Live blog: Israel targets Gaza refugee camp, killing many — civil agency

Saturday, May 11, 2024

2113 GMT — The Civil Defense in Gaza has announced that teams recovered nine bodies and several wounded victims, including a child, as a result of an Israeli bombing attack on a house in the middle of the enclave.

“Civil defence teams were able to recover 9 martyrs and rescue a child and a number of injuries after the occupation aircraft targeted the house of the Al-Louh family in Deir al-Balah refugee camp,” it said in a statement.

Witnesses told Anadolu news agency that the Israeli shelling led to the destruction of the house and caused extensive damage to homes and property.

More updates 👇

2047 GMT — Belgium halts Eurovision in protest of Israel's Gaza bombing

Belgium's national broadcaster again interrupted the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 to condemn Israel's violations of human rights and press freedom, as well as to call for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Belgium's VRT television interrupted the Eurovision contest in Malmo, Sweden, to protest Israel's attacks on Gaza.

"We condemn human rights violations," it stated on X.

2036 GMT — Thousands of anti-war protesters rally in Madrid

Thousands of anti-war demonstrators have marched through Madrid to demand a ceasefire in war-torn Gaza and a severing of ties between Spain and Israel.

Numbering around 4,000 according to the authorities, protesters held up banners and signs condemning a "genocide" in Gaza and lauding the "resistance" of the Palestinian people.

Palestinians have been "crammed" in southern Gaza and "now they are displaced again from one place to another while there are no more safe places", said 57-year-old Jaldia Abubakra, referring to Israeli evacuation orders in the city of Rafah.

2027 GMT — Gaza truce 'tomorrow' if Hamas releases hostages: Biden

US President Joe Biden has said that a ceasefire in Israel's Gaza war was possible "tomorrow" if Hamas released its hostages.

"There would be a ceasefire tomorrow if Hamas would release the hostages," Biden said at a fundraiser outside Seattle, at the home of a former Microsoft executive, after avoiding the topic at three similar events on Friday.

1846 GMT — Egypt voices concern over Israel's occupying Rafah crossing

Egypt on Saturday voiced concern over the Israeli army's occupation of the Rafah crossing, warning "all concerned parties" that Israel is responsible for the deterioration of humanitarian conditions in Gaza, an Egyptian media outlet reported.

Amid Israeli military escalation and widespread displacement in the region, Egypt “warned Israel of the repercussions of its continued control over the Rafah crossing and held it fully responsible for the deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Gaza,” Al Qahera News said, citing a high-level source.

1827 GMT — Israeli army claims 4 rockets fired toward Kerem Shalom area

The Israeli army claimed that it intercepted one out of four rockets launched from Rafah in southern Gaza towards the illegal settlement of Kerem Shalom, near Rafah city, while the other three fell in open areas.

“Following the sirens that were activated in the Kerem Shalom area a while ago, 4 rocket launches were detected from Rafah,” the army said on X.

The army added, “The air defense fighters (system) managed to intercept one rocket, and the rest fell in an open area, with no injuries reported.”

No Palestinian factions have claimed responsibility for the rocket launches as of 1300GMT.

1751 GMT — Israel's Rafah evacuation orders 'unacceptable': EU's Michel

Israel's evacuation orders to Palestinian civilians trapped in the southern Gaza city of Rafah are "unacceptable", EU chief Charles Michel wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

"We call on the Israeli government to respect international humanitarian law and urge not to undertake a ground operation in #Rafah," he added.

1743 GMT — Israel says it is preventing Hamas from re-establishing military hold in Gaza's Jabalia

Israeli forces operating in Jabalia in northern Gaza are preventing Hamas from re-establishing its military capabilities there, Israel's military spokesperson said.

"We identified in the past weeks attempts by Hamas to rehabilitate its military capabilities in Jabalia. We are operating there to eliminate those attempts," said Daniel Hagari during a briefing to reporters.

Hagari also said that Israeli forces operating in Gaza City's Zeitoun district killed about 30 Palestinian fighters.

