Live blog: Hamas calls for global protests to defend Gaza, Al-Aqsa Mosque

Thursday, August 22, 2024

1930 GMT — Hamas has called upon Palestinians in occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank to gather and maintain a presence at the Al-Aqsa Mosque on Friday.

In a statement posted on its official Telegram platform, the Palestinian group said: "We urge for resisting any attempts by extremist Zionists to storm and desecrate the mosque, and to thwart their malicious plans aimed at dividing it."

"We call on our people, our nation, and the free people around the world to mobilise and gather in all squares, cities, and capitals, making the upcoming Friday, August 23rd, a day of mass action, solidarity, and defence of Gaza, Jerusalem, and the blessed Al Aqsa Mosque," Hamas added.

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1920 — Israeli spy chiefs in Gaza truce talks in Egypt

The heads of Israel's Mossad spy agency and Shin Bet security service were taking part in talks on Gaza in Cairo, a government spokesperson said.

Mossad chief David Barnea and Shin Bet head Ronen Bar, who have been involved in truce talks, were currently "negotiating to advance a hostage (release) agreement" in the Egyptian capital, said Omer Dostri, spokesperson for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

1820 GMT — Israeli army targets Civil Defense vehicles in southern Lebanon

The Israeli army targeted Lebanese Civil Defense vehicles extinguishing fires caused by earlier strikes in southern Lebanon, local media reported.

Lebanon’s official news agency reported that two Civil Defense ambulances were damaged by Israeli shells in Wadi Hamoul, without causing any casualties.

The report clarified that the Civil Defense teams we re trying to extinguish fires caused by Israeli shelling.

1750 GMT — 4 Palestinians killed in Israeli air strikes on Gaza

At least four Palestinians were killed and several others injured in Israeli air strikes on Gaza, according to multiple sources.

A medical source at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis told Anadolu Agency that three Palestinians, including a child, were killed in an Israeli airstrike targeting a group of civilians in the town of Abasan, in southern Gaza.

Meanwhile, Gaza’s civil defence agency said in a statement that a Palestinian lost his life and others sustained injuries as Israeli warplanes struck another gathering of civilians east of the Zaytoun neighbourhood in Gaza City.

1711 GMT — Israel claims bullets found in hostage bodies recovered from Gaza

The Israeli military has claimed that bullets had been found in the bodies of six hostages retrieved from a Gaza tunnel earlier this week, indicating that they had been shot.

The bodies of Yagev Buchshtab, Alexander Dancyg, Yoram Metzger, Nadav Popplewell, Chaim Perry and Avraham Munder were found on Monday night in southern Gaza, the military said the following day, though it was not clear what had caused their deaths in captivity.

A military spokesperson told AFP that examinations were carried out and "bullets were found in the bodies of the six hostages" seized from the site raided by Israeli forces in the Khan Younis area. "The investigation into the circumstances of their deaths continues," the spokesman added.

1706 GMT — Families of Israel hostages held in Gaza say recovering 6 bodies is a 'failure'

The recovery of the bodies of six Israeli hostages in Gaza by the Israeli army is a "failure of the country’s leadership," said a body established by the families of hostages held in the Palestinian territory.

In a statement published by the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said the return of the six bodies is "not a picture of victory, it is a picture of the complete failure of the country’s leadership."

"After ten and a half months of war, during which the captives suffer and die daily, everyone knows that their return can only be achieved through a deal (with Hamas)," it added.

1703 GMT — Mediators meet in Cairo to bridge Gaza truce proposal gaps

US and Israeli delegations started a new round of meetings in Cairo aimed at resolving differences over a truce proposal to end more than 10 months of brutal war on besieged Gaza, two Egyptian security sources said.

Egyptian and US officials had met to seek compromises over plans for providing security on the border between Egypt and Gaza following an Israeli military withdrawal demanded by Hamas, the sources said.

The proposals were due to be presented to Israeli officials later on Thursday, with a Qatari delegation due to join on Friday, they added.

1630 GMT — Israel's 'wanton destruction' fueling suffering and violence in Gaza: UN

The UN voiced concerns over the escalating crisis in Gaza, saying that the "wanton destruction of civilian infrastructure is fueling suffering and violence."

"The war in Gaza with all of its human tragedy, the serious risk of regional escalation, and the unresolved Israeli–Palestinian conflict and continued occupation are combining to create a combustible situation in the Middle East," Tor Wennesland, the UN special coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, told a UN Security Council session.

