logo
Israeli strikes in Gaza kill 93 Palestinians, including several families, health officials say

Israeli strikes in Gaza kill 93 Palestinians, including several families, health officials say

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli strikes overnight and into Tuesday killed more than 90 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip, including dozens of women and children, health officials said.
One strike in the northern Shati refugee camp killed a 68-year-old Hamas member of the Palestinian legislature, as well as a man and a woman and their six children who were sheltering in the same building, according to officials from Shifa Hospital, where the casualties were taken.
One of the deadliest strikes hit a house in Gaza City's Tel al-Hawa district on Monday evening and killed 19 members of the family living inside, according to Shifa Hospital. The dead included eight women and six children. A strike on a tent housing displaced people in the same district killed a man and a woman and their two children.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military on the strikes.
Gaza's Health Ministry said in a daily report Tuesday afternoon that the bodies of 93 people killed by Israeli strikes had been brought to hospitals in Gaza over the past 24 hours, along with 278 wounded. It did not specify the total number of women and children among the dead.
The Hamas politician killed in a strike early Tuesday, Mohammed Faraj al-Ghoul, was a member of the bloc of representatives from the group that won seats in the Palestinian Legislative Council in the last election held among Palestinians, in 2006.
Hamas won a majority in the vote, but relations with the main Fatah faction that had long led the Palestinian Authority unraveled and ended with Hamas taking over the Gaza Strip in 2007. The legislative council has not formally convened since.
The Israeli military says it only targets militants and tries to avoid harming civilians. It blames civilian deaths on Hamas because the militants operate in densely populated areas. But daily, it hits homes and shelters where people are living without warning or explanation of the target.
The latest attacks came after U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held two days of talks last week that ended with no sign of a breakthrough in negotiations over a ceasefire and hostage release.
Israel has killed more than 58,400 Palestinians and wounded more than 139,000 others in its retaliation campaign since Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Just over half the dead are women and children, according to the ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and militants in its tally.
The ministry, part of the Hamas-run government, is led by medical professionals. Its count, based on daily reports from hospitals, is considered by the United Nations and other experts to be the most reliable.
Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas after its attack 20 month ago, in which militants stormed into southern Israel and killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians. They abducted 251 others, and the militants are still holding 50 hostages, less than half of them believed to be alive.
Israel's air and ground campaign has destroyed vast areas of Gaza and driven some 90% of the population from their homes. Aid groups say they have struggled to bring in food and other assistance because of Israeli military restrictions and the breakdown of law and order, and experts have warned of famine.
___
Follow AP's war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Canada will recognize a Palestinian state in September, the prime minister says
Canada will recognize a Palestinian state in September, the prime minister says

Yahoo

time21 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Canada will recognize a Palestinian state in September, the prime minister says

TORONTO (AP) — Canada will recognize a Palestinian state in September, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced on Wednesday, the latest in a series of symbolic announcements that are part of a broader global shift against Israel's policies in Gaza. Carney convened a Cabinet meeting to discuss the situation in the battered Palestinian territory. He said it came after he discussed the crisis with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer who announced a similar move on Tuesday. Leaders are under mounting pressure over the issue as scenes of hunger in Gaza have horrified so many across the world. 'The level of human suffering in Gaza is intolerable,' Carney said. 'Canada intends to recognize the State of Palestine at the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in September 2025.' Carney said the intention is predicated on the Palestinian Authority 'holding general elections in 2026 in which Hamas can play no part, and to demilitarize the Palestinian state.' It wasn't immediately clear how much of a condition Carney's caveat represented — an election in the wrecked strip is not likely anytime soon. Pressure to formally recognize Palestinian statehood has mounted since French President Emmanuel Macron announced that his country will become the first major Western power to recognize a Palestinian state in September. As with France and the U.K., Canadian recognition would be largely symbolic, but it's part of a broader global shift against Israel and could increase diplomatic pressure for an end to the conflict. More than 140 countries recognize a Palestinian state, including a dozen in Europe. Macron's announcement last week made France the first Group of Seven country — and the largest in Europe — to take that step. Canada has long supported the idea of an independent Palestinian state existing alongside Israel, but has said recognition should come as part of a negotiated two-state solution to the conflict. Solve the daily Crossword

Top lawyers warn Starmer recognising Palestine could breach international law
Top lawyers warn Starmer recognising Palestine could breach international law

Yahoo

time21 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Top lawyers warn Starmer recognising Palestine could breach international law

