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Palestinian medics treat a girl wounded in Israeli bombardment at the Kuwaiti Hospital in Rafah [Ramez Habboub/AP]
By Maziar Motamedi and Farah Najjar
Published On 9 May 2024

This live page is now closed. You can continue to follow our coverage of the war in Gaza here.

9 May 2024 - 23:59
 (23:59 GMT)

That’s a wrap for us

Thank you for joining us for real-time updates on everything related to Israel’s war on Gaza.

To read more about how Israel is staying defiant after the Biden administration limited some weapons transfers, read here.

To find out more about what a French doctor saw in Gaza, check this out.

For more news, analysis and opinion on the conflict, click here.

9 May 2024 - 23:50
 (23:50 GMT)

A recap of the latest developments

Here’s what happened today:

  • Israeli forces are making their way through Rafah in southern Gaza despite heavy international criticism, with Benjamin Netanyahu saying his country is ready to “stand alone” if necessary.
  • Israel has allowed nothing in or out of Gaza for three days, exacerbating an already catastrophic humanitarian situation.
  • Delegations from Hamas, the United States and Qatar left Egypt without reaching a ceasefire agreement after Israel “expressed reservations”.
  • Armed Israelis set fire to the UNRWA headquarters in occupied East Jerusalem, forcing it to close amid a delayed response by Israeli police and firefighters.
  • A decision by the administration of Joe Biden to halt a shipment of thousands of large bombs to Israel for the invasion of Rafah has angered Israel and its backers in the US, including a billionaire mega-donor.
  • Tens of thousands demonstrated in Sweden’s Malmo to protest the inclusion of Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest and the war on Gaza.
Palestinians inspect a house damaged after an Israeli air strike in Rafah [Hatem Khaled/Reuters]
9 May 2024 - 23:40
 (23:40 GMT)

Hezbollah claims seven attacks on Israeli positions

The Lebanese armed group said in its end-of-day report of border fighting with Israel that it had launched seven attacks using different weapons on Thursday.

The group also released multiple new videos of its attacks on Israeli positions, showing antitank guided missiles being launched to target gatherings of Israeli troops in buildings in border areas.

Smoke plumes erupt during Israeli bombardment on the village of Alma al-Shaab in south Lebanon on April 25, 2024 [AFP]
9 May 2024 - 23:20
 (23:20 GMT)

Hamas says Israel operations in Rafah definitely not ‘limited’

Israel has already defied international objections by sending in tanks and conducting what it called “targeted raids” in the east of Rafah, the city it says is home to Hamas’s last remaining battalions.

But Hamas authorities in Rafah dismissed as “nothing but lies” Israel’s description of its operation as “limited”.

Residents and medics in Rafah said an Israeli attack near a mosque killed at least three people and wounded others in the eastern Brazil neighbourhood. Video from the scene showed the minaret lying in the rubble and two bodies wrapped in blankets.

An Israeli air strike on two houses in the Sabra neighbourhood of Rafah killed at least 12 people including women and children.

Critics warn an all-out Israeli assault on Rafah will lead to a humanitarian disaster with more than one million people sheltering in the tiny territory.

Israeli tanks enter the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing on Tuesday [Israeli Army via AFP]
9 May 2024 - 23:05
 (23:05 GMT)

UK defence minister claims British air force ‘saving lives’ in Gaza

The United Kingdom – a main ally and military backer of the Israeli army – is touting limited and heavily criticised airdrops of aid over Gaza as having an “incredible impact” on saving Palestinian lives.

Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said in a post on X the British military completed 11 aid drops, delivering 111 tonnes of assistance.

The UN and international organisations say the only viable way to deliver life-saving aid to Palestinians in the besieged enclave at the level needed is through land crossings – almost all of which have now been closed by the Israeli military as it invades Rafah.

9 May 2024 - 22:50
 (22:50 GMT)

Hillary Clinton says pro-Palestinian protests are fueled by ‘propaganda’

US politician Hillary Clinton says many thousands of university students and faculty members protesting in dozens of schools across the US and the globe are misinformed about Israel and Palestine.

“Propaganda, whether it’s on TikTok or in the classroom, is actually the opposite of education,” she said during an interview on US broadcaster MSNBC.

“Anybody who is teaching in a university or anyone who is putting content on social media should be held responsible for what they include or what they exclude.”

“So much of what we are seeing, particularly on TikTok, about what’s going on in the Middle East is woefully false, but it’s also incredibly slanted, pro-Hamas, anti-Israel. And it’s not anyplace where anybody should go to get information about complex matters like what’s going on there”.

9 May 2024 - 22:35
 (22:35 GMT)

LISTEN: As Israeli tanks seize the Rafah crossing, where will Palestinians go?

