Live blog: Israel admits targeting 'humanitarian area' in Khan Younis

Thursday, December 5, 2024

1904 GMT — The Israeli army has admitted that it struck tents housing displaced Palestinians in the Al Mawasi area, which has been designated as a "safe zone" in Khan Younis, southern Gaza. The air strike killed 23 Palestinians and injured dozens more.

According to a statement from the army, the air strike targeted Hamas members in what it claimed was a "humanitarian area" in Khan Younis. It claimed that the "operation," which was carried out on the direction of military intelligence and the Shin Bet, killed "Osama Ghanim, a senior operative in Hamas' Internal Security Forces."

On Wednesday, a medical source told Anadolu that 23 Palestinians, including women and children, were killed, and dozens more injured in the attack on tents housing displaced families in Al Mawasi, northwest of Khan Younis.

The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor has said the Israeli military burned Palestinian civilians alive in their tents in Al Mawasi.

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1846 GMT — Hezbollah allowing opportunity for ceasefire success: leader

The head of Hezbollah announced that the group is "allowing an opportunity" for the success of a ceasefire agreement with Israel, despite Tel Aviv violating the terms dozens of times.

Naim Qassem said in a televised speech that the Lebanese government is "responsible" for addressing the breaches through the mechanism tasked with monitoring the agreement's implementation.

Israel "has committed more than 60 violations of the ceasefire agreement. The Lebanese government is responsible for following up on this, and the resistance is giving an opportunity for the success of the agreement," said Qassem.

1749 GMT — US claims Amnesty charge of 'genocide' by Israel 'unfounded'

The United States said it disagreed with a report by Amnesty International that accused Israel of "genocide" in Gaza and said its arms suppliers risked complicity.

"We disagree with the conclusions of such a report. We have said previously and continue to find that the allegations of genocide are unfounded," State Department spokesman Vedant Patel told reporters.

Patel claimed that the United States, Israel's main weapons supplier and diplomatic ally, remained concerned about the 14-month war in Gaza and distanced himself from Israel's denunciation of Amnesty International as "deplorable and fanatical."

1631 GMT — Another Palestinian detainee dies in Israeli custody

A Palestinian detainee died in Israeli custody, marking the second death in Israeli prisons within 24 hours, prisoners' affairs groups said.

Alaa Marwan Hamza al Mahlawi, 42, from Gaza, died at Assaf Harofeh Hospital, southwest of Tel Aviv after he was transferred from Negev prison in southern Israel in November, the Commission of Detainees' Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoner Society said in a joint statement.

1626 GMT — Hezbollah seeks help to rebuild Lebanon

Lebanese armed group Hezbollah has called upon Arab and friendly countries to help rebuild Lebanon.

The group's leader Sheikh Naim Qassem said, in a pre-recorded speech shared on social media, that they will pay between $12,000 and $14,000 over a year to those whose homes were destroyed in the Israeli offensive.

1607 GMT — Israel sees opportunity for prisoner swap deal, truce with Hamas

Israel has an opportunity to reach an agreement on a prisoner exchange with Hamas, leading to a ceasefire in Palestine's Gaza, Israeli foreign minister Gideon Saar has said.

Saar held talks with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Malta on the sidelines of the Ministerial Council of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

"I expressed to the Secretary that Israel sees an opportunity to advance a deal to release the hostages, and is serious in its intent to reach such a deal," he said on X.

US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said that Blinken emphasised "the urgency of bringing all of the hostages home, ending the war in Gaza, and establishing a path for the post-conflict period that provides lasting peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians alike.''

1459 GMT — Hamas, Fatah agree to form joint Palestinian committee to run Gaza

Hamas said that it accepted an Egyptian proposal to form a joint Palestinian committee to run Gaza after the ongoing Israeli war.

In a statement, Hamas said it held in-depth talks with the Fatah group in Cairo to form a committee to run Gaza through implementing previously agreed frameworks to achieve Palestinian unity.

"Hamas conveyed its approval of an Egyptian proposal for forming a community support committee that will function through inclusive national mechanisms," it added.

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1444 GMT — Amnesty 'genocide' report shows world needs 'to act': Hamas

Palestinian resistance group Hamas has said a report by Amnesty International accusing Israel of "genocide" in the Palestinian territory was a call for world action.

The report is "a new message to the international community ... on the need to act to bring an end to this genocide that has lasted for more than 400 days", the group said in a statement.

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1431 GMT — Death toll from fresh Israeli strikes in Gaza rises to 25

At least 25 Palestinians have been killed and several others injured in Israeli air strikes in northern and southern Gaza, medical sources said.

Israeli jets hit a house next to Kamal Adwan Hospital in the town of Beit Lahia, leaving seven people dead and five others injured, a medical source said.

Another 13 people lost their lives and several people were injured in another strike targeting a home in the same town, the source added. Three people were also injured when an Israeli drone shelled the rooftop of the Indonesian Hospital in the same area.

