Israel’s war on Gaza updates: Netanyahu says Rafah assault ‘will happen’
Israeli leader suggests offensive against crowded Palestinian city is inevitable, but says captives deal could delay it.
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel will attack Rafah, where hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians are sheltering, but the assault “will be delayed somewhat” if a captives deal is reached.
- The UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, says the last time it was able to deliver food to northern Gaza was on January 23, renewing calls for the international community to allow more aid to the Palestinian territory to avert famine.
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel will attack Rafah, where hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians are sheltering, but the assault “will be delayed somewhat” if a captives deal is reached.
- The UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, says the last time it was able to deliver food to northern Gaza was on January 23, renewing calls for the international community to allow more aid to the Palestinian territory to avert famine.
- The Gaza Health Ministry warns of a catastrophic situation “beyond description” as hospitals in the north of the enclave run out of fuel, putting the lives of patients at risk.
- A two-month-old Palestinian baby has died from starvation in northern Gaza, according to media reports, as Israel is accused of using starvation as a weapon of war.
- At least 29,692 Palestinians have been killed and 69,879 injured in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7. The revised death toll in Israel from the October 7 attacks stands at 1,139.
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This live page is now closed. Follow along with our ongoing coverage of Israel’s war on Gaza here.
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You can also read our story about Israel’s post-war plan here.
And you can always read more about the conflict here.
Here’s what happened today
We will soon be closing this live page. Here’s a summary of the day’s developments:
- The Health Ministry in Gaza says ambulances are out of service and dialysis and intensive care patients are at risk of death in northern Gaza as hospitals run out of fuel.
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says a captives deal would only “delay” an assault on the crowded city of Rafah, stressing that the offensive “will happen”.
- The UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, says the last time it delivered food to northern Gaza was more than one month ago, adding that famine in the area can be averted if more food convoys are allowed in.
- The Palestinian Red Crescent Society reports “catastrophic” conditions at the besieged al-Amal hospital in southern Gaza “due to severe shortages in food, drinkable water, medical supplies, and medication”.
- Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant says attacks against Hezbollah in Lebanon will continue even if a temporary ceasefire is reached in Gaza.
- A group of Israeli settlers storm the Bedouin community of Arab al-Malehat, northwest of Jericho in the occupied West Bank.
- Iran has condemned the latest US and UK strikes on Houthi positions in Yemen, saying they violated the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Arab country.
Hezbollah says it carried out six attacks against Israel on Sunday
The Lebanese group said the military operations included targeting buildings where Israeli troops had gathered in the northern Israeli towns of Manara and Malkia.
Hezbollah said the attacks were in support of Palestinians in Gaza and in response to the targeting of Lebanese civilians’ homes by Israel.
Palestinian diplomat says blocking of humanitarian aid a ‘war crime’
Nada Tarbush, a diplomat at the Palestine Mission to the UN, has urged world governments to intervene and ensure the “urgent delivery of food, clean water and medicine via airdrops in Gaza”.
“Blocking the delivery of humanitarian aid is a war crime. Using starvation as a means of warfare is a war crime. Collective punishment is a war crime,” she said in a post on X.
Blocking the delivery of humanitarian aid is a war crime. Using starvation as a means of warfare is a war crime. Collective punishment is a war crime.
Governments should intervene to ensure the urgent delivery of food, clean water and medicine via airdrops. #AirDropAidForGaza https://t.co/MR3WjEUKWH
— Nada Tarbush (@Tarbush_Nada) February 25, 2024
We must ‘rehumanise ourselves’: Palestinian artist Sliman Mansour
Palestinian artist Sliman Mansour says he is sad and angry at the number of Palestinian journalists killed in Gaza.
“But it fits the thinking of the Israelis,” Mansour told Al Jazeera. “For them, the narrative is very important. And who tells the narrative – it should be them only, because that’s the truth for them. Anybody who speaks another narrative should be put in prison. Or now they are killed.”
You can read more on Mansour, his art and ideas here.