Israeli forces have seized control of Gaza’s Rafah border crossing with Egypt, cutting off a vital route for humanitarian aid and potential sanctuary for civilians from an all-out attack.

What’s next for the people stranded there?

9 May 2024 - 22:35
 (22:35 GMT)

PA decries Israeli attack on UNRWA office in occupied East Jerusalem

The Palestinian Authority strongly condemned an attack by Israelis on the UN refugee agency for Palestinians’ headquarters in occupied East Jerusalem.

UNRWA was forced to shut down its office after Israelis, some of them armed, set fire to the compound’s perimeter. The attack is part of the “systematic and widespread crimes of the Israeli occupation”, the ministry said in a statement.

It is also part of the “systematic targeting of institutions” that work to fulfil the rights of Palestinians.

The Foreign Ministry called on the international community to hold Israeli “settler militias” responsible for ongoing attacks in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem and to impose “strict measures” on them.

Attacks against UNRWA, its premises, staff members and officials must stop, the ministry added.

9 May 2024 - 22:27
 (22:27 GMT)

Israeli officials defiant after Biden’s weapons warning

Israeli officials have struck a defiant tone after US President Joe Biden warned that the United States would not provide weapons for a full-scale ground assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians are hemmed in with no safe way to leave.

“I turn to Israel’s enemies as well as to our best of friends and say – the state of Israel cannot be subdued,” Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said.

Read the full story here.

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant at the State Department in Washington, DC [Kevin Lamarque/Reuters]
9 May 2024 - 22:20
 (22:20 GMT)

US opposes forcing Palestinians from Gaza, Blinken tells Egypt

Secretary of State Antony Blinken told his Egyptian counterpart the United States opposes the forced relocation of Palestinians from Gaza after Israel seized the border crossing at Rafah.

In a telephone call with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, Blinken reaffirmed President Biden’s “clear position that the United States does not support a major military operation in Rafah and the United States’ rejection of any forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza”, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said.

Blinken “also expressed the United States’ support for the reopening of Rafah crossing and the continued flow of urgently needed humanitarian assistance”, Miller said.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken [File: Mark Schiefelbein via AP Photo]
9 May 2024 - 22:05
 (22:05 GMT)

Israel’s Eden Golan advances to Eurovision final amid protests

Eden Golan of Israel advanced to the grand final of the Eurovision Song Contest amid large-scale protests seeing tens of thousands turning up to express their anger at her admission over the war on Gaza.

She is slated to perform her song Hurricane again on Saturday evening during the final show where she will compete against 26 others for the title.

More demonstrations are expected in the Swedish city of Malmo as she takes to the stage one last time. Israel’s war on Gaza has killed nearly 35,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children.

Protesters against Israel’s participation in the Eurovision competition in Malmo on Thursday [Martin Meissner/AP Photo]
9 May 2024 - 21:55
 (21:55 GMT)

US, Jordan militaries conduct new aid airdrop over northern Gaza

The US military confirmed a new airdrop of aid over northern Gaza in cooperation with the Jordanian air force. Northern Gaza is under “full-blown famine”, according to the UN.

US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a post on X the joint operation used three C-130 military cargo aircraft to drop some 25,300 meals over the area, along with 6,000 pounds (2,720kg) of Jordanian food supplies.

It said the US military has dropped about 1,220 tonnes of humanitarian aid over the north since the start of the war on Gaza, adding the much-criticised airdrops will continue.

Hamas earlier said 21 Palestinians had been killed because of aid airdrops going wrong, adding the inefficient method must be stopped and land crossings reopened.

9 May 2024 - 21:45
 (21:45 GMT)

‘It’s like we’re sheep’: Palestinians flee Rafah with nowhere to go

Tens of thousands of people are on the move again as Israel threatens a full-scale invasion of southern Rafah where hundreds of thousands of people were ordered to go months ago.

“Where are we supposed to go? Where is the world that’s just watching us?” said Ahmad Abed, who has an eight-month-old daughter. “It’s like we’re sheep.”

At a makeshift refugee camp in Rafah, Mazen al-Shami said he was fed up. “We have no money and we don’t have the means to move from one place to another again and again. We have no means at all.”

Israel’s war on Gaza has driven about 80 percent of the territory’s population of 2.3 million from their homes and caused vast destruction. The death toll in Gaza has soared to more than 34,500 people, according to local health officials.

9 May 2024 - 21:35
 (21:35 GMT)

‘Anti-Palestinian racism’ affecting students at Berkeley schools

Berkeley Unified School District, a US public school district in California, faces federal complaints about anti-Palestinian and anti-Muslim incidents as the war on Gaza rages on.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee civil organisations filed federal complaints alleging instances of discrimination and harassment against students since October 7.

