Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sternly rejected the visiting U.S. secretary of state's plea not to launch a ground invasion into Gaza's southernmost city of Rafah, saying Friday 鈥渨e will do it alone鈥 if necessary.
The looming Rafah invasion has cast a shadow over ongoing efforts to forge a cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters 鈥渢here鈥檚 still a lot of work to be done鈥 as he wrapped up his to the Mideast since the war began.
And at the U.N. Security Council, Russia and China a U.S.-sponsored resolution on the Israel-Hamas war that 鈥渄etermines the imperative of an immediate and sustained cease-fire.鈥 The two dissenting nations called the measure ambiguous, and said it was not the direct demand to end the fighting that much of the world seeks.
International aid officials say the entire population of the Gaza Strip 鈥 2.3 million people 鈥 is suffering from food insecurity and that in the hard-hit north. More than a million people have crowded into Rafah as they flee fighting across the besieged territory.
Gaza's Health Ministry raised the territory's death toll to 32,070 people, with around 74,300 wounded. The ministry between civilians and combatants in its count, but says make up two-thirds of the dead.
Some 1,200 people were killed on Oct. 7 when Palestinian militants launched a surprise attack out of Gaza, triggering the war, and abducted another 250 people. Hamas is still believed to be holding some 100 Israelis hostage, as well as the remains of 30 others.
Currently:
鈥 veto US resolution calling for immediate cease-fire in Gaza.
鈥 Blinken says an Israeli , and isn鈥檛 needed to defeat Hamas.
鈥 Israel says Rafah is Hamas鈥 last major stronghold in the Gaza Strip, and it's .
鈥 U.S. House speaker says he to address the Congress.
鈥 Find more of AP鈥檚 coverage at .
Here's the latest:
U.S. FIGHTER JETS BOMB YEMEN'S CAPITAL, TARGETING STORAGE FACILITIES IN HOUTHI-CONTROLLED AREAS
SANAA, YEMEN 鈥 U.S. fighter jets from the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier struck three underground storage facilities in late Friday, according to a U.S. official. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a military operation not yet made public, said the ship is in the Red Sea.
Strikes and explosions were seen and heard in the capital Sanaa on Friday night, according to witnesses and videos, some circulating on social media. Footage showed explosions and smoke rising over the city.
There was no official confirmation of the injured or the origin of the explosions. Yemeni TV station Al-Masirah, which is linked to the Houthis, reported strikes hitting the city.
Yemen鈥檚 Houthi rebels, which are allied with Iran and control much of the country鈥檚 north and west, have launched a campaign of drone and missile attacks on shipping in the Red Sea, which the rebels describe as an effort to pressure in the Gaza Strip.
The Houthis have kept up their campaign of attacks despite two months of U.S.-led airstrikes.
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Associated Press writer Lolita C. Baldor in Washington contributed to this report.
U.N. SAYS ISRAEL'S ONGOING RAID AT SHIFA HOSPITAL HAS CUT OFF STAFF AND ENDANGERS PATIENTS
UNITED NATIONS 鈥 U.N. humanitarian officials report that Israel鈥檚 military operation in and around Shifa Hospital in Gaza City continued for a fifth day 鈥渁mid intense exchanges of fire with Palestinian armed groups,鈥 a U.N. spokesperson says.
Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director-general of the World Health Organization, said the U.N. agency and its partners 鈥渉ave lost contact with health personnel at the hospital since the raid began,鈥 deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said Friday.
Tedros reported that it's now impossible to access Shifa Hospital and a planned mission Thursday had to be canceled due to lack of security, Haq said.
鈥淲ith reports of health workers being arrested and detained, he warned that the ongoing situation could affect the hospital鈥檚 ability to function, even minimally, and deprive people of critical, lifesaving care,鈥 Haq said.
As the health sector in Gaza continues to deteriorate, Haq said, the U.N. children鈥檚 agency UNICEF and its partners are providing fuel to produce clean water, as well as trucking in water.
UNICEF is also distributing water tanks, containers and hygiene kits to thousands of people in different parts of the Gaza Strip, Haq said. But UNICEF warns that 鈥渨ater scarcity, hygiene challenges and inadequate sanitation services are posing serious health risks to children,鈥 he said.
U.N. CHIEF WILL START HIS ANNUAL RAMADAN 鈥楽OLIDARITY TRIP鈥 WITH VISITS TO EGYPT AND JORDAN
UNITED NATIONS 鈥 U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is starting on his annual 鈥渟olidarity trip鈥 during the Muslim holy month of Ramada with visits to Egypt and Jordan, where he is expected to reiterate calls to silence the guns in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza and in Sudan.
