Live blog: Israel's Nuseirat attacks won't affect swap deal — Hamas ally

Saturday, June 8, 2024

1849 GMT — Israel's military assault on Gaza's Nuseirat refugee camp will not affect the current prisoner-hostage swap deal, said Mohammad al Hindi, deputy chief of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group, which is an ally of Palestinian resistance group Hamas.

Al Hindi said that conditions for the deal remain the same, in comments to Al Aqsa TV.

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1926 GMT — Israelis rally for hostage swap with Palestinians

Dozens of thousands of Israelis have taken to the streets across the country, demanding a hostage swap deal with Palestinian factions.

Earlier, the Israeli army announced that it launched attacks on various locations in the central part of Gaza and successfully rescued a total of four Israeli captives from two different areas.

Thousands of Israelis held a protest in Tel Aviv’s downtown, demanding a hostage swap deal and the dismissal of Benjamin Netanyahu's government, the Israeli broadcasting authority reported.

1856 GMT — Egypt, Jordan condemn Israeli attack on Gaza’s Nuseirat camp

Egypt and Jordan have condemned the Israeli attack on the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, which left 210 people dead and more than 400 injured.

“Egypt condemns in the strongest terms the Israeli attacks on the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, which have resulted in the death of over 150 Palestinian civilians and the injury of hundreds more,” an Egyptian Foreign Ministry statement said.

The ministry termed the attack “a blatant violation of all provisions of international law, international humanitarian law, and all human values and human rights.”

Separately, the Jordanian Foreign Ministry considered the Israeli attack on the Nuseirat camp as “a practice that reflects the systematic targeting of Palestinian civilians, Israel's persistent violation of international law and international humanitarian law, and the continuation of committing war crimes.”

1824 GMT — Israel PM asks war cabinet minister Gantz not to quit after ultimatum

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has asked war cabinet minister Benny Gantz not to resign after threats to quit over the lack of post-war strategy for Gaza.

Gantz said last month he would resign from the emergency body if Netanyahu did not approve a post-war plan for Gaza by June 8.

"I call on Benny Gantz not to leave the emergency government. Don't give up on unity," Netanyahu said on social media platform X.

1803 GMT — EU foreign policy chief condemns Israeli attack on Gaza refugee camp

The EU foreign policy chief has "strongly" condemned the Israeli attack on the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza.


"Reports from Gaza of another massacre of civilians are appalling. We condemn this in the strongest terms. The bloodbath must end immediately," Josep Borrell said on X.


"Three-stage plan is the way forward for an enduring ceasefire and to end the killing," Borrell said, referring to a ceasefire plan backed by US President Joe Biden.

1730 GMT — Hezbollah says it fired Falaq 2 rockets at Israel for first time

Lebanese armed group Hezbollah has said it had fired a salvo of Falaq 2 rockets at a military command centre in northern Israel.

A security source told Reuters it was the first time the group had used this type of rocket, after firing the Falaq 1 on dozens of previous occasions.

1711 GMT — Israel killed some hostages in Nuseirat camp massacre: Hamas

Hamas' armed wing Qassam Brigades has said that some hostages were killed in Israel's 'hostage-freeing operation' at the Nuseirat refugee camp and nearby areas in central Gaza.

Israel, "by committing horrific massacres, was able to free some its hostages, yet it killed some others during the operation," Qassam Brigades' spokesperson, Abu Ubaida, said in a statement on his Telegram channel.

Israeli forces rescued four hostages held by Hamas since October in an invasion of Gaza while over 200 Palestinians were killed in air strikes in the same area, according to Palestinian officials in the enclave, in one of the bloodiest Israeli assaults of the war.

1655 GMT — Iran blames Gaza attack on global inaction and UN Security Council

Iran's foreign ministry has blamed an Israeli attack on a Gaza refugee camp during a hostage rescue operation on "inaction" by world governments and the UN Security Council, Iranian state media reported.

"These horrific and shocking crimes are the result of the inaction of governments and responsible international bodies, including the United Nations Security Council, in the face of eight months of war crimes and violations by the Zionist regime (Israel)," foreign ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said.

