Live blog: Israel orders Palestinians in parts of central Gaza to evacuate

Saturday, August 24, 2024

1357 GMT –– Israeli forces ordered Palestinians in several areas in central Gaza to evacuate in preparation for a possible military operation.

In a statement, Israeli army spokesman Avichay Adraee ordered residents of the neighborhoods of Al-Masdar and Al-Maghazi, east of the city of Deir Al-Balah, and also a group ar ound Salah Al-Din Street to “evacuate the areas immediately” and move to what he called the “humanitarian area.”

He added that the army will "forcefully operate" against Palestinian groups in the area.

Several times during the 10-month war on Gaza, Israel had ordered mass evacuations to “safe areas.”

Human rights groups and international observers decried the inhumanity of the orders and the mass suffering caused as a result. In addition, Palestinians often found themselves attacked by Israel en route to such “safe areas” as well as after they reached such zones.

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1831 GMT –– Gaza talks resume in Cairo as suffering worsens under Israeli campaign

Gaza ceasefire and hostage negotiators discussed new compromise proposals in Cairo, seeking to bridge gaps between Israel and Hamas as the UN reported worsening humanitarian conditions, with malnutrition soaring and polio discovered in the Palestinian enclave.

Israeli military strikes in Gaza killed 50 people on Saturday, Palestinian health authorities said. Victims of hostilities over the past 48 hours remained lying on roads where fighting continued or trapped under rubble, the authorities said.

A Hamas delegation arrived to be nearer at hand to review any proposals that emerge in the main talks between Israel and the mediating countries Egypt, Qatar and the United States, two Egyptian security sources said.

1752 GMT –– Hezbollah targets Israeli sites, soldiers near Lebanon's southern border

Lebanese Hezbollah group announced it targeted two military sites and Israeli soldiers near southern border using two suicide drones.

“The resistance targeted the positioning of enemy soldiers at the Hermon site with a strike drone, hitting it directly,” said the group in a statement.

Hezbollah fighters also targeted the surveillance equipment at the Israeli Raheb site with a drone, “hitting it directly."

Lebanon’s National News Agency reported earlier that an Israeli drone targeted a house in the town of Ayta ash-Shaab in the Bint Jbeil district.

The outskirts of the towns of Ayta ash-Shaab and Maroun el-Ras in the Bint Jbeil district were subjected to intermittent artillery shelling from Israeli positions, added the agency.

1700 GMT –– 2 Palestinians injured by Israeli gunfire in West Bank, illegal settlers continue attacks

At least two Palestinians were injured by Israeli gunfire during a raid on several towns in the West Bank, while illegal settlers attacked Palestinians and their properties in various other areas of the West Bank.

In the northern West Bank, the occupying forces raided the town of Beit Fourik, east of Nablus, leading to clashes with residents, eyewitnesses told Anadolu.

Palestinian Red Crescent teams treated two children, age 16 and 14, who were injured in their legs by live ammunition during clashes that erupted following the raid on the town, the group said in a statement.

Israeli forces also raided the city of Qalqilya, leading to clashes with residents during which the army used live ammunition and tear gas, according to eyewitnesses.

1548 GMT –– Hamas condemns Israeli soldiers' 'fascist' burning of copies of Muslim holy book the Quran

Palestinian resistance group Hamas condemned Israeli soldiers' burning of copies of the Muslim holy book Quran and the destruction of mosques in Gaza, calling it “fascist behavior filled with hatred and criminality.”

"We strongly condemn the actions of Zionist soldiers burning copies of the Quran during their raid and desecration of the Bani Saleh Mosque in northern Gaza,” the group said in a statement on Telegram.

They added: "The burning of the Quran, the desecration, targeting, and destruction of mosques confirms the extremist nature of this entity and its soldiers, who are filled with hatred and criminality, and their fascist behavior towards everything related to the identity and sanctities of the nation."

