially the protection of civilians, and rejects the forced displacement of Palestinian civilians.

The draft also demands the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages taken by Hamas during their surprise October 7 attacks in southern Israel.

For our live updates from Sunday, February 18, click here.