Israel’s war on Gaza updates: Israeli strikes kill dozens of Palestinians
Relentless air and artillery strikes pound southern and central Gaza as more starvation deaths reported in the north.
- An infant and young woman die from malnutrition and dehydration in northern Gaza with an estimated 300,000 people there facing famine as Israel prevents aid distribution.
- Israeli attacks kill at least 82 Palestinians and wound 122 in the past 24 hours, according to Gaza’s health ministry.
- An infant and young woman die from malnutrition and dehydration in northern Gaza with an estimated 300,000 people there facing famine as Israel prevents aid distribution.
- Israeli attacks kill at least 82 Palestinians and wound 122 in the past 24 hours, according to Gaza’s health ministry.
- A Hamas spokesperson says the US plan to build a temporary port off Gaza’s coast to deliver humanitarian aid “is a step in the right direction”, but Israel needs to be pressured to open all Gaza crossings.
- At least 30,960 Palestinians have been killed and 72,524 injured in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7. The death toll in Israel from Hamas’s October 7 attacks stands at 1,139, and dozens continue to be held captive.
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Here’s what happened today
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- The deaths of an infant girl and a young woman in Gaza have increased the number of known starvation deaths to 25.
- Israeli forces struck the 12-floor Burj al-Masri building, one of the largest residential towers in Rafah, early on Saturday morning, forcing hundreds of Palestinians to flee.
- The mayor of Jabalia, in the northern Gaza Strip, says three in four wells there have been destroyed by the Israeli army.
- Sweden announced it would resume funding to UNWRA, joining Canada which also earlier restored funding.
- Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari says the military is “strengthening” its forces and preparations before Ramadan, Israeli media report as Mossad says truce talks are ongoing.
Hezbollah confirms 3 more fighters killed in fighting with Israel
After announcing three fighters died fighting with Israel on Friday, Hezbollah is now confirming three more casualties who appear to have been members of the same family.
It said Hassan Jaffar Marji born in 1996, Ali Jaffar Marji born in 1993, and Jaffar Ali Marji born in 1968, who were all from the town of Blida in southern Lebanon, were killed by the Israeli army.
This brings Hezbollah’s death toll from cross-border fighting with the Israeli military to 239.
Hezbollah claimed nine attacks on Israeli positions on Saturday.
Critics denounce US pier plan; demand Israel open Gaza crossings
Criticism over US plans to build a pier off Gaza to bring in much-needed aid continues.
The executive director of the US arm of the medical charity Doctors Without Borders, Avril Benoit, in a statement criticised the US plan as a “glaring distraction from the real problem: Israel’s indiscriminate and disproportionate military campaign and punishing siege”.
Sigrid Kaag, the UN senior humanitarian and reconstruction coordinator for Gaza, said air and sea deliveries could not make up for a shortage of supply routes on land. Aid groups estimate at least 1,300 trucks full of humanitarian relief are needed to enter Gaza each day with hundreds of thousands of people facing famine.
Israel has blamed the burgeoning hunger on UN agencies, saying they fail to distribute supplies piling up at Gaza crossings. UNRWA, the largest UN agency in Gaza, says Israel restricts goods and imposes cumbersome inspections that slow entry.
Israeli air strike kills 5, including pregnant mother, in Lebanon
At least five people have been killed and nine injured after the latest Israeli air strike in southern Lebanon hit a home.
“The attack against a house in the Khirbet Selm area killed a family of four”, including a couple and their two children as well as another person, Lebanon’s official National News Agency said, adding that the mother was pregnant.
The strike demolished the house, wounding at least nine others who lived nearby, it said.
Border fighting between Israel and Hezbollah has gradually escalated since October with dozens of civilians killed in Lebanon.
Rafah tower destruction raises fears of Israeli ground assault
People sheltering in a residential tower in Rafah that was blown up by Israel say they were given 30 minutes to flee, which caused mass panic with at least one pregnant woman falling down the stairs.
“People were startled, running down the stairs, some fell – it was chaos. People left their belongings and money,” said Mohammad al-Nabrees, one of the building’s 300 residents, after the building was destroyed.
Among those who tripped down the stairs during the panicked evacuation was a friend’s pregnant wife, al-Nabrees said. The strike raised alarm among residents of a wider Israeli assault on Rafah, where more than half of Gaza’s 2.3 million people are sheltering.
Five months into Israel’s air and ground assault on Gaza, health authorities there say nearly 31,000 Palestinians have been killed and thousands of bodies are feared to be buried under rubble.
