Live blog: Israel conducted 28 air strikes on West Bank since Oct 7 — UN

Wednesday, July 3, 2024

1804 GMT — The UN reported that at least 28 air strikes were conducted by Israel on the occupied West Bank since October last year.

Citing the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) report, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters that Israel also carried out two strikes on the occupied West Bank last week.

He said, "14 children were among the 77 Palestinians killed during these air strikes."

Dujarric also stated that 200 homes were damaged in Israel's attack on the Nur Shams refugee camp in Tulkarm in the northern occupied West Bank.

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1807 GMT — UN slams 'unacceptable' treatment of Palestinian detainees

The United Nations has long raised concerns about conditions for Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons, but warned that the situation appeared to have worsened since the war began.

Asked about a recent case where Israel's military acknowledged its troops had tied a wounded Palestinian to a military vehicle during a raid in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin, UN rights chief Volker Turk said it was "sickening to see such totally unacceptable treatment".

"There must be a transparent and independent investigation to know what happened and to ensure that the perpetrators are brought to justice," Turk said at a news conference in Geneva.

Turk's spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani urged the need for accountability in the case, warning that without it, "brazen violations like this will continue with impunity".

1632 GMT — Japan slams Israel for 'legalising' West Bank settlements

Japan slammed Israel for its decision to "legalise" settlement outposts in the occupied West Bank, saying it violates "international law and undermine the viability of a two-state solution."

"With regard to the reported authorisation by the government of Israel to legalise five outposts in the West Bank, the government of Japan is deeply concerned about and reiterates its deep regret over the continuing settlement activities by the government of Israel despite repeated calls by the international community, including Japan," a Foreign Ministry statement said.

Japan "strongly" urged Tel Aviv to withdraw the decision and "fully" freeze its settlement activities.

1625 GMT — Hezbollah fires over 100 rockets at Israel after leader killed

Hezbollah said it fired more than 100 rockets at Israeli positions in retaliation for a strike that killed a senior commander in Lebanon, the movement's second such loss in recent weeks.

Hezbollah has traded near daily cross-border fire with the Israeli army since Tel Aviv's war on Gaza began on October 7 last year, but an uptick in bellicose rhetoric from both sides in recent weeks has raised fears of all-out war.

"A Hezbollah commander responsible for one of three sectors in south Lebanon was killed" in an "Israeli strike on a car in Tyre", a source close to the group told AFP news agency, requesting anonymity as they were not authorised to speak to the media.

The group said that "commander Mohammed Naameh Nasser", also known as "Hajj Abu Naameh" had been killed, and also announced the death of a second member.

1625 GMT — UN estimates 9 out of 10 people in Gaza displaced at least once

The UN said it estimates at least nine out of 10 people in Gaza have been displaced at least once since October 7, 2023.

"We are again at the crossroads where the UN and its partners has to reset their operations," Andrea De Domenico, head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in the occupied Palestinian Territory, said at a virtual news conference.

He noted that Israel's recent evacuation order in Khan Younis has affected a third of the enclave, further exacerbating the crisis.

1619 GMT — 5 killed in Israeli air strikes in Gaza City

At least five people were killed and several others injured in Israeli air strikes in Gaza City, according to medics and witnesses.

The Civil Defence Agency said its teams recovered the bodies of two dead people from under the rubble following an Israeli air strike on a residential apartment in al Daraj neighbourhood.

Seven other people were injured in the attack, it added in a statement.

1535 GMT — Health facility closure in Gaza can lead to 'tragic results', ICRC warns

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) warned that each health facility closure in Gaza means fewer options for much-needed care and eventually could lead to "tragic results."

Remarks by Jason Straziuso, ICRC global media team leader, came after the European Gaza Hospital (EGH) — one of the largest referral hospitals in the south — in Khan Yunis became "unable to function" following the evacuation orders by Israel.

"We moved 19 patients and 10 ICRC medical staff from the EGH to the ICRC Field Hospital in Rafah-Mawasi to continue providing them the needed healthcare," Straziuso told Anadolu news agency.