U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said Guterres is arriving in Cairo on Friday night 鈥渄uring turbulent times.鈥
While in Egypt, Haq said, the U,N. chief will travel to northern Sinai, where he will visit a hospital in El-Arish. He will then go to Rafah on the Egyptian side of the border with Gaza where he will be meeting with U.N. humanitarian workers, Haq said.
In Cairo, Haq said, Guterres is expected to have an 鈥渋ftar鈥 meal breaking the daily Ramadan fast with Sudanese refugees who fled fighting between government and paramilitary forces that began in April. He is also expected to meet Egyptian officials, the U.N. spokesperson said.
In the Jordanian capital, Amman, Haq said Guterres will visit facilities of the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, will have a Ramadan iftar with Palestinian refugees and U.N. staff, and meet with Jordanian officials.
HEAD OF UNRWA PRAISES FINLAND'S DECISION TO RESUME FUNDING TO EMBATTLED U.N. AGANCY
GENEVA 鈥 The head of the U.N.鈥檚 lead agency helping Palestinians praised Finland's decision to resume funding the agency, weeks after it lost hundreds of millions of dollars in support following Israeli allegations against some of its staffers in Gaza.
Philippe Lazzarini on Friday welcomed the news that all five Nordic countries have restored their funding to the agency, known by the acronym UNRWA.
Israel accused 12 employees of UNRWA in Gaza of participating in the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Israel that killed 1,200 people. In response, more than a dozen countries including Finland suspended funding to UNRWA worth about $450 million, almost half its budget for the year.
Israel now alleges that 450 UNRWA employees were members of militant groups in Gaza, although it has provided no evidence.
Lazzarini has accused Israel of seeking to eliminate the UNRWA. It was created more than 70 years ago to assist Palestinians who fled or were forced from their homes during the 1948 Mideast war over Israel鈥檚 creation.
ISRAEL SAYS IT WILL INVESTIGATE AIRSTRIKE THAT APPARENTLY KILLED FIVE MEN WALKING IN GAZA
JERUSALEM 鈥 Israel鈥檚 military says it has opened an investigation into an airstrike that appears to have killed five Palestinians in the southern Gaza Strip.
Aerial footage of the episode circulating on social media shows four men walking along a dirt road before they are hit in the strike. A fifth man is then hit as he tries to run away.
The origin of the footage remains unclear. But in a statement Friday, the army said the airstrike had occurred in the southern Gaza town of Khan Younis, a focus of army operations against Hamas, in early February.
It said the video was being investigated by its special 鈥渇act finding鈥 body tasked with investigating potential crimes by its forces.
Khan Younis has seen some of the fiercest fighting of the war, sparked when Hamas militants invaded southern Israel on Oct. 7 and killed 1,200 people and took 250 others hostage.
Rights groups have accused Israel of committing war crimes in Gaza, where nearly 32,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war.
South Africa has filed a case in the International Court of Justice accusing Israel of genocide 鈥 a claim Israel rejects. Israel says Hamas is guilty of war crimes and says its military acts within the rules of international law.
BLINKEN URGES ISRAELI LEADERS NOT TO INVADE RAFAH
TEL AVIV, Israel 鈥 U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has once again urged Israel not to carry out its promised invasion of the Gaza city of Rafah.
Blinken told reporters Friday that the U.S. shares Israel鈥檚 goal of defeating Hamas. But he said the ground operation 鈥渋s not, in our judgment, the way to achieve it.鈥
He spoke after meeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said he had told the secretary that Israel remains committed to the Rafah ground operation.
Blinken spoke shortly before returning to the U.S. after his sixth trip to the Mideast since the war erupted last October.
Blinken says much of the trip focused on efforts to forge a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas and to increase the amount of humanitarian aid flowing into the war-battered Gaza Strip.
He said there has been progress, but still 鈥渓ots of work to be done鈥 before a deal is reached.
The U.S. has been working for weeks with mediators Qatar and Egypt in search of a formula that would halt the fighting in exchange for the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas militants in Gaza.
ISRAELI FORCES KILL PALESTINIAN SHOOTER WHO WOUNDED THREE ISRAELIS IN OCCUPIED WEST BANK
RAMALLAH, West Bank 鈥 The Israeli military said it killed a Palestinian man who opened fire near a Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank on Friday, as violence has surged across the territory amid the ongoing war in Gaza.
Three Israelis were wounded in the shooting, one in a serious condition, medical officials said.