Hamas called on Arab and Islamic nations and governments to “express their anger and condemnation of the Zionist behavior, and to act to defend the Islamic and Christian sanctities in Palestine and to stop the genocide against our people.”

1344 GMT –– Netanyahu must not be allowed to continue 'sham negotiations': Israeli daily Haaretz

A top Israeli daily has called for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to be stopped from continuing what it calls "fake negotiations" that leave Israeli captives in limbo.

In an editorial titled "Israel's Netanyahu Is the Master of Sham Negotiations", published on Saturday, Haaretz said: “The (Israeli) hostages slowly rotting in Hamas' tunnels for more than 10 months have become supporting characters in the great drama of the fluctuations in Netanyahu's position regarding the hostage deal.”

“The general public and the hostages' families in particular are trapped in a cycle of hope and disappointment: Netanyahu is ready to negotiate, Netanyahu agrees to give the Israeli delegation some rope, Netanyahu is willing to show flexibility, but suddenly Netanyahu is adding more conditions, Netanyahu says in confidential forums that it's not certain there will be a deal, the deal collapses, and then it starts all over again,” said Haaretz, adding: “Meanwhile, more and more hostages are dying.”

The newspaper also highlighted a recent conversation between Netanyahu and US President Joe Biden, in which Netanyahu expressed a willingness to be "flexible" over the Philadelphi Corridor on the Gaza-Egypt border. Yet shortly afterward, an Israeli political source said that Netanyahu “has not changed his position on the need for Israeli control and presence in the Philadelphi corridor.”

1321 GMT –– Bodies of 49 Palestinians recovered since early Saturday: Gaza Civil Defence

Gaza’s Civil Defence teams recovered the bodies of 49 Palestinians killed by ongoing Israeli air strikes since dawn and over the past two days, the service announced.

Mohammed Al-Mughayer, director of supply and equipment at Palestinian Civil Defence, said: “Our teams have recovered the bodies of 49 Palestinians who were martyred as a result of Israeli shelling at dawn Saturday and during the past two days in southern and central parts of the Gaza Strip."

He told Anadolu that areas from which the bodies were recovered include the residential city of Hamad, areas west of Rafah, and the Ain Jalut Towers area in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza.

1308 GMT –– Israel's war aims to ‘exterminate, displace' Palestinians: PLO

Hussein Al-Sheikh, the secretary-general of the executive committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), said that Israel's ongoing war on Gaza, which is now in its 11th month, is aimed at "exterminating and displacing" Palestinians from their land.

In a statement on X following a meeting with the Turkish Consul General to Palestine Ismail Cobanoglu in Ramallah, Sheikh emphasized the "need to stop the criminal war in the Gaza Strip that aims to exterminate and displace the Palestinian people, and the need to protect the West Bank from Israeli (settlement) measures.”

He expressed his gratitude to Türkiye, "its leadership and people, for the support it provides to the Palestinian people and its supportive positions towards the (Palestinian) leadership.”

1255 GMT –– 1 more Hezbollah fighter killed in clashes with Israeli forces on Lebanon border

The Lebanese group Hezbollah said that one of its members has been killed in border clashes with Israeli forces.

In a statement, the group identified the fighter as Ibrahim Hassan Fadel, 21, from the town of Touline in southern Lebanon, who was killed "on the road to Jerusalem," which means he was killed while fighting Israel forces in support of Palestinians who have been subjected to a brutal onslaught in Gaza.

The new fatalities bring the total number of Hezbollah fighters killed in combat with Israeli forces since last October to 429, according to an Anadolu tally.

1253 GMT –– Qatar Prime Minister to attend Gaza ceasefire talks in Cairo, source says

Qatar's Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani is expected to attend Gaza ceasefire talks in Cairo, a source familiar with the negotiations told Reuters.

1249 GMT –– Rockets fired from Lebanon hit Israeli military site in Western Galilee

Rockets fired from Lebanon struck an Israeli military site in the Western Galilee, Israel’s Army Radio reported.

