Live blog: Hezbollah drone wounds 18 Israeli soldiers in Golan Heights

Sunday, June 30, 2024

2213 GMT — At least 18 Israeli soldiers were wounded in a drone attack by the Lebanese Hezbollah group on the Israel-occupied Syrian Golan Heights, the army has said.

“Eighteen soldiers were injured, one of them seriously and the rest with minor injuries, due to the explosion of a Hezbollah drone launched from southern Lebanon,” Israel’s Army Radio said on X.

Earlier, Israel’s Channel 12 reported that nine people were injured in the drone attack.

Hezbollah later announced that it had bombed the headquarters of the 91st Brigade in northern Israel.

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2028 GMT — UK 'strongly opposes' legalization of 5 illegal Israeli outposts in West Bank

The UK has said it “strongly opposes the announcement that five outposts are to be legalized in the West Bank as well as further punitive measures against the Palestinian Authority.”

“Israel must halt its illegal settlement expansion and hold to account those responsible for extremist settler violence,” a statement from a Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) spokesperson said.

“We are clear that actions by Israel to weaken the Palestinian Authority must stop. We call for longer-term measures to be put in place to ensure continued correspondent banking relations and assurance that Israel will release frozen funds without delay.”

It also said the UK’s “priority is to bring the Gaza conflict to a sustainable end as quickly as possible and ensure a lasting peace

1819 GMT — Israeli strike kills 3 Palestinians in Gaza City

Three Palestinians were killed in an Israeli air strike on a residential apartment in Gaza City on Sunday evening, the Civil Defense Agency said.

The agency added that its medics had retrieved three bodies from the apartment in the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood in the city.

Flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire, Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas.

1629 GMT — Nine injured as drone from Lebanon explodes in Golan Heights

Nine people were injured in a drone explosion launched from Lebanon into Israel-occupied Golan Heights in Syria, according to Israeli media.

Two of the injured were in serious condition, Israeli Channel 12 reported.

The drone was launched from southern Lebanon, the broadcaster said.

Lebanese group Hezbollah, for its part, said that it had bombed the headquarters of the 91st Brigade in northern Israel.

1430 GMT — Fierce fighting rages in Gaza City's Shujaiya for fourth day

Heavy battles between Israeli forces and Palestinian resistance fighters hit Gaza City's Shujaiya for a fourth day, as tens of thousands of Palestinians flee the neighbourhood due to heavy Israeli bombardment.

The United Nations humanitarian agency OCHA estimated that "60,000 to 80,000 people were displaced" from Shujaiya since new fighting broke out there on Thursday and the Israeli army issued evacuation orders.

For those who remain, "our lives have become hell", said 50-year-old Shujaiya resident Siham al Shawa.

She told AFP that people were trapped because strikes could happen "anywhere" and that "it is difficult to get out of the neighbourhood under fire."

"We do not know where to go to protect ourselves."

1410 GMT — Palestine calls Arab League extraordinary meeting to discuss Gaza war, Israeli settlement building

Palestine called an extraordinary meeting of the Arab League to discuss Israel’s ongoing war on the besieged Gaza and illegal settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank.

“The meeting will be held at the level of permanent delegates this week to discuss confronting the Israeli crimes of genocide and colonial expansion in the West Bank,” Palestinian delegate Mohannad al Aklouk told the official news agency, Wafa.

There was no confirmation of the meeting by the pan-Arab organisation.

1301 GMT — Three more Hezbollah members killed in border clashes with Israel

Three more Hezbollah members were killed in border clashes with Israeli forces, the Lebanese group said amid cross-border attacks between the two sides.

Hezbollah identified the slain members as Hussein Muhammad Suwaidan, Jalal Ali Daher and Nasrat Hussein Shuqair without providing any details about the circumstances of their death.

At least 356 Hezbollah members have been killed since the outbreak of clashes with the Israeli forces on October 8, according to an Anadolu tally.

1257 GMT — One Palestinian killed, five injured in Israeli missile attack in West Bank

One Palestinian was killed, and five others were injured in an Israeli missile attack in the West Bank city of Tulkarem, the Health Ministry said.

A ministry statement said two of the injured were in serious condition.

The Israeli attack targeted a house in the Manshiya neighbourhood in Nur Shams refugee camp, the official Palestine Television reported.

There was no comment from the Israeli army on the report.

