Live blog: Netanyahu chose Philadelphi Corridor over captives: Hamas

Sunday, September 1, 2024

2145 GMT — The Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Palestinian resistance group Hamas, has said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has chosen to maintain troops in the Philadelphi Corridor between Egypt and Gaza rather than getting back Israeli captives alive.

In the video, the brigades addressed the Israeli army: "What kind of heroism is this? And you are retrieving them as corpses after deliberately killing them."

“Indeed, they were alive and were supposed to be released in the first phase of the deal,” the message continued.

Addressing the families of the hostages, the group said: “Netanyahu chose the Philadelphi Corridor over the liberation of your captives."

The video included images of Israeli air strikes on Gaza as well as photos of the six captives announced by the army to have been found in Gaza, followed by the message: "They have become part of the history."

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1948 GMT — Israeli far-right minister calls AG to seek court to halt strike

Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich has asked the country's attorney general to submit an urgent request to courts to block a planned nationwide strike on Monday that aims to pressure Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government to bring back Israeli captives still held in Gaza.

In his letter to Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, Smotrich argued that a strike had no legal basis since it aimed to improperly influence significant policy decisions of politicians on issues related to state security.

He also said that a broad strike — which would shut the country including outgoing flights — has significant economic consequences which would cause unnecessary economic damage in wartime.

1929 GMT — Rally in Istanbul calls for boycott of Israeli products

Hundreds of activists have gathered in Istanbul to call for a boycott of companies supporting Israel.

The rally, organised by various non-governmental organizations under the slogan "All together to stop the oppression in Gaza," urged international organisations and Muslim countries to take action against Israel.

Protesters carried banners with messages such as "Continue the boycott" and "Free Palestine from the sea to the river."

Hamas political bureau member Suheil al-Hindi addressed the crowd, describing the ongoing situation in Gaza as a “genocide.”

Hindi said that the people of Gaza are left to die, adding: "There is death in Gaza. There is a massacre in Gaza, but there is also honour and struggle in Gaza."

Organisers of the rally criticised the UN for "double standards" and called on it to "fulfil its responsibility according to international law."

1926 GMT — Israel’s labour union calls strike for Palestinian prisoner swap deal

Israel’s largest labour union has called a general strike on Monday to pressure the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reach a prisoner swap deal with Palestinians.

The call came hours after the Israeli army said that it had recovered the bodies of six hostages from the southern Gaza.


“We are getting body bags instead of a deal. I have come to the conclusion that only our intervention might move those who need to be moved,” Histadrut Labor Federation chief Arnon Bar-David said on Sunday evening.

“I call on the people of Israel to go out to the streets tonight and tomorrow and for everyone to take part in the strike,” he added.

1900 GMT — Israel’s Ben-Gvir calls for killing Palestinian detainees

Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir renewed his call Sunday for restricting the movement of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and advocated for the killing of Palestinian detainees in Israeli jails.

In a post on his X account, Ben-Gvir called for “increasing the number of military checkpoints in the West Bank and halting the movement of Palestinians on its streets.”

His call followed the death of three police officers in a shooting attack near Hebron in the southern West Bank early Sunday.

"The right of Israelis to live takes precedence over the freedom of movement of Palestinian Authority residents," Ben-Gvir said as he inspected the site of the attack.

The extremist minister also called for adding the death penalty for Palestinian prisoners to the agenda of the Israeli security cabinet meeting.

1840 GMT — Pope says Gaza ceasefire negotiations should not stop

Pope Francis said that the ongoing Gaza ceasefire negotiations should not be halted.

The spiritual leader of Catholics reiterated his call for an immediate ceasefire, the release of hostages and humanitarian aid to Gaza, where he said many diseases, including polio, are spreading.

"Let there be peace in the Holy Land, let there be peace in Jerusalem," he said, emphasizing the need for the city to be a meeting place where Christians, Jews and Muslims are respected and accepted.

The US, Egypt and Qatar have been negotiating a ceasefire and prisoner exchange between Israel and Hamas.

1835 GMT — No compromise on Philadelphi Corridor at Gaza-Egypt border — Netanyahu

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he will not compromise on keeping troops in the Philadelphi Corridor, located on the border between Gaza and Egypt, the Israeli daily Haaretz reported Sunday.

Netanyahu responded to Defense Minister Yoav Gallant's remarks in the Cabinet meeting, saying: "I want to release our hostages just as much as you do."

Earlier, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant called for the immediate convening of the Security Cabinet to reverse its decision to keep forces in the Philadelphi Corridor.

1800 GMT — Israeli air strike kills 1, injures 2 in southern Lebanon

One person was killed and two others were injured in an Israeli air strike in southern Lebanon, the Health Ministry said.

The injured included a woman who sustained serious wounds in the attack that targeted the town of Beit Lif, the ministry added in a statement.

The state-run National News Agency also reported another Israeli air strike in the border town of Beit Yohoun.

1755 GMT — Thousands protest in Israel to demand hostage swap deal with Palestinians

Tens of thousands of Israelis demonstrated across the country on Sunday to demand a captive swap deal with Palestinian factions in Gaza.

