Middle East crisis live: Israel says Gaza offensive will move into Rafah | Israel-Gaza war

Turkish police arrested seven people on Friday on suspicion of selling information to the Israeli intelligence service the Mossad, reports Associated Press (AP) citing the state-run Anadolu news agency.

The suspects, who allegedly passed details to the Mossad via private detectives, were detained in a joint operation with Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization, or MIT.

Acting on warrants issued by the Istanbul chief public prosecutor’s office, police anti-terror and intelligence branch officers carried out raids in Istanbul and the west coast city of Izmir, Anadolu reported. Two other suspects in the investigation are thought to have been detained earlier.

After the arrests on Friday, Anadolu cited a prosecution document as saying the operation targeted “Palestinian nationals and their families … within the scope of the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”

Last month, 34 people were detained by Turkish police on suspicion of spying for Israel, reports AP. They were accused of planning to carry out activities that included reconnaissance and “pursuing, assaulting and kidnapping” foreign nationals living in Turkey.

At the time, justice minister Yilmaz Tunc said most of the suspects were charged with committing “political or military espionage” on behalf of Israeli intelligence.

The Mossad is said to have recruited Palestinians and Syrian nationals in Turkey as part of an operation against foreigners living in Turkey.

Iran’s president Ebrahim Raisi said on Friday that his country will not start a war, but it will “respond strongly” to anyone who bullies it, reports Reuters.

“We will not start any war, but if anyone wants to bully us they will receive a strong response,” Raisi said in a televised speech.

Raisi’s comments came after days of speculation about how Washington might
retaliate after three US soldiers were killed last Saturday in a strike on their base in Jordan by an Iranian-backed group.

CBS News, citing US officials, reported on Thursday that the US had approved plans for multi day strikes in Iraq and Syria against multiple targets, including Iranian personnel and facilities in those countries.

“Before, when they [the US] wanted to talk to us, they said the military option is on the table. Now they say they have no intention of a conflict with Iran,” Raisi said.

“The Islamic Republic’s military power in the region is not and never has been a threat to any country. Rather, it ensures security that the countries of the region can rely on and trust,” Raisi added.

The US has assessed that the drone that killed three of its soldiers and also wounded more than 40 other people, was made by Iran, four US. officials told Reuters.

Sources told the news agency that Iran’s Revolutionary Guards were pulling senior officers out of Syria.

The Syrian military says it downed a number of Israeli missiles launched from the Golan Heights that were targeting south Damascus on Friday, state news agency Sana reported citing a military source.

According to Reuters, reports of an explosion in the vicinity of Damascus circulated earlier overnight. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.

Israel has for years carried out attacks on what it has described as Iran-linked targets in Syria, where Tehran’s influence has grown since it began supporting president Bashar al-Assad in a civil war that started in 2011.

Since the 7 October attack on Israel by Hamas from Gaza, Israel has escalated its strikes on Iranian-backed militia targets in Syria and has also struck Syrian army air defences and some Syrian forces.

Half of US adults believe Israel’s war in Gaza has “gone too far”, a finding driven mainly by growing disapproval among Republicans and political independents, according to a poll by the Associated Press (AP) and the NORC centre for public affairs research.

Overall, 31% of US adults approve of president Joe Biden’s handling of the conflict, including just 46% of Democrats. Notably for Biden, about seven out of 10 young people in Biden’s Democratic party disapprove of his approach to the conflict.

In all, 50% of US adults now believe Israel’s military offensive has gone beyond what it should have, the poll found. That’s up from 40% in an AP-NORC poll conducted in November.

The poll shows 33% of Republicans thought Israel’s military response had gone too far, up from 18% in November, while 52% of independents said that, up from 39%. It also found that 62% of Democrats said they feel that way, roughly the same majority as in November.

Reporting on the findings AP said:

Fracture lines are growing in his [Biden’s]Democratic base, with some key Democratic blocs that Biden will likely need if he’s going to win a second term unhappy with his handling of the conflict.

About six in 10 non-white Democrats disapprove of how Biden is approaching the conflict, while about half of white Democrats approve.

Notably, about seven in 10 Democrats under 45 disapprove. That’s the opposite of the attitude of older Democrats, among whom nearly six in 10 approve.”

The poll also asked questions about the importance of the US helping to negotiate a ceasefire, concerns about a broader conflict in the Middle East and US support for Palestinians. AP report:

• 35% of US adults now describe Israel as an ally that shares US interests and values. That’s back in line with the views from before the 7 October attack by Hamas on Israel, after a brief increase in November to 44%.

• About six in 10 call recovering hostages being held by Hamas an important US priority, but only about three in 10 say it’s highly important to provide aid to Israel’s military to fight Hamas. A similar share of US adults say that about negotiating the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.

The poll of 1,152 adults was conducted using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, designed to represent the US population. It was conducted from 25 January-28 January 2024. That time period overlapped with the killing of three US troops in Jordan.