Wennesland warned that "any spark or miscalculation could set off a series of uncontrollable escalations – embroiling millions more in conflict."


1550 GMT — Israeli army issues new evacuation orders in eastern Khan Younis

The Israeli army demanded that Palestinians evacuate large areas in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, in preparation for a military offensive.

"To everyone in the areas of Bani Suheila and the neighbourhoods: Sheikh Nasser, Barbakh, Al-Satar, Ma'an, the city centre, al-Mahattah, and al-Kateebah, for your safety, evacuate immediately and move to the humanitarian area," Avichay Adraee, the army spokesperson, said on X.

1440 GMT — Gaza ceasefire deal is 'in sight', US envoy tells UN

A Gaza ceasefire and prisoner swap deal "now is in sight," the US envoy to the United Nations told the Security Council as she urged the 15-member body to press Palestinian resistance group Hamas to accept a bridging proposal.

"It's a decisive moment for ceasefire talks and for the region, and so every member of this council should continue to send strong messages to other actors in the region to avoid actions that would move us away from finalising this deal," said US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas -Greenfield.

1506 GMT — Lebanon says 564 killed in Israeli attacks since October 8

At least 564 people have been killed and 1,848 others injured in Israeli attacks in Lebanon since October 8, the Health Ministry said.

A ministry statement added that nearly 110,099 people have been displaced from their areas due to Israeli bombardment.

Israel still occupies the Shebaa Farms in southern Lebanon as well as the Golan Heights in Syria and the Palestinian West Bank.

1430 GMT — Israeli demands for troops in Gaza blocking truce deal: sources

Disagreements over Israel's future military presence in Gaza and over Palestinian prisoner releases are obstructing a ceasefire and hostage deal, according to ten sources familiar with the round of US-mediated talks that concluded last week.

The sources, who include two Hamas officials and three Western diplomats, told Reuters the disagreements stemmed from demands Israel has introduced since Hamas accepted a version of a ceasefire proposal unveiled by US President Joe Biden in May.

All the sources said Hamas was especially concerned about the latest demand to keep troops deployed along the Netzarim Corridor, an east-west strip Israel cleared during the current war that prevents Palestinians' free movement between north and south Gaza, as well as in a narrow border strip between Gaza and Egypt known as the Philadelphi Corridor.

1302 GMT — Israeli tanks push deeper into Gaza as death toll nears 40,300

Israeli forces pressed deeper into areas of central and southern Gaza as Palestinian health officials said that Israeli strikes had killed at least 27 people across the enclave.

The new escalation comes hours after US President Joe Biden pressed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the urgency of sealing a deal for a truce in Gaza and the release of hostages, the White House said.

In the northern Gaza town of Beit Lahiya, a strike on a house killed 11 people, including children and women, the bodies of some of whom had been burnt, according to the enclave's Civil Emergency Service.

Medics said another strike killed six people, including a local journalist, in a house in Al-Maghazi camp in central Gaza, medics said while five others were killed in separate strikes in the south.

Later, five Palestinians were killed and several wounded in an Israeli air strike that hit people near a square in Khan Younis, health officials said.

1310 GMT — Save the Children urges UK to halt arms sales to Israel

Save The Children UK issued an urgent appeal to the UK government, calling for the immediate suspension of all arms sales to Israel.

The charity cited the "clear risk" that these weapons could be used to commit serious violations of international humanitarian law.

"We're absolutely heartbroken to see that six children – including a group of ten-year-old quadruplets, and their mother – are the latest victims of Israeli air strikes in Gaza," Save The Children UK said on X.

"We simply cannot accept the violence that Palestinian children continue to face as normal."

1152 GMT — Gaza death toll nears 40,300 as 42 more Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks

Gaza’s health authorities reported at least 42 more deaths from Israeli attacks, bringing the overall death toll since last October 7 to 40,265.

A Health Ministry statement said that some 93,144 others have been injured in the ongoing assault.

"Israeli forces killed 42 people and injured 163 others in four 'massacres' of families in the last 24 hours," the ministry said.

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

1105 GMT — Ship reports damage after encounter with uncrewed vessel off Yemen

A vessel reported an explosion close to it that caused minor damage after an encounter with an uncrewed vessel 57 nautical miles south of Yemen's port of Aden, The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said.

