Live blog: UN demands independent probe into Israeli attack on Gaza school

Sunday, July 7, 2024

1600 GMT — The UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) called for an “independent investigation” into an Israeli attack that killed at least 16 Palestinians at a school housing displaced people in central Gaza.

The Israeli army claimed that it had targeted Palestinian gunmen inside the UN-run school in the Nuseirat refugee camp on Saturday.

“Once again, UNRWA school hit by the Israeli Forces. The school, in the Middle Areas, was home to nearly 2,000 internally displaced," UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said in a statement on X.

“A re-occurring claim (among others) from Israel is that our facilities are being used by Palestinian armed groups. These are claims that I take very seriously,” said Lazzarini. “It is exactly why I have repeatedly called for independent investigations to ascertain the facts and identify those responsible for attacks on UN premises or their misuse.”

The UNRWA chief said more than half of the agency’s facilities have been hit, killing 520 people and injuring nearly 1,600 others.

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1644 GMT — Any Gaza deal must allow fighting until Israel's war goals are met: Netanyahu

Any Gaza ceasefire deal must allow Israel to keep fighting until it achieves its war objectives, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said.

He added that the deal must prohibit weapons "smuggling" to Hamas via the Gaza-Egypt border and should not allow thousands of armed "militants" to return to northern Gaza.

Israel will maximise the number of live hostages returned, Netanyahu said in a statement.

1637 GMT — Yemen's Houthis say half of Israeli navigation disrupted after attacks

Houthi attacks have disrupted half of the Israeli navigation, the Yemeni group has said.

“Our naval operations had an impact on the Israeli, US and British economies," Houthi leader Abdul Malik al Houthi said in a televised speech.

“Israeli navigation was disrupted by nearly half, and in the Red Sea, it was almost paralysed,” he added.

There has been no comment from Israel, the US or the UK on the Houthi claim.

1436 GMT — UK's new Premier Starmer calls for 'clear, urgent' need for Gaza ceasefire

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer emphasised the need for a "clear and urgent" ceasefire in Gaza, the Palestinian enclave where Israel has killed more than 38,000 Palestinians in nine months and reduced it to rubble.

Speaking on the phone with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Starmer "reiterated his condolences for the tragic loss of life following the October attacks," his office said in a statement.

He said "It was also important to ensure the long-term conditions for a two-state solution were in place, including ensuring the Palestinian Authority had the financial means to operate effectively," the statement said.

According to a separate statement, Starmer also spoke with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

1329 GMT — Israeli politicians rule out Netanyahu will finalise hostage exchange deal

Israeli politicians rule out that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will finalise a hostage exchange deal with Palestinian factions in Gaza, according to local media.

Politicians, including senior members of Netanyahu's Likud Party, believe that the Israeli premier will not agree to a swap deal with Palestinians, Haaretz newspaper said.

Officials cite growing pressures on Netanyahu from his coalition partners, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir against any swap deal with Hamas.

“Pressures exerted by Smotrich and Ben-Gvir against the deal will not allow the prime minister to violate their position," Haaretz said, citing officials.

They expressed doubts that Netanyahu could defy the position of the two far-right ministers without potentially destabilising the government.

1316 GMT — 4 killed as Israeli jets hit school housing displaced Palestinians in Gaza

At least four Palestinians were killed and several others injured in an Israeli air strike on a school housing displaced people in Gaza City, local authorities have said.

Fighter jets hit the Holy Family School where hundreds of displaced people have taken refuge west of Gaza City, witnesses said.

Gaza's Civil Defense Agency said that its medics had recovered the bodies of four people from the school after the attack.

1309 GMT — Overwhelming majority backs hostage exchange with Hamas: Israeli president

The vast majority of Israelis support a hostage exchange with Hamas, Israeli President Isaac Herzog has said.

“Our commitment to bringing the hostages home is unwavering," Herzog said in a statement.

"The entire nation desires their return, with an overwhelming majority supporting the hostage exchange," he said. “It is the state's duty to ensure their return, which is a core part of our national consensus."

