Israel killed Hamas’s ‘number four’ and the top three are dead men, Netanyahu vows
Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to kill all of Hamas’s top leaders as he says Israel has eliminated the group’s “number four”.
In a video statement, the Israeli prime minister said: “We are on the way to total victory. On the way to this victory, we already eliminated number four in Hamas. Three, two, and one are on the way.”
Number four is understood to refer to Hamas’s deputy political leader, Saleh al-Arouri.
Mr Netanyahu’s comments come amid an investigation into the fate of Hamas’s number three, Marwan Issa, the deputy head of the terror group’s military wing, who was reportedly targeted in an airstrike early on Sunday.
“They are all dead men, we will reach them all,” Mr Netanyahu added.
03:59 PM GMT
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Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to kill all of Hamas’s top leaders as he says Israel has eliminated the group’s “number four”.
Hamas’s second-highest military leader may have been killed in a strike over the weekend, with both the terrorist organisation and IDF seeking to confirm his death.
The US military conducted another airdrop of humanitarian aid into northern Gaza on Monday afternoon local time.
Israel’s defence minister said that authorities would respect freedom of worship during Ramadan but were “ready” for anyone who might “try us”.
The representative leading a United Nation’s investigation into allegations against its relief agency in Gaza arrived in Israel.
An explosion that took place near a ship in the Red Sea on Monday is suspected to have been an attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, though the blast caused no damage.
Lebanon’s pro-Iranian Hezbollah group said it launched a multi-drone attack on an Israeli air defence outpost across the border in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to press ahead with an invasion of Rafah, resisting pressure from US president Joe Biden who warned such an offensive would be a “red line”.
03:43 PM GMT
Pictured: Humanitarian aid packages dropped in Gaza
03:39 PM GMT
Gallant says Iran seeking to promote major terror attacks
Israel’s defense minister Yoav Gallant has claimed Iran is seeking to promote major terror attacks by smuggling weapons into the West Bank.
“We must prepare for an increase in terror during Ramadan,” Mr Gallant told troops of the elite Duvdevan unit.
“Iran is working to up the severity of attacks by smuggling in many weapons,” he says, describing the arms as “high-quality.”
03:04 PM GMT
US conducts additional humanitarian aid drop into Gaza
The US military conducted another airdrop into northern Gaza on Monday afternoon local time, US Central Command said.
March 11 USCENTCOM Conducts Humanitarian Airdrops into Gaza
U.S. Central Command conducted a humanitarian assistance airdrop into Northern Gaza on March 11, 2024, at 2:17 p.m. (Gaza time) to provide essential relief to civilians affected by the ongoing conflict.
The joint… pic.twitter.com/ThKcwMX5Uq— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) March 11, 2024
02:43 PM GMT
Perceived disagreements with US make it harder to defeat Hamas, says Netanyahu
In an interview with Fox News, Benjamin Netanyahu said that perceived disagreements between the US and Israel make it harder to defeat Hamas.
“To the extent that Hamas believes that there’s daylight between us, that doesn’t help,” Mr Netanyahu said, after intensified criticism from US president Joe Biden and vice president Kamala Harris over the weekend.
He said that agreement, on the hand, “helps the war effort, and it helps our efforts to achieve victory and obviously the release of the hostages.”
02:01 PM GMT
Pictures of Gaza on March 11
01:51 PM GMT
Hamas second-highest military leader suspected dead
Hamas’s second-highest military leader may have been killed in a strike over the weekend, with both the terrorist organisation and IDF seeking to confirm his death.
The Israeli military reportedly attempted to assassinate Marwan Issa, the deputy head of Hamas’s military wing, in a recent airstrike in the central Gaza Strip.
According to local media reports, Issa was hiding in the Nuseirat camp. Overnight between Saturday and Sunday, the IDF carried out an airstrike on a building where he was believed to be.
Reports say five Palestinians were killed in the strike.
