Live blog: Death toll from Israeli strikes on Khan Younis rises to 89

Tuesday, July 23, 2024

1820 GMT –– At least 89 Palestinians have been killed and over 263 others injured in an Israeli military offensive in Khan Younis in southern Gaza since Monday, local authorities said.

The Israeli army launched a surprise attack on Khan Younis on Monday after issuing orders for residents to immediately evacuate their homes in the city's eastern neighbourhoods. The area was previously designated by the Israeli army as a "safe zone" for displaced Palestinians amid Tel Aviv’s ongoing war on Gaza.

Gaza's government media office said 68 Palestinians are still unaccounted for following the Israeli attack. The media office said it has received around 1,217 calls for help from families trapped by the Israeli army in eastern Khan Younis.

According to the statement, some 190 houses were bombed in the area.

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1817 GMT –– Israeli executives, former security officials denounce Netanyahu

Dozens of Israeli executives, academics and former national security officials denounced Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, warning in a letter to US congressional leaders that he represents an "existential threat" to the US and Israel.

The letter signed by 31 Israelis comes on the eve of Netanyahu's address to a joint session of Congress where many lawmakers are expected to not attend or stage protests to interrupt the Israeli leader's speech. It is addressed to House Speaker Mike Johnson, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

"We cannot overstate this: Prime Minister Netanyahu poses an existential threat to the State of Israel. He has no clear strategic objectives for the war in Gaza, no plan for the day after, nor a strategy for how to deal with the existential threat of Iran. For decades, he has been inciting Israelis against each other, damaging our national social fabric, dramatically harming our defence capabilities, eroding our economy and devastating our international standing," the authors wrote.

1811 GMT –– Trump to meet Israel's Netanyahu in Florida on Friday

United States Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said he will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday at his resort in Palm Beach, Florida.

Netanyahu is in Washington and is due to address the US Congress on Wednesday and meet with President Joe Biden at the White House on Thursday.

"Looking forward to welcoming Bibi Netanyahu at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida," Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

The former US president, who in public comments has urged Israel to "finish up" its war against the Palestinian resistance group Hamas in Gaza, has consistently portrayed himself as a reliable ally to Israel.

During Trump's 2017-2021 White House term, the US moved its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a long-held conservative goal that delighted Israelis and infuriated Palestinians.

1811 GMT –– Israel slams Beijing deal to include Hamas in post-war Gaza government

Israel swiftly condemned an agreement brokered by China which Beijing said would bring Hamas into a "national reconciliation government" for post-war Gaza.

The diplomatic spat came as Israel hammered Gaza, including the southern city of Khan Younis, where it had ordered a partial evacuation of civilians.

Foreign Minister Israel Katz insisted that "Hamas rule will be crushed" and accused Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, whose Fatah faction signed the deal, of embracing the group whose October 7 attacks triggered the war.

Any involvement by the Palestinian resistance group in the post-war governance of Gaza is anathema to the United States as well as Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is in the United States - where he will address a joint session of Congress - and has vowed to continue the Gaza war until Hamas is destroyed.

1701 GMT –– UN welcomes China-brokered Palestinian reconciliation accord

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has welcomed an accord brokered by China seeking reconciliation between Hamas and other Palestinian factions.

"I think all steps towards unity are to be welcomed and encouraged," his spokesman Stephane Dujarric said, adding that Guterres "very much welcomes the signing of the Beijing Declaration by the Palestinian factions."

1659 GMT –– ICC accepts 64 filings on arrest requests for top Israeli officials

The International Criminal Court said it has accepted 64 fillings by states, organisations and persons to intervene in Prosecutor Karim Khan’s requests to issue arrest warrants for top Israeli and Hamas officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The US, Germany, Palestine, Norway, Ireland, Czech Republic, Ireland, Spain, Brazil, Argentina, South Africa, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Colombia, Chile and Mexico (jointly), Union of Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo and Djibouti were among the states whose filings were accepted.

The Islamic Cooperation Organization and Arab League, pro-Israeli figures, including US Sen. Lindsey Graham and Jewish academicians were also accepted.

