Live blog: Gaps remain in Israel-Hamas truce talks — White House

Monday, July 8, 2024

1837 GMT — Senior US officials are in Cairo for talks to achieve a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, but gaps still remain between the two sides, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby has said.

"We've been working this very, very hard. And there are still some gaps that remain in the two sides in the positions, but we wouldn't have sent a team over there if we didn't think that we had a shot here," Kirby said.

"We're trying to close those gaps as best we can," he added.

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1857 GMT — Episcopal Church protests closure of Gaza hospital by Israeli army

The Episcopal Church of Jerusalem has protested the closure of the al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza City following Israeli evacuation orders.

In a statement, the church said the hospital was "compelled to close" by the evacuation orders and military assaults in the city.

“We regret to announce that the al-Ahli Baptist Hospital has been forced to close by the Israeli army,” the statement said.

1826 GMT — US, Israeli spy chiefs to visit Qatar for Gaza talks

US and Israeli intelligence chiefs will travel to Qatar on Wednesday for discussions on a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, a source with knowledge of the talks told AFP news agency.

CIA director William Burns and the head of Israel's Mossad David Barnea "are travelling to Doha on Wednesday", the source said adding they would meet with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.

Qatar has been engaged in months of behind-the-scenes negotiations, with support from Egypt and the United States, in efforts to reach a truce in Gaza and a hostage release deal.

Barnea had been in Doha on Friday amid a fresh push by negotiators to reach a deal. Egypt was also due to hold meetings this week.

1814 GMT — Israeli ops could have ‘disastrous repercussions’ on Gaza talks: Hamas

Hamas has warned that Israel’s expanding military assaults in Gaza City and the displacement of thousands of residents could have “disastrous repercussions” for talks aimed at a ceasefire and the release of Israeli hostages.

The resistance group has said in a statement that its top political leader Ismail Haniyeh warned mediators of the "collapse" of the negotiations, saying Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli army would bear "full responsibility."

1801 GMT — Israeli defence minister calls for ‘not missing’ Gaza truce opportunity

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has called for not missing the current opportunity to reach a Gaza ceasefire deal that includes a prisoner swap with Hamas.

"The military pressure has created conditions that allow us to move forward with a deal, the military will know how to halt and how to return to combat as needed," Gallant said during a meeting with families of hostages held in Gaza.

"We need to take advantage of the military pressure to push forward with a deal and not to miss it," he added.

1655 GMT — Destruction prevails in Gaza’s Khan Younis amid Israeli assault: UN

Destruction prevails "everywhere" in Khan Younis in southern Gaza, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) has said.

"Driving through Khan Younis today, any remaining buildings are hanging by a thread. Huge craters along rubble-filled roads, little hope for those remaining here," UNRWA Communication Office Louise Wateridge said in a statement.

Wateridge published a two-minute video documenting massive destruction in the city. "Everywhere you look, destruction," she said.

1626 GMT — Canada urges Israel to reverse new West Bank settlement plan

Canada has urged the Israeli government to reverse a decision to approve new settlement outposts in the occupied West Bank, saying the move was in contravention of international law.

"Canada firmly opposes the government of Israel’s decision to approve new settlements in the (occupied) West Bank. Unilateral actions, such as financially weakening the Palestinian Authority and expanding settlements is in contravention of international law," the Canadian foreign ministry said in a statement on social media X.

1629 GMT — Italy's Meloni, Netanyahu agree more aid is needed for Gaza

Italy’s Premier Giorgia Meloni agreed with her Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu that humanitarian assistance to Gaza’s civilians needs to be reinforced, Meloni’s office has said.

"In the call, the shared assessment that humanitarian assistance for Gaza’s civilian population needs to be reinforced emerged," her office said about the content of a phone call the two premiers had.

The pair also agreed that an increase in tensions along the Israel-Lebanon border needs to be avoided, her office added.

1602 GMT — Israel's Netanyahu puts hurdles in front of Gaza truce: Hamas

Palestinian resistance group Hamas in a statement has said that Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is putting hurdles in front of ceasefire negotiations amid ongoing talks aimed at reaching a deal to end the war in Gaza.

The group also has called on mediators to interfere against what it called "manoeuvres and crimes" by Netanyahu.

1319 GMT — Three Palestinians killed as Israeli warplanes launch fresh attacks in Gaza

At least three Palestinians were killed and several others injured in Israeli air strikes in Gaza, according to medical sources.

Israeli shelling targeted a group of civilians west of Gaza, leaving one person dead and two injured, the sources said.

Two more people lost their lives and several others were injured in an Israeli strike in the Sabra neighbourhood, the sources added.

Additionally, eight people, including children, were injured when Israeli forces shelled a group of Palestinians in Saftawi north of Gaza, witnesses said.

1359 GMT — Israel orders Palestinians to ‘immediately’ leave areas in Gaza

The Israeli army has ordered Palestinian residents in several areas in Gaza to leave immediately.

Such orders usually precede air strikes, artillery, and ground attacks by the Israeli army, indicating that these areas will see intense combat.

