Live Updates: Hamas calls on Palestinians to break Israeli 'siege' on Al Aqsa

Thursday, March 14, 2014

11:59 GMT — Hamas has called on Palestinians to rally up on Friday to break an Israeli "siege" on the flashpoint Al Aqsa Mosque in the occupied East Jerusalem.

"We urge our people to urgently participate in defending Al-Aqsa Mosque against the Israeli aggression," the Palestinian group said in a statement on Thursday. It called on Palestinian residents of Jerusalem "to commit to only performing prayers in the blessed Al Aqsa Mosque."

Israel has restricted access of Palestinian worshippers into the mosque amid growing tensions across the occupied West Bank due to Tel Aviv's ongoing offensive on Gaza following a Hamas attack, which has killed more than 31,300 people since last October.

11:07 GMT — Sewage overflows add to plight of Palestinians in besieged Gaza

Sewage overflows in Jabalia in northern Gaza are adding to the suffering of Palestinian residents, already struggling under an Israeli blockade that has left them on the verge of starvation.

A massive spill of sewage is overflowing across the alleys of the town of Jabalia as wastewater treatment plants have stopped operations due to the Israeli bombardment.

"The situation is catastrophic in Jabalia," Mohsen Abu Faraj, 34, told Anadolu. "Drinking water is contaminated by sewage waste, causing an outbreak of diseases among us." "Children in Jabalia suffer from various diseases as a result of the overflowing of sewage in our area," Abu Faraj said.

10:51 GMT — Israeli occupation deliberately targets Palestinian food system, a 'tactical strategy': Activist

The Israeli occupation deliberately targets the Palestinian food system, which is a "tactical strategy," according to an activist.

An advocacy officer at the Palestinian Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UAWC), Yasmeen el Hasan recalled that the Israeli occupation targeted agricultural areas, fishing infrastructure, seaports and rural areas.

"These attacks have impacted the entire system of food production by attempting to disrupt Palestinians' ability to sustain themselves," she told Anadolu. Israel aims to create a "situation where the Palestinians that are not killed by Israeli bombs will die of starvation, or dehydration, or disease," she said.

10:37 GMT — EU foreign policy chief voices hope for ceasefire in Gaza soon

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell expressed hope that a ceasefire can soon be reached between Israel and Hamas to stop the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

"There is a negotiation that is still ongoing, and we all hope that an agreement can be reached in the coming days," he told Spanish public radio RNE.

On his discussions on Wednesday with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken during a visit to Washington, Borrell said the US insists on the release of all Israeli hostages by Hamas for the ceasefire to be a lasting one.

10:36 GMT — Field and negotiations are two parallel lines: Haniyeh

The leader of Hamas said the field and negotiations are two parallel lines, and there is an opportunity to reach an agreement if Netanyahu's government "abandons its stubbornness."

"The field and negotiations are two parallel lines, with the movement in negotiations based on the greatness of resilience and the brilliance of resistance, striving with all strength to end the aggressive war against our people," said Ismail Haniyeh on Telegram.

About reaching an agreement with Israel, Haniyeh said "the opportunity is available to reach a multi-stage agreement if the occupying government abandons its stubbornness."

10:28 GMT — Netanyahu, Gallant at odds over humanitarian aid to Gaza

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant got into an argument over the delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaza earlier this week, Israel's Channel 12 reported.

The report said that the issue was brought up during a closed-door meeting when Gallant said: "The problem lies not with bringing supplies, but with who distributes it. Someone has to take the lead, and it is not going to be Sweden. It must be the Palestinian Authority."

In response, Netanyahu is reported to have said: "I do not want to hear about the Palestinian Authority."

10:22 GMT — Israel arrests 20 more Palestinians in occupied West Bank

The Israeli army detained 20 more Palestinians in fresh military raids in the occupied West Bank, according to prisoners' affairs groups.

The arrests took place in the towns of Hebron, Bethlehem, Qalqilya, Jericho and occupied East Jerusalem, the Commission of Detainees' Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoner Society said in a joint statement.

The new arrests brought to 7,585 Palestinians arrested by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank since October 7, 2023, according to Palestinian figures.

10:13 GMT — EU's Lenarcic: Pockets of famine already present in Gaza

There are already pockets of famine in Gaza and it could spread to the whole region, the EU's humanitarian aid and crisis management chief Janez Lenarcic said.

Speaking to journalists, he urged Israel to open more road routes to deliver aid to Gaza.

10:00 GMT — Israeli fire kills six Palestinians awaiting aid trucks in Gaza

Israeli fire killed six Palestinians and wounded dozens of others as crowds of residents awaited aid trucks in Gaza City, Gaza-based health ministry officials said.

