Tuesday, June 25, 2024
07:45 GMT –– Israeli forces have killed at least 24 Palestinians in three separate air strikes on Gaza City, health officials said, while tanks deepened their incursion into the town of Rafah in the south of the enclave.
Two of the strikes hit two schools in Gaza City, killing at least 14 people, medics said. Another strike on a house in the Shati (Beach) camp, one of Gaza's eight historic refugee camps, killed 10 others.
The house in Shati belonged to the extended family of Hamas political chief, Ismail Haniyeh, who is based in Qatar, killing one of his sisters along with other relatives too, family members and medics said.
08:40 GMT –– Israeli supreme court says ultra-Orthodox men must serve in military
Israel’s Supreme Court has ruled unanimously that the military must begin drafting ultra-Orthodox men for military service, a decision that could lead to the collapse of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s governing coalition as Israel continues to wage war in Gaza.
The court ruled that in the absence of a law that distinguishes between Jewish seminary students and other draftees, Israel’s compulsory military service system applies to the ultra-Orthodox like any other citizens.
08:38 GMT –– Israel prefers diplomacy to end Hezbollah conflict, security adviser says
Israel will spend the coming weeks trying to resolve the conflict with Lebanon's Iran-backed group Hezbollah and would prefer a diplomatic solution, Israel's national security adviser has said.
National security adviser Tzachi Hanegbi said Israel had been discussing with US officials the possibility that an expected end of intense Israeli military operations in Gaza would allow an "arrangement" to be reached with Hezbollah.
08:25 GMT –– Health Ministry in Gaza says lack of medicine threatens 1,000 dialysis patients
The Health Ministry in Gaza has warned that 1,000 dialysis patients in the Palestinian enclave are at risk due to severe shortage of medicines amid the ongoing Israeli onslaught that has killed more than 37,000 Palestinians, created conditions of famine and rendered most of hospitals non-operational.
The ministry in a statement said medical teams are only providing palliative treatment to the patients due to the lack of supplies.
"Hospitals and health centers suffer from a severe shortage of medicines and disposable supplies badly needed for providing services to save the injured and patients," the statement added.
07:56 GMT –– Israeli defence minister discusses with Blinken, in search for 'alternative' to Hamas rule in Gaza
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant has discussed with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, seeking an "alternative" to the rule of the Palestinian Hamas group in Gaza.
The Israeli Defence Ministry said in a statement that Gallant met with Blinken in Washington and that they discussed the developments of the ongoing Israeli war on Gaza along with the escalation in northern Israel with the Lebanese Hezbollah group.
According to the statement, Gallant told Blinken "the eyes of both our enemies and our friends are on the relationship between the US and Israel," adding that they "must resolve the differences between us quickly and stand together."
During the meeting, they also discussed promoting "a governing alternative" to Hamas rule in Gaza.
07:27 GMT –– Palestinian groups confirm commitment to success of China's mediation for reconciliation
The Palestinian Hamas and Fatah groups have announced their commitment to the success of China's mediation efforts to achieve the Palestinian reconciliation.
This comes in two separate statements as both blamed each other for obstructing Tuesday's scheduled expanded national dialogue meeting in the Chinese capital Beijing.
In a statement, Hussam Badran, responsible for national relations within the Hamas group, said his group "responded to the invitation of the friends in China related to achieve the Palestinian national unity," stressing that the group dealt with "high positivity and great responsibility."
He added that Tuesday's scheduled meeting was agreed based on the bilateral meeting between Hamas and Fatah held in Beijing in April, and was planned to be an expanded meeting that includes several Palestinian groups.
07:02 GMT –– Palestinian leader Abbas to visit Moscow, Russian agencies report
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will visit Russia, Russian news agencies have reported, citing Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov.
TASS said Ushakov did not disclose the timing but said the dates had been agreed. Another state agency, RIA, said Abbas had planned to come to Russia in November last year, but the visit was postponed at the request of the Palestinian side.
Russia says it wants to help resolve the conflict in the Middle East and that peace will not be possible without the establishment of a Palestinian state.
04:47 GMT –– Israel bombs Gaza as US warns against wider war
Israel kept up its bombardment of Gaza after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the "intense phase" of the war was winding down, as the United States urged its ally to avoid further escalation along the Lebanon border.
Israeli forces launched more deadly strikes, with 13 people killed across two schools and a home hit in Gaza, according to territory's civil defence agency.
With Israel planning to redeploy some soldiers from Gaza to the Lebanese border, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday pressed the country's defence minister not to allow the violence to spiral.
04:04 GMT –– Probe highlights 'attack on press freedom' in Gaza war
A collaborative investigation by international media outlets shed light on the circumstances behind more than 100 Palestinian journalists and media workers being killed in the Gaza war, some while wearing a press vest.
A consortium led by investigative outlet Forbidden Stories and involving around 50 journalists from 13 organisations including AFP, The Guardian and the Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism group (ARIJ) took part in the four-month probe.
It looked into strikes involving journalists and media infrastructure since Israel launched a devastating offensive in Gaza in response to Palestinian resistance group Hamas carrying out an unprecedented attack in Israel on October 7.
"More than 100 journalists and media workers have been killed," Forbidden Stories' Laurent Richard said in an editorial accompanying the Gaza Project's publication.
01:06 GMT — Hamas denies report it plans to move its political bureau to Iraq
The Palestinian resistance group Hamas has denied a report that it plans to move its political bureau from Qatar to the Iraqi capital, Baghdad.
"There is no truth to what Sky News Arabia reported, citing The National newspaper, of allegations that Hamas plans to leave Qatar and head to Iraq," Izzat al-Rishq, a member of the political bureau, said in a statement on his Telegram account.
The UAE-based The National quoted sources that said the Iraqi government granted approval in May to Hamas to open the bureau in Iraq and that "Iran will be responsible for protecting Hamas' leaders, offices and personnel in Baghdad."
The newspaper said the decision to move the bureau was made to avoid pressure from Qatar and the US to show flexibility in negotiations with Israel for a deal in Gaza.
00:01 GMT — Biden 'disturbed' by alleged drowning attack on US-Palestinian child
US President Joe Biden has said he was "deeply disturbed" by reports that a woman allegedly attempted to drown a Palestinian-American child at a pool in Texas.
The woman has been charged with capital murder, court records show, following the May incident, which gained national attention over the weekend.
"No child should ever be subjected to a violent attack, and my heart goes out to the family," Biden said on X.
"I am deeply disturbed by the reports of an attempted drowning of a 3-year-old Palestinian-American at a neighbourhood pool," he said.
2341 GMT — Israel's showing 'clear will' to annex occupied West Bank 'little by little'
The European Union's foreign policy chief has said that Israel seems to have a "clear will" to annex the occupied West Bank "little by little," warning that this will not lead to peace.
"There seems to be a clear will to annex the West Bank, little by little, bit by bit. There seems to be that will, and that's certainly not going to lead to peace, " Josep Borrell said at a press conference following the bloc's Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Luxembourg.
Noting that a ceasefire has not been reached in Gaza despite three weeks passing since a proposal was put forth supported by the international community, he said: "We are nowhere in terms of a ceasefire."
For our live updates from Monday, June 24, 2024, click here.
