Israel’s war on Gaza updates: Hamas says Israel ‘not serious’ about truce
Senior Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya tells Al Jazeera that Netanyahu only wants to prolong the war to remain in power.
- A Hamas official says Israel is refusing to withdraw from Gaza, rejecting the return of displaced Palestinians to their homes and failing to commit to allowing enough aid to the territory, leaving nothing to agree on.
- UN experts, including the special rapporteur on violence against women and girls, say they are distressed by reports of “multiple forms of sexual assault” against Palestinian female detainees by Israeli forces.
- A Hamas official says Israel is refusing to withdraw from Gaza, rejecting the return of displaced Palestinians to their homes and failing to commit to allowing enough aid to the territory, leaving nothing to agree on.
- UN experts, including the special rapporteur on violence against women and girls, say they are distressed by reports of “multiple forms of sexual assault” against Palestinian female detainees by Israeli forces.
- Aid groups say they are working to evacuate dozens of patients and medics trapped inside Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, which has been put of out service by Israeli forces.
- Israel carries out raids deep inside southern Lebanon as cross-border clashes with Hezbollah escalate.
- At least 29,092 Palestinians have been killed and 69,028 injured in Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip since October 7, the Health Ministry says.
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And you can always read more about the conflict here.
Here’s what happened today
We will be closing the live blog soon. Here’s a recap of the day’s main events:
- UNICEF released a report documenting hunger in Gaza and warning of an “explosion in preventable child deaths” in the territory, finding that nearly 16 percent of children below the age of two in northern Gaza are acutely malnourished.
- Israel has carried out heavy strikes in southern Lebanon in what it says was retaliation after a drone launched from Lebanon crashed near Tiberias, increasing fears over an escalation with Hezbollah.
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he “does not recognise” the legitimacy of the ICJ case considering Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories, adding later that Israel will maintain control of the occupied West Bank and Gaza.
- Hamas claimed attacks against Israeli troops in Khan Younis, as a senior official from the group said its fighters are continuing to confront Israel’s forces with strong determination.
- Brazil recalled its ambassador to Israel following a diplomatic spat with the country after Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva compared the assault on Gaza to the Holocaust.
- Gaza’s Health Ministry said the number of Palestinians killed in the war on Gaza has surpassed 29,000, with humanitarian conditions continuing to deteriorate.
Gaza starvation ‘result of Israeli policy’ with tacit US support: Analyst
Senior fellow at the Middle East Institute Khaled Elgindy has blamed Israel, which is imposing a suffocating siege on Gaza, for the widespread hunger in the territory, which has been documented by a recent UN report.
“Reminder that the mass starvation in Gaza is a direct result of Israeli policy to severely restrict food, water, medicine to Gaza’s civilian population of 2.3 million, which it could not have sustained without the tacit support of the Biden admin,” Elgindy wrote in a social media post.
Reminder that the mass starvation in Gaza is a direct result of Israeli policy to severely restrict food, water, medicine to Gaza’s civilian population of 2.3 million, which it could not have sustained without the tacit support of the Biden admin. https://t.co/zggxLPlHiW
— Khaled Elgindy (@elgindy_) February 19, 2024
Israel is failing to reach its goals in Gaza: Hamas
Senior Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya says Israel has failed terribly in achieving its objectives of returning the captives held in Gaza and dismantling Palestinian armed resistance in the territory.
Al-Hayya dismissed Israeli claims of defeating Hamas in northern Gaza, saying the group is still fighting across the territory with strong determination.
“As the occupation has failed in eliminating the resistance’s capabilities in the north of the Strip and the central area and Khan Younis, it will fail in attempting to wrest its control over Rafah,” al-Hayya told Al Jazeera.
Photos show aftermath of Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon
Israeli raids hit the town of Ghaziyeh, near Sidon, deep inside south Lebanon.
Arab Group expresses support for Algeria’s UN resolution versus US measure
The Arab Group, a coalition of Arab states that promote common interests at the United Nations, has released a statement in support of a Security Council draft resolution by Algeria calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
The US has said it will not allow such a measure to pass. Washington also put forward its own resolution calling instead for a temporary pause in the fighting.
The US has argued that calling for an immediate ceasefire could upend ongoing talks in search of a deal between Hamas and Israel, but in a statement, the Arab Group said that Algeria’s resolution could strengthen those efforts “rather than jeopardizing them”.
“The time has come for the Security Council, entrusted with the primary responsibility of maintaining international peace and security, to act decisively and make a resolute decision before it is too late,” the statement reads, as reported by Al Jazeera’s Rami Ayari.
