Live blog: Gaza's Nasser Hospital 'out of service' amid Israeli attacks

Sunday, February 18, 2024

0840 GMT — Gaza's Nasser Hospital 'out of service' amid Israeli attacks

Gaza's second-largest hospital has been put "completely out of service", a spokesperson for the Palestinian health ministry in Gaza has said.

"There are only four medical staffers currently caring for patients" inside the Nasser Hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis, Ashraf al Qudra told Reuters.

"The Nasser medical complex is the backbone of healthcare in southern Gaza. Its ceasing to function is a death sentence for hundreds of thousands of Palestinian displaced people in Khan Younis and Rafah," he said.

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1441 GMT — Israel’s War Cabinet Minister Benny Gantz threatened to invade Rafah during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan if hostages held by Hamas were not released.

“I say this very clearly: Hamas has a choice. They can surrender, release the hostages, and this way, the citizens of Gaza can celebrate the holy holiday of Ramadan,” Gantz told a conference in Jerusalem.

The Israeli army plans to launch a ground attack in Rafah, home to more than 1.4 million residents seeking refuge from war, to defeat what Tel Aviv calls the remaining "Hamas battalions."

Gantz, a former defence minister, said that the invasion of Rafah will occur in coordination with “our American and Egyptian partners to minimize civilian casualties,” according to The Times of Israel newspaper.

“The world must know, and Hamas leaders must know – if by Ramadan our hostages are not home, the fighting will be extended to the Rafah area,” he added.

1522 GMT — Israel protests over Brazilian president's remarks comparing Gaza war to Holocaust

Israel criticised Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva for comparing the Israeli war on Gaza to Nazi leader Adolf Hitler's Holocaust against Jews, with Tel Aviv announcing that it would summon the South American country's envoy for an official protest.

In a statement, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz called da Silva’s statements “shameful” and “serious.”

“No one will harm Israel’s right to defend itself. I have ordered the people of my office to summon the Brazilian ambassador for a reprimand call tomorrow,” he added on X.

Earlier in the day, da Silva accused Israel of genocide in Gaza, citing an Israeli army ongoing offensive that has killed nearly 29,000 Palestinians since October 7.

“It’s not a war of soldiers against soldiers. It’s a war between a highly prepared army and women and children,” he added.

“What’s happening in the Gaza Strip with the Palestinian people hasn’t happened at any other moment in history. Actually, it has happened: when Hitler decided to kill the Jews,” he remarked.

1446 GMT — Israel turns Gaza hospital into ‘military barracks’, Health Ministry says

The Israeli army has turned Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis city in southern Gaza into a military barracks, the Health Ministry in the enclave said.

“The Israeli army has arrested 70 medics at the facility,” ministry spokesman Ashraf al Qudra said in a statement.

The complex "cannot handle cases that require extreme clinical care,” he added.

The Israeli army on Thursday stormed the hospital, forcing everyone inside to evacuate and flee for their lives.

Yet a small medical team stayed inside to take care of patients in critical condition, who were all held in one building of the hospital by the Israeli army amid a lack of basic needs.

1219 GMT — Israel strikes Gaza as US to block ceasefire resolution at UN

Israeli strikes across Gaza killed at least 18 people overnight, according to medics and witnesses, as the United States said it would veto another draft UN ceasefire resolution.

The US, Israel's top ally, instead hopes to broker a ceasefire agreement and hostage release between Israel and Hamas and envisions a wider resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pushed back, calling Hamas' demands “delusional” and rejecting US and international calls for a pathway to Palestinian statehood.

His Cabinet adopted a declaration saying Israel “categorically rejects international edicts on a permanent arrangement with the Palestinians" and opposes any unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state, which it said would “grant a major prize to terror” after the October 7 attack that triggered the war.

0923 GMT — Biden administration seeks financial support for Palestinian authority amid looming crisis: Report

The Biden administration is actively seeking measures to bolster the financial stability of the Palestinian Authority amid mounting concerns over an imminent funding crisis, according to a Wall Street Journal report, citing US officials.

To circumvent legal restrictions barring direct contributions to the Palestinian Authority, the US is exploring alternative avenues while also urging allies to boost their financial support, US officials have said.

Palestinian officials have sounded alarms that they may exhaust the funds necessary to meet payroll obligations and sustain essential government services as early as late February, US officials revealed.

The US has pinned its post-war hopes on a revitalised Palestinian Authority as the linchpin for stability in the region.

