Live blog: Israeli strike kills five Palestinians in West Bank – ministry

Monday, August 26, 2024

1939 GMT –– Five Palestinians have been killed in an Israeli strike on the occupied West Bank's Nur Shams refugee camp, the Palestinian Health Ministry said in a statement.

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1828 GMT — Jordan condemns Ben-Gvir's call to build synagogue inside Al-Aqsa Mosque

Jordan has condemned a call by Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir to build a synagogue at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem.

In a statement, the Jordanian Foreign Ministry called his statement as "a violation of international law and an unacceptable provocation that requires a clear-cut international position condemning it."

The statement added that Ben-Gvir's statement "fuels extremism and endeavours to change the historical and legal status quo in Jerusalem and its holy sites through imposing new facts and practices driven by a bigoted exclusionary narrative."

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1818 GMT — Egypt slams Israeli minister Ben-Gvir

Egypt has denounced Itamar Ben-Gvir for a call to build a synagogue at the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in occupied East Jerusalem, saying his statement is heightening tension in the occupied Palestinian territories.

In a statement, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said Israel is legally responsible for adhering to the status quo at the Al-Aqsa Mosque and preserving Islamic and Christian sanctities.

It also demanded Israel comply with its obligations as an occupying power, and "stop such provocative statements aimed at further escalation and tension in the region."

1752 GMT — Progress in Gaza talks despite Lebanon flare-up: White House

The White House has said that Gaza truce talks in Cairo have made progress and were expected to continue at a working level for several days despite clashes between Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah.

"There continues to be progress, and our team on the ground continues to describe the talks as constructive," National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters.

"So despite the rocket and drone attack by Hezbollah over the course of the weekend, which Israel did a terrific job defending against, it has not affected the actual work on the ground by the teams trying to get this ceasefire deal in place," Kirby said.

1631 GMT — Israel launches more strikes on Lebanon: state media, witnesses

After a short-lived calm following a heavy exchange of strikes between Israel and the Lebanese group Hezbollah, clashes have again resumed.

State media and witnesses reported that Israeli strikes targeted the Lebanese border village of Tair Harfa and an area of the coastal city of Sidon. A car was hit in the latter strike.

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported that a man "from one of the Palestinian organisations" had survived the strike on the car. Hezbollah announced that it had targeted military surveillance equipment in northern Israel with an exploding drone.

1611 GMT — US still sees a threat of Iran, proxies attacking Israel

The United States assesses there is still a threat of a new attack on Israel by Iran or its proxies, the Pentagon has said, after Lebanon's Hezbollah launched a rocket and drone barrage over the weekend.

"We continue to assess that there is a threat of attack, and we... remain well-postured to be able to support Israel's defence as well as to protect our forces should they be attacked," Pentagon spokesperson Major General Pat Ryder told journalists.

1458 GMT — One of Gaza's last functioning hospitals is emptying

One of Gaza's last functioning hospitals has been emptying out in recent days as Israel has ordered the evacuation of nearby areas and signalled a possible ground operation in a town that has been largely spared throughout the war, officials said.

The al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al Balah is the main hospital serving central Gaza. The Israeli military has not ordered its evacuation, but patients and people sheltering there fear that it may be engulfed in fighting or become the target of a raid.

1535 GMT — Palestine to apply for BRICS membership after upcoming Kazan summit

Palestine is expected to submit its application to join the BRICS, a group of emerging economies, after its upcoming summit in October in the city of Kazan, southwestern Russia.

Russian state news agency TASS quoted the Palestinian ambassador to Moscow, Abdel Hafiz Nofal, as saying that Palestine will lodge its application for joining BRICS after attending the summit.

"Russian President Vladimir Putin promised that one session would be fully devoted to Palestine," the Palestinian ambassador said. Earlier, Putin invited Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to attend the BRICS summit in Kazan.

1523 GMT — UN aid operations in Gaza halted after Israel evacuation orders

United Nations humanitarian aid operations in Gaza ground to a halt after Israel issued new evacuation orders for Deir al Balah in central Gaza, a senior UN official said.

