A drone attack by Yemen's Houthi rebels killed one person in the center of Tel Aviv, Israel's biggest city, and wounded at least 10 others near the United States Embassy early Friday, authorities said.
Meanwhile, the top United Nations court issued a non-binding opinion that Israel’s presence in the occupied Palestinian territories is unlawful, saying Israel could not claim sovereignty in the territories and was impeding Palestinians’ right to self-determination. Friday's decision by the International Court of Justice is separate from South Africa's case saying Israel's war in Gaza amounts to genocide, a charge Israel vehemently denies.
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The war was sparked by Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack, when Palestinian militants stormed into southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people — mostly civilians — and abducting about 250. Since then, Israeli ground offensives and bombardments have killed more than 38,800 people in Gaza, according to the territory’s Health Ministry. It does not distinguish between combatants and civilians in its count.
Most of Gaza’s 2.3 million people are now crammed into squalid tent camps in central and southern Gaza. Israeli restrictions, fighting and the breakdown of law and order have limited humanitarian aid efforts, causing widespread hunger and sparking fears of famine.
Here’s the latest:
Palestinian baby survives after pregnant mother is killed by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza, hospital officials say
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — An Israeli airstrike killed a pregnant woman in Gaza but her baby survived after the mother’s body was rushed to a hospital delivery room, medical officials said.
The baby boy was in stable condition but had suffered oxygen shortages and was placed in an incubator at Al-Awda Hospital in northern Gaza, said Dr. Khalil Dajran.
The mother, Ola al-Kurd, 25, had previously survived an Israeli airstrike four months ago that killed her parents and some of her siblings. She was nine months pregnant at the time of her death.
She was among seven people killed in an Israeli strike that slammed into the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza. Her husband, Anas Yassin, was wounded in the same strike and was being treated at the hospital same hospital as his son, his first child. The boy yet to be given a name.
Two Israeli strikes in Nuseirat on Friday killed 14 people, including al-Kurd, an Associated Press journalist and hospital officials said. Seven of the dead, including three women and two children, were taken to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the central city of Deir al-Balah, and seven bodies were taken to Al-Awda Hospital.
UN chief condemns drone attack in Tel Aviv
UNITED NATIONS – U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the deadly drone attack in Tel Aviv that Yemen’s Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for and expressed concern at “the risk such dangerous acts pose for further escalation in the region,” his spokesman said.
“He urges all to exercise maximum restraint and to de-escalate to avoid further enflaming the situation in the region,” U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said Friday. “The United Nations remains committed to supporting efforts for peace and stability in the region.”
Adidas is revising its campaign for retro shoes that drew criticism from Israel over supermodel Bella Hadid's involvement
BERLIN — Adidas said Friday that it is “revising” its campaign for running shoes inspired by a design dating back to the time of the 1972 Munich Olympics, which has drawn criticism from Israel over the involvement of supermodel Bella Hadid.
Hadid, whose father is Palestinian, has repeatedly made public remarks criticizing the Israeli government and supporting Palestinians over the years.
The German-based sportswear company has been advertising the SL72 sneakers, which it describes as a “timeless classic.” Israel’s official account on social media network X objected to Hadid as “the face of their campaign” in a post Thursday which noted that “eleven Israelis were murdered by Palestinian terrorists during the Munich Olympics.”
Adidas said in an emailed statement that the campaign for the SL72 shoe “unites a broad range of partners.”
“We are conscious that connections have been made to tragic historical events — though these are completely unintentional — and we apologize for any upset or distress caused,” it said. “As a result, we are revising the remainder of the campaign.”
It did not specify what changes would be made.
Members of the Palestinian group Black September broke into the Olympic Village, killed two athletes from Israel’s national team and took nine more hostage on Sept. 5, 1972. The attackers hoped to force the release of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel as well as two left-wing extremists in West German jails.
All nine hostages and a West German police officer died during a rescue attempt by German forces.
Jordan welcomes ICJ decision on Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories
AMMAN, Jordan — Jordan’s Foreign Minister welcomed the International Court of Justice’s decision that Israel’s presence in the occupied Palestinian territories and its settlement policy is unlawful.
“It is a clear ruling on the side of Palestinians people’s right to justice, freedom & statehood,” said minister Ayman al-Safadi in a post on X. “The end of occupation is the only path to peace that will guarantee the rights and security of all.”
Along with Egypt, Jordan is one of few Middle East countries with established diplomatic ties with Israel. But it has been highly critical of the Israeli army’s conduct in Gaza, publicly accusing it of trying to remove Palestinians from Gaza and West Bank.