“The pervasive anti-Palestinian racism within Berkeley schools is deeply concerning and demands urgent action,” said Zahra Billoo, executive director of CAIR’s San Francisco chapter.

“Palestinian, Arab and Muslim students should not have to endure discrimination or fear for their safety while pursuing their education.”

9 May 2024 - 21:25
 (21:25 GMT)

WATCH: Will President Biden do more to stop Israel’s assault on Rafah?

For the first time since Israel’s war on Gaza began in October, Biden admitted American weapons have been used to kill Palestinian civilians and paused arms transfers.

The comments are the strongest warning yet by the US president over a potential ground invasion of Rafah by Israeli forces.

But are Biden’s comments an attempt to calm down anger at home as he seeks another term in office? Or will he take tougher action against the Netanyahu-led government?

9 May 2024 - 21:15
 (21:15 GMT)
Analysis

Netanyahu ‘has a vested interest in making this a long war’

Mohamad Elmasry, a professor at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, says it appears inevitable that Israel will soon launch a major ground assault on Gaza’s southern Rafah city.

Elmasry said he doesn’t believe the Rafah operation will be “limited” as Israel is currently describing it.

“I fear we’re getting closer to an all-out invasion,” Elmasry told Al Jazeera. “It could be an absolute humanitarian catastrophe unlike anything we’ve seen in the past seven months.”

He said it is likely ceasefire talks are “not going anywhere”.

“I would’ve been shocked if Israel agreed to a ceasefire. Netanyahu told us in December he expected this war to go on throughout 2024. He has a vested interest in making this a long war.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the northern Gaza Strip in December [Avi Ohayon/GPO via AP Photo]
9 May 2024 - 21:05
 (21:05 GMT)

‘Goal is to destroy Gaza’: Why Israel rejects a ceasefire with Hamas

By Mat Nashed

Israel rejected a ceasefire and launched an operation in Rafah, raising fears the war on Gaza could drag on after seven deadly months.

For many analysts, the Israeli government’s message is clear: there will be no permanent ceasefire, and the devastating war on Gaza will continue.

“The last couple of days have proved that Israel was not really negotiating in good faith. The moment that Hamas agreed to a deal, Israel was willing to blow that up by commencing their assault on Rafah,” said Omar Rahman, an analyst with the Middle East Council for Global Affairs.

“The goal is to destroy Gaza in its totality.”

Read the full story here.

9 May 2024 - 20:55
 (20:55 GMT)

Israelis opposed to humanitarian aid for Gaza block highway

Israeli activists against sending desperately needed food into Gaza blocked a major highway in southern Israel.

“These trucks are taking food to Hamas and Hamas are murderers, rapists and terrible, terrible people,” said Ruben Frankenburg, as he placed himself in front of a truck bound for Gaza near the Kerem Shalom (Karem Abu Salem) crossing in southern Israel.

He added Israel is being “forced by the Americans to give them this food”.

Another protester claimed the aid allows Hamas to continue to fight. “There’s no other place in the world that one side gives the supplies to the other side. It’s crazy, it’s nuts,” said protester Yonatan Godalis, as he held an Israeli flag.

Hunger is widespread throughout Gaza because of the seven-month war. The UN says northern Gaza is already in a state of “full-blown famine”.

9 May 2024 - 20:45
 (20:45 GMT)

‘Europe must raise its voice for justice on Palestine’: Iran minister

Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian commemorated Europe Day, but said those who worked for peace and prosperity on the continent should also strive for that elsewhere in the world.

“What is happening in Gaza weighs heavy on the conscience of humanity and is a crucial test for the legitimacy of values – namely human rights and dignity that Europeans claim working for. Europe must raise its voice for justice on the issue of Palestine,” he wrote on X.

Amirabdollahian earlier spoke on the phone with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, saying if the US continues to “appease” Israel on invading Rafah, “the repercussions will be difficult for those who support the war”.

Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian warned an Israeli assault on Rafah will have consequences [File: Mohamed Azakir/Reuters]
9 May 2024 - 20:35
 (20:35 GMT)

WATCH: Demonstrations at University of Barcelona lead to Israel divestment

The University of Barcelona is one of the latest schools to divest from Israel after students organised large demonstrations in solidarity with Palestinians.

Translation: “Boycott Israel”: The University of Barcelona cuts its relationship with Israeli institutions

Lloyd Austin says US ‘has not made final determination’ on arms transfer amid concerns over Israel’s Rafah offensive.

Published On 8 May 2024

Already critically undersupplied hospitals have three days of fuel left, WHO chief warns as aid shipments also impeded.

Published On 8 May 2024