Israel’s war on Gaza updates: Netanyahu asks military to submit Rafah plan
The Israeli prime minister says he orders military to develop a dual plan to evacuate civilians from Rafah and defeat the remaining Hamas fighters.
- The Israeli prime minister says he has ordered the military to develop a plan to both evacuate civilians from Rafah and defeat the remaining Hamas battalions.
- Israeli snipers in Khan Younis kill at least 21 people outside Nasser Hospital with medical staff among those targeted. Within 24 hours, 107 Palestinians have been killed and 142 injured.
- The Israeli prime minister says he has ordered the military to develop a plan to both evacuate civilians from Rafah and defeat the remaining Hamas battalions.
- Israeli snipers in Khan Younis kill at least 21 people outside Nasser Hospital with medical staff among those targeted. Within 24 hours, 107 Palestinians have been killed and 142 injured.
- US President Joe Biden calls Israel’s attack on Gaza “over the top” and says he continues to work “tirelessly” for an extended “pause in fighting”.
- UN chief Antonio Guterres says half of Gaza’s 2.3 million population “is now crammed into Rafah with nowhere to go”, warning the displaced “have no homes” and “no hope”.
- At least 27,947 people have been killed and 67,459 wounded in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7. The death toll in Israel from the October 7 Hamas attacks stands at 1,139.
Here’s what happened today
We will be closing the live blog soon. Here’s a review of the day’s main events.
- Netanyahu ordered the military to develop a plan to evacuate civilians from Rafah, where more than half of Gaza’s population is sheltering with nowhere to flee. Human rights groups have said an Israeli assault on the packed area would be “catastrophic” for civilians and stressed that it must not be allowed to go forward.
- Israeli snipers in Khan Younis have killed at least 21 people outside Nasser Hospital, with medical staff among those targeted. The Palestine Red Crescent Society also reported that Israeli forces arrested staff and patients at al-Amal Hospital.
- A 17-year-old Palestinian boy named Muadh Ashraf Faleh Bani Shamsa was shot and killed by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank, where tensions remain high and Israel has carried out mass arrests, arresting about 7,000 Palestinians since the beginning of the war in Gaza.
- The UN reported that nearly one in 10 children in Gaza below the age of five are suffering from acute malnutrition, as extreme hunger spreads across the territory while Israel blocks large portions of humanitarian assistance.
MSF says Israeli assault on Rafah ‘must not proceed’
The medical aid group Doctors Without Borders (Medecins Sans Frontieres, or MSF) has said that Israel’s intention to carry out an assault on Rafah is an escalation of an “ongoing massacre”. Many of the hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinian civilians trapped in Rafah have already evacuated numerous times as Israel has pressed its offensive further and further south.
“Israel’s declared ground offensive on Rafah would be catastrophic and must not proceed. Today’s announcement marks a dramatic escalation in this ongoing massacre,” the group said in a social media post.
“There is no place that is safe in Gaza and no way for people to leave.”
Israel’s declared ground offensive on Rafah would be catastrophic and must not proceed.
Today's announcement marks a dramatic escalation in this ongoing massacre.
There is no place that is safe in Gaza and no way for people to leave.https://t.co/h3KGMwa7Sk pic.twitter.com/5uzh1cBH0z
— Doctors w/o Borders (@MSF_USA) February 9, 2024
WATCH: Former director of Israel’s Mossad on civilian deaths in Gaza
In this week’s episode of Al Jazeera’s UpFront, Marc Lamont Hill challenges Mossad’s former director, Efraim Halevy, on Israel’s war on Gaza.
As the war enters its fifth month, more than 27,500 people have been killed and 85 percent of the total population has been internally displaced. The war has also spurred regional tensions and threatened stability across the Middle East.
Efforts to halt the war have been in vain, with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who recently rejected a truce offer, saying there will be no end to the war until Israel wins.
So, when will the attacks and killings stop? And what is the Netanyahu government’s long-term strategy?
Watch the full episode below:
Moody’s downgrades Israel’s credit rating due to Gaza war
The credit rating agency downgraded the country from an A1 rating to A2 after the conclusion of a review.
“While fighting in Gaza may diminish in intensity or pause, there is currently no agreement to end hostilities durably and no agreement on a longer-term plan that would fully restore and eventually strengthen security for Israel,” Moody’s said.
The Israeli newspaper Haaretz said it was the first time that Israel’s credit rating had been downgraded.
Netanyahu tried to reassure Israelis after the announcement, saying that Israel’s economy is still strong.
“The downgrade is not related to the economy, it is entirely due to the fact that we are at war,” he said. “The rating will go back up as soon as we win the war – and we will win.”
