Bezalel Smotrich approves 3,000 new housing units in controversial West Bank settlement, reports say – Middle East crisis live

The Guardian

2 days ago

Update:
Date: 2025-08-14T08:42:51.000Z
Title: Israeli advocacy group Peace Now has condemned plans to expand settlements in the occupied West Bank, which are illegal under international law, the group said.
Content: Israel's far-right finance minister approves tenders for housing which international community says would split West Bank in half, reports Times of Israel
Caolán Magee
Thu 14 Aug 2025 10.42 CEST
First published on Thu 14 Aug 2025 08.43 CEST
From
9.18am CEST
09:18
The plans, announced by Israel's far-right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich, approve tenders for more than 3,000 housing units in the controversial E1 settlement project between Jerusalem and Ma'ale Adumim in the West Bank.
Smotrich said in a statement cited by the Times of Israel:
Approval of construction plans in E1 buries the idea of a Palestinian state and continues the many steps we are taking on the ground as part of the de facto sovereignty plan that we began implementing with the establishment of the government.
After decades of international pressure and freezes, we are breaking conventions and connecting Ma'ale Adumim to Jerusalem. This is Zionism at its best – building, settling and strengthening our sovereignty in the Land of Israel.
The E1 plan has been frozen for decades amid strong opposition from the international community, which warns it would divide the West Bank into northern and southern regions, and prevent the development of a Palestinian urban area linking East Jerusalem with Bethlehem and Ramallah.
Peace Now said in a statement: 'The E1 plan is deadly for the future of Israel and for any chance of achieving a peaceful two-state solution. We are standing at the edge of an abyss, and the government is driving us forward at full speed.'
Updated
at 10.17am CEST
10.42am CEST
10:42
The head of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) says he is working to reinstate a documentary about the October 7 attacks after its removal from the schedule sparked a public outcry in Israel.
Cameron Bailey, TIFF's CEO, said the Canadian film The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue was initially withdrawn due to issues surrounding 'legal clearance of all footage'.
However, in a statement published on X last night, Bailey said his 'intention was to screen' the film and described it as 'an important story' that adds to the festival's 'rich tapestry of perspectives'.
Bailey rejected claims of censorship as 'unequivocally false' and urged 'patience and understanding'.
The documentary follows Noam Tibon, who set out to rescue his son, journalist Amir Tibon, and his family during the attack on Kibbutz Nahal Oz.
Its removal drew protests from Israel's foreign ministry and the Canadian Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs.
10.28am CEST
10:28
Eight Palestinians have been killed in Israeli strikes in central Gaza and northwest of Gaza City, according to medical sources, cited by Wafa news agency.
Staff at Al-Aqsa hospital said three people died when an Israeli drone fired a missile at a group of civilians in the al-Hakr area, south of Deir al-Balah.
The Palestinian news agency also reported that Israeli drones also targeted a group of people northwest of Gaza City, killing five and injuring others.
Updated
at 10.31am CEST
10.15am CEST
10:15
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has denied accusations that Israel is committing genocide or intentionally starving civilians in Gaza, saying such claims are 'false'.
In a video posted to the Israeli prime minister's YouTube channel, speaking at the US Independence Day reception hosted by Newsmax in Jerusalem , Netanyahu said:
The first false accusation is genocide. The second false accusation is starvation. From the first second day of the war, we said there has to be another separation between civilians and combatants and that is that we supply humanitarian aid.
If we had a starvation policy, everybody in Gaza would be dead. But that's not our policy.
Netanyahu said diplomacy was 'just another way to say defeat and surrender', adding: 'Victory' was 'the last word left in the army's lexicon'.
He also told the audience: 'Americans recognise that Israel stands for the same values as America. They recognise that we are fighting the barbarians at the gate … not only the goal of destroying Israel, it's even the method that they use to murder and mutilate the heathen, as they call them.'
Updated
at 10.18am CEST
9.46am CEST
09:46
We are just receiving pictures via the wires from inside Nasser Medical Complex, a hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza.
In a statement carried by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the World Health Organisation says medical supply entry into Gaza remains 'difficult and ever changing' despite the delivery of 80 trucks of supplies since June 25, when a suspension of more than three months was lifted.
Many critical items, including ICU beds, anaesthesia machines and cold chain medicines, have been denied entry, while clearance processes for goods arriving via Ben Gurion Airport remain slow, the statement said.
WHO said it has delivered 6,000 blood units to Al Shifa and Nasser hospitals, but these are only a fraction of what is needed as health facilities face mass casualty incidents and rising cases of infectious disease.
Shortages of fuel for generators and spare parts are also crippling the 230 health points still partially functional across Gaza, the statement said.
Updated
at 9.50am CEST
9.27am CEST
09:27
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) has just issued a warning on X, saying that soaring temperatures in Gaza are now above 40°C, making an already dire humanitarian situation 'far worse'.