In southern Gaza, an Israeli air strike on Rafah killed two Palestinians, the source said. Medics said that three more people were killed in an airstrike targeting a home in Shejaiya neighbourhood in eastern Gaza City.

1234 GMT — Civil defence teams come under Israeli fire in southern Lebanon

Lebanese civil defence teams came under Israeli fire while searching the rubble for victims, local media said.

Lebanon’s official National News Agency said Israeli artillery shelling targeted civil defence teams in Naqoura while searching the rubble of destroyed buildings in the area.

The teams were forced to leave the area after Israeli forces detonated an explosive-laden drone nearby, NNA said. There was no comment from the Israeli army on the report.

1218 GMT — 16 bodies recovered from under rubble in southern Lebanon after ceasefire

Lebanese medics recovered the bodies of 16 people from under the rubble of destroyed buildings in southern Lebanon, local media said.

Nine bodies were retrieved by civil defence teams in the town of Chamaa, six in Bayyada, and one in Naqoura, the state news agency NNA reported.

The broadcaster said that efforts were ongoing to search for more victims under the rubble in the three southern towns.

1208 GMT — At least 9 Palestinians killed in fresh Israeli air strikes in Gaza

At least nine Palestinians have been killed and eight others injured in Israeli air strikes in northern and southern Gaza, a medical source said.

Israeli jets hit a house next to Kamal Adwan Hospital in the town of Beit Lahia, leaving seven people dead and five others injured, the source said.

Three people were also injured when an Israeli drone shelled the rooftop of the Indonesian Hospital in the same area. In southern Gaza, an Israeli air strike on Rafah killed two Palestinians, the source said.

1156 GMT — Qatar reportedly resumes Gaza ceasefire mediation

Qatar has resumed its role as a mediator in efforts to secure a truce in Israel's war on Gaza following a brief suspension, a source with knowledge of the talks said.

The Gulf emirate, along with the United States and Egypt, had been involved in months of unsuccessful negotiations for a Gaza truce and hostage release after nearly 14 months of war.

In November, Doha announced it had put its mediation on hold, saying it would resume when Hamas and Israel showed "willingness and seriousness".

The source, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of talks, said that Qatar has now "returned to mediation", without elaborating on any recent meetings between officials.

1050 GMT — Cases against Israel ‘not the end, but a start’: attorney

The International Criminal Court’s (ICC) recent arrest warrants for Israeli officials mark a pivotal shift in addressing Israel’s genocidal actions against Palestinians, opening a “new era” of accountability, says Palestinian human rights lawyer Raji Sourani.

“We are heading to a new era where Israel will be very aware of any consequences in the future,” he said.

Stating that "this will work like a snowball, and no power on earth will stop it,” Sourani asserted: "Israel will be held accountable, not morally, but legally.”

Calling for concrete actions from states to pressure Israel, such as halting arms shipments, ceasing economic support, ending facilitation, and stopping trade, he reminded the international community of the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) ruling that Israel's continued presence in occupied Palestinian territories is unlawful and must end "as rapidly as possible."

1042 GMT — Palestinian death toll reaches 44,580 amid Israeli attacks

Israeli attacks killed 48 more Palestinians in Gaza, pushing up the death toll since last year to 44,580, the Health Ministry in the enclave has said.

A ministry statement added that some 105,739 others have been injured in the ongoing invasion.

"Israeli forces killed 48 people and injured 201 others in five massacres of families in the last 24 hours," the ministry said.

1048 GMT — Palestine welcomes Amnesty report on Gaza genocide

The Palestinian Authority welcomed what it called an evidence-based Amnesty International report accusing Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.

"Amnesty is a credible global organisation that bases its reports on evidence. It has clarified that it possesses evidence of Israel committing genocide," Ahmad al-Deek, adviser to the Palestinian foreign minister, told AFP.

1040 GMT — Death of Israeli captives proves failure of Israel’s use of force to free them: Hamas

Palestinian resistance group Hamas said that the death of six Israeli hostages during the time of an Israeli air strike near where they were being held proves the failure of the military option to rescue the captives.

"The death of more captives at the hands of their army confirms the failure of [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu's theory of freeing the captive by force, and that military pressure does not free his hostages, but kills them," Hamas said in a statement.

"Netanyahu is directly responsible for the death of dozens of the captives because he failed to reach an agreement,” the resistance group said.

"There is no alternative to stopping the aggression, withdrawal of the occupation forces, and (reaching) an exchange deal,” it stressed.

1037 GMT — Dozens more Palestinians detained in Israel's raids in occupied West Bank

The Israeli army rounded up 28 more Palestinians in military raids in the occupied West Bank, according to prisoners’ affairs groups.

Two women were among the detainees in the raids that targeted several towns and cities in the occupied territory, including Hebron, Ramallah, Tulkarem, Tubas, and Nablus, the Commission of Detainees’ Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoner Society said in a joint statement.