1612 GMT — Israel carried out hostage op using humanitarian aid truck: sources

Israel’s special forces, who retrieved four hostages from central Gaza, infiltrated into the Nuseirat refugee camp using a humanitarian aid truck, local Palestinian sources have said.

“The Israeli special forces used a closed transport truck and a civilian vehicle in the infiltration operation to retrieve the hostages,” the sources told Anadolu.

“These transport vehicles are widespread in the Gaza Strip and are used to transport humanitarian aid during the Israeli war,” they added.

1520 GMT — PA's Abbas demands urgent UN meeting after Israel's 'massacre'

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has called for an emergency UN Security Council session on "the bloody massacre that was carried out by the Israeli forces" at the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, official news agency WAFA has reported.

The Israeli attack on the camp has killed over 210 Palestinians and wounded hundreds.

1504 GMT — French, US presidents voice common wish for ceasesfire in Mideast

The presidents of France and the US have voiced their common wish to reach a ceasefire in the Middle East.

“We want to reach an immediate cease-fire and progress toward a political solution … for a just and durable peace,” France's Emmanuel Macron told a joint news conference in Paris.

Separately, US President Joe Biden has welcomed the return of four Israeli hostages rescued alive in Gaza.

"We won't stop working until all the hostages come home and a ceasefire is reached," Biden said.

1459 GMT — Israeli strike reported to have killed two people in southern Lebanon

An Israeli air strike on the outskirts of Aitaroun in southern Lebanon killed two people, Lebanese state news agency NNA has reported.

Israeli army said in a statement that it had identified Hezbollah militants in the area of Aitaroun and shortly afterwards an Israeli aircraft had struck the individual.

Israeli forces launched two missiles targeting a cafe at a petrol station which resulted in major damage to the shop, the station and the surrounding area, the NNA report said.

1228 GMT — Israel kills hundreds of Palestinians in Gaza's Nuseirat camp

The death toll from the Israeli attack on the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza rises to 210, with more than 400 others injured, according to the Palestinian government media office in the enclave.

Separately, the health ministry said the bodies of Palestinians killed and wounded in Israeli attacks on the Nuseirat and adjacent areas in central Gaza continue to arrive at Al Aqsa Martyrs Hospital.

The Government Media Office in Gaza issued an "urgent appeal for the international community to save Al Aqsa Hospital," saying it needs medical supplies to continue its operations

1207 GMT — Israel cannot force its choices on Hamas, group's leader says

Israel cannot force its choices on Hamas and the group will accept no deal that does not achieve security for Palestinians, Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh has said in response to an Israeli military offensive in Gaza's Nuseirat area.

"Our people will not surrender and the resistance will continue to defend our rights in the face of this criminal enemy," Haniyeh said in his statement.

"If the (Israeli) occupation believes that it can impose its choices on us by force, then it is delusional," he added.

1155 GMT — Palestinian youth killed by Israeli army gunfire in occupied West Bank

A Palestinian youth has been killed by Israeli army gunfire during a raid in the occupied West Bank.

In a statement, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society said that its ambulance crew treated "a 20-year-old who succumbed to his injuries in Anabta, east of the city of Tulkarm.”

The official Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that “Moamen Omar Abu Asal died as a result of the critical injury he sustained" during the raid by Israeli forces.

Another 11 Palestinians were injured Saturday during an Israeli military incursion into the Aqabat Jaber refugee camp, south of Jericho, Wafa added.

“Israeli forces assaulted and beat up members of two Palestinian families in the camp with rifle butts during the storming,” it added.

1151 GMT — D-8 Ministers demand 'immediate, permanent, unconditional' Gaza ceasefire

The D-8 Council of Ministers have called for an "immediate, permanent, unconditional" ceasefire and an end to Israeli aggression against the Palestinians in the besieged enclave.

The joint declaration also called on all countries to ensure Israel's strict adherence to provisional measures ordered by the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

D-8 nations "affirm the unwavering support of D-8 Member States to the struggle of the Palestinian people to realise their inalienable rights, the full membership of Palestine in the United Nations and all the resolutions related to the Palestinian Cause in international fora," the statement said.