The vessel and its crew were safe and it was proceeding to its next port of call.

On Wednesday, the captain of the cargo ship sailing off the coast of Aden reported a total of five explosions in nearby waters, UKMTO said, later identifying the vessel as the SW North Wind I.

Houthis have launched attacks on international shipping near Yemen since November in solidarity with Palestinians in the Israeli war on Gaza.

1045 GMT –– NGOs launch petition calling on Germany to pressure Israel for Gaza ceasefire

Germany’s peace movements and rights groups have launched an online petition calling on the government to pressure Israel for an immediate ceasefire and unrestricted humanitarian access to Gaza.

The groups, including peace movement Pax Christi, Oxfam, and CARE Germany, have called on Berlin to stop its arms exports to Israel, take a firmer stand for an immediate ceasefire, and insist on the protection of Palestinian civilians.

“We demand that the German government exerts considerably more pressure on Israel to immediately end the illegal blockade and allow unhindered access for humanitarian aid,” the groups said in their petition, adding that further steps must be taken to stop Israeli settler violence and the construction of illegal settlements in the occupied territories.

1006 GMT –– Israeli police arrest four for attacking Palestinians

The Israeli police and internal security service arrested four suspects for terrorist acts against Palestinians during a deadly settler attack last week on an occupied West Bank village.

Settler attacks on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank have soared since the Israeli war on Gaza began last October, according to the United Nations.

"Overnight, the (Shin Bet security service) and Israeli Police arrested four individuals, three adults and a minor, suspected in several acts of terrorism against Palestinians," the security agencies said in a statement.

0945 GMT –– Netanyahu insists on full control of Philadelphi Corridor ahead of Gaza ceasefire talks

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu still insists on maintaining control over the Philadelphi Corridor in southern Gaza on the border with Egypt, the public broadcaster KAN.

"The prime minister has not changed his position on the need for Israeli control and presence in the Philadelphi Corridor,” KAN said, citing an Israeli political source.

Netanyahu had a phone call on Wednesday with US President Joe Biden amid an impasse in Gaza ceasefire and prisoner swap negotiations.

0845 GMT –– Israel intensify attacks across Gaza, 22 Palestinians killed

At least 22 Palestinians were killed and many others injured in a series of overnight Israeli raids across Gaza.

As many as 11 Palestinians, most of them children and women, were killed in an Israeli air strike on a house in the town of Beit Lahia, northern Gaza, a medical source told Anadolu.

Three more people were killed when Israeli fighter jets hit another house in the Jabalia refugee camp, the source said.

In the al-Maghazi refugee camp in central Gaza, an Israeli air strike on a home left six Palestinians killed, including three children, and four others injured.

A mother and her child were also killed in an Israeli air strike on a Palestinian home in the city of Khan Younis, another medical source said.

0745 GMT –– Mass displacement in Gaza's Deir al Balah amid Israeli assault

Thousands of people in Gaza are fleeing to different areas in the Mawasi area after Israeli forces issued fresh evacuation orders for Deir al Balah and Khan Younis.

“The continuous forced displacement of people is inhumane,” says MSF project coordinator Jacob Granger.

“People have no belongings left, nowhere left to go. There is no room to put tents up. The overcrowding, severe lack of water, and minimal sanitation services are fueling the spread of diseases. We are unable to keep up with the overwhelming needs.”

From July 1 to August 21, Israeli forces in Gaza have issued at least 16 evacuation orders. Nearly 2 million people, more than 85% of the local Palestinian population, have been displaced by the conflict, often relocating multiple times.

0311 GMT — Israel kills at least 11 Palestinians in Gaza's Beit Lahiya

Israel has killed at least 11 people in an Israeli strike on a residential building in the northern Gaza town of Beit Lahiya, the official Palestinian news agency WAFA said.

Tel Aviv, which is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, has killed nearly 40,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and wounded over 92,000 others, since October last year.

Thousands have perished under the debris of bombed homes, while some 10,000 Palestinians have been abducted by Israeli troops.

But these are only conservative estimates, experts say.

Some 45 American physicians, surgeons and nurses, who have volunteered in Gaza since last October say the likely death toll from Israel's genocidal war is "already greater than 92,000".

According to a study published in the journal Lancet, the accumulative effects of Israel's war on Gaza could mean the true death toll could reach more than 186,000 people.

