07/20/2024July 20, 2024
US criticizes ICJ ruling on Israel’s ‘illegal’ occupation of Palestinian territories
The said it disagreed with “the breadth” of a that said occupation of Palestinian territories was illegal.
“We have been clear that Israel’s program of government support for settlements is both inconsistent with international law and obstructs the cause of peace,” a US State Department spokesperson said on Saturday in an email.
“However, we are concerned that the breadth of the court’s opinion will complicate efforts to resolve the conflict and bring about an urgently needed just and lasting peace, with two states living side-by-side in peace and security,” the State Department added.
On Friday, the top UN court ruled that Israel’s presence in the occupied Palestinian territories was unlawful, calling for it to end and for settlement building to stop immediately.
Israeli Prime Minister quickly denounced the nonbinding opinion issued by a panel of 15 judges.
Meanwhile, the European Union said Saturday the ruling was “largely consistent with EU positions” on the issue.
“In a world of constant and increasing violations of international law, it is our moral duty to reaffirm our unwavering commitment to all ICJ decisions in a consistent manner, irrespective of the subject in question,” the bloc’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said.
https://p.dw.com/p/4iXlP
Skip next section Israel strikes Yemen port, avenging Houthi strike on Tel Aviv
07/20/2024July 20, 2024
Israel strikes Yemen port, avenging Houthi strike on Tel Aviv
on Saturday launched intense airstrikes on port city of Hodeidah, media loyal to the Iran-backed Houthi militia reported.
The Houthi-owned al-Masirah TV said the strikes had targeted oil storage facilities at the port, triggering fires and thick smoke. The attacks left dead and injured people, the broadcaster added.
The Israeli military confirmed it had struck “military targets of the Houthi terrorist regime.”
The strikes were an apparent retaliation for a drone attack on Israel’s Tel Aviv, claimed by the Houthis. Israel rarely confirms attacks on foreign soil.
A Houthi official said the airstrikes would be met with “escalation.”
“The Zionist entity will pay the price for targeting civilian facilities, and we will meet escalation with escalation,” Houthi politburo member Mohammed al-Bukhaiti said in a post on social media.
The Houthis have been targeting commercial shipping in the Red Sea with drone strikes since shortly after Israel began its offensive in last October.
Israel’s military operation was launched following the unprecedented October 7 attacks on Israel by the Palestinian militant group .
Hamas has been labeled a terrorist organization by the United States, Germany and the European Union, among others.
https://p.dw.com/p/4iXj1
Skip next section Gaza doctors deliver baby from mother killed in attack
07/20/2024July 20, 2024
Gaza doctors deliver baby from mother killed in attack
Doctors in central have saved the unborn baby of a heavily pregnant woman who was killed in an Israeli attack, Palestinian media reported on Saturday.
The Palestinian news agency WAFA said the child was delivered in an emergency operation at the al-Awda hospital in Nuseirat.
At nine months pregnant, Ola Adnan Harb al-Kurd survived just long enough to reach the hospital after an overnight strike hit her home in the Nuseirat refugee camp, medics said.
Unable to save the mother, who medics said was in her 20s, doctors detected the unborn baby’s heartbeat and performed an emergency cesarean section.
Al-Kurd was one of eight people killed in the Israeli strike, local media said. Her husband was wounded.
The still-unnamed newborn boy continues to be treated at the hospital and is said to be in a stable condition, WAFA reported.
https://p.dw.com/p/4iXkh
Skip next section Drone strike damages ship off Yemen, says UKMTO
07/20/2024July 20, 2024
Drone strike damages ship off Yemen, says UKMTO
A merchant vessel was attacked twice by drones in the Red Sea off on Saturday, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said.
The incidents took place 13 nautical miles southwest of Yemen’s Al Mukha, but the vessel and its crew were safe, UKMTO wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
The post said a merchant vessel had reported being approached by 12 small craft. The drones stayed in an area around the ship for about an hour before leaving.
Yemen’s Iran-aligned have targeted Middle East shipping lanes with drone and missile strikes in recent months, in what it calls acts of solidarity with Palestinians over war in .
At least 88 commercial vessels have been attacked since November, according to a tally by the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
Among the damage caused, two vessels sunk, another was seized and at least three crew were killed.
nm/ab (AFP, AP, Reuters, dpa)
https://p.dw.com/p/4iXhb
The post Middle East updates: Israel strikes Houthi-held port appeared first on Deutsche Welle.