1700 GMT — Israel strikes Gaza as more Rafah evacuations ordered

Israeli strikes hit parts of Gaza including Rafah where Israel expanded an evacuation order and the UN warned of an "epic" disaster if an outright invasion of the crowded city goes ahead.

AFP journalists, medics and witnesses reported strikes across the coastal territory, where the UN says humanitarian relief is blocked after Israeli troops defied international opposition and entered eastern Rafah this week, effectively shutting a key aid crossing and suspending traffic through another.

At least 21 people were killed during strikes in central Gaza and taken to al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al Balah city, a hospital statement said.

In Rafah, at least 14 Palestinians were killed when Israeli warplanes bombed a house and two civilian gatherings.

Eyewitnesses told Anadolu Agency that “four members of the Shaeer family, killed by Israeli air strikes targeting a gathering of civilians in the eastern areas of Rafah city, south of Gaza, were brought to al-Kuwaiti Hospital.”

They added that al-Kuwaiti Hospital received 10 martyrs, seven of whom fell victim to the targeting of the Hashash family's house in the Arab area northwest of Rafah, and three others in a gathering of citizens in the Salam neighborhood east of the city.

Their bodies are in “shreds,” they said.

1655 GMT — British-Israeli hostage dies from injuries sustained in Israeli air strike on Gaza: Hamas

The Hamas armed wing Qassam Brigades announced on Saturday the death of a British national in its custody in Gaza as a result of injuries sustained during an Israeli air strike last month.

“Nadav Popplewell, a 51-year-old British citizen, died today after being seriously injured a month ago (due to Zionist air strikes),” the Hamas military wing said in a video message released on Telegram.

The video revealed that Popplewell's mother, Channah Peri, was released as part of a hostage swap deal, while "the son (Nadav) was left to face death."

It showed a clip of the hostage speaking while his injury was visible in his eye.

Qassam Brigades spokesman Abu Ubaida said Popplewell's health condition “deteriorated” until “he succumbed due to not receiving intensive medical care in health care facilities as a result of the enemy's destruction o f hospitals in Gaza and their being out of service.”

1319 GMT — Over 520 bodies found in new mass graves in Gaza hospitals

More than 520 bodies were found in seven mass graves at hospitals in Gaza, the Palestinian Health Ministry said.

“We found 80 bodies in three mass graves in the courtyards of the al-Shifa Medical Complex and dozens more inside the hospital departments,” the ministry said in a statement.

“A virtual examination of the bodies exhumed from mass graves showed that the largest number of bodies belonged to patients who were deprived of health care,” it added.

1150 GMT — UN agency says 150,000 Palestinians have fled Rafah

The UN agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA) said around 150,000 Palestinians have left Rafah, the southern Gaza city where an Israeli invasion is underway despite international outcry.

“Everywhere you look now in west Rafah this morning, families are packing up. Streets are significantly emptier,” Louise Wateridge, a UNRWA spokeswoman, said on X.

“UNRWA estimates 150, 000 people have now fled Rafah," she added.

“New areas have been issued evacuation orders towards central Rafah in south Gaza and Jabalia in North Gaza,” Wateridge said, referring to instructions by the Israeli military Saturday morning.

1104 GMT — Palestinian death toll nears 35,000 as Israel continues to pound Gaza

At least 34,971 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 78,641 other people have also been injured in the onslaught.

“Israeli attacks killed 28 people and injured 69 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.

1020 GMT — Hamas says reports on Israel's secret detention centers ‘only scratch surface of atrocities’

The Palestinian resistance group Hamas has asserted that recent disclosures regarding Israel's secret detention facilities represent “just a fraction of the broader human rights violations Israel is perpetrating.”

In a statement, Hamas said that what CNN's report revealed “only scratches the surface of atrocities committed against Palestinian detainees."

“This investigation, in addition to the horrific testimonies narrated by recently liberated detainees from these covert holding sites, likened to human slaughterhouses exceeding the horrors of Nazism, underline the urgent need for international human rights bodies to meticulously record these atrocities,” Hamas added.