1656 GMT –– Irish parliament speaker urges end to Israeli attacks on Gaza

Irish Parliament Speaker Sean O Fearghail has called for an immediate end to the "massacre and completely unjustifiable atrocity" in Gaza.

Fearghail spoke to Anadolu about Israel's attacks on Palestine and Turkish-Irish relations during his visit to Türkiye on July 18, where he met with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmus and Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.

Highlighting the threefold objectives of his visit, Fearghail emphasised Türkiye's role in the crises that are taking place in the world today, especially in Palestine and Ukraine, the improvement of inter-parliamentary relations and the exploration of trade potentials between the two countries.

1526 GMT –– Türkiye welcomes Palestinian political factions' consensus on national unity

Türkiye has welcomed Palestinian political factions coming together in the Chinese capital Beijing, accepting a declaration aimed at achieving national unity.

"We welcome the gathering of Palestinian political factions in Beijing at the invitation of the Government of the People's Republic of China (PRC) and their acceptance of a declaration aimed at achieving national unity," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The statement also hailed China’s contributions to the reconciliation process among different Palestinian factions.

1514 GMT –– Houthi threat to Red Sea shipping is growing: UN envoy to Yemen

Recent developments in the Red Sea and surrounding waterways suggest that the threat to international shipping from Yemen's Houthis is growing, UN Special Envoy to Yemen Hans Grundberg told the UN Security Council.

In a briefing on the situation in Yemen, Grundberg warned of the real danger of a devastating regional escalation following new Houthi attacks on commercial shipping and the first Israeli air strikes on Yemen in retaliation for Houthi drone and missile attacks on Israel.

"I remain deeply concerned about the continued targeting of international navigation in the Red Sea and its surrounding waterways," Grundberg said. "Recent developments suggest that the threat against international shipping is increasing in scope and precision."

The Houthi attacks on Israel and July 20 Israeli retaliatory strikes on Yemen's port of Hodeidah and its oil and power facilities represent "a new and dangerous level" of violence, he said.

1451 GMT –– Yemen’s Houthis release footage of drone attack on Tel Aviv

Yemen’s Houthi group released a video showing this weekend’s drone attack on Tel Aviv, which killed an Israeli and injured 10 others.

The footage aired by the Houthi-affiliated media showed the moment the drone was launched by the Yemeni group and hit targets in Tel Aviv.

According to the Houthis (Ansar Allah), the Yafa drone used in the attack is capable of “performing multiple tasks and has systems that make it invisible to radar and air defences.”

The video showed that the drone was carrying a highly explosive warhead during the June 19 attack.

Israel retaliated the attack by launching airstrikes on the Port of Al Hudaydah in western Yemen, killing at least nine people and injuring 83 others, according to the Houthi-run Health Ministry.

1441 GMT –– US, Israel, UAE officials discuss post-war plans for Gaza

Officials from the United States, Israel and the United Arab Emirates held a meeting to discuss plans for Gaza after the war ends, local media reported.

The meeting was held in Abu Dhabi, said the Axios news, citing two Israeli officials.

The meeting hosted by UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan was attended by White House National Security Council Middle East and North Africa adviser Brett McGurk and Israeli Minister for Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer.

Two senior Israeli defence officials who have been working on Israel's proposals for day-after plans for Gaza also travelled with Dermer to Abu Dhabi, the officials said.

1255 GMT –– Israeli strike kills six, injures 10 in central Gaza

At least six Palestinians were killed and 10 others injured in an Israeli airstrike on a house in the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza, according to health authorities.

"The victims were brought to Al-Awda Hospital after the Israeli attack," the hospital said in a statement.

The attack was the latest in a deadly offensive launched by Israel since Oct. 7, 2023, following the Palestinian resistance Hamas' attack.

1232 GMT –– Palestinian factions to implement unity deal immediately

Palestinian factions will take "immediate practical steps" to implement an agreement to end their divisions and form an interim unity government, a Palestinian politician said.

Palestinian groups, including Hamas and Fatah, held three days of intensive talks in the Chinese capital of Beijing to heal their years-long rift.

The agreement aims to form a unity government to run Gaza after the end of Israel’s ongoing brutal offensive on the enclave.

Signatories of the agreement said they would form an interim national unity government to supervise Gaza reconstruction and prepare the conditions for holding elections.

