KEY POINTS
- Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez reiterated that a Palestinian state was in Europe's interests
- Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said a two-state solution can end the cycle of violence
- Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Israel "must be punished" for consulate strike
It's Day 187 of the raging Israel-Hamas war – three sons of Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of Hamas, were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza Wednesday afternoon, the Palestinian terror group's chief confirmed.
Israel's foreign minister Israel Katz on Wednesday said Israel will definitely respond if Tehran launches an attack from within its territory amid escalating tensions between the two sides following the killings of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) generals in a strike at the Iranian consulate in Damascus.
Ireland is poised to recognize the State of Palestine, Irish foreign minister Micheál Martin said, marking a significant shift in the global community's view of the longstanding Israel-Palestine conflict that has left Palestinians in Gaza suffering majority of the casualties from decades of violence.
- Israel accuses UN of undercounting humanitarian aid entering Gaza
- Israel, Hamas still 'far apart' in ceasefire demands: Report
- Drone sirens sound in northern Israel amid Israeli-Syrian tensions
- Haniyeh says his sons' killing will not have an effect on Hamas' truce demands
- Hamas chief talks paying the price of war after sons' killing
- Hezbollah claims attack on IDF base in the Shebaa Farms area
In the devastated Gaza Strip, Palestinians on Wednesday marked the Eid al-Fitr holidays with little to eat. Humanitarian aid groups have repeatedly warned in recent weeks that the enclave, particularly its northern region, was close to famine.
U.S. President Joe Biden, a longtime supporter of Israel, said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's handling of the war was a "mistake." His latest comments highlight the deepening dispute between Biden and Netanyahu over the Israel Defense Forces' (IDF) offensive in Gaza, especially the planned ground raid of Rafah.
Israel-Syria tensions continue to flare up as the IDF said it struck a military infrastructure that it said was used by Iranian-backed Lebanon-based Hezbollah "on the Syrian front."
U.S. forces of the Central Command (CENTCOM) destroyed a missile over the Gulf of Aden that was "likely" targeting an American merchant vessel that was being escorted by U.S. battleships in the area.
Hostilities in Gaza have been ongoing for decades, but the conflict blew up on Oct. 7, when Hamas militants invaded Israel, murdering over a thousand people and abducting over 250 hostages, of which around 130 are still being held in the Gaza Strip.
The live update has ended.
Hezbollah claims attack on IDF base in Shebaa Farms
Hezbollah on Wednesday afternoon published footage of what it said was an attack it initiated on an Israeli army base in the disputed Shebaa Farms last week.
The IDF has yet to deny or confirm the claim.
Hamas chief laments paying the price of war
Haniyeh on Wednesday, after confirming that three of his sons were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza, said Palestine "paid a heavy price; I am one of them."
הנייה מאשר שבניו חוסלו: "בני העם הפלסטיני שילמו מחיר יקר, אני אחד מהם". pic.twitter.com/A0BV5kqrFD
— החדשות - N12 (@N12News) April 10, 2024
Haniyeh confirms killing of 3 of his sons
The Hamas chief has confirmed that three of his sons were killed in an Israeli strike Wednesday. However, he retained an unfazed stance regarding the Palestinian militant group's truce demands.
"The killing of my sons will not affect Hamas' demands for a ceasefire," he said as per Sky News in Arabic.
3 of Hamas leader's sons killed in Gaza City: Reports
Three of Hamas leader Haniyeh's sons were reportedly killed in an airstrike west of Gaza City, Israel's national broadcaster Kan reported Wednesday afternoon. Several of the Hamas political bureau chief's grandchildren were also killed in the said attack, as per Kan.
Sky News in Arabic has also reported about the said strike that killed three of the Hamas leader's sons, citing Hamas sources.
Sirens sound in northern Israel
Drone alert sirens sounded in northern Israel Wednesday afternoon amid rising tensions between Israel and Syria.
🚨Sirens sound in northern Israel alerting of hostile drone incursions
— i24NEWS English (@i24NEWS_EN) April 10, 2024
Israel, Hamas still 'far apart' in ceasefire deal: WSJ
Israel and Hamas are still "far apart" in terms of the provisions of a new U.S.-proposed ceasefire plan that could release some of the remaining hostages in Gaza and allow more aid to enter the near-famine enclave, the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday.
This comes as the loved ones of some 130 hostages still in captivity in Gaza call for a truce to free their relatives who've been held in the Strip for more than six months.
Israel says UN undercounting aid entering Gaza
Israel and the United Nations are disagreeing on the amount of humanitarian aid that has been entering the Gaza Strip in recent days. The Israeli government said the UN was undercounting aid entering the enclave, and compared to Israeli figures, the UN has been giving out lower numbers.
Israel also said Wednesday that "500 trucks worth lying on the Gaza side of KS (Kerem Shalom) waiting to be picked up by UN agencies," adding that instead of "blaming Israel for your colossal failures," the UN should focus on distributing aid to civilians.
Israel is surging aid into Gaza, with over 1200 trucks entering in 3 days (avg 400/day).
— COGAT (@cogatonline) April 10, 2024
Right now, 500 trucks worth lying on the Gaza side of KS waiting to be picked up by UN agencies. @UN, Do your job, focus on distribution, and stop blaming Israel for your colossal failures. pic.twitter.com/jASu1t3sro
Iran's Khamenei vows Israel will be 'punished' for consulate attack
The Iranian supreme leader on Wednesday vowed that Israel "will be punished" after the strike in the Syrian capital that targeted a building adjacent to the Iranian embassy in Damascus last week.
He said Israel "made a wrong move" when it carried out the strike that killed seven members of the IRGC, including two brigadier generals.
