Middle East updates: Netanyahu faces pressure over hostages
Published September 3, 2024last updated September 3, 2024
What you need to know
- WHO says polio vaccination targets surpassed for Gaza children
- US President Joe Biden has said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu isn't doing enough to secure a deal to release Israeli hostages
- The UK has announced it is suspending some arms exports to Israel over concerns about international humanitarian law
Here are the latest developments from the Israel-Hamas war and news from the wider Middle East region on Tuesday, September 3:
WHO surpassing polio vaccination targets for Gaza children
The World Health Organization said Tuesday that its mass polio vaccination campaign for children in the Gaza Strip was proceeding ahead of schedule.
WHO spokesman Rik Peeperkorn told reporters that over 161,000 children under the age of 10 in central Gaza had received shots in the first two days of the campaign, surpassing the target of 150,000.
"Up until now things are going well," he said. "These humanitarian pauses, up until now they work. We still have 10 days to go."
Lufthansa airlines to resume flights to Tel Aviv, but not Beirut
The Lufthansa Group said Tuesday that its airlines would resume flights to Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion airport in Israel starting this Thursday, September 5.
However, its airlines' flights to Beirut in Lebanon will remain suspended until at least the end of the month, Lufthansa said.
Besides the German flag carrier, Lufthansa Group's other subsidiary airlines include Swiss Airlines, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines and Eurowings.
Lufthansa also recently halted flights to Amman in Jordan and to Irbil in Iraq, but resumed these services on August 27.
UK to stop sending some arms to Israel
The UK government will stop 30 of its 350 arms export licenses to Israel, cabinet ministers have confirmed.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the administration of Prime Minister Keir Starmer had concluded there was a "clear risk" the items could be used to "commit or facilitate a serious violation of international humanitarian law."
He added that the decision wasn't "a determination of innocence or guilt" about whether Israel had broken international law.
The items in question include parts for military planes, helicopters and drones as well as parts used for ground targeting. The UK is one of several countries facing mounting pressure to cease arms exports to Israel amid rising civilian casualties and humanitarian crises in Gaza.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said his government was "deeply disheartened" by the decision.
His British counterpart, John Healey, said the decision would not have a "material impact" on Israeli security.
Biden: Netanyahu not doing enough for hostage deal
Late Monday, US President Joe Biden met with American negotiators who are working alongside Qatar and Egypt to try and secure a truce between Israel and Hamas that would see the release of the remaining Israeli hostages in Gaza.
Asked by reporters if he thought Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was doing enough to secure a deal for the release of hostages, Biden replied: "No."
His statement came two days after Israel saw massive protests demanding that Netanyahu do more to free the 101 remaining hostages. On Monday, many sectors of the Israeli economy were brought to a standstill by a general strike called in opposition to Netanyahu's policies regarding the hostages held by Hamas.
es/lo (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)