[ad_1]
Top envoys from the Middle East will meet US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Saturday to discuss Israel’s war against Hamas, a day after the American official said more must be done to protect Palestinian civilians.
Belgium’s foreign minister called for “restraint” in the Israel-Hamas conflict and warned against indiscriminate military operations, in remarks published a day after Gaza health officials said an airstrike hit near the territory’s main hospital. The Israeli military said it targeted an ambulance used by members of Hamas, designated a terror organization by the US and European Union.
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah warned that “all possibilities” are open amid near-daily skirmishes on Israel’s border with Lebanon, where his militant group is based. In his first public statement since Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, Nasrallah said “no one knew” beforehand about the Palestinian group’s plans.
READ | ‘US will collapse like the USSR,’ Hamas official warns amid war with Israel
Japan Prepares for Possible Evacuation of Its Citizens from Israel (11:09 a.m.)
Japanese public broadcaster NHK said authorities are preparing for a possible evacuation of about 800 Japanese nationals who remain in Israel and the Palestinian territories, citing the country’s foreign ministry.
Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa met with her Palestinian Authority counterpart Riad Malki on Friday, saying Japan was prepared to offer $65 million of humanitarian aid and relief supplies through the Japan International Cooperation Agency in addition to the already-decided $10 million in emergency aid.
Israeli Military Targets Hezbollah Militants, Reports More Attacks from Lebanon (10:16 a.m.)
The Israeli military struck two Hezbollah squads that had anti-tank munitions and were allegedly preparing to carry out attacks on Israeli soil from posts inside Lebanon, said a spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces.
READ | ‘US will collapse like the USSR,’ Hamas official warns amid war with Israel
The IDF also said it detected separate “launches” from Lebanon into Israel, without elaborating. Israeli forces are hitting back at the source of those attacks, it said.
Belgium Urges ‘Restraint’ in Israel’s War Against Hamas (10:15 a.m.)
Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib called for a humanitarian cease-fire in an interview with Le Soir newspaper published on Saturday, where she also said a two-state solution would bring an end to the fighting.
“Palestinians and Israelis will only find peace when they manage to live side by side in two states,” she told the paper. “Military operations must not be deployed massively and indiscriminately to the point of targeting civilians.”
READ | Joe Biden’s 9/11 warning to Israel: Don’t repeat US ‘mistakes’ in ‘rage’
Middle East Foreign Ministers Set to Discuss Gaza With Blinken (8:52 a.m.)
Ministers from Jordan, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Qatar will convene with a top official from the Palestinian Authority on Saturday in Amman, a step aimed at stopping the fighting in the Gaza Strip and civilian deaths, the Jordanian foreign ministry said in a statement. The envoys will then meet US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, it said.
Israeli Military Reports Fighting in Gaza’s North, South (8:06 a.m.)
Israel Defense Forces said infantry and armored vehicles attacked Hamas militants coming out of underground tunnels in the north of Gaza and killed a number of them, according to an IDF post on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
IDF staged a “focused raid” in southern Gaza to eliminate explosives held by Hamas and fought a group of militants coming out of tunnels in the area.
UN Says Number of Gaza Deaths Exceeded 9,200 (7:58 a.m.)
The UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said the fighting in Gaza left 9,257 people dead and 23,516 wounded as of midnight.
Food stocks in Gaza are probably sufficient for five to seven days, while water consumption stands at less than 10% of the levels seen before the war broke out, the UN agency said.
US Discusses Hostage Release Framework (1:30 a.m.)
The US is discussing a framework agreement that would see a significant pause in hostilities between Israel and Hamas if the Palestinian group decided to release an estimated 200 hostages taken during the Oct. 7 attack, a senior US official said Friday night.
Israel Says It Struck Ambulance Used by Hamas (8:30 p.m.)
Israeli planes bombed an ambulance that was identified as being used by Hamas militants, killing a number of them, the military said. It said the area where the airstrike was carried out is a “battle zone” and civilians have been repeatedly urged to evacuate toward southern Gaza.
Deadly Strike Hits Near Main Gaza Hospital (5:15 p.m.)
A deadly strike hit near the main hospital in the Gaza Strip, residents said, killing and wounding dozens of people. The Health Ministry in the Hamas-run enclave said 13 people were killed and 26 wounded, blaming an Israeli airstrike. It was not immediately possible to verify the claim.
Israel says Hamas uses the hospital as its military command and control center. Thousands of people have sought shelter in the hospital’s yards, interior wards and the surroundings of the medical complex since the conflict erupted.
Netanyahu Says No Cease-Fire Without Hostage Release (4:34 p.m.)
The Israeli Prime Minister again rejected a cease-fire with Hamas that doesn’t include the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza.
Netanyahu also used his televised address to warn Hezbollah not to open a second front against Israel.
Hezbollah Chief Says Border Attacks on Israel ‘Won’t Be Enough for Us’ (4:10 p.m.)
Nasrallah said his group is ready for “all possibilities,” and that escalation of the conflict on the Lebanese border would depend on developments in Gaza as well as Israel’s behavior toward Lebanon. He also called on Arab nations to sever ties with Israel.
Blinken Says His Focus Is Protecting Civilians (3:55 p.m.)
The US Secretary of State said more must be done to protect Palestinian civilians caught in the crossfire between Hamas and Israel.
He reiterated calls for humanitarian pauses in fighting to help the flow of aid and allow foreign citizens to leave Gaza. Israel has said repeatedly that a cease-fire is off the table.
[ad_2]
Source link