Live blog: Internet blackout in Gaza as Israeli bombardment intensifies

Sunday, September 8, 2024

1932 GMT — Internet service was cut off in the central and southern Gaza Strip, the Palestinian telecom company Paltel has said.

In a statement, the company said the home internet service was disrupted by the ongoing Israeli offensive in the area.

“Our crews are working hard to restore the service as quickly as possible,” it added.

The blockaded enclave has faced several communications and internet outages amid a brutal Israeli offensive that has left more than 41,000 dead since last October.

More updates👇

1922 GMT — Nearly 443,000 Gaza children get 1st dose of polio vaccination

Nearly 443,000 children received the first dose of polio vaccine in Gaza, the Health Ministry said.

However, the ministry has been waiting for Israeli approval for the last four days to coordinate access to seven additional areas in the cities of Khan Younis and Rafah in southern Gaza.

“Some 443,000 children have received the first dose of the polio vaccine in Gaza, which constitutes 69 percent of the total number of children under the age of 10,” Mousa Abed, general director of primary health care at the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza, told Anadolu Agency.

Abed added: "The first phase of the vaccination campaign in the central area achieved results exceeding expectations, with 195,000 children vaccinated, which is more than the expected target of 160,000 children.”

1800 GMT — Israeli strike kills senior rescue service official in Gaza as fighting rages

An Israeli air strike on a house in Jabalia killed Mohammad Morsi, deputy director of the Gaza Civil Emergency Service in the northern areas of Gaza, and four of his family, health officials said.

The Civil Emergency Service said in a statement that Morsi's death raised to 83 the number of its members killed by Israeli fire since October 7.

There was no immediate Israeli comment on Morsi's death.

1700 GMT — Israel kills 6 more Palestinians, continues targeting houses in Gaza

Six more Palestinians were killed and several others injured as the Israeli army continued Sunday its ground operations in southern Gaza City, intensifying its air and artillery strikes and demolishing residential buildings.

Four bodies were recovered from the bombed home of the Al-Fakhouri family in the Al-Sabra neighbourhood, south of Gaza City, the Gaza Civil Defense Agency said in a statement.

Bodies of another two Palestinians killed in shelling of a residential building in southern Gaza City were brought to Al-Ahli Baptist hospital, a medical source told Anadolu Agency.

1300 GMT — Hezbollah strikes Israeli sites after deadly attack in southern Lebanon

Lebanese group Hezbollah said it struck Israeli sites in northern Israel in response to air strikes on towns in southern Lebanon.

The group said it fired a volley of rockets on the illegal settlements of Kiryat Shmona and Shamir in northern Israel in response to an Israeli strike on the town of Froun, which left three civil defence personnel dead and t wo others injured on Saturday.

The Lebanese group also said it targeted Israeli surveillance equipment at the Malikiya site with a drone strike, resulting in a direct hit.

1255 GMT — Jordan border attack normal response to Israeli crimes: Hamas

Palestinian resistance group Hamas said a shooting attack that killed three Israelis at the border with Jordan was a “normal response” to Israeli “crimes” against Palestinians.

The three were killed when a truck driver opened fire at the King Hussein border crossing between Jordan and the occupied West Bank, according to Israeli media.

"This heroic operation…is a normal response to the holocaust being carried out by the Nazi Zionist enemy against our people in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, and its plans for displacement and Judaization of Al-Aqsa Mosque,” Hamas said in a statement.

It said the attack underscores the rejection of the Arab people of the Israeli occupation and “crimes and their support for their valiant resistance in defence of Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa.”

1117 GMT — Death toll in Gaza from Israeli attacks rises to 40,972

At least 40,972 Palestinians have been killed and 94,761 others injured in Israel's military offensive on Gaza since October 7, the health ministry in the besieged enclave has said.

0955 GMT — Israel arrests 35 more Palestinians in occupied West Bank raids

Israeli forces rounded up at least 35 more Palestinians in military raids in the occupied West Bank, according to prisoners’ affairs groups.

The detainees were taken into custody in raids carried out in most cities of the occupied territory over the past 48 hours, 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.

0929 GMT — Israel closes King Hussein Bridge following shooting incident

The King Hussein Bridge, also known as the Karama Bridge, was closed by Israeli authorities today this morning following a shooting incident that occurred earlier this morning.

Nathmi Muhanna, Director General of the Palestinian Border and Crossings Authority, informed WAFA that traffic at the bridge, which connects the occupied West Bank with Jordan, has been completely halted.

0857 GMT — Israel provoking escalation in occupied West Bank — report

Senior Israeli military officers have accused the country’s political leadership of inciting escalation in the occupied West Bank.

The officers said far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich are “directly responsible” for the rise in violence in the occupied territory, warning that the situation could spiral into a full-blown uprising, with many young Palestinians already facing unemployment and lack of opportunities.

“We are trying to prevent the population from fully joining the violence,” a military officer told Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, adding that the ongoing Israeli restrictions have exacerbated tensions in the area.

0745 GMT — Israel emergency service says three shot dead at occupied West Bank-Jordan border crossing

Israel's emergency service has said three people were killed in what police described as a "shooting attack" near the the King Hussein border crossing between the occupied West Bank and Jordan.

"We found three men lying unconscious, with no pulse and not breathing, with gunshot wounds. Together with the IDF (Israeli military) medical team, we performed resuscitation efforts, but unfortunately, we had to declare their deaths on the scene," a Magen David Adom emergency service statement said.

Israeli police said separately that an attacker had been "neutralised".

0744 GMT — Israel kills Gaza rescue official, bringing death toll to 83

The Gaza Civil Defence has announced the death of its deputy director for northern Gaza in an Israeli air strike, raising the number of personnel killed since Oct. 7, 2023, to 83.

In a statement, spokesperson Mahmoud Bassal mourned “the martyrdom of Mohammad Abdelhay Morsi, the deputy director of civil defence in northern Gaza, who was killed in an Israeli strike targeting his family's home early this morning in the al-Alami area of Jabalia."

Bassal said that besides the 83 personnel killed, over 200 others were wounded.

0446 GMT — Israeli army announces strikes on Hezbollah in southern Lebanon

The Israeli military has announced that it had carried out a series of air strikes on Hezbollah targets, saying it had intercepted a number of projectiles launched overnight from Lebanon.

The military said in a statement that the Israeli Air Force had "struck Hezbollah military structures in the areas of Aitaroun, Maroun El Ras, and Yaroun in southern Lebanon".

0140 GMT — Houthis say they shot down US MQ-9 drone in Yemen amid Gaza war

The Yemeni Houthi group have announced that it shot down an American drone carrying out "hostile activities” in central Yemen.

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea said Yemeni air defences "succeeded" in shooting down the American MQ-9 drone above Marib province.

Sarea confirmed that Houthi forces continue to fulfil their duties "in support of the Palestinian people's suffering and in defence of Yemen."

In solidarity with Gaza, which has been facing devastating Israeli attacks since October 7, the Houthis have been targeting Israeli or related cargo ships in the Red Sea, Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean with missiles and drones.

Since the beginning of 2024, a US-led coalition has been carrying out air strikes claiming to target Houthi positions in Yemen in response to the group's maritime attacks, which have occasionally been met with retaliation from the Houthis.

For our live updates from Saturday, September 7, 2024, click here.