Series of condemnations after Israeli strike kills 6 journalists in Gaza

L'Orient-Le Jour

a day ago

Anti-Gaza war graffiti on the Western Wall in Jerusalem
Graffiti condemning Israel's war in the Gaza Strip was discovered Monday morning on the Western Wall in Jerusalem, a holy site for Judaism, sparking outrage in Israel.
"There is a holocaust in Gaza," read the graffiti, spray-painted in Hebrew on the southern section of the wall, in a more secluded area where Jewish worshippers pray without distinction of gender, unlike in the main section of the wall. The same inscription was found earlier this morning on the facade of the Great Synagogue of Jerusalem, with an addition in broken Hebrew stating, "Everything published is a lie."
Police announced Monday that they had arrested a 27-year-old suspect from Jerusalem, who will "appear in court later today ... to request an extension of his detention." The graffiti has drawn unanimous Israeli political condemnation, AFP reported.
13:56 Beirut Time
Syrian government pledges accountability after video of execution in Sweida
Syria's Interior Ministry vowed to find and bring to justice those responsible for an execution at a hospital in Sweida during violence in July, following the release of a video that appeared to attribute it to government forces.
"We condemn and denounce this act in the strongest possible terms," the ministry said in a statement, relayed by AFP, "whose perpetrators will be brought to justice and held accountable ... regardless of their affiliation."
13:56 Beirut Time
Qatar denounces Israel's "deliberate targeting" of Al Jazeera journalists
The Prime Minister of Qatar denounced Israel's "deliberate targeting" of Al Jazeera journalists in the Gaza Strip, where five employees of the Qatari channel were killed overnight in an Israeli attack.
"Israel's deliberate targeting of journalists in the Gaza Strip reveals how far these crimes go beyond imagination," Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said on X, paying tribute to the memory of "Anas al-Sharif, Mohammed Qreiqeh, and their colleagues" killed in the attack on a tent in Gaza City.
13:31 Beirut Time
Palestinian journalist becomes sixth victim of Israeli strike on Al Jazeera tent
A Palestinian journalist was killed in a deadly Israeli strike last night on a tent used by a crew from the Qatari channel Al Jazeera in Gaza City, bringing the death toll to six, the local Civil Defense and a hospital official announced Monday.
"Photojournalist Mohammed Al-Khaldi has succumbed to his injuries ... This brings to six" the number of victims of this strike, after which Al Jazeera announced the deaths of two journalists and three cameramen, the spokesperson for the Civil Defense in the Gaza Strip, Mahmoud Bassal, told AFP. Khaldi was a freelance journalist who occasionally collaborated with local media. The director of Al-Shifa Hospital – near where the tent was pitched – Mohammed Abu Salmiya, confirmed his death, which occurred Monday morning "from his injuries."
13:02 Beirut Time
Hezbollah condemns killing of journalists as 'war crime'
Following the Israeli strike that killed Al Jazeera journalists in Gaza City, Hezbollah condemned a "horrific and brutal crime." The party said in a statement that "this is considered a full-fledged war crime that reveals the brutality, criminality, and moral and human depravity of this entity."
"This systematic assassination of journalists, after the Israeli enemy decided to occupy the Gaza Strip, aims to prevent the media from playing their role in denouncing crimes and massacres, including genocide and starvation of the people, as a prelude to the imposition of a forced displacement of the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip," the party said.
12:38 Beirut Time
RSF denounces killing of Al Jazeera journalist in Gaza by the Israeli army
The press rights organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF) "strongly and angrily" condemned the assassination claimed by the Israeli army of a journalist from Al Jazeera in the Gaza Strip.
"Anas al-Sharif, one of the most famous journalists in the Gaza Strip, was the voice of the suffering imposed by Israel on the Palestinians in Gaza," the NGO said in a statement sent to AFP, calling for "strong action from the international community to stop the Israeli army."
11:37 Beirut Time
Israeli ambassador to Australia says Australian recognition of Palestinian state 'undermines Israel's security'
The Israeli embassy in Australia stated in a letter published on X, among other sites, that the Australian Labor government's moves to recognize a Palestinian state "undermine Israel's security" and "strengthen the position of Hamas."
Ambassador Amir Maimon wrote: "By recognizing Palestinian statehood while Hamas continues to kill, abduct, and reject peace, Australia is undermining Israel's security, derailing hostage negotiations, and handing a victory to those who oppose coexistence."
11:37 Beirut Time
'Gaza's children are dying of hunger and bombardment,' warns UNRWA
The U.N. Palestinian refugee agency, UNRWA, said that "children in Gaza are dying of hunger and bombardment."
