Hamas not present at ceasefire talks in Egypt – report
As we reported earlier, Egypt is hosting an Israeli delegation for a new round of talks in a bid to secure a truce with Gaza’s Hamas rulers.
An official told Reuters on Sunday, however, that Hamas, the militant Palestinian group, would not be present at the talks in Cairo as it waited to hear from mediators on whether a new Israeli offer was on the table.
The two sides have stepped up negotiations, mediated by Qatar and Egypt, on a six-week suspension of Israel’s war in return for the proposed release of 40 of 130 hostages still held by Hamas militants in Gaza after their 7 October attack on southern Israel, in which 1,200 people were killed.
Hamas wants an end to the fighting and withdrawal of Israeli forces. Israel has ruled this out, saying it would eventually resume efforts to dismantle the governing and military capabilities of Hamas.
Key events
Closing summary
-
Talks aimed at brokering a truce between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip resumed in Cairo today, but Hamas, the militant Palestinian group, were reportedly not present as it waited to hear from mediators on whether a new Israeli offer was on the table. Egypt, Qatar and the US have mediated previous rounds of negotiations, but a workable agreement has remained elusive.
-
Thousands of people across Israel joined families of hostages to protest against the government and called for the removal of Benjamin Netanyahu, as the Israeli prime minister grappled with one of the most serious threats yet to his coalition. The protesters in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa, Be’er Sheva, Caesarea and other cities on Saturday demanded the release of those still held captive in Gaza and labelled the PM as an “obstacle to the deal”, vowing to persist until he leaves power. A statement from his office on Sunday said the Israeli prime minister would undergo surgery for a hernia during a routine examination. Deputy prime minister and justice minister Yariv Levin will serve as acting prime minister while he is sedated.
-
At least 32,782 Palestinians have been killed and 75,298 injured in Israeli strikes on Gaza since 7 October, the Gaza health ministry said in a statement. In the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis, Israeli forces continued to blockade the two main hospitals, and tanks reportedly shelled areas in the middle and eastern areas of the territory.
-
Israel’s military said it had carried out an airstrike against a command centre operated by the armed Islamic Jihad group in the courtyard of al-Aqsa hospital in the Gaza Strip. “The command centre and terrorists were struck precisely, intended on minimising harm to uninvolved civilians in the area of the hospital,” the military said. “The Al-Aqsa hospital building was not damaged and its functioning was not affected.”
-
A bomb exploded in a shopping area in a northern Syrian city held by pro-Turkish forces on Sunday morning, killing eight people and injuring more than 20 others, a war monitor said. At least “eight people were killed and 23 others wounded” when “a car bomb exploded in the middle of a popular market” in Aleppo province’s Azaz, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. It is unclear who carried out the attack in the town which is run by pro-Turkish militias fighting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
-
Rather than provide humanitarian aid in Gaza, the US should ensure it is subjected to atomic bombing the way that “Nagasaki and Hiroshima” were at the end of the second world war, Tim Walberg, a Republican congressman, said in shocking remarks that by all indications were recorded recently at a gathering with a relatively small group of his constituents.
We are closing this blog now, but you can stay up to date on the Guardian’s Middle East coverage here.
The Israeli military said it killed a senior Islamic Jihad militant in a strike on a command centre in the courtyard of the al-Aqsa hospital in central Gaza. It did not mention his name or rank. These claims have not yet been independently verified.
An Israeli airstrike hit a tent camp in the courtyard of a crowded hospital in central Gaza on Sunday, reportedly killing two Palestinians and injuring another 15, including journalists working nearby.
An Associated Press reporter filmed the strike and aftermath at the al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital in Deir al-Balah, where thousands of people have sheltered after fleeing their homes elsewhere in the enclave.
The Israeli military said it struck a command centre of the Islamic Jihad militant group and claimed the hospital’s functioning was not affected (see earlier post at 13.19).
Benjamin Netanyahu to undergo surgery on Sunday for a hernia
Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, will undergo surgery on Sunday for a hernia his doctors have discovered, a statement from his office said.
The prime minister will be fully sedated after his doctors discovered the hernia “during a routine examination”.
“During this time, deputy prime minister and justice minister Yariv Levin will serve as acting prime minister,” the statement said.
It comes after thousands of people across Israel joined families of hostages to protest against the government and call for the removal of Netanyahu, who has been accused of deliberately sabotaging efforts to secure the release of hostages.
Last year, Netanyahu, 74, underwent surgery to have a pacemaker implanted.
Hamas not present at ceasefire talks in Egypt – report
As we reported earlier, Egypt is hosting an Israeli delegation for a new round of talks in a bid to secure a truce with Gaza’s Hamas rulers.
An official told Reuters on Sunday, however, that Hamas, the militant Palestinian group, would not be present at the talks in Cairo as it waited to hear from mediators on whether a new Israeli offer was on the table.
The two sides have stepped up negotiations, mediated by Qatar and Egypt, on a six-week suspension of Israel’s war in return for the proposed release of 40 of 130 hostages still held by Hamas militants in Gaza after their 7 October attack on southern Israel, in which 1,200 people were killed.
Hamas wants an end to the fighting and withdrawal of Israeli forces. Israel has ruled this out, saying it would eventually resume efforts to dismantle the governing and military capabilities of Hamas.
