Tuesday, July 16, 2024
1454 GMT –– The civil defence agency in Gaza has said three Israeli air strikes killed more than 40 people within an hour across the war-stricken Palestinian territory.
Israel said it carried out two of the strikes that civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal said killed at least 44 people and left dozens more wounded.
The Health Ministry in Gaza said at least 17 people were killed and 26 were wounded close to a petrol station near the southern city of Khan Younis.
The Palestinian Red Crescent said five died at the UN-run Al-Razi School in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza.
The third strike was on "a gathering" of people near a roundabout in northern Gaza, according to the civil defence agency, which did not give a precise toll breakdown.
15:01 GMT –– Israeli forces shoot dead Palestinian in occupied West Bank
Israeli police have said security forces shot dead a Palestinian in the occupied West Bank after he stabbed an officer, while a relative said the man had been pursued by soldiers.
Ahmad Al-Bitawi, director of the Palestine Medical Complex in Ramallah, said Ahmad Ramzi Sultan, 20, died " after being shot in the chest and abdomen during confrontations" on a road in Al Bireh.
Bassam Sultan said his nephew had been to dawn prayers when he encountered soldiers.
14:21 GMT –– France expresses 'outrage' over Israeli strikes
France has expressed "outrage" following Israeli strikes on displaced persons in Gaza in the last two days.
The Foreign Ministry noted that Israeli forces targeted a UN-run school and al Maghazi refugee camp hosting displaced persons.
"Those recent strikes that killed nearly a hundred people, aggravate the disastrous human toll among the Palestinian civilian population in Gaza," it said in a statement.
It noted Israel's obligation to respect international humanitarian law and reiterated its demand for an "immediate ceasefire and the liberation of all hostages without delay."
14:14 GMT –– Two injured as Israeli drone hits motorcycle in southern Lebanon
At least two people were injured when an Israeli drone struck a motorcycle in the town of Arnoun in southern Lebanon, according to local media.
A missile hit the motorcycle on the Kharadilah-Nabatieh road in southern Lebanon, the state-run National News Agency reported.
Another missile targeted the site when civilians tried to approach to rescue the victims, the broadcaster said, citing witnesses.
Israeli artillery shelling and air strikes were also reported in the border towns of Ramyeh, Ayta ash-Shaab, Naqoura, and Alma ash-Shaab.
No information was yet available about injuries or damage.
12:10 GMT –– Eight Palestinians killed in Israeli air strike on Gaza school: health officials
At least eight Palestinians have been killed and several wounded in an Israeli air strike on a school in central Gaza, the Health Ministry in Gaza has said.
The strike hit Al Awda school in Al Nuseirat camp, the ministry said.
11:44 GMT –– Multiple deaths as Israel bombs Gaza's Al Mawasi 'safe zone'
At least13 Palestinians have been killed and 26 wounded in an Israeli strike in Khan Younis in southern Gaza, the Health Ministry in Gaza has said.
The air strike hit near an area of tents housing displaced families in Attar Street, the ministry said.
10:27 GMT –– Israel holds 1,500 Palestinian bodies in detention centre
The Israeli army has been holding the bodies of 1,500 Palestinians claiming to be belonging to Hamas fighters in a desert detention centre since October 7, Israeli media reported.
The Israeli daily Haaretz quoted an Israeli soldier who served in the Sde Teiman detention centre as saying the bodies are held in refrigerators, and classified in numbers, not based on names.
The soldier added that the bodies were in bad condition as some of them had signs of decomposition, others had limbs amputated, and some had recognizable faces, while others did not.
Haaretz estimates that the majority of these unidentified bodies are of the elite forces of the Palestinian resistance group that crossed into the Israeli areas around Gaza on October 7.
The daily quoted the Israeli army as saying that any decision regarding the return of the bodies is up to the Israeli government.
10:23 GMT –– Gaza death toll passes 38,700 as Israel kills 49 more Palestinians
At least 49 more Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza, pushing up the overall death toll to 38,713 since October 7, the Health Ministry in the besieged territory has said.
A ministry statement added that some 89,166 other people have been wounded in the onslaught.
“Israeli forces killed 49 people and injured 69 others in two ‘massacres’ against families in the last 24 hours,” the ministry said.
“Many people are still trapped under rubble and on the roads as rescuers are unable to reach them,” it added.
10:14 GMT –– Five UN schools hit in last 10 days: UN agency
So far, a total of five schools affiliated with the UN and its agencies have been hit by Israeli bombs in Gaza, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) said.
“Yesterday in Gaza City, an @UNRWA school sheltering families was hit,” the agency wrote on X.
“The day before, one of our schools was hit in Nuseirat,” it added.
“Five @UN schools have been hit in the last 10 days ,” the UNRWA lamented.
It said: “9 months in, the relentless, endless killings, destruction & despair continue,” adding that no one is safe in Gaza.
