Live blog: EU 'concerned' over Gaza's civilian infrastructure destruction

Monday, August 5, 2024

1513 GMT — The EU foreign policy chief has said that he is "gravely concerned" over the continuing destruction of key civilian infrastructure in Gaza, including a water treatment plant in Rafah.

"The ever-worsening humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza is creating life-threatening conditions for an already severely weakened civilian population that continues to be subject to starvation and repeated displacement into overcrowded tent camps for the tenth consecutive month, with no end in sight and nowhere to go," Josep Borrell said in a statement.

Borrell voiced concern about the collapse of sanitation, solid waste management, and health systems, causing the spread of diseases, including polio and skin and respiratory infections, in particular among children.

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1721 GMT — Jordan's king warns in call with Biden of Israeli 'hostile acts' in East Jerusalem

Jordan's King Abdullah, in a phone call with US President Joe Biden, has warned of what he called "hostile acts" by Israeli settlers that threaten the status quo of the East Jerusalem's holy sites, the royal court said in a statement.

1648 GMT — Germany is preparing to evacuate nationals out of Lebanon, Spiegel says

Germany is preparing to evacuate its nationals from Lebanon and elsewhere in the Middle East amid concerns over an escalation of the conflict between Israel and Iran and the Tehran-aligned group Hezbollah, Spiegel magazine has reported.

Germany's air force has been readying a small fleet of A400M transport aircraft that could shuttle people from Beirut to southern Cyprus island, Spiegel said, without specifying its sources.

1621 GMT — Israel army says US CENTCOM chief in Israel to assess security

The Israeli military has said the head of US Central Command, General Michael Kurilla, arrived in Israel to assess the security situation as fears of a regional war grow in the Middle East.

Kurilla met Israeli army chief, Lieutenant-General Herzi Halevi, and "held a joint situational assessment on security and strategic issues, as well as joint preparations in the region, as part of the response to threats in the Middle East", a statement said.

1517 GMT — Egypt calls for end to Gaza war, aid delivery ‘without conditions’

Egypt has called for ending Israel’s ongoing offensive on Gaza and access to humanitarian aid into the Palestinian enclave “without conditions.”

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty held talks in Cairo with his Türkiye's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, who is visiting Egypt upon an Egyptian invitation.

“We discussed the crisis in Gaza, as well as the situation in Libya, Sudan, Yemen, and the Red Sea,” Abdelatty said during a joint press conference with Fidan.

“Our message to the world is to work towards ending the war in Gaza and ensuring that aid reaches the enclave without conditions or obstacles,” he added.

1509 GMT — Palestinian detainee dies of torture at Israel’s Sde Teiman Prison: Palestinian groups

A Palestinian detainee from Gaza died of torture at the notorious Sde Teiman Prison in southern Israel, according to prisoners’ affairs groups.

“Omar Junaid was one of scores of Gazan detainees who died of torture at Israeli prisons,” the Commission of Detainees’ Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoner Society said in a joint statement.

According to the statement, Junaid was arrested along with his brother by Israeli forces on December 24, 2023.

1452 GMT — Türkiye to join genocide case against Israel at ICJ: Fidan

Türkiye will file to join the genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice at The Hague, Fidan has announced.

“We will submit our prepared file to join the genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice at The Hague on Wednesday," Fidan said on Monday at a news conference alongside his Egyptian counterpart in Cairo.

Fidan added that those who condemn the Russia-Ukraine war are playing “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil” in the face of Israeli’s continued occupation of Palestinian lands.

1342 GMT — Malaysia condemns latest Israeli air strikes on UN-run schools in Gaza

Malaysia has condemned “in strongest terms” the latest attacks by the Israeli forces targeting two UN-run schools in Gaza, killing 30 civilians.

“The intransigence of the Zionist Israeli regime, bent on its continuous genocide and widespread destruction in Gaza, demands more concrete and effective responses from members of the international community, in particular those who champion a rules-based international order," said a statement from the Foreign Ministry.

The Israeli “Zionist” regime, it added, is demonstrating to the world its arrogance by ignoring the overwhelming international calls for a cease-fire as outlined in the UN Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 2735 (2024).

1327 GMT — Ireland urges nationals to leave Lebanon while still possible

Ireland has urged its nationals to leave Lebanon while it is still possible, according to an official statement.

"The Department of Foreign Affairs strongly advises against all travel to Lebanon at this time. The Department strongly advises all Irish citizens currently in Lebanon to leave now while commercial options remain available," the ministry said.

It emphasised that the situation in Lebanon was "highly volatile" and unpredictable, and urged citizens to “not rely on evacuation options being possible if commercial options become unavailable."

