Live Updates: Priority is to secure Gaza truce, Sisi tells US Congress members

Wednesday, January 3, 2024

12:37 GMT — Priority is to secure Gaza truce, Sisi tells US Congress members

Egypt's President Abdel Fattah el Sisi told a delegation from the US Congress that the current priority is to secure a ceasefire in Gaza, according to a presidency statement.

Sisi stressed the importance of "responsible action" to avoid widening the conflict in the region, the statement added.

Egypt and Qatar have been mediating between Israel and Hamas.

13:06 GMT — Israel holds secret talks with DRC to take in Palestinians from Gaza

Israel is holding secret talks with the Democratic Republic of Congo, urging the Central African country to take in Palestinians from the besieged Gaza, Israeli media reported.

According to the Times of Israel news website, Israeli officials held talks with officials in DR Congo and other African nations to accept Palestinians from Gaza.

"(Democratic Republic of) Congo will be willing to take in migrants (Palestinians), and we’re in talks with others," a senior Israeli security official told the news website.

"At the end of the war, Hamas rule will collapse, there are no municipal authorities, and the civilian population will be entirely dependent on humanitarian aid," Israeli Intelligence Minister Gila Gamliel said.

"There will be no work, and 60 percent of Gaza’s agricultural land will become security buffer zones," she added.

12:15 GMT — Israeli ministers reject US criticism of their calls to expel Palestinians from Gaza

Two Israeli ministers rejected US criticism of their calls for expelling Palestinians from the besieged Gaza amid a deadly military offensive on the blockaded enclave.

Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said 70 percent of Israelis support a "humanitarian solution" for encouraging the emigration of Palestinians.

For his part, far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said the Israeli government "will do what is best for the State of Israel," in reference to his call for emptying Gaza of its residents.

"I deeply appreciate the United States of America, but with all due respect, we are not just another star on the American flag," Ben-Gvir wrote on his X account.

Washington rejected what it called "irresponsible" statements by Israeli ministers about expelling Palestinians from Gaza.

"The United States rejects recent statements from Israeli ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir advocating for the resettlement of Palestinians outside of Gaza," State Department Spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement.

"This rhetoric is inflammatory and irresponsible," he added.

11:50 GMT — 'We're in middle of WW III,' claims Israel's new foreign minister

On his first day in office, Israel's new Foreign Minister, Israel Katz, accused Tehran of actively pursuing the development of nuclear weapons, according to the Israel 24 news website.

"We are going through challenging moments, infused with hope in mobilising the entire country,” Katz said, taking the reins from his predecessor, Eli Cohen.

"The first thing, my top priority, is the activity of this office to bring the hostages home," he added, referring to the Israeli hostages held in Gaza since Oct. 7, but he did not address how that goal might conflict with Israel’s stated goal to eliminate Hamas.

He claimed that "the Iranian race to acquire nuclear weapons is gaining momentum at its strongest during these times."

"The front that Iran built in the region is not only against Israel and its interests; this is a third world war with today's tools," he said, adding that Israel is at the forefront of the war.

11:30 GMT — World must impose solution to Gaza conflict: EU's Borrell

The international community must impose a solution to Israel's war on Gaza as the warring sides are unable to come to terms, the European Union's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said.

"I believe that we have learned in these 30 years that the solution has to be imposed from outside because the two parties will never be able to reach an agreement," he told an event in Lisbon, also warning that "if this tragedy doesn't end soon, the entire Middle East might end up in flames".

11:30 GMT — Israel arrested 11,000 in one year: Palestinian prisoners group

Palestinian prisoners group said the Israeli army last year made 11,000 arrests of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza.

10:08 GMT - Death toll from Israeli attacks in Gaza rises to 22,313

At least 22,313 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza over nearly three months of Israeli attacks, according to the Health Ministry.

The toll includes 128 people killed over the past 24 hours, a ministry statement said, while Israeli attacks since October 7 have also wounded 57,296.

09:22 GMT - WHO chief deplores Israeli attack on Red Crescent in Gaza

The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) has deplored Israeli strikes that killed at least five civilians including a five-day-old infant at a hospital run by the Palestine Red Crescent Society in Gaza.

"I deplore today’s strikes on the Palestine Red Crescent Society-run-Al Amal hospital in the southern Gaza City of Khan Younis, which severely damaged the Palestine Red Crescent Society training centre located within the hospital complex," Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on X.

He added that his colleagues undertook a mission to the facilities, where they "witnessed extensive damage and displacement of civilians."

08:57 GMT - UN Interim Force in Lebanon calls for restraint

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) is deeply concerned at any potential for escalation that could have devastating consequences for people on both sides of the Blue Line, spokesperson Kandice Ardiel has said.

"We continue to implore all parties to cease their fire, and any interlocutors with influence to urge restraint," she added.

08:49 GMT - Israel minister slams US for condemning call for mass exodus

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir has hit back at ally the United States over its criticism of his push for the transfer of Palestinians out of Gaza.

