Middle East crisis live: Spanish aid vessel visible off Gaza coast, say reports

The Open Arms ship, towing a barge full of food, seen off the Gaza coast.

LIVE – Updated at 09:16

The Open Arms, towing barge with 200 tons of food for Palestinians threatened with famine, said to be five kilometres off Gaza coast.

Denmark disburses planned contribution to Unrwa

09:16

Denmark’s foreign ministry announced that the country has disbursed its planned contribution to Unrwa. In a statement, the Danish foreign ministry said:

The DKK 105m contribution will primarily support Unrwa’s efforts to mitigate the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza.

The disbursement follows the initiation of a number of necessary UN measures, and decisions by like-minded such as Sweden and Canada, as well as the EU, to disburse aid to Unrwa.

It also pointed to the UN’s follow up on the case of Israeli accusations regarding the participation of Unrwa employees in Hamas’s terrorist attack on Israel on 7 October, which included immediately dismissing the surviving employees accused, launching an urgent investigation by the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) and an external and independent investigation into Unrwa’s control and supervision mechanisms which will present recommendations on strengthening the organisation

The Danish government’s disbursement of the Danish core contribution to Unrwa amounting to DKK 105m, will “support the organisation’s programme initiatives for Palestine refugees in Palestine, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria, with a particular focus on the humanitarian situation in Gaza”, it said.

“Our decision to disburse this payment is aligned with similar decisions by Sweden, the EU and Canada. The support comes at a time when the humanitarian situation is disastrous, and will help to support the life-saving humanitarian operation,” said Dan Jørgensen, the Danish minister for development cooperation and global climate policy.

“There is currently no alternative to Unrwa in Gaza. In the longer term, it will be absolutely critical that important reform measures are initiated in the organisation,” he added.

Denmark said that Unrwa had entered into a bilateral agreement with it to share information “relating to the internal control of employees, strengthened control mechanisms, and the protection of Danish funds in the event of suspicion of an Unrwa worker’s participation in the terrorist attack of 7 October”. Unrwa has entered into similar agreements with Sweden and the EU.

Lars Løkke Rasmussen, the Danish foreign affairs minister, described Unrwa as playing an “indispensable role right now” in Gaza. “It is probably too much to hope that all of the weak points of the organisation have disappeared, but the leadership has initiated a number of measures to restore trust. Therefore, in line with a number of like-minded countries, we have decided to disburse our planned contribution,” he said.

“The Danish Government urgently appeals for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza.”

Spanish aid vessel visible off Gaza coast – reports

09:00

The first aid vessel heading to the besieged Gaza Strip via a new maritime corridor was visible on Friday off the coast of the war-ravaged territory, an AFP journalist said.

AFP video footage and photographs showed the Spanish aid vessel visible off Gaza coast towing a barge which the Spanish charity operating it says is carrying 200 tonnes of food for Palestinians threatened with famine after more than five months of war.

The specialist site Vessel Finder showed the Open Arms roughly five kilometres (three miles) off the coast of northern Gaza, said AFP.

A handful of civilians gathered on the rubble-strewn coast on Friday to watch the vessel, AFP footage showed, though it was unclear when it would actually reach shore.

The food has been supplied by the US NGO World Central Kitchen, which has a team in Gaza building a jetty on to which the cargo can be unloaded.

Cyprus, the Mediterranean nation which is the starting point for the maritime corridor, has said a second, bigger vessel is being readied to make the same journey.

However, the sea missions and airdrops are “no alternative” to land deliveries, 25 organisations including Amnesty International and Oxfam said in a statement this week.

The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza has in recent weeks recorded at least 27 deaths from malnutrition and dehydration, most of them children.

08:51

Reuters has a breaking news line about the Gaza aid ship, the Open Arms, that set off from Cyprus on Tuesday. According to the news agency, witnesses have reported that the ship is close to Gaza’s coast now.

More details soon …

08:48

Reuters has more on Egyptian president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s comments about seeking to reach a ceasefire in Gaza (08.08 am).

“We are talking about reaching a ceasefire in Gaza, meaning a truce, providing the biggest quantity of aid,” Sisi said in a message recorded during a visit to a military academy.

This would include “curbing the impact of this famine on people, and also allowing for the people in the centre and the south to move towards the north, with a very strong warning against incursion into Rafah,” he said.

