Live blog: Israel blocked over half of planned northern Gaza aid in June

Monday, July 1, 2024

1813 GMT — The United Nations said Israeli authorities blocked more than half of the 115 planned humanitarian aid deliveries to northern Gaza in June.

Speaking at a news conference, spokesman to the secretary general, Stephane Dujarric, said there are "little or no" available shelters or critical supplies in the areas where people have been forcibly displaced.

Aid distribution through the Kerem Shalom (Karem Abu Salem) crossing was "nearly impossible" due to security and fuel shortages, he added.

Dujarric conveyed the warning by humanitarian workers, saying: "The unexploded ordinance continues to pose a significant risk to the lives of people all across Gaza, that includes internally displaced people and people trying to return to areas from once they came, children are particularly at risk."

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1825 GMT — Israel’s Netanyahu orders investigation into release of al-Shifa hospital director

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered an investigation into the release of the director of al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza.

Netanyahu described the release of Dr. Mohammad Abu Salmiya as "a severe mistake and an ethical failure," according to a statement by his office.

The Israeli PM said Abu Salmiya "belongs in prison," accusing him of being responsible for "holding and murdering" Israeli captives in Gaza. Abu Salmiya was arrested on Nov. 23 along with several medical staffers while travelling from Gaza to the south of the enclave following an Israeli raid on the hospital.

1759 GMT — 3 injured as illegal Israeli settlers attack Palestinians

Three Palestinians were injured in attacks by illegal Israeli settlers near the occupied West Bank city of Nablus, according to local media.

Illegal Jewish settlers attacked the village of Asira al Qabliya south of Nablus and assaulted three residents, the official Palestinian news agency Wafa reported.

Illegal settlers also attacked with gas sprays Palestinian residents in the village of Umm al Khair in Masafer Yatta south Hebron city, Wafa said, citing a Palestinian security source.

1654 GMT — Palestinian Authority pledges more backing for NGOs in Gaza

The Palestinian Authority pledged to give greater backing to NGOs in Gaza as it warned that 300,000 families in the beleaguered territory are "marginalised" and need assistance.

The authority held a meeting with about 15 NGOs and aid groups who have complained about increasing problems getting aid into Gaza and distributing food and other essentials around the territory where Israel has been waging a brutal war for more than eight months.

While the Palestinian Authority, which is based in the occupied West Bank, has virtually no influence in Gaza, the authority's emergency relief minister Basil al Kafarna acknowledged the mounting dangers and said: "We are here to support the non-governmental organisations and the agencies for humanitarian relief in the Gaza Strip."

He emphasised several cooperation projects including two online platforms that monitor the districts and families among Gaza's 2.4 million inhabits most in need and allow NGOs to highlight problems.

1631 GMT — Israel issues fresh evacuation order for Khan Younis, Rafah

The Israeli army issued a new evacuation order for parts of Khan Younis and Rafah in southern Gaza, with witnesses reporting that many were fleeing.

Hundreds of thousands had already left Rafah ahead of and during a ground offensive launched by Israeli troops on the southernmost city since early May.

The warning for Al Qarara, Bani Suhaila and other towns in the two governorates, made on social media and in an official statement, came hours after Israel said 20 "projectiles" were fired into Israel from the Khan Younis region.

1550 GMT — Israel almost done eliminating Hamas military capabilities: Netanyahu

Israel is almost finished with eliminating Hamas' military capabilities in Gaza, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.

"We are advancing to the end of the phase of eliminating the terrorist army of Hamas, and there will be a continuation to strike its remnants," Netanyahu said, according to a statement from his office.

1409 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.

1306 GMT — West has abandoned 'core values' over Gaza – Mahathir

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.

1247 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."

1235 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.

1223 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.

1054 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.

1001 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.

0716 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.

0705 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 travelling through Salah al-Din Street from Gaza City to southern areas of the enclave after the Israeli military attacked Al Shifa Hospital.

Following his release, he described the prisoners' conditions as "tragic, unprecedented in Palestinian history, with severe food shortages and physical humiliation."

He emphasised the urgent need for decisive action to release all prisoners from Israeli jails, noting that the hardships faced by the detainees are unparalleled since the Nakba.

0557 GMT — Barrage of '20 projectiles' fires 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.

0159 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.