"We're unable to deliver today with the conditions that we're in," said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity. "We're not leaving (Gaza) because the people need us there," the official said. "We're trying to balance the need of the population with the need for safety and security of the UN personnel ."

1418 GMT — Palestinians in Deir al Balah suffer worsening water scarcity: UN agency

Israeli attacks in central Gaza's Deir al Balah have forced most water wells out of service, resulting in an 85 percent water shortfall, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) said.

The Israeli army on Sunday demanded Palestinians evacuate an area east of Deir al Balah that was previously designated as a "humanitarian area" by the military.

"Due to ongoing military operations in Deir al Balah, only 3 out of 18 water wells there are still functioning, resulting in an 85 percent water shortfall," UNRWA said in a statement.

"Not only are people in Gaza in constant fear for their lives, but they struggle to meet even their most basic needs."

1313 GMT — Egypt not to accept Israeli forces on its Gaza border: media

Egypt has said it will not accept the continued presence of Israeli forces along its border with Gaza, state-linked media reported.

Cairo, a key mediator in efforts to secure a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, "reiterated to all parties that it will not accept any Israeli presence" along the strategic Philadelphi Corridor, state-linked Al Qahera News said, citing a high-level source.

1309 GMT — Israeli evacuation orders in Deir al-Balah force 250,000 people to flee

Israeli evacuation orders have forced around 250,000 Palestinian civilians to flee their neighbourhoods in Deir al Balah in central Gaza, according to local authorities.

"The new evacuation orders have created a new tragedy and deepened the suffering of the people of Deir al Balah," the municipal office said in a statement.

According to the office, the city was home to around half of Gaza’s Palestinian population. The evacuation orders "have caused the forced displacement of about 250,000 people and put 25 shelters out of service," it added.

1304 GMT — Israeli drone strike kills 7 fishermen near Gaza beach

At least seven fishermen have been killed and several others injured in an Israeli drone strike near Gaza City beach, according to a medical source.

The strike targeted the fishermen as they were fishing, the source told Anadolu. The drone fired a missile into a group of fishermen as they gathered on Gaza City beach, witnesses said.

1220 GMT — Gaza death toll climbs to 40,435 as Israeli onslaught continues

At least 30 more Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza, bringing the overall death toll since Oct. 7 last year to 40,435, the Health Ministry in the enclave has said.

A ministry statement added that some 93,534 other people have been injured in the assault. "Israeli forces killed 30 people and injured 66 others in two 'massacres' of families in the last 24 hours," the statement said.

"Many people are still trapped under the rubble and on the roads as rescuers are unable to reach them," it noted.

1157 GMT — Iran praises Hezbollah attack on Israel

Iran has praised the drone and missile assault by Lebanon's Hezbollah group on Israel, saying the Israeli state had lost the ability to prevent such attacks amid heightened regional tensions.

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah on Sunday said the group had launched a large-scale attack on Israel, targeting "the Glilot base - the main Israeli military intelligence base".

"The Zionist regime may be able to hide, distort or censor some facts regarding Lebanese Hezbollah operations, but it knows very well that the existing facts will not change," Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanani posted on X.

1056 GMT — Palestinian presidency deplores Ben-Gvir's synagogue plan

Palestinian Presidency has said that Israeli Minister Ben-Gvir's call to build a synagogue in al-Aqsa Mosque is an attempt to drag the region into a religious war, which will burn everything.

A Palestinian man was gunned down on Monday after being shot by Israeli forces in the occupied southern West Bank, the Palestinian Health Ministry reported.

0931 GMT — Palestinians flee Gaza hospital amid Israeli evacuation orders

Palestinians have been forced to flee the al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital and its surroundings amid Israeli orders for residents to evacuate an area east of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza.

Patients and wounded at the hospital fled on foot, in wheelchairs, or hospital beds after Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee asked them to evacuate eastern Deir al-Balah.

0906 GMT — Palestinian shot dead by Israeli forces in occupied West Bank

Eyad Ayed Abdel-Najjar, 46, has died after being shot in the head by Israeli forces in the Jinba area near Yatta, south of Hebron, a ministry statement said.