0911 GMT — Israel expands east Rafah, north Gaza evacuation order

The Israeli military has issued more evacuation orders for various areas in Gaza, where it has waged a brutal war since last October.

The latest evacuation order, which some residents said they had received via text and audio messages to their phones, comes days after Israeli tanks and troops entered Rafah, the Palestinian territory's southernmost city, and seized a key crossing on the Egyptian border.

Army spokesman Avichay Adraee in a statement issued “a call to all residents and displaced people in the Jabalia area and the neighbourhoods of Al Salam, Al Nour, Tal Al Zaatar, Beit Lahia Project, Jabalia Camp, Ezbet Mlin, Al Rawda, Al Nuzha, Al Jarn, Al Nahda, and Al Zuhour” in northern Gaza demanding that they “go immediately to the shelters west of Gaza City.”

The army also demanded the evacuation of some neighbourhoods in eastern Rafah, a southern Gaza city where it has expanded assaults.

It called “on some neighbourhoods in eastern Rafah … specifically in the Rafah and Shaboura camps, and the neighbourhoods of Al Adari, Al Jeneina, and Khirbat Al Adas in blocks 6-9, 17, 25-27, 31” to head to some parts of Al Mawasi.

0937 GMT — 'We hope Israelis will hear our views on Rafah': US envoy to UN

The US ambassador to the UN has said they “hope Israelis will hear our views” on Rafah, the southern Gaza city where the Israeli War Cabinet authorised to conduct military offensive earlier this week.

“We said we were concerned about a major ground operation in Rafah,” Robert Wood said in an interview in New York. “We are communicating with Israelis daily on this issue. We will continue to do that,” he said.

He added that US officials “make very clear” to Israelis that there are “other ways to achieve your objectives” rather than “going forward with full-fledged ground operation.”

“We consulted them on some of those ideas. And so we hope that they will hear our views,” the envoy said.

0916 GMT — Hezbollah says it targeted Israeli soldiers gathering near border

Hezbollah has said it targeted a building where Israeli soldiers were holed up in a settlement near Lebanon's southern border.

In a statement, the group said its fighters directly hit “a building where enemy soldiers were positioned in the Metula settlement with appropriate weapons.

The attack was “in response to the Zionist attacks on the steadfast southern villages and civilian homes, the latest of which targeted the town of Tayr Harfa,” Hezbollah said, referring to Friday's raid which killed at least two.

0912 GMT — Another Palestinian journalist killed in Gaza

Another Palestinian journalist was killed in an Israeli air strike in Gaza, the government media office in the blockaded enclave has said in a statement.

Bahaa Okasha, a photojournalist for the Al Aqsa media network, was killed alongside his wife and children in an Israeli bombing that targeted his house in the Jabalia camp, in northern Gaza.

At least 143 journalists and media workers are among the nearly 35,000 Palestinians killed in Gaza since the war began on Oct. 7, 2023.

0829 GMT — Scores of Palestinians killed in Israeli bombardment of Gaza

Scores of Palestinians were killed and several others injured in an overnight Israeli bombardment of Gaza, official media has reported.

Palestinian news agency Wafa said, “Israeli fighter jets targeted several areas in the central Gaza Strip, resulting in the killing of at least 24 persons.”

Of the victims, at least 20 arrived at the Al Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the city of Deir al Balah, according to medical sources.

Separately, Wafa said Israeli forces fired shells on houses and structures in the Al Zaytoun and Al Sabra neighbourhoods in Gaza City, resulting in severe damage.

In Jabalia, northern Gaza, another seven Palestinians were killed and many others injured in Israeli attacks, the news agency reported.

0357 GMT — Israeli fresh attacks in Gaza claim lives, including journalist

Numerous people, including a journalist, have been killed by Israeli attacks in Gaza, according to a media report.

The Israeli army launched attacks on locations in the northern and central parts of Gaza, according to the Palestinian news agency, WAFA.

