Live blog: Hamas says it rejects new Israeli conditions in Gaza talks

Sunday, August 25, 2024

1734 GMT –– Palestinian resistance group Hamas says it is sticking to a July 2 Gaza ceasefire proposal and rejects new Israeli conditions for a ceasefire.

Osama Hamdan, a Hamas official, told Al-Aqsa TV that the talk of an imminent deal is false.

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1804 GMT –– US defence secretary orders two aircraft carrier strike groups to remain in Middle East, Pentagon says

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has ordered the presence of two aircraft carrier strike groups in the Middle East, the Pentagon said, strengthening the US military presence amid soaring regional tensions.

The announcement, made in a summary of a call between Austin and his Israeli counterpart, represents a shift.

The Pentagon had initially deployed the Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group into the region with a plan to replace the Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group.

1654 GMT –– Top US military official arrives in Israel for meetings with senior military officials

Top US military official General CQ Brown arrived in Israel, hours after major cross-border clashes between Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah.

Brown, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is expected to hold meetings with senior Israeli military officials.

1645 GMT –– EU urges immediate ceasefire in Gaza to prevent 'full-blown war'

The EU's top diplomat expressed deep concern over the escalating conflict in the Middle East, highlighting the severe risks it poses both regionally and globally.

"The situation in the Middle East has reached a critical level of dangerosity, for the region and beyond," foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on social media platform X .

He also echoed the call made by Lebanon's Prime Minister Najib Mikati for the immediate implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which aims to halt hostilities and stabilise the region.

Borrell further stressed the importance of a "ceasefire in Gaza" as an essential step to mitigate the risk of the conflict spiraling into "a full-blown war".

1608 GMT — Hezbollah carried out attack on Israel 'as planned': Nasrallah

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has said his group would assess the impact of its rocket and drone attack on Israeli military targets earlier in the day before determining whether it would carry out further attacks to avenge a slain commander.

In a televised address, Nasrallah said the group had been able to carry out its attack "as planned", denying statements by the Israeli military that its pre-emptive strikes had stopped a wider attack.

1356 GMT –– Hezbollah says 2 more members killed in border clashes with Israel

Two Hezbollah members were killed in clashes with Israeli forces amid an exchange of cross-border attacks between the two sides, the Lebanese group said.

The group identified the two members as Hamza Muhammad Zalghout, 32, and Ali Khader Musa Sweid, 37, without providing any details about the circumstances of their deaths.

At least 431 Hezbollah members have been killed since the outbreak of clashes with the Israeli army on October 8, 2024, according to an Anadolu tally.

1354 GMT –– Switzerland deeply concerned about escalating violence in Mideast

Switzerland is deeply concerned about the escalating violence in the Middle East, the country said.

"We urge all parties to prioritize dialogue and refrain from further escalatory action," the Swiss Foreign Ministry said on X.

Switzerland also urged the concerned parties to engage in ceasefire negotiations for Gaza.

1342 GMT –– Top US general to visit Israel amid escalation with Hezbollah

The chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Charles Brown is set to arrive in Israel as cross-border tensions continue to escalate between Tel Aviv and the Lebanese group Hezbollah.

According to the Israeli public broadcaster KAN, General CQ Brown is set to meet with Israeli Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant during his visit.

No details were provided on the content of the top US general's talks in Israel.

Brown's regional tour included Egypt, where he held talks with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el Sisi. He is also scheduled to visit Jordan.

1259 GMT –– Egyptian president calls for Gaza ceasefire, warns of opening new war front in Lebanon

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el Sisi called for engaging with international mediation efforts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza, warning of the risk of opening a new war front in Lebanon.

The call came during a meeting in Cairo between el Sisi and Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Charles Brown.

The meeting came as Egypt is set to host a new round of Gaza ceasefire and prisoner-hostage swap negotiations between Israel and Hezbollah.

Sisi underlined the urgent need for decisive international action and involvement from all key stakeholders to "defuse tensions and halt the escalation that threatens the security and stability of the entire region", the Egyptian presidency said in a statement.

He warned of the "potential dangers of opening a new front in Lebanon" and stressed the importance of "maintaining Lebanon's stability and sovereignty".

1258 GMT –– Hezbollah official says response to top commander’s killing was 'delayed by political considerations'

A Hezbollah official said that the group's rocket and drone attack against Israel, in retaliation for a top commander's killing last month, had been delayed by "political considerations", chiefly among them the ongoing talks on a ceasefire and prisoner-hostage release deal for Gaza.

The official, in written comments shared with media outlets, said the group had "worked" to make sure its response to the killing of Fuad Shukr on July 30 would not trigger a full-scale war.

1251 GMT –– Israeli Navy soldier killed in clashes with Lebanon’s Hezbollah

An Israeli Navy soldier was killed in cross-border attacks with Hezbollah amid rising escalation along the Israeli-Lebanese border, according to Israeli authorities.

The Mateh Binyamin Regional Council in the occupied West Bank said the slain soldier was a resident of the illegal Adam settlement near occupied East Jerusalem.