“Urgent call to all residents and displaced persons in the Sabra, Rimal, Tel al Hawa, and Daraj areas. You must evacuate immediately to shelters in Deir al Balah in the humanitarian zone,” military spokesman Avichay Adraee wrote on X.

1239 GMT — Israeli minister Smotrich rules out involvement in Gaza ceasefire

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has said a ceasefire and captive swap deal under discussion to end the war in Gaza would constitute a defeat for Israel and he wants no part of it.

"This deal is a defeat and humiliation of Israel," Smotrich told a meeting of the party he leads, which is part of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's ruling coalition.

"Mr. Prime Minister, this is not an absolute victory. This is a total failure. We will not be part of a deal of surrender to Hamas."

1214 GMT — Malnutrition kills six-year-old Palestinian

A six-year-old Palestinian boy, Hikmat Raad Badir, has died of severe malnutrition caused by a crippling Israeli blockade in central Gaza, according to his uncle.

Ahmed Badir said his family had been displaced from northern Gaza to the Al Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the central city of Deir al Balah.

"We went there in the hope of getting the necessary medical care and essential nourishment for Hikmat," he told Anadolu. "Unfortunately, here too, there are no suitable foods for children or even treatment, so his health deteriorated."

"It's not only children who suffer from malnutrition, but adults too amid harsh living conditions due to the Israeli war," he added.

1141 GMT — Israel kills another Hezbollah member in clashes

Another Hezbollah member was killed in border clashes with the Israeli army in southern Lebanon, the group has said.

Hezbollah identified the slain operative as Mustafa Salman, also known as Abu Hassan, 33, without providing any details about the circumstances of his death.

At least 362 Hezbollah members have been killed since the outbreak of clashes with the Israeli forces on Oct. 8, according to an Anadolu tally.

Meanwhile, Lebanon's state-run news agency, NNA, reported that Israeli fighter jets struck the Qlaileh plain south of Tyre late Sunday, resulting in one death and another injury, though the identities of the victims were not disclosed.

1030 GMT — Death toll in Gaza rises to 38,193 amid ongoing Israeli attacks

At least 40 more Palestinians have been killed by Israeli attack in the past 24 hours across Gaza, raising the overall death toll to 38,193, including more than 15,983 children and 10,637 women, the enclave's ministry said.

At least 75 Palestinians have also been injured, raising the total number of injuries since October 7 to 87,903, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health.

1007 GMT — Israeli army targets UN office again

The Israeli army announced that it launched a "ground operation" against targets including headquarters of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).

The Israeli army claimed in a statement that the offensive is based on intelligence that indicates the presence of “Hamas and Islamic Jihad infrastructure, and operatives in Gaza City.”

Referring to the attack on UNRWA headquarters, the Israeli army alleged that the building housed weapons, investigation and detention rooms of Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

0820 GMT — Israeli army says it intercepted drone over Lebanese airspace

The Israeli army has announced that it intercepted a drone over Lebanese airspace before it could penetrate Israeli territory.

A military statement said that Israeli air defences intercepted a suspicious aerial target (drone) in the skies of Lebanon.

It did not enter Israeli territory, and no alarms were activated, the statement added.

0805 GMT — Israeli minister: stopping Gaza war now would be folly

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has said it would be a huge mistake to stop Israel's military offensive in Gaza now.

Smotrich, who heads a pro-settler party which is part of Prime Minister Netanyahu's governing coalition, made the comment as Israeli officials continued talks via mediators about a possible ceasefire deal with the Palestinian resistance group Hamas.

He wrote on social media platform X:

"Hamas is collapsing and begging for a ceasefire. This is the time to squeeze the neck until we crush and break the enemy. To stop now, just before the end, and let him recover and fight us again, is a senseless folly."

0759 GMT — Israeli tanks storm Gaza City districts, residents report heavy fire

Israeli forces have pounded Gaza City and columns of tanks advanced into the heart of the city from different directions in what residents said was one of the heaviest attacks since October 7.

The Gaza Civil Emergency Service said it believed dozens of people were killed but emergency teams were unable to reach them because of ongoing offensives in Daraj and Tuffah in the east and Tel Al-Hawa, Sabra, and Rimal further west.

Israeli tanks had so far been stationed in some areas of Tel Al-Hawa and Sabra but hadn't advanced deep into the three other districts, which residents said had been bombed throughout the night into the early morning hours.

Several multi-floor buildings have been destroyed, they added.

0723 GMT — Thousands of Palestinians flee as Israel bombs southwest Gaza

Thousands of Palestinians have fled large areas of southwest Gaza City after Israeli forces unexpectedly intruded for the first time in over three months and opened heavy fire targeting roads, homes, and residential buildings, resulting in dozens of casualties.

The Israeli forces' incursion prompted a mass exodus of thousands of Palestinians to the city's northwestern neighbourhoods.

An Anadolu Agency correspondent reported that Israeli military vehicles entered the Tel al-Hawa neighbourhood, the industrial area, the university zones, and the southern outskirts of the Rimal under heavy fire from fighter jets and artillery.