Report says CIA chief to return to Middle East as US pushes for Gaza truce deal
US media outlet Axios reports that Bill Burns, the head of the US’s foreign intelligence agency, is expected to travel to Cairo next week to meet with Egyptian officials in an effort to launch a new round of negotiations between Israel and Hamas.
Burns is seen as the US’s most respected negotiator in the Middle East and a visit from him to Doha preceded the first and only truce in Israel’s war on Gaza.
We will not allow Palestinians to be pushed into the Sinai, says ambassador to UN
Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian permanent observer to the UN, made the comments on the way to a meeting with the Arab Group of ambassadors in New York.
“We are mobilising and we are engaged in the Security Council,” said Mansour. “So God forbid, if the Israeli army… begins the so-called evacuating [of] the people from Rafah, where would they go?”
“They’re saying they’re not allowing them to go to the north. They don’t want them to stay in Rafah – it doesn’t require a nuclear physicist to come to the conclusion that there is only one place for them to go, which is the Sinai Peninsula, and we [will] not allow that.”
UN General Assembly President ‘dismayed’ by plan for Israeli assault on Rafah
UNGA President Dennis Francis has expressed alarm over Israel’s planned military expansion into Rafah.
“I am shocked and deeply dismayed by the news of an Israeli military offensive into the south of the Gaza Strip. I join the Secretary-General in pleading on behalf of the multitudes of innocent civilians with nowhere safe to go,” Francis said in a social media post.
“In the name of humanity, I demand that their plight be heard and heeded. I once again reiterate UNGA’s demands for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, compliance with international humanitarian law obligations by all parties, and the unconditional release of all remaining hostages.”
Francis is the latest top UN official to sound the alarm on the impending Israeli assault on Rafah, in a chorus that includes Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini.
I am shocked & deeply dismayed by the news of an Israeli military offensive into the south of the #Gaza Strip.
I join the Secretary-General in pleading on behalf of the multitudes of innocent civilians with nowhere safe to go.
In the name of humanity, I demand that their…
— UN GA President (@UN_PGA) February 9, 2024
Human Rights Watch says Rafah evacuation would have ‘catastrophic’ consequences
International rights watchdog Human Rights Watch has said that forcing hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians out of Rafah would place Palestinians in danger. The organisation also noted that the ICJ has ordered Israel prevent genocide in Gaza.
“Forcing 1 million+ displaced Palestinians in Rafah to again evacuate would be unlawful & have catastrophic consequences, says @hrw,” Omar Shakir, HRW director for Israel and Palestine, said in a social media post.
“There’s nowhere safe to go in Gaza. The ICJ has ordered Israel to prevent genocide. The [international] community should act to prevent further atrocities.”
Forcing 1 million+ displaced Palestinians in Rafah to again evacuate would be unlawful & have catastrophic consequences, says @hrw. There's nowhere safe to go in Gaza. The ICJ has ordered Israel to prevent genocide. The int'l community should act to prevent further atrocities. https://t.co/BpAr8wp9Dy pic.twitter.com/und9XHzKXH
— Omar Shakir (@OmarSShakir) February 9, 2024
Islamic Resistance in Iraq announces attack on Israel
The umbrella group of Iran-aligned militias says on Telegram that it attacked a “vital target” of Israel’s on the coast of the Dead Sea.
The group’s most powerful member is Kataib Hezbollah, which the US blames for an attack on a base in Jordan that killed three US service members. The US has been carrying out a series of retaliatory strikes on Iran-aligned groups across the region.
Israeli army conducting searches inside al-Amal Hospital: Report
The Israeli newspaper Haaretz is reporting that the Israeli army raid in the Khan Younis hospital, home to thousands of displaced people and which has been under heavy bombardment and a 10-day siege, “followed intelligence indicating Hamas members and infrastructure are located inside”.
Hamas has long denied the use of hospitals for military purposes and Israel has failed to provide overwhelming evidence to support its previous claim that al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City was a command centre for the Palestinian group.
We earlier reported that the Palestinian Red Crescent Society had said its headquarters in al-Amal Hospital were being raided by Israeli forces.
WATCH: Why is Israel in European sport and Eurovision despite Gaza war?
European organisations have no plans to ban Israel from events such as the UEFA football championships and the Eurovision Song Contest despite its war on Gaza.
This is in contrast to the swift action that was taken against Russia over its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
So, why does Israel compete in Europe? And why are European organisations defending its continued participation?
Watch the full episode of Inside Story below:
CAIR says Biden administration not just a ‘bystander’ in Gaza war
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a US civil rights group focused on issues affecting Muslim and Arab communities, has said that while the Biden administration has sharpened its criticism of Israel’s war in Gaza, that rhetoric has not been matched by a change in US support for Israel.