The military said the man opened fire at an Israeli vehicle at a junction near Dolev settlement around 10 miles (16 kilometers) from the city of Ramallah early Friday morning.
After a search, Israeli forces later killed the shooter near the name junction. During the search, troops raided his home in the nearby Palestinian village of Deir Ibzi. His wife, Lamees Samhan, said she was she briefly detained and blindfolded.
Violence has spiked across the West Bank since Hamas鈥 Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel. At least 447 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in east Jerusalem and the West Bank since October, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
ISRAEL SEIZES ANOTHER 2,000 ACRES FOR SETTLEMENTS IN THE WEST BANK, WATCHDOG SAYS
JERUSALEM 鈥 An Israeli anti-settlement watchdog group says Israel has seized nearly 2,000 acres of land in the occupied West Bank, clearing the way for Israel to build settlements there.
The announcement came as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was visiting Israel. The international community, along with the Palestinians, considers settlement construction illegal or illegitimate and an obstacle to peace.
In a statement, Peace Now said the area is the largest piece of land seized by Israel since the interim Oslo peace accords three decades ago.
Peace Now said Friday that Israeli Cabinet Minister Bezalel Smotrich had declared the area 鈥渟tate land鈥 鈥 a designation that makes it government property. The land is in the Jordan Valley 鈥 a strategic area that is home to many Palestinian farms and seen as essential for the viability of a future Palestinian state.
鈥淭he year 2024 marks a peak in the extent of declarations of state land,鈥 the group said.
Smotrich serves as Israel鈥檚 finance minister and in a newly created ministerial position in the Defense Ministry putting him in charge of Israel鈥檚 settlement policy. Smotrich, himself an outspoken settler leader, heads an ultra-nationalist party in parliament and has used his position to bolster the settlements.
Israel鈥檚 Defense Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu鈥檚 governing coalition is dominated by West Bank settlers and their political supporters.
Over 500,000 Israeli settlers now live in the West Bank, captured by Israel with east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip in the 1967 Mideast war. The Palestinians seek all three areas for a future independent state.
NETANYAHU REJECTS U.S. CALL NOT TO INVADE RAFAH
JERUSALEM 鈥 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rebuffed American calls to halt plans for a ground invasion of the southern Gaza city of Rafah.
Netanyahu said Friday that he told the visiting U.S. secretary of state, Antony Blinken, that a ground offensive is the only way to destroy Hamas.
鈥淚 said we have no way to defeat Hamas without entering Rafah and destroying the remaining battalions there,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 told him that I hope we will do this with the support of the United States, but if necessary, we will do it alone.鈥
Ahead of the meeting, Blinken had said the U.S. supports Israel鈥檚 goal of defeating Hamas, but believes there are alternatives to a ground invasion.
Over 1 million displaced Palestinians have sought shelter in Rafah after fleeing fighting elsewhere in Gaza. The U.S. and the rest of the international community fear an Israeli invasion will lead to large civilian casualties.
Blinken was set to speak to reporters later Friday before returning to the U.S.
RELATIVES OF ISRAELI HOSTAGES RALLY OUTSIDE BLINKEN'S HOTEL, DEMANDING A DEAL TO RELEASE CAPTIVES IN GAZA
TEL AVIV, Israel 鈥 Dozens of relatives of Israeli hostages held by Hamas demonstrated Friday outside the hotel where the U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken is staying in central Tel Aviv, demanding a deal to bring the release of their loved ones.
Many held up American and Israeli flags while others brandished placards of their relatives who were seized by the militant group when its fighters invaded southern Israel on Oct. 7., the act that sparked the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
鈥淗ostage deal now!鈥 the crowd chanted. 鈥淏linken, you can bring them home again!鈥
The rally came hours before the start of the Jewish holiday of Purim, normally a festive occasion. Referring to one hostage by name, a sign read: 鈥淭his is Purim without Ofer.鈥
Blinken arrived in Israel earlier Friday in the final stop of his Mideast tour, his sixth visit to the region since October.
Families of the captives have accused Israel鈥檚 war cabinet of not doing enough to secure the release of the hostages after months of failed cease-fire negotiations.
Any cease-fire deal would likely see the hostages freed in return for the release of a larger number of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. About 120 hostages held by Hamas and hundreds of imprisoned Palestinians were freed during a week-long cease-fire in November.
Hamas is believed to still be holding around 100 hostages.
RUSSIA AND CHINA VETO A U.N. CEASE-FIRE RESOLUTION
UNITED NATIONS鈥 Russia and China on Friday vetoed a U.S.-sponsored U.N. resolution calling for 鈥渁n immediate and sustained cease-fire鈥 in the in Gaza to protect civilians and enable humanitarian aid to be delivered to more than 2 million .
