Israel’s war on Gaza updates: No plan to protect civilians in Rafah – US
Palestinians in Gaza observe Ramadan in ruined mosques as Israeli siege and bombardment leaves ‘hunger everywhere’.
- The live page is now closed. You can continue to follow our coverage of the war in Gaza here.
- The US says Israel has not yet presented a plan to protect civilians in its planned invasion of Rafah, as Israel’s self-imposed Ramadan deadline for invasion passes.
- The live page is now closed. You can continue to follow our coverage of the war in Gaza here.
- The US says Israel has not yet presented a plan to protect civilians in its planned invasion of Rafah, as Israel’s self-imposed Ramadan deadline for invasion passes.
- Amid a surge in Israeli attacks on Gaza, Jordan warns curbs imposed by Israel on worshippers’ access to Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem during Ramadan is pushing the situation towards an “explosion”.
- UNRWA says “hunger is everywhere in Gaza” as Ramadan begins and reiterates calls for an “immediate ceasefire” during the holy month.
- Ismail Haniyeh, head of Hamas’s political bureau, blames Israel for failing to reach a ceasefire deal before Ramadan, saying: “We don’t want an agreement that doesn’t end the war on Gaza.”
- At least 31,045 Palestinians have been killed and 72,654 injured in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7. The revised death toll in Israel from Hamas’s October 7 attacks stands at 1,139, and dozens continue to be held captive.
Here’s what happened today
We will be closing this live page soon. Here are some of the main developments from today:
- Israel claims aid is being airdropped over northern Gaza, but more than 2,000 medical staff are still going hungry like everyone else.
- There was a faceoff at the UNSC over the report on October 7 sexual violence, and a stark contrast of opinions was on display.
- On the first day of Ramadan, Israel issued restrictions on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank that can enter the al-Aqsa Mosque.
- Israel launched airstrikes on the city of Baalbek deep inside Lebanese territory for the second time since the start of the war on late Monday.
- The renowned Liberation newspaper in France mocked hungry Palestinians in a caricature amid the Israeli-imposed starvation that is killing them.
- The row over whether tens of thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews should serve in the Israeli military is only escalating.
Israeli jets attack Hezbollah sites: Military
The Israeli army says its forces attacked two compounds of the Lebanese armed group in the Bekaa Valley area.
Israel said the targets it struck were associated with Hezbollah’s air capabilities, “which planned and executed various targets towards the territory of the State of Israel”, the army said in a post on X.
“The attacks were carried out in response to the operation of Hezbollah aircraft towards the Golan Heights during the past few days.”
Earlier, we reported local Lebanese media saying Israeli warplanes bombed the vicinity of the city of Baalbek, nearly 100km (62 miles) from the country’s border with Israel, for a second time since the war in Gaza began.
OCHA report paints grim picture of al-Ahli, Sahaba hospitals
The latest report by UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) divulges an assessment of the al-Ahli Hospital and the Sahaba Hospital in Gaza City.
It says al-Ahli is “severely damaged” but has been lately able to facilitate access for some patients after Israeli forces withdrew from parts of the rea.
“The facility can treat up to 50 patients and currently has 40 patients, but when over one hundred Palestinians were killed on 29 February while waiting for an aid distribution, it had to cope with approximately 200 patients.”
Medical staff are “in urgent need of specialised equipment, and especially, fuel.
The OCHA report said the Sahaba Hospital, which specialises in maternity care, is also “under-staffed and under-fuelled, with extreme shortages of oxygen and anaesthetics”.
Gaza: More than half a million people are on the brink of famine and reports of death due to malnutrition & dehydration are on the rise.
90% of mothers and children are not getting enough food & nutrients.
Latest update from @UNOCHA: https://t.co/ZdFpmqEOqP pic.twitter.com/RMbJHG9Wdn
— United Nations (@UN) March 11, 2024
Palestinian envoy points to UNSC double standards on sexual violence
Riyad Mansour, Palestine’s envoy to the UN, has reminded the Security Council that not a single meeting has been held on evidence found over many years by the UN on sexual violence committed by Israelis against Palestinians.
He said he hopes an unbiased approach will replace this trend from now on and pointed to gaps in the special rapporteur’s work.
While Rapporteur Pramila Patten’s report did not go into details since existing UN evidence points to sexual violence being committed against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, she did not invite any of those entities to present evidence on Monday in New York.
“Let the facts speak; let the law decide,” he said, pointing out that Israel has flat-out refused to cooperate with many UN fact-finding missions and rights inquiries over the years in “its failed attempt to hide the truth”.