Thousands of protesters gathered on Begin Street in central Tel Aviv to pile pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government to reach a prisoner exchange deal with Hamas, Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth reported.

Protesters blocked several streets in West Jerusalem, Haifa, Ashdod, Ramat Negev and Kfar Tavor, the state public broadcaster KAN said.

1600 GMT — At least 10 killed as Israel launches fresh airstrikes in Gaza

At least 10 Palestinians were killed and several others injured in fresh Israeli attacks in Gaza, according to medical sources.

An air strike targeted a group of civilians in al-Taleem area in the northern city of Beit Lahia, witnesses said.

Six people were killed and several others injured in that attack, a medical source said.

Four more people lost their lives when a fighter jet hit a car east of Deir al Balah in central Gaza, another medical source said.

1500 GMT — At least 6 killed in fresh Israeli strike on Gaza school sheltering displaced Palestinians

At least six Palestinians were killed in a new Israeli air strike on a school sheltering displaced people in Gaza City, according to a medical source.

The attack targeted Safad School in the Zeitoun neighbourhood in Gaza City, the source said, adding that several people were also injured in the attack.

The Israeli attack has destroyed one of the school’s buildings, where hundreds of displaced people have sheltered, witnesses said.

1421 GMT –– Israel's main labour union calls general strike on Monday

The head of Israel's Histadrut labour union called for a general strike beginning at 6 am (0300 GMT) on Monday to pressure the government into reaching a deal to return Israeli hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza.

Arnon Bar-David, whose union represents hundreds of thousands of workers, called on all civilian workers to join the strike and said Ben Gurion Airport, Israel's main air transport hub, would be closed from 8 am (0500 GMT).

Bar-David said that for now, the strike would just be for Monday but he sharply criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government for failing to bring hostages back alive. A dozen bodies of hostages have been brought back to Israel in the past week. Some 101 still remain, although Israel believes one-third of them are no longer alive.

"The neglect of the economy must be stopped," Bar-David said at a news conference. "Israel must be returned to a reasonable routine... We must reach a deal. A deal is more important than anything else.

"We are getting body bags instead of a deal."

1353 GMT –– More Palestinians killed in Israeli raid in occupied West Bank

The Palestinian health ministry announced that two more Palestinians were killed in an ongoing Israeli military raid in the Jenin area of the occupied West Bank.

"The bodies of two people killed in the occupation's (Israel) aggression in Kafar Dan were transported to Ibn Sina hospital in Jenin," the ministry said in a statement, bringing the total number of Palestinians killed since Israeli forces began large-scale raids in the northern West Bank on Wednesday to 24.

1214 GMT –– Israeli defence minister calls for deal to bring Gaza hostages home

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to conclude a ceasefire deal with Hamas to bring the remaining hostages home from Gaza, as the bodies of six of those taken on October 7 were brought home.

"It's too late for the abductees who were murdered in cold blood. The abductees who remain in the captivity of Hamas must be returned home," he said on the social media platform X.

"The political-security cabinet must convene immediately and reverse the decision made on Thursday," he said, referring to a decision by the cabinet to insist on keeping troops in the so-called Philadelphi Corridor, along the southern edge of Gaza.

1141 GMT –– Palestinian fighters kill 3 Israeli police in occupied West Bank

Palestinian fighters killed three Israeli police officers when they opened fire on a vehicle in the occupied West Bank, where Israel has carried out large-scale raids in recent days.

The attack took place along a road in the southern occupied West Bank. The raids have mainly been focused on urban refugee camps in the northern part of the territory, where Israeli forces have traded fire with fighters on a near-daily basis since the outbreak of the war on Gaza.

The police confirmed that all three killed were officers and said the assailants slipped away.

A little-known resistance group calling itself the Khalil al-Rahman Brigade claimed responsibility for the shooting. Hamas praised the attack as a “natural response” to the war in Gaza and called for more.

1018 GMT — Palestinian death toll in Israel's war on Gaza tops 40,738

At least 40,738 Palestinians have been killed and 94,154 wounded in Israel's military offensive on Gaza since October 7, the enclave's health authorities have said.

The toll includes 47 deaths in the previous 24 hours, according to ministry figures.

0845 GMT — Netanyahu cries foul, vows 'revenge' after death of six hostages

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to "settle the score" with Hamas after the military allegedly recovered the bodies of six hostages from an Gaza tunnel.

Pertinent to mention that Israel has been accused of carrying genocide of Palestinians in Gaza amid mounting settler violence in the occupied West Bank.

0731 GMT — Polio vaccinations under way in Gaza amid Israeli attacks

A polio vaccination campaign has officially begun in Gaza amid Israel's ongoing onslaught, a health official has said.

The campaign was announced after Gaza recorded its first polio case in a quarter of a century last month.

Children aged from one day old to 10 years arrived at the centres to receive the dose as drones flew overhead, said Yasser Shaabane, medical director of al-Awda Hospital in central Gaza.

