The Times of Israel is liveblogging Saturday’s events as they happen.
US military says Yemen’s Houthis launched missiles and drones; no injuries or damage reported
The US military says Yemen’s Houthis launched two anti-ship ballistic missiles and one drone over the Gulf of Aden and four drones over the Red Sea.
Three of the drones fired over the Red Sea were destroyed by US forces and one crashed into the sea, the US military’s Central Command says. CENTCOM also says it destroyed the drone fired over the Gulf of Aden.
No damage or injuries were reported as a result of the anti-ship ballistic missiles, it says.
Anti-Israel protesters ‘flood’ Brooklyn Museum in occupation backed by pro-Hamas group
NEW YORK — Pro-Palestinian protesters against Israel took over parts of the Brooklyn Museum on Friday, hanging a banner above the main entrance, occupying much of the lobby and scuffling with police, witnesses say.
Some arrests were made but a New York Police Department spokesperson says it will be hours before officials had an accurate count. The art museum in the New York City borough of Brooklyn says it closed an hour early due to the disruption.
One of the arrests was of a man who spray-painted an outdoor sculpture, Reuters witnessed. Skirmishes between police and protesters took place inside and outside the building.
“There was damage to existing and newly installed artwork on our plaza,” a museum spokesperson says in an email. “Protesters entered the building, and our public safety staff were physically and verbally harassed.
“Out of a concern for the building, our collections, and our staff, the decision was made to close the building an hour early,” and the public was asked to vacate peacefully, the statement says.
Hundreds of demonstrators were marching through Brooklyn when some of them rushed the entrance, according to the Reuters witness. Security guards prevented many from entering but some managed to get inside.
A banner was hung from atop the neoclassical facade proclaiming, “Free Palestine, Divest From Genocide.”
A pro-Palestinian organization named Within Our Lifetime urged demonstrators to “flood Brooklyn Museum for Gaza,” alluding to the name that Hamas gave to its October 7 terror onslaught that started the war in Gaza. Within Our Lifetime, which praised the Hamas-led attack in the immediate aftermath of the atrocities, says activists occupied the museum to compel it to disclose any Israel-related investments and to divest any such funding.
Blinken discusses Gaza ceasefire proposal with Saudi, Turkish and Jordanian FMs
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has held separate phone calls with foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Jordan, the State Department says, to discuss a proposed hostage-for-ceasefire deal aimed at ending the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
The top US diplomat, conducting the calls on the plane as he flew back to Washington from Prague, underscored to his counterparts that the proposal is in the interests of both Israelis and Palestinians, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller says.
German FM, EU chief welcome proposal announced by Biden for ending Gaza war
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock welcomes the proposal that US President Joe Biden presented as an Israeli offer for a phased hostage-for-ceasefire deal with Hamas that would end the war in Gaza.
The Israeli offer “provides a glimpse of hope and a possible path out of the war’s deadlock,” Baerbock writes on X, formerly Twitter.
EU chief Ursula von der Leyen also expresses support for the proposal.
“I wholeheartedly agree with Biden that the latest proposal is a significant opportunity to move toward an end to war and civilian suffering in Gaza. This three-step approach is balanced and realistic. It now needs support from all parties,” the European Commission president says on social media.
UK foreign minister calls on Hamas to accept hostage deal proposal presented by Biden
British Foreign Minister David Cameron calls on Hamas to accept an Israeli hostage deal proposal laid out by US President Joe Biden this evening.
“With a new hostage agreement on the table, Hamas must accept this deal so we can see a stop in the fighting, the hostages released and returned to their families and a flood of humanitarian aid into Gaza,” he writes in a post on X.
He adds that an extended ceasefire can be “turned into a permanent peace” if all parties are “prepared to take the right steps.”
“Let’s seize this moment and bring this conflict to an end.”