Catherine Russell, Unicef’s executive director, has warned that “the situation for children in Gaza grows bleaker every day”. In a post on X, Russell said: “The world cannot abandon them”.

She also shared a statement from Unicef that was published earlier this week, which addresses the allegations of several UNRWA staff being involved in the Hamas attacks on Israel on 7 October.

It reads:

The allegations of involvement of several UNRWA staff in the heinous attacks on Israel on 7 October are horrifying. As the secretary general has said, any UN employee involved in acts of terror will be held accountable.

However, we must not prevent an entire organization from delivering on its mandate to serve people in desperate need.

The harrowing events that have been snowballing in Gaza since 7 October have left hundreds of thousands of people homeless and on the brink of famine. UNRWA, as the largest humanitarian organisation in Gaza, has been providing food, shelter and protection, even as its own staff members were being displaced and killed.

Decisions by various member states to pause funds from UNRWA will have catastrophic consequences for the people of Gaza. No other entity has the capacity to deliver the scale and breadth of assistance that 2.2 million people in Gaza urgently need.

We appeal for these decisions to be reconsidered.

UNRWA has announced a full, independent review of the organization, and the UN’s Office of internal oversight services has been activated.

Withdrawing funds from UNRWA is perilous and would result in the collapse of the humanitarian system in Gaza, with far-reaching humanitarian and human rights consequences in the occupied Palestinian territory and across the region.

The world cannot abandon the people of Gaza.”

Australia hints at reinstatement of UNRWA aid

Daniel Hurst

Israel has accused the Australian government of forgetting “Hamas’s culpability” for the war in Gaza, in a sign of growing tensions as ministers consider reinstating funding to a key UN agency.

The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, also fired a political warning shot against resuming the funding but Australian aid groups said the dire situation in Gaza would “rapidly escalate without UNRWA’s critical support”.

The aid groups implored the government to “be judicious and discriminate between allegations against a small number of individuals and the foreseeable impact of defunding UNRWA on millions of Palestinians reliant on their services, including children”.

More than 10 donor countries – including Australia, the US and the UK – suspended funding to UNRWA after allegations from Israel that as many as 12 of its staff were involved in the 7 October Hamas attacks.

The Australian foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, who has frozen $6m in funds she pledged in mid-January, said the allegations made against UNRWA staff were “deeply concerning” and they needed to be “thoroughly investigated and those responsible need to be held to account”.

But the minister gave a strong hint on Thursday that the government was considering reinstating funding, depending on the progress of those investigations.

Turkish authorities have formally arrested 25 suspects in connection with the shooting of a man during a service at a church in Istanbul last weekend, Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said on Friday. Reuters reports:

Among the 25 remanded in custody were the two suspected gunmen, previously captured by police, who are believed to be tied to Islamic State, Tunc said on the social media platform X.

The two main suspects were foreign nationals, one from Tajikistan and the other Russian, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said previously.

Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement on Telegram, saying it was in response to a call by the group’s leaders to target Jews and Christians.

Tunc said the 25 suspects were charged with membership of an illegal organisation and aggravated intentional homicide, adding that another nine suspects were released pending trial.

The attack took place on Sunday morning at the Italian Santa Maria Catholic Church in Istanbul’s Sariyer district. One Turkish citizen – who was targeted by the gunmen – was killed while attending the service.

Hamas has given “initial positive confirmation” to a proposal for the cessation of fighting in Gaza and the release of hostages, Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesman has said according to AFP. The news agency writes:

US, Egyptian and Qatari mediators met with Israeli intelligence officials in Paris on Sunday where they proposed a six-week pause in the Gaza war and a hostage-prisoner exchange for Hamas to review.

“That proposal has been approved by the Israeli side and now we have an initial positive confirmation from the Hamas‘ side,” Majed al-Ansari told an audience at a Washington-based graduate school.

A source close to Hamas said, however, that there was still no consensus on the proposal.

“There is no agreement on the framework of the agreement yet… and the Qatari statement is rushed and not true,” the source told AFP in Gaza.

The Qatari foreign ministry spokesman said there was “still a very tough road in front of us”.

“We are optimistic because both sides now agreed to the premise that would lead to a next pause,” said Ansari.

“We’re hopeful that in the next couple of weeks, we’ll be able to share good news about that,” he added.

The Qatar-based leader of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, was expected in Cairo on Thursday or Friday for talks on a proposed truce.

Previously, Qatar mediated a one-week break in fighting that began in November and led to the release of scores of Israeli and foreign hostages, as well as aid entering the besieged Palestinian territory.

Israeli forces will continue their Gaza military campaign to Rafah, the Israeli defence minister, Yoav Gallant has said, despite the huge numbers of Palestinian civilians there. In a Twitter post Gallant said:

The Khan Younis Brigade of the Hamas organization is disbanded, we will complete the mission there and continue to Rafah.

The great pressure that our forces exert on Hamas targets brings us closer to the return of the abductees, more than anything else [we can do].