Sir Keir Starmer's pledge to recognise a Palestinian state could break international law, an influential group of peers has warned. Some 38 members of the House of Lords, including some of the UK's most eminent lawyers, have written to Attorney General Lord Hermer about the Prime Minister's announcement. As first reported by the Times newspaper, the peers warned that Sir Keir's pledge to recognise Palestine may breach international law as the territory may not meet the criteria for statehood under the Montevideo Convention, a treaty signed in 1933. On Tuesday, Sir Keir announced the UK could take the step of recognising statehood in September, ahead of a major UN gathering. The UK will only refrain from doing so if Israel allows more aid into Gaza, stops annexing land in the West Bank, agrees to a ceasefire, and signs up to a long-term peace process over the next two months. Hamas must immediately release all remaining Israeli hostages, sign up to a ceasefire, disarm and 'accept that they will play no part in the government of Gaza', Sir Keir also said. In their letter to Lord Hermer, the peers said Palestine 'does not meet the international law criteria for recognition of a state, namely, defined territory, a permanent population, an effective government and the capacity to enter into relations with other states'. There is no certainty over the borders of Palestine they said, and no single government, as Hamas and Fatah are enemies. Lord Hermer has previously insisted that a commitment to international law 'goes absolutely to the heart' of the Government's approach to foreign policy. In their letter seen by the PA news agency, the peers added: 'You have said that a selective, 'pick and mix' approach to international law will lead to its disintegration, and that the criteria set out in international law should not be manipulated for reasons of political expedience. 'Accordingly, we expect you to demonstrate this commitment by explaining to the public and to the Government that recognition of Palestine would be contrary to the principles governing recognition of states in international law.' Among the respected lawyers to have signed the letter are Lord Pannick – who represented the previous government at the Supreme Court over its Rwanda scheme – as well as KCs Lord Verdirame and Lord Faulks. Some of Parliament's most prominent Jewish voices, including crossbench peer Baroness Deech, Labour's Lord Winston and the Conservatives' Baroness Altmann, have also put their name to the letter. Former Conservative cabinet ministers Lord Pickles and Lord Lansley have also supported it, as has Sir Michael Ellis KC, a former Conservative attorney general and the only non-peer whose name appears on the letter as seen by PA. The peers' intervention follows condemnation of Sir Keir's announcement by Emily Damari, a British-Israeli women who was held captive by Hamas for more than a year. The PM is 'not standing on the right side of history' after his pledge to recognise a Palestinian state, she said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meanwhile claimed it 'rewards Hamas's monstrous terrorism'. But ministers have insisted the step is important and is not an example of gesture politics. 'This is about the Palestinian people. It's about getting aid in to those starving children,' Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said on Wednesday morning. Asked directly whether the release of hostages by Hamas is an explicit condition of Palestinian recognition, Ms Alexander told BBC Radio 4: 'We will be making an assessment in September and we expect Hamas to act in the same way as we expect Israel to act.' She later added: 'We're giving Israel eight weeks to act. If they want to be sat at the table to shape that enduring peace in the region, they must act.' Sir Keir had been coming under pressure from MPs to recognise statehood, and last week more than 250 cross-party members signed a letter calling on him to act. Elsewhere on Wednesday, Palestine Action's co-founder won a bid to bring a High Court challenge over the group's ban as a terror organisation. Huda Ammori is challenging Home Secretary Yvette Cooper's decision to proscribe the group under anti-terror laws, announced after the group claimed responsibility for action in which two Voyager planes were damaged at RAF Brize Norton on June 20.

Arab League backs call for Hamas to disarm for a two-state solution
Arab League backs call for Hamas to disarm for a two-state solution

USA Today

time22 minutes ago

  • USA Today

Arab League backs call for Hamas to disarm for a two-state solution

Saudi Arabia and France issued the "New York Declaration," which was backed by the Arab League, Qatar and Egypt. The Arab League called on militant group Hamas to disarm and hand power in Gaza to the Western-backed Palestinian Authority as part of a broader call for a two-state solution in the Middle East. France, which said last week it would recognize a Palestinian state in September, and Saudi Arabia together issued a declaration July 29, backed by Egypt, Qatar and the Arab League, outlining steps toward implementing a two-state solution. As part of an end to the Gaza war, they said Hamas "must end its rule in Gaza and hand over its weapons to the Palestinian Authority." The declaration came at a two-day United Nations conference in New York. More: Two Israeli rights groups say Israel is committing genocide in Gaza The Arab call for Hamas to disarm came as Gaza is in the grip of starvation brought on by a near-complete Israeli blockade of food and medical supplies. More than 60,000 Palestinians have died in Gaza during Israel's retaliatory war on Hamas following the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks on southern Israel. "Those children look very hungry," President Donald Trump said July 28, contradicting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's assertion that there was no starvation in Gaza. 'I want to make sure they get the food, every ounce of food.' Hamas has consistently rejected calls to disarm or cede control of Gaza. The Arab League has 22 members including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, most of whom are aligned against Iran, Hamas' most important backer. Contributing: Reuters

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store