At least 26 killed seeking aid in Gaza as Netanyahu faces growing criticism
His address will come just before the United Nations Security Council holds an emergency meeting on Israel's plan to take control of Gaza City.
Hospital officials said they received bodies from areas where Palestinians were seeking aid, either along food convoy routes or near privately run aid distribution points across Gaza.
The dead include 10 who were killed while waiting for aid trucks close to the newly built Morag corridor which separates the southern cities of Rafah and Khan Younis, said Nasser hospital.
A further six people were killed while waiting for aid in northern Gaza near the Zikim crossing, according to the Gaza Health Ministry and the Shifa hospital in Gaza City which received the casualties.
In central Gaza, witnesses said they first heard warning shots before the fire was aimed toward crowds of aid seekers trying to reach a food distribution site operated by Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).
The Associated Press cannot independently confirm who fired the shots. The Awda hospital in the nearby Nuseirat refugee camp said four people were killed by Israeli gunfire.
'First, it was in the air, then they started to fire at the people,' said Sayed Awda, who waited hundreds of metres from the GHF site in the area.
Six other aid seekers were killed while trying to reach GHF sites in Khan Younis and Rafah, Nasser hospital said.
The US and Israel backed the foundation months ago as an alternative to the UN-run aid system, but its early operations have been marred by deaths and chaos, with aid-seekers coming under gunfire near the routes leading to the sites.
Responding to AP inquiries, the GHF media office said: 'There were no incidents at or near our sites today and these incidents appear to be linked to crowds trying to loot aid convoy.'
Israel's military also said there were no incidents involving Israeli troops near central Gaza aid sites.
Seven people were killed in airstrikes, local hospitals reported — three people near the fishermen's port in Gaza City and four people, two of them children, in a strike that hit a tent in Khan Younis. The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the strikes, but has accused Hamas of operating from civilian areas.
Israel's air and ground offensive has displaced most of the population and pushed the territory towards famine.
Two more Palestinian children died of malnutrition-related causes on Saturday, bringing the death toll among children in Gaza to 100 since the war began. A total of 117 adults have died of malnutrition-related causes since late June when the ministry started to count this age category, it said.
The toll from hunger is not included in the ministry's death toll of 61,400 Palestinians in the war.
The ministry, part of the Hamas-run government and staffed by medical professionals, does not distinguish between fighters or civilians, but says around half of the dead have been women and children. The UN and independent experts consider it the most reliable source on war casualties.
The prospect of expanding the war has sparked outrage both internationally and within Israel, where bereaved families and relatives of hostages still held in Gaza urged companies to declare a general strike next week.
Tens of thousands of Israelis rallied in Tel Aviv on Saturday night in what local media called one of the largest anti-government protests in recent months.
The families and their supporters hope to pressure the government to reverse its decision to take over Gaza City, warning that expanding the war will endanger their loved ones.
Of the 251 people abducted when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on October 7 2023, killing about 1,200, around 50 remain in Gaza, with 20 believed to be alive.
Lishay Miran-Lavi, whose husband Omri is among the hostages, also appealed to US President Donald Trump and special envoy Steve Witkoff to halt the war.
'The decision to send the army deeper into Gaza is a danger to my husband, Omri. But we can still stop this disaster,' she said.
Also on Sunday, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz toured the northern part of the Israeli-occupied West Bank. He said Israel's military would remain in the area's refugee camps at least until the end of the year.
Approximately 40,000 Palestinians have been driven from their homes this year in the West Bank's largest displacement since Israel captured the territory in 1967. Israel says the operations are needed to stamp out militancy, as violence by all sides has surged since Hamas's 2023 attack ignited war in Gaza.