We will continue until the end, there is no other way.

Israeli forces have continually expanded their campaign south to areas where they have previously told Palestinians to flee for safety, killing many civilians, most of them women and children.

Rafah is the southernmost city in Gaza and there is nowhere further south for civilians to go as Israel and Egypt will not let them leave the territory.

Eighty-five per cent of Gaza’s 2.2 million strong population is already deplaced, and Rafah, already overcrowded, is now hosting more than 1 million people.

Hello and welcome to the Guardian’s live coverage of the Middle East crisis with me, Helen Livingstone.

Israeli forces will continue their Gaza military campaign to Rafah, the Israeli defence minister has said, despite the more than 1 million Palestinian civilians who have sought shelter there.

“The Khan Younis Brigade of the Hamas organisation has been disbanded, we will complete the mission there and continue to Rafah,” Yoav Gallant said in a Twitter post.

The announcement came as Qatar said Hamas had given an “initial positive confirmation” to a proposed ceasefire deal.

More on that soonest. In other developments:

• At least 27,019 Palestinians have been killed and 66,139 injured in the Israeli assault on Gaza since 7 October, according to the latest figures by the Gaza health ministry on Thursday. In its statement, the ministry said in the past 24 hours, 118 Palestinians were killed and 190 injured. Images from the Gaza Strip today show that the Israeli bombardment continues.

• Hamas has received a proposal for a ceasefire deal that would involve the release of Israeli hostages, after US, Egyptian and Qatari mediators met Israeli intelligence officials in Paris. A Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson on Thursday said Hamas has given “initial positive confirmation” to a proposed deal, but a source close to Hamas said there is “no agreement on the framework of the agreement yet”, describing the Qatari statement as “rushed and not true”.

• Joe Biden has issued an executive order targeting Israeli settlers in the West Bank who have been attacking Palestinians. The order, a rare step against the US’s closest ally in the Middle East, initially imposes financial sanctions and visa bans against four Israeli individuals. The White House said there are currently no plans to target Israeli government officials with sanctions. A statement from Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the vast majority of West Bank settlers are “law-abiding citizens” and described Biden’s order as “drastic”.

• Britain could officially recognise a Palestinian state after a ceasefire in Gaza, the UK foreign secretary, David Cameron, has said. In an interview, Cameron said no recognition could come while Hamas remained in Gaza, but that it could take place while Israeli negotiations with Palestinian leaders were continuing.

• The US has ordered a series of reprisal strikes to be launched over more than one day against an Iranian-backed militia, the US defence secretary, Lloyd Austin, has said. The attacks are expected to hit militia in Syria and possibly Iraq, though Austin did not specify the timing or precise location. They are in response to the drone strike on a US base on the Iran-Syrian border on Sunday that killed three US service personnel and injured more than 30.

• The Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said it has lost contact with a team of paramedics dispatched to rescue a six-year-old Palestinian girl trapped inside a car in north Gaza. The organisation released audio recordings between dispatchers and Hind Rajab, the only survivor trapped inside the vehicle near a petrol station in Gaza City.

• Ministers in Israel’s war cabinet are reportedly considering limiting the amount of aid reaching Gaza, as rightwing protesters disrupt the entry of trucks carrying desperately needed humanitarian supplies to the besieged Palestinian territory. Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot have suggested temporarily limiting aid to weaken the Hamas, following an unverified report from Israel’s internal security service that estimated up to 66% of aid entering Gaza was being hijacked by Hamas.

• The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) will be forced to shut down its operations across the region “by the end of February” if funding does not resume, the agency’s head has warned. More than 10 western countries including the US, UK and Germany have said they would suspend funding to UNRWA after Israel accused some of its workers of taking part in Hamas’s 7 October attack. The UN agency provides aid to more than 5.6 million Palestinian refugees across the Middle East.

• Algeria has drafted a UN security council resolution to demand an immediate humanitarian ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. The draft was shared with the 15-member council on Wednesday, according to diplomats, after the UN body met to discuss a ruling by the international court of justice that ordered Israel to take action to prevent acts of genocide.

• US forces have carried out strikes in Yemen against 10 attack drones and a ground control station belonging to the Iran-backed Houthi rebels, according to the US military. Early on Thursday local time, US forces targeted a “Houthi UAV ground control station and 10 Houthi one-way UAVs” that “presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and the US navy ships in the region,” Centcom said.

• The UK will not send ground troops into combat against Houthi militants in Yemen, Britain’s deputy prime minister, Oliver Dowden, has said. Dowden said he was confident US and UK airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen were a step in degrading the Iranian-backed group’s capability to threaten the Red Sea, and part of broader measures that include sanctions on Houthi figures.

• UN rights experts have voiced alarm at soaring numbers of journalists killed in the Gaza war. In a statement on Thursday, the independent experts said they had received “disturbing” reports that appeared to indicate that the killings, injury and detention of journalists are “a deliberate strategy by Israeli forces to obstruct the media and silence critical reporting”.