Massive explosions and continuous air and heavy artillery bombardment targeted eastern, central, and western Gaza City overnight and into Monday morning, witnesses said.

This was the first large-scale military offensive since the Israeli army's attack near al-Shifa Hospital and its surroundings at the end of March.

0522 GMT — Israel says it struck Hezbollah sites in Lebanon

Israel's military has said in a statement that it launched multiple air and artillery strikes overnight on what it said were Hezbollah military targets in Lebanon.

The strikes came after the Iranian-backed group said on Sunday it had launched a drone attack in the Israeli-occupied Syrian Golan Heights.

0514 GMT — Israel intelligence boss joins ceasefire talks, broadcaster says

The head of Israel's Shin Bet domestic intelligence service, Ronen Bar, has flown to Egypt to continue talks aimed at agreeing a ceasefire deal in Gaza, broadcaster Channel 7 broadcaster said.

0359 GMT — Hundreds of Israelis protest near Netanyahu’s home demanding truce deal with Hamas

Hundreds of Israelis have attempted to reach the residence of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in West Jerusalem to pressure the government into striking a truce deal with Palestinian factions.

They demonstrated near Netanyahu's residence on Gaza Street and attempted to reach it, but the police prevented them, according to Israel’s Yedioth Ahronoth daily.

Dozens of protesters in Tel Aviv also demanded a hostage swap deal and attempted to block a section of the main Ayalon Highway in the city centre, the newspaper said.

0345 GMT — Several Palestinians killed in Israeli strike on Gaza home

Several Palestinians have been killed in an Israeli air strike on a house in the northern part of Gaza, the Civil Defence Agency in the enclave has announced.

The agency said in a statement that its teams retrieved several bodies after an Israeli warplane targeted a house belonging to the Al Hajin family in Jabalia.

The attack destroyed the house and caused severe damage to the surrounding area, eyewitnesses said.

Civil Defence teams and residents are digging through the rubble in search of victims, they added.

Earlier, the agency said dozens of Palestinians were killed and injured due to Israeli air strikes on areas of Gaza City.

“There are dozens of martyrs, injured and trapped people in residential areas in the al-Daraj, Tuffah and Old City neighbourhoods due to the Israeli occupation's insane bombing of these areas,” Mahmoud Basal, the agency’s spokesperson, said in a press release.

0130 GMT — US military says four Houthi drones destroyed in past 24 hours

The US military's Central Command said in a statement that in the past 24 hours, its forces destroyed two Houthi drones in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen while partner forces destroyed two Houthi drones over the Gulf of Aden.

"It was determined these systems presented an imminent threat to US, coalition forces, and merchant vessels in the region. These actions were taken to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for US, coalition, and merchant vessels," the statement read.

0100 GMT — Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital evacuated after Israeli army’s warning

Medical teams in Gaza evacuated wounded Palestinians from al-Ahli Baptist Hospital after the Israeli military issued a warning to leave the Al-Daraj, Al-Tuffah and Old City neighbourhoods of Gaza City.

A medical source at the hospital who spoke to Anadolu Agency said the teams transferred the wounded and other patients from the hospital to medical facilities in northern Gaza.

The source said Israeli quadcopter drones were heavily present around the hospital, firing at civilians and prompting the medical teams to evacuate the hospital.

Earlier in the day, Israeli aircraft and artillery targeted areas of Gaza City, injuring dozens of people and displacing thousands of families, coinciding with the Israeli army’s call for residents to evacuate their homes in those areas.

0051 GMT — Palestinian succumbs to his injuries from Israeli army gunfire in occupied West Bank

A young Palestinian man succumbed Sunday to injuries he sustained from Israeli army gunfire during an incursion into Jenin city in the northern West Bank.

Fawaz Hammad, the director of Al-Razi Hospital in Jenin, announced the death, saying that Ahmad Rashad Mahmoud Abu Al-Haija, 24, succumbed to his wounds inflicted during the Israeli aggression on Jenin and its refugee camp last Friday, according to the official Palestine news agency Wafa.

The agency reported that with Abu al-Haija's death, the number of Palestinians killed from the Israeli raid on Jenin last Friday rose to eight.

2300 GMT — Hezbollah launches drone attack on Mount Hermon in Israeli-occupied Syrian Golan Heights

The Hezbollah group said it launched a drone attack on Mount Hermon in the Israeli-occupied Syrian Golan Heights where Israel has a key surveillance centre.

It said this was its first such bombing since it began trading fire with Israel on October 8, a day after its Palestinian ally Hamas attacked southern Israel, sparking the Gaza war. Hezbollah says it would halt operations only when the war ends.

Although it had hit other areas in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights repeatedly, Lebanon's Hezbollah said it was the first time to hit the military target that is at the highest elevation in the Israeli-controlled territory.

Israel has key surveillance, espionage and air defence installations on Mount Hermon where it overlooks the Syrian capital and serves to monitor Syria, Iraq, Jordan and parts of Saudi Arabia since the 1973 Oct. Arab-Israeli war.

Our live updates from Sunday, July 7, 2024, click here.