1308 GMT –– If we have to we're ready to fight Hezbollah: Israel's Gallant

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said that Israeli forces will be ready to take any action necessary against Lebanon's Hezbollah, though the preference is to reach a negotiated arrangement.

"We are striking Hezbollah very hard every day and we will also reach a state of full readiness to take any action required in Lebanon, or to reach an arrangement from a position of strength. We prefer an arrangement, but if reality forces us we will know how to fight," Gallant was quoted as saying in a statement issued by his office.

1233 GMT –– Some Israeli hostages have attempted suicide, Islamic Jihad armed wing says

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement's armed wing, Al Quds Brigades, said some Israeli hostages have attempted suicide after it started treating them the same way Israel treated Palestinian prisoners.

"Some enemy prisoners have attempted suicide as a result of the extreme frustration they are feeling due to their government's neglect of their cause," Al Quds Brigades spokesperson Abu Hamza said in a post on Telegram.

"We will keep treating Israeli hostages the same way Israel treats our prisoners," he added.

1209 GMT –– Anti-settlement group says Israel has made largest West Bank land seizure in 3 decades

Israel has approved the largest seizure of land in the occupied West Bank in over three decades, an anti-settlement watchdog group said, a move that could further worsen already soaring tensions linked to the ongoing war in Gaza.

Peace Now said authorities recently approved the appropriation of 12.7 square kilometres (nearly 5 square miles) of land in the Jordan Valley. The group's data indicate it was the largest single appropriation approved since the 1993 Oslo accords at the start of the peace process.

The land seizure, which was approved late last month but only publicised on Wednesday, comes after the seizure of 8 square kilometres (roughly 3 square miles) of land in the West Bank in March and 2.6 square kilometres (1 square mile) in February.

That makes 2024 by far the peak year for Israeli land seizure in the West Bank, Peace Now said.

1205 GMT –– Senior Hezbollah field commander killed in Israeli strike, two security sources say

A senior field commander in Lebanese armed group Hezbollah was killed in an Israeli strike outside of the southern Lebanese city of Tyre, two security sources told Reuters news agency.

The sources said that the commander was responsible for a section of Hezbollah's operations along the border frontier, where the group has been exchanging fire with the Israeli military since October in parallel with the Gaza War.

They said that he was of the same rank and importance to the group as Taleb Abdallah, who was killed in an Israeli strike in June and was the most senior Hezbollah field commander to be killed by the Israeli military in the last eight months of hostilities.

1156 GMT –– Lebanon calls for ending Israeli war on Gaza

Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati called for ending Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza.

"We are concerned with the ongoing genocide against the Palestinians, namely in Gaza, based on our Arab identity and national and humanitarian considerations," Mikati said at an event in the capital Beirut.

He said Lebanon has hosted hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees since 1948.

"Our choice in Lebanon was and still is peace; our culture is a culture of peace based on justice and international laws," Mikati said.

"Our people will not accept the attacks on its sovereignty, national dignity, and territorial integrity, and on the civilians, especially children and women," he said.

The Lebanese premier said the key to peace is resolving the Palestinian cause.

"The essence of peace is that the Palestinian people live on its land under a free and independent state," he said. "It is in Palestine that the history of this region begins," he continued.

"No peace agreement can survive unless it guarantees the Palestinians' right of return," Mikati stressed.

0822 GMT — Malaysia, Indonesia reaffirm ‘unwavering support’ for Palestine

Malaysia and Indonesia have reaffirmed their “unwavering support” for Palestine, including its bid for full UN membership.

The reiteration of support for Palestine came during a meeting between Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and visiting Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi.

“Our conversation touched on the issue of Palestine, with both nations reaffirming our unwavering support for justice for the people of Gaza and the acceptance of Palestine as a full member of the United Nations,” Anwar said after the meeting.

0758 GMT — French president, Israeli premier discuss tensions on Israeli-Lebanese border

In a phone call, France’s president and Israel’s prime minister discussed rising tensions with Hezbollah along the Israeli-Lebanese border, the French Embassy in Tel Aviv has said.