1131 GMT — 'We cannot remain silent': Turkish FM condemns Israeli oppression in Gaza

Türkiye's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has spoken out against "Israeli oppression" in Gaza, following a summit of the D-8 Organisation for Economic Cooperation in Istanbul.

"In Istanbul, we (D-8 countries) declare together to the whole world that we are not silent in the face of Israeli oppression in Gaza and we cannot remain silent," Hakan Fidan said at a joint news conference held after the Extraordinary Developing-8 Countries Foreign Ministers Council Meeting.

"Those who oppose occupation in Ukraine consider resistance to occupation in Palestine a crime. Gaza has shown the helplessness and inadequacy of the international system in all its starkness," Fidan asserted.

1115 GMT — Israel's war cabinet member Gantz delays resignation statement after hostage rescue

Israel's war cabinet minister Benny Gantz has delayed a statement he was due to give later on Saturday in which he was widely expected to announce his resignation from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's emergency government.

Last month, Gantz presented the conservative prime minister with a June 8 deadline to come up with a clear day-after strategy for Gaza, where Israel has been pressing a devastating military offensive.

But following news that Israeli forces had rescued four Israeli hostages alive from Gaza, the minister's spokespeople said his statement would be postponed.

1117 GMT — Israeli army says it rescued four hostages

The Israeli military said its troops rescued four hostages alive from Gaza after a "complex daytime operation."

"The hostages were rescued... from two separate locations in the heart of Nuseirat" in central Gaza, the military said.

The rare rescue comes eight months into Israel's war on Gaza.

1116 GMT — Palestinian death toll in Gaza surpasses 36,800: ministry

At least 36,801 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's ongoing offensive on Gaza since last October, the Health Ministry in the besieged enclave said.

A ministry statement added that 83,680 other people have also been injured in the onslaught.

"Israeli attacks killed 70 people and injured 150 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.

Israel has continued its brutal offensive on Gaza despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire.

0946 GMT — Dozens of Palestinian casualties as Israel pounds central Gaza

A large number of casualties arrived at a hospital in central Gaza as Israeli forces continue their attacks targeting areas in different parts of the besieged Palestinian territory.

Medical sources told Anadolu news agency that dozens of casualties arrived at the Al Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the central city of Deir al Balah due to Israeli air strikes and shelling.

Also, eyewitnesses told Anadolu news agency that violent clashes erupted between Palestinian resistance groups and Israeli forces in the eastern part of Deir al Balah, the Al Bureij and Al Maghazi camps, and north of the Nuseirat camp in central Gaza.

0829 GMT — 11 killed, dozens injured in Israeli attacks on central Gaza

At least 11 Palestinians were killed and many others injured in Israeli attacks targeting central Gaza.

Official Palestinian news agency Wafa also reported that dozens of others were injured in the Palestinian enclave since the early morning.

It said civil defence crews had managed to recover five bodies, including children and women, from the rubble after Israeli forces struck the home of the Mhanna family in the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood.

The Israeli bombardment also targeted a home in the Al Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza, killing six Palestinians and injuring others, the agency added.

2340 GMT — Protesters to encircle White House as Israel torments Gaza

Pro-Palestine activists demanding an end to Israel's carnage in besieged Gaza and American support for Israel plan to surround the White House during a weekend protest.

Advocacy and activist groups like CODEPINK and the Council on American Islamic Relations said that demonstrations were planned on Saturday, marking eight months of Israel's carnage in Gaza that has killed tens of thousands while causing a humanitarian crisis with widespread hunger and destruction.

The United States, Israel's key ally, has seen months of pro-Palestine protests ranging from marches in Washington and vigils near the White House to the blocking of bridges and roads near train stations and airports in multiple cities and encampments on many college campuses.

2237 GMT — Palestine trashes Israel's list claiming to have killed Palestinian fighters

Authorities in besieged Gaza refuted allegations by the Israeli military that it killed 17 Palestinian fighters in an air strike on a UN-run school sheltering thousands of displaced people in the Nuseirat camp.

