Middle East Conflict: Biden Orders US Military To Build Gaza Aid Pier

Cyprus aid corridor to launch pilot operation

The maritime corridor inaugurated in Cyprus will kick off an "initial pilot operation" Friday, EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said.

Multiple countries are pushing for more aid to enter the Gaza Strip amid mounting hunger in the enclave. Along with the U.S., Cyprus, the UAE and the UK, the bloc is looking to accelerate and significantly increase aid deliveries for Gaza civilians.

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Sirens sound in northern Israel

Rocket sirens sounded in northern Israel at around 4:30 p.m. local time (9:30 a.m. EST), as per Israeli media.

The report comes a few hours after Hezbollah announced the deaths of three of its members. The casualty announcement was made following Israeli strikes on at least three Hezbollah paramilitary sites in southern Lebanon.

Joint statement on maritime corridor released

The UK, EU, Cyprus, the U.S. and UAE have released a joint statement on their efforts to set up a maritime corridor to allow for more aid to enter the Gaza Strip.

Ship attack reported southeast of Aden: UKMTO

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) just a few minutes ago said it received a report of an attack on a merchant ship some 50 nautical miles southeast of Aden in Yemen.

Authorities are investigating the incident. Details are scarce as of writing.

Israel will pursue Rafah operation: Netanyahu

The Israeli prime minister has once again reiterated that the Israeli army will pursue a ground operation in Rafah despite international pressure to spare the overcrowded city considering more than a million civilians sheltering in the southern Gaza city.

Netanyahu said Rafah is the last Hamas stronghold. "Whoever tells us not to operate in Rafah, is telling us to lose the war – and that will not happen," he said, as per a statement from his office.

UN torture expert probes mistreatment allegations among Palestinian inmates

Dr. Alice Jill Edwards, a UN expert on torture, said Friday that she was looking into allegations that some Palestinian detainees in Israel experienced torture and mistreatment, Reuters reported.

She further revealed that she was currently in discussions to visit Israel for her investigation. "I'm calling on ... Hamas, the state of Palestine, Israel to put their torture tools down, to really have a focus on peace and a prospect of living side-by-side as neighbors in the future," she added.

Israel welcomes Cyprus maritime corridor initiative

Lior Haiat, spokesperson of the Israeli foreign ministry on Friday said the country welcomes the initiative to bring more aid into Gaza through a maritime corridor in Cyprus.

"It is very important that additional countries join the Cypriot initiative and the international effort to transfer aid," Haiat said, adding that while Israel will continue to facilitate humanitarian aid for Gaza civilians, it will also continue to fight Hamas until the terror group is eliminated.

UNHR office says Israeli ground raid in Rafah must be stopped

The UN's Human Rights office on Friday said a ground invasion of Rafah by the Israeli army "must not be allowed to happen." Rafah is an overcrowded city in southern Gaza where it is believed more than a million civilians have moved to due to the raging war.

"Any ground assault on Rafah would incur massive loss of life and would heighten the risk of further atrocity crimes," the office said in a statement.

3 countries back Israel's call for UN Security Council meeting on Hamas' sexual abuse

The U.S., United Kingdom and France "back my call for a UN Security Council session on Hamas' sexual violence," Israeli foreign minister Israel Katz announced Friday.

This comes after a UN team that investigated claims of sexual violence by Hamas during the Oct. 7 massacre found "reasonable grounds to believe that conflict-related sexual violence" was committed by the Palestinian terror group across different locations.

The probe also found "convincing information" that some of the hostages were subjected to sexual violence by the Iran-backed militant group.

Hezbollah announces deaths of 3 members after Israeli strikes

Hezbollah, a heavily armed and massive terror group that's just one of the many militant organizations backed by Iran, announced the deaths of three of its members Friday, Sky News in Arabic reported.

The announcement came following strikes in southern Lebanon that targeted three separate sites the IDF said belonged to the Lebanese terror group.

Israeli jets strike multiple Hezbollah sites after rocket launches toward northern Israel

Israeli warplanes on Friday attacked multiple sites belonging to Iranian-backed Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, including a "military headquarters" and two other paramilitary structures that the Hamas ally had been using, the IDF said.

There were secondary explosions after the attack on a building in the Al Mansouri area, "which indicated the presence of weapons that were stored in the building," the Israeli army added.

The strikes came after several rocket launches were detected from Lebanese territory toward Har Dov and Metula in northern Israel on Thursday.

US downs Houthi drones over Gulf of Aden: CENTCOM

U.S. forces on Thursday afternoon shot down three unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) "from Iranian-backed Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen toward the Gulf of Aden," CENTCOM said Friday.

The U.S. army also conducted "self-defense strikes" on four mobile anti-ship cruise missiles (ASCMs) and one drone in Houthi-held areas of Yemen on Thursday as part of the efforts to protect navigation freedom, the U.S. military added.

EU announces Cyprus maritime corridor for Gaza aid

The European Commission on Friday announced the establishment of the Cyprus Maritime Corridor, which should help getting more aid into the Gaza Strip. The Commission's president said she is expecting the maritime corridor to start operating this weekend.

"Palestinians, particularly those in Gaza, need our help. The humanitarian situation in Gaza is dire with innocent Palestinian families and children desperate for basic needs," she said.

The corridor is a joint effort between the European Union, the United States, and the United Arab Emirates, she added.

Biden warns Israel not to use aid as a 'bargaining chip'

Amid concerns that Israel isn't doing enough to get more aid into the Gaza Strip, Biden said during his State of the Union address that Israel shouldn't use humanitarian aid as a "bargaining chip" in its raging war against Hamas.

Biden has been increasing pressure on the Netanyahu government to do more to help innocent civilians in Gaza and to ensure that they are protected even as Israel exercises its right to self-defense.

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Biden announces US will build temporary pier for Gaza aid deliveries

The U.S. president on Thursday directed the U.S. army to "lead an emergency mission to establish a temporary pier in the Mediterranean on the coast of Gaza that can receive large shipments" of food, water, medicine and other humanitarian supplies for civilians in the enclave.

The temporary pier should increase the amount of aid entering the Gaza Strip, he noted. He also clarified that no U.S. troops will be stationed on the ground in Gaza. Finally, he said "Israel must do its part" by allowing more aid into Gaza.