"Entire families, entire neighborhoods, and an entire generation are being wiped out," UNRWA added in a social media post. "Inaction and silence are a form of complicity. It is time for statements to be turned into actions and for an immediate cease-fire."
11:37 Beirut Time
Family killed in Israeli attack on house in Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza
An Israeli attack on a house in the Gaza City neighborhood of Zeitoun killed an entire family, the state-run Palestinian Wafa news agency reported. The victims included a couple and their six children, it said. This attack followed another bombing earlier in the morning on a tent housing displaced people in the city, which killed at least three people.
11:37 Beirut Time
Palestinian and Australian officials discussed recognition of Palestinian statehood.
In a statement released on X, the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates said that Minister Varsen Aghabekian Shahin had spoken with her Australian counterpart, Penny Wong, about the recognition of the Palestinian state.
The ministry said the two officials discussed the findings of a telephone conversation between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on the issue.
11:16 Beirut Time
Recognition of Palestine puts Australia 'at odds with the US,' says opposition leader
Australian opposition leader Sussan Ley and the opposition coalition said they had "serious concerns about the Albanese government's decision to unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state outside of a process of peace and coexistence between the two states," reported The Guardian.
In a statement, Ley and opposition foreign affairs spokesperson Michaelia Cash said today's decision "puts Australia at odds with the United States of America, our most important ally and the most influential actor in the Gaza conflict."
10:09 Beirut Time
According to L'Orient Today's correspondent's sources, the explosion heard overnight in the districts of Marjayoun and Nabatiyeh was caused by a house detonation operation by the Israeli army in Khiam (Marjayoun). Israeli troops are still stationed on the hills of this border village, in Lebanese territory.
09:51 Beirut Time
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Netanyahu continues to deny starvation in Gaza and 6 Lebanese soldiers killed in south Lebanon explosion: Everything you need to know this Monday
Australia to recognize the State of Palestine
Australia will recognize the State of Palestine at the U.N. General Assembly in September, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced on Monday, following other countries such as France and Canada.
"A two-state solution is humanity's best hope for breaking the cycle of violence in the Middle East and bringing an end to the conflict and suffering" in Gaza, the Labor leader told reporters in Canberra. "Australia will recognize the right of the Palestinian people to a state of their own."
"Peace can only be temporary" until Israelis and Palestinians have their own states, he said.
Five Al Jazeera journalists killed in Israeli 'targeted' strike, including Anas al-Sharif
Al Jazeera announced the deaths of five of its journalists yesterday in an Israeli strike in the Gaza Strip, including a reporter well-known to its viewers, whom the Israeli army admitted targeting, calling him a "terrorist."
As the Israeli government shows determination to implement its new operational plan in the Palestinian territory devastated and starved by 22 months of war, the Qatar-based channel reported "what appears to be a targeted Israeli attack" on a tent used by its journalists in Gaza City, outside al-Shifa Hospital. It announced the deaths of its correspondents Anas al-Sharif and Mohammed Qreiqeh, as well as cameramen Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal, and Moamen Aliwa.
Their names join the list of nearly 200 journalists killed in the war launched in retaliation for the bloody attack by the Palestinian movement Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, according to Reporters Without Borders.
09:51 Beirut Time
Netanyahu: New Israeli plan is 'best way to finish the job'
The new Israeli plan to conquer Gaza City "is not aimed at occupying Gaza," Benjamin Netanyahu said last night, saying it was the "best way to finish the job" by ending the 22-month war in the Palestinian territory. He also said Sunday that he expected to complete this new offensive in Gaza "fairly quickly," and said it was "thanks to Israel" that the Lebanese authorities were now pushing for the disarmament of Hezbollah.
09:51 Beirut Time
Hamas delegation heads to Egypt to continue indirect negotiations with Israel
A source told The New Arab that a Hamas delegation, including senior Hamas leaders, will arrive in Cairo later today to resume negotiations with Israel for a hostage and cease-fire agreement through Egyptian mediators. The source added that communication with Egyptian mediators had been reestablished with Turkey's help following a Hamas delegation's visit to Ankara last week.
The delegation includes Khalil Hayyeh, who heads the negotiating team and replaced former Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, who was killed by Israeli forces in Gaza last year.