Live blog update| Israel's war on Gaza
This is an entry from: Israel-Palestine live: Israel bombs Unrwa building in Gaza

Late night wrap up

17 February 2024 23:49 GMT

Dear MEE readers, 

More than 28,000 Palestinians have been killed and 68,395 have been wounded in Israel's onslaught, as Israel continues to insist that a ground invasion of Rafah City is imminent. 

Over half of Gaza's 2.3 million population has sought refuge in the southernmost city. 

Meanwhile, Unrwa has said that thousands of people are fleeing into Rafah, as "intense fighting" hits Khan Younis..

"Intensified airstrikes on Rafah are also causing people to flee Rafah to middle Gaza. People are on verge of famine in the north. There is no sanctuary," Unrwa posted to X, formerly Twitter. 

UN special rapporteur Francesca Albanese shared her reaction to comments made by Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu about Israel's imminent ground assault against Rafah, warning against "another Nakba".

Around the world, millions of demonstrators gathered in over 120 cities on Saturday in response to a call out of London for a second International Day of Solidarity with Gaza.

The protests are aimed at halting Israel's attempts at  "genocide" and "ethnic cleansing", Palestinian Forum in Britain (PFB) said in a statement.

Other highlights from Saturday evening include:

  • Hamas threatened to suspend ceasefire talks unless urgent aid was brought into the north of the Gaza Strip, where aid agencies have warned of a looming famine.

  • An agreement to unfreeze tax funds earmarked for the Palestinian Authority that are held by Israel is "imminent", according to Norway's prime minister.

  • Even if Hamas is dismantled as a military force, the movement will survive as "a terror group and a guerrilla group", a document circulated from Israel's military leaders to government officials has warned.

  • Israeli President Isaac Herzog met with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and said that before any efforts were made to normalise relations with other Arab countries, Israel must prioritise "the work of undermining and eradicating the basic infrastructure of Hamas".

  • Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated his stance against a two-state solution and an independent Palestinian state during televised remarks.

  • The head of the Turkish Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH), Bulent Yildirim, during a huge public rally in Istanbul announced that the organisation would head a naval fleet towards Gaza to break Israel's siege. 

  • President of the Palestine Red Crescent Society, Younis al-Khatib, met with Pope Francis and briefed him on "the catastrophic humanitarian conditions experienced by civilians in the Gaza Strip", the group said in a post to X, formerly Twitter.