Khalid Al-Falih, Saudi Arabia’s investment minister, said talks aimed at a normalization of diplomatic ties with Israel will continue — despite the kingdom’s vociferous criticism of Israeli military actions in Gaza — but will be “contingent on a pathway to a peaceful resolution of the Palestinian question.”
Israeli troops are advancing toward the middle of Gaza City, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated there would be no ceasefire until the roughly 240 hostages taken from Israel during Hamas’s attack on Oct. 7 are freed.
The UN warned more fuel, water and maternity supplies are needed in Gaza, where it estimates about 180 women give birth daily. Israel has said it won’t allow fuel into the territory because it’ll be used by Hamas, designated a terrorist organization by the US and European Union.
For more stories on the Israel-Hamas war, click here.
Click here for more on the war between Israel and Hamas, which is designated a terrorist group by the US and European Union.
(All time stamps are Israeli time)
House Votes to Censure Representative Tlaib Over Israel Stance (6:40 a.m.)
The US House voted to censure Representative Rashida Tlaib of Michigan over her condemnation of Israel in its war against Hamas.
The resolution, put forward by a member of the Republican majority and passed 234-188, accused Tlaib, the sole Palestinian American in Congress, of “promoting false narratives” about Hamas’s incursion into southern Israel on Oct. 7 and for “calling for the destruction of the state of Israel.”
Twenty-two Democrats voted in favor.
Saudi Minister on Talks Toward Normalization of Ties With Israel (3:47 a.m.)
Khalid Al-Falih, Saudi Arabia’s minister of investment, said talks toward the normalization of ties with Israel remain on the table but have always been “contingent on a pathway to a peaceful resolution of the Palestinian question.”
“That was on the table — it remains on the table and obviously the setback over the last month has clarified why Saudi Arabia was so adamant that resolution of the Palestinian conflict has to be part of a broader normalization in the Middle East,” Al-Falih said on a panel at the Bloomberg New Economy Forum in Singapore.
Saudi Minister Says Israel Talks Hinge on Palestinian Question
When asked whether Saudi Arabia would use economic tools such as the oil price to achieve a ceasefire, Al-Falih laughed and said: “That is not on the table today. Saudi Arabia is trying to find peace through peaceful discussions.”
Aid Convoy Comes Under Fire, Red Cross Says (12:30 a.m.)
The International Committee of the Red Cross said a humanitarian aid convoy came under fire in the Gaza Strip. The ICRC did not specify the source of fire, but said it was “deeply troubled” over the episode.
A driver was lightly wounded and two of the five trucks were damaged. The trucks were carrying medical supplies to health facilities, including Al Quds hospital in Gaza City, which Israel has demanded evacuation amidst bombings in the vicinity of the medical center. Thousands of displaced Palestinians have sought shelter at the hospital. The convoy changed course and delivered the aid to the Al-Shifa hospital in the city according to the Red Cross.
US Having ‘Tough Conversations’ With Israel Over Gaza Bombing (9:19 p.m.)
The Biden administration is talking to Israel about respecting humanitarian law and keeping its airstrikes against the Gaza Strip proportional, Pentagon deputy spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said, amid growing condemnation of the civilian toll.
“We’re going to continue to have these kinds of conversations,” Singh said at a briefing. “That’s what a good partner does — is also having these tough conversations.”
Singh declined to say if Israel has violated international or humanitarian law with its strikes against the Gaza Strip, and said the US puts no conditions on the use of weapons it sends to Israel. But the US has been “very clear that humanitarian law, proportionality, always be taken into consideration when conducting any kind of response within Gaza,” she said.
Israeli Troops Advancing Toward Heart of Gaza City, Gallant Says (8:15 p.m.)
Israeli troops are advancing from the north and south toward the heart of Gaza City, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said in a press briefing Tuesday. The soldiers are fighting within the built-up part of the city, he said.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated in a separate televised statement that there would be no ceasefire until the 240 hostages taken from Israel are freed.
UN Says 180 Women in Gaza Give Birth Daily Amid Limited Supplies (8:06 p.m.)
Only two truckloads carrying maternity supplies have entered Gaza so far, according to Natalia Kanem, executive director for the UN Population Fund. The UN estimates some 50,000 pregnant women live in the region. Over 5,500 children have been born since the war started as about 180 women give birth there every day, she said.
Allowing fuel and clean water into Gaza is needed to provide safe childbirth conditions, Kanem said Tuesday at UN headquarters in New York City.