01:47 PM GMT
UN chief calls for Gaza truce
United Nations secretary-general Antonio Guterres has called for a truce in the Israel-Hamas war as the holy Muslim fasting month of Ramadan begins.
He also called for the release of hostages held by Hamas and the removal of “all obstacles to ensure the delivery of lifesaving aid at the speed and massive scale required” to Gaza, where the UN has warned that a quarter of the population are on the brink of famine.
“International humanitarian law lies in tatters,” he told reporters. “And a threatened Israeli assault on Rafah could plummet the people of Gaza into an even deeper circle of hell.”
01:44 PM GMT
Israel says ‘don’t try us’ as Ramadan begins
Israel’s defence minister said that authorities would respect freedom of worship during Ramadan but were “ready” for anyone who might “try us”.
“The State of Israel respects the freedom of worship at Al-Aqsa and all holy places,” Yoav Gallant said in a video message, referring to the third-holiest site in Islam, located in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem.
“The month of Ramadan may be a month of jihad, and we say to everyone not to try us – we are ready, don’t make mistakes,” he said in the clip posted on his Telegram channel.
His comments came amid concerns about tensions during Ramadan at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound, a flashpoint for violence during the Muslim fasting month in past years. The compound is also Judaism’s most sacred site, known to Jews as the Temple Mount.
During Ramadan, Muslims in their tens and even hundreds of thousands pray at the compound.
On Friday a spokesman for the armed wing of the Hamas militant group called on “our people” to mobilise and head towards Al-Aqsa.
01:01 PM GMT
UN special envoy arrives in Israel to investigate allegations against Gaza aid agency
The representative leading a United Nation’s investigation into allegations against its relief agency in Gaza has arrived in Israel, the Israeli ministry of foreign affairs said in a statement.
Catherine Colonna will lead the investigation into conduct by the United Nations Works and Relief Agency (UNRWA) after Israel claimed 13 members of the group were directly involved in the Oct 7 attack on Israel, and hundreds more are connected to Hamas.
Following Israel’s allegations, UNRWA’s main donor, the United States, along with countries including Britain, Germany and Australia, paused funding to the organisation.
12:35 PM GMT
Gallant says Israel ‘respects the freedom of worship at al-Aqsa Mosque’
Israel’s defence minister Yoav Gallant has said in a video address that his country “respects the freedom of worship at al-Aqsa [Mosque complex] and all the holy places”.
His comments come after Israel limited access to Muslim worshippers during Ramadan, citing security needs with war raging in Gaza.
12:05 PM GMT
More on the Red Sea explosion
An explosion that took place near a ship in the Red Sea on Monday is suspected to have been an attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, though the blast caused no damage, authorities said.
The master of the vessel reported the explosion and said no one was hurt, the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said.
The private security firm Ambrey say the incident may have involved a missile, but information remained scarce.
The Houthis did not immediately claim the attack, though it typically takes the rebels several hours to acknowledge their strikes.
The blast comes after a Houthi missile struck a commercial ship in the Gulf of Aden last week, killing three of its crew members and forcing survivors to abandon the vessel.
11:50 AM GMT
Pictures from March 11
11:39 AM GMT
Jordan says Israel’s Al-Aqsa mosque restrictions are pushing towards ‘explosion’
Jordan’s foreign minister Ayman Safadi said that restrictions imposed by Israel on Muslim worshippers’ access to Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa mosque compound during the Muslim fasting month was pushing the situation towards an “explosion”.
In remarks on state media, reported by Reuters, Safadi said his country rejected Israel’s announced move to limit access to the holy site during Ramadan, citing security needs with war raging in Gaza.
Jordan echoes the Palestinian view that such restrictions were an attack on freedom of worship, he said.
11:37 AM GMT
More on suspected death of Hamas top commander
More on reports that Hamas’s senior military leader may have died in an air strike.
If his death is confirmed, Marwan Issa would be the highest-ranking official from the terrorist organisation taken out by Israel in the more than five-month war.