NYT ‘reviewing’ reporter who ‘liked’ anti-Palestinian posts
The New York Times has said it is probing a freelance reporter who “liked” social media posts calling for mass violence against Palestinians.
The issue has sparked controversy since it became known that Israeli freelancer Anat Schwartz, who contributed to the Times’ coverage of Hamas’s October 7 attack, “liked” several pro-Israel posts, including one that called for turning Gaza “into a slaughterhouse”.
Hamas has previously categorically denied some of the alleged atrocities attributed to the group by Schwartz’s reporting.
“We are aware that a freelance journalist in Israel who has worked with The Times has ‘liked’ several social media posts,” New York Times spokesperson Danielle Rhoades Ha said in a statement to the Daily Beast. “Those ‘likes’ are unacceptable violations of our company policy. We are currently reviewing the matter.”
The New York Times has faced allegations of pro-Israel bias from Palestinian rights advocates, especially over the newspaper’s frequent use of passive voice when it comes to Israeli atrocities against Palestinians.
Pressure works. The @nytimes is investigating @Anatschwartz after she was called out for repeatedly shared genocidal posts. But they can’t undo the damage they’ve already done. https://t.co/ZdjFP6pzca
— Tariq Kenney-Shawa (@tksshawa) February 25, 2024
‘Catastrohic conditions’ at southern Gaza hospital
A UN delegation has visited the al-Amal Hospital in Khan Younis to inspect the damage caused by Israeli forces, the Palestine Red Crescent Society has said.
“The delegation witnessed the extent of the damage caused by Israeli occupation artillery shelling to several floors of the hospital, as well as the catastrophic conditions inside due to severe shortages in food, drinkable water, medical supplies, and medication,” the group said.
The hospital has been under siege for weeks by the Israeli army.
During yesterday’s visit by a UN delegation to PRCS Al-Amal Hospital in Khan Tunis , which has been under siege for the thirty-fourth consecutive day, the delegation witnessed the extent of the damage caused by Israeli occupation artillery shelling to several floors of the… pic.twitter.com/IJUykEOdkl
— PRCS (@PalestineRCS) February 25, 2024
Palestinians are starving ‘because of Israeli siege’: Mustafa Barghouti
Palestinian activist and rights advocate Mustafa Barghouti says hundreds of thousands of people in the north are going hungry due to Israel’s blockade.
“The last humanitarian supplies that reached northern Gaza was on the 23rd of January, more than a month ago,” he posted on X.
Earlier this week, the UN’s World Food Programme said it had paused delivering aid to northern Gaza, citing Israeli gunfire as well as “complete chaos and violence due to the collapse of civil order” in the area.
It said that “the safety and security to deliver critical food aid – and for people receiving it – must be ensured”.
Hundreds of of thousands of Palestinians are starving in the North of Gaza because of Israeli siege. The last humanitarian supplies that reached Northern Gaza was on the 23d of January, more than a month ago.
— Mustafa Barghouti @Mustafa_Barghouti (@MustafaBarghou1) February 25, 2024
Man self-immolates outside Israel embassy: Reports
Police in Washington, DC, have confirmed that a man had set himself on fire outside an embassy, without specifying to whom it belonged.
But hours earlier, local journalists and one advocacy group reported that the incident took place outside the Israeli embassy in an act of protest against the war on Gaza.
“An adult male was transported by DC Fire and EMS to a local hospital where they remain in critical condition,” the police said in a statement.
We will bring you further updates on this when more information becomes available.
There was further escalation after ICJ orders: UN expert
Margaret Satterthwaite, UN special rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, has spoken to our colleagues at Al Jazeera Arabic about the deteriorating situation in Gaza after the International Court of Justice’s order to Israel to prevent genocide in the territory.
Here is a summary of what she said:
- The Israeli war against the health system in Gaza is deliberate.
- Following the ruling of the International Court of Justice, there has been further escalation.
- We fear a disaster due to the spread of decomposing bodies and the spread of epidemics.