Quds Brigades publishes video of Israeli bulldozer attack
The armed wing of Palestinian Islamic Jihad released footage of fighters blowing up an Israeli military D9 armoured bulldozer in the occupied West Bank.
It detonated an improvised explosive device when the bulldozer was at the Nour Shams refugee camp entrance in Tulkarem City.
🔻 Al-Quds Brigades' Tulkarem Battalion published a video of an Israeli D9 bulldozer exploding after it was targeted with an 'Al-Shaqaqi' explosive, leading to the injury of those inside it and rendering it out of service. pic.twitter.com/byY9JuOscv
— Palestine and MENA Info Center (@PALMENA_IC) March 9, 2024
Palestinian fighters defending against Israeli army across Gaza
The latest report by the Critical Threats Project shows how Palestinian fighters are defending against Israeli raids across the Gaza Strip, including in the north.
Fighting has raged in Beit Hanoon in the north where Israeli forces mounted a new effort over the past week to again try to clear the area of Palestinian fighters and locate military infrastructure months after the ground invasion began there.
Combat is also under way in eastern Jabalia where Palestinians have been firing mortars and rockets at Israeli forces. South of Gaza City, the Zeitoun neighbourhood has seen intense ground battles.
In Khan Younis in the south, a brigade of Israeli troops has been raiding the Hamad neighbourhood.
Hamas and other Palestinian fighters, including those with the military wing of Fatah, are mounting the defence.
NEW | Palestinian fighters defended against Israeli raids in several sectors of the northern Gaza Strip. pic.twitter.com/eRNSu4kYS0
— Critical Threats (@criticalthreats) March 9, 2024
‘The war did not start with October 7’: UN rapporteur
The UN’s special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, says the war “did not start with the terrible day” of October 7.
Albanese said that she is soon releasing a report that shows how the latest assault on Gaza has only “intensified methods of warfare” used by Israel in its many other previous attacks and brought them to new and unprecedented levels.
This 10yo declaration is a stark reminder that "the war" did not start with the terrible day of 10/7.
My last report (to be released soon) finds that the last Gaza assault has intensified methods of warfare used in other ISR's offensives, brining them to a new/unprecedented level https://t.co/lrXN51WNVU— Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur oPt (@FranceskAlbs) March 9, 2024
Palestinians demand ‘better methods’ of aid delivery
On the eve of Ramadan, hungry Gaza residents scrambled for packages of food dropped by US and Jordanian military planes.
People dashed through devastated neighbourhoods of Gaza City as the parachuting aid descended. “I have orphans, I want to feed them!” one woman cried.
“The issue of aid is brutal and no one accepts it,” said another resident, Momen Mahra, claiming most of the airdropped items fall into the sea. “We want better methods.”
Humanitarian groups call the method of delivery deeply inadequate compared with deliveries on the ground. But the daily number of aid trucks entering Gaza since the war began is far below the 500 that entered before October 7 because of Israeli restrictions and security issues.
Qassam Brigades publishes video of destroyed Israeli vehicles
The armed wing of Hamas released a short video of several Israeli armoured vehicles destroyed by Palestinian fighters in southern Khan Younis.
The video comes after Israeli ground forces withdrew from some areas of the besieged city where intense fighting has been ongoing for weeks.
It shows an Israeli armoured troop carrier abandoned after heavy damage.
This video, published by the Al-Qassam Brigades, reportedly shows the remains of Israeli military vehicles that were targeted on the axes of the city of Khan Younis. pic.twitter.com/668FgmxdC1
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) March 9, 2024
‘Cannot bear what we’re witnessing’: Major march in London
Tens of thousands of pro-Palestine supporters marched in central London calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
Demonstrators waved Palestinian flags and carried banners reading, “Stop the war on Gaza”, as they marched from Hyde Park Corner to the US Embassy.
Ben Jamal, the director of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, said it was the 10th national march and was “unprecedented” in recent UK political history to see “this many people marching for this length of time”.
Singer Charlotte Church said she joined the protest to “show solidarity with the people of Palestine for all that they are suffering through”.
“We’re all here because we cannot bear what we’re witnessing. We cannot bear to see civilians – children, women – slaughtered. And so we are here because our hearts are so full of love for the Palestinian people,” Church said.
Israeli ministers to join UNSC debate on sexual violence report
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz and Minister of Social Equality May Golan will head the Israeli delegation addressing the UN Security Council (UNSC) on Monday.
Golan said she would “represent all Israeli women” in the emergency meeting, which was requested by France, the UK and US after a UN report said there were “reasonable grounds” that instances of sexual violence were committed during the October 7 Hamas attack.