Mr Katz on Sunday said the number of warnings about attacks against Israelis in the West Bank had decreased by 80% since the operation began in January.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
13 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Washington Mayor slams Donald Trump's city takeover as troops flood capital
Donald Trump has hinted he will send the National Guard wing of the US armed forces to Democrat-run cities in what his supporters call a crackdown on rampant crime The Mayor of Washington DC has slammed Donald Trump's takeover of the city an "authoritarian push" as National Guard troops flood the US capital. Democrat mayor Muriel Bowser slammed Mr Trump over his crime crackdown as the US military prepares to patrol the district's streets after the Republican president branded the capital a "lawless" city. Speaking about the move on Tuesday night, she said: "This is a time when the community needs to jump in. To protect our city, to protect our autonomy, to protect our home rule. "Get to the other side of this guy and make sure we elect a Democratic House so that we have a backstop to this authoritarian push." The mayor's combative stance comes after she branded the takeover as "unprecedented," although she admitted she was not "totally surprised." It comes after Donald Trump was seen with a mystery mark in Scotland after his chronic health diagnosis. The National Guard arrived in the US capital at about 8pm on Tuesday after Mr Trump said he wanted to curb violent crime in the city. Mr Trump activated the national guard following an attempted carjacking involving DOGE employee Edward Coristine, who was beaten while trying to protect a woman. His comments are a stark contrast to his previous responses to crime in Washington DC. Following his inauguration, Mr Trump pardoned nearly 1,600 people convicted or awaiting trio for the January 6, 2021 Capitol riots with more than 600 having been convicted or pleading guilty to assault, or obstructing law enforcement and 170 of having used a deadly weapon. National Guard troops have been seen in the capital with a master sergeant telling The New York Times military Humvees parked on the National Mall was part of a "presence patrol." The Washington Post said Pentagon documents said there could be 600 troops on the ground within a single hour anywhere in the US should they be given approval. Mr Trump suggested on Monday that he could extend the takeover to other major cities in the US, such as New York City and Chicago, all Democrat-run states. Mr Trump said: "This will go further. "We're going to take back our capital…and then we'll look at other cities also." Mr Trump has the ability to send troops to Washington DC as it is not a state and is under tight federal control, his efforts to do so in states - such as California - has been challenged in the courts. While Mr Trump signalled out Democrat-run states, FBI crime statistics show four out of the five US cities with at least 100,000 residents that had the highest number of crimes against 100,000 people, were in Republican voting states. Not every agency reports to the FBI, and therefore the list is not fully complete: Memphis, Tennessee Cleveland, Ohio Toledo, Ohio Little Rock, Arkansas Peoria, Illinois Springfield, Illinois Detroit, Michigan Akron, Ohio Beaumont, Texas Rockford, Illinois Figures from Washington DC's Metropolitan Police indicates crime remains high in the capital but also suggests violent offences have fallen following a peak in 2023 and 2024. It has since reached its lowest levels in 30 years. Violent crime is down 26 per cent this year compared to the same time period last year and instances of robbery are down 28 per cent. Violent crime data is collected differently by the metropolitan police and FBI, with public data indicating a drop of 25 per cent for 2024 and a nine per cent drop, respectively. Critics have said Mr Trump's efforts are a distraction from mounting criticism over how his administration has fumbled the handling of releasing files related to the death and connections of Jeffrey Epstein. But Republicans have argued crime in major cities is out of control and has not been curbed by Democrats who run many densely populated areas of the country.
Reuters
13 minutes ago
- Reuters
Israel says Gazans free to exit while Hamas attends Cairo ceasefire talks
CAIRO/JERUSALEM, Aug 13 (Reuters) - Militant group Hamas' chief negotiator held talks with Egyptian mediators over a potential ceasefire in the Gaza war on Wednesday while Israel struck the territory's main city prior to a planned takeover and again invited Palestinians to leave. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated an idea - also enthusiastically floated by U.S. President Donald Trump - that Palestinians should simply leave the enclave housing more than 2 million people after nearly two years of conflict. "They're not being pushed out, they'll be allowed to exit," he told Israeli television channel i24NEWS. "All those who are concerned for the Palestinians and say they want to help the Palestinians should open their gates and stop lecturing us." Arabs and many world leaders are aghast at the idea of displacing the Gaza population, which Palestinians say would be like another "Nakba" (catastrophe) when hundreds of thousands fled or were forced out during a 1948 war. Israel's planned re-seizure of Gaza City - which it took in the early days of the war before withdrawing - is probably weeks