- We cannot do anything without an immediate ceasefire.
Advocacy group stresses Muslim Americans’ political power amid Gaza war
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has said that it found through a recent study in cooperation with a data firm that there are more than two million registered Muslim voters in the US – a significant increase from previous estimates.
“As American Muslim voters surge in numbers, united in staunch opposition to the United States’ complicity in Israel’s ongoing genocide of Palestinians in Gaza, our ballots wield the power not only to shape policy but to determine our leaders and chart a better course for our nation,” CAIR director Nihad Awad said in a statement.
Muslim American advocates have been increasingly frustrated with Biden over his unconditional support for Israel’s war on Gaza.
World has been warning Israel against Rafah assault
Today, Netanyahu said Israel intends to carry out an all-out assault on Rafah in order to achieve “total victory” against Hamas.
But the international community – including some of Israel’s staunchest allies – have been warning against an Israeli attack on the southern Gaza city.
Rafah is now home to nearly 1.3 million people, most of whom are displaced Palestinians from other parts of Gaza. Israel has been pushing people south, and Rafah is the southernmost city in the territory.
Here are some of the warnings from international actors over the past weeks.
- White House spokesperson John Kirby: “We believe that any major operation in Rafah, under the current circumstances … would be a disaster.”
- UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron: “We think it is impossible to see how you can fight a war amongst these people. There’s nowhere for them to go.”
- German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock: “If the Israeli army were to launch an offensive on Rafah under these conditions, it would be a humanitarian catastrophe.”
- French President Emmanuel Macron: An assault on Rafah “could only lead to a humanitarian catastrophe of a new magnitude and to forced displacement of populations”.
- Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry: “Saudi Arabia warns of the very serious repercussions of storming and targeting the city of Rafah.”
- Jens Laerke, spokesperson of the UN humanitarian office OCHA: “Intensified hostilities in Rafah in this situation could lead to large-scale loss of civilian lives.”
Israeli gov’t undecided on Ramadan procedures: Analyst
Hani al-Masri, director of the Masarat Center for Policy Research, says the Israeli government is still unclear on the type of restrictions it will take in the Muslim holy month against worshippers trying to pray at Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Al-Masri tells Al Jazeera it’s due to pressure from the more right-wing ministers who are calling for matters to be resolved with a firm hand. “But the army knows that Ramadan is a powder keg that can lead to an explosive situation, especially with the ongoing war in Gaza.”
“Netanyahu is looking to side with Smotrich and Ben-Gvir, who don’t want to see any restrictions lifted during Ramadan, while the military is concerned about things spilling over in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem,” al-Masri said.
Israeli soldiers filming own abuses shows ‘depth of tragedy’ in Gaza: UN expert
A video showing an Israeli soldier gifting his fiancee a pair of shoes he looted from a home in Gaza has sparked criticism on social media.
“Young Israeli soldiers finding the time [and stamina] to document their crimes cheerfully gives the depth of the tragedy unfolding in Gaza,” UN special rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories Francesca Albanese said on X.
Israeli soldiers have posted videos of themselves stealing from Palestinian homes, blowing up residential buildings and destroying medical centres in Gaza, among other abuses.
Gaza’s Government Media Office says that at least $25m in cash, gold and valuables has been looted from the territory in the first three months of the war.
Young Israeli soldiers finding the time (and stamina) to document their crimes cheerfully, gives the depth of the tragedy unfolding in #gaza. Make no mistake, for Jewish Israelis as well. https://t.co/oEbEezq5iz
— Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur oPt (@FranceskAlbs) February 25, 2024
Israel threatens to pull out of Eurovision if song is rejected
Israel has warned that it may withdraw from this year’s Eurovision Song Contest if organisers reject the lyrics from its entry as too political.
Eden Golan and her song “October Rain” were chosen to compete in the annual competition, which is being held in May in Malmo, Sweden.
Media reports have suggested that the song, which is mostly in English with some Hebrew words, references the October 7 attack.