It said the soldier was serving in the Israeli Navy and was killed during a clash in northern Israel, without providing any details about the circumstances of his death.

1149 GMT — Gaza death toll surpasses 40,400

At least 71 more Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza, bringing up the death toll since October 7, 2023 to 40,405, the Health Ministry said.

A ministry statement added that some 93,468 other people have been injured in the assault.

"Israeli forces killed 71 people and injured 112 others in three '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.

1143 GMT –– 10 foreign airlines cancel flights to Israel amid cross-border escalation with Hezbollah

Ten foreign airlines cancelled their flights to Israel amid a cross-border escalation with the Lebanese group Hezbollah.

According to Israeli public broadcaster KAN, major carriers, including Air France and the Dutch Transavia, have suspended their operations in Israel.

Other airlines that canceled flights include the Hungarian Wizz Air, Malta-based Corendon, Ethiopian Airlines, the Greek Aegean Airlines, and the Greek Universal Airlines.

Air France, which cancelled its flights between Paris and Tel Aviv, was one of the few major international airlines still operating in Israel.

1122 GMT — UN peacekeeping mission calls for ceasefire across Blue line

The Office of the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon (UNSCO) and the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon (UNIFIL) called on Israel and Hezbollah to ceasefire amid an exchange of cross-border attacks between the two sides.

In a statement, UNIFIL and the UNSCOL expressed deep concern over the recent developments along the Blue Line (Lebanese-Israeli border) and called for an immediate cessation of hostilities and "refrain from further escalatory action".

"A return to the cessation of hostilities, followed by the implementation of UN Security Council resolution 1701, is the only sustainable way forward," the statement said.

1058 GMT — Hezbollah strikes 'slap in the face' for Israel: Hamas

Palestinian resistance group Hamas has said that Hezbollah's recent strikes on Israel are a slap in the face of Tel Aviv.

Earlier, Hezbollah announced that it had launched over 320 rockets deep into Israel as part of the "first stage" of the response to Tel Aviv's assassination of its leader Fuad Shukr.

1050 GMT — Egypt calls for de-escalation as tension spikes between Hezbollah, Israel

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty has called for de-escalating tension between Hezbollah and Israel amid an exchange of cross-border attacks between the two sides.

The call came during a meeting between the top Egyptian diplomat and his Japanese counterpart Yoko Kamikawa in Tokyo, according to a Foreign Ministry statement.

1026 GMT — At least 7 Palestinians killed in fresh Israeli attacks in Gaza

At least seven Palestinians were killed and several others injured in fresh Israeli air strikes in Gaza, medical sources said.

An air strike targeted a residential apartment in Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood in northern Gaza, leaving three people dead and several others injured, a medical source said.

Another Palestinian lost his life in artillery shelling in the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza, another source said. Two more people were killed in a drone strike targeting a group of civilians in Deir al Balah in central Gaza, the source said.

A Palestinian woman was also killed by Israeli gunfire in the town of Al-Qarara, north of Khan Younis in southern Gaza.

0826 GMT — 3 killed, 2 injured in Israeli air strikes on southern Lebanon

At least three people were killed and two others injured after a series of intense Israeli air strikes targeted various areas in southern Lebanon, health officials said.

Israeli drones struck a car in Khiam town, and warplanes conducted a raid on the al-Tyri town and two air strikes on the outskirts of Zibkin, the state-run National News Agency reported, citing sources.

0639 GMT — Hezbollah targets Israel with 'over 320 rockets'

Hezbollah has announced that it had launched over 320 rockets deep into Israel as part of the “first stage” of the response to Tel Aviv's assassination of its leader, Fuad Shukur.

The announcement came shortly after the Israeli army attacked southern Lebanon with a large-scale air strike that it called a "preemptive strike," claiming to have prevented Hezbollah from launching an attack.

0626 GMT — Lebanon ministry says one dead in Israeli strike in south

Lebanon's health ministry has said one person was killed in an Israeli strike on a vehicle in the country's south after Israel launched what it called preemptive strikes against Hezbollah.

An "Israeli drone strike on a car in the village of Khiam" killed one person, the health ministry said in a statement carried by the National News Agency. The Amal movement in Lebanon, later announced a fighter from Khiam had been killed.

0606 GMT — Israeli delegation to attend Gaza ceasefire talks in Cairo

Israel's spy chief David Barnea will head an Israeli delegation to the Gaza ceasefire talks in Cairo today, Israel's Army Radio has reported, citing diplomatic officials.

0511 GMT — Israel says flights resume at Ben Gurion airport

Israel's Civil Aviation Authority has announced the resumption of flights to and from the country's main international airport after a brief suspension after fresh tensions.

Operations at Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv resumed at 0400 GMT, spokesman Roy Steinmetz said, adding that "planes diverted to other airports will also take off from Ben Gurion again."

0401 GMT — US will 'keep supporting Israel's right to defend itself': national security spokesman

The United States has said it would "keep supporting Israel's right to defend itself" as the Israeli military announced it was conducting strikes in Lebanon.

At President Joe Biden's direction, "senior US officials have been communicating continuously with their Israeli counterparts," US National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett said in a statement.

