Live blog: Israel kills Hamas member in Lebanon as fear of escalation looms

Friday, August 9, 2024

1625 GMT — Two people in southern Lebanon were killed in an Israeli air strike including at least one member of Palestinian resistance group Hamas.

According to the official Lebanese National News Agency (NNA), two rockets fired from an Israeli drone hit a vehicle in the city of Sidon killing two people inside and injuring two passersby who were transferred to the nearest hospital in the city.

NNA reported that one of the victims was identified as Samer al-Haj, a Hamas figure in the Ein el-Hilweh refugee camp, located in the south of Sidon.

Local sources told Anadolu that the other victim in the vehicle was likely al-Haj's escort.

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1752 GMT — Macron says war in Gaza 'must stop'

French President Emmanuel Macron has called for an end to the fighting in Gaza, saying France was lending its "full support" to mediation efforts in the war between Israel and Hamas.

"The war in Gaza must stop," Macron wrote on X. "This must be clear to everyone."

An end of hostilities was "crucial for the people of Gaza, for the hostages, and for the stability of the region, which is at stake today".

1623 GMT — Jordan condemns Israel's decision to revoke status of Norwegian diplomats

Jordan has condemned Israel's decision to revoke the accreditation of Norwegian diplomats dealing with the Palestinian National Authority.

The "unprecedented move fits within the provocative measures taken by the Israeli government against those who recognize the State of Palestine and stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people and their legitimate rights," the country's Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

1530 GMT — Israeli air strikes in Gaza kills 10 people, including children

At least 10 Palestinians, including children, were killed and others wounded in Israeli air strikes targeting several parts of Khan Younis city in southern Gaza.

Medical sources told Anadolu that six Palestinians, including two children, lost their lives, and several others were injured in the strike on the Al-Mawasi, a region designated by the Israeli military as a “humanitarian safe zone.”

Eyewitnesses reported to Anadolu that the airstrike hit a group of civilians, including two children, who were seeking shelter against the wall of a Quran memorization centre run by the Ministry of Religious Endowments in the Al-Mawasi area.

1400 GMT — Iraq urges ‘positive engagement’ with Gaza ceasefire initiative

Iraq has called for a “positive engagement” with the ceasefire initiative put forward by Egypt, Qatar, and the US concerning the ongoing war in Gaza, expressing hope that it would lead to stability in the region.

This announcement from the Iraqi Foreign Ministry comes a day after a joint statement was issued by the Egyptian, Qatari, and US mediators, urging the resumption of ceasefire negotiations next week “without any delay by either party (Hamas and Israel).”

The ministry emphasised that “this statement reflects a serious commitment by the three mediators to resolving the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza and represents an important step towards achieving regional stability.

1352 GMT — Israel's far-right finance minister rejects mediators' call for Gaza ceasefire

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has rejected the recent statement by mediators, including the US, Qatar, and Egypt, which called for the resumption of negotiations next week regarding a ceasefire in Gaza.

In a statement, Smotrich said: "It is not yet time for a dangerous trap where ‘mediators’ dictate terms to us and impose a surrender agreement."

“The time has come to release the hostages, but it is not yet time to release those despicable people who killed Jews," said the extremist minister about Palestinians detained in Israeli prisons.

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1313 GMT — UN rights chief condemns Israeli official's call to starve Palestinians in Gaza

The UN human rights chief condemned recent statements by Israel’s finance minister suggesting letting civilians in Gaza starve to death, a spokesperson has said.

"The high commissioner (Volker Turk) is shocked and appalled by the words of (Israeli) minister, according to whom, letting two million Palestinians in Gaza starve to death could be justified and moral to free hostages," Jeremy Laurence told a UN briefing in Geneva.

"He condemns these words in the strongest terms, which also incites hatred against innocent civilians," Laurence said, noting that the starvation of civilians as a method of warfare is a war crime.

1313 GMT — German court rejects Palestinian motion to halt arms exports to Israel

A court in Berlin dismissed a Palestinian motion to stop German arms exports to Israel, according to media reports.

The legal bid by a Palestinian father and his son from Gaza to prohibit the federal government from supplying arms to Israel has also failed in the second instance. The Berlin-Brandenburg Higher Administrative Court (OVG) has rejected the complaint from a father and his son in an expedited procedure, an unnamed spokeswoman said.

The Palestinian motion was aimed at stopping the arms deliveries through so-called interim legal protection.