France’s Emmanuel Macron “reiterated his extreme concern about the increase in tensions between Hezbollah and Israel along the Blue Line” during his talk with Benjamin Netanyahu, the embassy said on X.

He further “underlined the absolute need to prevent a conflagration which would harm both the interests of Lebanon and Israel, and would constitute a particularly dangerous development for regional stability,” the statement added.

0723 GMT — Hunger in Gaza cannot be weaponized: China tells Israel

Warning that “tragic scenes on the ground” in Gaza are “just the tip of the iceberg of the humanitarian catastrophe,” China has said hunger in the besieged Palestinian enclave “cannot be weaponised.”

“Hunger cannot be weaponised, humanitarian issues cannot be politicized, and the man-made exacerbation of the humanitarian disaster is unacceptable,” Chinese Ambassador Fu Cong told the UN Security Council briefing on Gaza.

Calling on Israel to “fulfil its obligations under international humanitarian law, heed the overwhelming call of the international community,” Fu said Tel Aviv should “take concrete actions to ensure the rapid and safe entry of humanitarian supplies at scale into Gaza.”

0712 GMT — Several killed in Israeli attack on civilian gathering in Gaza

Seven Palestinians were killed and 17 others wounded when an Israeli drone bombed a civilian gathering as they were trying to go back to the Shujaiya neighbourhood, east of Gaza City, Palestinian official WAFA news agency has reported.

Three Palestinians were killed when an Israeli drone bombed a civilian vehicle in Maghazi camp in central Gaza.

The three slain people were transferred to al Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the neighbouring city of Deir Al Balah.

The northeastern areas of Jabalia camp saw intermittent artillery shelling, which resulted in the injury of a number of citizens.

Medical sources in Gaza said that 11 people were killed at dawn today as a result of missile and artillery shelling in several areas in Gaza, with the continued invasion of the Shujaiya neighbourhood.

0705 GMT — Saudi Arabia reiterates efforts to end aggression on Gaza, increase recognition of Palestine

Saudi Arabia has reiterated that it is making "vigorous efforts" on the political and humanitarian fronts to end the brutal Israeli offensive against the Palestinian people in Gaza, local media reported.

According to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), the statement was made following a council of ministers meeting headed by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the western city of Jeddah.

The meeting also reviewed "the Kingdom's international efforts to support initiatives aimed at gaining further global recognition of the State of Palestine."

0633 GMT — Israeli police clash with settlers in occupied West Bank

Israeli police have clashed with Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank as they dismantled an illegal settler outpost, according to video footage of the police operation.

The video showed police excavators destroying makeshift structures at the outpost. Settlers sat down across a small road to block access for the police, but officers dragged them out of the way, the video showed.

There was no immediate comment from Israeli authorities about the operation.

0330 GMT — Biden, Netanyahu expected to meet in Washington during Israeli PM's July visit

US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are expected to meet in Washington in late July when the Israeli leader comes to address the US Congress about his country's war in Gaza, a White House official has said.

Netanyahu is due to address the US Congress on July 24 during a visit to Washington. He will speak to a joint session of the House of Representatives and the Senate.

The expectation of a Biden-Netanyahu meeting was reported first by CNN, which added that the logistical details of their meeting expected at the White House were still being finalised.

0330 GMT — Israel kills dozens of Palestinians in attacks across Gaza

Israel has carried out new air strikes on Gaza City, killing and wounding many Palestinian civilians, Palestinian official WAFA news agency said, with casualties being reported from Sheikh Radwan and Shujaeya neighbourhoods and in the east of Gaza City.

Earlier, Israel killed at least 12 civilians and wounded others in its air strike in Deir al Balah in central besieged Gaza, WAFA reported.

WAFA correspondent said the bodies of 12 people were brought to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al Balah following an air strike by Israel on the Eslayyim family house in the city.

Israel killed three other civilians in the Al-Mansura area within the Shejaiya neighbourhood, and three others were also killed in western Rafah, the news agency said.

Medical sources told WAFA that the bodies of at least 31 civilians, including children and women, arrived at the enclave's hospitals since dawn.