1252 GMT — Egypt denies Israeli claims about Gaza tunnels

Egypt has dismissed Israeli claims about the existence of operational tunnels beneath the border area with the Gaza

On Sunday, the Israeli military claimed that its forces had discovered numerous underground tunnel routes in the Philadelphi Corridor.

These claims “are an Israeli attempt to divert attention away from its failures in Gaza and to justify its aggression, ” the state-affiliated Al-Qahera News channel said, citing a well-placed Egyptian source.

1242 GMT — Ongoing Israeli air strikes on Gaza kill several Palestinians

At least seven Palestinians have been killed in fresh Israeli air strikes in Gaza, according to medical sources.

Israeli forces shelled a group of civilians in the Tel al-Hawa neighbourhood of Gaza City, leaving four people dead, Civil Defence spokesman Mahmoud Basal said in a statement.

Two more people were killed in a drone strike targeting a motorcycle and a gathering of civilians near Al-Maghazi Park in central Gaza, a medical source said.

A Palestinian woman was also killed and several people were injured in another drone strike in central Gaza, another medical source said.

1227 GMT — Netanyahu seeks US guarantee to resume Israeli war on Gaza: report

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been seeking a US guarantee that Tel Aviv can resume its war on Gaza if there is no progress in implementing a proposed Gaza ceasefire and hostage swap deal, according to Israeli media.

Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, citing an unnamed Israeli official, said Washington has agreed to send a letter of commitment, but only after the cease-fire and prisoner swap deal is signed.

1225 GMT — Torture, sexual violence against Palestinian detainees 'war crime': Amnesty International

Israel’s inhumane treatment of Palestinian detainees at Sde Teiman Prison in southern Israel, including torture and sexual violence, are "war crimes,” according to an official of Amnesty International, a global human rights watchdog.

“In its recent research, Amnesty International documented the harrowing torture and other ill-treatment of Palestinian detainees at Sde Teiman military camp and other detention facilities,” Sara Hashash, deputy regional director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International, told Anadolu.

Hashash added that in the context of an armed conflict, torture and other ill-treatment, including sexual violence, are “war crimes.”

1038 GMT — Gaza death toll tops 39,600 amid relentless Israeli attacks

At least 40 more Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza, bringing the overall death toll to 39,623 since October 7, the Health Ministry in the battered enclave has said.

A ministry statement added that some 91,469 other people have been injured in the assault.

"Israeli forces killed 40 people and injured 71 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.

0831 GMT — Palestinian woman dies from injuries sustained during Israeli arrest in West Bank

A Palestinian woman succumbed to injuries she sustained during her arrest by Israeli forces in Jenin, northern occupied West Bank, in May, her son said.

Hudhayfa Jarrar mourned his 50-year-old mother, Wafa Jarrar, in a statement saying she was "a symbol of steadfastness and sacrifice".

Israel released Wafa on May 31 after surgery to amputate her legs, necessitated by injuries she sustained during her arrest.

At that time, the Commission of Detainees' Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoners Society said she underwent surgery due to the injuries inflicted during her arrest on May 21, when Israeli forces raided her home during a military operation targeting the city and its refugee camp.

Jarrar was the wife of Abdul Jabbar Jarrar, 58, who has been held under administrative detention since February. This incident marked her first arrest, and she left behind four children.

0754 GMT — Illegal Israeli settlers storm Joseph's Tomb in West Bank amid clashes with locals

Clashes erupted in the eastern part of Nablus, a city in the northern occupied West Bank, as Israeli forces facilitated the entry of illegal settlers into Joseph's Tomb.

Witnesses informed Anadolu news agency that a large number of Israeli troops entered eastern Nablus to secure the area for the illegal settlers' raid on the tomb.

They reported that confrontations ensued between dozens of Palestinian residents and the Israeli army, which used live fire and tear gas bombs, leading to the outbreak of two fires.

The soldiers also searched several neighbourhoods in eastern Nablus and raided homes before withdrawing, amid intermittent gunfire and explosions, the witnesses added.

0558 GMT — Hezbollah says it launched drone attack on northern Israel

The Lebanese group Hezbollah has said it launched a drone attack on northern Israel that the Israeli military said wounded two Israeli troops and set off a fire.

The violence came as fears of an all-out regional war mount following the killings last week of a senior Hezbollah commander in Lebanon and Hamas's top political leader in Iran.

Hezbollah said in a statement it targeted a military base in northern Israel in response to "attacks and assassinations" carried out by Israel in several villages in south Lebanon.

The attack did not appear to be part of a more intense retaliation expected in response to the killing of Hezbollah commander Fouad Shukur in Beirut last week.

The Israeli military said fire services were working to put out a fire that was ignited as a result of the attack in Ayelet HaShahar in the upper Galilee.

0411 GMT — Missile attack by Yemen's Houthis hits container ship

A missile attack by Yemen's Houthis struck a Liberian-flagged container ship travelling through the Gulf of Aden, authorities said, the first assault by the group since Israeli air strikes targeted them.