"The United States is our best friend, but first of all we will do what is best for the State of Israel: the migration of hundreds of thousands from Gaza will allow the (Israeli) residents of the envelope to return home and live in security and will protect the IDF (Israeli) soldiers," the extreme-right minister has posted on X.

His post comes after the US State Department criticised his call for a population transfer as "inflammatory and irresponsible".

08:26 GMT - General strike in West Bank to mourn top Hamas figure's killing

A general strike is being observed across the occupied West Bank to mourn the assassination of the deputy chief of Hamas Saleh al Arouri.

Shops, banks, commercial facilities and public institutions were shut, while the transport activity seemed disrupted.

Palestinian parties and factions had called for the joint action as well as protest rallies, holding Israel fully responsible for the killing.

07:56 GMT - Assassination of Hamas leader 'serious alarm' for region: Iran

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian has said the assassination of the al Arouri is a "serious alarm" for the countries in the region.

“The evil acts by Israel in other countries pose a real threat to peace and security, and a serious alarm for security of the countries in the region,” Amir Abdollahian said in a statement on X.

He added the assassination of Arouri proves that Israel "didn't achieve any of its goals after weeks of war crimes, genocide, and destruction in Gaza."

07:12 GMT - Iran blasts Israel of killing top Hamas commander

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian has said Israel's "evil acts" in other countries constitute a real threat to peace, security in region.

06:41 GMT - Israeli soldier death toll surges in Gaza

The Israeli army has announced that another of its soldiers was killed in fighting with Palestinian groups in northern Gaza.

The slain soldier was part of the Combat Engineering Corps’ elite Yahalom unit, according to Army Radio.

As many as 175 Israeli soldiers have been killed in Gaza since the start of the Israeli ground operation on October 27.

03:42 GMT - Protests held in Palestine, Lebanon after killing of Hamas deputy chief

Protests were held in Palestine and Lebanon following the assassination of al Arouri in an Israeli drone strike in the Lebanese capital Beirut.

Palestinians took to the streets in the occupied West Bank.

Carrying Hamas flags, protesters in the city of Ramallah, near Arouri’s hometown of Aroura, chanted slogans such as "We will follow your footsteps" and "Revenge, revenge, Qassam!"

Separately, protests were held at refugee camps, including the Beddawi camp in northern Lebanon, according to the National News Agency.

03:13 GMT - Canada to accept 1,000 relatives of its citizens from Gaza

Canada will accept up to 1,000 visa applications from Palestinians who want to flee Gaza and seek refuge with their Canadian extended family members, but a Muslim organisation wants the cap removed, according to reports.

The program, slated to start next week, is in response to pleas from Palestinian Canadians to provide a safe path to those trapped in the chaos of Gaza as Israel's war on Gaza rages on.

It will offer visas for up to 1,000 Palestinians, allowing them to come and stay in Canada for up to three years if their sponsoring families guarantee financial support during their stay. The door to Canada would be closed at 1,000 applicants.

02:00 GMT - Blasts reported near ship off Yemen as Israel pummels Gaza

British maritime security agency UKMTO has reported explosions near a cargo ship in the strategic Bab al Mandeb Strait, which separates the Arabian Peninsula from the Horn of Africa.

United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said it had received reports of up to three explosions 1-5 nautical miles from the merchant vessel, which was travelling between the coasts of Eritrea and Yemen.

"Master reports no damage to the vessel and crew are reported safe at present," the agency, run by Britain's Royal Navy, said in a brief message. "Authorities are investigating."

In recent weeks, Yemen's Houthi rebels have launched a flurry of drone and missile strikes targeting commercial vessels transiting the Red Sea and the Bab al Mandeb Strait that connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden.

01:58 GMT - France will not support ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in Gaza

France will not support the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in Gaza by Israel, Nicolas de Riviere, the permanent representative of France to the UN, has said.

"France is opposed to the forced displacement of populations. That's very clear-cut...We will not support the forced displacement of people," de Riviere told reporters.

"It's more or less obvious that the Gaza Strip is inhabited by Palestinians. Our goal is for Palestinians to be able to continue living there in safety and security and under good conditions. That should be the priority."

De Riviere said shutting people out of Gaza or recolonising Gaza are "harebrained ideas," adding it is essential to put an end to the military invasion and not to target civilians.

00:30 GMT - Israeli army 'abducted Palestinian children, transferred them out of Gaza'

The Israeli military has abducted Palestinian children and transferred them out of Gaza, a human rights monitor has said, calling on Israel to return the children to their parents.

The Geneva-based Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor said in a statement on its website that it "takes very seriously the information published by Israeli Army Radio on 1 January 2024 regarding the kidnapping of a Palestinian infant from inside her Gaza family home by Israeli officer Harel Itach, a commander in the Givati Brigade, after the killing of her family members."

"Following the news that the Israeli officer died on 22 December 2023 from injuries sustained during fighting in Gaza, a friend of Itach's disclosed the kidnapping incident and said that the little girl's whereabouts remain unknown," it added.

For our live updates from Tuesday, January 2, click here.