Gaza Turmoil
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Iranian spokesperson says US is party in Gaza bombardment
A spokesperson for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps has said that Tehran does not consider US actions on the bombardment in Gaza sincere, state media said according to Reuters.
Washington is a party in the bombardment, the spokesperson was quoted as saying, while stressing that Iran supports any move that would lead to an end of the bombardment and help the people of Gaza.
Israeli demands include only a temporary ceasefire: Hamas
Hamas has released a new statement rejecting US accusations that it is blocking a ceasefire deal, Al Jazeera reports.
In its statement, Hamas said the claim by Blinken that it is backing away from a deal is “misleading”. The group stressed it is eager to reach a deal and remains committed to the US and UN-backed ceasefire framework put forward in June.
Hamas says the US is bowing to pressure from Israel in the ceasefire negotiations and major sticking points remain after a plan put forward by President Biden.
‘Time has come to end the ongoing war’: El-Sisi
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has warned US Secretary of State Antony Blinken of the risk of the war in Gaza expanding regionally in a way “difficult to imagine”, Al Jazeera reports.
“The ceasefire in Gaza must be the beginning of broader international recognition of the Palestinian state and the implementation of the two-state solution, as this is the basic guarantor of stability in the region,” he added as the two met in El Alamein.
Palestinians use clay pots to keep water cool in electricity-short Gaza
The need to keep water cool in Gaza, where electricity is in short supply and 2.3 million people have been driven from their homes, has spurred a resurgence in the traditional Palestinian craft of pottery.
“People are now replacing fridges and cold water in refrigerators with clay pots,” said Bahjat Sabri Attallah, the owner of a pottery factory.
He told Reuters that the industry has seen increased demand amid the destruction wrought by the Israeli military offensive.
Gaza civil defence says Israel strike on school kills seven
Gaza’s civil defence agency said an Israeli strike hit a school in Gaza City, killing at least seven people, while the Israeli military said it struck a Hamas command centre, AFP reports.
The bodies of five men and two children were pulled out of the building “after an Israeli plane dropped a bomb on the second floor of the (Mustafa Hafiz School) building housing thousands of displaced people,” agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP.
He said 15 people were wounded in the strike.
Ten killed in Gaza City school attack
At least ten people have now been confirmed killed by the Israeli military strike on Mustafa Hafez school in western Gaza City, according to Gaza’s civil defence.
Mahmud Bassal, the civil defence spokesman, told AFP that bodies were being pulled out of the school, whose second floor was directly hit by a bomb.
At least two of those killed are children, said Bassal.
Israeli politicians weigh in on recovery of captives’ bodies
Israeli political leaders have been reacting to the news that the bodies of six people taken captive by Hamas were recovered by the army in Khan Younis, southern Gaza.
Here are some of their comments:
PM Netanyahu: “The State of Israel will continue to make every effort to return all of our abductees – both alive and dead.”
Opposition leader Lapid: “The days pass and we lose more and more hostages. We have to make a deal. must now.”
Defence Minister Gallant: “I participate in the mourning and the heavy sorrow of the families and embrace them to my heart.”
National Security Minister Ben-Gvir: “The living abductees and those who are not, should be returned only by heavy military pressure, the cessation of fuel and humanitarian aid to terrorism.”
Army brings home the fallen Israeli captives
A military statement says the bodies have been recovered in an operation in the city of Khan Younis in southern Gaza.
The captives have been named as Alex Dancyg, 75, Yagev Buchshtav, 35, Chaim Peri, 79, Yoram Metzger, 80, Nadav Popplewell, 51, and Avraham Munder, 78.
The overnight operation was jointly carried out by the army and Shin Bet, the Israeli intelligence agency, the statement said.
After an identification procedure was carried out, the families of the deceased were informed, the army added.
Strikes on homes in Bureij, Rafah killed ten Palestinians
Israel’s military has waged several early morning attacks across Gaza, killing and injuring numerous Palestinians, according to local news agency Wafa.
They include:
Bombardment of a family home in Bureij camp, killing six people.
Strike on a home in Rafah city, killing four people.
Tank fire on the outskirts of al-Mawasi area, near Khan Younis, injuring five people.
Shelling in Gaza City neighbourhoods of Tal al-Halwa, Sabra and Zeitoun.
Shelling in the northwestern part of Nuseirat camp and eastern Deir el-Balah.
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Hezbollah targeted Israel’s Bekaa with large rocket salvo
In an official statement, the Lebanese group says it targeted the headquarters of the Israeli army’s Golan 210th Division in the Nafah barracks, as well as the headquarters of the artillery and armoured regiments of the 210th Division in the Yarden barracks.
It described the attack as “intense barrages” of rockets and said it was in response to Israel’s overnight strikes on the Bekaa region.
Last night, Israel carried out a series of air strikes on the area in eastern Lebanon – away from the border region. It claimed to target Hezbollah weapons depots.
Videos from the scene showed large fires and secondary explosions following the initial strike. Lebanon’s Health Ministry said nine people were injured – six Lebanese and three Syrians.
For its part, the Israeli army says that it detected the launches of “about 55” rockets in Upper Galilee and the occupied Golan Heights, adding that some were intercepted while the rest fell in open areas without causing casualties.
“Shortly after the launches, air force aircraft attacked one of the launchers from which the launches were made,” the army added.
The voiceless Gazans: Young Pakistanis say it with blood
LAHORE ( Dunya News / APP) – In observance of the United Nations World Humanitarian Day (UN-WHD) on Aug 19, 2024, a powerful advocacy initiative led by two Pakistani children made a significant impact.
As part of the 16th anniversary of the day, the children presented the second phase of their unique protest notes, written with their blood, to international platforms including the UN.
Israeli forces kill 35 Palestinians in a day
Medical sources said Israeli forces have killed at least 35 Palestinians across Gaza over the past 24 hours.
Hamas, Islamic Jihad claim responsibility for bomb blast in Tel Aviv
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - The armed wings of Hamas and Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility on Monday for a bomb blast near a synagogue in Tel Aviv that Israeli police and the Shin Bet intelligence agency described as a terrorist attack.
A man who was carrying the bomb was killed and a passerby was injured in the incident late on Sunday, according to police at the scene in Israel's commercial capital.
Senior Hamas official criticises Blinken's Gaza proposal claim
CAIRO (Reuters) – Hamas senior official Osama Hamdan criticised US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's statement on Monday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accepted an updated proposal, saying it "raises many ambiguities" because it is "not what was presented to us nor what we agreed on."
Hamdan told Reuters that Hamas has already confirmed to mediators that "we don't need new Gaza ceasefire negotiations, we need to agree on an implementation mechanism."
Kamala Harris pulls out all the stops for Gaza cease-fire efforts
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez claimed that Kamala Harris is “working tirelessly to secure a cease-fire in Gaza and bringing hostages home.”
Pro-Palestinian delegates to Democratic convention to push for Israel arms embargo
CHICAGO (Reuters) – Dozens of Muslim delegates and their allies, angry at US support for Israel’s offensive in Gaza, are seeking changes in the Democratic platform and plan to press for an arms embargo this week, putting the party on guard for disruptions to high-profile speeches at its national convention in Chicago.
Calling itself "Delegates Against Genocide," the pro-Palestinian group says it will exercise its freedom of speech rights during main events at the four-day Democratic National Convention convening on Monday to formally nominate Vice President Kamala Harris for president in the Nov. 5 election against Republican foremer president Donald Trump.