0109 GMT — Yemen’s Houthis claim missile strike on ‘vital target’ in northern Israel

Yemen’s Houthi group has said that it attacked a “vital target” in Haifa in northern Israel with cruise missiles.

“In support of the oppressed Palestinian people, our forces, in cooperation with the Iraqi Islamic Resistance, carried out a joint military operation,” Yahya Saree, the group’s military spokesperson, said in a recorded brief.

He said the operation targeted “a vital location in Haifa with several cruise missiles and successfully achieved its objectives,” without providing details.

There has been no comment from Israel on the Houthi statement.

0029 GMT — Israel's state prosecutor seeking to probe Ben-Gvir: report

Israeli State Prosecutor Amit Aisman is seeking to open a criminal investigation into National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir for allegedly inciting violence against Palestinians in besieged Gaza in order to show the International Criminal Court (ICC) that it is holding Israeli officials to account for such actions, local media reported.

The official Israeli Broadcasting Corporation (KAN) reported that Aisman had asked Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara for permission to open a criminal investigation into Ben-Gvir.

The report said the decision now rests with Baharav-Miara, and the matter remains under discussion. However, it is unlikely that formal charges will be filed against Ben-Gvir even if an investigation is initiated.

"The investigation will result in an indictment," the report cited an unnamed source inside the Attorney General's office as saying.

0002 GMT — US has 'undeniable complicity' in Gaza war killings

A dozen former US government officials who quit over US support for Israel's war in besieged Gaza accused President Joe Biden's administration of "undeniable complicity" in the killing of Palestinians in the enclave.

In a joint statement, the 12 former government officials said the administration was violating US laws through its support for Israel and finding loopholes to continue shipping weapons to its ally.

For more on this story, click here

2240 GMT — Aid deliveries in Gaza have 'dropped significantly': UN

The top UN humanitarian official for Gaza has said efforts to accelerate and streamline the delivery of humanitarian aid throughout the territory have been “fraught with challenges,” and deliveries have “dropped significantly” since Israel launched its military offensive in the southern city of Rafah on May 6.

More than 1.9 million of Gaza’s 2.3 million people are displaced, Sigrid Kaag told the UN Security Council.

She said the public health system has collapsed, schools are destroyed, and with summer temperatures soaring and severe shortages of water and sanitation, “the spectre of outbreaks of infectious and communicable diseases looms large.”

“There is no substitute for political will, full respect for international humanitarian law, especially the protection of civilians, and a safe and enabling environment to secure effective distribution,” said Kaag, the UN senior humanitarian and reconstruction coordinator for Gaza.

2108 GMT — Israel kills 4 in occupied West Bank drone strike

Israel has killed at least four people in the occupied West Bank's Nur Shams camp, the Palestinian Health Ministry has said.

Sources at the Thabet Thabet Governmental Hospital in Tulkarem told the Palestinian news agency WAFA that four young men succumbed to critical wounds they sustained after being targeted in an Israeli drone attack.

The Ministry of Health identified the four slain Palestinians as Yazid Sa’ad Adel Shafe’, 22, Nemer Anwar Ahmad Hamarsheh, 25, Mohammed Yasir Raja Shahadeh, 20 and Mohammed Hassan Ghanem Knoh, 22.

2100 GMT — Houthis to free UN workers accused of spying for Israel, US

The Yemeni Houthi group announced that it would release detained UN employees who have been proven innocent of espionage for the US and Israel.

The announcement came after a meeting in the capital, Sanaa, between Abdulaziz bin Habtour, head of the Houthi government that is not internationally recognised, and Peter Hawkins, the acting UN humanitarian coordinator and UNICEF representative in Yemen, according to the group-run Saba news agency.

However, the news agency did not specify how many of the 17 UN employees in custody have been cleared of espionage charges.

"The UN employees proven clear of charges related to a US and Israel spy network and will be released," Habtour said in the announcement.

The Houthi leader also highlighted the need to strengthen partnerships with various international and humanitarian organisations operating in Yemen, taking into account the exceptional circumstances the country is currently facing.

For our live updates from Tuesday, July 2, 2024, click here.