away, officials say. That means a ceasefire is still possible though talks have been floundering and conflict still rages. Israeli planes and tanks bombed eastern areas of Gaza City heavily, residents said, with many homes destroyed in the Zeitoun and Shejaia neighbourhoods overnight. Al-Ahli hospital said 12 people were killed in an airstrike on a home in Zeitoun. Tanks also destroyed several houses in the east of Khan Younis in south Gaza too, while in the centre Israeli gunfire killed nine aid-seekers in two separate incidents, Palestinian medics said. Israel's military did not comment. Hamas chief negotiator Khalil Al-Hayya's meetings with Egyptian officials in Cairo on Wednesday were to focus on stopping the war, delivering aid and "ending the suffering of our people in Gaza," Hamas official Taher al-Nono said in a statement. Egyptian security sources said the talks would also discuss the possibility of a comprehensive ceasefire that would see Hamas relinquish governance in Gaza and concede its weapons. A Hamas official told Reuters the group was open to all ideas if Israel pulls out. However, "Laying down arms before the occupation is dismissed is impossible," the official, who asked not to be named, told Reuters. Netanyahu's plan to expand military control over Gaza, which Israeli sources said could be launched in October, has heightened global outcry over the widespread devastation, displacement and hunger in the enclave. About half of Gaza's residents live in the Gaza City area. Foreign ministers of 24 countries, including Britain, Canada, Australia, France and Japan, said this week the humanitarian crisis in Gaza had reached "unimaginable levels" and urged Israel to allow unrestricted aid. Israel denies responsibility for hunger, accusing Hamas of stealing aid. It says it has taken steps to increase deliveries, including daily combat pauses in some areas and protected routes for aid convoys. The Israeli military on Wednesday said that nearly 320 trucks entered Gaza through the Kerem Shalom and Zikim crossings and that a further nearly 320 trucks were collected and distributed by the U.N. and international organizations in the past 24 hours along with three tankers of fuel and 97 pallets of air-dropped aid. The United Nations and Palestinians say aid entering Gaza remains far from sufficient. The war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli figures. Israel's offensive against Hamas in Gaza since then has killed more than 61,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials.
BBC News
13 minutes ago
- BBC News
France, Germany and UK ready to reimpose sanctions on Iran if talks don't resume
The UK, France and Germany have told the UN they are ready to reimpose sanctions on Iran over its nuclear programme if it fails to resume talks by the end of three countries, known as the E3, said they were prepared to trigger a "snapback" mechanism - meaning previous sanctions would be reinstated - unless Iran resumes negotiations. The E3 said they had offered to extend a deadline for negotiations to the end of August, which Iran has not replied to. Last month, Iran said it was prepared for further talks but only once sanctions already in place were lifted and its right to a civilian nuclear programme was agreed. It comes after initial talks between E3 and Iranian diplomats took place in Istanbul, Turkey last a letter to the UN and its chief António Guterres, three foreign ministers - Jean-Noël Barrot from France, David Lammy from the UK and Johann Wadephul from Germany - said they would enforce severe sanctions on Iran unless it agrees to limit its nuclear Tuesday, the E3 said their offer of an extension to the negotiations "remained unanswered by Iran"."We have made it clear that if Iran is not willing to reach a diplomatic solution before the end of August 2025, or does not seize the opportunity of an extension, the E3 are prepared to trigger the snapback mechanism," the letter added they were committed to using "all diplomatic tools" to ensure Iran does not develop a nuclear weapon - something Iran has denied intending to Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said in July that triggering sanctions would be "completely illegal".Sanctions on Iran's nuclear programme were previously lifted in 2015 after Iran signed a nuclear deal with the E3, the US, Russia and China, agreeing limits on its nuclear operations and to allow international inspectors entry to its nuclear sites. The deal is due to expire in US withdrew from the deal in 2018 during President Donald Trump's first term, with the leader saying it did too little to stop Iran from creating a pathway to a nuclear bomb. With its withdrawal, all US sanctions were re-imposed on retaliated by increasingly breaching the restrictions. In May, the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said it had more than 400kg of uranium enriched to 60% purity - well above the level used for civilian purposes and close to weapons grade. In June Iran's parliament suspended cooperation with the IAEA after tensions with Israel and the US came to a launched attacks on Iran's nuclear facilities the same month, triggering a 12-day US bombed a number of Iran's nuclear sites, bringing US-Iran talks to an abrupt the strikes, the E3 countries stepped up warnings to Iran about its suspension of cooperation with the BBC has contacted the UK Foreign Office for comment. The Iranian mission to the UN did not immediately respond to the BBC's request for comment.