“We warned of what is happening, that aid not entering would lead to famine,” Sisi added.

Egypt, which fears the displacement of Palestinians crowded near its border, has been trying, along with Qatar and the US, to mediate between Israel and Hamas to reach an agreement for a ceasefire and the release of Israeli hostages in return for Palestinian prisoners.

On Thursday, Egypt’s foreign minister called on Israel to open land crossings with Gaza to let in more aid.

08:30

A merchant ship has been damaged by a missile strike in the Red Sea off Yemen, marine security monitors said Friday, after a series of attacks by Iran-backed Houthi rebels, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP).

The crew was not injured and the vessel was able to continue its journey, the British navy’s United Kingdom Marine Trade Operations (UKMTO) and security firm Ambrey said.

“A merchant vessel has reported that they have been struck by a missile and the vessel has sustained some damage,” said UKMTO.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility from the Houthis, who have launched dozens of attacks on shipping in the commercially vital seaway over the past four months.

The rebels say they are acting as part of an “axis of resistance” of Iran allies and proxies, in protest at Israel’s war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The Houthi attacks, including a deadly assault on a bulk carrier last week and the sinking of a ship carrying thousands of tonnes of fertiliser, have triggered reprisal strikes by US and UK forces.

Egypt is seeking to reach ceasefire in Gaza, president Sisi says

08:08

Egypt is seeking to reach a ceasefire in Gaza, increase entry of aid, and allow for the displaced in the south to move to the north, president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said on Friday, reports Reuters.

Sisi, speaking in a recorded message, also warned against the danger of an Israeli incursion into the border city of Rafah.

Hezbollah tells Iran it would fight alone in any war with Israel, sources tell Reuters

08:03

With ally Hamas under attack in Gaza, the head of Iran’s Quds force visited Beirut in February to discuss the risk posed if Israel next aims at Lebanon’s Hezbollah, an offensive that could severely hurt Tehran’s main regional partner, seven sources told Reuters.

In Beirut, Quds chief Esmail Qaani met Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, the sources said, for at least the third time since Hamas’s deadly 7 October attacks on southern Israel and Israel’s devastating retaliatory assault on Gaza.

The conversation turned to the possibility of a full Israeli offensive to its north, in Lebanon, the sources said. As well as damaging Hezbollah, such an escalation could pressure Iran to react more forcefully than it has so far since 7 October, three of the sources, Iranians within the inner circle of power, said.

Over the past five months, Hezbollah, a sworn enemy of Israel, has shown support for Hamas in the form of limited volleys of rockets fired across Israel’s northern border.

At the previously unreported meeting, Nasrallah reassured Qaani he did not want Iran to get sucked into a war with Israel or the US and that Hezbollah would fight on its own, all the sources said.

“This is our fight,” Nasrallah told Qaani, said one Iranian source with knowledge of the discussions.

07:50

Philippe Lazzarini, the commissioner general of Unrwa, has thanked Australia for resuming its funding of the UN agency. In a post on X, he wrote:

Thank you Australia for joining donor countries who have maintained/increased their funding and those who have recently announced their contribution to Unrwa at this critical time in Gaza and the region.

Your support is testament to your commitment to humanitarian principles and the plight of Palestine refugees during unprecedented crisis. I hope that other donors who have temporarily paused their contribution will make similar announcement and support the agency to reverse the widespread hunger in Gaza and to remain a life line for Palestine refugees across the region.

Australia resumes funding for UNRWA and pledges more Gaza aid

07:42

Australia will restore funding to the United Nations relief agency for Palestinians (Unrwa), weeks after the agency lost hundreds of millions of dollars in support following Israeli allegations that some of its Gaza-based staff participated in the 7 October attack.

The Associated Press (AP) reports that the Australian government also pledged on Friday to increase aid for Gaza, with foreign minister Penny Wong expressing horror at the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza.

Australia’s move follows Sweden, the European Commission and Canada in reinstating funding for Unrwa, which had seen its international funding frozen while the allegations were investigated.

“The best available current advice from agencies and the Australian government lawyers is that Unrwa is not a terrorist organisation,” Wong told reporters Friday in Adelaide while she announced the aid package.

“[We have] been working with a group of donor countries and with Unrwa on the shared objective of ensuring the integrity of Unrwa’s operations, rebuilding confidence, and so importantly, ensuring aid flows to Gazans in desperate need.”

