Live Updates: Israel's biggest incursion in occupied West Bank in decades

Wednesday, August 28, 2024

12:10 GMT — Israel's biggest incursion in occupied West Bank in decades

Israel's foreign minister has threatened forced evacuations of Palestinians in parts of the northern occupied West Bank amid an ongoing major military incursion in the area.

The Israeli army had earlier launched raids in the northern West Bank, including in the cities of Jenin, Tulkarem and Tubas, killing 11 Palestinians so far.

In a statement on X, Israel Katz said the country's army was working in Jenin and Tulkarem to thwart what he called "terrorist infrastructure against Israel in the West Bank."

11:41 GMT — Israeli attacks in occupied West Bank kill several Palestinians

At least ten Palestinians have been killed in Israeli raids and strikes in several towns in the north of the occupied West Bank, a spokesman for the Red Crescent said.

Two Palestinians were killed in the city of Jenin, four others in a nearby village, and four more in a refugee camp near the town of Tubas, said Ahmed Jibril.

11:00 GMT — Biden overrode internal warnings to build Gaza aid pier, watchdog finds

US President Joe Biden had overrode warnings from his staffers in order to approve a floating pier off the Gaza coast that was meant to facilitate aid deliveries but which was repeatedly met with disaster, according to a watchdog report published.

Multiple officials within the US’s humanitarian aid agency, USAID, raised concerns that using the temporary pier would distract from diplomatic efforts to push Israel to lift its restrictions on overland aid deliveries, USAID's Office of the Inspector General said in a scathing report.

It said "multiple USAID staff expressed concerns" that focusing on the pier, known as Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore (JLOTS), "would detract from the Agency’s advocacy to open land crossings in Israel and Egypt," which were deemed to be "more efficient and proven avenues for delivering aid to Gaza."

10:23 GMT — Palestinian President, Saudi Crown Prince discuss Tel Aviv's war on Gaza

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman have met in Riyadh to discuss the situation in besieged Gaza.

During their discussions, Abbas and Bin Salman reviewed the latest developments in Palestine and the region. They discussed Palestinian and Arab efforts to stop the ongoing Israeli onslaught against the Palestinian people in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, including Jerusalem.

President Abbas warned of the dangers posed by illegal Israeli statements and actions concerning Islamic and Christian holy sites, particularly remarks by far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir about building a synagogue in Al-Aqsa Mosque, WAFA news agency reported.

09:11 GMT — Israel's decision to fund tours for Zionist settlers of Al-Aqsa Mosque could trigger 'religious war': Hamas

The Israeli regime's decision to fund tours for illegal Zionist settlers of Al-Aqsa Mosque represents a "dangerous escalation" that could provoke a "religious war," the Palestinian resistance group Hamas has warned.

The regime's decision to fund the "Zionist tours" is a dangerous escalation that risks igniting a religious war, "for which the occupation and its supporters bear responsibility," Hamas said in a statement.

"This extremist fascist government is playing with fire, as it does not care about the repercussions of its Zionist behaviour in violating the sanctity, status and identity of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque in our Arab and Islamic nation," the statement added.

08:40 GMT — Rabbis oppose Israeli decision to fund settler raids on Al-Aqsa Mosque

Thirty Israeli rabbis representing the religious Zionist movement expressed opposition to a decision by Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu to fund settler raids of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in the occupied East Jerusalem.

In a letter to Eliyahu published by Channel 14, they said: "We were extremely shocked by the reports of your intention to fund and manage guided tours on the Temple Mount (Al-Aqsa Mosque), which has been completely forbidden even for prayer by the Chief Rabbinate for generations."

"Entering the Temple Mount raises concerns about severe prohibitions and desecration of the Temple and its sanctity, which our sages said is more serious than all the other violations mentioned in the Torah," the letter added.

05:42 GMT — Israel could ignite 'religious war' with Al-Aqsa tours — Hamas

Israel has killed at least four Palestinians, including three children, in its air strike that targeted a residential apartment in the Tel al-Hawa neighbourhood of Gaza City.

The Gaza Civil Defense said in a statement that four bodies have been recovered.

It added that their teams continued searching for missing victims under the rubble.

04:53 GMT — Palestinian President, Saudi Crown Prince discuss Tel Aviv's war on Gaza

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman have met in Riyadh to discuss the situation in besieged Gaza.

During their discussions, Abbas and Bin Salman reviewed the latest developments in Palestine and the region. They discussed Palestinian and Arab efforts to stop the ongoing Israeli onslaught against the Palestinian people in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, including Jerusalem.

President Abbas warned of the dangers posed by illegal Israeli statements and actions concerning Islamic and Christian holy sites, particularly remarks by far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir about building a synagogue in Al-Aqsa Mosque, WAFA news agency reported.

04:21 GMT — Israel's decision to fund tours for Zionist settlers of Al-Aqsa Mosque could trigger 'religious war': Hamas

The Israeli regime's decision to fund tours for illegal Zionist settlers of Al-Aqsa Mosque represents a "dangerous escalation" that could provoke a "religious war," the Palestinian resistance group Hamas has warned.

The regime's decision to fund the "Zionist tours" is a dangerous escalation that risks igniting a religious war, "for which the occupation and its supporters bear responsibility," Hamas said in a statement.

"This extremist fascist government is playing with fire, as it does not care about the repercussions of its Zionist behaviour in violating the sanctity, status and identity of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque in our Arab and Islamic nation," the statement added.

03:30 GMT — Rabbis oppose Israeli decision to fund settler raids on Al-Aqsa Mosque

Thirty Israeli rabbis representing the religious Zionist movement expressed opposition to a decision by Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu to fund settler raids of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in the occupied East Jerusalem.

In a letter to Eliyahu published by Channel 14, they said: "We were extremely shocked by the reports of your intention to fund and manage guided tours on the Temple Mount (Al-Aqsa Mosque), which has been completely forbidden even for prayer by the Chief Rabbinate for generations."

"Entering the Temple Mount raises concerns about severe prohibitions and desecration of the Temple and its sanctity, which our sages said is more serious than all the other violations mentioned in the Torah," the letter added.

03:00 GMT — Netanyahu seeks son's safety in US while raining death on Gaza

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had recently requested enhanced security for his son in the US due to concerns over retaliation by Iran following Tel Aviv's assassination last month of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh in the capital Tehran, local media reported.

Yair Netanyahu, 33, has been living in Miami, Florida, since April 2023 under the protection of Israel's Shin Bet internal security service.

The cost of his security detail is approximately $680,000 per year, according to the Israeli news website Walla.

02:40 GMT — UN calls for humanitarian pause in Gaza to administer polio vaccines

UN agencies and their partners have urgently called for a humanitarian pause in the carnage in Gaza to ensure that more than 640,000 children can receive polio vaccinations.

The request underscores the dire need for an immediate halt in hostilities to prevent the spread of the disease among vulnerable populations in the region.

According to a statement from the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), the agencies are prepared to administer the vaccines, but the deteriorating security situation necessitates a temporary ceasefire on humanitarian grounds.

The agencies warn that delaying the vaccination campaign could significantly increase the risk of a polio outbreak among children.

02:10 GMT — Israeli air strike hits truck in Lebanon carrying military equipment

An Israeli air strike hit a pickup truck travelling in northeast Lebanon, two security sources told Reuters news agency, with one of the sources saying it carried military equipment.

The two sources said the strike hit a pickup near Chaat, a remote area of Lebanon near the Syrian border, but that the driver survived.

One of the sources said it was likely the military equipment being transported was a damaged rocket launcher on the way to be repaired.

For our live updates from Tuesday, August 27, 2024, click here.