Jordan, which borders the Israeli-occupied West Bank, is home to over 2 million Palestinian refugees, according to the United Nations. Jordan also serves as the custodian of the Jerusalem’s most sensitive holy site.
UK says it's carefully considering ICJ ruling before giving a response
LONDON — The British government said it would carefully consider before responding to Friday International Court of Justice opinion that Israel must end its presence in the occupied Palestinian territories.
“The UK respects the independence of the ICJ,” the Foreign Office said in a statement. “The foreign secretary was clear on his visit to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories earlier this week that the U.K. is strongly opposed to the expansion of illegal settlements and rising settler violence."
David Lammy, the new British foreign secretary, also said the Palestinian Authority needs to be “reformed and empowered.” The PA administers parts of the West Bank. Lammy also called for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza.
“This government is committed to a negotiated two-state solution which can deliver a safe and secure Israel alongside a viable and sovereign Palestinian state,” the statement said.
US secretary of state says Gaza cease-fire deal is close, but warns final details are the most difficult
WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said a cease-fire deal between Hamas and Israel that will release Israeli hostages in Gaza are “inside the 10-yard line,” as talks between warring sides in Cairo appear to make progress.
“But we know that anything in the last 10 yards are the hardest,” said Blinken, speaking from the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado on Friday.
International mediators, including the United States, are pushing Israel and Hamas toward an internationally-backed phased deal that would halt the fighting and free about 120 hostages in Gaza.
Fruitless stop-and-start negotiations between the warring sides have been ongoing since November’s one week cease-fire. Both Hamas and Israel having accused each other of sabotaging the agreement as a deal nears.
Negotiations appeared to be rattled last weekend when Israel said it targeted Hamas’ military commander, Mohammed Deif in a massive strike. Despite the attack, Hamas said the talks were ongoing.
Palestinian officials praise the ICJ ruling and call on international community to push for an end to Israel's occupation
THE HAGUE, Netherlands — Speaking from outside the courtroom, Riyad Malki, the Palestinian Foreign Minister, commended the decision by the International Court of Justice to label Israel’s presence in the occupied Palestinian territories and settlement policy as unlawful.
“The ICJ fulfilled its legal and moral duties with this historic ruling. All states must now uphold the clear obligations: No aid, no assistance, no complicity, no money, no arms, no trade, no nothing. No actions of any kind ... to support Israel’s illegal occupation,“ said Malki.
Malki was in the courtroom when Friday’s decision was read out and represents the Palestinian Authority at the International Court of Justice, and other U.N. courts
The Palestinian Authority administers parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Its forces were driven from Gaza when Hamas seized power in 2007, and it has no power there.
Hussein Shiekh, a senior official in the Palestinian Liberation Organization, called the court's opinion “a historic victory for the rights of the Palestinian people and their right to self-determination.” He said the international community must listen to what the court decided and pressure Israel to end the occupation.
Netanyahu slams top UN court ruling on Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories
JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the West Bank and east Jerusalem were part of the Jewish people’s historical “homeland,” and harshly criticized Friday's decision by the International Court of Justice.
“The Jewish people are not conquerors in their own land — not in our eternal capital Jerusalem and not in the land of our ancestors in Judea and Samaria,” he said in a post on the social media platform X. “No false decision in The Hague will distort this historical truth and likewise the legality of Israeli settlement in all the territories of our homeland cannot be contested.”
Israel considers the West Bank to be disputed territory, whose future should be decided in negotiations, while it has moved population there in settlements to solidify its hold. It has annexed east Jerusalem in a move that is not internationally recognized, while it withdrew from Gaza in 2005 but maintained a blockade of the territory after Hamas took power in 2007. The international community generally considers all three areas to be occupied territory.
Israel, which normally considers the United Nations and international tribunals as unfair and biased, did not send a legal team to the hearings. But it submitted written comments, saying that the questions put to the court are prejudiced and fail to address Israeli security concerns. Israeli officials have said the court’s intervention could undermine the peace process, which has stagnant for more than a decade.
Top UN court says Israel’s presence in the occupied Palestinian territories is illegal and must end
THE HAGUE, Netherlands — The top U.N. court said Friday that Israel’s presence in the occupied Palestinian territories is unlawful and called on it to end and for settlement construction to stop immediately, issuing an unprecedented, sweeping condemnation of Israel’s rule over the lands it captured 57 years ago.
The decision is separate from another case the ICJ is considering, in which South African claims Israel’s war in Gaza amounts to genocide, a charge that Israel vehemently denies.
Friday's non-binding opinion by the ICJ could have more effect on international opinion than it will on Israeli policies.
