Live Updates: Biden ties Rafah attack to 'plan for civilians'

Friday, February 16, 2024

06:00 GMT - Biden ties Rafah attack to 'plan for civilians'

US President Joe Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that his avowed attack on southern besieged Gaza's city of Rafah should not proceed without a plan for the over 1 million Palestinian civilians seeking refuge there, the White House said.

During their phone call, Biden "raised the situation in Rafah and reiterated his view that a military operation should not proceed without a credible and executable plan for ensuring the safety of and support for the civilians in Rafah," it said in a statement.

"The President and the Prime Minister also discussed the situation in Gaza, and the urgency of ensuring that humanitarian assistance is able to get to Palestinian civilians in desperate need," it added.

05:20 GMT - Tel Aviv street closed as families demand hostage release

Families of Israeli hostages being held in Gaza closed a main street in Tel Aviv on Thursday to pressure the government into striking a deal with the Palestinian group Hamas to release their relatives, according to local media.

Israel’s Channel 12 reported that “dozens of families of the hostages and Israeli protesters closed the main street opposite the Ministry of Defence headquarters, demanding the government to immediately conclude a deal with Hamas that would lead to the release of hostages.”

Dozens of protesters also blocked the beach road in the city of Herzliya in central Israel during a demonstration against the government, demanding the release of the hostages held in Gaza, according to the channel.

04:36 GMT - UK and Jordan call for immediate humanitarian pause in Gaza

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Jordan’s King Abdullah II “agreed it was critical as a first step to secure an immediate humanitarian pause” in Gaza, a UK government statement said.

Sunak met the visiting king at Downing Street and “reiterated the high value the United Kingdom places on our historic partnership and Jordan’s vital regional role,” the statement said on Thursday.

The leaders also underscored the importance of “getting hostages out and considerably more aid in.”

04:04 GMT - Gaza hospital raided by Israeli forces amid intense fighting

Israel sent troops into a hospital in war-torn Gaza on Thursday where it said hostages may have been held, as medics warned the key medical facility was operating in "near impossible" conditions.

The raid came after days of intense fighting between troops and Hamas resistance fighters around the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis — one of the largest medical sites in southern Gaza, and one of the territory's few hospitals that are still operational.

The health ministry in Hamas-governed Gaza reported that thousands of people who had sought refuge in the complex, including patients, have been made to leave in recent days.

03:33 GMT - Israel accuses South Africa of abusing ICJ's jurisdiction

Israel accused South Africa of abusing the International Criminal Court's jurisdiction by requesting new measures due to plans by the Israeli army to expand its ground invasion into the city of Rafah in southern besieged Gaza, where roughly 1.4 million Palestinians have sought refuge.

Israel said South Africa's request was "peculiar" and "improper" instead of addressing the issue of the planned attack.

Tel Aviv said the case brought against it by South Africa for violating the Genocide Convention is "wholly unfounded in fact and law," "morally repugnant", and represents "an abuse of both the Genocide Convention and the Court itself."

03:00 GMT - UN relief chief warns against spillover of Palestinians from Rafah into Egypt

United Nations Relief Chief Martin Griffiths warned against a spillover of Palestinians stuck in Rafah into Egypt if Israel launches a military attack against the southern besieged Gaza city.

Over a million people are currently living as refugees in Rafah, said Griffiths, the under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator, at a meeting in Geneva.

They had fled Israeli air strikes and took refuge in tent camps, he noted, saying it would be a "nightmare" if they were forced to cross into Egypt in case of an Israeli attack on the city.

For our live updates from Thursday, February 15, click here.