Dozens killed in Gaza as Israel intensifies strikes, rescuers say
Trump announced on Tuesday that Israel had agreed to the "necessary conditions" to finalize a 60-day ceasefire. However, there are still obstacles that could prevent a quick agreement.Hamas has said it is studying the proposals - the details of which have still not been made public - but that it still wants an end to the war and an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who will travel to Washington on Monday, has meanwhile insisted that the Palestinian armed group must be eliminated.
On Thursday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said its aircraft had struck around 150 "terror targets" across Gaza over the previous 24 hours, including fighters, tunnels and weapons.Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry said 118 people had been killed during the same period.Fifteen people, most of them women and children, were killed when a school housing displaced families in the al-Rimal neighbourhood of Gaza City was struck before dawn on Thursday, the Hamas-run Civil Defence agency and medics said.Witness Wafaa al-Arqan told Reuters news agency: "Suddenly, we found the tent collapsing over us and a fire burning... What can we do? Is it fair that all these children burned?"The IDF said it struck a "key Hamas terrorist" who was operating in a "command-and-control centre" in Gaza City, without mentioning the school.The IDF added that it took numerous steps to mitigate the risk of harming civilians and accused Hamas of using human shields - an allegation the group has repeatedly denied.At least another five displaced people were reportedly killed when a tent was struck overnight in the southern al-Mawasi area, where the IDF has told residents of areas affected by its evacuation orders to head for their own safety.Ashraf Abu Shaba, who lived in a neighbouring tent, said he saw the bodies of children and women wrapped in blankets afterwards."The occupation [Israel] claims there are safe zones, but there are no safe zones. Every place is a target... The situation is unbearable," he added.Later, Civil Defence spokesman Mahmoud Bassal told AFP news agency that another 38 people were killed by Israeli forces while seeking aid.He said 25 were killed near the Israeli military's Netzarim corridor in central Gaza. Six died at another location nearby, while seven were killed in the southern Rafah area, he added.Medics at Nasser hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis separately told Reuters that at least 20 people were killed while making their way to an aid distribution centre.There was no direct response to the reports from the IDF.
Last week, the IDF said it was examining reports of civilians being harmed while approaching sites in southern and central Gaza run by the US- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).On Thursday, IDF spokesman Brig-Gen Effie Defrin acknowledged at a briefing that Israeli forces were facing a "complex challenge" and drawing "lessons from every incident to prevent similar cases in the future". But he declared: "The reports of allegations of extensive casualties in the aid distribution centres are lies."There have been reports of deadly incidents near the distribution sites almost every day since the GHF began operating on 26 May. According to Gaza's health ministry, at least 408 people have been killed near GHF centres over the past five weeks. Another 175 people have been killed seeking aid elsewhere, including along routes used by UN aid convoys, it says.The GHF, which uses US private security contractors, said "distribution at all sites ran smoothly" on Thursday and that it had now handed out more than one million boxes of food.The GHF also rejected as "categorically false" allegations from a former security contractor, who told the BBC that he witnessed colleagues opening fire on civilians waiting for aid. The UN and other aid groups refuse to co-operate with the GHF, saying its new system contravenes fundamental humanitarian principles.The US and Israel say the GHF's system will prevent aid being stolen by Hamas.The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza in response to Hamas's 7 October 2023 attack on Israel, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.At least 57,130 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory's health ministry.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
31 minutes ago
- Reuters
Tariffs, geopolitics drag on European IPOs, even as funds flow in
