Live ticker War in the Middle East
“Seeds for the next war” – USA blocks UN Security Council on Gaza ceasefire
“Hamas doesn’t care about human lives. “They will have deliberately brought the hostages into the tunnels.”
Israel is apparently considering flooding the Islamist Hamas’ extensive tunnel system under the Gaza Strip with seawater. General (ret.) Roland Kather fears that the terrorist organization deliberately brought the hostages into the tunnels knowing this.
The UN resolution for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip introduced by the United Arab Emirates failed in the UN Security Council because of the USA. Great Britain abstained. More in the live ticker.
DThe USA used its veto in the UN Security Council to prevent an agreement on the demand for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. Thirteen other members voted in New York on Friday for the draft resolution introduced by the United Arab Emirates. Great Britain abstained from voting. In a rare step, UN Secretary-General António Guterres formally warned the 15-member council of a global threat from the war that has been going on for two months.
The USA protects its ally Israel with its veto. Both say they reject a ceasefire because it would only benefit the radical Islamic Hamas. The US instead supported pauses in fighting. U.S. Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations Robert Wood said the draft resolution was a rushed, unbalanced text “that has nothing to do with reality and that fails to deliver concrete progress on the ground.” A ceasefire would “just sow the seeds for the next war,” Wood said.
The US had called for significant changes to the draft, including a condemnation of the October 7 Hamas attacks, in which, according to Israel, around 1,200 people were killed and 240 others were taken hostage.
British UN Ambassador Barbara Woodward said her country abstained because there had been no condemnation of Hamas. Israel must be able to combat the threat posed by Hamas.
Israeli ground operation in the Gaza Strip
Source: OpenStreetMap; Infographic WORLD
All developments in the live ticker:
3:11 a.m. – Three Hezbollah fighters killed in Syria by Israeli drone
According to an observer organization, three fighters from the Lebanese Hezbollah militia and a Syrian were killed in an Israeli drone strike in southern Syria. The men were traveling in a rented car in the Syrian province of Kuneitra, not far from the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, when they were attacked by the drone, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights told the AFP news agency on Friday.
Hezbollah later said three of its fighters had been killed. The Iran-backed Shiite militia did not provide further information. Israel has already carried out hundreds of air strikes on Syrian territory, mostly targeting pro-Iranian militias and Hezbollah fighters or Syrian army positions. Israel generally does not comment on the attacks.
11:28 p.m. – Five arrests at a pro-Palestinian demonstration in Stuttgart
Five people were arrested at a demonstration under the motto “Against the war in Gaza” in downtown Stuttgart. The police announced in the evening that a large number of violations had been identified and a total of 14 criminal proceedings had been initiated. According to the police, the majority of the approximately 80 participants in the pro-Palestinian rally belonged to the left-wing spectrum. Under various allegations, at least three participants in the demonstration were pulled out of the demonstration using force and arrested.
11:17 p.m. – US Embassy in Baghdad confirms rocket attack
According to a spokesman, two volleys of rockets were fired at the US embassy in the Iraqi capital Baghdad on Friday. An embassy spokesman said there were no injuries. The embassy is currently investigating the incident. There are indications that pro-Iranian militias were behind the attack.
So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the attack. “We reiterate our call on the Iraqi government to do everything in its power to protect diplomatic and coalition partner personnel and facilities,” the spokesman said. He reiterated that one reserves the right to self-defense.
9:26 p.m. – Two Israeli soldiers injured in failed hostage rescue
According to Israeli reports, two Israeli soldiers were “severely wounded” during an attempted hostage rescue in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli army said that “numerous terrorists” who were involved in kidnapping and guarding the hostages were killed during the operation. However, no hostages were freed during the operation.
The radical Islamic group Hamas had previously said its fighters had “thwarted an Israeli attempt to free a captive Israeli.” The hostage was “pronounced dead,” it said in a statement.