Sunday, August 4, 2024
1200 GMT –– Gaza death toll rises to 39,583
Israeli troops have killed 39,583 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023, the Health Ministry in the besieged enclave announced on Sunday.
The toll of the injured has also climbed to 91,398, the ministry added.
1023 GMT –– Illegal Israeli settlers storm Al-Aqsa Mosque amid rise in tensions
Under Israeli police protection, a mob of illegal Israeli settlers stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem.
Israeli forces and illegal settlers entered the flashpoint mosque performing religious rituals while Israeli police established checkpoints around the Old City of East Jerusalem, restricting Palestinian access to the mosque, according to official Palestinian news agency Wafa.
Separately, the Palestinian Awqaf and Religious Affairs Ministry released a monthly report detailing increased violations at Al-Aqsa Mosque and Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron, reporting that Israel conducted 23 raids on Al-Aqsa Mosques this July.
The report also highlighted that Israeli forces had obstructed the call to prayer at Ibrahimi Mosque 43 times last month and prevented Palestinians from entering the mosque.
1005 GMT –– 19 killed when Israel bombs several areas in besieged Gaza
At least 19 Palestinians were killed and several others injured in Israeli attacks targeting various areas of besieged Gaza.
Six Palestinians were killed and 21 others were injured following two separate air strikes on Deir al-Balah, one of which hit tents housing displaced persons within the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital grounds, said medical sources at the hospital.
Separately, Israeli army vehicles stationed on the eastern border of the central governorate fired intensively at eastern areas of the Bureij and Maghazi camps.
Israeli warplanes also struck agricultural land near a displaced persons' tents in the Nuseirat camp, igniting a fire, according to eyewitnesses.
In Gaza City, Palestinian Civil Defence spokesperson Mahmoud Bassil reported that three Palestinians were killed and two others were missing after an Israeli drone hit a civilian car in the Zeitoun neighbourhood.
Another two Palestinians were killed in an Israeli strike targeting a group of citizens in the Shujaiya neighborhood.
In northern Gaza, rescue teams recovered eight bodies, including three children, and several people were injured after an Israeli air strike hit a home belonging to the Al-Amoudi family in the Al-Fakhoura area of the Jabalia camp.
0907 GMT –– 2 Lebanese killed in Israeli air strike on southern Lebanese town
At least two Lebanese were killed in an Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon, the country's Health Ministry said.
Five more civilians were injured in the attack on the town of Deir Siryan in Marjayoun, the ministry added.
The Lebanese National News Agency noted that an Israeli drone had targeted the centre of the town, but gave no further details.
06:44 GMT –– Israel bombs displaced persons' camp in central Gaza
At least three Palestinians have been killed and over 18 others injured in an Israeli attack targeting displaced persons' tents in a hospital in central Gaza, the government media office said.
"The Israeli occupation forces committed a massacre within the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital by bombing several tents housing displaced persons," the media office said in a statement on the attack on Deir al-Balah.
"This brutal attack resulted in the martyrdom of three individuals and more than 18 injuries so far, including serious injuries currently being treated by the medical teams at the hospital," it added.
05:41 GMT –– France calls on citizens in Lebanon to leave 'as soon as possible'
France called on its citizens in Lebanon to leave the country "as soon as possible" amid fears of all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah and a broader regional conflict.
"In a highly volatile security context, we once again call the attention of French nationals, particularly those passing through, to the fact that direct commercial flights and ones with stopovers to France are still available,'' the foreign ministry said.
''We invite them to make their arrangements now to leave Lebanon as soon as possible," it added in its travel advice notice for Lebanon.
04:36 GMT –– Estimated 9,900 Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons: report
The number of Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons is estimated at around 9,900, Palestinian organisations specialising in prisoner affairs said in a report.
The report by the governmental Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs, the Palestinian Prisoners' Club and the non-governmental Al-Dameer Foundati on for Human Rights said the number of prisoners in Israeli prisons at the beginning of August includes 3,432 administrative detainees, at least 250 children and 86 women –– 23 of whom are administrative detainees.
Administrative detention is Israeli military imprisonment without charge, lasting six months that is renewable.
04:17 GMT –– US president hopes Iran would stand down amid Mideast tension
US President Joe Biden said he hopes Iran will stand down amid recent tensions in the Middle East.
"I hope so. I don’t know," Biden told a reporter when he asked, "Will Iran stand down?" as he was leaving a grocery store in his home state of Delaware.
The Pentagon announced Friday that the US will deploy additional military assets to the Middle East amid rising tensions in the region.
03:42 GMT — Israel's Gaza mediators leave Egypt amid disputes with Netanyahu
An Israeli negotiating team left Cairo and returned to Tel Aviv shortly after arriving Saturday to resume discussions on a hostage swap deal with Palestinian factions, according to media reports.
The team, which included Mossad spy agency chief David Barnea, Shin Bet security agency head Ronen Bar and the government's coordinator of operations in the Palestinian territories, Ghassan Alian, returned to Tel Aviv because of disagreements with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper.
There has been no statement from Netanyahu's office as of yet about the report.
02:53 GMT —US, UK urge nationals to leave Lebanon amid Israel tensions
The US and UK issued warnings Saturday to their nationals to immediately leave Lebanon amid fears of a wider escalation with Israel.
The US Embassy in Beirut said some flights by several airlines have been cancelled but "commercial transportation options to leave Lebanon remain available".
"We encourage those who wish to depart Lebanon to book any ticket available to them, even if that flight does not depart immediately or does not follow their first-choice route. US citizens who lack funds to return to the United States may contact the embassy for financial assistance via repatriation loans," it said in a statement.
02:33 GMT — US destroys missile, launch pad belonging to Houthis: Central Command
The US has announced that it destroyed a missile and a lunch pad belonging to the Houthis in Yemen.
"In the past 24 hours US Central Command (USCENTCOM) forces successfully destroyed an Iranian-backed Houthi missile and launcher in a Houthi-controlled area of Yemen," CENTCOM wrote on X.
Noting that the weapons were deemed an "imminent threat to the US and coalition forces", as well as merchant vessels in the region, it added that the actions were to safeguard freedom of navigation and enhance the safety and security of international waters.
02:00 GMT — Canada warns citizens to avoid all travel to Israel
Canada on Saturday warned citizens to avoid all travel to Israel, saying the regional armed conflict endangered security.
"The security situation can deteriorate further without warning," the Canadian government said in a travel advisory issued to raise the risk level for travel to Israel.
"If the armed conflict intensifies, it could impact your ability to depart by commercial means. It may result in travel disruptions, including airspace closures and flight cancellations and diversions," the travel advisory said.
