Live blog: Israeli attacks on Gaza water supplies 'strictly prohibited'— UN

Monday, July 29, 2024

1719 GMT — Under international humanitarian law, it is "strictly prohibited" to attack objects essential to the survival of the civilian population, including water supplies, the UN Human Rights Office has said.

Noting that the office is aware of a video circulating that shows Israel bombing a drinking water reservoir for Palestinians in Rafah in southern Gaza, OHCHR spokesperson Jeremy Laurence told Anadolu Agency:

"It is indeed strictly prohibited under international humanitarian law to attack civilian objects."

"Moreover, it is prohibited to attack objects indispensable to the survival of the civilian population, such as drinking water supplies," Laurence added.

He also criticised Israel's lack of ability to ensure accountability under international humanitarian law (IHL) and international human rights law (IHRL), arguing that international action is required to fill the gap.

More updates 👇

1803 GMT — Hezbollah attacks Israeli military sites amid escalating tensions

Hezbollah has said it struck several military posts in northern Israel amid fears of a full-blown war with Tel Aviv.

The group said its fighters attacked with “appropriate weapons” newly installed espionage equipment at al Malikiyya post.

Hezbollah fighters also targeted with guided missiles the positions of Israeli soldiers at the al Raheb site and fired dozens of Katyusha rockets at the al Baghdadi site, the group said.

1800 GMT — Israelis protest arrest of soldiers accused of 'gang raping' Palestinian detainee

Right-wing Israeli protesters have stormed a military base in central Israel to protest the arrest of soldiers accused of "gang raping" a Palestinian detainee at Sde Teiman Prison in the Negev desert.

Protesters closed the Military Police base in Beit Lid town where the soldiers are held for questioning, Army Radio reported.

Masked soldiers in military uniform took part in the protest, Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper said.

Israeli media earlier reported that a detainee from Gaza was gang raped by Israeli soldiers at the Sde Teiman Prison in southern Israel.

1624 GMT — US says concerns over 'all-out war' between Israel and Hezbollah 'exaggerated'

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby has said concerns of an all-out war in the Middle East are “exaggerated” and diplomatic conversations continue to reduce tensions.

"We've all heard about this all-out war scenario now at multiple points over the last 10 months, those predictions were exaggerated then. Quite frankly, we think they're exaggerated now," Kirby told reporters.

1519 GMT — Israeli evacuation orders force Palestinians out of central Gaza

Thousands more Palestinians have fled a community in central Gaza in the face of new Israeli evacuation orders, worsening the humanitarian plight in an area already inundated with displaced people fleeing an assault in the south.

Israeli forces, which have now captured nearly the entire enclave in around 10 months of war, have spent the last several weeks launching major attacks on areas where they had previously claimed to have "uprooted Hamas fighters."

In its latest assault, Israel ordered residents on Sunday to flee Al-Bureij, just northeast of Deir.

"What is left? Deir? Deir is full of people. Everyone is in Deir. All of Gaza. Where should people go?" Aya Mansour told Reuters in Deir after fleeing from Bureij.

1452 GMT — Palestinian detainee gang-raped by Israeli soldiers at Sde Teiman Prison

A Palestinian detainee has been gang-raped by Israeli soldiers at the Sde Teiman Prison in the Negev desert in southern Israel, according to Israeli media.

Israeli public broadcaster KAN, citing a security source, said the detainee was taken to a hospital with severe injuries to an intimate body part, which left him without the ability to walk.

Several reports emerged of severe abuses against Palestinian detainees at the notorious facility since the start of Israel’s ongoing offensive on Gaza.

1435 GMT — Iran warns of serious consequences for any Israeli hit on Lebanon

Any possible Israeli attack on Lebanon will have serious consequences, Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian said in a phone call with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, Iran's state media has reported.

1425 GMT — Gaza Health Ministry declares polio epidemic

The Health Ministry in Gaza has declared a polio epidemic across the Palestinian territory, blaming Israel’s war on the enclave.

1347 GMT — Germany warns of escalation between Israel and Hezbollah

Germany has warned of an escalation between Israel and the Lebanese group Hezbollah after a deadly attack in the occupied Golan Heights.

“Especially in this tense situation, it is important to continue to avoid escalation and a regional conflagration. We make this clear to our partners again and again. All actors are called upon to use their influence on their allies in the region,” government's deputy spokeswoman Christiane Hoffmann told reporters in Berlin.

1345 GMT — Hamas says Netanyahu added new conditions and demands to US ceasefire proposal

Hamas has said in a statement that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had added new conditions and demands to a US ceasefire proposal.

The group said the Israeli ceasefire response showed that Netanyahu was stalling to avoid reaching an agreement.

1239 GMT — Israeli PM Netanyahu says cannot let occupied Golan Heights strike pass

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel would give a strong response to the weekend strike on the occupied Golan Heights that killed 12.