On eve of the vote, and after @USUN floated its rival draft resolution, the Arab Group expresses its firm support for @AlgeriaUN's #Gaza #CeasefireNOW draft #UNSC resolution and strongly urges all SC members to vote in favor of it. Press statement notes that adopting the reso… pic.twitter.com/ZCFpEQPzPH
— Rami Ayari (@Raminho) February 19, 2024
Saudi Arabia says Rafah assault would be ‘completely unacceptable’
The kingdom’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud has warned against an Israeli offensive on Rafah.
“The potential prospect of military operations in Rafah, the last safe haven in the south, and without any clear mechanisms to protect the civilians; this is completely unacceptable,” bin Farhan said in an interview with France 24.
“When I talk to our partners the international community, they all agree that the pathway to stability in our region, in Palestine, and for the security for Israel is towards a Palestinian State.”
“The potential prospect of military operations in #Rafah, the last safe haven in the south, and without any clear mechanisms to protect the civilians; this is completely unacceptable.”
– Foreign Minister HH Prince @FaisalbinFarhan’s interview with @FRANCE24. pic.twitter.com/SDhfeFZmun
— Foreign Ministry 🇸🇦 (@KSAmofaEN) February 19, 2024
Houthis say they downed US drone
The Yemeni armed group says its “air defences” hit an American MQ9 aircraft over the Hodeidah governorate using a locally manufactured ground to air missile “while it was carrying out a hostile mission against our country”.
The group shared footage of what it said was the drone after it was downed.
The US and the UK have been carrying out military raids inside Yemen in response to the Houthis’ attacks on shipping lanes in the Red Sea. The Yemeni group says it is targeting Israel-linked ships to help bring an end to the war on Gaza.
Netanyahu says will submit legislation to reject calls for Palestinian state
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said in a video statement that he will submit legislation to the Knesset rejecting “international efforts to force on us a Palestinian state” amid growing calls for a two-state solution.
The move follows the unanimous passage of a similar measure at the cabinet level yesterday. Netanyahu also reiterated that Israel will maintain “full security control” of the occupied West Bank and Gaza after the war.
“For five months we have been running an unprecedented political campaign,” he said, according to the Times of Israel. “This campaign allowed our fighters the freedom of action to achieve all the goals of the war.”
UK maritime group says received reports of drone attack on vessel in Red Sea
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) group has said that it has received reports of a drone assault on a vessel in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
“UKMTO has received a report of an incident 60NM [111km] north of Djibouti, Djibouti,” the group said in a report today.
“The Master reports that the vessel has been hit by an Uncrewed Aerial System resulting in superficial damage to the accomodation superstructure. The crew are reported to be safe and the vessel is proceeding to its next port of call.”
UKMTO WARNING INCIDENT 035 UPDATE 001
ATTACKhttps://t.co/qlApy9q9pq#MaritimeSecurity #MarSec pic.twitter.com/GYaEKcLWEM
— United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) (@UK_MTO) February 19, 2024
14 people wounded in Lebanon following Israeli strikes: Report
Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency (NNA) says 14 people in the country were wounded in Israeli air raids near Sidon earlier today.
The NNA says that the strikes on Ghaziyeh injured mostly “Syrian and Palestinian workers”.
If you’re just joining us
It is now just past 11:30pm (21:30 GMT) in the occupied Palestinian territories and Israel.
Here’s a recap of the main events of the past few hours:
- The Israeli military has attacked Sidon, deep inside south Lebanon, claiming that it hit Hezbollah weapons depots, but local reports say it targeted civilian factories.
- Dozens of European countries call for an “immediate” pause to the fighting in Gaza and renew warnings against Israel’s looming Rafah assault.
- The US proposes a UN Security Council measure that would call for a “temporary” ceasefire in a rival measure to the Algerian proposal that would urge ending the war.
- UNICEF releases a report documenting hunger in Gaza and warning of an “explosion in preventable child deaths” in the territory.
- Israeli settlers attack the villages of Burqa and Huwara in the occupied West Bank.
- Yemen’s Houthis claim attacks on two US ships in the Gulf of Aden.
Israel ‘not serious’ about reaching a captives deal: Senior Hamas official
Khalil al-Hayya says Benjamin Netanyahu is only looking to prolong the war and suffering of the Palestinian people to save his own position as Israel’s prime minister.
“The Israeli occupation refuses to allow displaced Palestinians in Gaza to return to their homes in the north and the south. The Israeli occupation is not giving any indication that it will stop this aggression,” al-Hayya told Al Jazeera.
“The Israeli occupation, to this moment, has not given any guarantees that it will allow enough aid into Gaza or the rehabilitation of hospitals and bakeries and infrastructure. Even the tents, the Israeli occupation has not given a clear approval to allow them in.
“Then what can we agree on?”
Netanyahu had called Hamas’s demands to reach a deal that would lead to the release of the Israeli captives in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held in Israel and secure a prolonged pause to the fighting “delusional”.
But al-Hayya said that it is Israel that is using “lies” to derail the talks and avoid meeting Palestinians’ demands.