1205 GMT — EU announces support for latest trilateral call for ceasefire in Gaza

The EU has announced support for the latest call by the US, Egypt, and Qatar in pressing for a ceasefire in Gaza, where Israel has killed nearly 40,000 Palestinians since Oct. 7 and levelled much of the blockaded territory.

“The EU joins Egypt, Qatar & the US in their call for concluding, without delay, the ceasefire & hostages release deal,” the EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on X.

“We reiterate our full support to their mediation to put an end to the unbearable cycle of suffering. The deal will also pave the way for regional de-escalation,” he added.

1115 GMT — Israel killed 205 aid workers in Gaza since October 7 — UN

A total of 205 humanitarian aid workers have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza since October 7 last year, the UN agency of Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) said.

In a statement, the UN agency reported that the ongoing Israeli attacks on Gaza have resulted in "civilian casualties, displacement of people and the destruction of residential structures and public infrastructure".

"As of 7 August, the total number of UNRWA colleagues killed since 7 October is 205," said the agency.

The statement also highlighted that "up to 1.9 million people (or nine in ten people) across Gaza are internally displaced, including people who have been repeatedly displaced (some up to 10 times)".

The health system remains "barely functional with 90 hospitals and primary health care centers not functioning", according to the agency.

1115 GMT — Lebanon backs US-Egypt-Qatar call for ceasefire in Gaza

Lebanon declared its support for the joint initiative of the US, Egypt and Qatar aimed at establishing a ceasefire in Gaza.

During a press conference in the capital Beirut, Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib said that "the Lebanese government supports the joint statement issued by US President Joe Biden, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el Sisi, and Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani".

The minister praised the efforts of the three leaders and their respective countries in establishing a "framework agreement".

"The Lebanese government values the importance of concluding a ceasefire agreement and the release of hostages based on the principles set forth by President Biden and the UN Security Council Resolution 2735," said Habib.

0953 GMT — 5 rockets fired from Lebanon land in open areas of northern Israel

Five rockets were fired from Lebanon and landed in open areas in the northern Israeli settlement of Metula, Israeli media reported.

The rockets landed in open areas, Haaretz daily said, citing the Metula local council.

However, alarm sirens were activated in the Metula and Kfar Yuval settlements, Israel's Channel 12 reported.

The Lebanon-based Hezbollah group has not commented on the rocket attack.

0937 GMT — Israel army says US CENTCOM chief makes second visit to assess security

The Israeli military said the head of US Central Command, General Michael Kurilla, had arrived in Israel for his second visit this week to assess the security situation amid fears of a region-wide Middle East war.

Israel's army chief Lieutenant-General Herzi Halevi and Kurilla, who arrived on Thursday, held a "situational assessment on security and strategic issues, as well as joint preparations in the region, as part of the response to threats in the Middle East", the military said in a statement.

Kurilla also visited on Monday.

0826 GMT — Sweden supports ongoing negotiations for ceasefire in Gaza

Sweden completely supports the ongoing negotiations and joint efforts by Qatar, Egypt and the US to bring a ceasefire in Gaza, the Swedish foreign minister said on Friday.

"Sweden gives full support to the efforts of bringing the ongoing negotiations of a ceasefire and the release of hostages held in Gaza to a rapid and successful conclusion," Tobias Billstrom stated on X.

"We endorse and support Qatar, Egypt and the US in their joint efforts to accomplish a deal," he added.

0825 GMT — Australia backs call for ceasefire in Gaza

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese backed the call by the US, Egypt, and Qatar in pressing for a ceasefire in Gaza, urging "all parties to agree to the deal".

"Any delay will only see more lives lost. Civilians must be protected, hostages must be released, and aid must flow," said Albanese on X.

0808 GMT — Israel to send negotiation team on August 15 to finalise hostage exchange deal

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that Israel will send its negotiation team on August 15 to finalise the details of a hostage exchange agreement with Palestinian resistance factions in Gaza.

"Pursuant to the proposal by the US and the mediators, Israel will — on 15 August — send the negotiations team to a place to be determined in order to finalise the details of the implementation of the framework agreement," Netanyahu's office said in a statement.

There was no immediate comment from the Palestinian resistance group Hamas on the statement.

0802 GMT — 2 killed in Israeli drone attack on southern Lebanese town

At least two people were killed in an Israeli attack targeting a southern Lebanese town.

In a statement, the Lebanese Health Ministry said that "two people were martyred by an Israeli drone strike on the town of Naqoura".

0718 GMT — Overnight Israeli air strikes kill several Palestinians in Gaza

At least eight Palestinians were killed and several others injured in overnight Israeli air strikes targeting the Nuseirat, Al Maghazi, and Jabalia refugee camps, as well as the cities of Khan Younis and Rafah in Gaza.

