Netanyahu approves plans for military action in Rafah

Protesters block highway in Israel. Meanwhile, Qatar is pushing for a negotiated solution between Israel and Hamas. More information in the news blog.

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Operator: Ship carrying relief supplies reaches the Gaza Strip

6:19 p.m.: According to the operator “World Central Kitchen” (WCK), the ship “Open Arms” with around 200 tons of relief supplies for the suffering population in the Gaza Strip has reached its destination. The organization announced on X, formerly Twitter, that unloading on the coast of Gaza had already begun. The tugboat set sail from the Cypriot port of Larnaca on Tuesday. He carries a platform on which 200 tons of relief supplies are stacked.

The food would be enough for 37 million meals, wrote WCK boss José Andrés on

Netanyahu approves plans for military action in Rafah

2:09 p.m.: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has approved plans for a military operation in Rafah. His office announced this on Friday. In addition to operational operations, the army is preparing to evacuate the civilian population, the statement said.

Top international politicians, including Chancellor Olaf Scholz, strictly reject an operation in Rafah out of concern for the well-being of the civilian population. Politicians and aid organizations are demanding plans from Israel as to how and where the approximately 1.5 million people from the Rafah region will be brought to safety before a military operation.

Netanyahu also reiterated the assessment that a proposal from the Islamist Palestinian organization Hamas for a ceasefire in the Gaza war was “unrealistic.” At the same time, it was said that an Israeli delegation would travel to Doha after a security cabinet debate on the Israeli position.

Hamas proposes ceasefire and hostage exchange

1:44 p.m.: The radical Islamic Hamas in the Gaza Strip says it is ready for a six-week ceasefire and an exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners. As a Hamas official told AFP on Friday, under such an agreement, 42 Israeli hostages – women, children, the elderly and the sick – could be exchanged for 20 to 50 Palestinian prisoners, depending on the case. Previously, Hamas had called for a permanent ceasefire before any hostage release.

Merchant ship off Yemen not hit by missile after all

1:30 p.m.: The British Maritime Trade Organization, UKMTO (United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations), reports damage to a merchant ship southwest of the city of Al Hudaydah in Yemen. According to UKMTO, the freighter was hit by a missile. “The ship has suffered some damage. The crew is safe and the ship is proceeding to its next port of call,” the UKMTO said in a statement.

Both organizations agreed that a daylight inspection showed that the ship was not damaged. How the earlier information came about remained unclear at first.

Hamas: 20 people killed while waiting for aid

5:34 a.m.: According to the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health, at least 20 people waiting for aid have been killed by Israeli fire in the Gaza Strip. The ministry said on Friday night that 155 other people were injured in the incident near the city of Gaza. Israeli forces denied an attack on Palestinians and said they would conduct a thorough investigation.

The Islamist Palestinian organization Hamas said people waiting for aid came under Israeli fire at a roundabout near the city of Gaza. The Israeli military fired with “tanks and helicopters.”