Only three days of drinking water available at Khan Younis hospital: Red Crescent
Israeli forces have targeted and damaged a water desalination station at al-Amal Hospital, the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) has said.
“Available drinking water at Al-Amal Hospital is only sufficient for three days,” the group said in a post on X.
Earlier, the PRCS said the situation inside the Khan Younis hospital was “highly dangerous due to a 28-day-long siege”.
– Water desalination station at PRCS Al-Amal Hospital in #KhanYunis disabled following targeting by Israeli occupation forces.
– Available drinking water at Al-Amal Hospital in is only sufficient for three days.#AlAmalHospital #Gaza #NotATarget ❌ #IHL pic.twitter.com/arZMpmrDrI— PRCS (@PalestineRCS) February 19, 2024
Brazil recalls envoy to Israel following spat over Lula’s comments on Gaza
Brazil’s foreign ministry has said that the country’s ambassador to Israel has been called home, following an Israeli announcement that Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva would be “persona non grata” until he retracted comments drawing parallels between Israel’s war on Gaza and the Holocaust.
“Given the gravity of the statements this morning by the government of Israel, Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira … has summoned the Israeli ambassador, Daniel Zonshine, to report today to the foreign ministry,” the foreign ministry said.
“He also recalled the Brazilian ambassador in Tel Aviv, Frederico Meyer, for consultations. He will depart for Brazil tomorrow.”
Knesset vote to expel Israeli lawmaker over support for ICJ genocide case fails
An effort by Israeli right-wing lawmakers to expel Knesset member Ofer Cassif from the legislature over his support for the ICJ case accusing Israel of genocidal acts in Gaza has failed to move forward, falling five votes short of the 90 needed.
That effort was promoted by Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who called Cassif a “terror-supporting Knesset member who incites against Israel in time of war”. Domestic opponents of Israel’s war in Gaza have faced intense pressure, including arrest over social media posts in support of Palestinians.
Before the vote, Cassif flatly rejected claims that he supports armed violence by groups like Hamas and said the push to expel him was part of a campaign of “political persecution and silencing of every critical voice in general and of Arab citizens and their representatives in the Knesset in particular”.
More than 200 percent increase in Israeli settler attacks on Nablus: Official
Since October 7, and compared with the same months in previous years, settler attacks have intensified by 208 percent, Nablus’s acting Governor Ghassan Daghlas has said.
“The attacks have intensified, especially after more settlers were getting armed by the Israeli government, military checkpoints were closed, and barriers were imposed, tightening the siege on Nablus governorate,” Daghlas told Al Jazeera.
Twelve military checkpoints currently encircle Nablus city and its surrounding villages; the Israeli army has also installed 10 gates at the entrances to villages and towns south of Nablus, Daghlas said.
“This is something we have not experienced since the second Intifada. The Israeli occupation is clear in its intention, which is to strike the beating heart of the West Bank – Nablus – which connects its centre and its north,” he added.
The foundation feeding thousands in Hebron impoverished by Israel’s war
Hebron’s Tikkiyya Ibrahimiyya, a charitable foundation, has been a refuge for the poor and the needy since its founding in 1279, making it one of the oldest such organisations in the region.
Before October 7, the Tikkiyya provided about 1,000 meals a day.
It relied on donations to allow it to make that much food, and the Palestinian Authority’s Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs provides money for salaries and administrative costs.
That was until the war on Gaza caused a chain reaction of economic distress with tens of thousands of workers from Gaza trapped in the occupied West Bank and unable to go home or work while economic activity has ground almost entirely to a halt.
The Palestinian Authority has had to shore up the Tikkiyya’s funding in light of the thousands of additional people who need to be fed.
You can read more on the Tikkiyya Ibrahimiyya here.
WHO official urges ‘proper medical evacuation’ at Nasser Hospital
WHO Representative for the West Bank and Gaza Rik Peeperkorn, who was part of a World Health Organization team that visited the besieged Nasser Hospital days ago, describes a harrowing situation at the medical centre.
“The hospital is currently not functional. More patients need to be transferred out, including the completely exhausted staff,” Peeperkorn told Al Jazeera.
The WHO team was allowed to bring “very few” medical supplies, food and water into the hospital, Peeperkorn said.
He added there was an urgent need for a “proper medical evacuation” into Egypt.
“The hospital is quite damaged … the degradation of health services needs to stop,” Peeperkorn told Al Jazeera. “A number of countries in the region and even in Europe have reached out and are willing to accept patients. We estimate that at least 8,000 patients need to be referred out of Gaza.”
‘Steep rise’ in malnutrition in Gaza reported
An analysis by the Global Nutrition Cluster, which monitors the nutritional needs of populations under emergency circumstances, has found that nearly 16 percent of children under the age of 2 in northern Gaza are “acutely malnourished”.