According to the Palestinian news agency Wafa, three civilians were killed and others injured in an Israeli air strike on a house west of Nuseirat camp in central Gaza.

Two more Palestinians were killed in a similar attack on homes in the Al Maghazi camp in central Gaza.

Local sources reported that Israeli aircraft targeted a house in Block 4 of the Jabalia camp in northern Gaza, killing three Palestinians and injuring several others.

Separately, a number of Palestinians were killed and wounded when the Israeli army attacked a tent sheltering displaced people in the Shawafin area, east of Khan Younis, in southern Gaza.

The Israeli military also continued its bombardment, demolishing homes and residential blocks in Rafah, southern Gaza.

0644 GMT — Israeli army launches new attack in Khan Younis

The Israeli army said it has launched a "military offensive" in southern Gaza's area of Khan Younis.

The Israeli army claimed in a statement that the offensive is based on intelligence that indicates the presence of "Hamas and Islamic Jihad infrastructure, and operatives in southern Gaza Strip".

The Israeli army had previously attacked the Khan Younis area crowded with displaced civilians, under the same pretext.

0327 GMT — Egypt urges global push to end Israel's war on Gaza

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el Sisi has called for international efforts to push for an agreement that would end Israel's war on Gaza.

The move came during a phone call he received from his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, according to a statement from the Egyptian Presidency.

The statement said that Sisi, during his conversation with Macron, highlighted Egypt's "intensive communications" with all parties to halt the escalation in the region and avoid slipping into "a new cycle of uncalculated conflict", which "threatens to spark a full-scale regional confrontation".

He stressed the importance of international efforts to press forward towards a ceasefire agreement in Gaza, as the continuation of the war in the region is the "main driver" of the current escalation.

According to the statement, the two presidents agreed to intensify efforts and coordination in the coming period to ensure the security and stability of the region and to prevent the expansion of the conflict, which threatens the welfare of the region's people.

2100 GMT — Israel kills at least 60 Palestinians in 24 hours

Israeli military killed at least 60 Palestinians and wounded hundreds in various parts of besieged Gaza in the last 24 hours.

Mahmud Basal, Spokesperson of the Civil Defence Unit in Gaza, stated in his statement that a Palestinian was killed as a result of the Israeli army bombing the house belonging to the Reyyan family in the north of Gaza.

Palestinian officials said that 26 Palestinians were killed in the attacks carried out by the Israeli army's artillery units in the north of Gaza and Gaza City.

Five Palestinians were killed as a result of the Israeli army targeting the house belonging to the Seldan family in the centre of Gaza City, five more in the attacks on the Zeytun neighbourhood, and 16 as a result of the targeting of Ez-Zehra and Abdulfettah Hammud schools in the east of the city, where displaced Palestinians were sheltered.

2037 GMT — Mediators invite Israel, Hamas to resume Gaza truce talks

Qatari, Egyptian and US leaders called on Israel and Hamas to resume urgent talks on August 15, either in Doha or Cairo, to bridge all remaining gaps in the proposed Gaza ceasefire agreement and start implementing it without any delay, the three countries said in a joint statement.

"It is the time to conclude a ceasefire agreement and release hostages and prisoners," the statement added.

"A framework agreement is now on the table with only the details of implementation left to conclude," they said, adding that they are "prepared to present a final bridging proposal that resolves the remaining implementation issues in a manner that meets the expectations of all parties".

Hours later, Israel said it will send a delegation of negotiators "to the agreed place to conclude the details of implementing a deal".

2000 GMT — Hamas says Smotrich's starvation call is 'explicit embrace of genocide policy'

Hamas said far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich's call to starve two million Palestinians in besieged Gaza is an "explicit embrace of a policy of genocide".

"The statement by the Nazi Smotrich, where he claimed that starving two million Palestinians in Gaza is 'justified and moral', is a blatant admission of the occupation's premeditated intent and its actual adoption of a genocidal policy in Gaza," Izzat al Risheq, a member of Hamas's political bureau, said in a statement.

"Typically, criminals hide their crimes, but we are dealing with a brazen enemy who openly boasts about his heinous acts," he said.

Al-Risheq urged the International Criminal Court (ICC) to issue an arrest warrant for "Smotrich, the terrorist who promotes and supports genocide" and to hold him and his "gang" accountable.

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry also encouraged the ICC to issue an arrest warrant for Smotrich because of his comments.

For our live updates from Thursday, August 8, 2024, click here.