That could mean the ballad and its 20-year-old Russian-Israeli singer fall foul of Eurovision rules, which ban political statements.
The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) said only that it was “currently in the process of scrutinising the lyrics” and a final decision had yet to be taken.
“If a song is deemed unacceptable for any reason, broadcasters are then given the opportunity to submit a new song or new lyrics, as per the rules of the contest,” it said.
Hezbollah claims rocket attack against Israeli troops
The Lebanese group says it targeted a group of Israeli soldiers in the vicinity of Marj, Lebanon on the eastern side of the border with a locally manufactured Burkan rocket.
Israel is carrying out ‘cultural genocide’ in Gaza: Official
Abdel Salam Attari, director general of literature and publishing at the PA Ministry of Culture, says Israel has been deliberately targeting all forms of culture in the besieged coastal enclave.
“The occupation is destroying cultural life and creativity in Gaza, which is part of its policy of erasing Palestinian identity,” Attari tells Al Jazeera.
“The ferocity of attacks on Palestinian culture increased since October 7. Up until February 13, we have documented the killing of 44 writers and artists, in addition to the destruction of 32 cultural institutions, centres and theatres, as well as 12 museums, nine public libraries and eight publishing houses and printing presses.”
Attari adds that “Israel has been systematically targeting – with the aim to destroy – the Palestinian narrative. Cultural and social life has come to a near paralysis in both the West Bank and Gaza Strip.”
US singer calls for killing thousands in Gaza if captives not released
Kid Rock has said in an expletive-laden tirade that Israel should give Hamas 24 hours to free all captives or else start killing people in the tens of thousands.
“I don’t disagree with what Israel is doing. It’s like they should just go in there and be like, ‘You know what, we want our hostages back. If we don’t have them back, the clock starts now. In 24 hours, we are gonna start bombing m************, and killing civilians, 30,000 to 40,000 a f****** time’,” he told the Joe Rogan Experience podcast.
“That’s the only thing people understand … It’s what happened in Nagasaki and Hiroshima,” he said.
The podcast was released on Thursday, but Kid Rock’s comments on Gaza started to go viral in subsequent days, stirring outrage.
Several US celebrities and politicians have called for mass violence against Palestinians with little or no consequences, in what rights advocates say is the growing normalisation of anti-Palestinian hate.
In contrast, artists, academics and politicians who have voiced support for Palestinians have suffered professional repercussions. For example, last year, many Democrats joined Republicans in the US House of Representatives to censure Rashida Tlaib – the only Palestinian member of Congress.
Gaza authorities accuse Israel of 19 different kinds of war crimes
Gaza’s Government Media Office says Israeli forces have been committing rampant violations, including crimes against humanity, which together fit the legal definition of genocide.
Here are some of the war crimes that the office said Israel has been carrying out since October 7:
- Deliberate killings: Israel has killed nearly 30,000 Palestinians.
- Torture: Israel has detained 2,600 Palestinians, and there are credible reports that many have been mistreated.
- Forced displacement: Israeli forces have forced more than 80 percent of the people in Gaza to leave their homes.
- Hostage-taking: The office says Israeli forces have taken Palestinian civilians hostage and used them as human shields in several military operations.
- Using hunger as a weapon of war: Israel has been imposing a severe siege, preventing humanitarian aid from entering Gaza and also targeting assistance convoys.
- Bombing homes, houses of worship and schools: According to the office, Israel has destroyed more than 500 mosques and churches, 300 educational institutions and 360,000 residential units.
- Targeting heritage sites: Israel has destroyed more than 200 cultural sites, including some that are centuries old.
- Targeting medical centres: “Israel deliberately carries out military attacks against medical facilities throughout Gaza to deprive Palestinians of any chance of survival”, putting 31 out of 35 hospitals in Gaza out of service.
Israel says its troops were not present where Palestinian girl Hind was killed
In one of her final messages, six-year-old Palestinian girl Hind Rajab described an Israeli tank near the car where she was stranded, according to audio recordings released by the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS).