"The state of Israel will not and cannot let this pass. Our response will come, and it will be harsh," he said according to a statement from his office released following a visit to Majdal Shams.

1238 GMT — Gaza is ‘classic example of lost humanity,’ regrets Malaysian premier

The situation in Gaza is a “classic example” of “lost humanity,” Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has regretted.

Anwar called it an “unprincipled” attempt in the political, economic, and cultural spheres “where we have lost humanity.”

“(And) Gaza is classic example where in the name of democracy, you can allow and condone total chaos, oppression of the worst kind known to mankind in recent times,” the Malaysian prime minister told the 7th World Conference on Islamic Thought and Civilization in the northwestern Ipoh city.

Anwar said: “There is challenge, … to offer a viable, meaningful, effective alternative and not to be in despair.”

1159 GMT — Palestinian child dies of malnutrition amid Israeli siege on Gaza

A Palestinian child died of severe malnutrition caused by Israel’s crippling blockade on Gaza, according to a local medical source.

Ali Anas al-Tater, 6, breathed his last at the al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza City as a result of acute malnutrition exacerbated by the prolonged Israeli siege and the ensuing food crisis, the source told Anadolu.

Earlier this month, Hatem al-Hour, head of the neonatal department at Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis, warned that the number of Palestinians suffering from malnutrition was beyond the capacity of hospitals amid the ongoing Israeli war.

0935 GMT — Palestinian death toll in Israel's war on Gaza climbs to 39,363

At least 39,363 people have been killed in almost 10 months of Israel's war on Gaza, the Palestinian Health Ministry in the besieged enclave said.

The toll includes 39 deaths in 24 hours, according to ministry figures, which also list 90,923 people as having been wounded in Gaza since the war began on October 7, 2023.

0416 GMT –– Fears of Israeli attack force flight cancellations in Beirut

Flights at Beirut airport have been cancelled or delayed with Lebanon's Middle East Airlines (MEA) saying disruptions to its schedule were related to insurance risks, as tensions escalate between Israel and Hezbollah.

Lufthansa said it had suspended five routes to and from Beirut by the group's carriers Swiss International Air Lines, Eurowings and Lufthansa up to and including July 30 "in an abundance of caution".

Beirut airport's flight information board and flight tracking website Flightradar24 show Turkish Airlines also cancelled two flights overnight on Sunday.

Türkiye-based budget carrier SunExpress, Turkish Airlines subsidiary AJet, Greek carrier Aegean Airlines, Ethiopian Air and MEA have also cancelled flights scheduled to land in Beirut on Monday, Flightradar24 shows.

0030 GMT — UK's Starmer urges Israel to take steps towards Gaza ceasefire

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has told Israel's President Isaac Herzog there needed to be "immediate steps" towards a ceasefire in Israel's Gaza war.

"The Prime Minister said there must be immediate steps towards a ceasefire, so that hostages can be released and more humanitarian aid can get in for those in desperate need," Starmer's office said in a statement.

"The Prime Minister reiterated his ongoing support for Israel's right to self-defence in accordance with international law," the statement said.

0024 GMT –– Mossad chief returns to Israel following talks in Rome on ceasefire, hostage swap deal

The head of Israel's Mossad spy agency, David Barnea, returned to Tel Aviv after taking part in four-party talks in Rome in the latest push for a ceasefire in Gaza and prisoner swap deal with Hamas.

Israel is holding at least 9,500 Palestinians in its prisons and estimates that there are 115 Israeli hostages in Gaza. Hamas has announced that more than 70 prisoners were killed in Israeli air strikes on the enclave.

"At the (Rome) meeting, the sides discussed the document with the clarifications regarding the draft agreement conveyed from Israel," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said on X.

"The negotiations on the main issues will continue in the coming days," it added.

0007 GMT –– Israel's Netanyahu delays evacuation of 150 sick, wounded children from Gaza to UAE

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has delayed the evacuation of 150 sick and wounded Palestinian children from Gaza to the United Arab Emirates for treatment, an Israeli media outlet reported.

"A group of sick children from Gaza was supposed to leave for the UAE via Israel tomorrow (Monday), but after the Majdal Shams incident, Prime Minister Netanyahu ordered a delay in their departure," the state-run broadcasting authority said.

It said Netanyahu decided to postpone the children's departure via Israel's Ramon Airbase. The authority did provide a new departure date for the sick children. There has been no comment from the UAE on the matter.

2137 GMT –– Algerian judoka dropped from Olympics before facing Israeli, officially for missing weight

Messaoud Dris of Algeria was dropped from the Paris Olympics judo competition Sunday night, officially for missing weight on the day before he was scheduled to take on Tohar Butbul of Israel.

The International Judo Federation issued a brief statement declaring Butbul the winner by walkover.

The bout was scheduled to be the first in the men's 73-kilogramme division Monday, but given its political implications, many suspected it would not happen from the moment Dris and Butbul were matched in the random draw last week.

For our live updates from Sunday, July 28, 2024, click here.