Live Updates: Protecting Palestinians moral imperative: US tells Israel

Tuesday, March 26, 2024

15:13 GMT — US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has said it was a moral and strategic imperative to protect Palestinian civilians, calling the situation in Gaza a "humanitarian catastrophe."

Austin was speaking at the start of the meeting with Israel Defense Minister Yoav Gallant at the Pentagon.

15:08 GMT — Germany describes Gaza as 'hell', urges aid without hindrance

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has said international organisations must be able to deliver aid to Gaza without hindrance, adding that the situation there was hellish for civilians struggling to meet their most vital daily needs.

"The humanitarian situation in Gaza is hell," Baerbock said while on a trip to the Middle East, during which she met with Israeli and Palestinian officials.

"International organisations must be able to provide vital aid unhindered," she said in Tel Aviv, adding that Germany had increased its funding to the World Food Programme by an additional $10.8 million.

15:00 GMT — Brussels to ban purchase of products from Israeli settlements

The Brussels City Council has passed a motion to halt the public procurement of products from Israeli settlements.

The motion, brought by Benoit Hellings, a councillor in the capital of Brussels, was adopted unanimously in a vote late on Monday.

The motion asks the local authority to ensure that its purchases do not benefit companies working in conditions that do not respect international law, human rights, or environmental law.

14:58 GMT — Finland condemns Israeli seizure of 800 hectares of land in occupied Palestinian territory

Finland has condemned the Israeli seizure of 800 hectares (1,976 acres) of land in the Jordan Valley in the occupied West Bank.

"This runs counter to not only international law but also international efforts to de-escalate," the Finnish Foreign Ministry said on X.

"We do not recognise changes to the 1967 borders unless agreed by the parties," the ministry added.

14:33 GMT — UN resolution on shows Israel’s isolation: Hamas chief

Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh arrived in Tehran for talks with Iranian officials on Israel’s deadly offensive on Gaza.

At a joint press conference with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, Haniyeh said the UN resolution underscored Israel’s "unprecedented isolation.”

Israel has "failed to achieve its military goals" in the besieged Gaza "despite heavy expenses" and is now "losing political and international support," Haniyeh said.

14:21 GMT — Maersk denies its vessel was attacked by Houthis

Denmark's Maersk has denied a claim by Yemen's Houthis that the shipping company's Saratoga vessel had been attacked.

The Houthis had earlier said that they had conducted six attacks on ships with drones and missiles in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea over the last 72 hours, including on the Maersk Saratoga.

13:59 GMT — UN rapporteur urges arms embargo on Israel over genocide in Gaza

A United Nations expert has told the global body's Human Rights Council that she believed that Israel's war on Gaza since October 7 amounted to genocide and called on countries to immediately impose sanctions and an arms embargo.

"I find that there are reasonable grounds to believe that the threshold indicating the commission of the crime of genocide against Palestinians as a group in Gaza has been met," Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, told the UN rights body in Geneva.3:49 GMT — Suspected Israeli air strikes hit northeast Lebanon: sources

Two suspected Israeli air strikes hit near the northeast Lebanese towns of Ras Baabelk and Hermel, four security sources have told Reuters, in the furthest bombardment yet from the southern border where Hezbollah had been exchanging fire with Israel.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.

13:25 GMT — Teens in Gaza hoping to be killed to end their 'nightmare': UN

The situation in war-ravaged Gaza is so desperate that teenagers are now saying they hope to be swiftly killed to escape the "nightmare", a spokesman for the UN children's agency has said.

"The unspeakable is regularly said in Gaza," said James Elder, spokesperson for the United Nations children's agency UNICEF.

Speaking to journalists in Geneva via video message from Rafah in southern Gaza, he said the agency had on Monday held a meeting with adolescents.

Several said they were "so desperate for this nightmare to end that they hoped to be killed", he said.

13:03 GMT — Indirect truce talks between Israel, Hamas still ongoing: Qatar

Qatar has said that indirect talks between Hamas and Israel are still ongoing between technical teams.

"We are continuing our mediation efforts with our partners," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed al Ansari told a press conference in Doha.

He cited "difficulties" on the ground related to the ceasefire negotiations.

"There is no set timeline for the indirect negotiations," the spokesperson said.

11:06 GMT — Palestinian death toll tops 32,400 as Israeli bombings continue

The Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza has reported that 81 people were killed, with 93 sustaining injuries by Israel's relentless bombardment of the Palestinian enclave in the last 24 hours.

The number of Palestinians brutally killed by Israel has reached a staggering 32,414, while the count of those injured has soared to 74,787 since the beginning of Israel's military assault in Gaza on October 7th, according to the statement.

Israel's escalating attacks continue to ravage Palestinians and inflict immense suffering on civilians caught in the fire.

11:31 GMT — Hamas urges end to Gaza aid airdrops, more land crossings

Hamas has called for an end to aid airdrops into Gaza after it said 12 people drowned and six were killed in stampedes trying to reach the food packages.

"We call for an immediate end to airdrop operations... and we demand the immediate and rapid opening of land crossings to allow humanitarian aid to reach our Palestinian people," said the Palestinian resistance group, which governs the besieged territory.

11:21 GMT — At least 18 dead in Gaza aid air drop tragedy: Hamas

Twelve people have drowned and six have been killed in stampedes trying to recover aid airdropped into Gaza, Hamas has said.

