• It is the 135th day of the war: over 29,000 people have been killed in Gaza. In Israel, 1,200 people died in the attack on October 7th.
• Israel releases video of baby hostages: “Fear for little Bibas”
• 12,000 Hamas fighters have been killed since the war began
• Lula persona non grata: This is how the President of Brazil is viewed after he spoke of “genocide” in Gaza
9:37 a.m. – Gaza: Three civilians were killed in an Israeli bomb attack on a refugee camp
At least three Palestinian civilians were killed in Israeli air strikes on the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza tonight. According to the Palestinian news agency Wafa, Israeli forces bombed a house, killing three civilians, whose bodies were taken to the Shuhdaa al Aqsa hospital in Deir al-Blah. At the same time, Israeli artillery shelled al-Shaaf east of Shujaiyeh, while Israeli warships shelled the coast of Gaza City.
9:34 a.m. – The International Court of Justice hearings on Israel continue today
Yesterday, during the first hearing of the International Court of Justice, the interventions of the representatives of the Palestinian Authority (PNA) were heard, all of whom demanded confirmation of the “illegality” of Israeli occupation and practices in the Palestinian territories. After the conclusion of the first day of negotiations, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office published a post on his The trial was “designed to violate Israel's right to defend itself against existential threats,” the prime minister's office said, adding: “The hearing in The Hague is part of a Palestinian attempt to accept the results of a diplomatic solution without negotiations “We will continue to fight this attempt and the government and the Knesset (Parliament) are united in rejecting this action.
9:27 a.m. – IDF denies having any news about Sinwar's escape to Egypt
Israeli forces have denied any knowledge that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar left the Gaza Strip through tunnels in the Palestinian enclave to travel to Egypt. This is reported by the Haaretz newspaper, citing a high-ranking IDF officer. The Saudi website Eleph reported on rumors about the escape of the leader of the Palestinian movement.
9:18 a.m. – Brazil: “Israel’s reaction to Lula is unacceptable”
Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira held a conversation lasting about half an hour with Israel's ambassador to Brazil, Daniel Zonshine, in which he expressed “surprise and discomfort” at the position of the Israeli government, which he explained that President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was one “Persona non grata”. The meeting took place last night in Rio de Janeiro, where Vieira is preparing for the meeting of G20 foreign ministers. Lula had compared the Israeli military operation in Gaza – carried out after the Hamas attacks on October 7 – to the actions of Adolf Hitler and the Holocaust.
According to journalistic sources, there was no government apology to Zonshine, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had demanded of Lula. Vieira reportedly used a friendly but firm tone to defend Brazil's position. The summoning of the Brazilian Ambassador in Tel Aviv, Frederico Meyer, and the public rebuke of the Israeli Foreign Minister during the visit to the Holocaust Museum were viewed by the Brazilian Foreign Ministry as a “spectacle” on the part of the Netanyahu government, something “unacceptable” and the practices of diplomacy completely alien, as sources close to Vieira report. According to these sources, the Brazilian ambassador in Tel Aviv was “ambushed.” And he had to listen to criticism in Hebrew without an interpreter. After the meeting, Meyer was recalled to Brasilia for “consultations.”
8:51 a.m. – Biden's envoy to Israel and Egypt tomorrow
US President Joe Biden's Middle East adviser Brett McGurck will be in Cairo and Israel tomorrow. Haaretz and other media report on it. McGurk is expected to meet with Egyptian intelligence chief Ababs Kamel in Cairo, while in Israel he will meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
8:34 a.m. – Saudi media: “Sinwar fled to Egypt, perhaps with hostages”
Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas in Gaza, recently fled to Egypt through the tunnels leading from Rafah in southern Gaza to Sinai. This was reported by the Saudi newspaper Elaf, citing anonymous Israeli security sources. According to Elaph Sinwar, he fled with his brother Mohammed and others and there are “fears that he took hostages with him in his escape.” Official Israeli sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said they were “unaware of the news published.”
08:01 a.m. – Israel Defense Forces military death toll rises to 236 since land operation began
The number of Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers killed since the ground offensive against the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas in the Gaza Strip began last October has risen to 236. The IDF itself reported this in a note announcing the death of 22-year-old Maoz Morell.
