CNN on Saturday filmed rare footage of Palestinian men detained by Israeli forces in Gaza and taken across the border into Israel, witnessing the men blindfolded, barefoot and with their hands tied behind their backs.
The Israel Defense Forces said the men are “suspected of terrorist activity and were arrested in Gaza and brought to Israel for further questioning.”
Meanwhile, a growing number of countries have temporarily suspended aid to the United Nations' main aid agency in Gaza over allegations that some staff were involved in last October's Hamas attacks, and the Middle East Society Palestinian Red Moon says hospitals in the southern part of the strip are “under siege.”
These are the biggest headlines from the current war:
More on the Palestinian detainees: Some of the men in the video appear physically exhausted, their heads drooping and swaying as they try to remain kneeling. They appear to be wearing only disposable white coveralls, despite the 10-degree Celsius (50-degree Fahrenheit) temperature. The IDF said the men filmed Saturday were about to be transferred to a “heated bus” when CNN filmed the scene, and maintained that the detainees are treated in accordance with international law. A bus was waiting nearby, but CNN could not confirm when the men boarded the bus. The Israeli army has detained hundreds – if not thousands – of Palestinian boys and men, and sometimes women, as its ground forces advance through the enclave.
More countries suspend UNRWA funding: Several nations have announced they will temporarily suspend their funding to the embattled UN agency in Gaza in the wake of allegations against its staff. The Israel Defense Forces claimed in a statement on Saturday that UNRWA facilities were used for “terrorist purposes.” The head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East urged countries to reconsider suspending their funding, noting that accused employees have been fired, the top investigating authority The UN has already taken action and an independent review by external experts is available.
The situation deteriorates in Khan Yunis hospitals: Nasser Hospital, the main medical center in the southern Gaza city, is running out of supplies of blood, anesthesia and other medicines, the Hamas-controlled Health Ministry said on Saturday. The city has been a flashpoint in recent fighting between Israel and Hamas. Hospital facilities have been “under siege” as the Israeli military has stepped up operations there over the past week, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society.
Where are the hostage talks: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu challenged Qatar on Saturday, saying: “They position themselves as intermediaries. Well, let them prove it and help bring back the hostages.” The prime minister was also asked about an alleged leaked audio recording that aired on Israeli television on Tuesday, in which he appeared to criticize Qatar for not putting enough pressure on Hamas. “I don't take back a single word I said,” he said Saturday. “I will not abandon the option of pressuring Hamas or anyone who can influence Hamas to bring back our hostages.” Meanwhile, CIA Director Bill Burns will meet in the coming days with the intelligence chiefs of Israel and Egypt and the prime minister of Qatar to discuss a hostage deal.
Houthi attack: A Marshall Islands-flagged commercial tanker was carrying a highly flammable liquid hydrogen mixture when it was hit by a Houthi missile in the Gulf of Aden on Friday, US Central Command said, sparking a fire that took a day to extinguish. Despite a series of US attacks on Houthi missiles, drones and radar sites, the Iran-backed rebel group has continued to attack international shipping routes in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. The Houthis claim the attacks are in solidarity with the Palestinian people as a result of the war in Gaza, an argument the United States has repeatedly rejected.