Israeli Army Radio said Israel had bombed the Al-Nusseirat camp in central Gaza on Saturday night, where it had intelligence about the location of Issa.
The attack killed five people, the report said.
Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that Israel was checking if the fatalities included Issa.
Neither the Israeli military nor Hamas officials immediately commented on the media reports.
11:18 AM GMT
Israeli officials say an offensive into Rafah is not imminent
An Israeli offensive into Rafah is not imminent, multiple Israeli officials told CNN on Monday.
According to the report, the Israeli military has not yet built up the forces needed to proceed with a Rafah offensive.
It has also not finalised plans for a civilian evacuation, which is expected to take at least two weeks, the officials said.
11:14 AM GMT
Missile-related incident reported off Yemen’s Hodeidah
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency also said it had received a report of an incident 71 nautical miles southwest of Yemen’s port of Saleef.
10:53 AM GMT
Ambrey says it is aware of a missile-related incident west of Yemen’s Hodeidah
British maritime security firm Ambrey said it was aware of a missile-related incident west of Yemen’s Red Sea port city of Hodeidah.
Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis have been attacking ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since November in what they say is a campaign of solidarity with Palestinians during Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza.
10:39 AM GMT
Hezbollah stages multi-drone strike on Israeli outpost in Golan Heights
Lebanon’s pro-Iranian Hezbollah group said it launched a multi-drone attack on an Israeli air defence outpost across the border in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
It said the rare attack, in which it deployed four drones, hit their target with “accuracy” in what it said was another operation in support of Palestinian militant groups in Gaza.
Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in 1967.
10:30 AM GMT
Netanyahu vows to resist US pressure and launch Rafah assault
Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to press ahead with an invasion of Rafah, resisting pressure from US president Joe Biden who warned such an offensive would be a “red line”.
Mr Biden said on Saturday that he opposed an escalation into Rafah – a city in the south and now a refuge for approximately half of the 2.3 million population – and that he could not accept “30,000 more Palestinians dead”.
But on Sunday, Mr Neyanyahu retorted: “We’ll go there. We’re not going to leave them. You know, I have a red line. You know what the red line is? That October 7 doesn’t happen again. Never happens again.”
The Israeli prime minister also dismissed suggestions of a ceasefire for the month of Ramadan, saying he did not see any “breakthrough in the negotiations”.
“We’ve destroyed three-quarters of Hamas’ fighting terrorism battalions. And we’re close to finishing the last part in warfare,” he said, adding that fighting would not “take more than two months.”
09:57 AM GMT
Gaza aid ship yet to leave Cyprus
A ship carrying humanitarian aid, that was expected to depart for Gaza on Sunday, is still docked in Cyprus.
A charity leading the mission told the BBC it is “a quickly evolving and fluid situation”, but hopes the ship, Open Arms, will set sail soon.
09:49 AM GMT
Hamas-linked website warns Palestinians not to work with Israel
A Hamas-linked website has warned Palestinians against co-operating with Israel to provide security for aid convoys.
Those involved would be treated as collaborators and be handled with an iron fist, the Hamas Al-Majd security website said, quoting a security official in Palestinian militant forces.
The warning came in response to Israeli media reports that Israel was considering arming some Palestinian individuals or clans in Gaza to provide security protection for aid convoys into the besieged enclave as part of wider planning for humanitarian supplies after the fighting ends.
“The occupation’s attempt to communicate with the leaders and clans of some families to operate within the Gaza Strip is considered direct collaboration with the occupation and is a betrayal of the nation that we will not tolerate,” the website said, quoting the official.
“The occupation’s (Israel) efforts to establish bodies to manage Gaza are a ‘failed conspiracy’ that will not materialise.”
09:25 AM GMT
Pictured: Destruction in Rafah
09:15 AM GMT
IDF investigates after commander destroyed university without approval
The Israel Defence Forces has issued a disciplinary note to a top commander after he ordered the destruction of a university in southern Gaza City, without the approval of his superior, according to Haaretz.