1233 GMT — Israeli air strike in Gaza City kills senior Hamas government official

An Israeli airstrike in Gaza City killed the Hamas-appointed deputy minister of labour in the Palestinian enclave, local media has reported.

Ehab al Ghussein was killed along with three other people in the attack, according to the Civil Emergency Service.

1213 GMT — Jordan slams Israeli strike on UN-run school in central Gaza

Jordan has denounced an Israeli attack on a UN-run school housing displaced Palestinians, which left at least 16 people dead in central Gaza.

A Foreign Ministry statement called the Israeli attack "a blatant violation of international law, humanitarian principles, and basic human values, and a direct challenge to international calls for ending the war and safeguarding civilian lives."

"The recurrent assaults on humanitarian facilities and shelters, which are supposed to be safeguarded under international law, represent a blatant breach of international humanitarian law and international norms," it added.

The ministry repeated its calls for the international community and the UN Security Council to "take prompt and decisive actions to halt these atrocities and ensure international protection for Palestinian civilians."

1127 GMT — Türkiye's Erdogan calls Israel to 'end inhumane massacres' in Gaza

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has criticised Israel's actions in the region, urging it to halt "inhumane" attacks on Gaza.

"Israel should stop insisting on continuing these massacres and end these inhumane attacks," President Erdogan told journalists on his return flight from Germany.

"To date, it is Israel that has insisted on attacks and continued massacres. It is Israel that tramples on human rights, and international law,” he added.

1112 GMT — 15 Palestinians arrested as Israeli forces raid several cities in West Bank

At least 15 more Palestinians were rounded up by Israeli forces in military raids in the occupied West Bank, according to prisoners’ affairs groups.

The raids targeted the cities of Hebron, Tubas, Ramallah, and occupied East Jerusalem, the Commission of Detainees’ Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoner Society said in a joint statement.

“The detainees were subjected to abuse, severe beatings, and threats against their families, in addition to widespread acts of sabotage and destruction of citizens’ homes,” the statement said.

According to the official Palestinian news agency Wafa, Israeli forces raided the town of Silwad, searched several houses and vandalized private property.

1042 GMT — Palestinian death toll tops 38,150 amid intense Israeli strikes

At least 55 more Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza, taking the overall death toll to 38,153 people since last Oct. 7, the Health Ministry in the enclave has said.

A ministry statement added that 87,828 people have also been injured in the onslaught.

“Israeli attacks killed 55 people and injured 123 others in the last 24 hours,” the statement said.

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

1001 GMT — Israelis rally against government, demanding hostage exchange deal

Dozens of Israelis gathered outside the residences of 18 officials, calling for an urgent hostage exchange agreement with the Palestinian resistance group Hamas.

Makan channel, associated with the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation, reported: "In the morning, dozens of people assembled outside the residences of 18 coalition government members, including Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, Transport Minister Miri Regev, and Foreign Minister Israel Katz."

The protesters also blocked the West Jerusalem light rail, calling for an immediate agreement to secure the return of hostages from Gaza, the channel added.

“Demonstrations are also underway in Tel Aviv, Herzliya, and various other cities,” according to the report.

0907 GMT — Israeli army claims detecting missiles fired from Lebanon

The Israeli army has claimed it detected 20 missiles fired from southern Lebanon toward the Galilee area in northern Israel amid ongoing tensions.

In a statement, the army said that “about 20 launches were detected that crossed the territory of Lebanon into the Lower Galilee area,” claiming that “some of which were successfully intercepted by the air defence fighters.”

It also added: “Air defence fighters successfully intercepted a suspicious aerial target in the Ramot Naftali area.”

0847 GMT — Israeli opposition leader calls for Gaza ceasefire, hostage deal

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid has urged the government to halt the war in Gaza and negotiate a deal with Palestinian factions to secure the return of hostages.

Lapid told Israeli Army Radio: “We need to stop the war, strike a deal, and bring the hostages home."