Israel has blasted the UN for allegedly trying to “cover up” the report, which also cited established evidence of sexual violence committed by Israeli soldiers against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
The Times of Israel reports that Katz instructed Israel’s diplomats to launch a public relations offensive aimed at pressuring the UN to declare Hamas a “terrorist” organisation and scrutinise the findings of the UN report.
Chief rabbi threatens ultra-Orthodox mass exodus if they are forced into Israeli army
The Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel, Yitzhak Yosef, threatened a mass departure of ultra-Orthodox Jews from Israel if the government ended the community’s exemption from mandatory military enlistment.
“If you force them to go to the army, we’ll all move abroad,” Yosef was quoted as saying by Israeli media.
He added that Israeli soldiers “only succeed thanks to those learning Torah”, instead of enlisting in the army.
As Israel’s war on Gaza and its border fighting with Lebanon’s Hezbollah expands, the governing coalition is under pressure to end the exemption enjoyed by the ultra-Orthodox community, prompting a strong backlash from members.
UNRWA chief ‘cautiously optimistic’ more aid will resume
The UN’s aid agency for Palestinian refugees is at “risk of death, at risk of dismantlement” but there is hope more aid will be restored after moves by Canada and Sweden, its chief Phillipe Lazzarini says.
“I am cautiously optimistic that within the next few weeks, and also following the publication of Catherine Colonna’s report, a number of donors will return,” he told the Swiss broadcaster RTS in reference to a review by the French foreign minister to be released next month.
After Israel’s allegations against UNRWA, Colonna began work on the report in mid-February and wants to visit Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, and Jordan’s Amman next week.
Lazzarini also said, “I think a certain number of countries in the Gulf are going to, in fact, increase their contributions to the agency.”
Hezbollah claims more attacks on Israeli army positions
Hezbollah claimed more attacks on Israeli positions including “targeting a Zionist military force” in Upper Galilee’s Mount Adir.
In the area of Karantina, the armed Lebanese group said it targeted a unit of Israeli soldiers. Hezbollah carried out at least nine attacks on Israeli positions on Saturday.
It largely uses rockets, antitank guided missiles, and heavy artillery to target Israeli positions. The armed group didn’t specify what weaponry was fired this time.
Sirens sounded in Uper Galilee over the past few hours with reports in Israeli media indicating a suspected drone intrusion from southern Lebanon.
First combat use of UK’s Sea Ceptor missiles against Houthi drones
After the Houthis recorded their first-ever successful use of antiship missiles to strike a naval vessel following the start of Israel’s war on Gaza, now the British military has succeeded in a combat first.
The UK defence ministry says when its HMS Richmond shot down two Houthi drones it became the first warship to successfully fire the Sea Ceptor missile system in combat.
Weighing about 99kg (218 pounds) with a range of 25km (15 miles), the supersonic missile is aimed at defending both the host ship and others in the surrounding area.
The US military said its coalition forces against the Yemeni group downed a total of 28 Houthi “suicide” drones fired into the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden Saturday morning.
Last night’s shooting down of Houthi drones by @HMS_Richmond was the first surface-to-air engagement and use of Sea Ceptor missiles by a @RoyalNavy Type 23 frigate. pic.twitter.com/1uprUMl40f
— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) March 9, 2024
Israel slams Canada and Sweden decision to restore UNRWA funding
According to Lior Haiat, foreign ministry spokesman, the decision “is a serious mistake that constitutes tacit agreement and support by the governments of Canada and Sweden to continue to ignore the involvement of UNRWA employees in terrorist activity”.
“The return to funding UNRWA will not change the fact the organisation is part of the problem and will not be part of the solution in the Gaza Strip,” added Haiat.
Israel alleges a dozen of the agency’s employees were involved in the October 7 attacks. UNRWA has fired nine of its employees preemptively as it investigates the allegations.
Israeli foreign minister blasts Turkey after Erdogan comments
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz called Turkey “the biggest terrorist supporting country in the world next to Iran” after biting comments by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Katz said in a post on X its leader has become a “disgrace” to the republic founded by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk and Erdogan’s support for Hamas makes him “one of the greatest oppressors and anti-Semites in history”.
Erdogan earlier compared Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to authoritarian leaders such as Adolf Hitler, and said Turkey refuses to call Hamas a “terrorist” organisation.
Israel says it’s coordinating aid convoy to northern Gaza
Israel’s Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) claims it “coordinated” a 28-truck convoy carrying food to northern Gaza.
It also said it coordinated UNICEF and World Health Organization missions to northern Gaza to deliver fuel to the al-Ahli Hospital and water pumping facilities.