However, US officials said without a revenue boost, the organisation's ability to maintain control in the occupied West Bank and expand its role could be severely compromised.

1021 GMT — Netanyahu gov't prepares to declare opposition to Palestine state

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his government would vote on a "declaratory decision" regarding Israel's opposition to any unilateral imposition of Palestinian statehood.

Netanyahu said at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting that the move comes after "recent talk in the international community about an attempt to unilaterally impose on Israel a Palestinian state."

The formal statement, he said, would reflect that, "Israel rejects outright international dictates regarding a permanent arrangement with the Palestinians.

Such an arrangement can only be reached in direct negotiations between the sides, without preconditions."

0954 GMT — Canada slams Israel's Rafah attack 'unacceptable', Palestinians trapped

An Israeli offensive on the southern Gaza city of Rafah is “unacceptable because Palestinians have nowhere to go” Canada’s foreign minister has said.

“We believe in the right of Israel to exist … We also have a foreign policy all about human security … And the protection of civilians has been at the core of everything we’ve been doing,” Melanie Joly said during a panel discussion at Germany’s Munich Security Conference.

“We need an Israeli government that is willing to talk about a two-state solution,” she said.

At the same time, she said Arab nations must normalise diplomatic ties with Israel, which would include a security deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia.

But time is of the essence; we only have a couple of months,” she said. “(Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu cannot just continue to wage his war.”

0929 GMT — Gaza death toll nears 29,000

A total of 28,985 Palestinians have been killed and 68,883 others injured in Israeli strikes on Gaza since Oct. 7, the Gaza health ministry said in a statement.

At least 127 Palestinians have been killed and 205 others injured in the past 24 hours, the ministry added.

0920 — Two-state solution needs to be implemented: PA

Palestine’s prime minister has called for a deal to take place between the Palestinian resistance and Israel “as soon as possible.”

Speaking at Germany’s Munich Security Conference, Mohammad Shtayyeh said: "All our eyes are focused on the suffering of the Palestinians both in Gaza and the West Bank,” adding: “What is needed immediately is a ceasefire, and even more, to allow international aid into Gaza.”

He stressed: “We would like to see the release of all the hostages and we would like to see a deal … in the making as soon as possible because every single day that is delayed, it means more killings, it means more sufferings and it means more disaster for the people.”

“We need to move from talking about a two-state solution into implementing it,” he said.

“We should not allow the circle of violence to repeat itself,” he added.

0859 GMT — Russia invites Palestinian groups in Moscow for talks — PA

Russia has invited Palestinian factions to meet in Moscow on Feb. 26, the Palestinian Authority prime minister said on Sunday, adding that the PA was ready to engage with Hamas.

"Russia has invited all Palestinian factions who will be meeting on the 26 of this month in Moscow. We will see if Hamas is ready to come to the ground with us" Mohammad Shtayyeh told the Munich Security Conference.

"We are ready to engage. If Hamas is not then that's a different story. We need Palestinian unity," he said, adding that to be part of that unity Hamas needed to meet certain prerequisites.

0823 GMT — WHO boss slams Gaza hospital siege, demands patient access

The head of the World Health Organization has voiced grave concerns over the deteriorating situation at a hospital in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, stressing the urgent need for access to patients and medical facilities.

“Nasser hospital in Gaza is not functional anymore, after a weeklong si ege followed by the ongoing raid,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus wrote on X.

Despite concerted efforts by a WHO team and its partners, access to the hospital for assessing patients and critical medical needs was denied, he underlined.

“Both yesterday and the day before, the WHO team was not permitted to enter the hospital to assess the conditions of the patients and critical medical needs, despite reaching the hospital compound to deliver fuel alongside partners,” he said.

0726 GMT — Global pressure mounts on Israel to comply with ICJ directives

Portugal's Foreign Minister Joao Gomes Cravinho has expressed deep concern at the Munich Security Conference regarding the worsening humanitarian conditions in Palestine's Gaza.

Urging adherence to international law, Cravinho called on Israel to comply with directives from the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

He emphasized the urgent need for a ceasefire and expanded access to humanitarian aid for Palestinians, citing the adverse effects of Israel's blockades and restrictions. Separately, Malta's top diplomat Ian Borg also denounced the killing of civilians by Israel in Gaza, particularly in response to the October 7 attacks.

Borg called for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in the besieged enclave.

While supporting Israel's right to self-defence, he stressed the importance of a proportionate response to the incidents.