In an attack on a house in the northern Jabalia Refugee Camp, journalist Baha Ukase, along with his wife and son, were killed.

In the old city area of Gaza City, an attack on the Siyam family's home resulted in numerous casualties.

Similarly, attacks on two houses in the Ez-Zeitoun and Es-Sabra neighbourhoods of Gaza City also resulted in multiple deaths and injuries.

Health teams retrieved at least three bodies from a targeted house in the Sabra neighbourhood, while civil defence and health teams faced difficulties reaching the Zeytun neighbourhood, which is occupied by the Israeli army.

The attacks in the central part of Gaza targeted the town of Ez-Zawayda and the Nuseirat Refugee Camp, resulting in numerous casualties.

0346 GMT — Dozens of children in Gaza demand reopening of schools

Dozens of children gathered in front of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the central Gaza town of Deir al Balah to express a desire to return to schools and live in peace.

Palestinian children are deprived of their right to education because of Israeli attacks.

Organised by a group of young people, the children carried banners with slogans such as, "Education is our right, we demand education" and "We want to live in peace and security."

0255 GMT — Australia says Palestinian UN membership bid builds peace momentum

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong has said the country's support for a Palestinian bid to become a full United Nations member was part of building momentum to secure peace in Israel's war on Gaza.

Australia voted on Friday with the overwhelming majority of the UN General Assembly in backing the resolution that would effectively recognise a Palestinian state. It recommended the Security Council "reconsider the matter favorably".

"Much of our region and many of our partners also voted yes," Wong told a press conference in Adelaide. "We all know one vote on its own won't end this conflict - it has spanned our entire lifetimes - but we all have to do what we can to build momentum towards peace."

0144 GMT — Israel intentionally targets Gaza's social fabric: Palestinian researcher

Israel has intentionally harmed Palestine's social fabric with attacks on Gaza since Oct. 7, according to a Palestinian researcher.

"Israel continues its crimes to deepen the crisis and prolong it, deliberately harming the social and psychological system of the Palestinian people in Gaza," said Emjad al-Sheva, head of the Civil Society Organisations Network.

Al Sheva said that the Israeli army forcibly displaces Palestinians, demolishing their homes and exacerbating the humanitarian crisis.

He said Israel's attacks in Gaza have led to an unprecedented humanitarian disaster.

0011 GMT — Israeli whistleblowers reveal disturbing conditions for Palestinian detainees at Negev desert camp: Report

Israeli whistleblowers have revealed disturbing conditions at the Sde Teiman desert camp, a military base turned detention centre in the Negev desert, according to a report by CNN.

The facility holds Palestinians detained during Israel’s invasion of Gaza.

“Rows of men in gray tracksuits are seen sitting on paper-thin mattresses, ringfenced by barbed wire. All appear blindfolded, their heads hanging heavy under the glare of floodlights,” said the report, citing whistleblowers. “We were told they were not allowed to move. They should sit upright. They’re not allowed to talk. Not allowed to peek under their blindfold.”

The report said detainees are “placed under extreme physical restraint and a field hospital where wounded detainees are strapped to their beds, wearing diapers and fed through straws.”

2200 GMT — Türkiye, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iraq hail UNGA's resolution

Türkiye, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Iraq have welcomed the passing of a resolution by the UN General Assembly that calls for a reassessment of Palestine's UN membership bid, according to separate statements.

Turkish Foreign Ministry said "We welcome the decision of the UN General Assembly to allow Palestine to participate in UN work with broader rights and privileges. This decision once again demonstrated the strong support of the overwhelming majority of the international community for the Palestinian people's right to their own state and the two-state solution."

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry described the passing as "historic" and "an embodiment of a historical reality on the ground and a recognition of the rights of a people that have suffered from foreign occupation for over seven decades.

Saudi Arabia said the resolution "clearly expresses the international consensus in favour of the legitimate right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and to establish their independent state on the basis of the two-state solution."