"The factions will immediately begin implementing the reconciliation agreement with practical steps," Mustafa Barghouti, head of the Palestinian National Initiative party, told Anadolu.

He said Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will start consultations with all groups to form an interim national unity government.

1214 GMT –– Palestinian control of Gaza 'won’t happen': Israel

Israel slammed an agreement between Palestinian factions aimed at maintaining control over Gaza following its ongoing war.

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said Tel Aviv will not allow a joint control of Gaza by Hamas and Fatah.

"In reality, this won’t happen because Hamas's rule will be crushed," Katz said in a statement on X. "(Palestinian President Mahmoud) Abbas will be watching Gaza from afar. Israel's security will remain solely in Israel's hands," he added.

1209 GMT –– Türkiye decries Israel's designation of UNRWA as 'terrorist organisation'

Türkiye has decried a decision by Israel's parliament, the Knesset, to classify the UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) as a terrorist organisation, considering it “unacceptable.”

"It is unacceptable that Israel, which has targeted civilians sheltering in UNRWA schools in Gaza and killed nearly 200 UN staff in the last nine months, is trying to label UNRWA as a terrorist organisation," the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a written statement.

"The Israeli Parliament's efforts to designate UNRWA as a terrorist organization is a new phase in Israel's attacks to destroy the Palestinian people and the Palestinian identity," the statement said.

"Established by the UN General Assembly in 1949, UNRWA provides vital services to millions of Palestine refugees and symbolizes the right of Palestinians to return to their own land," the statement noted, adding: "By discrediting UNRWA, Israel seeks to deprive Palestine refugees of their most basic rights."

1101 GMT –– Dozens of filings flood ICC's Israel-Hamas case, causing delays

More than 60 governments and other parties will be allowed to file arguments to the International Criminal Court as judges consider whether to issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other leaders on both sides of the Gaza war, court documents show.

ICC prosecutors say there are reasonable grounds to believe Netanyahu and Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant as well as senior Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, military chief Mohammed al Masri, and another political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh, bear criminal responsibility for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.

In documents made public on Tuesday, judges granted permission to 18 states, including the United States, Germany and South Africa, 40 organizations and individuals to file written submissions by August 6.

They are related to prosecutor Karim Khan's request in May for arrest warrants in relation to the Hamas attack on southern Israel last October 7 and the ensuing Israeli assault on the Palestinian enclave.

1017 GMT –– Palestinian death toll in Israel's war on Gaza climbs to 39,090

The Israeli army has killed 84 more Palestinians in attacks across Gaza, taking the overall death toll to 39,090 since last October 7, the Health Ministry in the enclave said.

A ministry statement added that some 90,147 others have been injured in the assault.

"Israeli forces killed 84 people and injured 329 others in eight 'massacres' against families in the last 24 hours," the ministry said, noting that 73 of them were killed in Khan Younis in southern Gaza.

"Many people are still trapped under rubble and on the roads as rescuers are unable to reach them," it added.

1006 GMT –– 15 Palestinians killed in Israeli raids on areas in northern Gaza

At least 15 Palestinians were killed in a series of Israeli air strikes on residential areas in northern Gaza.

Speaking to Anadolu news agency, Civil Defence spokesman Mahmoud Basal said the rescue teams removed bodies of seven people, including three children and two women, from under the rubble of a destroyed home for the Daya family in Gaza City.

In another air strike on a home for the Al-Jemasi family in Gaza City, four Palestinians were killed, the civil defence spokesman added.

He also noted that four others were killed in an Israeli air strike on the Jabalia refugee camp, northern Gaza.

0944 GMT –– WHO sees 'high risk' of poliovirus spreading across Gaza, assessment underway

The World Health Organization said there was a high risk of the polio virus spreading across Gaza and beyond its borders due to the dire health and sanitation situation in the war-stricken Palestinian enclave.

Ayadil Saparbekov, team lead for health emergencies at WHO in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, said circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 had been isolated from environmental samples from sewage in Gaza.

"There is a high risk of spreading of the circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus in Gaza, not only because of the detection but because of the very dire situation with the water sanitation," he told reporters in Geneva via video link from Jerusalem.

