Live Updates: Relief mission ship set sail with 200 tonnes of aid for Gaza

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

0650 GMT — A ship taking almost 200 tonnes of food to Gaza left a port in the Greek Administration of Southern Cyprus early in a pilot project to open a new sea route for aid to a population on the brink of famine.

The charity ship Open Arms was seen sailing out of Larnaca port in southern Cyprus island, towing a barge containing around 200 tonnes of flour, rice and protein.

The mission, mostly funded by the United Arab Emirates, is being organised by US-based charity World Central Kitchen (WCK), while Spanish charity Proactiva Open Arms is supplying the ship.

"Our goal is to establish a maritime highway of boats and barges stocked with millions of meals continuously headed towards Gaza," said WCK founder Jose Andres and chief executive officer Erin Gore in a statement.

0659 GMT — Israel:100 projectiles fired into the country from Lebanon

The Israeli military says about 100 projectiles have been launched from Lebanon into Israel, in some of the heaviest fire emanating from Israel’s northern neighbour since the start of the war in Gaza.

There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage following Tuesday’s strikes, which appeared to be in response to Israeli air strikes deep inside Lebanon a day before.

The military has said it struck sites belonging to the Lebanese Hezbollah’s aerial forces in retaliation for previous Hezbollah attacks.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the launches from Lebanon.

0348 GMT — CIA chief urges truce for starving Palestinian children in Gaza

CIA Director William Burns has said that a ceasefire is needed to provide starving children in Gaza with the necessary humanitarian assistance amid Israel’s ongoing attacks on the Palestinian enclave.

"The reality is that there are children who are starving. They're malnourished as a result to the fact that humanitarian assistance can't get to them. It's very difficult to distribute humanitarian assistance effectively unless you have a ceasefire," said Burns during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing.

He said a pending hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas which will initially allow a temporary ceasefire and enable people to get the much-needed humanitarian aid has "great value.”

0324 GMT — US conducts 'self-defence' strikes against Houthi targets

The US carried out "self-defence strikes" against Houthi targets in Yemen, the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) has said.

"Between 8:50 a.m. and 12:50 p.m. (Sanaa time) on March 11, Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists fired two anti-ship ballistic missiles from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen into the Red Sea toward the merchant vessel Pinocchio, a Singaporean-owned, Liberian-flagged ship," CENTCOM said on X.

The missiles did not impact the vessel and there were no injuries or damage reported, it added.

0419 GMT — Civilians in Israel, Palestine ‘cannot be abandoned': UN official

Civilians in Israel and Palestine "cannot be abandoned," the top UN official on sexual violence in conflict has said.

"Civilians and their families in both Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory cannot be abandoned by the international community,” Pramila Patten told the UN Security Council, where she provided a snapshot of her recent report on Israel and Palestine.

"Survivors of sexual violence and persons at risk must be protected and supported. We cannot fail them," she added.

0120 GMT — Massacre in Palestine should be kept at top of global agenda: Turkish minister

The ongoing humanitarian crisis in besieged Gaza due to Israel's devastating military assault should not be forgotten, a Turkish minister has said, calling for a united effort to end the tragedy.

"When discussing equality, we cannot ignore the ongoing humanitarian crisis as a result of Israel's actions towards Palestinians, which lead to immense human suffering," Family and Social Services Minister Mahinur Ozdemir Goktas told the 68th UN Commission on the Status of Women [CSW] in New York.

Türkiye strongly condemns the Israeli attacks in Gaza and reiterates its call for an immediate ceasefire and rapid and unhindered humanitarian aid, the minister said, adding Ankara stands with the Palestinian people, considering that 70 percent of those who lost their lives are women and children.

"We need to keep the ongoing massacre in Palestine at the top of the global agenda and redouble our efforts towards putting an end to this tragedy. We must unite in our shared sense of pain and ensure that our voices are heard stronger and louder," she said.

0054 GMT — '2,000 medical staff' in northern Gaza lack meals to break Ramadan fast

The Palestinian Health Ministry has said that 2,000 medical staff working at hospitals in the northern besieged Gaza had no meals to break their fasting with while on duty on the first day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

"The medical personnel are too exposed to the starvation that hits the northern Gaza Strip," Health Ministry spokesperson Ashraf al Qudra said in a statement.

He called on international relief organisations to move urgently to provide meals for the medical staff.

0033 GMT — Yemen's Houthis target 'US ship Pinocchio' in Red Sea

Yemen's Houthis have targeted what was described as the "US ship Pinocchio" in the Red Sea, according to a speech of the group's military spokesperson Yahya Sarea.

"The naval forces of the Yemeni Armed Forces, with the help of God Almighty, carried out a targeting operation against the American ship Pinocchio in the Red Sea with a number of appropriate naval missiles, and the hit was accurate, thanks to God," Sarea said in a statement.

Sarea warned the group will escalate their operations during the month of Ramadan "in support and assistance to the oppressed Palestinian people and to our mujahideen brothers in the Gaza Strip."

Despite attacks from the US-British coalition and other navies, the Houthis have escalated their campaign of attacks on "Israel-owned or Israel-bound" vessels in one of the world's busiest shipping lanes.

Houthis say their attacks will continue until Israel stops its siege and invasion of Gaza.

2300 GMT — Undercover Israeli units kill Palestinian man in occupied West Bank

Israeli troops have shot dead a Palestinian man, Mohammad Jaafar Mustafa Jabr, near the town of Attil in Tulkarm, the occupied West Bank, WAFA news agency said, citing local sources.

The agency said the shooting took place when an undercover special force opened fire at two young men inside a commercial shop located at the junction near the town of Attil, which resulted in both sustaining critical wounds.

The sources say that the Israeli forces prevented ambulance vehicles from reaching the two victims. One of them was transferred to a hospital.

The other one, Jabr, was left bleeding to death.

2209 GMT — Israel kills one, wounds several others in strikes in Lebanon

Israel has killed at least one civilian and wounded several others in four strikes on eastern Lebanon's city of Baalbek, two security sources and the Baalbek governor, Bashir Khader, told the Reuters news agency.

Security sources said one of the strikes hit the southern entrance to the city of Baalbek, at least 2 km from ancient Roman ruins.

The three other strikes hit near the city of Taraya, 20 km west of Baalbek, they added.

The first bombardment of eastern Lebanon since regional hostilities erupted following the start of the war in besieged Gaza occurred in late February.

Israeli strikes had been mostly limited to the southern border region of Lebanon, although they have edged further north in recent weeks, a broadening of Israel's campaign, a Lebanese security source told Reuters.

2200 GMT — Amid Gaza war, US-UK strikes kill 'nearly dozen' in Yemen

The US and UK have killed at least 11 people and wounded 14 others in strikes in western Yemen, the spokesperson of the internationally recognised government has said.

At least 17 air strikes were reported in the country, including in the principal port city of Hudaida and at Ras Issa Port, according to Al Masirah, the main Houthi-run television news outlet.

2151 GMT — Biden says he has not scheduled meeting with Netanyahu

US President Joe Biden has said he has not scheduled a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Biden also said he does not have any plans "at this moment" to address the Israeli parliament.

For our live updates from Monday, March 11, click here.