Middle East crisis live: Israel and US say number of aid trucks into Gaza increasing

<gu-island name="KeyEventsCarousel" priority="feature" deferuntil="visible" props="{"keyEvents":[{"id":"661634a98f08b431e5f58e97","elements":[{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

David Cameron has confirmed the UK government will not suspend arms exports to Israel after the killing of seven aid workers in an airstrike on Gaza last week, as he insisted the UK would continue to act within international law.

","elementId":"fcd5fb84-f499-4322-9d08-650fd7cea1b0"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

The foreign secretary said that he had reviewed the most recent legal advice about the situation on the ground but this left the UK’s position on export licences “unchanged”.

","elementId":"4741c5e3-6592-4fe0-969e-5c343d9fb2e0"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

But Lord Cameron said ministers had “grave concerns” about humanitarian access in Gaza as he urged Israel to turn its commitments on aid “into reality” at a joint press conference with his US counterpart, Antony Blinken.

","elementId":"6ae84bf1-63c3-4318-ba09-49dfc96fdd37"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

Downing Street has come under mounting pressure from senior Tories to suspend weapons exports in light of the growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, and after the deaths of three Britons in the strike on aid group World Central Kitchen.

","elementId":"90a76903-dcfd-4747-9d12-113baccd7d27"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

Cameron said that continuing to allow arms exports put the UK in line with other “like-minded countries” and reiterated that the UK had a robust legal process for assessing those licences.

","elementId":"464049d3-b250-4f1a-a170-306fe6d1f528"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

You can read more on this story by the Guardian’s political editor, Pippa Crerar, here:

","elementId":"cecdc310-72c1-4ca7-8dae-943e32e54598"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.RichLinkBlockElement","prefix":"Related: ","text":"UK will not suspend arms exports to Israel, David Cameron says","elementId":"fcb4af3e-874e-409a-8f98-247cf348440f","role":"thumbnail","url":"https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2024/apr/09/uk-will-not-suspend-arms-exports-to-israel-david-cameron-says"}],"attributes":{"pinned":false,"keyEvent":true,"summary":false},"blockCreatedOn":1712731305000,"blockCreatedOnDisplay":"07.41 BST","blockLastUpdated":1712731388000,"blockLastUpdatedDisplay":"07.43 BST","blockFirstPublished":1712731388000,"blockFirstPublishedDisplay":"07.43 BST","blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone":"07.43","title":"UK will not suspend arms exports to Israel, David Cameron says","contributors":[],"primaryDateLine":"Wed 10 Apr 2024 08.27 BST","secondaryDateLine":"First published on Wed 10 Apr 2024 07.20 BST"},{"id":"661634368f081c30cb17697b","elements":[{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

A vigil for the more than 100 people who remain unaccounted for after being kidnapped by Hamas in October has taken place in central London.

","elementId":"59b07027-5e3f-4987-b83d-e78a7c045582"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

Tuesday’s event, which was organised by groups including the Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Jewish Leadership Council, was addressed by family members of the hostages and Jewish religious figures.

","elementId":"cfe63ed4-03ed-44a8-8ed6-20f410fb3e7d"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

Six months have passed since 1,200 people were killed and about 250 people taken hostage by Hamas, a proscribed terrorist group, on 7 October – the largest loss of Jewish life in a single day since the Holocaust. About 129 hostages remain unaccounted for, with at least 34 of them presumed to be dead.

","elementId":"a0d8c81a-e43d-4788-988d-3388f199b443"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

You can read the full piece by Neha Gohil here:

","elementId":"91c098a6-f622-476d-a01d-637a58fdcf2b"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.RichLinkBlockElement","prefix":"Related: ","text":"Family members call for release of Gaza hostages at London vigil","elementId":"49da855e-e0c2-4f03-82fd-5e42c8f1151e","role":"thumbnail","url":"https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/apr/09/family-members-call-for-release-of-gaza-hostages-at-london-vigil"}],"attributes":{"pinned":false,"keyEvent":true,"summary":false},"blockCreatedOn":1712731190000,"blockCreatedOnDisplay":"07.39 BST","blockLastUpdated":1712731264000,"blockLastUpdatedDisplay":"07.41 BST","blockFirstPublished":1712731264000,"blockFirstPublishedDisplay":"07.41 BST","blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone":"07.41","title":"Family members call for release of Gaza hostages at London vigil","contributors":[],"primaryDateLine":"Wed 10 Apr 2024 08.27 BST","secondaryDateLine":"First published on Wed 10 Apr 2024 07.20 BST"},{"id":"661629168f08a7be969b2d19","elements":[{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

US president Joe Biden has said prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s approach on Gaza was a “mistake” and urged Israel to call for a ceasefire, in an interview that aired on Tuesday.