“Rockets launched from Lebanon exploded at an Israeli army site in the Shatula area of the Western Galilee," the radio said, adding that there were no injuries or damage.

Earlier on Saturday, a rocket fired from Lebanon landed in an open area near Kiryat Shmona, an illegal settlement near the Lebanon-Israel border, according to the official Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation.

Lebanon's Hezbollah issued a brief statement confirming the attack.

1209 GMT –– Top US general makes unannounced Middle East trip as Iran threat looms

A top US general began an unannounced visit to the Middle East to discuss ways to avoid any new escalation in tensions that could spiral into a broader conflict, as the region braces for a threatened Iranian attack against Israel.

Air Force General CQ Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, began his trip in Jordan and said he will also travel to Egypt and Israel in the coming days to hear the perspectives of military leaders.

His visit comes as the United States is trying to clinch an elusive Gaza ceasefire-for-hostages deal between Israel and Palestinian group Hamas, which Brown said would "help bring down the temperature," if achieved.

"At the same time, as I talk to my counterparts, what are the things we can do to deter any type of broader escalation and ensure we're taking all the appropriate steps to (avoid) ... a broader conflict," Brown told Reuters before landing in Jordan.

1144 GMT –– Netanyahu in dispute with Israeli negotiators over ceasefire conditions, source says

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has locked horns with Israeli ceasefire negotiators over his insistence that Israel will not pull out of the so-called Philadelphi Corridor in the south of Gaza, a person with knowledge of the talks said.

The Philadelphi Corridor, along the border with Egypt, and the Netzarim Corridor cutting across the middle of Gaza, have been two of the main sticking points in talks backed by Egypt, Qatar and the United States.

Netanyahu has repeatedly insisted that Israel will not give up control of the Philadelphi Corridor because it wants to prevent Hamas smuggling weapons and fighters across the border with Egypt. He has also said Israel must maintain checkpoints in the Netzarim Corridor to stop armed Hamas fighters moving from the southern section of Gaza into the north.

The person said Netanyahu had agreed to shift one Philadelphi position by a few hundred metres but would retain overall control of the corridor, despite pressure from members of his own negotiating team for more concessions.

1129 GMT –– Israeli bombing leaves 100,000 displaced Palestinians in Gaza’s Deir al-Balah city with nowhere to go

Approximately 100,000 displaced Palestinians in the eastern part of Deir al-Balah city in Gaza have no place to seek refuge from Israeli forces' extensive bombardment, as Israel destroyed 20 shelter centers over the last two days after issuing evacuation orders, the city municipality said.

In a brief statement, the municipality revealed that "100,000 Palestinians have been displaced from the eastern part of the city in the past two days, and 20 shelter centers have been rendered inoperable due to the bombings and Israeli evacuation orders."

Since the onset of Israel's war on Gaza on October 7, 2023, Palestinians in Gaza have been forced to move repeatedly under evacuation orders issued by Israel.

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Israel issued 16 evacuation orders between July 1 and August 21, and forcibly displaced around 213,000 Palestinians from the beginning of August to the 16th of the month.

UN data indicates that nine out of 10 people in Gaza have been displaced due to Israeli attacks. The organization’s statistics show that most Palestinians in Gaza are forced to relocate at least once a month.

1047 GMT — Gaza death toll in Israel's relentless attacks tops grim 40,334

Israel's relentless war on Gaza has killed at least 40,334 Palestinians and wounded 93,356 since Oct. 7, the Gaza health ministry has said in a statement.

0830 GMT — Netanyahu pledges to withdraw Israeli army a kilometer from Philadelphi Corridor

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pledged to US President Joe Biden that the Israeli army will withdraw one kilometer from the 14-kilometer-long Philadelphi Corridor, which runs along the Gaza-Egypt border while leaving a minimal number of military sites in the area.

The pledge comes as part of ongoing discussions between Israel and the US regarding the military offensive on Gaza and the broader implications for regional security, reports Israel's Channel 12.

