Gaza Dispute
Live Reporting
Macron demands ‘immediate ceasefire’ in Gaza
French President Emmanuel Macron has demanded an “immediate ceasefire” in Gaza, according to a press release from Elysee Palace.
It was released as Macron hosted Israeli President Isaac Herzog at the palace, just a few hours before the start of the Paris 2024 Olympics opening ceremony.
Macron spoke with his Israeli counterpart as part of talks on the sidelines of the Olympics and was expected to reiterate his commitment to “ensuring the safety of Israeli athletes”.
Silence the guns for Olympic Games: UN chief
The UN chief Antonio Guterres has urged countries around the world to stop armed conflict as part of “the Olympic truce”, saying during a meeting with International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach that the event was a chance for peace, Al Jazeera reports.
“I want to express the total support of the United Nations to the IOC,” Guterres said. “We live in a divided world where conflicts are proliferating in a dramatic way.
“The horrendous suffering in Gaza, the seemingly endless war in Ukraine, terrible suffering from Sudan to the DRC [Democratic Republic of Congo], from the Sahel to Myanmar.
UK drops plans to challenge ICC over Netanyahu arrest warrant
Downing Street has confirmed the government will drop its challenge to arrest warrants sought by an international court’s prosecutor for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, AFP reports.
The UK had until today to submit its questions to the court in The Hague, but the recently elected Labour government has confirmed it will not follow through with Rishi Sunak’s plan.
“This was a proposal by the previous government which was not submitted before the election, and which I can confirm the government will not be pursuing in line with our long standing position that this is a matter for the court to decide on,” a Downing Street spokeswoman said.
WFP reduces rations for Gaza families to ensure coverage for newly displaced
The World Food Programme (WFP) has been forced to reduce rations for families in Gaza to ensure broader coverage for newly displaced people, Reuters reports.
“Food stocks and humanitarian supplies in central and southern Gaza are very limited and barely any commercial supplies are going in,” WFP added in a post on social media platform X.
Food rations slashed in Gaza: WFP
The World Food Program says it has been compelled forced to slash food rations in Gaza “to ensure broader coverage for newly displaced people.”
In a post on X, it added that supplies are scarce in central and southern Gaza as barely any commercial provisions are going in.
A group of UN experts have blamed Israel for the onset of famine in Gaza, accusing it of carrying out a “targeted starvation campaign”, largely by preventing the delivery of aid, as well as through its relentless bombardment of the Strip.
Israel's hands stained with Abu Ara's blood, says Hamas
Hamas, a Palestinian group, claims that Mustafa Muhammad Abu Ara, a Hamas leader in the occupied West Bank, was subjected to torture and deliberately denied medical treatment.
The group says it mourns his death and expressed its condolences to the family and relatives of Abu Ara.
The 63-year-old, who died after being transferred to a hospital from the Ramon jail in southern Israel, was arrested in October last year and had been subjected to torture and deprived of medical treatment, according to the Palestinian authorities.
“We mourn the passing of the leader and prisoner Sheikh Mustafa Muhammad Abu Ara and hold the occupation responsible for his assassination through deliberate medical neglect,” Hamas said in a statement.
“The movement stressed that this heinous crime falls within the framework of the ongoing war of extermination and systematic killings carried out by the occupation,” it added.
Israeli army claims ‘100 terrorists’ killed
After launching the ground assault in the southern Gaza city, the Israeli military claimed to have eliminated “approximately 100 terrorists”.
Issuing an update on Telegram, the military said “seven terrorist cells” were destroyed by aircrafts. The troops also traced tunnel shafts and weapons in Rafah’s Tel al-Sultan neighbourhood.
Hezbollah strikes Israeli Army's technical system
Hezbollah, the armed Lebanese group, has claimed that it hit a “technical system” of the Israeli army near Ramyah. a Lebanese village.
The group used a guided missile and announced it on Telegram.
It said that the missile hit the equipment directly and destroyed it.
Detained Palestinians put through the wringer
The Israeli forces are subjecting the detained Palestinians to severe torture at the prisons.
At least eight prisoners who secured their liberty from Israel’s Ofer Prison complained of severe torture.
They told the media that they went through the wringer and faced interrogation prior to seeking release.
Israeli forces turn over a deceased man's home
The Israeli military raided the house of a deceased man in ar-Ram, north of occupied East Jerusalem, to size it up prior to razing it to the ground.
On July 14, Israeli soldiers killed Mohammad Shihab, alleging he tried to hit four soldiers with his car in the occupied West Bank.
During the raid, the Israeli forces also opened fire on two men in the city of Qalqilya. Condition of one was pronounced serious and both have been transferred to hospital.
Harris condemns flag burning, Hamas graffiti at protest in Washington
WASHINGTON: US Vice President Kamala Harris joined Democratic and Republican leaders in condemning protesters who burned American flags and sprayed pro-Hamas graffiti outside Washington’s Union Station on Wednesday, describing the acts as unpatriotic and abhorrent.
The protests coincided with a speech to Congress by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Before he spoke, protesters marched near the US Capitol building, condemning US military aid to Israel during its war with Hamas in Gaza.
Following Netanyahu’s speech, some of the demonstrators gathered in front of Union Station. They hoisted American flags outside the iconic train station, burned American ones and spray painted the words “Hamas is coming” and “Free Gaza” on a large monument.
Israeli fighter jets rain down on Gaza Strip
Israeli fighter jets unleashed a new wave of strikes, raining fire on the Gaza Strip again. The jets targeted the Bureij refugee camp in the centre, Gaza City in the north of the enclave and Khan Younis in the south.