More US, UK raids in Yemen: Report
US and UK forces have carried out five raids on the Takhiya area, Majz District in Saada, Houthi-affiliated media outlet Al Masirah TV TV is reporting.
According to a spokesperson of the internationally recognised government of Yemen, at least 11 people have been killed and 14 injured in the raids.
Earlier, we reported that according to Al Masirah TV, US and UK jets carried out three raids on the Al-Araj area in the Bajil district of Yemen’s Hodeidah Governorate.
Video shows moment Israeli strikes hit eastern Lebanese town
The governor of the Baalbek-Hermel region of Lebanon has posted a video, verified by Al Jazeera’s fact-checking unit, that shows the moment Israeli bombs hit the village of Duris, about 3km (1.8 miles) south of the city of Baalbeck.
Bachir Kohodor said in another post on X that people died as a result of the strike but did not give further details.
Israeli exchanges of fire with Lebanon’s Hezbollah, though frequent, have largely been contained to within a few kilometres of the countries’ shared border. This strike on an area about 100km (62 miles) from Lebanon’s border with Israel marks a significant escalation from Israel, which had previously hit the area only once since October 7.
الغارة التي استهدفت دورس#بعلبك_الهرمل#بشير_خضر pic.twitter.com/az7RkXLWHB
— Bachir Khodr (@BachirKhodr) March 11, 2024
US says ‘evidence is damning’ on October 7 in UNSC meeting
After Russia said the UN report on October 7 sexual violence is being politicised, the US tells the Security Council (UNSC) there is no room for doubt.
“The evidence before us is damning and devastating,” said US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield. “The question now is how will we respond? Will the council condemn Hamas’s sexual violence or will we stay silent?”
She also said that if Hamas “actually cared about the Palestinian people”, it would agree to the six-week truce agreement that the US and others had pitched. Hamas rejected it as it did not offer a permanent ceasefire. The agreement would bring more aid into the Gaza Strip, Thomas-Greenfield said.
She also pointed out that the US has put forward a new resolution to “pave the way to a cessation of hostilities and towards a lasting peace” that also condemns Hamas.
The US has used its veto power in the UNSC three times since October 7 to kill resolutions aimed at ending or scaling down Israel’s war on Gaza.
A Rafah invasion could condition US aid for Israel: Report
US President Joe Biden could condition military aid to Israel if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu follows through with the promised invasion of Rafah in southern Gaza, reports US outlet Politico, citing four unnamed US officials.
“It’s something he’s definitely thought about,” said one of the officials.
This comes shortly after Netanyahu gave Politico an interview to fire back at Biden over remarks critical of his leadership and renew his promise of invading Rafah.
US National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson was quoted as saying that the administration is “not going to comment on speculation by anonymous sources or add to what the president said this weekend”.
Biden has promised to continue sending arms to Israel, particularly to replenish its Iron Dome missile defence system. But he has also opposed a ground assault on Rafah, where more than 1.5 million Palestinians have been forcibly displaced by Israel, without a plan for protecting civilians.
Earlier today, the US State Department said Israel had yet to present such a plan.
Israel says 169 packages airdropped over northern Gaza today
Israel’s Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) says the UAE, Egypt, Jordan, France, Belgium and the US airdropped 169 humanitarian aid packages over northern Gaza today.
It did not say how much aid the packages contained or what was in them.
It also claimed that Israeli forces “inspected and transferred to Gaza” a total of 149 aid trucks on Monday.
Humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip today (Mar. 11):
✅️169 packages of humanitarian aid were airdropped over northern Gaza by the UAE, Egypt, Jordan, France, Belgium, and the USA.✅️ 149 humanitarian aid trucks were inspected and transferred to Gaza. pic.twitter.com/HLJqv6YrKh
— COGAT (@cogatonline) March 11, 2024
Gaza Health Ministry says 2,000 medical staff in northern Gaza need food
The Ministry of Health in Gaza has renewed its call for humanitarian aid for more than 2,000 medical personnel in northern Gaza who are facing famine like many other residents of the besieged enclave.
They “did not find anything to break their fast with on the first day of Ramadan”, it said.
“We call on international and relief institutions to quickly provide food to hospitals in northern Gaza.”
Malaysian PM Ibrahim defends Hamas ties on Germany trip
Speaking at a press conference alongside German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin, Anwar Ibrahim was repeatedly asked about Malaysia’s longstanding ties to Hamas and stance on the war.
He stressed that Malaysia’s links were with Hamas’s political wing, adding: “I make no apologies about it.