08:48 GMT –– Israeli protesters block highway in Tel Aviv demanding prisoner swap with Palestinians
Israeli protesters blocked a main highway in Tel Aviv demanding a prisoner swap and a ceasefire in Gaza.
The Israeli public broadcaster KAN reported the protesters, including relatives of Israeli captives in Gaza, blocked the Ayalon Highway and raised photos of the Israeli captives in Gaza.
The Israeli Haaretz daily reported the protest was led by the families of the captives, adding police later intervened and reopened the highway.
08:26 GMT –– Hamas, Fatah meeting in China on July 20 – Palestinian officialsH
The Palestinian Hamas and Fatah groups are scheduled to meet in the Chinese capital Beijing on July 20 to discuss intra-Palestinian reconciliation.
"China hosts a meeting that includes all Palestinian groups as part of the exerted efforts to end the internal division, and will be preceded by a meeting between Hamas and Fatah groups," Abdel Fattah Dawla, a senior Fatah leader, told Anadolu news agency.
He added that the meetings will start on July 20, and will extend over three days.
"We in the Fatah Movement are open to solve and dismantle all obstacles in the way of reconciliation under the difficult conditions the Palestinian cause is going through along with the genocidal war on Gaza," Dawla added.
For his part, Azzam al Ahmad, a member of Fatah's Central Committee, stressed that his movement will participate in the Beijing meeting with openness aimed at ending the state of division.
Hamas is yet to comment on the upcoming meeting.
08:48 GMT –– Israeli protesters block highway in Tel Aviv demanding prisoner swap with Palestinians
Israeli protesters blocked a main highway in Tel Aviv demanding a prisoner swap and a ceasefire in Gaza.
The Israeli public broadcaster KAN reported the protesters, including relatives of Israeli captives in Gaza, blocked the Ayalon Highway and raised photos of the Israeli captives in Gaza.
The Israeli Haaretz daily reported the protest was led by the families of the captives, adding police later intervened and reopened the highway.
06:27 GMT –– At least 10 Palestinians killed in overnight Israeli attacks across Gaza
At least 10 Palestinians were killed in overnight Israeli attacks across Gaza, as the deadly onslaught on the blockaded enclave entered its 284th day on Tuesday, Wafa news agency reported.
Medical teams in the eastern area of Khan Younis, southern Gaza, removed four bodies and three others injured from under the rubble of a home struck by the Israeli army.
In the city of Rafah, bodies of four Palestinians killed arrived at a hospital.
Separately, a Palestinian was killed and several others injured in an air raid on a home in the Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza.
Another Palestinian was killed and two others injured in Gaza City as the Israeli army struck a home on Al Nafaq street.
05:53 GMT — Israeli army kills Palestinian in occupied West Bank
A young Palestinian was killed by Israeli forces in the city of Al Bireh, occupied West Bank, Palestine's official Wafa news agency has reported.
Security sources told the agency that Ahmed Ramzi Sultan, 20, was killed by Israeli live ammunition during clashes between Palestinians and the Israeli forces in northern Al Bireh.
The Israeli army withheld the body for hours before handing it to an ambulance crew, which transferred it to the Palestine Medical Complex in Ramallah.
04:32 GMT — US tells top Israeli officials Gaza civilian toll 'unacceptably high'
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told two top Israeli officials of the "unacceptably high" civilian casualties in Israel's bombardment of besieged Gaza, his spokesperson has said.
The Israeli military has launched several deadly attacks in recent days including on a refugee camp and multiple UN-run schools where civilians were sheltering.
In response, Palestinian resistance group Hamas said it was pulling out of ceasefire negotiations, causing prospects for a truce and hostage release deal to dwindle further.
Blinken received two influential Israeli officials — Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and National Security Advisor Tzachi Hanegbi — "to express our serious concern about the recent civilian casualties in Gaza."
Casualties "still remain unacceptably high. We continue to see far too many civilians killed in this conflict," State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters.
03:28 GMT — 'Everywhere is a potential killing zone' in Gaza: UN chief
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has expressed concern over the ongoing situation in Gaza, saying "nowhere is safe" in the besieged enclave.
"The extreme level of fighting and devastation in Gaza is incomprehensible and inexcusable... Everywhere is a potential killing zone," Guterres said on X.
It is high time for the parties to the conflict to show the political courage and political will to finally reach a deal, he added.
Separately, Guterres' spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said the UN is calling on all parties to respect their obligations under international humanitarian law and to take constant care to “spare civilians and civilian objects.”
"I can further tell you that we and our humanitarian partners continue to assist families who are being displaced from northern Gaza to areas in the south," he told the reporters.
Dujarric highlighted that the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that with each new evacuation directive, families in Gaza are being forced to make impossible choices: Stay amid active hostilities or flee to areas with little space or services.
