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A curated weekday guide to major news and developments over the past 24 hours. Here’s today’s news
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR
Four patients died at the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis after all power was lost during an Israeli raid on the hospital, the Hamas-run health ministry said. The ministry said that electric generators had cut out and that all power was lost at the hospital but did not specify a reason, saying on Facebook that the Israeli military was in control of the complex after raiding it on Tuesday. The Israeli military said in a statement today that its forces arrested 20 people who it said participated in the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks, and that it had found weapons belonging to Hamas near the hospital. The military had previously said the raid was partly based on intelligence that three hostages had been held in the complex and that their bodies could have been there. Victoria Kim reports for the New York Times.
An Israeli airstrike on Nuseirat refugee camp, located in central Gaza, killed at least 12 people yesterday, according to a spokesperson for Al Aqsa Martyrs Hospital. Ten of those killed were women and children, the spokesperson and a doctor at the hospital said. Mohammad Al Sawalhi, Abeer Salman, Sana Noor Haq, and Radina Gigova report for CNN.
Qatar is waiting for Hamas to respond to a proposed ceasefire deal that would see the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, according to a source familiar with the negotiations. “The major sticking point remains the Israeli withdrawal of troops from Gaza,” the source said. Becky Anderson reports for CNN.
Israel has asked the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to dismiss South Africa’s request to issue additional emergency measures ahead of Israel’s planned offensive in Rafah. In documents released yesterday, Israel argued that the emergency measures issued by the ICJ already cover “the situation of hostilities in Gaza as a whole.” Reuters reports.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR — REGIONAL RESPONSE
A wall is apparently being constructed near the border between Egypt and Rafah, according to analysis by the New York Times. Satellite imagery shows a large patch of land being bulldozed and a wall being built, with work estimated to have begun around Feb. 5. It is unclear whether the structure might be intended to hold Gazans who crossed the border, but if it were, it would be a major reversal of Egypt’s stance. The Egyptian government has declined to discuss the new construction, referring only to its fortification of the border in recent weeks.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR — INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday, where he said the “UK was deeply concerned about the loss of civilian life in Gaza and the potentially devastating humanitarian impact of a military incursion into Rafah.” Sunak “highlighted the scale of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and urged Israel to fully open the Kerem Shalom crossing and allow the maritime delivery of international aid through Ashdod port, which the UK stood ready to support on.” Sunak also “noted the importance of continuing to abide by International Humanitarian Law and protecting civilian infrastructure like hospitals and shelters.”
The U.N. Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner expressed concern over the Israeli military’s raid on the Nasser Medical Complex. “The raid appears to be part of a pattern of attacks by Israeli forces striking essential life-saving civilian infrastructure in Gaza, especially hospitals. Medical facilities are protected infrastructure under international humanitarian law … they must not be the object of attack nor be used outside their humanitarian function for acts harmful to the enemy. Even if Israel contends that a medical facility has lost its protection … it must nevertheless comply with the principles of precautions and proportionality. Furthermore, Israel, as the occupying power, has the duty to ensure and maintain medical facilities and services in all of the occupied territory, including the Gaza Strip.”
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR — U.S. RESPONSE
President Biden spoke with Netanyahu about the “ongoing hostage negotiations” and the “situation in Rafah” according to a White House readout released yesterday. Biden “reiterated his view that a military operation should not proceed without a credible and executable plan for ensuring the safety of and support for the civilians in Rafah.”
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken offered his “deepest condolences” yesterday for two American teenagers “who were reportedly killed” in the West Bank, calling for an investigation into their deaths.
IRAN-BACKED MILITANTS
Yesterday, new reports surfaced suggesting the United States recently conducted a covert cyber operation against the Iranian ship MV Behshad in the Red Sea. The reports cited an unnamed U.S. official, who described the operation as aimed at inhibiting the ship’s “ability to share intelligence with Houthi rebels in Yemen.” The official said the operation was part of the Biden administration’s response to the drone attack by Iranian-backed militia in Iraq that killed three U.S. service members in Jordan late last month. A Pentagon spokesperson declined to comment. Courtney Kube and Carol Lee report for NBC News. See our coverage on the report, Key Questions in U.S. Cyber Attack on “Iranian Spy Ship,” from Just Security Senior Fellow Brianna Rosen and Co-Editor-in-Chief Tess Bridgeman.
A U.S. Coast Guard cutter “seized advanced conventional weapons and other lethal aid” originating in Iran and heading for Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen from a vessel in the Arabian Sea on Jan. 28, CENTCOM said in a statement. “This is yet another example of Iran’s malign activity in the region,” CENTCOM commander Gen. Michael E. Kurilla said. “Their continued supply of advanced conventional weapons to the Houthis is in direct violation of international law and continues to undermine the safety of international shipping and the free flow of commerce.”
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it killed a senior commander and two operatives of Hezbollah’s Radwan Forces in an airstrike conducted on Wednesday in Lebanese territory. Hezbollah said yesterday that a number of its fighters were killed without detailing how, where, or when they were killed. Hezbollah added it carried out strikes on Israeli army positions yesterday. Hamdi Alkhshali and Charbel Mallo report for CNN.
GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS
Russia’s jailed opposition leader and longtime Putin critic Alexei Navalny died in a Russian prison colony today, Russian’s prison service announced, without giving a cause of death. Prison authorities reported that Navalny “felt unwell” after a walk “almost immediately losing consciousness,” and a medical team carried out “all necessary resuscitation measures” without success. Navalny survived a poisoning attempt in 2020 that the State Department said was carried out by agents of the Russian state, and had been jailed since returning to Russia in Jan. 2021 on charges that rights groups say were retribution. The Washington Post reports.
Russia and China accused the United States and Britain of illegally attacking military sites used by the Iran-backed Yemen Houthi fighters. At a U.N. Security Council meeting, Russia’s deputy U.N. ambassador Dmitry Polyansky and China’s U.N. envoy Zhang Jun argued that the Security Council has not authorized military action against Yemen. In response, U.S. Deputy Ambassador to the U.N. Robert Wood and U.K. Ambassador to the U.N. Barbara Woodward countered that steps taken against the Houthis were “proportionate and legal action” taken in self-defense. Edith M. Lederer reports for AP News.
A U.N. agency that monitors and defends human rights was ordered to leave Venezuela yesterday by the government of President Nicolás Maduro. The announcement comes days after the detention and disappearance of Rocío San Miguel, a security expert and human rights advocate. Venezuela’s foreign minister Yván Gil said he was giving the staff of the U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights 72 hours to “abandon the country,” accusing the agency in a statement of becoming a tool for the “coup-plotters and terrorists” who have conspired against Maduro. Julie Turkewitz, Genevieve Glatsky, and Isayen Herrera report for the New York Times.
The Kremlin dismissed a warning by the United States yesterday about Moscow’s new nuclear capabilities in space, calling it a “malicious fabrication” and a trick by the White House to gain Congressional support for more aid to Ukraine. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he would not comment on the substance of the report until the details were unveiled by the White House. Guy Faulconbridge, Patricia Zengerle, and Steve Holland report for Reuters.
The decision to postpone Senegal’s elections this month is unconstitutional, the country’s top court has ruled. The court recognized it was “impossible” for the election to be held on the original date of Feb. 25, but urged authorities to organize it “as soon as possible.” Widespread protests have gripped the West African country, and opposition figures called the delay a “constitutional coup.” Mayeni Jones and James Gregory report for BBC News.
A bipartisan U.S. Congressional delegation will visit Hungary this Sunday “on a mission focused on strategic issues confronting NATO and Hungary,” the U.S. Embassy said. Hungary remains the only NATO country not to ratify Sweden’s 2022 accession bid, a process that requires the backing of all members. Reuters reports.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said today that several “saboteurs,” including Ukrainian and Belarusian nationals, have been detained on the border of the two countries in a “counter-terrorist operation.” Lukashenko said the detainees had “crawled across our border and transported explosives to commit sabotage primarily in Russia and in Belarus,” but did not specify how many had been detained. Reuters reports.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE DEVELOPMENTS
Seven people including a one-year-old child were killed in a Ukrainian air attack on Russia’s city of Belgorod, the region’s governor said. A further 18 were wounded in a strike close to the Ukrainian border. Meanwhile, Russian air defense systems said it had shot down 14 Ukrainian missiles. Laura Gozzi reports for BBC News.
Ukraine’s key eastern town of Avdiivka “is at risk of falling into Russian control,” national security spokesperson John Kirby said yesterday at a briefing in Washington. Kirby said Avdiivka would fall “because the Ukrainian forces on the ground are running out of artillery ammunition … And because Congress has yet to pass the supplemental bill, we have not been able to provide Ukraine with the artillery shells that they desperately need to disrupt these Russian assaults.” Jaroslav Lukiv reports for BBC News.
DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
Special Counsel Robert Hur will appear publicly before the House Judiciary Committee on March 12 to answer questions about his investigation into President Biden’s handling of classified documents. Rebecca Beitsch reports for The Hill.
The Special Counsel investigating Hunter Biden has charged a former F.B.I. informant with fabricating claims that President Biden and his son each sought $5 million bribes from a Ukrainian company. In a 37-page indictment unsealed yesterday, Alexander Smirnov, 43, is accused of falsely telling the F.B.I. that Hunter Biden demanded the money to protect his energy giant company Bursima from an investigation by the country’s prosecutor general at the time. Smirnov faces two charges of making false statements and obstructing the government’s investigation into Biden’s son, carrying a maximum jail term of 25 years if convicted. Glenn Thrush reports for the New York Times.
TRUMP-LEGAL MATTERS
The first-ever criminal trial of a former U.S. president will start on March 25 after Trump’s motion to have the hush money case against him dismissed was rejected by Judge Juan Merchan yesterday. Trump’s attorney Todd Blanche told the Manhattan court this decision is “completely election interference” and will interrupt the primary season.
Fulton County district attorney Fani Willis took the stand yesterday to rebut allegations that her romantic relationship with special prosecutor in the case Nathan Wade should disqualify them from prosecuting Trump in the election subversion case. “These people are on trial for trying to steal an election in 2020. I’m not on trial, no matter how hard you try to put me on trial,” Willis responded to questions from the defense, whose questions yesterday primarily focused on the financial links between both attorneys and how they divided payments for their romantic trips. Willis is expected to return to the stand today. Mariah Timms, Corinne Ramey, and James Fanelli report for the Wall Street Journal.