Live Updates: Israel blocks 83 percent of food assistance to Gaza — aid groups

Tuesday, September 17, 2024

05:30 GMT — Israel blocks 83 percent of food assistance to Gaza — aid groups

People in Gaza are surviving on an average of one meal per day as the Israeli army blocks 83 percent of the necessary food aid, according to a joint statement by 15 aid organisations.

The statement noted a significant increase in aid obstruction compared to 2023, when 34 percent of food aid was blocked.

Amjad Al Shawa, director of the Palestinian NGOs Network (PNGO), highlighted the dire situation, saying the entire population of Gaza is now reliant on aid, and the shortages have led to widespread hunger.

04:10 GMT — Israeli forces conduct arrests in Balata camp and Madama village

Israeli troops have raided the Balata refugee camp near Nablus in the occupied West Bank, arresting three Palestinian men, according to the Wafa news agency.

Additionally, a fourth man was arrested in the nearby village of Madama, south of Nablus, Wafa reported.

03:30 GMT — Israel vows to return settlers to areas near Lebanon border

Israel has expanded its stated goals of the war on besieged Gaza to include enabling settler to return to communities in northern Israel that have been evacuated due to clashes between Israeli military and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The decision was approved by PM Benjamin Netanyahu's security cabinet, Netanyahu's office said.

It comes amid reports of Israeli military planes dropping leaflets on the residents of southern Lebanon, warning them of consequences if they don't flee.

03:00 GMT — Casualties as Israel strikes Gaza

Israel has killed six Palestinians in northern and central besieged Gaza, Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.

Citing local sources, WAFA said Israel targeted a group of Palestinian civilians in the north of the blockaded enclave, killing three and wounding several others.

In the Nuseirat camp, Israel targeted a house with warplanes, killing three and wounding others.

02:48 GMT — Blinken to travel to Egypt to discuss Gaza ceasefire

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will address Gaza ceasefire efforts with Egyptian officials this week, the State Department said, as he visits the North African country, which has played an important role in truce talks.

This will be his 10th Gaza truce mission to Middle East. All of his previous attempts to convince ally Israel for a truce failed due to PM Netanyahu's intransigence and sabotage.

Blinken "will meet with Egyptian officials to discuss ongoing efforts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza that secures the release of all hostages, alleviates the suffering of the Palestinian people, and helps establish broader regional security," spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement.

02:30 GMT — Houthi official says US offered to recognise group's government

A senior Houthi official has said that the US offered to recognise the Houthi government in Sanaa in a bid to stop the Yemeni group's attacks, in remarks a US official said were false.

The Houthi official's remarks came a day after a ballistic missile from the group reached central Israel for the first time, prompting Netanyahu to say Israel would inflict a "heavy price" on them.

"There is always communication after every operation we conduct," Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, a member of the Houthi movement's political bureau, told Al Jazeera Mubasher TV.

02:00 GMT — UN chief condemns 'collective punishment' of Palestinians

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has told the AFP news agency that nothing justifies Israel's collective punishment of the people of Gaza as they endure "unimaginable" suffering.

Guterres lashed out at Israel's handling of its carnage in the devastated Palestinian territory, now almost in its second year, as the UN prepares to host world leaders starting next week.

"It is unimaginable, the level of suffering in Gaza, the level of deaths and destruction have no parallel in everything I've witnessed since (becoming) secretary-general," said Guterres, who has led the embattled international organisation since 2017.

For our live updates from Monday, September 16, 2024, click here.