The Houthis did not explain the two-week pause in their attacks on shipping through the Red Sea corridor. But the resumption comes after the assassination of Hamas politburo leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran, amid renewed concerns over the war breaking out into a regional conflict.

Houthis separately said they shot down another US spy drone on Sunday, later publishing imagery of the aircraft's wreckage on the side of the mountain.

0317 GMT — Heightened tensions in Middle East risk broader regional conflict: G7

Heightened tensions in the Middle East risk a broader regional conflict, foreign ministers of the Group of Seven (G7) industrialised nations have warned.

"We, the G7 Foreign Ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States of America and the High Representative of the European Union express our deep concern at the heightened level of tension in the Middle East, which threatens to ignite a broader conflict in the region," their joint statement said.

Urging all involved parties to refrain from "perpetuating the current destructive cycle of retaliatory violence, to lower tensions and engage constructively toward de-escalation", they said that "no country or nation stands to gain from a further escalation in the Middle East".

Commenting on the video conference by the G7 ministers, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, who presided over it, said the countries also reaffirmed their commitment to an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and humanitarian assistance to the besieged Palestinian enclave, adding, "Our priority is to restore peace in the Middle East."

0244 GMT — Biden to convene national security team to discuss Middle East

US President Joe Biden will convene his national security team to discuss developments in the Middle East, said the White House.

The meeting, which is closed to the press, will be held in the situation room.

Separately, Biden will speak with Jordan's King Abdullah II, the White House added.

0205 GMT — US, Israeli chiefs discuss Washington's Middle East force moves

US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant discussed Washington's force posture moves in the Middle East in a phone call.

"They discussed US force posture moves that the Department (of Defence) is taking to bolster protection for US forces, support the defence of Israel, and deter and de-escalate broader tensions in the region," the Pentagon said in a statement.

During the call, Austin reiterated the US's "ironclad" support for Israel's security against threats from Iran, Lebanon's Hezbollah group and Yemen's Houthis.

0143 GMT — Foreign nationals told to leave Lebanon as war fears surge

Urgent calls grew for foreign nationals to leave Lebanon, which would be on the front line of a regional war, as Iran and its allies readied their response to Israel's high-profile assassinations.

While diplomats worked to avert a feared conflagration, France's Emmanuel Macron and Jordan's King Abdullah II said on Sunday a regional military escalation must be avoided "at all costs", the French presidency said after they held a telephone call.

With major military action from Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah movement and others widely expected, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said: "If they dare to attack us, they will pay a heavy price."

0125 GMT — Stopping escalation depends on ending Israeli aggression in Gaza: Iraq

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani has said that preventing a regional escalation is solely dependent on stopping Israel’s aggression against Gaza and preventing its expansion to Lebanon.

His remarks came during a phone call with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to discuss regional and international developments, according to a statement from the Prime Minister's media office, the Iraqi News Agency (INA) reported.

Al-Sudani added that preventing escalation in the region also relies on deterring and curbing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government, stopping Israeli occupation authorities from attacking regional countries, ending repeated breaches of international law and sovereignty and halting attempts to spread conflicts and widen crises.

The call also covered Iraq's role in promoting international peace and stability and preventing current events from escalating further, the statement said.

0059 GMT — Israeli army shares war scenarios with northern mayors

The Israeli army has shared a document with the mayors of Israel’s northern cities detailing the scenarios of an "all-out war" with Lebanon's Hezbollah group, an Israeli news portal has said.

"The document envisages a potential three-day power outage in some cities; breakdowns in water supply that could last days; a disconnection of landlines for up to eight hours and cellphone communications for up to 24 hours; and brief local disruptions to radio and internet," The Times of Israel reported.

According to the media outlet, the Israeli security establishment assesses that Israel could face "an unprecedented attack with hundreds of rockets carrying warheads ranging from payloads of 50 kilograms to 10 times that".

The army expected Hezbollah to "attack targets far to the south of Haifa, including Tel Aviv, possibly forcing the evacuation of large numbers of people to Jerusalem and to the south".

0016 GMT — Israel's Netanyahu sets new demands on Gaza prisoner swap deal

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has added new conditions to a proposed hostage swap deal with Hamas, including exiling around 150 Palestinian prisoners from the country, according to local media.

Among the conditions is the deportation of some Palestinian prisoners who will be released from Israeli prisons to foreign countries, Israel's Channel 13 reported, citing unnamed sources.

For months, the US, Qatar and Egypt have been trying to reach an agreement between Israel and Hamas to ensure a prisoner exchange and cease-fire and allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza.

But mediation efforts have been stalled due to Netanyahu's refusal to meet Hamas's demands to stop the war.

For our live updates from Sunday, August 4, 2024, click here.