“We do not have any connection with any military outfit or wing, I’ve clarified this to many of my European colleagues [and] the United States.”
He urged people to “understand the fundamental root cause of the problem” that triggered the conflict. “What I reject strongly is this narrative, this obsession, as if the entire problem begins and ends with the 7th of October,” he said.
There have been decades of “atrocities, plunder and dispossession of Palestinians,” he added.
Meanwhile, Scholz reiterated Germany’s position that “Israel has the right to defend itself against Hamas’s terror attack”. He also stressed that Berlin “wants more humanitarian aid to reach Gaza, we want the hostages to be released unconditionally, we want there to be no unnecessary casualties.”
The chancellor also called for efforts to foster long-term peace and a two-state solution.
Russia points to imbalances in UN report on October 7 sexual violence
In the UN Security Council meeting on the sexual violence report, Russia reiterates its condemnation of the October 7 attacks but says more information is needed.
Russian representative Maria Zabolotskaya pointed out to the council that the UN special rapporteur released her report on sexual violence after travelling to Israel and the occupied West Bank under Israeli approval whose parameters remain unclear and that she did not visit Gaza.
Rapporteur Pramila Patten was also unable to meet the actual sexual assault victims of October 7 and her data mostly came from the Israeli government.
“Only after a comprehensive and objective study of the situation in its entire geographical extent will it be possible to draw any conclusions,” Zabolotskaya said, adding that Russia categorically rejects attempts to manipulate the important issue of combating sexual violence in the conflict.
“We consider it unacceptable that the suffering of people who have experienced sexual violence or accusations of this serious crime become a ‘bargaining chip’ in political games,” she concluded.
Israel issues restrictions on West Bank Palestinians entering Al-Aqsa Mosque
Israeli authorities will be restricting West Bank Palestinians from entering the Al-Aqsa Mosque by only allowing people of a certain age to enter the compound during Ramadan, says Israel’s Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) office.
Only men over 55, women over 50 and children under the age of 10 will be allowed in.
All Muslim worshippers have to have an Israeli-issued permit to enter occupied East Jerusalem and a special ID called a magnetic card, while their entry will be subject to the “security situation”.
More on Israeli strikes on Eastern Lebanon
Earlier, we cited local Lebanese media reports saying that Israeli planes struck the city of Baalbek, deep in Lebanese territory.
Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency is now reporting that the bombings hit the town of Ansar Beqa’a, just south of the city of Baalbek, causing an unspecified number of injuries.
We will continue to bring you updates on this attack.
Canada’s FM urges ‘sustainable ceasefire’ in Gaza
Melanie Joly, in a meeting with her Israeli counterpart Israel Katz, has emphasised the need to evacuate Canadians from Gaza, secure the release of captives held by Hamas and increase humanitarian aid into the coastal enclave.
“They discussed the need to end the violence through a sustainable ceasefire, that includes Hamas. They also spoke about long-term security for the region and Israel through a two-state solution,” her office said in a statement.
Earlier this month, Palestinian Canadians and human rights lawyers said they were suing Joly over exports of military equipment to Israel, which they argue violate Canada’s obligations under domestic and international law.
The lawsuit asks a federal court to order the Canadian government to stop issuing export permits for military goods and technology destined for Israel.
Yesterday, Minister Joly met with her Israeli counterpart, @Israel_katz, to reiterate Canada’s solidarity with Israelis. She raised the importance of getting Canadians out of Gaza, protecting civilians, bringing hostages home and increasing humanitarian aid in Gaza. pic.twitter.com/mz1aJ96u2C
— Foreign Policy CAN (@CanadaFP) March 11, 2024
UN rapporteur denies suppression of sexual violence report
The UN’s special rapporteur on torture in conflict, Pramila Patten, has explicitly rejected the Israeli claim that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres tried to suppress her report on sexual violence in Hamas’s October 7 attacks.
“I must be clear and categorical: There has been no attempt by the secretary-general to silence my report or suppress its findings. On the contrary, I received his full support, politically, logistically and financially, and he also gave clear instructions for the public release of my report and its immediate transmission to the Security Council,” she told the emergency council meeting convened after a call by the US, UK and France.
She also emphasised again that her finding that there was “reasonable grounds” that sexual violence occurred on October 7 does not legitimise further violence by the Israeli military but rather creates a “moral imperative” for a ceasefire in Gaza and to bring the captives back from Gaza.
WHO team reaches al-Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza
World Health Organization (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus reports that a team with the UN organisation has managed to reach the al-Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza.