Australia, alongside 15 international partners, froze funding to Unrwa in January, leaving the agency – which employs roughly 13,000 people in Gaza and is the main supplier of food, water and shelter there – on the brink of financial collapse.

A small number of the agency’s staff were fired after the accusations.

Israel has claimed that 450 Unrwa employees were members of militant groups in Gaza, though it has provided no evidence.

Wong also pledged an additional $4m Australian ($2.6m/£2m) to Unicef to provide urgent services in Gaza, and a C17 Globemaster plane will also deliver defence force parachutes to help with the US led airdropping of humanitarian supplies into Gaza, which is on the brink of famine, says the UN.

Hamas issues ceasefire proposal detailing exchange of hostages and prisoners

07:28

Hamas has presented a Gaza ceasefire proposal to mediators and the US which includes the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for freedom for Palestinian prisoners, 100 of whom are serving life sentences, according to a proposal seen by news agency Reuters.

Hamas said the initial release of Israelis would include women, children, elderly, and ill hostages in exchange for the release of 700-1,000 Palestinian prisoners, according to the proposal. The release of Israeli “female recruits” is included.

The office of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the new Hamas position was based on “unrealistic demands.”

Egypt and Qatar have been trying to narrow differences between Israel and Hamas over what a ceasefire should look like as a deepening humanitarian crisis has one quarter of the population in the battered Gaza Strip facing famine.

In February, Hamas received a draft proposal from Gaza truce talks in Paris which included a 40-day pause in all military operations and the exchange of Palestinian prisoners for Israeli hostages at a ratio of 10 to one – a similar ratio to the new ceasedfire proposal.

Israel also rejected that draft proposal, citing its long-held goal of not ending the war until it destroyed Hamas. Hamas insists an agreement should end the war.

According to the latest proposal, Hamas said it would agree on a date for a permanent ceasefire after the initial exchange of hostages and prisoners, and that a deadline for an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza would be agreed upon after the first stage, reports Reuters.

The group said all detainees from both sides would be released in a second stage of the plan.

Late on Thursday, Hamas said it presented to mediators a comprehensive vision of a truce based on stopping what it calls Israeli aggression against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, providing relief and aid, the return of displaced Palestinians to their homes, and the withdrawal of Israeli forces.

07:23

An image of the destruction in Gaza taken by the US air force has been released. The picture was taken as the plane flew over the area on Thursday.

Opening summary

07:20

It has just gone 9am in Gaza and Tel Aviv. This is our latest Guardian live blog on the Israel-Gaza war and the wider Middle East crisis.

Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reacted to a fresh proposal presented by Hamas for a truce in the Israel-Gaza war, describing it as based on “unrealistic demands”.

It comes as Reuters reports on some of the details of the Hamas ceasefire proposal including the release of female hostages in return for Palestinian prisoners.

More on that in a moment but first, here’s a summary of the latest developments:

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the new proposal presented by Hamas to mediators was still based on “unrealistic demands”. The statement said an update on the issue will be presented to the war cabinet and extended security cabinet on Friday, Reuters reports.

Hamas said on Thursday it had presented to mediators a comprehensive vision of a truce deal. Reuters reports the deal is based on stopping the Israeli “aggression” against Palestinians in Gaza, providing relief and aid, the return of displaced people to their houses, and the withdrawal of Israeli forces.

Hamas’ ceasefire proposal also includes a first stage of releasing Israeli women, children, elderly, and ill hostages in exchange for the release of 700-1,000 Palestinian prisoners, Reuters says. A hundred Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences in Israeli prisons would be released and the release of Israeli “female recruits”. Hamas said it would agree on a date for a permanent ceasefire after the initial exchange of hostages and prisoners, according to the proposal seen by Reuters. A deadline for an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza would also be agreed upon after the first stage. Hamas said all detainees from both sides would be released in a second stage of the plan.

Australia is reinstating funding to the UNRWA aid agency amid growing concerns about the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The foreign minister, Penny Wong, announced the decision to unfreeze $6m (£5m) in emergency funding. The decision follows similar moves by Canada and Sweden.