7:41 a.m. – Biden advisor visits Egypt and Israel
New mission in the Middle East for US President Joe Biden's regional advisor Brett McGurck. As Axios writes, citing Israeli and American sources, the envoy is expected in Cairo tomorrow for a meeting with Egyptian intelligence chief Ababs Kamel before traveling to Israel, where he will meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. Focus, the possible Israeli operation in Rafah and the negotiations for the release of the hostages held by Hamas in exchange for a ceasefire.
7:17 a.m. – Israel releases Palestinian prisoner after 23 years in prison
The Israeli army yesterday released Muhammad Abd al-Majid Sharqiya, a 50-year-old prisoner from the village of Zabuba west of Jenin in the West Bank, after 23 years in prison. This is reported by Al Jazeera, citing the Wafa news agency.
6:53 a.m. – Red Sea: US attack drone crashed in Yemen
The US military has opened an investigation into the crash of a US Mq-9 Reaper attack drone off the coast of Hodeidah, Yemen. This was reported by the television channel “CNN” and stated that it was unclear whether the drone used for reconnaissance and attack missions crashed due to a technical defect or whether it was instead shot down by the pro-Iranian Houthi militias. The Houthis had already shot down a US drone of the same type last November.
The United States is waging a campaign aimed at curbing Houthi attacks on merchant ships crossing the Red Sea. On Sunday, US forces carried out five “self-defense strikes” against launch platforms and positions of Shiite militias in Yemen, also hitting “an unmanned underwater vehicle.” This was announced by the Central Command of the US Armed Forces (Centcom). It said Sunday's incident was the first confirmed case of the Houthis using underwater attack drones since last October, when the Shiite militia launched its campaign against attacks on commercial shipping in Red Sea waters.
According to the Centcom statement, in addition to the underwater drone, U.S. forces attacked “three mobile cruise missile launch platforms and an unmanned surface vessel” “after determining that they posed an imminent threat to U.S. Navy ships.” Merchant ships in the region. The attacks were carried out “to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer for the U.S. Navy and merchant vessels.”
6:40 a.m. – Gaza, analysts: Israel is building a road to divide the Gaza Strip
Israel is building a road in the center of the Gaza Strip that separates the north from the south of the Palestinian territory to facilitate Israeli military attacks and control the movement of the local population: this was reported by the US think tank Institute for War Studies (ISW) and Critical Threats Project (CTP), quoted by Arabic broadcaster Al Jazeera.
6:05 a.m. – Gaza, Israel: Wounded soldier in Khan Yunis dies
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced the death of a wounded soldier during fighting in the southern Gaza Strip last week, bringing the number of soldiers killed in the ground offensive against Hamas to 236. The victim is Sergeant Maoz Morell, 22 years old from Talmon, from the Reconnaissance Unit of the Paratrooper Brigade. Morell was seriously injured in a battle with Hamas militants in Khan Yunis on February 15. Another soldier was killed and eight were injured at the same time.
5:29 a.m. – Gaza, media: Biden's envoy to Egypt and Israel starting tomorrow
US President Joe Biden's top Middle East adviser plans to visit Israel and Egypt this week to discuss the possible Israel Defense Forces (IDF) operation in Rafah and efforts to release hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the American reports News site Axios. Citing Israeli and US officials, the report said Brett McGurk is expected to fly to Cairo tomorrow (Wednesday) to meet with Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel before returning the following day for talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant travels to Israel.
4:28 a.m. – Gaza, United Kingdom: William's commitment to “recognize suffering” begins
Britain's Prince William will carry out a series of commitments to “acknowledge the human suffering” caused by the conflict in the Middle East and to draw attention to the global rise in anti-Semitism, his office said. The 41-year-old heir to the United Kingdom throne will meet those involved in providing humanitarian aid in the region and hear first-hand accounts of the situation on the ground, Kensington Palace said in a statement quoted by Portal.
