Wednesday, June 19, 2024
13:22 GMT –– Hezbollah claimed to have targeted the Eastern Brigade of the Israeli army, which acknowledged damage to a building in Kiryat Shmona where the military unit's headquarters is located but also announced the downing of 10 drones launched from Lebanon.
The Israeli army claimed that it detected 10 rockets launched from Lebanon and aimed at the town of Kiryat Shmona near the Lebanese border.
"A building in the industrial area of Kiryat Shmona was damaged after 10 rockets were launched from Lebanon," the Israeli Army Radio said.
It said no human injuries were reported during the rocket attack, which took place in two waves.
12:06 GMT –– 12 Israeli soldiers injured in past 24 hours in Gaza
At least 12 Israeli soldiers have been injured in the past 24 hours, including five in ground battles in Gaza, the Israeli army reported.
"The number of injured soldiers and officers since the beginning of the war in Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023 has risen to 3,860," the army said on its website. It added that among the total soldiers injured, 1,947 were wounded in ground clashes in the Palestinian enclave.
The army had earlier raised the number of Israeli soldiers and officers killed in Gaza since October 7 to 662, including 311 since the start of ground invasion on October 27.
11:50 GMT –– Israel rounds up 90 Palestinians in West Bank during Muslim Eid al Adha holiday
The Israeli army detained 90 more Palestinians in military raids across the occupied West Bank during the Muslim Eid al Adha holiday, the Palestinian Prisoners' Club stated.
Most of the arrests were made in the Hebron governorate in the southern West Bank, the club noted.
The new arrests have brought the total number of Palestinians detained by the Israeli army in the occupied West Bank since last October to 9,280, according to Palestinian figures.
11:18 GMT –– Israeli tanks push deeper into Rafah, forcing people to flee again
Israeli tanks backed by warplanes and drones advanced deeper into the western part of Gaza's city of Rafah, killing eight people, according to residents and Palestinian medics.
Residents said the tanks moved into five neighbourhoods after midnight. Heavy shelling and gunfire hit the tents of displaced families in the Mawasi area, further to the west of the coastal enclave, they said.
10:54 GMT –– Journalist arrested in France while covering protest against arms sales to Israel
A journalist was arrested in France while covering a protest against French arms sales to Israel.
According to French Blast media, one of its reporters was detained in front of the French Exxelia company while covering the demonstration against arms sales to Tel Aviv.
In 2016, a family from Gaza filed a lawsuit against Exxelia, claiming that components produced by the company were used in missiles launched by Israel, accusing Exxelia of complicity in manslaughter and war crimes.
10:51 GMT –– October 7 attack, Israeli war on Gaza did not occur in vacuum: UN commissioner
The October 7 attack on Israel and Tel Aviv's subsequent war in Gaza did not occur in a vacuum as they were preceded by decades of violence and retribution against Palestinians, UN Commissioner Navi Pillay said.
Pillay, a judge from South Africa, is a former UN Human Rights chief and head of the UN Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem and Israel.
"In relation to Israel's military operations and attacks in Gaza from 7 October, we conclude that Israeli authorities are responsible for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and violations of international humanitarian and human rights law," said Pillay.
These include "extermination, intentionally directing attacks against civilians and civilian objects, murder or wilful killing, using starvation as a method of war, forcible transfer, gender persecution targeting Palestinian men and boys, sexual and gender-based violence amounting to torture, and cruel or inhuman treatment."
10:47 GMT –– 4 Palestinians injured, 12 more taken into custody by Israeli army during raids in West Bank
At least four Palestinians were injured and 12 more were taken into custody by the Israeli army during its raids on towns and cities in the occupied West Bank.
The Israeli army conducted a series of raids in the cities of Nablus, Qalqilya, Tubas, Jenin, Ramallah, and Hebron, eyewitnesses told Anadolu news agency.
10:14 GMT –– Israeli use of heavy bombs raises 'serious concerns': UN
Israel's repeated use of heavy bombs in densely-populated Gaza indicates repeated violations of the laws of war, the UN said, highlighting six attacks that killed at least 218 people.
In a fresh report, immediately slammed by Israel as deeply biased, the United Nations rights office provided details on the six attacks, which it said were emblematic of a concerning pattern.
They involved the suspected use of up to 2,000-pound bombs on residential buildings, a school, refugee camps and a market.
The rights office, known by the acronym OHCHR, said it had verified 218 deaths in those attacks, which were carried out in the early months of the war on October 7, but said it had information indicating the number of fatalities "could be much higher."