Palestinian authorities said the Israeli list contains names of Palestinians who were killed before the attack on Thursday in the Nuseirat camp, including Majd Darweesh, who was killed on Wednesday by the army in the Maghazi camp; Maher Fadel and Motasem Shaqra, both killed on Wednesday in the Bureij camp and Jamil al Maqadma, an elderly man who died in 2017.

It added that the Israeli list includes three Palestinians who are still alive, including one who has been living abroad for years.

They also named 12 children killed in the attack in addition to the remains of two unknown children.

2204 GMT — Dozens of corpses lying on streets in Rafah

A hospital director in Rafah has said there are dozens of corpses on the streets in the southern besieged Gaza city who were killed by the Israeli army.

Suhayb al-Hams, director of the Kuwaiti Specialized Hospital in Rafah, told Anadolu news agency there are dozens of wounded people whom the ambulances cannot reach because of the Israeli attacks.

"The medical situation is extremely catastrophic after all hospitals in Rafah are out of service due to the continuation of the military operation in Rafah," said al-Hams.

He held Israel responsible for directly targeting hospitals and urged international health organisations to live up to their responsibilities toward Israeli crimes in Rafah and provide the hospitals with fuel and medical supplies.

2113 GMT — Poll shows majority of Israelis will not vote for Netanyahu

An opinion poll in Israel has found the majority of Israelis will not vote for hawkish PM Netanyahu or any party that backs him in upcoming elections, Israeli media reported.

The poll conducted by Channel 12 found that 62 percent of voters will not cast their ballots for a party that supports Netanyahu to continue as the leader of Israel.

The poll showed just 19% would vote for a party that supports Netanyahu, while 19 percent of other respondents said they do not know.

The results also indicated that 30 percent of those who currently classify themselves as voters within Netanyahu's bloc said they will not vote for a party that supports Netanyahu to continue as prime minister.

2100 GMT — US claims destroying Houthi drones, missiles

American forces have destroyed four drones and two anti-ship ballistic missiles in areas of Yemen controlled by Houthis, the US military said.

"US Central Command [USCENTCOM] forces successfully destroyed four UASs and two ASBMs in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen," the military command said in a social media post, using abbreviations for unmanned aircraft systems and anti-ship ballistic missiles.

"USCENTCOM forces also successfully destroyed one UAS launched from a Houthi-controlled area of Yemen into the Bab al-Mandab Strait," CENTCOM said, adding that American forces also destroyed a Houthi patrol boat.

The Houthis meanwhile launched four anti-ship ballistic missiles over the Red Sea, but "there were no injuries or damage reported by US, coalition, or commercial ships," the military command said.

Houthis say they will continue targeting Israel-owned or Israel-bound ships in the area until Israel lifts siege on Gaza and ends its brutal invasion there.

2040 GMT — Hezbollah targets Israeli military gathering

The Lebanese Hezbollah group has announced more attacks against the Israeli military's positions and soldiers' gatherings near the border areas with Lebanon.

In a statement, the group said its fighters targeted a deployment of Israeli soldiers in an area known as Horsh Matawa, northern Israel, with missiles.

Hezbollah also targeted military vehicles inside the Birkat Risha site with rockets, and claimed to achieve a direct hit.

In another statement, the Hezbollah group said its fighters hit the Israeli army's artillery positions in the Khirbet Maar base.

The Israeli army said it also struck Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon.

2009 GMT — Israeli opposition leader says Gaza humiliated Netanyahu regime

Israeli opposition leader Avigdor Lieberman has said that hawkish PM Benjamin Netanyahu's regime faced "complete humiliation" in besieged Gaza, while "losing the north and continuing to surrender" to Hezbollah.

"The Israeli government lost the north and continues to surrender to Hezbollah, which does everything it can," the head of the Yisrael Beiteinu party wrote on X.

"Exactly eight months since the October 7 attack, eight months in which instead of 'complete victory', we received complete humiliation," he added.

He noted that the government "did not eliminate Hamas, and did not return all the abductees."

"The time has come for a different leadership," he added.

For our live updates from Friday, June 7, 2024, click here.