First fatalities from 'reckless attacks' by Houthis on commercial ships
Editor's Note: This page is a summary of news on the Israel-Hamas war for Wednesday, March 6. For the latest news on the conflict in the Middle East, view our live updates file for Thursday, March 7.
An anti-ship ballistic missile fired by Houthi militants in Yemen struck a cargo ship in the Gulf of Aden on Wednesday, killing three crew members and wounding at least four others, three of them critically, according to U.S. Central Command.
These are the first reported deaths since the Houthis began attacking vessels in and around the Red Sea in November, disrupting commercial shipping in one of the world's busiest sea corridors.
A U.S. official, who was not authorized to speak publicly, said there were no Americans aboard the Liberian-owned M/V True Confidence, which sustained significant damage. Its crew abandoned the ship.
“We continue to watch these reckless attacks with no regard for the well-being of innocent civilians who are transiting through the Red Sea,'' State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters in Washington. "And now they have, unfortunately and tragically, killed innocent civilians.”
The Houthis, backed by Iran, have fired five anti-ship missiles into busy shipping lanes in the last two days, according to Central Command.
The Houthis claimed responsibility for the missile strike. A recorded message from their military spokesman, Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, said the attack set the ship on fire and that they would only stop their assaults when the “siege on the Palestinian people in Gaza is lifted.”
The Houthis have said their strikes are a show of solidarity with Palestinians, although their targets often have no connection to the Israel-Hamas conflict. On Wednesday, the Indian navy released images of it fighting a fire aboard another container ship that was targeted by the rebels.
? Tom Vanden Brook
Developments:
? The Gaza Health Ministry said at least 20 people in Gaza have died of dehydration and malnutrition, including a teenager and a person in their 70s on Wednesday.
? Canada will once again fund the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees known as UNRWA ? starting with an $18.5 million payment in April ? after joining several other donor nations in withholding money following Israel's accusations that 12 UNRWA workers participated in the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks, CBC News reported.
? Israel's National Security Council issued a travel warning that terrorist organizations could see Ramadan as an opportunity to carry out "attacks and acts of violence.”
Hunger crisis worsens: U.S. plans more airdrops of aid to Gaza
Israel to open direct aid route to northern Gaza, help with sea corridor
Yielding to intensifying global pressure, Israel will open the first route to bring humanitarian aid directly from its territory into ravaged northern Gaza and help establish a sea corridor proposed by the European Union to ship in assistance from Cyprus, Israeli officials said Wednesday, speaking on condition of anonymity to the Associated Press.
Israel would allow 20 to 30 aid trucks to enter northern Gaza on Friday, the first day of regular deliveries using that route, one of the officials said. It will also begin doing security checks on aid Sunday in Cyprus before it’s delivered via the Mediterranean Sea to Gaza, the official said. The shipment will be part of a pilot project to test the feasibility of the sea route. The aid is UAE-funded and made possible with US involvement.
The U.N. says half of Gaza's 2.3 million people are facing emergency levels of food insecurity, and more than 500,000 of those ? about one-quarter of the population ? are at catastrophic levels. The food shortages are most acute in northern Gaza, where aid trucks hardly reach the estimated 300,000 Palestinians still living there because of the security and logistical challenges of traversing from the only two open crossings in the south.
European Union Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will visit Cyprus on Friday to inspect port installations. EU spokesman Eric Mamer said the bloc hopes the sea corridor will open “very soon.”
Hamas rejects latest cease-fire proposal as hopes for deal fade
The latest cease-fire proposal for the Gaza Strip fails to meet crucial demands that Israel withdraw troops from the enclave and allow residents to return to their homes, Hamas said in a statement Wednesday that appeared to reject the plan.
The statement said Hamas was showing "flexibility" and would continue to negotiate through the mediators to reach an agreement that "achieves the demands and interests of our people."
The latest proposal calls for a six-week cease-fire, a sharp increase in humanitarian aid, release of the sick, wounded, elderly and female hostages as well as hundreds of Palestinians held in Israeli jails, the White House said.
The U.S., Egypt and Qatar have scrambled to broker a deal ahead of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which will start in a few days. But talks are underway in Cairo without Israel after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refused to send a delegation until Hamas provides more information on the number of hostages still alive and their health status.
Negotiators have proposed a shorter pause in fighting as a show of good faith that might encourage both sides to reach a longer-term agreement, the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday, citing negotiators it did not name.
UK's David Cameron says Israel has legal duty to supply aid
After meeting top-level U.S. officials early this week, Israeli War Cabinet member Benny Gantz paid a visit Wednesday to England, where he heard a similar message: Israel has to allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza.
Former British Prime Minister David Cameron, now the foreign secretary, said in a social media post he had a "tough but necessary'' talk with Gantz, adding: “We are still not seeing improvements on the ground. This must change.''
Cameron laid out the steps Israel must take to alleviate suffering in the battered territory, including agreeing to an immediate humanitarian pause, increasing the land and sea routes for aid to be brought in and expanding the type of assistance allowed.
Cameron said Britain supports Israel's right to defend itself, but also noted that "as the occupying power in Gaza, Israel has a legal responsibility to ensure aid is available for civilians.''
Contributing: The Associated Press
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Israel Hamas war live updates: Three killed in Houthi attack on ship