09:27 GMT — Death toll from Israel's brutal war in Gaza tops 37,390
Israel's military offensive in Gaza has killed at least 37,396 Palestinians and wounded 85,523 since October 7, the Health Ministry in the besieged enclave has said.
A total of 24 Palestinians have been killed and 71 have been wounded in the past 24 hours, the ministry said in a statement.
09:09 GMT — Israel claims to have detected ‘suspicious aerial target’ launched from Gaza
The Israeli army has claimed that it detected a "suspicious aerial target" launched from Gaza toward the nearby settlement.
“A suspicious aerial target infiltrated from Gaza and landed in the Gaza envelope area,” the Israeli army claimed in a statement.
The incident caused no injuries, according to the statement, which did not specify where the target landed or where it was launched from.
Meanwhile, the military wing of the Islamic Jihad movement, al Quds Brigades, stated in a post on Telegram that they "shelled with heavy mortar shells the Kerem Shalom and Sofa military positions east of Rafah in southern Gaza," without providing further details.
08:38 GMT — Several Palestinians killed, injured as Israel continues airstrikes targeting refugee camps in Rafah
Several Palestinians have been killed and injured, including women and children, in Israeli air strikes that targeted refugee camps in Rafah city and other areas of Gaza on June 19.
Five Palestinians were killed in Israeli shelling of displaced people's tents in the Al Mawasi area west of Rafah city, paramedics said.
Eyewitnesses also reported that the Israeli army bombed and destroyed dozens of houses in the Saudi neighbourhood west of Rafah, in southern Gaza.
Israeli artillery and jets continued to target several areas in Rafah, particularly the Tel Sultan neighbourhood west of the city, according to the witnesses.
08:00 GMT — Europe must host Gaza children impacted by war, Greek foreign minister says
Europe has a duty to host children hurt and traumatised by Israel's war on Gaza for as long as the conflict continues, Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis has said.
Gerapetritis is seeking partners in what he hopes would be a project to temporarily bring the children to the European Union, and said he discussed the idea with Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa this week.
"We need to face this tragedy very clearly," Gerapetritis said. "Europe should be open to injured people from (Gaza) but also to children who are now facing famine or other sorts of dangers."
07:09 GMT — US, British forces conduct airstrikes on Raymah governorate in western Yemen
US and British forces have conducted air strikes on the Raymah governorate in western Yemen, the Houthi group has said.
The Houthi-affiliated Al-Masirah TV channel reported that “the American-British aggressive (forces) aircraft launched four raids on the government complex in the al-Gabin district of Raymah governorate.”
The broadcaster did not immediately provide further details about the outcome of the US-UK bombing.
06:30 GMT — Israel may have violated laws of war in Gaza: UN report
Israeli forces may have repeatedly violated fundamental principles of the laws of war and failed to distinguish between civilians and fighters in their Gaza attacks, the United Nations human rights office has said.
In a report assessing six Israeli attacks that caused a high number of casualties and destruction of civilian infrastructure, the UN human rights office said Israeli forces "may have systematically violated the principles of distinction, proportionality, and precautions in attack."
"The requirement to select means and methods of warfare that avoid or at the very least minimise to every extent civilian harm appears to have been consistently violated in Israel's bombing campaign," said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk.
06:26 GMT — US Senator Warren declines to attend Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu's speech to Congress
US Senator Elizabeth Warren has said she will not attend Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech to Congress on July 24 as he has "created a humanitarian catastrophe."
Responding to reporters’ questions, Warren said, "He (Netanyahu) has also made clear that he does not support US policy for a two-state solution that will let the people of Israel and Palestinians develop their own nation self-determination, live with dignity.
"Look, we need a ceasefire, we need to get those hostages back, we need humanitarian relief, and we need to be giving both parties a big shove toward getting to the negotiating table and working out a peaceful solution."
03:54 GMT — Hezbollah strikes military positions in northern Israel
The Lebanese Hezbollah group has announced that it struck two military positions in northern Israel in response to Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon.
In a statement on its Telegram account, the group said its fighters targeted the Balasan factory for military industries in Israel's Sasa kibbutz with Falaq missiles.
It also reported that the headquarters of the Sehl battalion command in the Beit Hillel barracks was hit with Katyusha rockets.
Hezbollah said the attacks were carried out in retaliation for Israel's repeated attacks on the al-Barghalia area north of Tyre.
01:19 GMT — Israel kills 21 Palestinians in Gaza on 3rd day of Eid al Adha
Israel has killed at least 21 Palestinians in its air strikes on besieged Gaza during the third day of Eid al Adha holiday, according to medical sources.