The Iraqi Foreign Ministry said it "reveals the great international support for the Palestinian people in obtaining their legitimate rights, and enhances the privileges of the State of Palestine throughout the world due to the importance of the historic decision."

2141 GMT — UAE slams Netanyahu for seeking its role in Gaza administration

The United Arab Emirates has denounced Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's statement about "inviting the state to participate in civil administration of Gaza," in statements published by the UAE foreign minister on social media platform X.

The statements said Netanyahu "has no legitimate authority" to call for a part in the civil administration of besieged Gaza.

Acknowledging hundreds of Israeli soldiers were killed in Gaza, Netanyahu said on Thursday there is a need for a civilian government in Gaza, possibly with the support of the UAE, Saudi Arabia and others.

2124 GMT — Belgium, Denmark, Spain welcome UNGA's Palestine resolution

Belgium, Denmark and Spain have welcomed a UN resolution calling for the reevaluation of Palestine's UN membership bid.

"We voted in favour and sponsored the resolution on the status of Palestine at the @UN," Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

"The signal sent by Belgium is clear. Palestine must have its full place in international forums. This is an essential step towards a two-state solution and a credible peace process."

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said, according to the ministry on X: "Today we are giving Palestine a stronger voice at the @UN. I hope today's resolution can be a beacon of hope for the future of the Palestinian people in these dark times."

Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares wrote on X that his country "has co-sponsored and voted in favour, along with 142 countries, of the resolution for Palestine to be a full member @UN."

"We celebrate its approval at the @ONU_es General Assembly," he added and emphasised that the "two-state solution with the recognition of the Palestinian state is the path to peace."

2112 GMT — EU, Belgium, Denmark, Spain condemn arson attacks on UNRWA

The European Union, Belgium, Spain and Denmark have condemned arson attacks on the headquarters of the UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees [UNRWA] in occupied East Jerusalem.

"The EU condemns the two arson attacks on the UNRWA compound in occupied East Jerusalem on 9 May, which happened at a time of increasing escalation and a growing campaign against the agency and the UN system at large," an EU spokesperson said.

The bloc called on Israeli authorities "to ensure the security and safety of UN staff and its premises in line with its obligations under international law and to bring the perpetrators to justice."

2105 GMT — Fire in Qiryat Shemona in northern Israel after Hezbollah rocket attack

Fire erupted in the area of the Qiryat Shemona [Kiryat Shmona in Hebrew] settlement in northern Israel following a rocket attack from Lebanon by Hezbollah, Israeli media reported.

The Ynet news website said firefighters are battling two large fires that were sparked by the attack by the Lebanese group.

It added that ten firefighting teams are working to extinguish the fire.

Hezbollah said earlier that it targeted the Qiryat Shemona settlement with Katyusha rockets in response to Israeli attacks on the town of Tyre Harfa in southern Lebanon.

Israeli Army Radio reported that around 35 rockets were launched from Lebanon toward the settlement, causing significant damage but no injuries.

2100 GMT — Colombia's Petro urges ICC arrest warrant for Netanyahu

President Gustavo Petro has called for the International Criminal Court [ICC] to issue an arrest warrant for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose government he has described as "genocidal" in its war in besieged Gaza.

"Netanyahu will not stop the genocide. That implies an international arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court," Petro wrote on X.

He added that the UN Security Council "must begin to consider the establishment of a peacekeeping force in the territory of Gaza."

2040 GMT — UNSC calls for investigation into Gaza mass graves

The UN Security Council has called for an immediate and independent investigation into mass graves allegedly containing hundreds of bodies near hospitals in besieged Gaza.

In a statement, members of the council expressed their "deep concern over reports of the discovery of mass graves, in and around the Nasser and Al-Shifa medical facilities in Gaza, where several hundred bodies, including women, children and older persons, were buried."

The members stressed the need for "accountability" for any violations of international law and called on investigators to be given "unimpeded access to all locations of mass graves in Gaza to conduct immediate, independent, thorough, comprehensive, transparent and impartial investigations."

For our live updates from Friday, May 10, click here.