“During a press conference last night, @POTUS admitted that the Israeli government’s campaign in Gaza has been ‘over the top’. While the Biden administration’s rhetoric on Gaza has gradually softened over the past several days, its actions have not changed,” the group said in a social media post.
“The Biden administration is not a helpless bystander to the Gaza genocide. It is enabling the violence, and the president could stop it with a phone call if he so pleased.”
WHO chief says medical workers in Gaza living through ‘grim reality’
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has said that medical workers and patients are experiencing a “grim reality”, with both enduring shocking conditions and facilities that are struggling to remain functional.
“Grim reality of patients and health workers in northern Gaza. We need safe, sustained and scaled-up access to reach people across the Strip,” Ghebreyesus said in a social media post. “Ceasefire. NOW.”
Grim reality of patients and health workers in northern #Gaza.
We need safe, sustained and scaled-up access to reach people across the Strip.
Ceasefire. NOW. pic.twitter.com/aril8ua8J8
— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) February 9, 2024
Report: Israel has informed several countries of Rafah assault plans
Israeli broadcaster KANN says that the Israeli army has informed several countries in the region, and the US, that is preparing for a full-scale military operation in Gaza’s southernmost city.
Top UN officials have sounded the alarm over a potential army assault on Rafah, citing the nearly two million displaced Palestinians sheltering there and Israel’s virtually indiscriminate bombing and shooting during past operations against Gaza’s other cities during the war.
Yesterday, a spokesperson for the US government said that it “would not” support an Israeli operation against Rafah without a clear strategy for civilian protection. Earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu ordered the army to prepare a plan to evacuate civilians there.
PRCS says several workers arrested by Israeli forces at al-Amal Hospital
The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) has said that Israeli forces have arrested several medical workers at al-Amal Hospital, along with wounded patients and their companions.
“Urgent: Israeli Occupation forces arrested several of our teams at the PRCS Al-Amal Hospital in Khan Yunis, along with some of the wounded and patients’ companions at the hospital,” the group said in a social media post today.
Medical groups say that Israeli forces have consistently targeted medical facilities throughout the course of the war.
🚨 Urgent: Israeli Occupation forces arrested several of our teams at the PRCS Al-Amal Hospital in #KhanYunis, along with some of the wounded and patients’ companions at the hospital.#NotATarget ❌ #IHL #Gaza
— PRCS (@PalestineRCS) February 9, 2024
Jeremy Corbyn says Israel’s assault on Rafah will be act of ‘ethnic cleansing’
The British political figure has condemned what he calls the “complicity” of the British government in Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza
“Palestinians risked life & limb to reach Rafah, the last designated safe zone in Gaza,” Corbyn said in a social media post.
“Now they are being told to leave. Where are they supposed to go? This is not an “evacuation.” This is ethnic cleansing — and our government is complicit by letting Israel act with impunity.”
Palestinians risked life & limb to reach Rafah, the last designated safe zone in Gaza.
Now they are being told to leave. Where are they supposed to go?
This is not an “evacuation.” This is ethnic cleansing — and our government is complicit by letting Israel act with impunity.
— Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) February 9, 2024
Israeli military admits it killed captive in air strike, confirming Hamas claim
Israeli media outlets are reporting that the army has informed the family of Yossi Sharabi that their loved one, who was held captive in Gaza by Hamas, was killed by the military.
Nearly one month ago, Hamas’s Qassam Brigades released a video showing Sharabi, along with two other captives, saying that he had been killed by Israeli bombs.
Watching the Watchdogs: Israel’s legacy of media deception stumbles
In the last two weeks, the Israeli government put on a masterclass on how to use the Western media to spread fake news and propaganda and to justify anti-Palestinian actions taken by the United States and its allies. It worked – but only in part.
Read more of Rami Khouri’s opinion piece here.
Israeli warplanes violate Lebanese airspace amid threats to bomb Beirut
Yesterday, a pair of Israeli fighter jets were seen in the skies of Lebanon, visible to residents across the country, and Lebanon’s state-run national news service reported several violations of Lebanese airspace by “Israeli warplanes”.
The planes were visible in Beirut and even, as this photo from an Al Jazeera staffer shows, high in the mountains of Kfardebian at one of the country’s ski resorts. Since Israel began its war on Gaza, the sight has become a near-weekly occurrence.
Even before Hezbollah began attacking targets inside Israeli territory on October 8, the Israeli fighters regularly violated Lebanese airspace, conducting low-altitude flights and breaking the sound barrier over Beirut, terrifying a population truamitised by the 2020 Beirut explosion.