0942 GMT — Palestinian youth injured by live ammunition

A Palestinian youth was shot and injured by Israeli live bullets in the town of Kafr Aqab, north of occupied East Jerusalem, according to the WAFA news agency.

According to the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS), a 17-year-old young man was transferred to the hospital for medical treatment.

Local sources reported that several armoured patrols of the Israeli army stormed the town, assaulted residents and broke into several homes.

0933 GMT — Palestinian man killed in Israeli air strike on house in Tulkarem refugee camp

A Palestinian man was killed this morning when the Israeli occupation forces bombed a house in Tulkarem refugee camp, during the ongoing assault on the camp, according to the WAFA news agency.

Local sources said that the 38-year-old Imad Tayseer Shraim was killed after sustaining serious injury to his head as a result of the occupation bombing of a house in the camp.

0839 GMT — Three civilians killed and others injured in Israeli air strike on the Maghazi camp in Gaza

Three civilians were killed and four others were injured this morning in an Israeli bombardment that targeted a house in the Maghazi camp in central Gaza, according to the WAFA news agency.

Many citizens, including children and women, were killed and injured in an Israeli air strike that targeted a residential apartment in Tal al Zaatar in the Jabalia camp in northern Gaza.

0628 GMT — Thousands rally in Chicago during Democratic Convention demanding ceasefire in Gaza

As the Democratic National Convention, officially kicking off Vice President Kamala Harris’ bid for the White House, continued in Chicago, thousands of demonstrators marched near the venue, demanding a ceasefire in Gaza and an end to US arms support to Israel.

Protests have persisted during the convention, which began on Monday, with calls for the US to stop backing Israel.

Gathering at Union Park, demonstrators chanted before marching toward the United Center stadium where the convention is being held.

Amid a heavy police presence, protesters were kept from approaching the venue.

Hatem Abudayyeh, spokesman for the Chicago Coalition for Justice in Palestine, told Anadolu that the real excitement was in the streets, where people raised their voices with concerns about Gaza.

He highlighted diverse participation, with chants of "Free Palestine" and "Stop the genocide," calling it a significant achievement.

0230 GMT — Hamas, Islamic Jihad reaffirm truce deal conditions

The Palestinian resistance group Hamas and Islamic Jihad movement have reaffirmed their conditions for any agreement with Israel, including an end to the Gaza carnage, a full Israeli withdrawal, reconstruction, ending the blockade and a serious prisoner exchange deal.

This was outlined in a statement released by Hamas following a meeting that included Mohamed Ismail Darwish, the head of Hamas' Shura Council, Islamic Jihad Secretary-General Ziad al-Nakhala, and his deputy Mohamed Hindi, though the location of the meeting was not specified.

According to the statement, the two groups emphasised the need to ensure the rapid delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza regardless of the results of negotiations about ending the war.

0203 GMT — USS Abraham Lincoln strike group arrives in Middle East

The USS Abraham Lincoln strike group has arrived in the Middle East after a recent order from Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said.

"The USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), equipped with F-35C and F/A-18 Block III fighters, entered the U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) area of responsibility,” CENTCOM said on X.

"The USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), the flagship of Carrier Strike Group 3, is accompanied by Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 21 and Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 9," it added.

2347 GMT — Ilhan Omar blasts Blinken's 'humiliation' after his failed MidEast trip

Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar has blasted the "humiliation" US Secretary of State Antony Blinken endured during his recent trip to Israel, where he failed to secure a breakthrough for a Gaza ceasefire deal.

"Now ask yourselves, how does our Secretary of State travel 11 times begging for an end to a situation that we truly have continued to provide the bombs and the weapons that are creating that situation," the Minnesota representative told the "Uncommitted" movement's press conference in Chicago, Illinois, where thousands of delegates gathered for the Democratic National Convention (DNC).

"How do we allow our Secretary of State to go into Israel and say we are close to securing a ceasefire now for the 11th time, to leave for Egypt, only for Bibi Netanyahu to have a press conference right after him and say we are not taking a deal?" she said, referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

"How are we not ashamed that that is the humiliation that our administration's representatives are faced with?

"It's not just the hypocrisy of saying we respect international law, but humiliation," she added.

2000 GMT — Biden calls stubborn Netanyahu as Blinken fails on Gaza truce

US President Joe Biden has called hawkish Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as Gaza ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas stumble, the White House said.