","elementId":"96f1e180-a425-4468-a42a-41ca0eb8bc2c"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

Biden’s comments were some of his strongest criticism yet of Netanyahu amid growing tensions over the civilian death toll from Israel’s war on Hamas and dire conditions inside Gaza.

","elementId":"4f1621f1-4af2-43dc-969e-bb738cd34116"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

“I think what he’s doing is a mistake. I don’t agree with his approach,” Biden told Univision, a US Spanish-language TV network, when asked about Netanyahu’s handling of the war.

","elementId":"c3db7d7f-e10c-4b38-bf95-b50dbb220784"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

Biden reiterated that an Israeli drone attack last week that killed seven aid workers from a US-based charity in Gaza – and sparked a tense phone call with Netanyahu – was “outrageous”.

","elementId":"917e5289-8e6e-4179-b48d-10aa9048b99d"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

“What I’m calling for is for the Israelis to just call for a ceasefire, allow for the next six, eight weeks, total access to all food and medicine going into the country,” said Biden.

","elementId":"a1b33612-bd26-44fa-983c-01213d96c1ed"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

The president’s remarks on a ceasefire marked a shift from his previous comments, in which he has said the burden lay with Hamas to agree to a truce and hostage release deal.

","elementId":"eaed7dde-d808-41b9-935b-019faa0f4616"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

You can read the full article here:

","elementId":"57c01332-1396-4f43-aa1c-50ac8d582e6a"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.RichLinkBlockElement","prefix":"Related: ","text":"Netanyahu making a ‘mistake’ on Gaza, says Biden, as he urges Israel to push for ceasefire","elementId":"5f9a476d-bb51-421c-9932-986a76d0acaf","role":"thumbnail","url":"https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/apr/10/benjamin-netanyahu-joe-biden-gaza-mistake-ceasefire-israel-war-palestine"}],"attributes":{"pinned":false,"keyEvent":true,"summary":false},"blockCreatedOn":1712730031000,"blockCreatedOnDisplay":"07.20 BST","blockLastUpdated":1712730575000,"blockLastUpdatedDisplay":"07.29 BST","blockFirstPublished":1712730575000,"blockFirstPublishedDisplay":"07.29 BST","blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone":"07.29","title":"Netanyahu making a ‘mistake’ on Gaza, says Biden, as he urges Israel to push for ceasefire","contributors":[],"primaryDateLine":"Wed 10 Apr 2024 08.27 BST","secondaryDateLine":"First published on Wed 10 Apr 2024 07.20 BST"},{"id":"661610db8f08b431e5f58da5","elements":[{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

It has just gone 8am in Gaza and Tel Aviv. This is our latest Guardian live blog on the Israel-Gaza war and the wider Middle East crisis.

","elementId":"ffa753c3-85e7-486b-bd0a-e4517d72a79b"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

Israel says it is moving aid into Gaza more quickly in the wake of international pressure, but the figures are being disputed.

","elementId":"89183cf8-56bf-4feb-b362-fefc301bfdd4"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

Israel said 468 aid trucks were moved into Gaza on Tuesday, the highest since the conflict began. That followed 419 on Monday. But the Red Crescent and United Nations have given much lower figures, with the UN saying many trucks were only half full because of Israeli inspection rules, according to Reuters.

","elementId":"803e5f11-31ec-45fd-95a4-58e40b1fa870"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

The US Agency for International Development acknowledged that humanitarian aid into Gaza had risen sharply in the past few days, but said much more was needed. “We need to go way beyond the 500 trucks,” USAid administrator Samantha Power said.

","elementId":"3c56d6a3-b431-4b58-8366-adf075683332"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

Meanwhile – Israel also faces a Wednesday deadline to present to the country’s supreme court its measures to increase aid into Gaza, according to Agence France-Presse.

","elementId":"0d810036-93f0-4c67-b6eb-3877f0f64f25"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

Five non-profit groups have taken the state to court, accusing authorities of restricting the entry of relief items and failing to respect their “obligations as an occupying power”.