4:15 a.m. – UN votes for immediate ceasefire in Gaza, danger of US veto
The United Nations Security Council will vote on a new text calling for an “immediate” ceasefire in Gaza, a resolution threatened by a new veto by the United States, the third since the start of the war between its ally Israel and Hamas. The draft resolution drawn up by Algeria, seen by AFP, “calls for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, which must be respected by all parties.” It rejects the “forced displacement of Palestinian civilians,” while Israel has spoken of evacuating civilians ahead of a ground offensive in Rafah, where 1.4 million people are crowded into the southern Gaza Strip. And he demands the release of all hostages.
The vote is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. local time. Like previous texts criticized by Israel and the United States, it does not condemn Hamas's unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, which killed more than 1,160 people, the most, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli data including civilians. In retaliation, the Israeli army launched an offensive that killed more than 29,000 people in Gaza, the vast majority of them civilians, according to Hamas' health ministry.
The United States warned over the weekend that the Algerian text was unacceptable and threatened to veto it. “We do not believe that this Council text would improve the situation on the ground, and therefore if this resolution is voted on, it will not be adopted,” reiterated US Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations Robert Wood yesterday. The United States believes the resolution would jeopardize delicate diplomatic negotiations on the ground to secure a ceasefire, including a new release of hostages. In this context, they circulated a draft alternative resolution, which is available to the AFP. While they have so far consistently opposed the use of the term “ceasefire,” vetoing two texts in October and December, their version supports a ceasefire, but not an immediate one.
2:36 a.m. – US proposes “temporary ceasefire” resolution
The United States drafted a United Nations Security Council resolution calling for a temporary ceasefire in Gaza “as soon as possible” and warning Israel against launching a ground offensive in Rafah. The draft, seen by Al Jazeera yesterday, also calls for “removing all obstacles to the delivery of large-scale humanitarian assistance” in the Gaza Strip.
02:27 a.m. – USA and Great Britain on the list of Houthi enemy countries
According to the Houthi rebels in Yemen, the USA and Great Britain are officially added to the list of enemy countries. According to NBC, the decision is motivated by support for Israel as the group continues to support the Palestinian cause and attacks ships from countries close to Israel crossing the Red Sea. A law just ratified by President Mahdi Al-Mashat stipulates that the Houthis will negotiate with the United States and Britain “according to the principle of confrontation.”
1:44 a.m. – UN: “Danger of explosion” in child deaths in Gaza
Worrying food shortages, rampant malnutrition and the rapid spread of disease could lead to an “explosion” in the number of child deaths in Gaza, the United Nations has warned. Twenty weeks after Israel's war against Hamas began, United Nations agencies have said that food and drinking water have become “extremely scarce” in the Palestinian territories and that almost all children are suffering from infectious diseases. “The Gaza Strip is on the brink of an explosion in preventable child mortality that could worsen Gaza’s already unsustainable levels of child mortality,” said Ted Chaiban, UNICEF deputy humanitarian chief.
According to reports from UNICEF, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Food Program (WFP), at least 90% of children under the age of five in Gaza are affected by one or more infectious diseases. In the two weeks before this assessment, 70% of them suffered from diarrhea, 23 times higher than the 2022 baseline. “Hunger and disease are a deadly combination,” WHO emergency manager Mike Ryan said in a statement. “Children who are hungry, weak and deeply traumatized are more likely to become ill, and sick children, especially those with diarrhea, cannot absorb nutrients well,” he added.
00:58 – Gaza, Hamas: Israel fails and will not conquer Rafah
Hamas claims that Israel's attempt to “eliminate the military capabilities” of the Islamist movement “in the north of Gaza, the central area and Khan Younis” is failing and that its attempt to take control of Rafah will fail. Speaking to Arabic broadcaster Al Jazeera, Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya assured that the group was still fighting “with great determination” throughout the Palestinian enclave.
12:37 a.m. – Gaza, media: 3 dead in Israeli attack on Nuseirat refugee camp
The Palestinian news agency Wafa reports that three people were killed yesterday evening in an Israeli shelling that hit a house in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the center of the Gaza Strip. In the past few hours, another five people were killed in an attack on a house in the south of the city of Gaza, also according to Wafa, which yesterday reported a toll of 107 dead and 145 injured in the Gaza Strip alone. The death toll in the Palestinian enclave since October 7 stands at 29,092 dead and 68,883 injured, according to the Hamas-run local health ministry.