The pair, joined by Vice President and White House hopeful Kamala Harris, discussed "the ceasefire and hostage release deal and diplomatic efforts to de-escalate regional tensions," the White House said in a brief statement.

The call came after Secretary of State Antony Blinken ended his Middle East trip, failing to convince Netanyahu to soften his demand that Tel Aviv be allowed to keep occupation troops along a land corridor between Egypt and Gaza — a stipulation Hamas and Cairo both oppose.

Israeli sources said that Blinken was sabotaging the negotiations, adding that "Blinken made a grave mistake by claiming that Netanyahu accepted the US proposal, putting the ball in Hamas' court."

They emphasised that "no agreement will occur if Israel continues to insist on deploying forces along the Philadelphi Corridor (Saladin Axis)," which borders Gaza and Egypt.

2126 GMT — Gaza's cemeteries overflow as Israeli carnage grinds on

The Israel's ongoing carnage in besieged Gaza is leaving no space in cemeteries for families to bury their loved ones.

Palestinians in Gaza are struggling to find vacant plots at cemeteries for family members killed in the carnage, especially in the central region of the besieged enclave.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Saad Hassan Barakat, a worker at a cemetery in Gaza City, said he has spent much of his life working in cemeteries but has never encountered such a dire situation.

Barakat said that before the carnage, he would carry out a few burials each day, but since October 7 last year, he has sometimes buried 70, 80, 100 or even 300 bodies in a single day.

He described how bodies are now being buried in layers at the cemetery.

"The difficulty is that there's no space left to dig graves, so I've stacked graves on top of each other," he said. "This place isn't just one or two but three layers of graves."

Barakat, who previously oversaw nine cemeteries in the area, said he can now only access two cemeteries due to ongoing bombings. "The bombardment continues day and night," he said.

2106 GMT — Egypt signals scepticism over truce after Netanyahu's sabotage

Key mediator Egypt has expressed scepticism about the US proposal meant to "bridge gaps" in ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas as more details emerged a day before negotiations were expected to resume in Cairo.

Officials in Egypt, in its unique role as both a mediator and affected party since it borders Gaza, told The Associated Press that Hamas won't agree to the bridging proposal for a number of reasons — ones in addition to the long-held wariness over whether a deal would truly remove Israeli occupation forces from Gaza and end the carnage.

One Egyptian official with direct knowledge of the negotiations said the so-called "bridging proposal" requires the implementation of the deal's first phase, which has Hamas releasing the most vulnerable civilian hostages.

"The Americans are offering promises, not guarantees," the official said. "Hamas won't accept this, because it virtually means Hamas will release the civilian hostages in return for a six-week pause of fighting with no guarantees for a negotiated permanent ceasefire."

He also said the proposal doesn't clearly say Israel will withdraw its troops from two strategic corridors in Gaza, the Philadelphi Corridor (Saladin Axis) alongside Gaza's border with Egypt and the Netzarim east-west corridor across the besieged territory.

Israel offers to downsize its forces in the Philadelphi Corridor, with "promises" to withdraw from the area, he said.

"This is not acceptable for us and, of course, for Hamas," the Egyptian official said.

2059 GMT — Delta and American Airlines extend suspension of flights to Israel

Delta Air Lines has said it will extend its suspension of flights to Israel by another month, through October 31, as Israel doesn't show sign of ending its carnage in Gaza.

"Delta is continuously monitoring the evolving security environment and assessing our operations based on security guidance and intelligence reports," the airline said in a travel advisory.

2031 GMT — Israel killed at least 1 Palestinian every day in August in West Bank

The UN has reported that Israel has killed at least one Palestinian every day in August, on average, in the occupied West Bank.

Citing the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs' (OCHA) latest report, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said: "More than 600 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, since October.

The vast majority were killed by Israeli forces, with at least 11 fatalities caused by Israeli settlers."

OCHA also noted that "at least one Palestinian has been killed every day in August by Israeli air strikes," adding that these air strikes have claimed the lives of 128 Palestinians, including more than two dozen children, since October.

Dujarric said: "OCHA has recorded some 1,270 attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians over the past ten months, causing deaths and injuries and damage to property."

Emphasising that there is no safe place for civilians in besieged Gaza, Dujarric stressed: "Civilians must be allowed to seek protection, and those displaced must be guaranteed the right to voluntarily return.

For our live updates from Wednesday, August 21, 2024, click here.