0659 GMT — Prospects for ceasefire dim as Israel rejects calls to spare Rafah

Prospects for an Israel-Hamas ceasefire dimmed after the United States signalled it would veto the latest push for a United Nations Security Council resolution and mediator Qatar acknowledged that truce talks on the other diplomatic front have hit an impasse.

The languishing efforts to pause the four-month-old war come as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to reject international appeals to spare Gaza's southernmost city Rafah, where an estimated 1.5 million people have sought refuge.

Israel's relentless campaign to root out every Hamas battalion has edged closer to the city, with overnight attacks killing at least 10 Gazans there and in central Gaza's Deir al-Balah, according to a tally by official Palestinian news agency Wafa.

0507 GMT — Top UN court to hold hearings on legality of the Israeli occupation of Palestinian-claimed lands

The United Nations' highest court will open historic hearings into the legality of Israel's 57-year occupation of lands sought for a Palestinian state, plunging the 15 international judges back into the heart of the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Six days of hearings are scheduled at the International Court of Justice, during which an unprecedented number of countries will participate, as Israel continues its devastating assault on Gaza.

Though the case occurs against the backdrop of the Israel-Hamas war, it focuses instead on Israel's open-ended occupation of the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem.

Palestinian representatives will argue that the Israeli occupation is illegal because it has violated three key tenets of international law, the Palestinian legal team told reporters.

They say that Israel has violated the prohibition on territorial conquest by annexing large swaths of occupied land, has violated the Palestinians' right to self-determination, and has imposed a system of racial discrimination and apartheid.

0415 GMT — Algeria pushes for Gaza ceasefire at UN, US likely to block

The United Nations Security Council is expected to vote on an Algerian push for the 15-member body to demand an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Israel's war on Gaza, said diplomats, a move the United States signalled it would veto.

Algeria put forward an initial draft resolution more than two weeks ago. But US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield quickly said the text could jeopardise "sensitive negotiations" aimed at brokering a pause in the war.

To be adopted, a UN Security Council resolution needs at least nine votes in favour and no vetoes by the United States, Britain, France, China or Russia.

Washington traditionally shields its ally Israel from any UN action and has already twice vetoed council action since October 7.

But Washington has also abstained twice, allowing the council to adopt resolutions that aimed to boost humanitarian aid to Gaza and called for urgent and extended humanitarian pauses in fighting.

0041 GMT — Displacement of Palestinians to Egypt rejected: Sisi

President Abdel Fattah el Sisi affirmed his country’s “categorical rejection of the displacement of Palestinians to Egypt in any way or form, a position that enjoys full international consensus,” according to a statement by the Egyptian presidency.

It came during a telephone call received by el Sisi from French President Emmanuel Macron amid Israel’s escalation in Rafah and international warnings against pushing Palestinians toward Egyptian territories.

The presidency said el Sisi received the call to discuss “ongoing efforts aimed at reaching a ceasefire in Gaza, exchanging captives, and delivering humanitarian aid.”

The two leaders reviewed the latest developments and stressed the need for concerned parties “to cooperate to ensure progress that leads to the stopping of the bloodshed and alleviation of the current human suffering in Gaza.”

0152 GMT — Independent Palestinian state ‘prerequisite’ before normalization with Israel: Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan said that an independent Palestinian state is a "prerequisite" to establish diplomatic relations with Israel, according to Saudi Arabia's El Ihbariyye channel.

Bin Farhan explained Saudi Arabia's stance on the situation in Gaza and the Palestinian issue during a session at the Munich Security Conference.

He noted that "the only secure way to solve the problem in the region is through the commitment of the US and Israel to a two-state solution."

0218 GMT — Egypt to establish logistics centre in Rafah to facilitate aid to Gaza

Egypt announced that it is beginning to establish a logistics centre in Rafah to facilitate humanitarian aid to Gaza, which is under attack and occupation by Israel.

Gov. of North Sinai in Egypt, Maj. Gen. Muhammad Abdulfadil, noted that the centre is to be built in the border town, including the Rafah Border Crossing between Egypt and Gaza.

Abdulfadil said the Egyptian army has begun constructing the centre in Al Arish to facilitate the work of the Egyptian Red Crescent and to reduce congestion in the area and on the road.

He noted that the centre will have parking areas for trucks, secure warehouses, administrative offices and accommodation for drivers, as well as facilities such as water and electricity.

For our live updates from Saturday, February 17, click here.