LONDON/FRANKFURT, July 4 (Reuters) - Tariffs and Middle East turmoil are spooking European companies and the investors weighing their initial public offerings even as volatility subsides and money flows back into equity markets, advisers told Reuters. President Donald Trump's announcement of sweeping tariffs targeting imports from nearly all U.S. trading partners in April and his subsequent U-turn pause on the levies sent shockwaves through the global economy. But markets, including those in Europe, have since bounced back. The VIX, Wall Street's "fear gauge", has fallen around 67% from a peak touched following Trump's tariff announcement. And fund inflows into European stocks reached their second-highest level this century earlier this year. Still, investors remain wary of new listings. Topping their list of concerns, according to seven IPO advisers interviewed by Reuters, are the potential impact of conflicts like the Israel-Iran war and uncertainty regarding newly listed companies' aftermarket performance. "There's still a bit of nervousness in the network and a hangover from issues around tariffs and the war in the Middle East," said Scott McCubbin, head of EY's UK and Ireland IPO practice. Some companies, meanwhile, are unwilling to accept lower valuations than they had hoped for, the advisers said. German medical technology firm Brainlab postponed its IPO this week, citing "geopolitical uncertainties". Pharmaceutical company Stada delayed its debut in March, citing market volatility, while another German firm, car parts seller Autodoc did the same last month without giving a reason. Glencore-backed metals investor Cobalt Holdings, which was planning London's biggest IPO of 2025, meanwhile failed to secure enough investor interest, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters previously. Cobalt Holdings declined to comment. The recent run of shelved listings is making things harder for firms attempting to reopen the IPO market, one person close to the Brainlab IPO process said. Investors could not agree a price for the offering with Brainlab, the person and a second source said. Existing shareholders were dissatisfied with the makeup of the order book, said one of the sources, both of whom spoke on condition of anonymity because the process was private. A spokesperson for Brainlab said interest from investors was "very strong" but the conditions were not optimal for an IPO. While more funds have flowed into European equities this year from investors seeking to reduce their exposure to U.S. assets, that money is going into the stocks of large companies rather than IPOs, said one equity capital markets banker. Some of the reticence stems from cases like German perfume retailer Douglas ( opens new tab, which saw its shares drop more than 12% on its listing debut. It subsequently cut its guidance this year. The number of companies that went public across the EMEA region in the first six months of this year fell to 44 from 59 in the same period last year, according to Dealogic data. The amount raised also fell sharply, to around $5.5 billion from $14.1 billion. In such a challenging environment, Naveen Mittel, head of equity capital markets syndicate for EMEA at Citi, said companies planning an IPO have little margin for error. "You need to be clean in terms of setup and structure, evaluation of price, and there needs to be no question marks around it," he said. There have been some success stories this year. Hacksaw ( opens new tab, a developer and distributor of online betting games, successfully listed on Nasdaq Stockholm in June. "It's hard to draw any firm conclusions from a few deals when others like Hacksaw, are still getting away," said Michael Jacobs, a partner at law firm Herbert Smith Freehills. "But it does feel like the IPO window needs a summer break to reset." Advisers are hoping an array of bigger deals may help open the market in the second half. That could include a return of Stada, and possible listings of prosthetic manufacturer Ottobock, Deutsche Boerse's ( opens new tab research and technology unit ISS Stoxx, and classifieds business Swiss Marketplace Group. Stada is evaluating all options for the further ownership of the company including a possible IPO, it said. Swiss Marketplace Group said it had recently taken initial steps to achieve a "high level of IPO readiness", but its shareholders had not yet made a decision on the possible timing of a float. And Ottobock said it is continually reviewing options including an IPO, but no decision has been made. Deutsche Boerse said it was considering an IPO of ISS Stoxx, but could also buy out private equity investor General Atlantic from the company. No decision had yet been made, it added. Despite the bleak year-to-date numbers, the big picture for European IPOs - positive funds inflows and a calming of market volatility - looks good, one equity capital markets banker said. "The candidates in the pipeline all have next to no tariff impact, so we are optimistic that after the summer the IPO gates will open," the banker said.
