Israeli army kills Palestinians collecting aid, says Gaza civil defence agency
's civil defence agency has said at least 10 people were killed across the Palestinian territory on Saturday, including civilians who were waiting to collect aid.
Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP that at least six people were killed and 30 wounded after
Israeli
troops targeted civilians assembling near an aid point in central Gaza.
It comes after, early Friday, the Israeli security cabinet
approved plans
to launch major operations to seize Gaza City, triggering a wave of outrage across the globe.
Despite the backlash and rumours of dissent from Israeli military top brass, prime minister
Binyamin Netanyahu
remained defiant over the decision.
READ MORE
In a post on social media late on Friday, Mr Netanyahu said 'we are not going to occupy Gaza – we are going to free Gaza from Hamas'.
Mr Netanyahu faces mounting pressure to secure a ceasefire to bring the territory's more than two million people back from the brink of famine and free the hostages held by Palestinian militants.
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Opinion: Why has Gazans' hunger attained the status of 'moral crisis' when Israel's genocidal slaughter did not?
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The worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza and Israel's plans to expand military control over the enclave have pushed Germany to curb arms exports to Israel, a historically fraught step for Berlin driven by a growing public outcry.
Conservative chancellor Friedrich Merz, hitherto a staunchly pro-Israel leader, made the announcement on Friday, arguing that Israel's actions would not achieve its stated war goals of eliminating Hamas militants or bringing Israeli hostages home.
The UN Security Council announced an emergency meeting on Israel's plans was rescheduled to Sunday after originally being scheduled to take place on Saturday. The UN Mission of Panama, which holds the council presidency this month, provided no details, but Saturday is the Jewish Sabbath and Israel is certain to want to speak at the meeting.
The efforts for a new ceasefire have the backing of major Arab Gulf monarchies, according to two officials who spoke to AP anonymously due to the sensitivity of the discussions. One is involved directly in the deliberations and the second was briefed on the efforts.
The monarchies are concerned about further regional destabilisation if Israel fully reoccupies Gaza, the officials said.
A senior Hamas official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorised to brief the media, said the group has yet to receive details on the latest efforts to revive ceasefire talks.
The war was triggered on October 7th, 2023, when Hamas's attack on Israel killed 1,200 people and saw 250 taken hostage, according to Israeli tallies. Israel's subsequent attack on Gaza has killed more than 60,000 people, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza.
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As an Irish Jew my Star of David is no longer a badge of pride but a mark of shame
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Meanwhile, Iran has arrested 20 people it alleges are operatives of Israel's Mossad spy agency in recent months, the judiciary said on Saturday, warning that they will face no leniency and will be made an example of.
On Wednesday, Iran executed a nuclear scientist named Rouzbeh Vadi, who was convicted of spying for Israel and passing on information on another nuclear scientist killed in Israel's air strikes on Iran in June, state media reported.
Judiciary spokesman Asghar Jahangiri told reporters in Tehran on Saturday that charges against some of the 20 suspects arrested had been dropped and they were released. He did not give a number.
'The judiciary will show no leniency toward spies and agents of the Zionist regime, and with firm rulings, will make an example of them all,' Mr Jahangiri was quoted as saying by Iranian media.
Executions of Iranians convicted of spying for Israel have significantly increased this year, with at least eight death sentences carried out in recent months.
Israel carried out 12 days of air strikes on Iran in June, targeting Iran's top generals, nuclear scientists, nuclear installations, as well as residential neighbourhoods. Iran responded with barrages of missiles and drones on Israel.
Rights group HRANA reported 1,190 Iranian deaths during the 12-day Israeli attacks, including 436 civilians and 435 security personnel. Israel said 28 were killed in Iran's retaliatory attack. – Guardian/Reuters
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The Irish Times view on the killing of Anas al-Sharif: Israel is targeting journalism
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Irish Examiner
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Finally, a large-scale anti-war protest in Israel
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Irish Examiner
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Israel intensifies bombing of Gaza, killing 89 Palestinians in 24 hours
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Twenty-two months into the conflict, Israel's war on Gaza has killed a total of 61,599 Palestinians and injured 154,088 since 7 October 2023, according to Gaza's health ministry. An outpouring of condemnation has followed the death of the prominent Al Jazeera journalist Anas al-Sharif, killed along with four colleagues in an Israeli airstrike on Sunday. The Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF) and the Palestinian Center for Human Rights said they would file a joint complaint to the international criminal court over their killings. The Israel Defense Forces admitted carrying out the attack, claiming Sharif was the leader of a Hamas cell responsible for rocket attacks against Israel – an allegation that Al Jazeera and Sharif had previously dismissed as baseless. HRF's investigation traces the chain of command from Netanyahu to senior Israeli army figures, including air force and intelligence commanders. The UN secretary general, António Guterres, condemned their deaths and his spokesperson called for an independent investigation. The head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, Philippe Lazzarini, said in a post on X: 'The Israeli Army continues to silence voices reporting atrocities from Gaza.' 'I am horrified by the killing of another 5 journalists in Gaza City. Since the war began, more than 200 Palestinian journalists have been reported killed in total impunity.' — The Guardian
