Middle East Conflict: US State Department Official Resigns Over Washington's Israel Policy

UNIFIL expresses concern over Blue Line 'surge of violence'

The UN's Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) on Thursday said it was "very concerned over the surge of violence occurring across the Blue Line," a UN-drawn demarcation line between Israel and Lebanon when Israeli forces fully withdrew from Lebanon in the year 2000.

It called for an immediate cessation of the escalation of tensions in the area, urging Israel and Iranian-backed Hezbollah to "put down their weapons" and pursue a diplomatic solution to the conflict.

ICJ orders Israel to take 'all' measures to ensure unhindered aid into Gaza

The International Court of Justice on Thursday ordered Israel to "take all necessary and effective measures to ensure, without delay, in full co-operation with the United Nations" that humanitarian aid entry into Gaza be "unhindered."

The order "has binding effect," the World Court noted, adding that the additional order was made as it observed the "catastrophic living conditions of the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip have deteriorated further."

South Africa lodged a complaint against Israel at the ICJ earlier this year, accusing the country of committing genocidal acts in Gaza.

Biden is Israel's 'dear friend': Herzog

Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Thursday told visiting Democrats that the U.S. president is a "dear friend" of Israel, even as cracks in the Biden-Netanyahu alliance run deeper over Israel's planned military operation in Rafah.

He said the U.S.-Israel alliance, the "unbreakable bond" between the two countries is "as strong as ever and is irreplaceable."

Israel conducts strikes near Syrian capital: Report

Israel allegedly carried out airstrikes near Damascus Thursday, Israeli media reported, citing Iran-linked Sabareen News. The strikes allegedly targeted a farm in the town of Sayyidah Zeinab where militias affiliated with Iran were reportedly located.

The Israeli army has yet to deny or confirm the report.

Kuwait donates $2M to UNRWA

Kuwait has handed over the country's "contribution" of $2 million to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine (UNRWA) Thursday, state news agency KUNA reported. Kuwaiti ambassador to Jordan Hama Al-Marri said the move affirms "the Kuwaiti leadership's keenness and its principled permanent position to support the Palestinian cause and support the conditions of Palestinian refugees."

This comes after France announced earlier in the day it will resume funding for UNRWA under certain conditions.

Hamas begins preparations for Israel's Rafah raid: Report

Hamas has started preparing for Israel's planned ground raid of Rafah, Qatari-owned Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported Thursday as per multiple local and Arab outlets.

A Hamas leader reportedly said coordination was ongoing to ensure that the Palestinian militant group does "not allow the breaking of resistance in Gaza under any circumstances, no matter what it costs."

The unnamed Hamas leader went on to blame Netanyahu for ceasefire talks stalling, saying the Israeli prime minister was "leading the entire region to an explosion."

US State Department officer resigns over Washington's Israel policy

Annelle Sheline, who served as a foreign affairs officer at the Office of Near Eastern Affairs in the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, announced she is quitting, citing the country's Israel policy.

"Whatever the United States had as an advocate for human rights has almost entire vanished since the war began," she wrote in a CNN opinion piece. She said she tried, along with other federal government employees, to "influence policy, both internally, and when that failed, publicly."

"I can no longer continue what I was doing. I hope that my resignation can contribute to the many efforts to push the administration to withdraw support for Israel's war, for the sake of the 2 million Palestinians whose lives are at risk and for the sake of America's moral standing in the world," she concluded.

She told Democracy Now Thursday that she didn't initially plan to publicly resign, but felt the need to do so after some of her colleagues said she should speak for them. "Many people are not in a position where they feel they could resign, or they are trying to do what they can on the inside," she explained.

Fire breaks out from fallen rocket shrapnel in northern Israel

A fire broke out in the Birya forest near Beit She'an in northern Israel due to shrapnel from a rocket, the Jerusalem Post reported Thursday, citing Israel's Fire and Rescue Authority. Firefighters have been dispatched to the area to contain the blaze.

Iranian-backed Hezbollah has been launching rockets toward northern Israeli communities on a near-daily pace since the war started in October. Tensions in the Israel-Lebanon border have raised concerns of an all-out war on Israel's northern front.

France to provide $32M to embattled UNRWA

France will provide more than 30 million euros ($32.41 million) to UNRWA this year, the foreign ministry announced Thursday.