“Israel has always opposed prolonged wars, and our army, which relies on reserve forces, is not equipped for this kind of warfare,” he added.

0835 GMT — Hamas says it's waiting for Israeli response on truce proposal Hamas is waiting for a response from Israel on its ceasefire proposal, two officials from the Palestinian group have said, five days after it accepted a key part of a US plan aimed at ending Israel's nine-month war on Gaza.

"We have left our response with the mediators and are waiting to hear the occupation's response," one of the two Hamas officials told Reuters, asking not to be named.

The three-phase plan was put forward at the end of May by US President Joe Biden and is being mediated by Qatar and Egypt.

0602 GMT — Israeli forces arrest 16 Palestinians in occupied West Bank

Israeli forces have stormed the town of Silwad, northeast of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank and arrested at least 16 local Palestinian citizens, according to local sources.

The sources reported that the Israeli forces conducted extensive raids and searches of a large number of homes in the town, during which they vandalised and damaged property, conducted on-site interrogations, physically assaulted some individuals, and smashed the windows of several vehicles.

The raid resulted in the arrest of at least 16 young men from the town, who were subsequently transported to unknown destinations by the Israeli army.

0010 GMT — Hezbollah says it targeted Israeli Rasat al Alam site in occupied Lebanese hills

Hezbollah announced that it targeted a site in the occupied Lebanese hills of Kafr Shuba and achieved direct hits.

The Lebanese group said on Telegram that it targeted the Rasat al-Alam site with rocket weapons.

It added that the strike was in support of the steadfast Palestinian people in Gaza.

The Israeli army did not immediately comment on the claims by Hezbollah.

Lebanese and Palestinian factions in Lebanon, notably Hezbollah, have been exchanging daily fire with the Israeli army across the Blue Line since October 8, resulting in hundreds killed and wounded, mostly on the Lebanese side.

2355 GMT — 3 Palestinians killed in Israeli air strike on house in Gaza City

The Civil Defense Agency in Gaza has announced the deaths of three Palestinians and injuries to 15 others in an Israeli air strike on a house in northern Gaza City.

It said teams recovered three bodies and 15 others who were wounded from the house belonging to the Sahwil family in the Sheikh Radwan area.

Witnesses told Anadolu they heard a powerful explosion, accompanied by a large cloud of smoke.

They said the explosion resulted from a warplane striking the house, destroying it and causing extensive damage to the surrounding area.

2300 GMT — Hamas condemns targeting of school sheltering Palestinians

The Palestinian resistance group, Hamas, condemned as a “new crime” Israel's targeting of a UN agency school which shelters displaced residents in central Gaza.

“The brutal shelling carried out by the terrorist occupation army on the Jaouni school, run by UNRWA (UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees) and housing thousands of civilian refugees, is a massacre and a new crime committed by this criminal enemy, as part of the ongoing genocide it is waging against our Palestinian people in Gaza,” it said in a statement.

Hamas demanded that the international community and the UN “take immediate action to stop these violations and ongoing war crimes, and to take effective measures to prevent the Zionist killing machine from continuing its crimes against our defenceless people in Gaza.”

Palestine's Health Ministry in the enclave stated earlier that Israeli forces committed a “massacre” at the school in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, killing 16 Palestinians and injuring 50 others.

Meanwhile, the Gaza government's media office said Israel has targeted 17 schools and shelters for displaced people within the camp since the beginning of the onslaught against the enclave on October 7.

2200 GMT — Gaza children spend 8 hours per day carrying food, water: UN

The UN Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) said Saturday that children in Gaza spend eight hours a day carrying food and water, forcing families to resort to using seawater for daily tasks.

“Children in #Gaza can spend 6-8 hours a day collecting water & food, often carrying heavy weights & walking long distances,” the agency wrote on X.

“Sanitation facilities & infrastructure are severely compromised, forcing thousands of families to rely on seawater to wash, clean & even drink,” it added.

Our live updates from Saturday, July 6, 2024, click here.