COGAT added 288 packages of humanitarian aid have been airdropped over Gaza in the past 24 hours.
UN agencies, meanwhile, report only six out of 24 aid missions into northern Gaza were greenlit by the Israeli military in February, and Tel Aviv continues to be internationally pressured to allow more aid in through land crossings.
Humanitarian efforts over the last 24 hours:
✅A 28 truck convoy carrying food coordinated to northern Gaza.
✅@UNICEF and @WHO missions coordinated to northern Gaza to refuel the Al Ahali hospital and water pumping facilities.
✅️288 packages of humanitarian aid airdropped. pic.twitter.com/78i4q0fNGn— COGAT (@cogatonline) March 9, 2024
Mossad says truce talks still ongoing as Ramadan approaches
Efforts to secure a deal on a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza are still ongoing, Israel’s intelligence agency Mossad says, despite dimming hopes for a truce during the holy month of Ramadan.
“Contacts and cooperation with the mediators continue all the time in an effort to narrow the gaps and reach agreements,” a statement said.
Egypt, the United States, and Qatar have been mediating truce negotiations since January.
Hamas blames Israel for the impasse in talks for a lasting truce and the release of 134 captives believed still held in Gaza, saying it refuses to give guarantees to end the war or pull its forces from the war-ravaged enclave.
In a statement on Saturday marking Ramadan, Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh pledged that Palestinians will continue to fight Israel “until they regain freedom and independence”.
Gaza port won’t change US stance towards Palestinians: Analyst
Mohammed al-Masri, from the Palestinian Center for Research and Strategic Studies, says Palestinians welcome the establishment of a Gaza port for humanitarian aid, but this won’t change their view of the hostile US policy towards them.
“If the US was serious, it would have pressured Israel into opening the land crossings and allowing aid and relief in as well as stopping the onslaught. We have not heard Biden call for a stopping of the war or even a ceasefire,” al-Masri told Al Jazeera.
“What is important for the Palestinians is that Biden pressure Israel, because he is a partner in the ongoing war. What prompted him to establish this port is his precarious situation among US voters and the opinion polls showing he is on shaky ground with minorities.”
Many questions also require answers regarding the establishment of the port, al-Masri added.
“If Israel invades Rafah and the border crossing closes, will this port become an exit point for Palestinians? Who will provide security to the humanitarian aid being sent to the port, and who will carry out the actual distribution? Who will manage this large relief operation?”
Al-Masri noted Israel forces previously attacked police in Gaza when they tried to secure relief distribution. “And they will not allow the Palestinian Authority to have a role, so who will it be?”
Anti-government demonstrators out on the streets in Tel Aviv
Many anti-government protesters are once more taking to the streets of Tel Aviv in weekly demonstrations calling for the release of captives in Gaza and early elections.
Video online and reports show protesters chanting slogans against the Netanyahu-led government and demanding more be done by authorities on releasing Israelis still held in the besieged enclave.
As with previous gatherings, Israeli police were seen clashing with angry protesters.
Hope for a captive-prisoner exchange agreement with Hamas before Ramadan has died down in recent days.
Now in Tel Aviv: police clash with anti government protesters calling for elections pic.twitter.com/gZdQnq8noZ
— Oren Ziv (@OrenZiv_) March 9, 2024
Israel ramps up military presence ahead of Ramadan with truce unlikely
Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari says the military is “strengthening” its forces and preparations before Ramadan as hopes for a truce before the start of the holy Muslim month appear to fade.
“Hamas prevents an agreement and acts contrary to what was suggested by the mediators,” he was quoted as saying by the Times of Israel.
“By refusing an agreement, Hamas prevents a humanitarian ceasefire and continues to increase the suffering of the Gazan population,” Hagari added.
Israeli outlet Ynet earlier reported the far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, wrote to senior officials to call for additional security at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound as the war on Gaza rages.
The military wing of Hamas says it won’t accept anything less than an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and a lasting ceasefire.
West Bank village under Israeli military siege since October 7
According to Mayor Ahmad Radwan, the town of Azzun, east of Qalqilya, has also been subject to an uptick in Israeli military raids since the war on Gaza began.
“The Israeli army conducts near daily raids on houses in the town, searching and attacking their residents. Since October 7, Israeli forces have killed eight young men from the town and injured dozens. They have also arrested more than 100 people,” Radwan told Al Jazeera.
Israeli authorities have so far handed residents 15 demolition orders for their homes, and “this is yet another way to clamp down on Palestinians, who are already under brutal economic, social and medical pressure.”