"There are a lot of drones flying over central Gaza and we hope this vaccination campaign for children will be calm," said Shaabane.

The campaign began at 0600 GMT he said.

0656 GMT — Israeli forces detain six Palestinians, including three women in Hebron

Israeli forces have conducted a series of raids across Hebron, resulting in the detention of six Palestinians, including three women.

According to WAFA, the detention campaign occurred in the city of Hebron and the surrounding towns of Halhul to the north and Yatta to the south.

The sources reported that Israeli troops raided Yatta and detained two residents, including Yamama Ibrahim Hirini, an 18-year-old female student at the Palestine Polytechnic University.

0649 GMT — Hamas blames Israel for death of hostages

Palestinian resistance group Hamas has blamed Israel for the death of hostages.

A Hamas official Izzat al-Rishq said that Israel was unwilling to reach a deal and hence is responsible for the death of hostages.

0616 GMT — Israel emergency service says two dead in occupied West Bank 'shooting attack'

Israel's medical emergency service has said a "shooting attack" in the occupied West Bank killed two people and critically wounded another.

Emergency service provider Magen David Adom said its paramedics had "pronounced dead a male and a female, both approximately 30 years old and are evacuating a man in his 50s, in critical condition" from the scene of the attack east of Tarqumiya checkpoint near the city of Hebron.

0608 GMT — Israel identifies six hostage bodies found in Gaza tunnel

The Israeli military has said that it had found the bodies of six hostages in a tunnel in southern Gaza.

Their remains were recovered "from an underground tunnel in the Rafah area" and returned to Israel where they were formally identified, the military said.

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said the six hostages whose remains had been retrieved were alive when taken captive.

2343 GMT — Israeli attacks on occupied West Bank devastate Jenin infrastructure

The Israeli army has destroyed about 70 percent of the streets and infrastructure in Jenin city in the occupied northern West Bank during its ongoing military offensive for the fourth consecutive day, the local municipality has said.

“The occupying (Israeli) forces have demolished more than 70 percent of the city's streets completely (...) to a depth of approximately one to one-and-half meters, which has led to the destruction of water and sewage networks, as well as communication and electricity cables,” the Palestine news agency Wafa reported, citing Bashir Matahen, the director of Public Relations and Media at the Jenin Municipality.

He noted that “water has been cut off from 80 percent of the city and the entire camp due to the destruction of networks and the inability of technical teams to reach these networks to redirect them to other areas.”

Municipality teams have been unable to access affected areas due to ongoing conflict and gunfire.

Israeli offensive in Jenin and Tulkarm has claimed 22 Palestinian lives, adding to the more than 40,600 deaths in Gaza since October 7, 2023.

The unrest has also led to the deaths of 675 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, with thousands more injured or arrested.

0012 GMT — Palestinians killed, injured in Israeli air strike near Gaza hospital

Several Palestinians were killed and injured in an Israeli air strike on Saturday evening that targeted the area surrounding the al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City, but also caused damage to the health facility.

Israeli fighter jets carried out bombing hours after the Palestinian Ministry of Health announced the launch of a polio vaccination campaign in Khan Younis in southern Gaza.

“An Israeli air strike targeted the vicinity of the Baptist Hospital, resulting in casualties and causing damage to the building,” a medical source told Anadolu.

The attack caused fear and panic among residents and hospital staff, eyewitnesses also told Anadolu. The injured were later evacuated.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian Civil Defense said in a statement that “martyrs and wounded fell as a result of an Israeli air strike on land adjacent to the laboratory section of the Baptist Hospital in Gaza City.”

0012 GMT — German police detain several pro-Palestinian protesters after rally in Berlin

Several pro-Palestine protesters were detained by German police following a protest demonstration in Berlin against Israel's ongoing assault on Gaza, which has claimed over 40,600 lives since October 7 of last year, as well as recent intensified attacks in the occupied West Bank.

Hundreds of people gathered at Breslauer Square in the Fridenau district to protest Israel's attacks on Palestine and show solidarity with the Palestinians.

Demonstrators carrying Palestinian flags marched to Rathaus Steglitz subway station.

However, a group displaying Israeli flags attempted to provoke the demonstration near the Walter Schreiber Platz subway station. After the protest, the police detained several protesters.

2317 GMT — Four Palestinians injured as Israeli settlers storm Qusra in northern West Bank

Four people were injured Saturday evening when illegal Israeli settlers stormed Qusra, a Palestinian town south of Nablus in the northern West Bank, accompanied by Israeli security officials.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said in a statement that its teams in Nablus transported four injured people to the hospital.

The injured include “a 27-year-old man shot in the back with live ammunition, a 27-year-old man shot in the leg with live ammunition, a 16-year-old boy hit by a rubber bullet, and a 25-year-old man struck in the chest by a gas canister,” the statement said.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health confirmed that one of them was critically injured by gunfire from Israeli forces in the town of Qusra and was taken to Rafidia governmental hospital.

For our live updates from Saturday, August 31, 2024, click here.