Before the war, that figure was 0.8 percent for children under the age of 5. “Such a decline in a population’s nutritional status in three months is unprecedented globally,” its report reads.
“The Gaza Strip is poised to witness an explosion in preventable child deaths, which would compound the already unbearable level of child deaths in Gaza,” UNICEF official Ted Chaiban said in a news release. UNICEF is the lead agency in the Global Nutrition Cluster.
The report also found that at least 90 percent of children under 5 were affected by one or more infectious diseases and 70 percent have had diarrhoea in the past two weeks.
More than 95 percent of households said that adults were restricting the amount of food they eat so children would have more, and 64 percent of households said they were eating only one meal a day.
According to the report, “95 per cent of pregnant and breastfeeding women face severe food poverty.”
Famine is spreading in Gaza because of the Israeli siege, which is severely restricting the entry of humanitarian aid into the territory.
A steep rise in malnutrition among children and pregnant and breastfeeding women in the Gaza Strip poses grave threats to their health, according to a comprehensive new analysis released by the Global Nutrition Cluster.
An immediate humanitarian ceasefire continues to provide… pic.twitter.com/ulGRldbM8s
— UNICEF (@UNICEF) February 19, 2024
EU countries, except Hungary, urge ‘immediate’ pause in Gaza war
European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has said 26 European countries — every EU member with the exception of Hungary — have together issued a statement calling for an “immediate” pause in the fighting in Gaza.
“We ask the Israeli Government not to take military action in Rafah that would worsen an already catastrophic humanitarian situation and prevent the urgently needed provision of basic services and humanitarian assistance,” the statement says.
While European nations have expressed firm support for Israel throughout its war in Gaza, some have started to temper their rhetoric with concern over deteriorating humanitarian conditions and criticism of Israel’s campaign, one of the most destructive in modern history.
The European statement calls for an “immediate humanitarian pause that would lead to a lasting ceasefire, the unconditional release of all hostages and the provision of humanitarian assistance”.
UNRWA says 153 installations attacked since war began
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) has decried attacks on its facilities in Gaza.
“In north Gaza, schools are unrecognisable, reduced to rubble,” UNRWA said in a social media post.
“In Rafah, half the population have nowhere to go but UNRWA shelters. 153 different UNRWA installations have been attacked during the war in Gaza – Children should be in our schools to learn, not shelter from bombs.”
In north #Gaza, schools are unrecognisable, reduced to rubble
In #Rafah, half the population have nowhere to go but @UNRWA shelters
153 different @UNRWA installations have been attacked during the war in #Gaza – Children should be in our schools to learn, not shelter from bombs pic.twitter.com/BpTCyJO8QP
— UNRWA (@UNRWA) February 19, 2024
UN Security Council resolution proposed by US ‘significant’
A new US draft resolution before the UN Security Council includes some of the toughest language issued by Washington so far, calling for a temporary ceasefire and saying an Israeli assault on Rafah under the current circumstances would have “serious implications” for regional security.
The US measure “is significant because Israel did not want the word ‘ceasefire’ in any resolution, and now it’s the US that’s proposing it”, Al Jazeera diplomatic correspondent James Bays reported from UN headquarters in New York City.
“Of course, other countries wanted the words ‘immediate ceasefire’ and wanted the Security Council to order it, so it probably doesn’t go so far as some other council members would like,” Bays added.
“The second thing in this resolution I think is very significant is the US issuing this warning to Israel not to launch a ground offensive into Rafah.”
Despite reports of a growing divide between Netanyahu and Biden, the US has continued to send Israel weapons for its war on Gaza.
Amnesty says Israel must end ‘perpetual occupation’ of Palestinian territories
The global human rights watchdog Amnesty International says the Israeli occupation has been characterised by “widespread and systematic human rights violations”.
“The occupation has also enabled and entrenched Israel’s system of apartheid imposed on all Palestinians,” Amnesty chief Agnes Callamard said in a statement.
“Over the years, Israel’s military occupation has evolved into a perpetual occupation in flagrant violation of international law.”
BREAKING: Israel Must End Its Occupation of Palestine to Stop Fueling Apartheid and Systematic Human Rights Violations
@AgnèsCallamard, @Amnesty’s Secretary General, said: https://t.co/srqo3m5BDO
— Amnesty International USA (@amnestyusa) February 19, 2024
More on Israeli settler attack on Burqa, near Nablus
Emad Seif, former secretary of the Fatah movement in Nablus, says a major attack by settlers is under way in the village of Burqa located south of the city in the occupied West Bank.
He tells Al Jazeera: “I now see columns of smoke rising from the entrance to the village, where settlers are burning vehicles and attempting to torch homes with residents inside them, all with the army’s protection.”
People are calling and sending us messages for help, as the army sealed off the entrances to the village, Seif added.
“There’s gunfire and tear gas being thrown at young men. The situation is very dangerous.”