The deaths happened in the starving north of the besieged territory on Monday, with people rushing to collect packages dropped from planes along Gaza's Mediterranean coast.

10:00 GMT — No let-up in Israel's war on Gaza despite UN ceasefire vote

Israeli troops continue their siege in Gaza, with no sign of a let-up in its war on the Palestinian enclave despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an "immediate ceasefire."

The resolution was adopted Monday after Israel's closest ally the United States abstained.

It demands an "immediate ceasefire" for the ongoing Muslim holy month of Ramadan, leading to a "lasting" truce.

09:15 GMT –– Gaza is 'an integral part' of Palestine: Palestinian president

Gaza is "an integral part" of the Palestinian state, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said.

Abbas met with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock at the presidential headquarters in Ramallah, where they discussed the latest developments in Gaza and efforts to immediately stop the war, the Palestinian official news agency WAFA reported.

"The president reiterated the firm rejection of the State of Palestine to the displacement of any Palestinian citizen whether in the Gaza Strip or the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, stressing that Gaza is an integral part of the Palestinian state and any plans of the (Israeli) occupation authorities to separate the Gaza Strip from the rest of Palestinian land and to seize any inch of its land or reoccupy it are unacceptable," it said.

08:47 GMT –– US and Israeli defence chiefs to meet as tensions rise over Gaza

US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin will meet with Israel's minister of defence and discuss ways to defeat Hamas other than conducting a ground invasion of the southern Gaza city of Rafah, the Pentagon said, at a time of rising tensions between the two countries.

Maj Gen Pat Ryder, Pentagon press secretary, told reporters that Austin's planned meeting with Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant is still on, even though Israel abruptly cancelled the visit of a high-level delegation to Washington this week.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cancelled the visit in protest over Monday's UN Security Council decision calling for an immediate ceasefire. The US abstained, deciding not to use its veto power, and the resolution passed 14-0.

08:13 GMT –– Palestinians live in 'open prison': Iranian envoy to Türkiye

Palestinians live in an "open prison" in Gaza, Iranian Ambassador to Türkiye Mohammad Hassan Habibollahzadeh said.

The blockade of Gaza, the displacement of the Palestinian people and the seizure of their lands have continued for 70 years, Habibollahzadeh told reporters in the capital Ankara.

Israel has refused to end the killing in Gaza, he said, adding: "Preventing the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza is nothing but murder and genocide."

07:18 GMT –– Gaza war's outcome will affect Middle East for years: Gallant

The results of Israel's war on Gaza will affect the Middle East for years to come, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant told US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan.

Gallant made the remarks during a meeting with Sullivan at the White House, according to a statement by the Israeli Defence Ministry.

The statement said their meeting dwelt on "the steps required to continue defeating Hamas and dismantling its military and governmental capabilities and the efforts to return the hostages."

06:21 GMT –– UN demand for Gaza ceasefire provokes strongest clash between US and Israel since war began

The United Nations Security Council issued its first demand for a ceasefire in Gaza, with the US angering Israel by abstaining from the vote. Israel responded by cancelling a visit to Washington by a high-level delegation in the strongest public clash between the allies since the war began.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused the US of "retreating" from a "principled position" by allowing the vote to pass without conditioning the ceasefire on the release of hostages held by Hamas.

White House national security spokesman John Kirby said the administration was "kind of perplexed" by Netanyahu's decision. He said the Israelis were "choosing to create a perception of daylight here when they don't need to do that."

05:30 GMT –– UK airdrops 10 tonnes of food supplies into Gaza

Britain's Royal Air Force airdropped more than 10 metric tonnes of food supplies into Gaza for the first time, Britain's defence ministry said in a statement.

"The aid, which consists of water, rice, cooking oil, flour, tinned goods and baby formula, will support the people of Gaza," the ministry said.

05:23 GMT — Blinken tells Gallant alternatives exist to Rafah invasion

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has underscored in a meeting with Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant that alternatives exist to a ground invasion of Rafah that would both better ensure Israel's security and protect Palestinian civilians, the State Department said.

Earlier, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters that "We believe this type of full-scale invasion would be a mistake, not just because of the civilian harm that it would cost which would be immense."

He added there are currently around 1.4 million people in Rafah and Israel has not presented a coherent evacuation plan.

05:14 GMT — Hamas ready for permanent ceasefire in Gaza

Palestinian resistance group Hamas has said it has informed mediators that it will stick to its original proposal on reaching a comprehensive ceasefire, which includes the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza and a return of displaced Palestinians.

It also demanded what it called "a real exchange of prisoners", referring to the release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails in exchange for Israeli hostages being held in Gaza.

Hamas presented a Gaza ceasefire proposal to mediators and the United States in mid-March that included the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for freedom for Palestinian prisoners, 100 of whom are serving life sentences, according to a proposal seen by Reuters news agency

4:00 GMT — Netanyahu 'upset' because US abstained from UN ceasefire resolution: senator

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is "upset" following the adoption of a UN Security Council resolution on a ceasefire in Gaza, US Senator Bernie Sanders has said.

"Netanyahu is upset. He cancelled a delegation to DC because the U.S. abstained from a resolution calling for a ceasefire," Sanders said on X.

"But he's not so upset that he'll turn down $3.3B in taxpayer dollars to fund his immoral war. No more money for Netanyahu to starve Palestinian children," he added.

For our live updates from Monday, March 25, click here.