He said in a post on X that they delivered food, 24,050 litres of fuel, and medical supplies for 42,000 patients.
“The hospital continues to be minimally functional, with an urgent need for specialised health workers,” Tedros said.
The hospital, which has been at the heart of Israel’s war on Gaza, had been previously rendered inoperational after weeks-long Israeli attacks.
The WHO team also managed to reach al-Helou Hospital, where Ghebreyesus said services are limited and there is an urgent need for staff, equipment and food.
Amid ongoing hostilities in northern #Gaza, @WHO and partners reached Al-Shifa hospital today to deliver 24,050l of fuel; medical supplies for 42,000 patients, including anesthetic drugs, surgical materials such as external fixators, medicines; and food. The hospital continues to…
— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) March 11, 2024
Muslim Canadians use Ramadan to urge Gaza action
Ramadan is a time of self-reflection, family and joy for more than 1.8 billion Muslims around the world.
But with Israel’s war on Gaza dragging on, killing more than 31,000 Palestinians and plunging the tiny coastal enclave deeper into a humanitarian crisis, this year’s Islamic holy month – which began on Sunday night – has a different feeling.
In Canada, the Muslim community’s pain over the situation in Gaza – and a widely held belief that Canadian politicians are not doing enough to stem the crisis – has spurred an unprecedented campaign this Ramadan.
Read our full story here.
Israel strikes hit deep into Lebanese territory
Local Lebanese media is reporting that Israeli warplanes have bombed the city of Baalbek, nearly 100km (62 miles) from the country’s border with Israel, for a second time since the war in Gaza began.
The area, which plays host to Hezbollah, the Lebanese armed group that has been exchanging fire with Israeli forces since October 8, was last hit by Israel on February 26.
We will bring you more updates on this strike as information comes in.
الطيران الحربي الإسرائيلي يشنّ غارة على مدينة #بعلبك pic.twitter.com/cdI1DuCGlO
— هنا لبنان (@thisislebnews) March 11, 2024
Translation: Israeli warplanes launch a raid on the city of #Baalbek
Ramadan an opportunity for Muslim countries to stop genocide in Gaza: Iran
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian says Ramadan can be a “privileged opportunity” for Muslim countries to stop the bloodshed in Gaza.
He said in a post on X that Muslim countries should take initiatives to “stop the genocide and war crimes of the Zionist apartheid regime in Gaza”.
“The developments in Gaza showed that the Palestinian issue is the common cause of Muslims and at the top of the priorities of the Islamic world,” he said.
Israel has not shared humanitarian assistance plan for Rafah: US State Department
US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller says Israel has yet to present a plan to protect civilians in Rafah to the White House amid a looming Israeli ground offensive in the southern Gaza city.
“They have not,” he said responding to a question from a reporter about the Israeli plan.
“I won’t speak to the conversations that we have had with them [the Israeli government], but we have made clear, both in those private conversations and … publicly a number of times, that it is our judgement they cannot or should not go into Rafah without a humanitarian assistance plan that is credible and that they can actually implement,” Miller said.
Israel last month warned it would expand its ground operations into Rafah if Hamas does not free the remaining captives held in Gaza by the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which began on Sunday night.
Health Ministry in Gaza seeks more accurate casualty numbers
The ministry has called on Palestinians in the besieged enclave to register their dead and missing online in an effort to better reflect the true number of casualties of Israel’s war on Gaza.
The ministry said that after a near-collapse of the health system in Gaza, it has been unable to compile a regularly updated record of all the people who have lost their lives in Israeli military attacks.
Palestinian health authorities have reported that more than 31,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since October 7, and thousands are still missing, presumably dead under the rubble.
Israeli military claims attacks on Hezbollah positions
The Israeli military says its fighter jets attacked “military buildings” used by Hezbollah in the area of Aita al-Shaab and Aaqoura in southern Lebanon.
It also said it used artillery and tank fire to target another Hezbollah position.
Honour Ramadan by ‘silencing the guns’, says UN chief
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has renewed his call for a ceasefire as Ramadan starts and has also called for “removing all obstacles” to the delivery of humanitarian aid.
“At the same time – and in the Ramadan spirit of compassion – I call for the immediate release of all hostages,” he said.
“The eyes of the world are watching. The eyes of history are watching.”
We recently entered the sixth month since the Hamas terror attacks in Israel and the catastrophic Israeli onslaught on Gaza began.
The eyes of the world are watching.
The eyes of history are watching.
We cannot look away.
We must act to avoid more preventable deaths. pic.twitter.com/TbpDolb7aT
— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) March 11, 2024