Israeli forces fire on people waiting for aid in Gaza, killing 25, witnesses say
The Israeli military did not immediately comment.
The Awda hospital in the urban Nuseirat refugee camp, which received the victims, said the Palestinians were waiting for the trucks on the Salah al-Din Road south of Wadi Gaza.
Witnesses told The Associated Press that Israeli forces opened fire as people were advancing eastward to be close to the approaching trucks.
'It was a massacre,' said Ahmed Halawa. He said tanks and drones fired at people, 'even as we were fleeing. Many people were either martyred or wounded'.
Hossam Abu Shahada, another eyewitness, said drones were flying over the area, watching the crowds first, then there was gunfire from tanks and drones as people were moving eastward.
He described a 'chaotic and bloody' scene as people were attempting to escape.
He said he saw at least three people lying on the ground motionless and many others wounded as he fled the site.
The Awda hospital said another 146 Palestinians were wounded. Among them were 62 in critical condition, who were transferred to other hospitals in central Gaza, it said.
In the central town of Deir al-Balah, the Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital said it received the bodies of six people who were killed in the same incident.
Palestinian witnesses and health officials say Israeli forces have repeatedly opened fire on crowds seeking desperately needed food, killing hundreds of people in recent weeks. The military says it has fired warning shots at people it said approached its forces in a suspicious manner.
The deaths were the latest in Israel-Hamas war in Gaza which killed about 56,000 Palestinians, according to the strip's health ministry.
The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants but say more than a half of the dead were women and children.
Israel launched its campaign in Gaza after Hamas's October 7 2023 attack on southern Israel, in which militants killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took another 251 hostages.
Most of the hostages were released by ceasefire agreements.
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The Guardian
31 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Caught in the crossfire, Qatar again finds itself Middle East peace broker
Caught in the crossfire, Qatar on Monday night found itself in the unusual position of being asked by the US to mediate to end a war where one of the two parties was firing missiles at it. But then there are few countries as multifaceted as Qatar, or few conflicts quite as tangled as the Iran-Israeli war. It seems Monday's heavily signalled Iranian attack on Qatar's 60-acre Al Udeid airbase, the largest US military facility in the Middle East, may even have become the opening to resume diplomacy. The attack, which caused no casualties, cleared the ground for Trump and Qatar to work together to secure the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Iran. It once again highlights Qatar's role as professional mediator – a bespoke service this tiny but massively wealthy country makes available from the Democratic Republic of Congo to Gaza. Ever since Israel launched its attack on Iran 12 days ago, Qatar has been at the forefront of the countries denouncing it, saying it considered the assault 'a blatant violation of Iran's sovereignty and security, as well as a clear breach of international law'. But Qatar also, free of charge, houses the vast Al Udeid airbase used by the US, one of the protagonists in the war against Iran. Over the years it is estimated Qatar has spent $8bn on the infrastructure of the base, an investment that buys them American goodwill despite their state's politics being very different from Donald Trump's 'America first'. Iran's relations with Qatar have also been on a steady upward curve, especially since Iran acted as a friend of Qatar when the state was being boycotted by its Gulf allies. Its Monday night missile salvo was a symbolic, almost courteous, attack on the US airbase in response to American strikes on its nuclear facilities. Trump afterwards thanked Iran for giving advance warning and time for the airbase to be cleared. Sultan bin Saad al-Muraikhi, Doha's foreign minister, issued a 'strong condemnation' of the attack, and told the Iranian ambassador, Ali Salehabadi, that Qatar had a right to respond, yet at the same time Qatar's deputy foreign minister, Majed al-Ansari, balanced a condemnation of Iran's actions, by pointing out that Qatar had been one of the first countries to warn against the dangers of Israeli escalation in the region. For its part, Iran's supreme national security council said it 'remains committed to maintaining and continuing warm and historic relations' with Qatar. Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baghaei, insisted Tehran would not allow US and Israeli 'criminal aggressions and malign policies' to create divisions between it and 'brotherly' regional states. Rarely has such an intrusion of another country's sovereignty been accompanied by so much regret. Indeed almost as soon as the near performative bombs were fended off by Qatar's air defences, Qatar's prime minister was being called by Donald Trump to see if he could have the conversation required with the Iranians to secure their agreement to a ceasefire. Iran's position since the conflict started has been that the onus lies with Israel to stop striking, but if Trump delivered an Israeli ceasefire Tehran would respond, Qatar was told. Qatar's value to the region as the one country that can talk to America's greatest enemies – whether the Taliban, Hamas or Iran – came good again. Qatar has also worked the White House well, not just by providing Trump with a converted new Air Force One, but by being trusted by Democrats and Republicans alike. Its value was underscored by Steve Witkoff, Trump's special envoy, in his recent Tucker Carslon interview. Witkoff showered praise on Qatar saying 'they're criticised for not being well motivated. It's preposterous. They are well motivated. They're good, decent people. What they want is a mediation that's effective, that gets to a peace goal. And why? Because they're a small nation and they want to be acknowledged as a peacemaker'. Asked if they were Iran's agents, Witkoff responded 'Look, they're a Muslim nation. In the past, they've had some views that are a little bit more radical, but it's moderated quite a bit. They pay for every dollar of the airbase. They don't have their hand out for a thing. There is nothing that the United States has to fund with regard to that airbase. That's pretty unusual.'
