The Times of Israel is liveblogging Sunday’s events as they unfold.
COGAT says it facilitated entry of 430 aid trucks into Gaza this week; UN says 600 needed daily
Israel facilitated the entry of 430 trucks of humanitarian aid into Gaza this past week, the Defense Ministry’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories says.
The aid included food, flour and medical equipment and was transferred to the northern Gaza Strip via the Zikim Crossing and to the southern Gaza Strip through the Kerem Shalom Crossing, COGAT says.
The weekly figure is below the 600 figure that the UN says is needed every day in order to meet the basic needs of Gazans.
Israel says the UN is failing to pick up much of the aid that has been transferred into the Strip, but the UN says that is because the IDF doesn’t grant its staff safe passage.
The low levels of aid have been highlighted by the desperate scenes of Gazans overrunning sites belonging to the US- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation along with routes used by the UN to transfer its aid.
There have been near-daily reported deadly shootings of Palestinians seeking to pick up aid, with the IDF admitting to opening fire at those who strayed off authorized roads or used them at unauthorized times.
GHF said earlier Saturday that it distributed 22,000 boxes of food at three sites today, which was almost a third lower than the amount handed out in recent days.
“Today’s reduced distribution numbers reflect supply chain disruptions due to the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict and the observance of Shabbat, which renders the Kerem Shalom crossing inaccessible,” GHF said in a statement.
Over a month ago, GHF said it had secured a commitment from Israel to allow it to open a distribution site in northern Gaza, but there has yet to be any follow-through.
Saudi Arabia denounces ‘blatant Israeli aggressions’ against Iran
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan has condemned “blatant Israeli aggressions against the Islamic Republic of Iran, which undermine its sovereignty and security, constitute a clear violation of international laws and norms, and threaten the security and stability of the region,” the state-run Saudi Press Agency reports.
Speaking at a meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Istanbul, he calls for “the immediate cessation of military operations, the avoidance of escalation, and a return to the negotiation track between Iran and the international community.”
Iran and Saudi Arabia were long regional arch-rivals but have normalized relations in recent years. Riyadh was quick to side publicly with Tehran after Israel launched a surprise barrage of strikes on Iran last week.
Bin Farhan also reiterates Saudi Arabia’s support for a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict. The kingdom and France had been set to co-chair a conference in New York this month on the topic, which was postponed due to the outbreak of the Israel-Iran war.
IDF says it downed drone ‘from the east’ that set off sirens in Golan
The IDF says that it intercepted the drone that set off sirens in two Golan Heights communities, with no injuries reported.
According to the military, the drone “was launched from the east,” a term the Israel Defense Forces has used in reference to attacks from Iraq and Yemen.
Suspected drone sirens activated in pair of Golan Heights towns
Suspected drone sirens are triggered in a pair of communities in the Golan Heights.
‘Only time will tell!’: Trump again teases potential strikes on Iran in next 2 weeks
US President Donald Trump publishes a new post on his Truth Social platform concerning his threat to potentially strike Iran in the next two weeks.
“Only time will tell!” Trump writes.
The post comes as Trump is due to convene his National Security Council at the White House, as he continues to weigh whether to join Israel’s strikes on the Iranian nuclear program.
Sissi speaks with Iran president, says Egypt ‘completely rejects ongoing Israeli escalation’
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi has expressed his government’s “complete rejection” of Israel’s campaign against Iran, calling for a negotiated solution to the conflict.
Sissi’s comments came in a phone call with Iranian President Masoud Pezezhkin, the Egyptian presidency says in a statement.
The statement says Sissi voiced Egypt’s “complete rejection of the ongoing Israeli escalation against Iran,” as a threat to the Middle East’s security and stability.
The Egyptian leader calls for an immediate ceasefire to resume negotiations with the aim of reaching a “sustainable, peaceful solution to this crisis.”