As talks break down, Israel rejects Hamas' demand for an all-out Israeli departure from Gaza. Sign up for our breaking news newsletters to receive free real-time updates about breaking news delivered right to your inbox. Join our free breaking news email list. Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, has issued an order closing the Al Jazeera satellite news network's local operations in Qatar. It is said to be the first time Israel has ever closed down a foreign news service. The order includes seizing broadcast equipment, prohibiting the channel's reporting from being broadcast, and banning its websites.
The attack on Al Jazeera on Sunday coincided with Mr. Netanyahu's apparent withdrawal from ceasefire negotiations, as he had rejected Hamas's requests to bring the Gaza War to a stop.
During discussions on Saturday in Cairo, an advisor to Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of Hamas, stated that any agreement would need Israel to leave Gaza. Although no delegation from Israel was sent to Cairo, Mr. Netanyahu stated that the state of Israel "cannot accept" such demands. Speaking on Sunday, he declared: "We are not ready to tolerate a scenario in which the Hamas brigades emerge from their bunkers, retake control of Gaza, reconstruct their armed forces, and go back to endangering the Israelites in the settlements around the southern mountains, everywhere."
The head of Hamas said in a statement issued soon after Mr. Netanyahu's that the organization was still committed to achieving a comprehensive ceasefire that would end Israeli "aggression," ensure Israel's withdrawal from Gaza, and result in "a serious" agreement to free Israelis held captive in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners.
Since Hamas massacred 1,200 people in a devastating strike on October 7, more than 34,600 Palestinians have died in Israel's assault on the beleaguered enclave, 29 of whom have died in the last 24 hours, and more than 77,000 have been injured, according to Gaza's health ministry. On Sunday, Israel blocked the major border channel for the delivery of much-needed humanitarian supplies to Gazans who were famished after nearly seven months of fighting, dealing a further blow to peace discussions.
Ten rockets were fired toward the southern Israel border, according to the Israeli military, which also claimed that its fighter planes later hit the source. According to Hamas, it has been aiming its missiles toward nearby Israeli troops. According to Israel's Channel 12 TV, three of the ten casualties were critical. How long the crossing will be blocked was unknown. One of the most notable warnings to date on the consequences of limits on food and other help entering the area was issued by the head of the UN World Food Programme, who said that there was a "full-blown famine" in the devastated northern Gaza. This was just before the strike.