Here are some of the latest images coming out from the newswires:
The UK’s foreign secretary, David Cameron, is under pressure to publish the legal advice he has received on Israel’s actions in Gaza following claims UK government lawyers believe it has broken humanitarian law.
As revealed by the Observer, the commons foreign affairs committee chair, Alicia Kearns, said she was convinced the government had concluded that Israel was not demonstrating a commitment to international humanitarian law, but had refused to confirm that publicly.
Shadow foreign secretary David Lammy has urged Cameron and prime minister Rishi Sunak to be transparent and disclose the advice they had been given.
Lammy said:
Last week I asked the government whether or not the foreign secretary had received legal advice saying that there is a clear risk that items licensed by the UK might be used to commit or facilitate a serious violation of international humanitarian law.
I didn’t get a clear answer. This raises serious questions about whether the government is complying with its own law.
David Cameron and Rishi Sunak must now (come) clean and publish the legal advice they have received.
SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn said:
The UK government is on the wrong side of history. Their failure to call for an immediate ceasefire, and their refusal to end arm sales to Israel, will have future generations looking back in horror.
The prime minister and foreign secretary owe it to the public and to the high offices they currently hold to be honest about whether they have received advice that Israel has breached international humanitarian law.
If reports are to be believed, and the UK Government has continued to supply arms and intelligence to Israel whilst knowing they were in breach of international humanitarian law, then the position of both would be untenable.
Cameron has repeatedly said that Israel, as the “occupying power” in Gaza, has responsibilities under humanitarian law, including ensuring aid is supplied to civilians.
He has stressed that responsibility has “consequences”, including when the UK assesses whether Israel is compliant with international humanitarian law.
A Foreign Office spokesperson said: “We keep advice on Israel’s adherence to international humanitarian law under review and ministers act in accordance with that advice, for example, when considering export licences. The content of the government’s advice is confidential.”
Since the start of the year, more than 200 Syrian soldiers and affiliated fighters have been killed in IS attacks, ambushes and explosions in the Syrian desert, including in Deir Ezzor, Homs and Raqa provinces, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said (see earlier post at 09.12 for details of the eight people who were reportedly killed after a bomb exploded in a shopping area in a northern Syrian city on Sunday).
Jihadist attacks have killed at least 37 civilians during the same period, while government forces and affiliated fighters have killed 24 IS members, according to the Observatory.
IS overran large swathes of Syria and Iraq in 2014. It was defeated territorially in Syria in 2019, but its remnants continue to carry out deadly attacks, particularly in the vast Badia desert which runs from the outskirts of Damascus to the Iraqi border, mainly targeting pro-government forces and Kurdish-led fighters.
Volunteers of the Syria Civil Defence (White Helmets) work at the site of a car blast in the city of Azaz in Syria. Photograph: White Helmets/Reuters
Israel’s military said on Sunday it had carried out an airstrike against a command centre operated by the armed Islamic Jihad group in the courtyard of Al-Aqsa hospital in the Gaza Strip, according to a report by Reuters.
“The command centre and terrorists were struck precisely, intended on minimising harm to uninvolved civilians in the area of the hospital,” the military said. “The Al-Aqsa hospital building was not damaged and its functioning was not affected.” The Guardian has not verified these claims.
Israel says hospitals in Gaza are used by Hamas and other militant groups as bases, and has released videos and pictures supporting the claim. Hamas and medical staff deny this.
Lorenzo Tondo
Thousands of people across Israel have joined families of hostages to protest against the government and call for the removal of Benjamin Netanyahu, as the Israeli prime minister grapples with one of the most serious threats yet to his coalition, reports Lorenzo Tondo in Jerusalem.
The protesters in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa, Be’er Sheva, Caesarea and other cities on Saturday demanded the release of those still held captive in Gaza and labelled the PM as an “obstacle to the deal”, vowing to persist until he is ousted from office.
The nationwide protests coincided with reports from the Egyptian TV station Al-Qahera, known for its ties to the country’s intelligence services, indicating that negotiations for a truce between Israel and Hamas are scheduled to resume in Cairo on Sunday.
“It’s been 176 days that I haven’t turned a blind eye to the thoughts and fear of what my son and the other abductees are going through,” said Shira Albag, the mother of the hostage Liri Albag.
“The people of Israel won’t forget or forgive anyone who prevents a deal that would bring them [the hostages] back to us. After 176 days, 4,224 hours, the excuses have run out,” she added.
Read the full story here:
Palestinian health officials said an Israeli airstrike killed nine people in Bani Suhaila near Khan Younis, while another airstrike killed four people in al-Maghazi camp in the central Gaza Strip, Reuters reports.
In Deir Al-Balah, health officials and Hamas media said an Israeli airstrike hit several tents inside Shuhada Al-Aqsa Hospital, killing four people and injuring several others, including some journalists. These claims have not been independently verified.
Death toll in Gaza reaches 32,782, says health ministry
At least 32,782 Palestinians have been killed and 75,298 injured in Israeli strikes on Gaza since 7 October, the Gaza health ministry said in a statement on Sunday.
Most of the casualties have been women and children, the ministry has said, and thousands more bodies are likely to remain uncounted under rubble across Gaza.
At least 75 Palestinians killed overnight by Israeli bombardment – health ministry
At least 75 people were killed overnight in new Israeli bombardment and ground combat, most of them women and children, according to the Gaza health ministry.