Israel-Palestine live: Israel bombs Unrwa building in Gaza

The Water Transport Workers Federation of India has announced that it will refuse to load or unload weapons to Israel. 

In a statement circulated earlier this week, the organisation's general secretary, T. Narendra Rao, said the decision also applied to allies of Israel whose military equipment could be used for the war on Gaza. 

The union represents more than 3,500 workers at 11 major ports across India. 

"We the port workers... would always stand against the war and killing innocent people like women and children," Rao said. "The recent attacks of Israel on Gaza [is] plunging thousands of Palestinians into immense suffering and loss." 

He went on to call for a ceasefire, and urged "workers of the world and peace-loving people to stand with the demand of a free Palestine". 

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva compared Israel's killing of Palestinians in Gaza to the Nazi genocide against Jews during World War Two, sparking Israeli backlash. 

"What is happening in the Gaza Strip with the Palestinian people has no parallel in other historical moments. In fact, it did exist when Hitler decided to kill the Jews," Lula said on Sunday during the 37th African Union summit in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa. 

The Israeli foreign ministry said it would summon the Brazilian ambassador over the remarks, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu labelled as "disgraceful and grave". 

"This is a trivialisation of the Holocaust and an attempt to attack the Jewish people and the right of Israel to self-defence. Drawing comparisons between Israel and the Nazis and Hitler is to cross a red line," Netanyahu said.

A visit by the commander of Iran's elite Quds Force to Baghdad, less than 48 hours after three US soldiers were killed in Jordan in January, has led to a halt in attacks on American troops in Iraq, Iranian and Iraqi sources told Reuters.

The sources said the visit marked Tehran's desire to prevent a broader conflict in the region, after Iran-aligned groups ramped up attacks on US targets in Iraq and Syria over Israel's war on Gaza.

Esmail Qaani met representatives of several armed groups in Baghdad airport on 29 January, two days after Washington blamed groups for the attack that killed its soldiers, the sources said.

The strike on Tower 22 in a remote sliver of northeast Jordan sent a shockwave through Washington, as it marked the first public deaths of US soldiers since attacks on US troops began, following the outbreak of the war on Gaza in October.

Read more: Iran commander requested Iraqi armed groups pause attacks on US targets

Israeli Minister Benny Gantz has said that if Israeli captives held in Gaza are not returned by Ramadan, the military will expand its operations into Rafah.

"The world must know, and the leaders of Hamas must know," he said on Sunday.

"To those who say the price is too high, I say clearly: Hamas has a choice. They can surrender, release the hostages, and the residents of Gaza can celebrate Ramadan." 

Israel's cabinet has unanimously voted on a measure which opposed what it called the "unilateral recognition" of Palestinian statehood. 

"Israel rejects outright international dictates regarding a permanent accord with the Palestinians. An accord, should it be reached, will only come through direct negotiations between the sides, without preconditions," the formal Israeli statement said, according to the prime minister's office. 

"Israel will continue to oppose the unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state. Such recognition in the wake of the October 7th massacre will grant a huge, unprecedented reward to terrorism and prevent any future peace accord," it added.

Two Palestinians were killed and three others injured during an Israeli raid on Tulkarm refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, according to Wafa news agency. 

An undercover Israeli unit raided the camp alongside military vehicles and a bulldozer on Sunday morning, Wafa's correspondent reported. 

Violent confrontations broke out, and Israeli forces killed Nabil Ata Amer, 19, and Mohammad Ahmad al-Oufi, 36. 

Three other wounded Palestinians were taken to the nearby Thabet Governmental Hospital, after Israeli forces initially impeded ambulances from arriving in the refugee camp.

Israel's police has proposed deploying security forces in Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem throughout the duration of Ramadan, according to a report in Israel's Arabic language network Makan.

The move during the holy month would be aimed at dealing with the waving of Hamas flags and incitement, the report stated. 

However, the proposal was reportedly opposed by Israel's security service, the Shin Bet, which recommended unrestricted access for Palestinian worshippers. 

During discussions between various government agencies on the issue, security officials raised concerns that far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir would make decisions which could escalate tensions in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.

An Israeli ground offensive on Gaza's southern city of Rafah appears imminent, after weeks of intensified air strikes. 

The people in Rafah, whose history spans three millennia, are now living in what resembles a cramped, makeshift tent city.

Middle East Eye's Rayhan Uddin takes a look at the history of Rafah, from when it was swapped between various ancient and medieval empires and dynasties, to when a joint British-Ottoman decision began the process of dividing the city into two separate entities. 

The city's history includes one of the largest battles in ancient history, as well as a more recent battle resulting from a militant group declaring a short-lived "Islamic Emirate of Rafah". 

You can read the full story below. 

Rafah: The Sinai-Gaza oasis city divided by a contentious border

Israel's government will vote on a "declaratory decision" regarding its opposition to any unilateral imposition of Palestinian statehood, the prime minister announced on Sunday.

Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday during a weekly cabinet meeting that the move came after "recent talk in the international community about an attempt to unilaterally impose on Israel a Palestinian state".

He said that the formal statement would reflect that Israel "rejects outright international dictates regarding a permanent arrangement with the Palestinians".

"Such an arrangement can only be reached in direct negotiations between the sides, without preconditions," the prime minister added.

The largest hospital that had still been functional in the Gaza Strip has been put "completely out of service", a spokesperson for the Palestinian health ministry said on Sunday.

"There are only four medical teams - 25 staff - currently caring for patients inside the facility," located in the southern city of Khan Younis, ministry spokesperson Ashraf al-Qudra told Reuters.

On Saturday, Israeli forces carried out several arrests within the hospital, where 10,000 people had been sheltering earlier in the week. 

Russia has invited Palestinian factions to meet in Moscow on 26 February, according to the Palestinian Authority prime minister.

"Russia has invited all Palestinian factions who will be meeting on the 26th of this month in Moscow. We will see if Hamas is ready to come to the ground with us," Mohammad Shtayyeh told the Munich Security Conference on Sunday. 

"We are ready to engage. If Hamas is not then that's a different story. We need Palestinian unity," Shtayyeh said.

He added that to be part of that unity, Hamas would need to meet certain prerequisites.

At least 127 Palestinians were killed and 205 others wounded by Israeli attacks over the past 24 hours, according to the Palestinian health ministry. 

That brings the death toll in Gaza since 7 October to 28,985, the ministry added. At least 68,883 others have been injured by Israeli attacks in that time. 

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. 

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, according to an Israeli Channel 12 report. 

The document was put together by the Israeli army's research division and states that "authentic support remains" for Hamas among Gazans, the channel reported.

The document also warned that "Gaza will become an area in deep crisis", given the lack of plan for the "day after" war. 

The document was reportedly presented on Monday to leading politicians in Israel following a week of senior military and intelligence talks about the findings, Channel 12 said. 

Read More: Hamas will survive offensive, Israeli military, intelligence warn senior politicians