Among the detainees was also an injured Palestinian, who was kidnapped by the Israeli army from his hospital in Nablus city, the statement added.

The new arrests brought the number of Palestinians detained by the Israeli army in the occupied West Bank since October last year to over 11,900, including those who were released after being arrested, according to Palestinian figures.

0942 GMT — Egypt offers temporary Gaza ceasefire for Rafah crossing: Israeli media

Egypt has floated a new Gaza ceasefire proposal that includes a ceasefire for 45 to 60 days and opening the Rafah border crossing, Israeli media said.

The proposal also includes a prisoner swap deal and an increase in the number of aid trucks into Gaza to some 350 per day, Israeli Channel 12 reported.

"The details of the proposal have not yet been finalised, but it can be understood that this is a deal that is being carried out in stages, with its first stage lasting from a month and a half to two months,” the channel said.

It said the proposal includes the opening of the Rafah crossing, a vital route for humanitarian aid into the enclave, and transferring the responsibility of overseeing it to the Palestinian Authority.

0930 GMT — Israeli attacks kill 4 more Palestinians in Gaza

Four people were killed in Israeli bombardment in Gaza, medics said as the army continued to blow up Palestinian homes in the enclave.

The Civil Defence Service said the bodies of three Palestinians were recovered after an Israeli strike on a home in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza.

Several people were wounded in the attack.

A fourth Palestinian was killed in an airstrike on a school in the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza, a medical source said.

0632 GMT — Lebanon reports 12 more Israeli violations of fragile ceasefire

The Israeli forces have committed 12 more violations to the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon that took effect last week, according to Lebanon’s official National News Agency.

It said that the Israeli violations were documented in the districts of Tyre, Marjayoun and Bent Jbeil in southern Lebanon and also in Beirut.

The violations included the destruction of homes, artillery shelling, warplane overflights over Lebanese territory, gunfire and incursions.

Lebanon has reported 129 violations of the ceasefire since the deal came into force last week in the hope of ending 14 months of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.

0209 GMT — Palestine envoy urges UN members to end Gaza genocide

Palestine's Ambassador to the UN, Riyad Mansour, called for immediate global action to end Israel's genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.

"As I stand here to address this august assembly, ethnic cleansing is being carried out in broad daylight in Beit Lahia and all of northern Gaza," Mansour said during a UN General Assembly session.

He recalled Israel's latest air strikes that killed at least 20 Palestinians and wounded dozens of displaced people in the Al-Mawasi area of Khan Younis.

"Every hour, every day, more Palestinian children, women and men fall victim to this depraved Israeli onslaught. Lives lost, families devastated, and an entire people brutalised, terrorised and traumatised, with no end in sight," he said.

0112 GMT — Israel bombs southern Lebanon in new violation of ceasefire

The Israeli military said it struck a launcher in southern Lebanon, which it said was in violation of the ceasefire it agreed to with the group Hezbollah.

US State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel, speaking to reporters in Washington on Tuesday about the Lebanon ceasefire, said it was "largely holding in place" without addressing the Israeli violations.

0006 GMT — Amnesty accuses Israel of 'genocide' in Gaza

Amnesty International has accused Israel of "committing genocide" against Palestinians in besieged Gaza since the start of the war last year, saying its new report was a "wake-up call" for the international community.

The London-based rights organisation said its findings were based on "dehumanising and genocidal statements by Israeli government and military officials", satellite images documenting devastation, fieldwork and ground reports from Gazans.

"Month after month, Israel has treated Palestinians in Gaza as a subhuman group unworthy of human rights and dignity, demonstrating its intent to physically destroy them," Amnesty chief Agnes Callamard said in a statement.

"Our damning findings must serve as a wake-up call to the international community: this is genocide. It must stop now," she added.

2338 GMT — Israeli forces raid Palestinian hospital in West Bank, arrest wounded patient

Israeli special forces stormed a hospital in the occupied West Bank, arresting a wounded Palestinian patient, according to local state media.

The Palestine Television network reported that an Israeli unit entered the Specialized Arab Hospital in Nablus and detained the man, whose identity has not yet been disclosed. Radio Voice of Palestine said the forces used a Palestinian public transport vehicle to carry out the raid.

Footage shared by the broadcaster showed the aftermath of the arrest, including the patient's bloodstained hospital bed and moments of the raid.

2236 GMT — Red Cross appalled by killing of Palestine Red Crescent volunteer in Gaza

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said that they are "deeply saddened" by the killing of a Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) paramedic in Gaza.

"Alaa Al-Derawi, a member of PRCS's emergency medical team, was fatally shot in the Khan Younis area of Gaza shortly after transporting patients for treatment," the IFRC said in a statement, adding he was returning to base when the incident occurred.

Sending condolences to his loved ones and team, the IFRC underlined that hospitals, ambulances, health care workers and their patients must be respected and protected "in every situation" under international humanitarian law.

For our live updates from Wednesday, December 4, 2024, click here.