Israeli warplanes struck three homes in the central city of Deir al Balah, killing 13 people and wounding several others, the sources said.
Israeli drone killed two more people when it struck a group of civilians in central Gaza, medics said.
Several people were also reported killed and wounded in an Israeli air strike on a house in the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood of Gaza City.
An Israeli drone killed two others in Gaza City, while the Israeli army killed two others in its bombardment in al-Qarara east of Khan Younis in southern Gaza.
Palestinian medical teams also recovered a Palestinian after Israeli shelling that targeted a group of civilians west of Rafah in southern Gaza. Another Palestinian was killed by the Israeli army fire east of Rafah.
01:30 GMT — US should withhold military supplies to Israel: Bernie Sanders
The US should be withholding military aid to Israel in its ongoing genocidal war in besieged Gaza, Senator Bernie Sanders has said.
"The United States should be withholding all offensive military aid to Israel and using our leverage to demand an end to this war, the unfettered flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza, a stop to the killing of Palestinians in the [occupied] West Bank and initial steps towards a two-state solution," Sanders said in a statement.
His remarks came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that the US is withholding weapons from Israel.
00:47 GMT — 'No one wants to see a wider regional war' between Israel and Lebanon: US
The US has expressed concern over growing tensions between Israel and the Lebanese Hezbollah group and warned against a wider regional conflict.
"When it comes to the situation along the Israel-Lebanon border, our focus is on working with partners in the region, to include Israel, obviously, to encourage a diplomatic resolution," Pentagon spokesperson Major General Pat Ryder told reporters.
"So, I'm not going to get into hypotheticals or speculate on what might happen other than to say that no one wants to see a wider regional war," he added.
His remarks came right after the Israeli military said it had approved plans for an assault in Lebanon as tensions continue to rise with Hezbollah.
21:55 GMT — Colombia urges Israeli protesters to demand end to Gaza genocide
Colombia's president has urged Israelis to protest against their government and demand that it stop committing genocide against Palestinian children.
Following anti-government protests in Israel on Monday, Gustavo Petro launched fresh criticism against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu amid its carnage in besieged Gaza.
Petro welcomed the marches in Tel Aviv and West Jerusalem in which thousands of Israelis called for new elections and a ceasefire in Gaza as well as a deal for the release of hostages being held by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas.
"The people of Israel are beginning to respond. 150,000 Israelis in demonstration demand the removal of international prisoner Netanyahu," Petro wrote on his X account, referring to a request by International Criminal Court (ICC) Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan to issue arrest warrants for the Israeli premier and his Defence Minister Yoav Gallant based on reasonable grounds to believe that they "bear criminal responsibility" for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
22:21 GMT — UN says it's unable to use new aide route in southern Gaza
The United Nations hasn't been able to deliver aid using a new route the Israeli military said it would secure inside southern Gaza, a UN spokesperson said, citing fighting and insecurity along the road.
"The lack of any police or rule of law in the area makes it very dangerous to move goods there," in addition to active combat, UN deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq told reporters.
Desperate Palestinians along the route "have to be assured that there's going to be a regular flow of goods so that there's not a panic when we get to the area," he said.
22:02 GMT — US claims it destroyed nine Houthi drones in Yemen
The US military has claimed to have destroyed eight Houthi drones in Yemen and one over the Gulf of Aden in the past 24 hours.
US Central Command said on the social media site X that there were no injuries or damage reported to US, coalition or merchant vessels in the incident.
20:25 GMT — Israel kills one Palestinian, wounds three in occupied West Bank
Israel has killed one Palestinian and wounded three others in the occupied West Bank, according to Palestine's Health Ministry and Red Crescent Society.
A statement by the ministry said a 39-year-old man was killed by Israeli fire south of Bethlehem in the southern West Bank.
Israeli forces wounded two others in clashes east of Nablus, as well as a third north of Tulkarm, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society said.
19:33 GMT — Houthis believed to have sunk second ship in Red Sea
Yemen's Houthis are believed to have sunk a second ship, the Tutor, in the Red Sea, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said.
The Greek-owned Tutor coal carrier was struck by missiles and an explosive-laden remote-controlled boat on June 12 and had been taking on water, according to previous reports from UKMTO, the Houthis and other sources.
"Military authorities report maritime debris and oil sighted in the (Tutor's) last reported location," UKMTO said in a security update.
For our live updates from Tuesday, June 18, 2024, click here
