Monday, July 1, 2024
13:06 GMT — Veteran Malaysian statesman Mahathir Mohamad in a broadside at the Western nations said "core values," including the right to and sanctity of life, have been abandoned by the United States and European nations in Gaza.
Mahathir, who led Malaysia three times as one of the world's longest-serving prime ministers, told Anadolu in an exclusive interview that there was a need for reforms at the United Nations, as well as inside the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), to deal with common problems affecting the world, including Palestine.
In the wake of the Israeli war on Gaza, Mahathir, 98, rued that there was "no more civilisation."
"I feel that what is happening to the Palestinian people in Gaza is something that nobody expects," he said.
14:09 GMT — Israeli army needs 10,000 soldiers ‘immediately’: defence minister
The Israeli army needs 10,000 more soldiers immediately amid the ongoing war in Gaza, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said.
"The [Israeli] army needs 10,000 more soldiers immediately," Gallant said in statements carried by Army Radio during a session of the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee.
He said the army could recruit 4,800 soldiers from ultra-Orthodox males.
Last week, Israel’s Supreme Court unanimously ruled that ultra-Orthodox Jews must be subject to the military draft, after decades of being exempted from military service.
12:47 GMT — Germany condemns Israeli official calling for execution of Palestinian prisoners
Germany condemned Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir for saying the government should shoot Palestinian prisoners in the head.
"It is a disgusting comment which we condemn," Deputy Foreign Ministry spokesperson Christian Wagner told reporters in Berlin.
Wagner declined to say whether the remarks should have any political consequences.
Continuing to stir controversy with statements on Palestinian prisoners, Ben-Gvir said in a video released on Sunday: "Prisoners should be shot in the head instead of being given more food."
On the issue of poor prison conditions, he said dismissively: "It is unfortunate that I have had to deal in recent days with whether Palestinian prisoners should receive fruit baskets."
12:23 GMT — Over 9,600 Palestinians remain detained in Israeli prisons
At least 9,623 Palestinians are currently held in Israeli prisons, official Israeli figures showed.
Some 3,379 Palestinians are held without trial or charge under Israel’s administrative detention policy and 1,402 are classified as unlawful combatant, Israeli human rights group HaMoked said, citing figures by the Israeli Prison Service.
The term “unlawful combatants” is used by Israel to describe Palestinians from Gaza who have been detained during its ongoing offensive on the enclave since Oct. 7, 2023.
"Israel's treatment of security inmates violates their rights to equality, dignity, family life, education, and more, contravenes international law," HaMoked said.
12:35 GMT — Israeli raid kills woman and child in West Bank: Palestine
Palestinian officials said an Israeli raid killed a woman and a child in a refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, where a Palestinian man was killed the day before.
The Israeli military, whose forces struck the same refugee camp, did not immediately comment on the latest deaths.
The Palestinian Health Ministry said in a statement that the woman and the child were killed in Nur Shams camp, near the northern West Bank town of Tulkarem.
Four other people were wounded by Israeli "live fire", it said. An AFP journalist saw Israeli armoured vehicles enter the camp. The Palestinian Red Crescent said it was handling three injuries from the raid.
10:54 GMT — Another journalist killed in Israeli attack in Gaza
A Palestinian journalist died of wounds sustained in an Israeli air strike in Gaza, taking the death toll to 153 since last October, local authorities said.
Mohammad Mahmoud Abu Shareeah, a journalist with the local Shams News agency, was seriously injured in a strike targeting his home and succumbed to his wounds, Palestinian government media office in Gaza said in a statement.
The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said the war in Gaza has become “the deadliest for journalists” since it began documenting journalist killings worldwide in 1992.
In February, the Washington-based International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) said the Gaza war has seen the highest levels of violence against journalists in 30 years.
10:01 GMT — Palestinian death toll hits 37,900 in Gaza under Israeli attacks
More than 37,900 Palestinians have been killed and 87,060 have been injured in Israeli attacks in Gaza since October 7, the Gaza-based Health Ministry said in a statement.
07:45 GMT — Israel releases Al Shifa doctor among 50 Palestinian captives
The Israeli army has released the director of the Al Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza City after more than seven months of detention following a military raid at the hospital last November.
Dr. Mohammed Abu Salmiya was among 50 Palestinians who were released across the eastern border of central and southern Gaza.
He was arrested on November 23 along with several medical staff while traveling through Salah al Din Street from Gaza City to southern areas of the enclave after the Israeli military attacked Al Shifa Hospital.
07:16 GMT — Israeli army says it struck Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon
The Israeli army has said it carried out overnight air and artillery strikes on Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanese towns.
A military statement said: “Overnight, the army struck Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon, including military structures in the area of Kfarkela and infrastructure in the areas of Houla, El Biyada, and Rab El Thalathine in southern Lebanon.”
“Artillery struck to remove a threat in the area of Al Dahira, in southern Lebanon,” the statement added.
As of yet, Hezbollah has not commented on the Israeli army's statement.
06:27 GMT — Barrage of '20 projectiles' fired from Gaza: Israel
The Israeli military has said around 20 projectiles were fired from Gaza at communities near the border.
There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.
05:15 GMT — Palestine rejects international administration of Gaza
The Palestinian presidency has released a statement rejecting any administration of Gaza by international forces in response to statements by Israel calling for such a move.
“There is no legitimacy for any foreign presence on Palestinian Territory, and only the Palestinian people can decide who governs them and manages their affairs,” said Nabil Abu Rudeineh, the official spokesperson for the presidency.
On Sunday, the Israeli Broadcasting Authority quoted an unnamed security official as saying that the Israeli army will remain in Gaza until an international force is found to replace it, which could take several months.
For our live updates from Sunday, June 30, 2024, click here.
