Explosion Reported in Red Sea: Thousands Protest in Israel as Humanitarian Crisis Deepens in Gaza
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported an explosion on Saturday, which took place approximately 85 nautical miles east of Aden, Yemen. According to the UKMTO warning note, the master of a merchant vessel reported an explosion in close proximity to his ship, adding that no damage was sustained and the crew are safe. Authorities are currently investigating the incident with the vessel continuing to proceed to its next port of call.
Meanwhile, tensions continue to rise in the Middle East as the World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus expressed deep concern over further escalation of violence in the densely populated Gaza Strip. The Israeli military is preparing for an offensive in Rafah, a city located in southernmost Gaza, which could potentially lead to more deaths and suffering as health facilities are already overwhelmed. The estimated 1.4 million displaced Palestinians in the city have nowhere safe to move to, making it even more challenging for them to access fully functional and safe health facilities outside of Gaza.
Thousands of protesters took to the streets in Israel on Saturday night, with two separate groups calling for the government’s resignation and demanding the release of hostages held in Gaza. In Tel Aviv, demonstrators blocked a major inter-city freeway, chanting for every hostage to come back safely. Protesters in Jerusalem and Caesarea also demanded the release of their loved ones. Israeli police reportedly arrested several individuals during these protests, with some protesters violating orders by lighting fires on the road and blocking traffic routes.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Bahraini Crown Prince and Prime Minister Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa in Manama on Saturday to discuss a potential ceasefire-hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas. The two officials discussed efforts to achieve a six-week ceasefire in Gaza, as part of an agreement securing the release of hostages. Blinken pledged US support for regional efforts to promote calm during Ramadan, while also discussing attacks by Yemeni Houthi rebels in the Red Sea area and reaffirming their shared commitment to international law and freedom of navigation.
Mossad Director David Barnea is expected to travel to Doha on Monday for further ceasefire talks with the Qataris and Egyptians. The Israeli intelligence agency’s head is also expected to attend these negotiations, which may involve multiple phases, including an exchange of hostages and prisoners, a permanent ceasefire, and the withdrawal of Israeli military from Gaza. However, Israel’s government has stated that these terms are unacceptable, and they still intend to continue their fight against Hamas until “complete victory.”
In Gaza, the Ministry of Health reported that 63 people were killed as a result of Israeli military operations in the latest 24-hour period. The ministry said 112 people were injured, with no distinction made between fighters and civilians in their data. The cumulative death toll since October 7 in Gaza had risen to 31,553, with 73,546 people injured. The nonprofit World Central Kitchen (WCK) announced on Saturday that it had successfully offloaded 200 tonnes of food aid from Cyprus and was preparing to distribute it in Gaza. WCK is also preparing a second boat with 240 tonnes of humanitarian food aid for another delivery from Cyprus.
Despite the dire need in Gaza, aid agencies warn that maritime and airdropped aid should be complementary to land deliveries, rather than a substitute. Agencies and officials have repeatedly emphasized the importance of increasing land-based aid deliveries and avoiding potentially dangerous precedents that could undermine these routes, leading to prolonged hostilities.
