Gaza War | Reports: Israel gives Hamas “last chance

Israel hopes for a breakthrough in hostage negotiations. The Houthis report an attack on an oil tanker. More information in the news blog.

2 O ‘clock: Hamas says it has received an official response from Israel to the radical Islamic Palestinian organization’s position in the ceasefire talks. The letter will be examined and a response will be submitted, Hamas’s deputy head in the Gaza Strip, Khalil Al-Hayya, wrote in a statement.

1.25 a.m.: According to their own information, the Yemeni Houthi militia has reported an attack on the British oil tanker “Andromeda Star” in the Red Sea. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea said this in a televised speech, adding that the militia also shot down an American drone in the airspace of Yemen’s Saada province.

12:30 a.m.: According to media reports, Israel sees the latest efforts for a ceasefire and a hostage deal in the Gaza war as a “last chance” before the planned attack on the city of Rafah in the south of the Gaza Strip. According to a senior Israeli official, the talks between Egyptian and Israeli representatives in Tel Aviv on Friday were “very good” and focused.

The Egyptians are apparently ready to put pressure on the Islamist Hamas to reach an agreement. Progress was made in all areas in the talks, the Times of Israel quoted relevant reports late on Friday evening. The state-affiliated Egyptian television station Al-Kahira News had previously reported significant progress.

Israel will not allow Hamas, particularly its Gaza leader Jihia al-Sinwar, to delay a hostage deal to prevent the planned military offensive in Rafah, the Israeli official was quoted as saying. A few days ago, the army mobilized two more reserve brigades. Al-Sinwar is considered to be the planner of the massacre in Israel on October 7th last year, as a result of which around 1,200 Israelis were killed and around 250 people were deported to Gaza. He is believed to be in tunnels beneath Rafah.

9:20 p.m.: China will host a Palestine summit involving representatives of Hamas and Fatah. There will be talks there about the unity of Palestine, according to the two rival Palestinian groups and a diplomat from Beijing. A Fatah delegation has already left for China, while Hamas representatives will follow later on Friday, said representatives from the respective camps. It would be the first official visit by Hamas members to China since the start of the Gaza war. The radical Islamic Hamas controls the Gaza Strip, while the moderate Fatah movement under Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas determines the fate of the West Bank.

7:38 p.m.: The United Nations continues to examine suspicions of terrorism against a total of 14 employees of the UN Palestinian relief agency UNRWA. After Israel’s serious allegations against twelve employees in January, seven further cases were reported to the UN, a spokesman in New York said. The examinations against five employees were discontinued or suspended because there was either insufficient information or no information at all about these people. Internal investigation inspectors planned another visit to the Middle East in May, it said.

UNRWA hit the headlines in January after Israel claimed that 12 staff members were involved in the Islamist Hamas’ devastating terrorist attacks on October 7. In response to the allegations, UNRWA fired several workers. Some of the major donors, including the US and Germany, temporarily suspended their payments. Berlin recently announced that it wanted to continue the donations. Another study, which looked at the extent to which UNRWA was living up to its neutrality requirements, found that the organization had some “robust” mechanisms, but also saw a need for improvement.

7:25 p.m.: Israel’s Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir was injured in a car accident on Friday evening. The police reported that a total of three people were injured in the accident in Ramle near Tel Aviv. She announced an investigation into the accident, which involved two vehicles, including the police minister’s car. The injured were taken to a clinic.