"There is no safe place in Gaza. Not shelters, not hospitals, and not the so-called humanitarian zones," he stressed.
02:01 GMT — US confirms Houthi attacks on vessels in Red Sea
The US military has confirmed that Yemen’s Houthi group launched "multiple attacks" in the Red Sea against a vessel carrying vegetable oil from Russia to China.
The Houthis used one uncrewed surface vessel (USV) and two small boats in the attack against the MT Bentley I, a Panama-flagged, Israel-owned, Monaco-operated tanker vessel, US Central Command said on X, reporting no damage or injuries.
"Later, Iranian-backed Houthis launched an anti-ship ballistic missile (ASBM) from a Houthi-controlled area of Yemen over the Red Sea toward MT Bentley I," it said.
Separately, the army said the Houthi group attacked the MT Chios Lion, a Liberian-flagged, Marshall Islands-owned, Greek-operated crude oil tanker, with a USV in the Red Sea.
"The USV caused damage, but MT Chios Lion has not requested assistance. No injuries have been reported at this time," it added.
23:05 GMT — Gaza sees over 320 casualties in past 2 days due to Israel's use of banned weapons: Officials
Local authorities in Gaza said that over the past two days, more than 320 Palestinians were admitted for hospital care across the enclave with severe burns due to internationally prohibited weapons used by the Israeli army.
In a statement, Gaza's Government Media Office said doctor assessments suggested that third-degree burns on the bodies of patients, many of who died, were caused by the weapons used by the Israeli army.
The arms were mainly US-made, known as chemical or thermal weapons, and "are internationally prohibited from being used against humans," the statement added.
It held the US government fully responsible legally for providing Israel with such weaponry.
22:33 GMT — Netanyahu reiterates Israeli army to stay in Gaza-Egypt border area
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reaffirmed that the army will remain in the Gaza-Egypt border area known as the Philadelphi Corridor while stressing that Israel's Cabinet will decide on the matter in a vote.
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant is known to oppose Netanyahu's position on keeping Israeli soldiers in the area.
Speaking to Israel's Channel 14, Netanyahu said that Israel will remain in the Philadelphi Corridor, stressing that staying there has "political and security privileges."
He didn't elaborate further, however.
Netanyahu noted that everyone is allowed to express their opinion on the issue, including himself, but stressed that the decision to stay in the Philadelphi Corridor will be decided based on a majority vote in the Cabinet.
He added that he is confident that the Cabinet will back his decision to remain in the border area.
03:30 GMT — Türkiye denounces Israel's attack on Gaza hospital
Türkiye's Foreign Ministry has slammed attacks by the Israeli army targeting the Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital in besieged Gaza.
"The photo in the Palestinian press showing a group of Israeli soldiers in front of the Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital in Gaza is further evidence of Israel's violation of international law and international humanitarian law," the ministry said in a statement.
The hospital is "the only centre for cancer patients in Gaza," it added.
"The damage caused to the hospital by Israeli forces and its use as a military base is part of Israel's systematic policy aimed at the annihilation of the Palestinian people," the ministry stressed.
Türkiye will continue to work to ensure that those responsible for these attacks are brought to justice in international courts, it said.
03:05 GMT — Gaza sees over 320 casualties in past 2 days due to Israel's use of banned weapons: Officials
Local authorities in Gaza said that over the past two days, more than 320 Palestinians were admitted for hospital care across the enclave with severe burns due to internationally prohibited weapons used by the Israeli army.
In a statement, Gaza's Government Media Office said doctor assessments suggested that third-degree burns on the bodies of patients, many of who died, were caused by the weapons used by the Israeli army.
The arms were mainly US-made, known as chemical or thermal weapons, and "are internationally prohibited from being used against humans," the statement added.
02:43 GMT — Netanyahu reiterates Israeli army to stay in Gaza-Egypt border area
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reaffirmed that the army will remain in the Gaza-Egypt border area known as the Philadelphi Corridor while stressing that Israel's Cabinet will decide on the matter in a vote.
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant is known to oppose Netanyahu's position on keeping Israeli soldiers in the area.
Speaking to Israel's Channel 14, Netanyahu said that Israel will remain in the Philadelphi Corridor, stressing that staying there has "political and security privileges."
02:00 GMT — Yemen Houthis say attacked two ships in the Red Sea
Yemen's Houthis have said they targeted two tankers in the Red Sea with missiles and drones after a British security agency reported several attacks in the troubled waterway.
In a statement on social media platform X, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree identified the two ships as BENTLEY I, a Panama-flagged oil tanker, and the CHIOS LION, a Liberia-flagged crude oil tanker.
The BENTLEY I was attacked with "drone boats, unmanned aerial vehicles, and ballistic missiles", while the CHIOS LION was targeted with uncrewed surface vessels, Saree said.
For our live updates from Monday, July 15, 2024, click here.
