Israel-Gaza - live: UN says evidence of Gaza mass graves must be preserved as five killed in Rafah strikes
More than half of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million have sought refuge in Rafah
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The UN has called for the preservation of evidence of mass graves in the Gaza Strip after 390 bodies were found at two different burial sites outside the Nasser and al-Shifa hospitals.
The Israeli army said any suggestion of its responsibility was “baseless” and “unfounded” and the graves were “dug by Gazans” a few months ago.
UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said “it’s important that all forensic evidence be well preserved”.
Earlier, the US demanded “answers” from Israel after mass graves were found outside two hospitals in the Gaza Strip.
Meanwhile, at least five people have been killed following Israeli strikes in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, Palestinian hospital officials have said.
More than half of the territory’s population of 2.3 million have sought refuge in Rafah, where Israel has conducted near-daily raids as it prepares for an offensive in the city.
In central Gaza, four people were killed in Israeli tank shelling.
Germany to resume cooperation with UNRWA
Germany has said it will resume cooperation with the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), signalling plans to recommence funding which was frozen after Israel accused 12 UNRWA staff of participating in the Hamas attack on 7 October.
The allegations prompted 16 donor states, including the biggest, the United States, to freeze some $450m of funds, a blow to UNRWA’s operations as it grapples with the humanitarian crisis unleashed by Israel’s assault on Gaza.
A review led by former French foreign minister Catherine Colonna into UNRWA’s procedures for ensuring adherence to principles of neutrality was published on Monday.
In a statement, the German foreign and development ministries urged UNRWA to swiftly implement the report’s recommendations, including strengthening its internal audit function and improving external oversight of project management.
“In support of these reforms, the German government will soon continue its cooperation with UNRWA in Gaza, as Australia, Canada, Sweden and Japan, among others, have already done,” it said. Germany is UNRWA’s second-biggest donor.
US army downs anti-ship ballistic missile launched from Yemen
A coalition vessel successfully engaged one anti-ship ballistic missile (ASBM) launched from the Iranian-backed Houthi “terrorist-controlled areas” in Yemen over the Gulf of Aden, the US Central Command (US Centcom) said today.
“The ASBM was likely targeting the MV Yorktown, a US-flagged, owned, and operated vessel with 18 US and four Greek crew members,” US Centcom said in a statement.
“There were no injuries or damage reported by US, coalition, or commercial ships,” it added.
Separately, US Centcom said it “successfully engaged and destroyed four airborne unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) over Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen”.
The ASBM and UAVs presented an imminent threat to the US, the wider coalition and merchant vessels in the region, it said.
Iranian-backed Houthi militants in Yemen attacked the US ship Maersk Yorktown, an American destroyer in the Gulf of Aden and Israeli ship MSC Veracruz in the Indian Ocean, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said in a televised speech yesterday.
Family of captured hostage urge ‘bravery’ from negotiators as Hamas releases propaganda clip
Hamas has published a propaganda video appearing to show Israeli-American hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who was seized during Hamas’s attack on 7 October
The short, undated video showed the 23-year-old missing a lower arm, but otherwise apparently healthy. He was shown saying he had sustained serious injuries during the October attack “after I tried using my body as a shield to protect myself and other fearful civilians”.
His mother Rachel Goldberg-Polin has been campaigning for the release of her son, who was abducted at the Nova music festival and is one of 133 Israeli hostages still in captivity after more than 100 were released last year.
Responding to the video on Wednesday, his parents urged leaders involved in ceasefire negotiations to reach a deal. “Seeing a video of Hersh today is overwhelming. We’re relieved to see him alive but we’re also concerned about his health and wellbeing as well as that of all of the other hostages and all of those suffering in this region,” said his father Jonathan Polin in a video message.
“We’re here today with a plea to all of the leaders of the parties who have been negotiating to date. That includes Qatar, Egypt, the United States, Hamas and Israel. Be brave, lean in, seize this moment and get a deal done.”
Biden meets girl, 4, held hostage for seven weeks by Hamas
Joe Biden met with a four-year-old American on Wednesday who had been held hostage by Hamas, the White House has said.
Abigail Edan, who turned four while in captivity, was freed by Hamas militants last November after being held for seven weeks in Gaza.
Watch: SNP’s Mhairi Black grills deputy PM over Gaza mass graves
White House ‘wants answers’ over ‘deeply disturbing’ Gaza mass grave reports
US officials have been in touch with Israeli counterparts about deeply disturbing reports of mass graves being found in Gaza, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan has said.
“Those reports were deeply disturbing,” Mr Sullivan told reporters. “We have been in touch at multiple levels with the Israeli government.
“We want answers. We want to understand exactly what happened.”
Top White House official to visit Saudi Arabia to discuss normalising relations with Israel
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan has said he expects to travel to Saudi Arabia in the next few weeks.
He is to discuss with Saudi officials whether a deal to normalise relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia can be reached.
Mr Sullivan told reporters he was feeling much better after the rib injury which previously saw him postpone the trip.
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