","elementId":"0edcd7ae-b34a-43ba-be31-33ad67d1e79b"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

More on that in a moment but first, here’s a summary of the latest developments:

","elementId":"98ae6f9e-1683-4741-8433-6c2215ef13d9"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

US president Joe Biden has said prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s approach on Gaza was a “mistake” and urged Israel to call for a ceasefire, in an interview that aired on Tuesday. Biden’s comments were some of his strongest criticism yet of Netanyahu amid growing tensions over the civilian death toll from Israel’s war on Hamas and dire conditions inside Gaza.

Hamas has said Israel’s proposal that it received from Qatari and Egyptian mediators did not meet any of the demands of Palestinian factions. But the Palestinian militant group also said on Tuesday it was considering a new framework for a truce proposed during the latest round of negotiations in Cairo. The three-part proposal would halt fighting for six weeks to facilitate an exchange of hostages held by Hamas for Palestinian prisoners in Israel.

Defying international condemnation over the proposal, Netanyahu said a date had been set for an invasion of Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah, without specifying when. Many western countries, including the US, have voiced strong opposition to the proposed Israeli ground invasion as any attack on Rafah is likely to cause many more civilian casualties and worsen an already acute humanitarian crisis across Gaza. Israel says it has a plan to evacuate civilians ahead of its offensive, and Israel’s defence ministry on Monday published a tender seeking a supplier of tents. The Israeli official later confirmed that the tents were part of the Rafah preparations.

An in-person meeting of Israeli and US officials on the planned operation in Rafah will take place in a couple of weeks, the White House said on Tuesday, according to the Reuters news agency

At least 33,360 Palestinians have been killed and 75,993 injured in Israeli strikes on Gaza since 7 October, the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry said in a statement.

US Defense secretary Lloyd Austin told Congress Tuesday that pressure on Israel to improve humanitarian aid to Gaza appears to be working, but he said more must be done, and it remains to be seen if the improvement will continue. “It clearly had an effect. We have seen changes in behaviour, and we have seen more humanitarian assistance being pushed into Gaza,” Austin said in a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing. “Hopefully that trend will continue”, reports Associated Press.

Israel has, for the first time, used a seaborne missile defence system to shoot down a drone approaching from the Red Sea that had set off sirens in the port city of Eilat, the military said. “Overnight, for the first time ever, an IDF Sa’ar 6-class corvette missile ship successfully intercepted a UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) that had approached from the east and had crossed into the area of the Gulf of Eilat,” the military said on Tuesday.

Germany has said Israel’s security is at “the core” of its foreign policy because of the history of the Holocaust, but denied accusations at the UN’s highest court that is aiding genocide in Gaza by arming Israel. Nicaragua has brought a case against Germany at the international court of justice (ICJ).

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees must remain “the backbone of any humanitarian response” for the 2 million people in Gaza if mass starvation is to be avoided, the Unrwa director of planning, Sam Rose, has said. This warning came as Israel was accused of blocking far more convoys carrying food aid within Gaza, where famine is looming, than convoys carrying other kinds of aid. “Food convoys that should be going particularly to the north, where 70 percent of people face famine conditions, are … three times more likely to be denied than any other humanitarian convoys with other kinds of material,” Jens Laerke, a spokesperson for the UN’s humanitarian agency, told reporters in Geneva.

A vigil for the more than 100 people who remain unaccounted for after being kidnapped by Hamas in October has taken place in central London. Tuesday’s event, which was organised by groups including the Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Jewish Leadership Council, was addressed by family members of the hostages and Jewish religious figures.

Turkey will impose restrictions on the export of products from 54 different categories to Israel until a ceasefire is declared in Gaza, the Turkish trade ministry said. The ministry said the measures would take effect immediately, adding that the restrictions would include iron and steel products and construction equipment, among other things. In response, Israel vowed to take steps against Turkey, accusing it of violating trade deals between the two countries.

France’s foreign minister, Stéphane Séjourné, has suggested that the international community should pressure Israel by potentially imposing sanctions to force it to allow more aid into Gaza. “There must be levers of influence and there are multiple levers, going up to sanctions to let humanitarian aid cross checkpoints,” he told French outlets RFI radio and France 24.

