Live Updates: Israel's blanket strikes kill near 100 Palestinians overnight

Sunday, February 4, 2024

07:17 GMT- Israel's blanket strikes kill near 100 Palestinians overnight

The health ministry in Gaza reported early Sunday that at least 92 people had been killed overnight, including in what the group's media office said was an Israeli bombardment of a kindergarten in Rafah where displaced people were sheltering

Concerns over a potential Israeli ground incursion into the southern border city have mounted in recent days, with hundreds of thousands of displaced seeking refuge from the fighting there in makeshift shelters and encampments.

"The children were just sleeping and suddenly the bombardment happened. The bedroom fell on my children. God took one of my children and three escaped death," Ahmad Bassam al Jamal told AFP, his voice breaking. "My child now is a martyr in heaven."

The city that had been home to 200,000 people now hosts more than half of Gaza's population, the United Nations said.

06:24 GMT - Israel targets kindergarten, killing two children in Gaza

Two children were killed when Israeli warplanes bombed a kindergarten where displaced people were sheltering east of Rafah, Wafa reports.

One person was killed and shrapnel damaged the nearby European Hospital, when an Israeli attack damaged a fuel station in Khan Younis, Wafa reports.

The US and UK "with support from allies including Australia, Bahrain and Canada" have hit dozens of locations in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.

06:0 GMT - US, UK carry out fresh strikes in Yemen: Houthis

Houthis in Yemen has said that US and UK carried out fresh attacks on the capital, Sanaa, and the western coastal province of Hudaida

The Houthi-affiliated Al-Masirah television reported that the strikes targeted the districts of Al-Luhayyah and Al-Durayhimi, without providing further details.

05:23 GMT - Israeli attacks kill several in besieged Gaza

At least 18 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks that targeted parts of Gaza according to sources.

The army continued its attacks against Rafah, where Palestinians from parts of Gaza took refuge, as well as Khan Younis and northern cities.

At least 10 victims were killed in an air strike on a house in easter Rafah, according to witnesses. Also, many were killed and injured in another attack on the house in the area.

04:45 GMT - Hezbollah targets Israeli military site near Lebanese border

Hezbollah has announced that it targeted an Israeli military site and base near the southern Lebanese border, while Israeli air strikes continued in areas in the south.

The Lebanese group said in two separate statements that fighters targeted the Khirbet Maar military base with appropriate weapons and the Ramtha site with rocket weapons, achieving direct hits.

The official Lebanese news agency reported that “an Israeli drone carried out an aerial attack, launching a strike on the town of Yaron in the Bint Jbeil district, firing a guided missile towards residential neighborhoods.”

04:20 GMT - House Republicans announce bill that provides more military aid to Israel

House Republicans will move forward with a $17.6B package next week that provides military aid to Israel and replenish US weapons, but leaves out more help for Ukraine, underscoring the challenges facing supporters of a comprehensive national security package that would also include billions of dollars for immigration enforcement.

The move gives Speaker Mike Johnson and House Republicans the chance to show support for Israel even though there is little chance the Senate will go along. Meanwhile, text of a broader Senate compromise is expected to be released this weekend and a key test vote on that package will be held during the week.

Johnson said that Senate leadership is aware that by failing to include the House in their negotiations, they have eliminated the ability for swift consideration of any legislation.

03:22 GMT - French opposition delegation demands ceasefire in Gaza during visit to Egypt

A delegation of 16 French opposition lawmakers demanded an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza during a visit to Egypt.

The delegation, including members from the far-left La France Insoumise LFI, or France Unbowed party is visiting Egypt and the Rafah border crossing.

It included members of the France Unbowed party, such as Eric Coquerel and Thomas Portes, who held discussions with France's Ambassador to Cairo, Eric Chevalier, during the visit as part of a mission to advocate for an immediate and lasting ceasefire.

03:00 GMT - Hamas official says no deal yet on Gaza truce

A senior Hamas official has said that a final agreement had not yet been reached over a tentative truce deal to pause the nearly four-month Israeli war on Gaza.

Hamas leaders were reviewing a proposed framework thrashed out by top officials from Israel, Qatar, Egypt and the United States, said Osama Hamdan, a top Hamas official in Lebanon.

But more time was needed to "announce our position". He told a news conference that his movement "has repeatedly said" it was "open to discussing any initiative, putting an end to this barbaric aggression against our Palestinian people".

02:30 GMT - Hundreds of protesters in Israel demand early elections, release of hostages

Hundreds of Israelis took to the streets of Haifa and Rehovot against the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, demanding early elections and the release of hostages held in Gaza, local media has reported.

The protesters, gathered at Horev junction in the city of Haifa, were carrying banners with slogans such as “Elections Now” and “Save the Hostages,” according to Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth

For our live updates from Saturday, February 3, click here