Israel has defended its policies on admitting trucks into Gaza, calling on the UN to send more convoys of aid to the north. “If the UN wants to see more aid in north Gaza, it should coordinate more convoys,” said Elad Goren, head of the civil department at COGAT, a defence ministry body governing civilian affairs in the occupied Palestinian territories. Goren also said 99% of aid trucks sent to Gaza were “approved”, pushing back on reports by the UN and NGOs that cumbersome Israeli inspections are blocking food and other essentials.

The US has circulated the final draft of a UN security council resolution late on Thursday that would support international efforts to establish “an immediate and sustained ceasefire” in the Israel-Gaza war as part of a deal to release hostages, the Associated Press (AP) reports. No time has been set for a vote, and the draft, obtained by the AP, could still be changed. The US circulated the initial draft on 19 February a day before it vetoed a widely supported Arab-backed resolution demanding an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, saying it would interfere with negotiations on a deal to free the hostages.

Chuck Schumer, the US Senate leader and a top ally of Joe Biden, on Thursday broke with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu over his handling of the invasion of Gaza and called for Israel to hold new elections, in comments that upset its ruling party and allies on Capitol Hill.

The US on Thursday imposed sanctions on three Israeli settlers and two Israeli settler outposts in the occupied West Bank. It marks the first time the US has imposed sanctions on entire outposts rather than on individuals. Israel has occupied the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 1967.

The charity sending food aid to Gaza on a ship travelling across the Mediterranean from Cyprus is loading a second boat with supplies, which it hopes will set off in the coming days. Pallets containing 300 tonnes of food aid – 50% more than the first shipment – are expected to be screened and loaded by the end of Thursday, but there is no indication yet when it will leave the port of Larnaca. Arvind Das of the International Rescue Committee said the aid en route via water was “a drop in the ocean looking at the need”.

31,341 people have been killed by the Israeli military offensive in Gaza since 7 October according to the Hamas-led health ministry in the territory. It added that 73,134 people have been wounded. It has not been possible for journalists to independently verify the casualty figures issued during the conflict.

Israel’s military has claimed to be “continuing to operate in Khan Younis, conducting targeted raids on terror targets and eliminating terrorists”. It says it targeted fighters who had attempted to launch a rocket into Israel, and destroyed rocket launchers in the Hamad area.

A man in his 50s has been critically injured during a stabbing attack in Beit Kama shopping complex in Israel.

Relatives of some of those believed to still be held in Gaza by Hamas staged a demonstration in Tel Aviv on Thursday, temporarily blocking a highway. About 40 relatives blocked the road, while holding banners saying “We want them alive, not in coffins” and carrying large pictures of female hostages.

Israel’s military has said it struck what it called “Hezbollah terrorist infrastructure” inside Lebanon on Thursday morning. It also said it intercepted a “suspicious aerial target” heading into Israel.

The Palestine Red Crescent Society has accused Israeli security forces of preventing ambulances reaching sick or wounded people 95 times in the Israeli-occupied West Bank since 7 October. It says that they have “endangered lives in violation of international humanitarian law”.

Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas has appointed Mohammed Mustafa, a long-trusted adviser on economic affairs, as prime minister, the official Wafa news agency said on Thursday. Mustafa’s appointment comes less than three weeks after his predecessor, Mohammed Shtayyeh, resigned, citing the need for change after the Hamas attack of 7 October triggered war with Israel in Gaza.

The US and UK have called for a UN maritime inspectorate to do more to prevent Iranian missiles reaching Houthi-controlled ports in the west of Yemen.

The leader of Yemen’s Houthis, Abdul Malik al-Houthi, said on Thursday the group’s operations targeting vessels will escalate to prevent Israel-linked ships from passing through the Indian Ocean towards the Cape of Good Hope.

The US military said on Thursday that Houthis fired two anti-ship ballistic missiles from Yemen toward the Gulf of Aden and two missiles toward the Red Sea, but there were no injuries or damage reported to US or coalition ships. The US military’s central command said it destroyed nine anti-ship missiles and two drones in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.

The UN special envoy for Yemen has told the UN security council, the longer the war in Gaza goes on and Yemen’s Houthi rebels keep attacking ships in the Red Sea the greater the risk that Yemen could be propelled back into war. Hans Grundberg said it has been impossible to shield his promising efforts to restore peace to Yemen because the reality is, “what happens regionally impacts Yemen – and what happens in Yemen can impact the region”.