"We will keep supporting Israel's right to defend itself, and we will keep working for regional stability."

0357 GMT — Hezbollah announces completion of 'first phase' of retaliation against Israel

Hezbollah has said it had completed the "first phase" of its response to Israel's killing of the group's top commander in a strike on a Beirut suburb last month.

0326 GMT — Lebanon's Hezbollah launches retaliatory strikes against Israel

Lebanon's Hezbollah group has announced it launched attacks on Israel with a large number of drones in response to assassination of the group's top commander in Beirut last month.

The Lebanon-based group said it targeted an identified "special military target as well as Israel's Iron Dome platforms and other sites but that the full response would take "some time".

0320 GMT — Israel declares 48-hour state of emergency

Defence Minister Yoav Gallant has announced a 48-hour nationwide state of emergency from 06:00 am (0300 GMT) Sunday after the Israeli military launched what it called pre-emptive strikes in Lebanon.

"The declaration on the state of emergency enables the IDF (Israeli military) to issue instructions to the citizens of Israel, including limiting gatherings and closing sites where it may be relevant," Gallant said in a statement issued by his office.

0237 GMT — Israel strikes Lebanon, claiming Hezbollah threat detected

Israeli jets launched strikes in Lebanon after the military claimed they assessed that Hezbollah was preparing to fire rockets and missiles towards Israel, the military said.

The Israeli army assessed that Hezbollah is "preparing to fire missiles and rockets toward Israeli territory. In response to these threats, the IDF is striking terror targets in Lebanon," said in a statement.

The army also gave an ultimatum to residents in southern Lebanon to "leave immediately" in an Arabic-language message.

0238 GMT — Israel diverts incoming flights, delays others at Ben Gurion International airport

Israel's Ben Gurion International Airport has diverted incoming flights and delayed others after Israel launched strikes in Lebanon.

2200 GMT — Israel kills 63 Palestinians across several parts of Gaza

At least 63 Palestinians have been killed and several others wounded in a series of Israeli air strikes targeting various areas of besieged Gaza.

Khan Younis' Nasser Hospital received the bodies of 59 Palestinians.

Mahmoud Basal, the spokesperson for the Palestinian Civil Defense, said in a statement: "Some 4 Palestinians were killed by an Israeli air strike that targeted an apartment belonging to the Othman family in the Ain Jalut Towers in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the centre of the Strip."

He added that areas east of Deir al Balah city and the Nuseirat camp witnessed Israeli artillery shelling following the ultimatum to flee large areas of Deir al Balah by the army on Saturday afternoon.

Basal explained: "Israeli artillery shelling was concentrated on Dawla Roundabout, extending westward to Street 8, and reaching Dahdouh Roundabout (southwest of Gaza Governorate)."

He pointed out that the army has been "extensively burning and demolishing residential buildings in the southern part of Gaza City."

2152 GMT — Thousands of Israelis protest to demand swap deal

Thousands of protesters have demonstrated in several Israeli cities, demanding an immediate hostage swap deal with Palestinian resistance factions in besieged Gaza.

Thousands protested in downtown Tel Aviv, urging the government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to finalise a deal that would lead to the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza, the state-run broadcasting authority KAN reported.

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid shared photos of himself on X taking part in protests.

"Go to Cairo (negotiations) yourself, don't send anyone else, finalise the deal now," Lapid urged Netanyahu.

Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth reported that demonstrations also took place in Haifa, Herzliya, and Caesarea.

2138 GMT — Israeli army withdraws from Khan Younis, leaving destruction behind

The Israeli army has withdrawn from areas north of Khan Younis in the southern besieged Gaza, leaving behind mutilated bodies and widespread destruction.

The devastation was particularly severe in the "Hamad residential city" area, where Israeli warplanes destroyed dozens of apartments and levelled entire towers, eyewitnesses told Anadolu Agency.

They reported that dozens of residential buildings were reduced to rubble in the northern areas of Khan Younis, alongside the bulldozing of citizens' lands and properties.

The witnesses also noted that civil defence teams, health workers, and the International Red Cross are searching for missing people in the areas where the Israeli army advanced and carried out attacks.

Several bodies and dismembered remains were recovered from the northern part of Khan Younis and transported to Nasser Hospital in the city, they added.

2050 GMT — 60% of medicines depleted, essential services at risk: Gaza Health Ministry

Some 60 percent of essential medicines and 83 percent of medical supplies in besieged Gaza have been depleted due to the ongoing Israeli carnage and its control and closure of border crossings, the Gaza Health Ministry, sounding the alarm.

In a statement, the ministry warned of the unprecedented crisis in medicines and medical supplies, decrying the severe impact on the lives of patients and the wounded.

"Hospitals and health centres are facing acute shortages of medicines and medical supplies," the statement said.

The depletion of these resources could "lead to a complete halt in critical medical services, including emergency care, surgeries, intensive care, dialysis, primary healthcare, and mental health services," it warned.

The statement called on international and UN-affiliated organisations to "urgently intervene and provide the necessary medicines and medical supplies."

For our live updates from Saturday, August 24, 2024, click here.