France floats threat of EU sanctions to pressure Israel into allowing more aid into Gaza
From CNN’s Joseph Ataman and Emmanuel Miculita in Paris
French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne has suggested that imposing EU sanctions could be a way to pressure Israel into opening Gaza border crossings for humanitarian aid.
“There must be levers of influence and there are multiple levers, going up to sanctions, to let humanitarian aid cross checkpoints,” the minister said in an interview Tuesday. The interview was recorded Monday and aired by French outlets France24 and RFI Tuesday.
“France was the first country to propose European Union sanctions on violent [Israeli] settlers in the West Bank. We will continue if needed to obtain the opening up of humanitarian aid,” Sejourne added.
The minister said that 300 trucks of aid, at a minimum, need to enter Gaza daily.
7:47 a.m. ET, April 9, 2024
Israel accuses Turkey of violating trade agreement over export ban
From CNN's Lindsay Isaac and Lauren Izso
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz speaks during the 60th Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany, on February 16. Ronald Wittek/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Israel has responded to Turkey's decision to ban exports of military-related products, accusing Ankara of breaching a trade agreement.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is "once again sacrificing the economic interests of the people of Turkey for his support of Hamas," adding that Israel will "respond accordingly."
In response, Katz said he:
Has ordered Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs to prepare an "extensive list of products" that it will ban
Will ask the US and other allies to "stop investments in Turkey and prevent the import of products from Turkey"
Will appeal to US Congress to "impose sanctions accordingly."
Some context: Turkey announced new restrictions on exports to Israel on Tuesday after Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan accused Israel of denying a request to airdrop aid to Gaza.
7:33 a.m. ET, April 9, 2024
Human rights group accuses Israel of imposing starvation on children in Gaza, report says
From CNN’s Kareem Khadder and Zeena Saifi in Jerusalem
Palestinian children wait to receive food in Gaza on March 13. Mohammed Salem/Reuters
Children in Gaza have been dying from “starvation-related complications” since Israel began using starvation as a weapon of war, which is a war crime, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a report on Tuesday.
Israel denies the accusation, despite widespread evidence of malnutrition in Gaza. The report documents accounts from doctors and families in Gaza that described children, as well as pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers, suffering from severe malnutrition and dehydration and hospitals ill-equipped to treat them.
Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya who heads Kamal Adwan Hospital’s pediatrics unit in northern Gaza told HRW on Thursday that 26 children had died from starvation-related complications in his hospital alone. At least 16 were under 5 months old, and at least 10 were between 1 and 8 years old, he said.
The report also cites other challenges in distributing the little aid that does make it into the enclave, including ongoing Israeli bombardment and lack of security assurances. According to the report, Israel said aid entering Gaza faced no limits apart from security concerns, and some Israeli officials have blamed the UN for distribution delays. Other Israeli officials accused Hamas of aid diversion.
What Israel says: The Israeli Defense Ministry’s body governing civilian affairs in the Palestinian territories (COGAT) denied that the Israeli government was purposely starving Gaza’s civilian population. HRW said it sought comment from COGAT on the findings of its report but did not receive a response.
CNN cannot independently verify the findings in HRW’s report, but has reported similar accounts from Gazan civilians, Palestinian officials in Gaza and international humanitarian organizations documenting the war.
7:10 a.m. ET, April 9, 2024
Turkey restricts exports to Israel after its request to airdrop aid to Gaza is denied
From CNN’s Scott McLean, Umut Sevdi Tangor in Istanbul and Caitlin Danaher
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan holds a press conference at ministry building in Ankara, Turkey, on April 8. Guven Yilmaz/Anadolu/Getty Images
Turkey announced new restrictions on exports to Israel on Tuesday after Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan accused Israel of denying a request to airdrop aid to Gaza.
The Ministry of Trade slapped a ban on the export of 54 items, particularly products that could be used for military or construction purposes. In the statement, the ministry condemned Israel’s prevention of access to “the most basic food, medical care and supplies” for the people of Gaza.
“This decision will remain in effect until Israel, within the framework of its obligations arising from international law, declares an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and allows a sufficient and uninterrupted flow of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip,” the statement said.
Among the specified items listed in the statement were steel and aluminium materials, cement, electrical cables and construction and metal working machinery. Speaking at a news conference in Ankara late Monday, Fidan said Turkey was taking “a series of new measures against Israel” after Israel denied its request to join the Jordanian aid operation.
“Today we learned that our request, which was welcomed by the Jordanian authorities, was rejected by Israel,” Fidan said. “There is no excuse for Israel to block our attempt to airlift aid to starving Gazans,” the foreign minister continued.
Key context: Turkey is among the top two countries delivering aid to Gaza, alongside the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
8:52 a.m. ET, April 9, 2024
Germany "firmly rejects" Nicaragua's accusation that it is facilitating genocide in Gaza
From CNN's Nadine Schmidt in Berlin and Niamh Kennedy in London
Germany's Director General of Legal Affairs Tania von Uslar-Gleichen, left, during the second day of the hearing at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), in the case brought by Nicaragua against Germany in The Hague, Netherlands, on April 9. Robin van Lonkhuijsen/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Germany has hit back at accusations from Nicaragua at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) that it has been “facilitating genocide” in Gaza through its support for Israel, insisting that Israeli security is at the "core" of German foreign policy.