0749 GMT — Hamas team to visit Cairo for talks on hostage deal, Gaza truce

A Hamas delegation is expected to arrive in Cairo to resume talks on a hostage swap and a ceasefire in Gaza, which have been stalled due to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's refusal to give up control of the Philadelphi Corridor on the Gaza-Egypt border and the Rafah crossing.

The Hamas delegation will meet with Egyptian officials to receive an update on the latest developments in the ceasefire talks, a Palestinian source familiar with the situation, requesting anonymity.

0300 GMT — ICC Prosecutor urges judges to urgently rule on warrants for Netanyahu, Gallant

The International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor has stressed the Court had jurisdiction to investigate Israeli nationals and urged the judges to urgently decide on arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and his ‘Defence’ Minister, Yoav Gallant.

In Court filings made public, Prosecutor Karim Khan urged judges weighing the arrest warrants sought against Israeli officials to not delay.

“Any unjustified delay in these proceedings detrimentally affects the rights of victims,” he said.

Khan stressed that the Court had jurisdiction over Israeli nationals who commit atrocity crimes in the Palestinian Territories and asked the judges to dismiss legal challenges filed by several dozen governments and other parties.

0245 GMT — US says progress made at Gaza truce talks in Cairo

The United States stated that progress had been made at the latest round of Gaza truce talks after the presence of Israeli troops on the Egyptian border emerged as a major sticking point.

The White House said CIA chief William Burns was among US officials taking part in the discussions in Cairo, joining the heads of Israel's spy agency and security service.

"There has been progress made. We need now for both sides to come together and work towards implementation," US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said.

Preliminary talks that began Thursday "were constructive in nature", he said, adding that reports that the diplomacy was "near collapse" were inaccurate.

An Egyptian source close to the negotiations told AFP the Egyptian and Qatari intelligence chiefs were also taking part.

"The discussions are taking place in Cairo... in preparation for an enlarged round of negotiations which will begin on Sunday," the source said.

0243 GMT — Palestinians rally in Bremen in condemnation of ongoing Israeli genocidal aggression on Gaza

The Palestinian community in the German city of Bremen today rallied in condemnation of the ongoing Israeli genocidal aggression on Gaza.

Participants in the rally, who included German and European activists, hoisted the Palestine flag and carried placards expressing solidarity with the Palestinian people and decrying the crimes and atrocities committed by the occupation forces against the defenceless Palestinian civilian population in Gaza.

They chanted for freedom in Palestine and called for an immediate end to the genocidal aggression as well as for the immediate and unconditional flow of humanitarian, medical and relief aid to all parts of the city.

0242 GMT — Overnight Israeli attacks in Gaza kills 14, including children

Overnight Israeli air strikes across Gaza has resulted in significant civilian casualties and destruction.

Health sources report at least 14 people, including 4 children and 4 women, were killed, with many others injured, according to the Palestinian Wafa news agency.

An air strike in Khan Younis targeted a home in the Al-Amal neighborhood, killing at least 11 civilians and injuring many.

An Israeli drone strike hit a school sheltering displaced persons in northern Nuseirat refugee camp, injuring three people.

Air strikes also destroyed residential buildings in the Kuwaiti Roundabout area and damaged the University College south of Gaza City.

2200 GMT — Israel issues flee or die ultimatum for northern Gaza residents

The Israeli military has issued a new ultimatum for tens of thousands of Palestinians in several areas in northern Gaza, who have nowhere left to go, ordering them to flee ahead of a possible military invasion.

The military statement ordered Palestinians to flee towards "shelters" in western Gaza City, claiming this is a "safe area."

In a statement, the Israeli army said: "All those present in the 10 neighbourhoods and areas of Al-Salateen, Al-Atatra, Al-Seifa, Al-Karama, and Al-Ghabn (northwestern Gaza) must evacuate."