The Israeli army has yet to deny or confirm that it conducted the said airstrike.
Australian FM says two-state solution necessary to achieve peace
Wong said Wednesday that a two-state solution may be the only path that could lead to lasting peace between Israeli and Palestinians and the international community is currently discussing such a pathway.
"We have to work out how it is we break the endless cycle of violence. What needs to happen immediately is Hamas needs to release hostages and we need to see an immediate humanitarian ceasefire so that we can have aid at scale into Gaza," she said.
Long-term peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians requires a two-state solution - Palestinian statehood with normalisation of relations between Israel and the region.
— Senator Penny Wong (@SenatorWong) April 10, 2024
It requires recognition of each other’s right to exist. By definition that means no role for Hamas. pic.twitter.com/abD2fAW2yi
It is in Europe's interest to recognize Palestinian state: Spanish PM
Sanchez on Wednesday said Israel's "disproportionate response" after Hamas' Oct. 7 massacre risks "destabilizing the Middle East, and as a consequence, the world." He also reiterated that recognizing Palestinian statehood is "in Europe's geopolitical interests."
He noted that the global community cannot help Palestine if it does not first recognize "its existence."
US destroys Houthi missile likely targeting American vessel
The U.S. military early on Tuesday destroyed an "inbound anti-ship ballistic missile (ASBM) launched by Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists from Yemen over the Gulf of Aden," CENTCOM said Wednesday.
The missile is deemed to have "likely" targeted U.S.-flagged and U.S.-owned MV Yorktown, which, at the time, was being escorted by American warships USS Laboon and USS Mason.
April 9 Red Sea Update
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) April 10, 2024
At approximately 3:00 a.m. (Sanaa time) on April 9, USS Mason (DDG 87) and United States Central Command (CENTCOM) forces successfully engaged and destroyed one inbound anti-ship ballistic missile (ASBM) launched by Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists from… pic.twitter.com/FDbLzbH9Tf
Israel strikes infrastructure it said was used by Hezbollah
The Israeli army struck "military infrastructure that, based on precise intelligence, was used by the Hezbollah terrorist organization on the Syrian front," the IDF said late Tuesday.
It added that it holds "the Syrian regime responsible for all activities that take place within its territory" and the IDF will not allow the Iranian-backed Lebanese paramilitary organization to be entrenched on the Syrian front.
The IDF struck military infrastructure that, based on precise intelligence, was used by the Hezbollah terrorist organization on the Syrian front.
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) April 9, 2024
The IDF holds the Syrian regime accountable for all activities that take place within its territory and will not allow for any… pic.twitter.com/mlsY9W8bvv
Biden criticizes Netanyahu's Gaza war handling
The U.S. president has criticized Netanyahu, whom he has known for decades, urging the Israeli prime minister to "just call for a ceasefire, allow for the next six, eight weeks, total access to all food and medicine going into the country."
"I think what he's doing is a mistake. I don't agree with his approach," Biden said. His remarks come amid deepening differences in Washington and Israel's view of how the Gaza war should be handled.
Biden has been very particular about Israel's impending ground invasion of Rafah, an overcrowded city in southern Gaza that has more than a million residents, many of whom sought shelter in the city due to the war. The American leader warned against a raid that does not include a clear plan for civilian protection.
Read the full story here.
Gaza marks Eid al-Fitr with little to eat, Israeli bombardment
Gaza residents on Wednesday marked the Eid al-Fitr holidays with little food as famine looms in the war-torn enclave. The Israeli army also said it struck some targets in Gaza, including a rocket launch site and a home in central Gaza's Nuseirat refugee camp.
"We prepared sweets and biscuits from the aid we got from the UN and now we are giving it to the children. We try to be happy but it is difficult," 33-year-old Ahmed Qishta said of the supposed festivities dampened by war.
Read the full story here.
Irish FM to make formal government submission for Palestinian statehood recognition
Martin on Tuesday announced what could be a catalyst in the global community to move toward recognizing Palestinian statehood. He revealed that he has been in discussions across the region regarding the said cause.
The grave humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza and the desperate need to return some hope to this region is still an urgent priority.
— Micheál Martin (@MichealMartinTD) April 9, 2024
It is my intention to bring to government a formal proposal on recognition of a Palestinian State when wider international discussions are complete. pic.twitter.com/i0g8PUiAS8
"We've discussed this between the government parties and it is my intention to bring to government a formal proposal on recognition [of a Palestinian state] when these wider international discussions are complete," he said.
"Be in no doubt, recognition of a Palestinian State will happen," he said.
Ireland isn't the only country that deems a two-state solution the path Israelis and Palestinians should take to resolve their deep-rooted conflict. The U.S. has also mentioned it several times, considering how Washington has been a staunch ally of Israel since Hamas' Oct. 7 massacre.
Israel will respond directly if Iran attacks: Israeli FM
Katz issued a stern warning against Iran and even tagged the country's supreme leader in a post on X. "If Iran attacks from its territory, Israel will react and attack in Iran," he said as per a Google translation.
اگر ایران از خاک خود حمله کند، اسرائیل واکنش نشان داده و در ایران حمله خواهد کرد @khamenei_ir
— ישראל כ”ץ Israel Katz (@Israel_katz) April 10, 2024
The Israeli foreign minister's warning came as tensions between Israel and Iran reach dangerous highs following the killing of two prominent IRGC generals, including Mohammad Reza Zahedi, the Revolutionary Guards' commander in Syria and Lebanon. Five other IRGC members were killed in a strike targeting the Iranian consulate in Damascus last week that Tehran said Israel was responsible for.