The court pointed to a wide list of policies, including the building and expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, use of the area’s natural resources, the annexation and imposition of permanent control over lands and discriminatory policies against Palestinians, all of which it said violated international law.
Israel captured the West Bank, east Jerusalem and Gaza Strip in the 1967 Mideast war. The Palestinians seek all three areas for an independent state.
Israel considers the West Bank to be disputed territory, whose future should be decided in negotiations, while it has moved population there in settlements to solidify its hold. It has annexed east Jerusalem in a move that is not internationally recognized, while it withdrew from Gaza in 2005 but maintained a blockade of the territory after Hamas took power in 2007. The international community generally considers all three areas to be occupied territory.
The UK restores funding to the UN agency for the Palestinians
LONDON — The new British government has overturned its predecessor’s suspension of funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for the Palestinians.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy told lawmakers that humanitarian aid in Gaza is “a moral necessity” and that UNRWA is “absolutely central” to U.K. efforts to support civilians on the ground.
In January, the previous government paused funding for UNRWA due to allegations that staff from the aid organization had been involved in the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel.
Lammy, who travelled to Israel last weekend and urged a ceasefire, said UNRWA is already feeding more than half of Gaza’s population and that the organization will be vital for the future reconstruction of the territory.
Lammy said he was “appalled” by the allegations against UNRWA staff but having spoken to senior officials at the U.N. is “reassured” that the organization is meeting “the highest standards of neutrality and strengthening its procedures.”
The U.K., he added, will provide 21 million pounds ($27 million) in new funds.
Israeli airstrikes on Gaza refugee camps kill 12 overnight, Palestinian officials say
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Two Israeli strikes on central Gaza killed 12 people overnight Thursday, according to Associated Press journalists and Palestinian medical officials.
Seven of the dead, including two women and three children, were killed in an airstrike on the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza late Thursday evening, while the second airstrike hit Bureij refugee camp, also in central Gaza, killing five people early Friday morning, ambulance crews said.
The bodies were taken to al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital, in the nearby city of Deir al-Balah, where they were counted by AP journalists.
Palestinian militant groups call on the PLO to rescind recognition of Israel
BEIRUT — The militant Palestinian groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad have called on the leadership of the Palestine Liberation Organization to withdraw its recognition of Israel in retaliation for a resolution approved by Israel’s parliament rejecting the establishment of a Palestinian state.
The two groups made the announcement late Thursday following a meeting in the Gulf nation of Qatar between Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and Islamic Jihad chief Ziad Nakhaleh and his deputy Mohammed al-Hindi, according to a Hamas statement.
The two groups said the Palestinian people have the right to set up their own independent state with Jerusalem as its capital.
Hezbollah says it fired rockets on northern Israeli village
Beirut — Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group said it fired a volley of rockets on a northern Israeli village Friday morning in retaliation for Israeli airstrikes the night before on south Lebanon that killed several Hezbollah members and wounded civilians.
In another attack, the group also said that it used for the first time a new rocket with heavy warhead to strike an Israeli army post in the disputed Kfar Chouba hills. Hezbollah said in a statement that the Wabel rocket, produced by the group in Lebanon, destroyed parts of the Rweisat al-Alam post and caused a fire inside it.
Hezbollah said its fighters fired a salvo of rockets on the northern Israeli village of Abirim for the first time since fighting along the Lebanon-Israel border began in early October.
Hezbollah began firing rockets shortly after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack, saying it aimed to ease pressure on Gaza. Since then, Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon have killed over 450 people, mostly Hezbollah members but also around 90 civilians and non-combatants. On the Israeli side, 21 soldiers and 13 civilians have been killed.
Yemen’s Houthi rebels claim drone strike that hit Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv — Yemen’s Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for a drone strike early Friday that hit part of central Tel Aviv near the U.S. Embassy, killing one person and injuring 10.
The aerial strike rumbled through the streets causing shards of shrapnel to rain down and spreading shards of glass over a large radius. The Houthis have launched drones and missiles toward Israel throughout the Israel-Hamas war, in solidarity with the Palestinian people and against Israel. But until Friday, all were intercepted by either Israel or Western allies with forces stationed in the region.
Yahya Sare’e, the Houthis’ spokesperson, said in a statement published on the social media platform X that the strike was made in retaliation for the war and had hit one of many of the group’s targets.
The Houthis claimed their newest drones can bypass Israel’s aerial defense systems. However, an Israeli military official on Friday that the explosive-laden drone had been identified on Thursday and attributed the hit to “human error.”
“It was a terror attack that was targeted to kill civilians in Israel,” the official said of the strike, the first to threaten Tel Aviv in months.