Sky News
32 minutes ago
- Sky News
Israel-Iran live: Trump says it was 'honour' to 'destroy' Iran's nuclear sites - after raging at Israel and Tehran
Iran won't violate ceasefire - unless Israel does, says president Iranian leader Masoud Pezeshkian has been quoted by state-run media. According to Nour News, he's said Tehran is "ready to discuss and defend the rights of the Iranian people" at the negotiating table. "Iran will not violate the ceasefire unless the Zionist regime does so," he added. Starmer insists the ceasefire 'must hold' Sir Keir Starmer says the ceasefire "must hold". "This is an opportunity to secure much-needed stability in the Middle East," he posted on X, as he attends a two-day NATO summit in the Netherlands. He reiterated his stance that Iran "must never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon" and said the country must now "return to the table and work towards a lasting settlement". "That's the message that I'm discussing with other leaders at NATO today," he wrote. Trump says it was an 'honour' to 'destroy' nuclear capability Donald Trump has again posted on his social media site, Truth Social. While he's on his way to the NATO summit at The Hague, he's had some more to say on the Iran-Israel conflict. "Both Israel and Iran wanted to stop the War, equally," he wrote. "It was my great honor to Destroy All Nuclear facilities & capability, and then, STOP THE WAR!" Second British evacuation flight leaves Israel The Foreign Office says another flight evacuating British citizens from Israel has left Tel Aviv. It follows the first evacuation flight - an RAF jet to Cyprus - yesterday. More flights will be considered depending on demand. The Ministry of Defence also released pictures from the first evacuation flight out of Israel, which left Tel Aviv yesterday. In pictures: Apparent remains of ballistic missile in northern Israel Analysis: Considerable fear in Iraq that moves to peace could unravel By Stuart Ramsay, chief correspondent Iraqi militia closely allied with Iran are being blamed for a series of drone attacks on military bases in the country overnight. Amongst the bases targeted was the Ain al-Asad base in Iraq's western Anbar province, where the Americans have a presence, although now a major base for Iraqi military as well. Ain al-Asad was the second biggest base in Iraq after the second Gulf War, a base I have visited many times with American forces. It is still home to 1500 US personnel. An Iraqi military spokesperson confirmed that all the bases attacked were in the control of their military rather than American units, and that the drones caused significant damage to radar systems at the several of the bases. The potential for Shia Muslim militias to act independently of the Iraqi government has been a cause of concern here throughout this recent crisis. Militia contacts had been warning Sky News that they would respond if the US joined Israel's war with Iran, and this seems to be their response. While there was damage to the bases, no Iraqi or US service personnel were injured in the drone attacks. In a series of press conferences and interviews in the past few days, senior Trump administration officials have made it clear that forces working as proxies for Tehran would be targeted and dealt with in the same way as Iran if American interests and people were attacked. While overnight developments that saw the announcement of what is looking like an increasingly shaky ceasefire brought some relief here in Iraq, there remains considerable fear here that moves to peace could unravel. Chinese minister says he supports Iran's commitment to national sovereignty China's foreign minister has told his Iranian counterpart that he supports Iran's commitment to safeguarding national sovereignty and security. In a phone call with Iran's Abbas Araqchi, Wang Yi said he hope a "real ceasefire" can be achieved on that basis, according to a statement from the Chinese ministry. He is also in contact with Israel and has spoken to his counterpart in Turkey as well. Trump posts screenshot of gushing message from NATO chief Donald Trump has posted what appears to be a text conversation between himself and NATO secretary general Mark Rutte. "Congratulations and thank you for your decisive action on Iran," reads the effusive screenshot posted by Trump on Truth Social. "That was truly extraordinary and something no one else dared to do." The long message, full of praise for the president, says he has "made us all safer" and congratulates him for pushing NATO countries to up their defence commitments to 5% of GDP by 2035. "Donald, you have driven us to a really really important moment for America and Europe, and the world," reads the screenshot. "Europe is going to pay in a BIG way as they should, and it will be your win." Read the message posted by Trump in full below: Revealed: Israeli jets hovered ominously over Iran until Trump intervened Exclusive by lead world news presenter Yalda Hakim Dozens of Israeli warplanes hovered ominously over Iranian airspace this morning, poised to retaliate against multiple salvos of Iranian ballistic missiles launched against Israel in the early hours of the morning. Those missiles violated the just-established ceasefire in the eyes of Israeli officials and they were ready to respond. This show of military force was abruptly stopped by a phone call from US President Donald Trump to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. According to sources, Trump demanded Netanyahu halt the operation, fearing that it would unravel the ceasefire and pitch the Middle East back into conflict. Following the call between the two leaders, the Israeli aircraft were ordered to return to base. A single fighter jet executed a solitary airstrike, dropping a bomb on a site deemed symbolic rather than strategic. This act was interpreted as a final calibrated