Addressing the ICJ in The Hague on Tuesday, Germany's lawyer Tania von Uslar-Gleichen stressed Germany “firmly rejects Nicaragua's accusations.”
“Germany has always been an advocate for the promotion and strengthening of international humanitarian law and humanitarian principles,” said von Uslar-Gleichen, who is the Legal Director for the German Foreign Office.
Von Uslar-Gleichen nodded to the Nazi Holocaust against Jews during World War II in explaining to the ICJ that Israeli security is at the “core” of German foreign policy, adding: “Our history is the reason why Israel's security has been at the core of German foreign policy.”
A lawyer representing Germany, Samuel Wordsworth, argued Germany could not be found to be "facilitating genocide" because for that to be the case, the court would need to have already ruled that Israel has breached international law in Gaza. The ICJ has not however issued a ruling on whether Israel has committed any breaches of international law in Gaza.
"Nicaragua must establish that at least prima facie, the court is able to exercise jurisdiction, and it cannot do so, given the manifest absence of an indispensable third party, namely Israel".
In Monday's hearing, Nicaragua accused Germany of “facilitating genocide” through its sustained political, financial, and military support for Israel and suspension of funding to the main UN agency in Gaza, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).
This post has been updated with additional comments from Germany's lawyer.
6:51 a.m. ET, April 9, 2024
Nearly 400 bodies have been recovered from around the Al-Shifa hospital, Gaza's Civil Defense says
From CNN's Kareem Khadder
Gaza's Civil Defense organization says that nearly 400 bodies have been recovered from around Al-Shifa hospital, following the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the area last week.
Civil Defense spokesperson Mahmoud Basal told CNN Tuesday: “We have recovered 381 bodies from Al Shifa and the surrounding area since the withdrawal of the Israeli military.”
Basal said that the total did not include people who had been buried in the grounds of the hospital.
“We are still trying to recover the buried bodies at Al Shifa; [according to] information we have there are dozens of bodies under the dirt and sand inside Al Shifa and the vicinity and we started the process yesterday.”
He added that recovery workers had also retrieved 77 bodies in Khan Younis in southern Gaza, an area that saw heavy fighting for many weeks until Israeli troops withdrew earlier this week.
6:09 a.m. ET, April 9, 2024
Tens of thousands of people seek shelter in southern Lebanon as clashes on Israel border rages on
Smoke billows over the southern Lebanese border village of El-Khiam during Israeli bombardment on February 7. Rabie Daher/AFP/Getty Images
Cross-border attacks between Israel and Hezbollah have forced tens of thousands of people from their homes along both sides of the Lebanon-Israel border.
In Lebanon, at least 90,000 people are now relying on food boxes to survive, including relief provided by Virginia-based non-profit Islamic Relief USA.
"Honestly, we've lost a lot. We've lost everything in our area," one woman tells CNN.
US defense secretary and Israeli defense minister discuss IDF withdrawal from parts of Gaza
From CNN's Duarte Mendonca and Lauren Izso
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin (L) and Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant hold a joint press conference in Tel Aviv, Israel, on December 18, 2023. Violeta Santos Moura/Reuters/File
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant met Monday and discussed the Israeli military's withdrawal from portions of Gaza, according to a statement by the US Department of Defense.
Gallant provided details of the IDF's withdrawal, as well as the future of Israel's campaign against Hamas.
Austin expressed “the urgent need to dramatically increase humanitarian assistance delivery," according to the statement.
Austin and Gallant also discussed Israel's killing of seven World Central Kitchen aid workers on April 1.
All but one were foreign nationals, sparking calls for accountability among those countries, including the US. Israel said the killings were a mistake, fired two senior officers and reprimanded a top commander over the incident.
Austin also "affirmed unwavering US support for Israel's defense in light of threats posed by Iran and its proxy network,” the statement said.
Israel's Defense Ministry said "the Minister and Secretary raised ongoing threats posed by Iranian aggression, including via Iranian proxy Hezbollah. They discussed coordination in the face of scenarios involving regional escalation."
Some context: The US and its allies have been bracing for a possible attack against Israeli and US assets in the region in retaliation for a deadly Israeli strike last week on Iran’s consulate in Damascus.
1:31 a.m. ET, April 9, 2024
Hamas says Israel’s latest proposal does not meet their demands
From CNN's Mitchell McCluskey
In a statement published early Tuesday, Hamas said the latest deal proposed by Israel does not meet their demands.
Hamas said it received the proposal through Egyptian, Qatari and American mediators.
While Hamas said it appreciated the effort, the group said Israel “remains stubborn and has not responded to any of the demands of our people and our resistance.”
But Hamas maintained it is “keen to reach an agreement that puts an end to the aggression against our people.”
The group said its leaders would review the proposal and inform the mediators of their response.
Over the weekend in Cairo, CIA Director Bill Burns presented a new proposal that includes pushing Israel to release a higher number of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the expected 40 Israeli hostages who would be freed during the first phase of a three-stage ceasefire deal.