"It may also spill over internationally, at a very high point."

0912 GMT –– Israeli warplanes break sound barrier over Beirut, Lebanese security sources say

Israeli warplanes broke the sound barrier over Beirut and other areas of Lebanon, Lebanese security sources and media reported, rattling nerves as the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel grinds on at the border.

The conflict between Hezbollah and Israel has been fought in parallel to Tel Aviv's war on Gaza for nine months. Though the hostilities have been largely contained to areas near the border, the conflict has raised fears of a wider war.

Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said hostile warplanes had broken the sound barrier at low altitude over Beirut and its suburbs and other parts of Lebanon. In Beirut, residents felt two booms.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.

0858 GMT –– Israeli forces kill seven Palestinians including two fighters in West Bank raids

Seven Palestinians, including two fighter commanders and a woman, were killed during Israeli raids targeting gunmen in the occupied West Bank, Palestinian and Israeli officials said.

One Israeli raid took place in the city of Tulkarem, where fighting between Palestinian fighters and Israeli soldiers erupted in the streets.

Two fighters, one from Hamas and one a member of the Fatah faction, were killed, according to Palestinian sources, as well as a woman, according to the Palestinian health ministry. The identity of two other fatalities was not immediately clear.

An Israeli military spokesperson said an air strike had hit armed fighters operating in the area and that exchanges of fire were ongoing.

The Palestinian health ministry said two Palestinians were killed in a separate raid near the city of Hebron. It did not give their identities.

0726 GMT –– Israeli army kills 3 Palestinians in occupied West Bank

The Israeli army killed three Palestinians, including a woman, during raids across the occupied West Bank.

In a statement, the Palestinian Health Ministry said two Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire in Sa'ir town, southern occupied West Bank, and a woman was killed in the northern city of Tulkarem.

The official Palestinian news agency Wafa quoted local sources as saying that the Israeli army raided the town of Sa'ir and opened fire on Palestinians, killing two Palestinians.

The Israeli forces raided several homes in Sa'ir, during which the soldiers harshly interrogated people and assaulted them.

0633 GMT –– Israel's Netanyahu says deal could be nearing for hostages in Gaza

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told families of hostages held in Gaza that a deal that would secure their loved ones' release could be nearing, his office said.

"The conditions are undoubtedly ripening. This is a good sign," Netanyahu told the families in Washington.

0459 GMT –– Intra-Palestinian meeting 'step towards national unity': Hamas

A senior Hamas leader said the intra-Palestinian talks in the Chinese capital, Beijing, were an important step towards Palestinian national unity.

"The Beijing declaration is an additional positive step on the way to achieve a Palestinian national unity," said Husam Badran, a member of Hamas's political bureau and head of its national relations office, in a statement on the group's website.

Badran noted that during the Beijing meetings, it was agreed to form a national unity government that would supervise Gaza reconstruction and prepare the conditions for holding elections.

He added that having a national unity government is the best national solution for the Palestinian situation after the war on Gaza and prevents regional and international interventions that "seek to impose realities against our people's interest."

0431 GMT –– Palestinian factions agree to set up unity government in Gaza

China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi has hailed an agreement by 14 Palestinian factions to set up an "interim national reconciliation government" to govern Gaza after the war.

Palestinian factions including Hamas and Fatah met in Beijing this week in a renewed bid for reconciliation.

As the meeting wrapped up, China's top diplomat said the groups had committed to "reconciliation".

"The most prominent highlight is the agreement to form an interim national reconciliation government around the governance of post-war Gaza," Wang said following the signing of the "Beijing declaration" by the factions in the Chinese capital.

"Reconciliation is an internal matter for the Palestinian factions, but at the same time, it cannot be achieved without the support of the international community," Wang said.

0425 GMT –– US Senator Merkley declines to attend Israeli premier's speech to Congress

US Senator Jeff Merkley said that he will not attend Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech to Congress on July 24.

"I will not attend Netanyahu's speech," Merkley said on X.

Netanyahu arrived Monday in Washington, DC to address a joint session of Congress on Wednesday and to seek to anchor bipartisan support for Israel.