demonstration of Israel's military readiness without reigniting the war. As tensions simmer, the world watches closely, aware that the precarious situation could still change in the blink of an eye. Triumphant Trump on his way to NATO summit Donald Trump will have plenty to celebrate as he attends today's NATO summit in The Hague. There had been concerns in Europe that the US president would not fly to the Netherlands as he tried to broker peace in the Middle East. But with an albeit fragile ceasefire now secured, security and defence editor Deborah Haynes says there's "no doubt" that Trump will attend triumphantly. She says Trump will be pleased when he arrives this evening ahead of a social dinner with other NATO leaders. That's not only because of the ceasefire but also because, after decades of complaining about European defence spending, most NATO allies are due to up their commitments to 5% of GDP by 2035. But what will the 5% defence spending goal actually achieve? Watch Haynes' explanation here:
The Independent
44 minutes ago
- The Independent
Starmer says US action ‘helped alleviate threat of nuclear capability' in Iran
Sir Keir Starmer has defended US President Donald Trump's actions in the Middle East as he called for Iran and Israel to 'get back to' a fragile ceasefire brokered overnight. The Prime Minister said the US had helped in 'alleviating' the threat of nuclear capability for Tehran following American strikes on suspected enrichment facilities in the country. Ministers have so far been at pains to stress Britain was not involved in the attacks, but Sir Keir on Tuesday gave his backing to Washington's course of action as he prepared to meet the US president at a major summit of Nato allies. Asked on his visit to The Hague whether he personally felt safe with Mr Trump in the White House, the Prime Minister told Channel 5 News: 'Look, I think what we've seen over the last few days is the Americans alleviating a threat to nuclear weaponry by the Iranians and bringing about a ceasefire in the early hours of today. 'I think now what needs to happen is that ceasefire needs to be maintained, and that will be the focus of our attention, our engagement, our discussions, because that ceasefire provides the space for the negotiations that need to take place. 'It will have to be negotiations … to ensure that Iran never gets a nuclear weapon capability and that is very important for safety and security, not just in the region, but more widely.' The two warring nations had signed up to a ceasefire deal proposed by the US president before Israel claimed Iran had violated the deal by carrying out missile strikes after it came into force. Iran's military chiefs denied this, but faced a fresh onslaught ordered by the Israeli defence minister Israel Katz. Mr Trump called for Israel to withdraw its warplanes, and claimed both it and Iran 'don't know what the f*** they're doing' as he departed for the Nato summit in the Netherlands. As he arrived for the meeting of military allies, Sir Keir meanwhile called for the ceasefire to be respected. He told reporters: 'I want the ceasefire to continue, and therefore, obviously, the sooner we get back to that the better, and that's the message that I'm discussing with other leaders today. 'We've got a ceasefire. We need to get back to that ceasefire, which is consistent with what I've been saying about de-escalation for quite some time now.' Downing Street said the UK was prioritising getting Iran back to talks to agree a lasting settlement. 'Our priority now is a diplomatic solution, which is why the Prime Minister has urged Iran to come back to the negotiating table in pursuit of a lasting settlement,' a No 10 spokesman said. Meanwhile, Mr Trump reportedly told journalists that 'it depends on your definition' of Nato's Article Five when asked if he supports the provision, which states that an attack against one member of the alliance is considered an attack against all. 'There's numerous definitions of Article Five. You know that, right?' he told reporters on board Air Force One. A second evacuation flight taking Britons out of Israel left Tel Aviv on Tuesday. The Foreign Office confirmed its departure and said it would consider arranging further flights depending on demand. Foreign Office minister Hamish Falconer earlier told MPs: 'We are providing support and advice to more than 1,000 British nationals as they seek to leave the region by land and air. 'We have deployed teams to Israel, Cyprus, Egypt and Jordan.' The British embassy in Tehran, the capital of Iran, has temporarily withdrawn its staff amid the ongoing crisis, Mr Falconer also told MPs. The embassy is however still operating remotely and 'continues to provide support for British nationals in Iran', he said. Both Iran and Israel had agreed to the ceasefire in the early hours of Tuesday morning, after Mr Trump announced they would both sign up to the plan. But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned his country would 'respond forcefully' if any violation of the agreement was discovered. Accusations of one soon followed, with the Israeli military claiming Iran fired off missiles several hours after the deal came into force. Israel then responded by ordering further strikes against Iran. 'ISRAEL. DO NOT DROP THOSE BOMBS. IF YOU DO IT IS A MAJOR VIOLATION. BRING YOUR PILOTS HOME, NOW!' Mr Trump wrote on Truth Social, the social media site he owns. The US president appeared angry that his peace proposal had not held as he spoke with reporters outside the White House ahead of his departure for the Netherlands. 'They violated it but Israel violated it too,' the US president said, adding: 'I'm not happy with Israel.' He also said: 'You basically have two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard that they don't know what the f*** they are doing, do you understand that?'
