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
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails
Sign up to our free breaking news emails
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.
Bernie Sanders issues scathing statement directed at Netanyahu
Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders is pushing back after Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused US college students protesting against the war in Gaza of being antisemitic.
Mr Netanyahu’s office released a video of the US-born Israeli leader attacking the student-led protests that have taken over campus spaces at numerous universities.
In the video, Mr Netanyahu referred to the protesters as “antisemitic mobs” and accused them of physically attacking Jewish students and faculty.
The Israeli leader added: “This is reminiscent of what happened in German universities in the 1930s. It’s unconscionable. It has to be stopped.”
Senator Sanders — one of America’s highest-profile Jewish lawmakers — responded in a statement on Thursday in which he directly refuted Netanyahu’s accusations and addressed him by name.
Andrew Feinberg reports.
Bernie Sanders issues scathing statement directed at Netanyahu
The Vermont Senator, one of America’s highest-profile Jewish lawmakers, said the Israeli leader was head of an ‘extremist and racist government’ and that the US campus protests against the Gaza war are ‘not antisemitic’
Israel ‘moving ahead’ with Rafah attack despite US plea
Israel looks to be readying troops for an offensive in the last remaining corner of the Gaza Strip untouched by heavy fighting.
A spokesperson for Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the military was moving ahead with its plans for a ground operation in Rafah, while the Israeli military said that it had mobilised two more reservist brigades for missions in Gaza.
Israel’s long-threatened plan has drawn intense opposition from Israel’s allies, including its most powerful ally the US, which said such an attack on Rafah would cause thousands of civilian casualties and further disrupt aid deliveries. More than a million Palestinians have been displaced into the small southern city, many of whom are living in makeshift tents.
Tom Watling has more.
Israel ‘moving ahead’ with Rafah attack despite US plea
Israel has mobilised two more brigades for missions in Gaza ahead of a long-threatened offensive in the southern city of Rafah, where more than a million Palestinians have fled
Donald Trump takes shot at pro-Palestine college protests
Former president Donald Trump has criticised the mostly peaceful pro-Palestine protests in US colleges, describing them as displays of “tremendous hate”.
The Republican nominee said the violence at a white nationalist rally in Virginia when he was president was by comparison “a little peanut” to the ongoing demonstrations at over a dozen American colleges, including Columbia, Yale and Harvard.
He also sought to place the blame of campus protests on president Joe Biden.Mr Trump referenced the violent clashes in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017 between white nationalists and counter-protesters, in which one woman was killed.
“Charlottesville was a little peanut. And it was nothing compared to -- and the hate wasn’t the kind of hate that you have here,” Mr Trump said, repeating an assertion he made on his social media platform earlier this week.
Gaza mass graves: UN calls for preservation of forensic evidence
The UN has emphasised 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.
Mohammed Al Mighayyer, an official from the Palestinian Civil Defence in Gaza, said so far 165 bodies have been identified at the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis, following the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the area earlier this month.
They are still examining the remaining 227 bodies to determine their identities, he said.
“We found three mass graves, the first in front of the morgue, the second behind the morgue, and the third north of the dialysis building,” he added.
UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric yesterday told at a news conference that “it’s important that all forensic evidence be well preserved”.
Citing the UN’s call for an international investigation on the mass graves, Ms Dujarric said it was “unclear” how that would take place.
Hamas will lay down arms if Palestinian state is established, says official
Hamas is willing to lay down its weapons and agree to a five-year-truce with Israel if an independent Palestinian state is established along pre-1967 borders, a top official with the militant group said.
Khalil al-Hayya said Hamas wants to join the Palestine Liberation Organization, headed by the rival Fatah faction, to form a unified government for Gaza and the West Bank.
He told the Associated Press that Hamas would accept “a fully sovereign Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip and the return of Palestinian refugees in accordance with the international resolutions”.
If that happens, he said, the group’s military wing would dissolve.
“All the experiences of people who fought against occupiers, when they became independent and obtained their rights and their state, what have these forces done? They have turned into political parties and their defending fighting forces have turned into the national army,” he said.
Israel willing to accept release of 20 hostages in truce’s first phase - report
Israel is willing to reduce its demand for Hamas to release 40 hostages in exchange for a temporary ceasefire in Gaza after the militant group refused the suggested deal, local media reported.
Israel was now willing to accept the release of just 20 hostages in the first phase of the ceasefire deal. The hostages should be either women, men over 50 years old and those who are seriously ill, according to the Times of Israel.
Benjamin Netanyahu’s war cabinet has authorised negotiators team to discuss a flexible approach with the Egyptian team scheduled to arrive in Tel Aviv today for ceasefire talks.
Pro-Palestine protests grow across US universities
Israel ‘doubly responsible’ for Belgian aid worker’s death, says PM
Belgian prime minister Alexander De Croo said Israel was “doubly responsible” for killing a Belgian humanitarian worker and his family in the Gaza Strip.
Abdallah Nabhan and members of his family died overnight following an Israeli airstrike in the city of Rafah in southern Gaza, prompting the foreign minister to summoned Israel’s ambassador.
Nabhan, whose father, brother, niece and son were also killed, was on the list of people eligible to leave Gaza, according to Belgian development agency Enabel.
Mr De Croo described the deaths as “tragic news” during a plenary session in the lower chamber of the parliament, 7sur7 reported.“They have been refusing it for four months,” he said.
“Everyday, innocent people and children are being killed. Dear Israeli government: This must stop. Now.”
Belgium was eager to recognise the state of Palestine, Mr De Croo reportedly said, adding: “This must be part of a peace process, a process of political reforms necessary on both sides.
Over 100 arrested as police crack down on pro-Palestinian protests at US college
At least 108 people were arrested and four police officers were injured yesterday when Boston police moved to clear a pro-Palestinian encampment at Emerson College.
Student protests over the Israel-Hamas war have popped up on an increasing number of college campuses following last week’s arrest of more than 100 demonstrators at Columbia University.
The students are calling for universities to separate themselves from any companies that are advancing Israel’s military efforts in Gaza — and in some cases from Israel itself.
The protests have erupted throughout the US at a dozen universities, including Yale, Harvard, along with New York University, University of Texas at Austin and University of Southern California and more.
UN report says 282 million people faced acute hunger in 2023, with the worst famine in Gaza
Nearly 282 million people in 59 countries suffered from acute hunger in 2023, with war-torn Gaza as the territory with the largest number of people facing famine, according to the Global Report on Food Crises released Wednesday.
The U.N. report said 24 million more people faced an acute lack of food than in 2022, due to the sharp deterioration in food security, especially in the Gaza Strip and Sudan. The number of nations with food crises that are monitored has also been expanded.
Full report:
UN report says 282 million people faced acute hunger in 2023, with the worst famine in Gaza
A new report says nearly 282 million people in 59 countries suffered from acute hunger in 2023, with war-torn Gaza hosting the largest number of people facing famine
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies