Live Updates: US considers sanctions on Israeli soldiers in West Bank — report

Saturday, February 10, 2024

07:16 GMT - US considers sanctions on Israeli soldiers in West Bank — report

The US is reportedly preparing to impose sanctions on Israeli soldiers serving in the occupied West Bank, according to Israeli state television channel, KAN.

It said the US has repeatedly warned Israel about settler violence against Palestinians but the response from Tel Aviv has not been satisfactory.

The report noted that if Israel does not respond to US questions and demands regarding settler violence in the West Bank within 60 days, the US will impose sanctions on members of the army, including soldiers and commanders.

It also reported that Israel is taking the Biden administration's threats seriously and is preparing for the possibility of sanctions being expanded to include army officials, members of parliament, and ministers.

06:21 GMT - Israel PM orders army to prepare to operate in Gaza's Rafah

Israeli air strikes pummelled densely crowded Rafah after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered his troops to "prepare to operate" in the southern border city that has become a last holdout for displaced Palestinians.

Netanyahu's planned war on Rafah, where an estimated 1.3 million people have sought refuge, has drawn condemnation from rights groups and Washington, while Palestinians have said they have nowhere left to retreat.

Witnesses reported new strikes on Rafah early Saturday, after the Israeli military intensified air raids, with fears rising among Palestinians of a coming ground invasion.

05:44 GMT - Moody’s downgrades Israel’s credit rating due to war on Gaza

The US rating agency Moody's downgraded Israel's credit rating due to the impact of its ongoing war in Gaza, lowering it by one notch from A1 to A2.

In a statement, Moody's said it had done so after assessing that "the ongoing military conflict with Hamas, its aftermath and wider consequences materially raise the political risk for Israel as well as weaken its executive and legislative institutions and its fiscal strength, for the foreseeable future."

It was the first time Israel has been downgraded, Bloomberg reported. Moody's also lowered its outlook for Israel's debt to "negative" due to "the risk of an escalation" with the far more powerful Lebanese group Hezbollah that operates along its northern border.

05:00 GMT - Denmark to continue funding UNRWA

Denmark has confirmed that it would not withdraw funding to the UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) because de-funding would “accelerate a humanitarian conflict” in the besieged Gaza, said media broadcaster, DR News.

Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said Denmark would make the planned financial assistance as scheduled to the UN agency in March.

“UNRWA is the organisation in Gaza that has the ability to ensure the civilian population just a decent living,” said Rasmussen. "We are talking about water, about health clinics, and the possibility of vaccinating children. It is a catastrophic situation in Gaza, and if you cut the legs of UNRWA, you are accelerating a humanitarian conflict.”

04:10 GMT - Rafah's population enduring 'unthinkable suffering': UN relief chief

UN relief chief Martin Griffiths voiced concern about the situation in Rafah as the Israeli premier ordered his army to plan for an invasion.

"Many of the well over 1 million people who make up Rafah's population today have endured unthinkable suffering," Griffiths wrote on X.

His remarks came after Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the army to develop a dual plan to expel civilians from Rafah and to defeat the remaining Hamas fighters.

03:30 GMT - US 'complicit' in humanitarian disaster in Gaza: Senator

Independent Senator Bernie Sanders said it is "unacceptable" for the US to send $14 billion to Israel, which is threatening a ground invasion in Rafah in besieged Gaza.

"One of the worst humanitarian disasters in modern history is now unfolding before our eyes in Gaza today, right now, and we, as the government of the United States, are complicit," Sanders said ahead of a Senate procedural vote on whether to advance security aid for Israel and Ukraine.

The question that US Congress must ask is how many more children and innocent people will be "smashed" by PM Benjamin Netanyahu in this process, Sanders said, adding beyond the total destruction of Gaza, Netanyahu "has no plan."

03:00 GMT - US: Israel must stick to international law on weapons

The United States has briefed Israel on a new US national security memorandum that reminds countries receiving US weapons to stick to international law, the White House has said.

The memo is a statement of administration policy and was sent on Thursday from the White House to senior Cabinet officials responsible for national security to ensure its aims are carried out.

The memo does not impose new conditions on how US military equipment may be used, but it does require the Biden administration to send a report to Congress annually on whether countries are meeting the requirements.

02:30 GMT - Red Crescent loses contact with teams in Al-Amal Hospital in Khan Younis

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society [PRCS] said it lost contact with teams in the Al-Amal Hospital in Khan Younis in southern besieged Gaza amid intensified Israeli attacks on the facility.

"We fully lost communication with our teams in Al-Amal Hospital in Khan Younis due to the [Israeli] occupation continued attack on the hospital," it said.

PRCS voiced concern about the safety of its teams, the wounded and patients inside the hospital.

For our live updates from Friday, February 9, click here.