Palestinians were rushing to get aid supplies at the Kuwait roundabout in northern Gaza City late on Wednesday evening when Israeli forces opened fire, residents and health officials said.

The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the incident.

09:23 GMT — Israeli women block road in Tel Aviv demanding prisoner swap deal

Several Israeli women, including relatives of Israeli hostages, blocked the main Ayalon Road in Tel Aviv to demand a deal to release Israeli hostages from Gaza, an Israeli media outlet reported.

"During peak traffic congestion, the protesters stood carrying large pictures of the hostages and chanted, 'Deal now'," the Israeli Channel 12 reported.

The protesters affirmed that "they will not forget their brothers and sisters who are still detained in the tunnels," it added.

09:07 GMT — Houthis insist on 3 Gaza-related conditions to halt Red Sea attacks

Yemen's Houthi group said it will not stop its attacks in the Red Sea until Israel ends its war on Gaza, lifts the siege and allows the entry of humanitarian aid to all parts of the Palestinian enclave.

"We reaffirm that Yemen's position remains steadfast alongside Gaza until the cessation of the Israeli aggression, the lifting of the blockade, and the entry of aid to all parts of the strip," the group's spokesperson, Mohammed Abdul Salam, said on X.

"Yemen will not abandon this position and considers it a religious, moral, and humanitarian responsibility," he added.

09:03 GMT — Death toll from Israeli aggression on Gaza rises to 31,341

The health ministry in Gaza said that at least 31,341 people have been killed in the territory during more than five months of Israeli brutal war.

The latest toll includes at least 69 deaths in the past 24 hours, a ministry statement said, adding that 73,134 people have been wounded in Gaza since the war began following an unprecedented attack by Palestinian group Hamas on October 7 on Israeli towns near Gaza.

05:31 GMT — Netanyahu prolonging Gaza war to stay in power — Maliki

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is prolonging the war in Gaza to stay in power, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Al Maliki has said.

He made the remarks during a meeting with South African Ambassador Sean Benfeldt at the Foreign Ministry’s headquarters in Ramallah, the Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.

“Netanyahu is not interested in a ceasefire. On the contrary, he wants to prolong the war for as long as possible to remain in power,” said Al Maliki.

04:45 GMT — Yemen's Houthis fired missile in Gulf of Aden, no damage reported, US says

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said the Houthis fired one anti-ship ballistic missile from Yemen into the Gulf of Aden, but it caused no damage to any vessels.

"The missile did not impact any vessels and there were no injuries or damage reported," CENTCOM added in a statement early on Thursday.

"United States Central Command then successfully engaged and destroyed four unmanned aerial systems (UAVs) and one surface-to-air missile in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen," it said, adding "it was determined these weapons presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and US Navy ships in the region."

03:50 GMT — US military says destroyed 4 unmanned aerial systems in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen

The US military said it had destroyed four unmanned aerial systems and one surface-to-air missile in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.

US Central Command said on the social media site X that the strikes came after Houthis fired an anti-ship ballistic missile into the Gulf of Aden.

03:20 GMT — Hezbollah vows to keep pressure on Israel until Gaza war ends

The leader of Lebanese group Hezbollah has vowed to keep pressure on Israeli troops along the border with Lebanon, saying Israel will eventually be pushed to stop its military invasion in Gaza.

In a televised speech, Hassan Nasrallah said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not achieved any of his war aims in Gaza.

"We are now in the sixth month and Israel is negotiating with Hamas,” Nasrallah said, later adding, "Hamas is negotiating not from a weak point, but is saying no and putting conditions."

03:00 GMT — Students protest in Paris against Israeli 'barbarity'

A group of students have staged a protest in the French capital in solidarity with Palestinians.

Gathering in Sorbonne Square, they chanted pro-Palestine slogans and spelled out "Free Palestine" with candles on the ground.

Statements by Gaza's poets, authors and artists were read during the rally.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Olivia d'Almeida, a student at Panthe on-Sorbonne University, said there is no reason to justify the "barbarity" happening in Gaza.

02:30 GMT — 'Crater labelled as Palestinian rocket launch site': Research group pokes holes in Israel's ICJ 'evidence'

Research group Forensic Architecture's investigation has revealed discrepancies in Israel's "evidence" presented at ICJ, raising questions about the accuracy of the information shown to the world's top court.

"We found eight instances where the Israeli legal team misrepresented the visual evidence they cited, through a combination of incorrect annotations and labelling, and misleading verbal descriptions," the group said in its report.

"Our study also reveals that the Israeli legal team presented single instances of alleged Palestinian military use of civilian infrastructure as blanket justifications for the systematic and widespread attacks on civilians, shelters, schools, and hospitals."

For our live updates from Wednesday, March 13, click here.