The vote in the 15-member Security Council was 11 members in favor, three against and one abstention.
Before the vote, Russia鈥檚 U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said Moscow supports an immediate cease-fire, but he questioned the language in the resolution and accused U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield of 鈥渕isleading the international community鈥 for 鈥減oliticized鈥 reasons.
EUROPEAN UNION UNANIMOUSLY CALLS FOR A CEASE-FIRE IN GAZA
BRUSSELS 鈥 After five months of fighting in Gaza and tens of thousands of casualties, the 27 European Union countries have overcome their differences and agreed to call for a cease-fire.
In a statement overnight, EU leaders called 鈥渇or an immediate humanitarian pause leading to a sustainable ceasefire, the unconditional release of all hostages and the provision of humanitarian assistance.鈥
Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, whose country currently holds the EU鈥檚 rotating presidency, said the EU position is largely in line with that of the United States. It comes as the United Nations Security Council prepares to vote later Friday on a U.S.-sponsored resolution declaring 鈥渢he imperative of an immediate and sustained cease-fire鈥 in the .
EU countries have long been divided over their support for Israel and the Palestinians, and the U.N. vote will be a fresh public test of their unity. In December, two EU members voted against calling for 鈥渁n immediate humanitarian ceasefire鈥 while four countries abstained.
BLINKEN ARRIVES IN ISRAEL FOR TALKS WITH NETANYAHU OVER THE WAR IN GAZA
TEL AVIV, Israel 鈥 U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for what were expected expected to be fractious talks over the war in Gaza as public differences over the conflict have intensified.
It鈥檚 the final stop in Blinken鈥檚 sixth urgent diplomatic mission to the Middle East, and he started the brief six-hour visit Friday with a one-on-one meeting with Netanyahu followed by a larger gathering with Israel鈥檚 war Cabinet aimed at convincing them not to proceed with plans for a large-scale that many fear could make an already disastrous even worse.
鈥淎 major military operation in Rafah would be a mistake, something we don鈥檛 support,鈥 Blinken said Thursday in Cairo, where he met with top diplomats from Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. 鈥淎nd, it鈥檚 also not necessary to deal with Hamas, which is necessary.鈥
Instead, Blinken will present Netanyahu with alternatives for dealing with Hamas in Rafah in discussions that will continue next week when Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and a separate . Netanyahu agreed to send the delegation in a Monday phone call with U.S. President Joe Biden 鈥 their first conversation in a month amid the widening divisions.
Blinken鈥檚 brief visit to Israel, which was announced only Wednesday and was not part of his original Mideast itinerary, comes as top intelligence officials from the U.S., Israel, Egypt and Qatar were to meet in Doha to hammer out details of a proposed cease-fire-for-hostages deal. Qatar, and to a lesser extent Egypt, are the main interlocutors with Hamas, which has thus far rebuffed offers the negotiations have produced.
UN SECURITY COUNCIL WILL VOTE ON US RESOLUTION FOR AN 鈥業MMEDIATE AND SUSTAINED CEASE-FIRE鈥 IN GAZA
The United Nations Security Council is set to vote on a United States-sponsored resolution declaring that 鈥渁n immediate and sustained cease-fire鈥 in the in Gaza is 鈥渋mperative鈥 to protect civilians and enable humanitarian aid to be delivered to more than 2 million .
U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said she was optimistic that the would be approved Friday by the 15-member council.
The draft being put to a vote 鈥渄etermines鈥 鈥 which is a council order 鈥 鈥渢he imperative of an immediate and sustained cease-fire,鈥 with no direct link to the release of hostages taken during Hamas鈥 Oct. 7 attack on Israel, which was . But it would unequivocally support in connection with the release of all remaining hostages," and emphasizes 鈥渢he urgent need to expand the flow of humanitarian assistance to civilians in the entire Gaza Strip.鈥
Russia鈥檚 deputy U.N. ambassador Dmitry Polyansky said Moscow will not be satisfied 鈥渨ith anything that doesn鈥檛 call for an immediate cease-fire,鈥 saying it鈥檚 what U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is pressing for and what 鈥渆verybody鈥 wants. He questioned the wording of the draft, asking, 鈥淲hat鈥檚 an imperative? I have an imperative to give you $100, but 鈥 it鈥檚 only an imperative, not $100.鈥
The has already adopted two resolutions on the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza, but none calling for a cease-fire.