Al-Asraa university building was destroyed in January.
The IDF claimed that its investigation “revealed that Hamas used the building and its surroundings for military activity against our forces, but the process of collapsing the building was done without the required approvals.”
08:55 AM GMT
Hamas checking if senior Hamas leader killed
Hamas is reportedly checking if its second-highest military leader was killed in a strike over the weekend.
The Israeli military reportedly attempted to assassinate Marwan Issa, the deputy head of the of Hamas’s military wing, in a recent airstrike in the central Gaza Strip.
According to Hebrew-language media reports, Issa was hiding in the Nuseirat camp. Overnight between Saturday and Sunday, the IDF carried out an airstrike on a building where he was believed to be.
Reports say five Palestinians were killed in the strike, although it is unknown if Issa is among them. According to the local reports, Hamas is checking if Issa was killed in the strike.
08:39 AM GMT
ICYMI: ‘Holocaust being hijakced’: Political Oscar speech condemns Israel-Gaza conflict
08:34 AM GMT
Dutch election winner meets Israeli president and pledges full support
Dutch far-right leader Geert Wilders said he had met with Israeli president Isaac Herzog and pledged his full support to Israel in its fight against terror.
Mr Wilders, who is aiming to lead a new government after his nationalist PVV party won elections in November, has long been a staunch supporter of Israel.
Mr Wilders posted a picture of his meeting with Herzog online and wrote: “I told him I am proud that he visits the Netherlands and that Israel has, and always will have, my full support in its fight against terror”.
I just had a great meeting in Amsterdam with the President of Israel @Isaac_Herzog. I told him I am proud that he visits the Netherlands and that Israel has, and always will have, my full support in its fight against terror. #Israel #Herzog pic.twitter.com/LBft3ieYlG
— Geert Wilders (@geertwilderspvv) March 11, 2024
08:28 AM GMT
UK announces £117 million security funding for Muslim sites
The British government has pledged £117 million pounds towards protecting Muslim communities amid a rise in Islamophobia as it promises more action to tackle extremism.
The new funding, announced just over a week after extra cash was promised to enhance security for Jewish groups amid soaring anti-Semitism, will be used to protect mosques, Muslim faith schools and other community centres, the government said.
The pledge by the Home Office comes amid a surge in anti-Muslim hate incidents in the UK since the outbreak of the war between Israel and the Hamas militant group in Gaza last October.
Tell Mama, a group which monitors anti-Muslim incidents, said last month there had been a 335 per cent increase in cases since the Oct 7 attack by Hamas on Israel.
“Anti-Muslim hatred has absolutely no place in our society. We will not let events in the Middle East be used as an excuse to justify abuse against British Muslims,” James Cleverly, the Home Secretary, said.
The security measures will include technology such as CCTV, alarm systems and perimeter fencing.
08:23 AM GMT
Health ministry says war death toll at 31,112
The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said Monday that at least 31,112 people have been killed in the territory during more than five months of war between Israel and Palestinian militants.
The latest toll includes 67 fatalities over the past 24 hours, a ministry statement said, adding that 72,760 people have been wounded in Gaza since the war began on October 7 when Hamas militants attacked Israel.
08:21 AM GMT
Saudi king calls for end to ‘heinous crimes’ in Gaza
Saudi Arabia’s King Salman has called in his Ramadan message for the international community to bring an end to the “heinous crimes” taking place in Gaza.
Speaking as custodian of Islam’s two holiest sites, King Salman saif the war in besieged Gaza would cast a shadow over the holy month of fasting and prayer.
“As we witness the arrival of Ramadan this year, our hearts are heavy with sorrow for the ongoing suffering of our Palestinian brothers facing relentless aggression,” he said.
“We call upon the international community to uphold its responsibilities to put an end to these heinous crimes and ensure the establishment of safe humanitarian and relief corridors.”