It added that the army will "forcefully operate" against Palestinian resistance groups there.

Later, five Palestinians were killed in Israeli artillery shelling targeting the areas of Beit Lahia, Al-Salateen, and Ezbet Abed Rabbo, a medical source told Anadolu.

The source added that the body of a Palestinian woman was recovered, along with several injured, following an Israeli artillery strike near the gate of Al-Sheema School in northern Gaza.

Several times during the 10-month war on Gaza, Israel had ordered mass evacuations to safe areas.

Human rights groups and international observers have decried the inhumanity of the orders and the mass suffering caused as a result. In addition, Palestinians have often found themselves attacked by Israel en route to such "safe areas" as well as after they reached such zones.

0059 GMT — Israel kills 9 Palestinians

At least nine Palestinians, including two children and a woman, have been killed at dawn on Saturday by Israeli shelling in and around Gaza's Khan Younis and in the Al-Nuseirat camp area, the official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.

At least 15 others were also wounded in the attacks, WAFA added.

0150 GMT — Iran says it has right to retaliate for Haniyeh assassination

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has informed his French and British counterparts that his country does not want to expand the war in the region but reserves the right to respond to Israel's assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.

In a statement, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said Araghchi separately spoke over the phone with French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne and British Foreign Secretary David Lammy.

The British secretary discussed with Araghchi the developments in Gaza and urged Iran to play a role in easing tension in the region, the statement said.

Meanwhile, speaking to Sejourne, the Iranian foreign minister said that his country considers the assassination of Haniyeh in Tehran an “unforgivable violation of Iran's sovereignty and national security."

He said that Iran reserves the right to respond to the assassination.

2326 GMT — Hezbollah says carried out multiple attacks on Israeli military

The Lebanese Hezbollah group has said it carried out 15 attacks targeting Israeli military sites. This marks the largest number of attacks launched by the group in 35 days.

In separate statements, Hezbollah said it targeted the Israeli army's Malkieh site twice, Al-Sammaqa, Ruwaisat Al-Alam, and Hadab Yarin sites with "appropriate weapons."

It also said it attacked the surveillance and spy equipment in the army's Meron base, the Ramim site and the Ein Zeitim military base in northern Israel with rocket salvos.

The group said it also attacked a gathering of Israeli soldiers near the Metula military site and another gathering in the vicinity of Talat al-Khazan area with artillery shells.

Hezbollah said that seven of its fighters were also killed in clashes with the Israeli army on Friday.

2312 GMT — Protest held outside Ireland's parliament as US delegation visits

Dozens of demonstrators have gathered in front of the Irish parliament to voice their support for Palestine and protest against the policies of the US.


The demonstration took place just ahead of a meeting scheduled to be held at the parliament building with members of the US House of Representatives.

The protesters carried signs with slogans such as "End the Genocide," "Palestinian Babies Are Not Targets," and "The Nakba Never Ended," emphasizing their opposition to the ongoing violence in the region.


Some demonstrators wore masks depicting US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, using this imagery to criticise the two leaders for their roles in the Middle East conflict.


Through their chants and banners, the protesters condemned the US and Israeli government's policies, particularly concerning the human rights violations in Palestine.

2100 GMT — Video shows Houthis attacking ship in Red Sea

Yemen’s Houthi group have released footage showing them attacking a Greek-flagged oil tanker in the southern Red Sea earlier this week.

The tanker’s 25-person crew was rescued by an EU naval mission on Wednesday after abandoning ship, said the British military.

The tanker was carrying over 150,000 tonnes of crude oil from Iraq to Greece when it was attacked.

The ship is currently abandoned and on fire, approximately 77 nautical miles off the coast of Yemen.

The Red Sea is one of the world's most frequently used sea routes for oil and fuel shipments.

The Houthis have been targeting Israeli-linked cargo ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden in solidarity with Gaza, which has been under an Israeli genocidal war since last October.

For our live updates from Fday, August 23, 2024, click here