Live Updates: Palestine envoy urges UNSC 'it is time to sanction' Israel

Wednesday, August 14, 2024

05:34 GMT — Palestine envoy urges UNSC 'it is time to sanction' Israel

Palestine's envoy to the UN, Riyad Mansour, urged the UN Security Council to impose sanctions on Israel amid its ongoing carnage on civilians across besieged Gaza.

"Israel continues taking human lives and every action possible to spread wildfires across the Middle East as we sit here on the 75th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions," Mansour said during an urgent Security Council session requested by Algeria after Israel carried out a deadly air strike on a school sheltering displaced Palestinians.

"Let me state the obvious. Israel does not care about your condemnations... It dismisses your resolutions. It does not even listen to your debates," Mansour said, referring to Israeli envoy to the UN Gilad Erdan.

04:38 GMT — US claims to have destroyed two Houthi vessels in Red Sea

The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) claimed that it destroyed two Houthi vessels in the Red Sea, noting they presented a "clear and imminent threat" to US and coalition forces in the region.

"This reckless and dangerous behaviour by Iranian-backed Houthis continues to threaten regional stability and security," CENTCOM wrote on X.

03:14 GMT — UNSC blames US for delivering weapons to Israel after school attack

UN Security Council members denounced the Israeli military's recent attack on a school sheltering displaced people in Gaza that killed at least 100 Palestinians, while Russia and China held the US accountable for the incident due to weapons support.

"When pushing for Security Council Resolution 2735, the US claimed that Israel had accepted a ceasefire agreement, but the reality is quite the opposite," Fu Cong, Permanent Representative of China to the UN, told the Council during an emergency session on Palestine that was requested by Algeria.

Saying there are no "credible signs of Israel's commitment to a ceasefire," Cong said, "what we see is ever-expanding military operations and ever-rising civilian casualties."

02:48 GMT — Hamas slams Israel's use of Palestinians as shields in Gaza

Palestinian resistance group Hamas has issued a strong condemnation in response to a recent investigation by Israel's Haaretz daily, which uncovered the Israeli army's systematic use of Palestinian civilians as human shields during the invasion of besieged Gaza.

The report, which detailed how Palestinians, including minors and the elderly, were forced to accompany Israeli soldiers while inspecting tunnels and buildings, has sparked outrage among Palestinian leaders.

Hamas leader Izzat al-Rishq released a statement describing the actions revealed in the Haaretz investigation as clear war crimes that necessitate international condemnation and legal pursuit.

02:13 GMT — US approves $20B weapon sales to Israel

US President Joe Biden's administration has approved more than $20 billion in new weapons sales to Israel, brushing aside pressure from rights activists to stop arms deliveries over the death toll in Gaza.

In a notification to Congress, the State Department said it had approved a sale of 50 F-15 fighter jets to Israel for $18.82 billion.

Israel will also buy nearly 33,000 tank cartridges, up to 50,000 explosive mortar cartridges and new military cargo vehicles.

02:00 GMT — Blinken urges Israel to prevent repeat of Ben Gvir's provocation at Al-Aqsa

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to prevent further "provocative actions" after a far-right minister led prayers at Al-Aqsa mosque compound, Islam's third holiest site.

In a strongly worded statement after his spokesman already offered criticism, Blinken said that National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir showed "blatant disregard" for the status quo at the site sacred to Jews and Muslims alike.

"Prime Minister Netanyahu's office has made clear that the actions of Minister Ben Gvir are inconsistent with Israeli policy. We will look to the government of Israel to prevent similar incidents in the future," Blinken said.

For our live updates from Tuesday, August 13, 2024, click here.