Yesterday’s flights come in the context of boiling tensions between Hezbollah and Israel, as top Israeli officials have repeatedly threatened to escalate attacks on Lebanese territory into full-scale war against Hezbollah.
Most recently, the commander of the Israeli air force threatened to strike “hundreds of targets at once” inside Lebanon, in areas across the country such as “Tyre, Sidon, Beirut and Bekaa”, during a speech yesterday.
“Dozens of planes are now waiting for orders in the skies over Lebanon and Hezbollah will continue to pay the price,” Colonel Tomer Bar said.
Diplomatic efforts are under way, spearheaded by France and the US, to negotiate a settlement between Israel and Hezbollah.
In the meantime, daily exchanges of fire continue across Lebanon’s southern border with Israel.
Amnesty International director says Palestinians in Gaza at ‘grave risk’ of genocide
Amnesty International’s Secretary-General Agnes Callamard has said that Palestinians in Gaza must be protected against potential acts of genocide as Israel prepares for an assault on Rafah, which is packed full with more than one million displaced people.
“Evacuation?? BUT WHERE? There is nowhere to go to,” Callamard said in a social media post.
“Amnesty is reiterating that Palestinians in Gaza are at grave risk of genocide. The international community has an obligation to act to prevent genocide.”
Evacuation?? BUT WHERE? There is nowhere to go to. @amnesty is reiterating that Palestinians in Gaza are at grave risk of genocide. The international community has an obligation to act to prevent genocide. https://t.co/O550OkdBNT
— Agnes Callamard (@AgnesCallamard) February 9, 2024
Israeli and Palestinian protest for ceasefire attacked by police, soldiers
“Palestinians and Israelis protesting for a ceasefire in the West Bank this morning were attacked by Israeli soldiers and police, who made arrests and confiscated banners,” Israeli journalist Haggai Matar said in a social media post.
Videos of the event show Israeli forces putting a protester in a chokehold and ripping away posters.
Thread: Palestinians and Israelis protesting for a ceasefire in the West Bank this morning were attacked by Israeli soldiers and police, who made arrests and confiscated banners.
Videos by @OrenZiv_ https://t.co/aHZsMRtzQ4— Haggai Matar (@Ha_Matar) February 9, 2024
EU foreign policy chief expresses alarm over planned Israeli assault on Rafah
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell Fontelles has said that reports of an anticipated Israeli assault on Rafah are “alarming”, as concern grows about high toll an Israeli incursion could take on civilians.
“1.4 million Palestinians are currently in Rafah without safe place to go, facing starvation,” Borrell said in a social media post.
“Reports of an Israeli military offensive on Rafah are alarming. It would have catastrophic consequences worsening the already dire humanitarian situation and the unbearable civilian toll.”
1.4 million Palestinians are currently in #Rafah without safe place to go, facing starvation.
Reports of an Israeli military offensive on Rafah are alarming. It would have catastrophic consequences worsening the already dire humanitarian situation & the unbearable civilian toll.
— Josep Borrell Fontelles (@JosepBorrellF) February 9, 2024
Palestinian ambulance crew ‘detained’ while trying to help victims of Israeli West Bank shooting
Ahmed Jibril, the head of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society’s emergency and ambulance department, said that a two-man ambulance crew were in Beita trying to remove the wounded when they were detained, and then used as “human shields”.
Jibril added that PRCS teams had repeatedly tried to save the life of Muath Ashraf Faleh, but had failed. He said that three others had been injured, one after being shot, and another after falling from a height while running away from Israeli forces.
The acting governor of Nablus, Ghassan Daghlas, told Al Jazeera that the raid in Beita was continuing.
“The killings have been continuous for two years around Nablus and there are more than seven checkpoints around the city,” Daghlas said. “The closures increase day after day, and have caused an economic paralysis.”
Palestinian teen killed by Israel near Nablus was headed to buy groceries, says relative
Abdullah Saleh Sharafa described to Al Jazeera the circumstances surrounding the death of his cousin Muadh Ashraf Faleh Bani Shamsa, who we earlier reported had been killed by Israeli forces in Beita, in the occupied West Bank.
“Muadh was heading to the store to buy groceries for the house; at the entrance to Beita he was surprised to see a number of Israeli vehicles storming the town,” Sharafa said. “He headed back to his home but the army fired on him and he was injured in his lower back [but] the locals were prevented from reaching him and taking him away. The emergency services were able, with difficulty, to take him.”
“Muadh was 17, he did odd jobs, was successful at school, had good manners, and would regularly attend the mosque,” Sharafa added.