Hind told rescuers that she was surrounded by family members killed by an Israeli attack on the vehicle.
But the Israeli military, which faced calls by rights groups and the US to investigate the incident, now says that it did not have soldiers around the area where the girl, her family members and two medics sent to rescue her were killed.
“From a preliminary investigation that was conducted, it appears that [Israeli] troops were not present near the vehicle or within firing range of the described vehicle in which the girl was found,” an Israeli military spokesperson told the Times of Israel.
Hind and the two rescuers who tried to find her were missing for 12 days before their bodies were retrieved because of Israeli military activity in the area.
Israel has a history of swiftly clearing its troops of any wrongdoing in cases of abuse against Palestinians.
‘Goldstein’s deep racist spirit dominates Israel these days’
Mistaclim, a group of anti-occupation activists in Israel, says that although the Hebron massacre perpetrated by Baruch Goldstein was 30 years ago, “the concept did not change”.
“It just became the Israeli mainstream. His spiritual disciples control the cabinet meetings and run the government, the police, the army, the West Bank, and within the state,” the group said in a statement.
“Shuhada Street and its surroundings, a central area of Hebron, which was partially closed immediately after the massacre, has become over the years a ‘sterile’ area where Palestinians cannot go, through endless circles of hatred, bereavement, death and blood.”
Goldstein, born in New York City in the US, killed 29 Palestinians when he opened fire at the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron in 1994.
While rising through politics, Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir displayed a photo of Goldstein on his wall.
Israel’s Gallant says Lebanon attacks will continue even if Gaza truce is reached
The Israeli defence minister has vowed to continue targeting Hezbollah regardless of the situation in Gaza.
“If anyone thinks that when we get a hostage release deal and pause in Gaza, it will alleviate what is going on here – they’re wrong,” Yoav Gallant said, as reported by Haaretz newspaper.
He added that Israel will push Hezbollah to retreat off of its northern border “either by agreement or by force”.
Hezbollah and Israel have been exchanging fire for months. The Lebanese group says it will not stop its attacks until the war on Gaza ends.
Report of two-month-old baby dying in Gaza from hunger ‘horrific’: UNRWA
The United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees says high-risk malnutrition continues to increase in the coastal enclave, with one in six children in northern Gaza “severely malnourished”.
“We continue to appeal for regular humanitarian access,” UNRWA said in a post on X.
According to the Shehab news agency, two-month-old infant Mahmoud Fattouh died at al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City on Friday.
Footage, verified by Al Jazeera, showed the emaciated infant gasping for breath in a hospital bed.
Reports that a 2-month-old baby died of hunger in #Gaza are horrific.
High risk malnutrition continues to rise, 1 in 6 children in north #Gaza are severely malnourished.
This is a man made disaster. We continue to appeal for regular humanitarian access.https://t.co/JOvUbNKLBj
— UNRWA (@UNRWA) February 25, 2024
Israeli forces partially withdraw from Nasser Hospital
The situation is really chaotic, as we have been seeing disturbing videos emerge from Nasser Hospital after the partial Israeli withdrawal.
Inside, Israeli tanks have ruined much of the area around the hospital, razing the places that were allocated for ambulances to be stationed.
Also, the Israeli military forces managed to destroy the mass grave that residents were forced to make – to bury the dead who were not able to get out.
Netanyahu’s comments cast doubt over willingness to reach deal: Hamas
Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri has said that the Israeli PM’s remarks to CBS News earlier cast doubt over Israel’s willingness to secure a deal.
“[Benjamin] Netanyahu’s comments show he is not concerned about reaching an agreement,” Abu Zuhri told Reuters, accusing the Israeli leader of wanting “to pursue negotiation under bombardment and the bloodshed [of Palestinians]”.
Earlier, we reported that Netanyahu told the CBS programme Face the Nation that Israel will have to invade Rafah at a certain point, even if a deal is inked.