1018 GMT — Gaza hospitals will face shutdown within 48 hours — ministry

The Gaza Health Ministry has cautioned that hospitals and oxygen stations across the besieged territory will cease operations within 48 hours due to fuel depletion caused by the ongoing Israeli war.

In a statement, the ministry warned that “the remaining hospitals, health centres, and oxygen stations will stop working within 48 hours.”

The ministry noted that this situation is anticipated "due to the depletion of fuel required for operating generators, which Israel restricts from entering Gaza, along with other essential supplies such as medicine and food, as part of tightening restrictions."

It indicated that the fuel supply is nearly depleted, "despite the stringent austerity measures implemented by the ministry to conserve the remaining stock for as long as possible, given the insufficient quantities available for operation."

1015 GMT — Death toll from Israel's relentless bombing of Gaza hits grim 37,877

At least 37,877 Palestinians have been killed and 86,969 have been wounded in Israel’s military offensive in Gaza since October 7, Gaza’s health ministry has said.

1009 GMT — Israel kills 6 Palestinians in southern Gaza

At least six Palestinians, including children, were killed due to an Israeli air strike targeting a house in Rafah in southern Gaza.

Medical sources at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, told Anadolu that Israeli air strikes targeted a residence belonging to the Zorob family in Rafah city.

The attack resulted in the deaths of six Palestinians, including children, and left several others injured.

0931 GMT — No talks with Netanyahu on forming an investigation committee: Israeli opposition leader

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid has denied any contact with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regarding the formation of an official investigation committee into the events of Oct. 7, 2023.

“For everyone who asked, there are no contacts with Netanyahu regarding the composition of a state investigative committee,” wrote Lapid on X.

“There is a law, and the law is clear: only the President of the Supreme Court determines the composition of an investigative committee,” he added.

He stressed: “I will not participate in any games. We need an investigation committee, and it should be set up immediately.”

0850 GMT — Fighting rages in Gaza City’s Shujaiya for fourth day

Israeli forces advanced further into the Shujaiya neighbourhood of northern Gaza and also pushed deeper into western and central Rafah in the south, killing at least six Palestinians and destroying several homes, residents said.

Israeli tanks, which moved back into Shujaiya four days ago, fired shells towards several houses, leaving families trapped inside and unable to leave, the residents said.

The Israeli military said forces operating in Shujaiya had over the past day killed several Palestinian gunmen, located weapons, and struck military infrastructure.

0802 GMT — Türkiye's intelligence head, Hamas chief discuss Gaza ceasefire

The head of Türkiye's National Intelligence Organization (MIT) and Palestinian group Hamas' political bureau chief have discussed the most recent developments in Gaza ceasefire negotiations.

The MIT's Ibrahim Kalin and Hamas' Ismail Haniyeh also discussed steps to secure a permanent ceasefire, hostage-prisoner exchange, and delivery of humanitarian aid to the region, according to information obtained from officials.

Kalin expressed condolences to Haniyeh after his sister was killed in an Israeli attack and to the Palestinian people killed in the ongoing offensive.

0650 GMT — No progress in talks as Israeli attacks continue across Gaza

Israeli early morning airstrikes has killed seven Palestinian civilians and injured several others in Gaza. The attacks targeted homes in Rafah and Gaza City, with casualties reported among civilians, including children, according to Wafa news agency.

Israeli artillery also shelled areas in southern Rafah and central Rafah, along with towns east of Khan Yunis.

In Gaza City's Daraj neighborhood, one civilian died and several were injured in an airstrike on a residential apartment.

Additional strikes hit neighborhoods in Gaza City, causing further casualties and injuries among civilians. Israeli forces continue to surround families in Shujaiya neighborhood, hindering rescue efforts amidst ongoing drone activity.

0036 GMT — US, European, Arab envoys urge calm in wider Israel-Lebanon war

US, European and Arab mediators are pressing to keep stepped-up cross-border attacks between Israel and Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah fighters from spiralling into a wider Middle East war that the world has feared for months.

Iran and Israel traded threats on Saturday of what Iran said would be an “obliterating” war over Hezbollah.

Hopes are lagging for a ceasefire in Israel's war in Gaza that would calm attacks by Hezbollah and other Iranian-allied militias.

With the stalled talks in mind, American and European diplomats and other officials are delivering warnings to Hezbollah about taking on the military might of Israel, current and former diplomats say.

For our live updates from Saturday, June 29, 2024, click here.