"We will make our contributions while ensuring that the conditions are met for UNRWA to fulfil its missions in a spirit devoid of incitement to hatred and violence," said foreign ministry spokesman Christophe Lemoine.

This comes following an Israeli exposé that led to the halt of UNRWA funding by multiple countries, including the U.S. Israel alleged earlier this year that some UNRWA staffers directly participated in Hamas' Oct. 7 massacre in Israel.

Palestinian PM forms new cabinet: Local media

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa has formed a new cabinet wherein he will also serve as the foreign minister, Palestinian news agency WAFA reported Thursday.

The new cabinet will be sworn-in on Sunday, the outlet noted, adding that Mustafa has presented a government program that includes developing a comprehensive humanitarian aid plan for Gaza residents, as well as a recovery and reconstruction framework.

Israeli army under fire after videos, photos show soldiers toying with Palestinian women's lingerie

The Israeli army is under scrutiny following the release of videos and photos that show some soldiers playing with lingerie they found in the homes of Palestinians in Gaza.

One video shows a soldier holding a female mannequin dressed in a black bra and helmet. The soldier says: "I found a beautiful wife, serious relationship in Gaza, great woman," as per Reuters.

In one photo posted on X by Younis Tirawi, who claims to be a reporter, Israeli soldiers from the IDF's 101^st Battalion allegedly wore "looted women clothes and accessories belonging to killed/displaced Palestinian women." Another photo posted by Tirawi shows what he said was a "Major" of the IDF wearing "women lingerie belonging to Palestinian woman killed/displaced in Gaza city."

International Business Times cannot independently verify the source of the images.

Reuters reached out to Tirawi about his posts, to which he provided links to the original posts made by IDF soldiers. The outlet independently verified "eight posted on Instagram or YouTube."

IDF will turn to the north after Rafah operation: Reports

The Israeli army will focus on the "north" after the completion of its ground incursion in Gaza's Rafah, local newspaper Israel Hayom reported Thursday, citing a senior Israeli official.

Another report said an Israeli official revealed the IDF "will enter Lebanon" after the Rafah incursion, but the Israeli army has yet to deny or confirm the reports.

Pro-Palestine demonstrators 'occupy' government facility's entrance

Palestine supporters have "occupied the entrance" to the Department for Business and Trade early Thursday over the department's supposed links to Britain's army supply to Israel, British media reported.

London for a Free Palestine, which was established in 2013, announced they "occupied the Department of Business and Trade to call on the UK government to stop arming Israel." The solidarity group also posted a video of its demonstration that showed group members holding up Palestinian flags and chanting on the floor inside a building.

Israel reschedules canceled Washington talks

The Netanyahu government has agreed to reschedule discussions in Washington following the prime minister's decision to cancel the visit of a high-level delegation to the U.S. over its western ally's abstention on a UNSC resolution vote Monday.

The talks are expected to focus on Israel's planned ground incursion of Rafah, which the Biden administration has expressed opposition to without a clear plan to protect civilians.

Read the full story here.

Israeli forces still operating in Al-Shifa Hospital

Israeli troops are still operating at the Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, the IDF said Thursday. In the past 24 hours, patients and medical teams were evacuated "to alternative medical facilities set by the IDF" so proper medical treatment can be given to the patients, the Israeli army said.

The IDF added that terrorists fired at Israeli troops "within and outside the Shifa's ER building."

Al-Shifa was first raided by Israeli forces in November, then again last week amid reports that some senior Hamas officials were hiding within Gaza's largest medical complex. Hamas' head of internal security operations, Faiq Mabhouh, was assassinated on the first day of this month's raid at the hospital.

US destroys Houthi drones targeting American battleship

CENTCOM forces on Wednesday "successfully engaged and destroyed" four long-range drones launched by Iranian-backed Houthis from Yemen. "These UAS (unmanned aerial systems) were aimed at a U.S. warship," the U.S. army said.

This comes following near-daily attacks by the terror group against commercial ships and coalition forces in the Red and Arabian Seas and the Gulf of Aden since November.

Sky News Arabia claims building where its office is located was "bombed"

Sky News Arabia said Thursday that the building "housing the Sky News Arabia office in Gaza" was bombed, as per a Google-translated post on X.

In follow-up posts, the outlet said there were no human casualties in the attack, citing its correspondent. It added that the building also contained "offices of a number of media outlets" but did not provide further details about which specific news outlets had offices in the said building.