"Following Hamas' horrific attack, Netanyahu's war strategy killed 12,000 women and children, inflicted widespread starvation, and prioritized his political survival over the release of hostages. He should not have a platform before Congress," Merkley said.

Some members of Congress, including Senator Bernie Sanders, are expected to skip Netanyahu's address.

0404 GMT –– Israeli government quietly sends millions to unauthorised West Bank settler outposts

The Israeli government has budgeted millions of dollars to protect small, unauthorised Jewish farms in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, underwriting tiny outposts meant to grow into full-fledged settlements, according to an anti-settlement monitoring group.

Documents uncovered by Peace Now illustrate how Israel's pro-settler government has quietly poured money into the unauthorised outposts, which are separate from its more than 100 officially recognised settlements. Some of those outposts have been linked to settler violence against Palestinians and are sanctioned by the US.

Palestinians and the international community say all settlements are illegal or illegitimate and undermine hopes for a two-state solution.

0350 GMT –– Jordan condemns Israel's designation of UNRWA as a 'terrorist organisation'

Jordan condemned a decision Monday by Israel's parliament, the Knesset, to classify the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) as a terrorist organisation, considering it a violation of international law and Israel's obligations as the occupying power.

In a statement, the Jordanian Foreign Ministry said the Israeli move is an "attempt to kill the agency, assassinate it politically and target its symbolism, which affirms the right of Palestinian refugees to return and compensation under the international law."

The Knesset early Monday passed three bills to shut down UNRWA and deem it as a "terrorist" organisation. The bills will require two more readings to become effective.

Last May, the Knesset passed a preliminary motion to approve a bill designating UNRWA as a "terrorist organisation."

0015 GMT –– US VP Harris to meet Netanyahu this week at White House

US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris will meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week at the White House during his US visit, an aide to Harris said.

Harris' meeting with Netanyahu is separate from the Israeli PM's expected meeting with Democratic US President Joe Biden who stepped aside as candidate for the 2024 elections and endorsed Harris, her aide said. Biden is recovering from Covid-19.

Politico reported that Netanyahu also requested an in-person meeting with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump but the former president has yet to agree.

2332 GMT –– Gaza health ministry says dozens killed, after Israel evacuation order

The health ministry in Gaza said that an Israeli operation in Khan Younis killed 70 people and wounded more than 200, after the military warned it would "forcefully operate" in the area.

The military warning affected the eastern Khan Younis sector of the Al-Mawasi humanitarian zone in southern Gaza and sent thousands of Palestinians fleeing.

Israel's military said it would act to curb rocket fire in the area. Khan Younis had already seen heavy fighting earlier this year.

The latest incident comes nine days after the health ministry said 92 people were killed in a strike on Al-Mawasi, when Israel said it was targeting Hamas's commander.

2100 GMT — Pro-Palestine protesters demonstrate against Netanyahu in US

Pro-Palestine protesters have gathered outside the Watergate Hotel in Washington DC, where Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu is staying before he addresses the US Congress on Wednesday.

Protesters carried placards that read: "Arrest Netanyahu" and "A war criminal stays here," referring to hawkish PM Netanyahu responsible for the death of thousands of innocent Palestinian civilians.

Another massive protest is also planned on Wednesday when Netanyahu addresses the Congress amid the ongoing carnage in besieged Gaza.

2100 GMT — Palestinian groups agree to achieve 'comprehensive national unity' under PLO

In a rare show of unity, 14 Palestinian groups, including Hamas and Fatah, agreed in the Chinese capital of Beijing to achieve "a comprehensive national unity" under the umbrella of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO).

The announcement was made in a joint statement at the conclusion of a two-day meeting in Beijing following China's invitation to intra-Palestinian talks.

The statement said the Palestinian groups "agreed on achieving a comprehensive national unity that includes all Palestinian factions within the frame of PLO, and on the commitment to the establishment of the independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, in accordance with the UN resolutions and ensuring the right of return as based in resolution 194."

The Palestinian groups also agreed on "uniting national efforts" to stop the Israeli genocide in Gaza and to resist attempts to expel Palestinians from their lands.

The Fatah Movement, Hamas Movement, Palestinian Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), and other Palestinian groups took part in the talks.

For our live updates from Monday, July 22, 2024, click here.