Witnesses told Anadolu Agency that an Israeli military unit opened fire at Palestinians near the “apartheid wall,” hitting Abdel-Najjar. He was rushed to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

0859 GMT — At least 15 killed as Israeli forces attack homes, school sheltering displaced people in Gaza

At least 15 Palestinians have been killed and dozens injured in Israeli strikes targeting homes and a school sheltering displaced civilians in Gaza, according to medical sources.

An Israeli drone hit a house in western Gaza City, killing five people, including two children and a woman, and injuring 15 others, a medical source told Anadolu Agency.

0754 GMT — Israeli forces shell Gaza school sheltering displaced

A Palestinian woman has been killed and several others injured as Israeli forces shelled a school sheltering displaced people north of the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza.

The elderly woman was killed and several other displaced people were injured when the Israeli army shelled the Al-Izz bin Abdul Salam School in the northern part of the Nuseirat refugee camp, medical sources told Anadolu Agency.

0254 GMT — Israel kills several Palestinians in Gaza City, Khan Younis

Israel has killed several Palestinians and wounded others after it bombed two homes in Gaza City and Khan Younis governorate in besieged Gaza.

"We have received several martyrs due to an Israeli strike on a house on Al-Shuhada Street in Gaza City," a medical source at Baptist Hospital in Gaza told Anadolu Agency.

Eyewitnesses reported that warplanes targeted the Abu Rida family's home in the town of Abasan al-Kabira, east of Khan Younis city in Khan Younis governorate, resulting in deaths and wounds.

The victims were transported by medical and civil defence teams to the Gaza European Hospital.

2216 GMT — Gaza Health Ministry receives over one million polio vaccine doses

Gaza's Health Ministry announced that it received 1.26 million doses of the polio vaccine.

"A total of 1.26 million doses of the OPV2 polio vaccine have arrived, along with 500 vaccine coolers," the ministry said in a statement.

"Preparations are underway to launch the (vaccine) campaign in coordination with partners," the ministry added, without elaborating.

2202 GMT — US still working in Cairo to reach Gaza ceasefire: Sullivan

White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said the United States is still working in Cairo toward reaching a ceasefire deal in Gaza and added the United States is concerned about the Middle East tensions escalating to a broader war.

Sullivan also said at a news conference in Halifax the Biden administration is in consistent communication with Israel about the current situation with Hezbollah.

2121 GMT — Hezbollah confirms 'success' in retaliation against Israel

Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah announced its group's "success" in its military response to Israel's assassination of top commander Fuad Shukr, accusing Tel Aviv of "lying and failing."

"We identified the Galilot base as the primary target of our operation. It houses Unit 8200, which is responsible for intelligence gathering and espionage. The base is located 110 kilometres from the Lebanese border and only 1,500 metres from Tel Aviv," Nasrallah said in a televised speech.

"Our operation today was in two phases. In the first phase, we launched 340 Katyusha rockets targeting 12 sites and military barracks in northern Israel and the occupied Golan Heights. In the second phase, we directed dozens of drones towards military targets in the depth of enemy territory."

Regarding the results of the attack, he said, "Our data indicates that a significant number of drones successfully reached the two specified targets with precision, but the enemy remains secretive as usual."

2104 GMT — Hamas delegates leaves Cairo after reviewing truce talks results

Hamas' negotiating team left Cairo after reviewing the results of the latest round of Gaza ceasefire talks with Israel from the Egyptian and Qatari mediators, the resistance group said.

Izzat al Rishq, a Hamas leader, said on Telegram that their delegation "left Cairo this evening after meeting with mediators from Egypt and Qatar and hearing from them about the results of the latest round of negotiations," without giving further details.

"The delegation demanded that the occupation adhere to what was agreed upon on July 2, based on the statements made by US President Joe Biden and the UN Security Council resolution," he added.

Hamas reiterated "its readiness to implement what has been agreed upon to achieve the higher interests of its people and to halt aggression against them."

He said the delegation "emphasised the necessity for any agreement to include a permanent ceasefire, a complete withdrawal from Gaza, residents' return to their areas, humanitarian aid and reconstruction, and a serious hostage swap deal."

For our live updates from Sunday, August 25, 2024, click here.