Israeli warplanes struck a Syrian military position overnight Tuesday in response to rocket fire on the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights, the military said. The Israeli military said on Tuesday that “warplanes attacked Syrian army military infrastructure overnight in the Mahajjah area” – about 30 kilometres (20 miles) from the demilitarised zone separating the opposing forces. The Israeli army said it identified a rocket launch from Syrian territory on Monday that caused no casualties. It said artillery struck the source of the fire.

","elementId":"2e52c024-7143-494d-bf07-26fef01a122e"}],"attributes":{"pinned":false,"keyEvent":false,"summary":true},"blockCreatedOn":1712730031000,"blockCreatedOnDisplay":"07.20 BST","blockLastUpdated":1712729823000,"blockLastUpdatedDisplay":"07.17 BST","blockFirstPublished":1712730031000,"blockFirstPublishedDisplay":"07.20 BST","blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone":"07.20","title":"Opening summary","contributors":[],"primaryDateLine":"Wed 10 Apr 2024 08.27 BST","secondaryDateLine":"First published on Wed 10 Apr 2024 07.20 BST"}],"filterKeyEvents":false,"id":"key-events-carousel-mobile"}” config=”{"renderingTarget":"Web","darkModeAvailable":false}”>

Key events

Show key events only

Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature

Rishi Sunak defended the UK’s decision not to suspend arms sales to Israel, saying “none of our closest allies” have stopped existing export licences but added Benjamin Netanyahu “needs to do more” to alleviate suffering in Gaza, reports the Press Association (PA).

Responding to a caller on his LBC phone-in interview, the prime minister said:

It was a shocking tragedy what happened to our veterans when they were selflessly carrying out aid missions into Gaza and I’ve also said repeatedly the situation in Gaza is increasingly intolerable, you know, the humanitarian suffering that people are experiencing isn’t right and prime minister Netanyahu needs to do more to alleviate that. I’ve made that very clear to him.”

According to the PA, Sunak said the UK has a “long-established process” relating to the arms export regime and “we review these things regularly”.

“That’s led to no change. Actually none of our closest allies have currently suspended existing arms licences either, so we continue to discuss these things with our allies,” he added.

Oxfam have responded to a press conference on the conflict in Gaza, held in New York, where the UK foreign secretary, David Cameron mentioned having a ‘plan B’ should the conflict escalate into Rafah and that the UK’s arms export to Israel will continue (see 07:43 BST).

“There is no plan B for more than a million desperate people currently sheltering in Rafah – if Israel launches a ground offensive, then the scale of the crisis would be catastrophic,” said Oxfam’s chief impact officer, Aleema Shivji.

In a statement Shivji said:

There is no plan B for more than a million desperate people currently sheltering in Rafah – if Israel launches a ground offensive, then the scale of the crisis would be catastrophic.

Instead of planning for how aid agencies can operate in even more dangerous conditions, the UK government should be using every diplomatic and economic lever at its disposal to press Israel to not launch the offensive. This must include immediately stopping all arms sales to Israel.

It is incomprehensible that the UK is devising a humanitarian plan for an Israeli offensive into Rafah while UK-made arms and components could be used to harm Palestinian civilians in the very same offensive.

The UK must do everything in its power to ensure the only plan is for an immediate and permanent ceasefire to end the death and destruction, enable more vital aid gets to those who need it, and secure the release of hostages.”

Here are some of the latest images on the newswires:

Displaced Palestinians attend a special morning prayer to start the Eid al-Fitr festival, marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan, at a school turned shelter in Rafah, on Wednesday. Photograph: Mohammed Abed/AFP/Getty Images

Ifat Kalderon, cousin of hostage Ofer Kalderon, stands on the steps of the Likud party headquarters in Tel Aviv on Wednesday calling for the release of hostages kidnapped in the 7 October Hamas attack on Israel. Photograph: Hannah McKay/Reuters

A boy holds a Palestine flag during Eid al-Fitr prayer at Abu Seir village in Giza, Egypt, on Wednesday. Photograph: Mohamed Hossam/EPA

A child looks on at Damascus Gate, on Eid al-Fitr, in Jerusalem’s Old City on Wednesday. Photograph: Ammar Awad/Reuters

People hold Israeli flags as they attend a vigil for the hostages of the 7 October attack who are still being held by Hamas, in London on Tuesday. Photograph: Isabel Infantes/Reuters

UK will not suspend arms exports to Israel, David Cameron says