'With very limited water available, dehydration is increasing,' the agency said in a post on X. It added that bombardments and forced displacement continue, while limited electricity and fuel mean there is 'no relief from the extreme heat'.
UNRWA reiterated its call for an immediate ceasefire.
9.18am CEST
09:18
The plans, announced by Israel's far-right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich, approve tenders for more than 3,000 housing units in the controversial E1 settlement project between Jerusalem and Ma'ale Adumim in the West Bank.
Smotrich said in a statement cited by the Times of Israel:
Approval of construction plans in E1 buries the idea of a Palestinian state and continues the many steps we are taking on the ground as part of the de facto sovereignty plan that we began implementing with the establishment of the government.
After decades of international pressure and freezes, we are breaking conventions and connecting Ma'ale Adumim to Jerusalem. This is Zionism at its best – building, settling and strengthening our sovereignty in the Land of Israel.
The E1 plan has been frozen for decades amid strong opposition from the international community, which warns it would divide the West Bank into northern and southern regions, and prevent the development of a Palestinian urban area linking East Jerusalem with Bethlehem and Ramallah.
Peace Now said in a statement: 'The E1 plan is deadly for the future of Israel and for any chance of achieving a peaceful two-state solution. We are standing at the edge of an abyss, and the government is driving us forward at full speed.'
Updated
at 10.17am CEST
9.05am CEST
09:05
More than 100 international NGOs have accused Israel of using humanitarian aid as a weapon in Gaza, saying most major agencies have been unable to deliver a single truck of supplies since early March.
Despite Israeli authorities claiming there is no limit on humanitarian aid entering the territory, the groups say dozens of requests to bring in food, medicine, water and shelter items have been rejected on the grounds that the organisations are 'not authorized to deliver aid'. In July alone, more than 60 requests were denied, according to the statement.
The aid backlog has left millions of dollars' worth of goods stranded in warehouses in Jordan and Egypt, while hospitals run short of basic supplies and civilians die from hunger and preventable illnesses. Many of the affected organisations say they have worked in Gaza for decades.
The groups link the obstruction to new registration rules introduced in March, which allow Israeli authorities to reject applications based on vague criteria such as alleged 'delegitimisation' of the state. Agencies say the process is being used to control independent organisations and censor humanitarian reporting.
'Since the full siege was imposed on 2 March, CARE has not been able to deliver any of our $1.5m worth of pre-positioned supplies into Gaza,' said Jolien Veldwijk, CARE's country director. Oxfam said it has over $2.5m worth of goods blocked from entering.
The signatories called on governments and donors to press Israel to end the restrictions, demand the opening of all land crossings, and ensure agencies can operate without compromising independence or staff safety.
8.53am CEST
08:53
The Israeli military says the missile was fired overnight.
In a statement posted on X, it said: 'The Air Force intercepted one missile launched from Yemen; according to policy, no alerts were activated.'
A Houthi military spokesperson, Yahya Saree, later claimed the group had targeted Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv 'using a hypersonic ballistic missile'.
Houthi rebels in Yemen have regularly launched missile and drone attacks on Israel, saying they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
Israel has previously carried out strikes on areas under Houthi control, including ports in western Yemen and Sanaa airport.
8.43am CEST
08:43
Hello, and welcome to our live coverage of the war in Gaza.
At least 123 people have been killed and 437 injured in the Gaza Strip over the past 24 hours, according to the territory's health authorities.
Hospitals also reported that eight people – including three children – died from starvation and malnutrition during the same period, bringing the total number of such deaths to 235, among them 106 children.
The number of aid convoy victims recorded in the past day reached 21 dead and 185 injured, according to officials, bringing the total number killed in such incidents since the start of the war to 1,859, with more than 13,594 injured.
Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), described the starvation deaths as the latest in the 'war on children' in Gaza.
The Israeli military said its chief of staff, Eyal Zamir, has approved the 'main concept' for a new attack plan in the Gaza Strip, without giving further details. Reuters reports the decision comes after a rift between Israel's political leadership and its military commanders.
A Hamas official accused Israeli forces of making 'aggressive' incursions into Gaza City on Wednesday after news of the plan's approval. 'The Israeli occupation forces continue to carry out aggressive incursions in Gaza City,' said Ismail Al-Thawabta, director general of the Hamas government media office.
The Israeli military also said it struck a group of militants in Gaza disguised as aid workers and using a car with the logo of international charity World Central Kitchen. The charity confirmed that neither the men nor the vehicle were affiliated with it, saying in a statement: 'We strongly condemn anyone posing as World Central Kitchen or other humanitarians, as this endangers civilians and aid workers.'
In Lebanon, an Israeli drone strike targeted a car on the Haris–Hadatha road in the south of the country, killing one person, according to Lebanon's health ministry.
We'll bring you all the latest developments throughout the day.