The Sun
34 minutes ago
- The Sun
Trump reveals plan to host UFC title fight at WHITE HOUSE in front of 20,000 fans to celebrate America's 250th birthday
DONALD Trump has revealed plans to host the UFC title fight at the White House next year to celebrate America's 250th birthday. The"championship" punch up could take place on the presidential lawn and draw over 20,000 fans. 5 5 Trump, 79, who is pally with UFC president Dana White and a big UFC fan, announced his ambitious plan at an event in Des Moines, Iowa on Thursday. It comes just weeks after the president was pictured at the UFC 316 in New Jersey. Speaking emphatically to the crowd, he called on White to help organise the fight, which he said could take place at the White House because there is "a lot of land". He said: "Does anybody watch UFC? The great Dana White? "We're going to have a UFC fight. We're going to have a UFC fight - think of this - on the grounds of the White House. "We have a lot of land there, we're going to build a little — we're not, Dana is going to do it. "Dana is great, one of a kind — going to be UFC fight, championship fight, full fight, like 20,000 to 25,000 people, and we're going to do that as part of '250.'" White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt later confirmed the plans on X, adding that the president is "dead serious". The announcement marks the start of a whole year's worth of festivities to celebrate 250 years since American gained independence from the British. Trump's connections with the UFC date back over two decades, while his relationship with White has always been strong. The UFC boss backed the president's political career from the start, calling Trump a "fighter" and endorsing his presidential bid in 2016. Donald Trump plots shock UFC title fight at the White House as Dana White 'confirms' plan for 2026 When Trump survived a failed assassination attempt the White declared the president a "tough guy". He later called the 79-year-old "the legitimate, ultimate, American badass of all time". Later, in an interview with Tucker Carlson at Fox News, he touched on the pair's strong relationship, calling Trump "great" and a "good friend". He said: "This guy has been so good to me it's unexplainable. "He's been a very good friend to me since the day I met him. "When we bought this company it had such a bad stigma attached to it and the sport that we couldn't even get into venues, they didn't want us. "Donald Trump saw that this thing could possibly be big. "Plus he's a sports guy who loves sports, and he offered us to come do the event at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City. "He cut us a very fair deal and we went down there and did two events with him where he showed up for the first fight and stayed until the last fight. "Imagine back then; Trump brand is way up, UFC brand is way down, but he took us in and he was great." 5 5
Telegraph
34 minutes ago
- Telegraph
‘I think I hit one. Hell yeah boy!' US aid workers filmed shooting at Gazans
Armed US contractors at one of Gaza's new aid distribution hubs appeared to fire at Palestinians before celebrating, leaked footage has suggested. Video seems to have shown machine gun fire in the vicinity of civilians seeking aid, with an American voice shouting: 'I think you got one.' Another voice adds: 'Hell, yeah, boy!' The alleged incident took place at a site run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which is backed by Israel and the US but condemned by much of the rest of the international community. A former security contractor at one of the sites told the BBC that he saw a guard with a machine gun open fire from a watchtower because a group of women, children and elderly people were moving away from the site too slowly. "Hell yeah, boy!" US contractors in Gaza cheer after deliberately opening fire on aid-seeking Palestinians. Source: AP — The Cradle (@TheCradleMedia) July 3, 2025 Another contractor then opened fire, the whistleblower claimed. He said: 'A Palestinian man dropped to the ground motionless. And then the other contractor, who was standing there, was like 'damn, I think you got one'. And then they laughed about it.' The Associated Press reportedly spoke to two contractors for UG Solutions, who have been sub-contracted to GHF sites, and alleged that there was regular use of live ammunition, stun grenades and pepper spray on Palestinians who posed no threat. They claimed security staff hired to protect the sites were often unqualified, unvetted and acted with impunity while being heavily armed. The GHF said the accusations were categorically false, adding that no civilians have ever come under fire at their distribution sites. The new model for aid delivery has been designed to prevent food and supplies falling into the hands of Hamas, thereby propping up the terror group. Rather than delivering aid into population centres, the system requires people to walk long distances across open ground towards specially created centres. Photos and footage has shown large numbers of people being forced into narrow corridors between berms of earth, with security contractors standing above them. Hundreds have been killed in shootings in the wider vicinity of the aid centres as eyewitnesses have accused Israeli troops, who provide a wider ring of security, of opening fire. Israel has denied this, but has conceded to firing warning shots in the area. However, the new testimony has marked the first time an American staff member at the sites has been implicated. The GHF said it was operating in the face of people with a 'vested interest' in seeing it fail and denied any misconduct or lack of experience among staff.
