US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday called on Israel to work with moderate Palestinians on plans for a post-war Gaza. Following meetings with Israeli leaders on the latest stop of his regional tour, the top US diplomat said Israel “must stop” undercutting the ability of Palestinians to govern themselves. His visit came as three Hezbollah members were killed in an Israeli strike in southern Lebanon. Follow our liveblog for all the latest developments.
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Summary:
- US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Israel must stop undercutting the ability of Palestinians to govern themselves. Following a meeting Tuesday with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Blinken called on Israel to ease the toll on civilians in Gaza.
- Three members of Iran-aligned Hezbollah were killed on Tuesday in a targeted strike on their vehicle in the town of Ghandouriyeh in the south of Lebanon.
- Some 126 Palestinians were killed and 241 were wounded in the previous 24 hours, the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza said on Tuesday.
- Israeli officials say 1,139 people were killed in the Hamas-led October 7 attacks in southern Israel, among them 695 Israeli civilians including 36 children. At least 23,210 people have been killed and 59,167 wounded in Israel's ensuing assault on the Gaza Strip, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run enclave.
Yesterday's key developments:
- The UN voiced alarm Monday at the many journalists killed in the war raging in Gaza, a day after two Al Jazeera reporters were killed in an alleged Israeli strike on their car.
- US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi on Monday before heading to Saudi Arabia to meet with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
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Pope Francis on Monday condemned "war crimes" perpetrated against civilians in conflicts such as in Gaza and Ukraine, and said those killed should not be considered "collateral damage".
Gaza’s health ministry collects data from the enclave’s hospitals and the Palestinian Red Crescent.
The health ministry does not report how Palestinians were killed, whether from Israeli airstrikes and artillery barrages or errant Palestinian rocket fire. It describes all casualties as victims of “Israeli aggression”.
The ministry also does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.
Throughout four wars and numerous skirmishes between Israel and Hamas, UN agencies have cited the Hamas-run health ministry’s death tolls in regular reports. The International Committee of the Red Cross and Palestinian Red Crescent also use the numbers.
In the aftermath of war, the UN humanitarian office has published final death tolls based on its own research into medical records. The UN's counts have largely been consistent with the Gaza health ministry’s, with small discrepancies.
For more on the Gaza health ministry’s tolls, click here.
(FRANCE 24 with AP)
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)
