Rescue official and journalist among 40 killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza, medics say
Children were among those said to be killed as Israeli forces targeted a school housing displaced people in the Daraj neighbourhood of Gaza City on Sunday. Images circulating on social media showed badly burned bodies lying in the destroyed school.
A senior rescue service official and a journalist were killed in separate strikes on Khan Younis in the south, Jabalia in the north and Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip, Reuters reported.
Journalist Hassan Majdi Abu Warda and several of his family members were killed after Israeli forces struck his house in Jabalia on Sunday.
His death took the number of Palestinian journalists killed in Israel's war on Gaza to 220, according to the health ministry in the Hamas -run Strip.
Ashraf Abu Nar, a senior official in the Gazan civil emergency service, and his wife were killed in the Nuseirat airstrike.
Yaqeen Hammad, an 11-year-old social media celebrity, was also killed in the Israeli raids, Al Jazeera reported. Children account for 31 per cent of Palestinians killed in Israel's nearly two-year-long offensive on Gaza, the health ministry said.
Israel stepped up its military operations in the territory in early May saying it was seeking to eliminate Hamas 's military and governing capabilities and bring back the remaining hostages who were taken in October 2023.
Gaza's medics said Israel had taken control of around 77 per cent of the territory either through ground forces or evacuation orders and bombardments that kept residents away from their homes.
Despite mounting international pressure on Israel to lift a blockade on aid supplies in the face of warnings of looming famine, prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said last week that Israel was determined to control the whole of Gaza.
UN secretary general Antonio Guterres last week sounded the alarm over 'atrocious levels of death and destruction' by Israel in Gaza while warning that Israeli forces were allowing "a teaspoon of aid" into Gaza.
COGAT, the Israeli defence body overseeing aid for Gaza, said 107 trucks of aid entered Sunday, about a sixth of the 600 trucks that entered the embattled territory during the ceasefire earlier this year.
Israel blocked all food, medicine and fuel from entering Gaza for almost three months before letting a small number of aid trucks enter last week after warnings about famine and pressure from some of Israel's top allies.
"Palestinians in Gaza are enduring what may be the cruelest phase of this cruel conflict," the UN secretary general said on Friday.
Israel's military said in a statement that chief of staff Eyal Zamir visited soldiers in Khan Younis on Sunday and told them that "this is not an endless war" and that Hamas had lost most of its assets, including its command and control.
"We will deploy every tool at our disposal to bring the hostages home, dismantle Hamas and dismantle its rule," he was quoted as saying.
The armed wings of Hamas and the Islamic Jihad said in separate statements on Sunday that their fighters carried out several ambushes and attacks using bombs and antitank rockets against Israeli forces operating across Gaza.
Israel launched a ground and air assault on Gaza after nearly 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage during a Hamas raid into southern Israel in October 2023.
Israel has since killed more than 53,900 Palestinians, according to the local health authorities, left the territory in ruins and pushed nearly all of its two million residents from their homes.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
ITV News
26 minutes ago
- ITV News
PM's plan to recognise Palestinian state could 'harm' hostages, families say
British families of hostages taken by Hamas have urged the prime minister to change course on the governments plans to recognise the state of Palestine, saying the policy could "even hurt" those still being held in Gaza. Earlier this week, Starmer said the UK would take the step of recognising Palestine in September ahead of the UN General Assembly unless Israel meets certain conditions. Members of four British families met with Foreign Office officials on Thursday night seeking clarification on whether conditions would also be placed on Hamas, their lawyers said in a statement. 'However, it was clear from the meeting last night that the British government's policy will not help the hostages, and could even hurt them,' they said. 'We do not say this lightly, but it was made obvious to us at the meeting that although the conditions for recognising a Palestinian state would be assessed 'in the round' in late-September, in deciding whether to go ahead with recognition, the release or otherwise of the hostages would play no part in those considerations. 'In other words, the 'vision for peace' which the UK is pursuing… may well involve our clients' family members continuing to rot in Hamas dungeons.' Starmer said the UK would only refrain from recognising Palestine if Israel allows more aid into Gaza, stops the expansion of settlements in the West Bank, agrees to a ceasefire, and signs up to a long-term peace process over the next two months. While he also called for Hamas to 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', he did not explicitly say these would factor into whether recognition would go ahead. The families have a range of views on what the future political settlement should look like but their priority is to keep the hostages 'above political games,' their lawyers said. They are now urging the prime minister to 'change course before it is too late'. 'At a minimum, the British hostage families request that the government confirm that without the hostages being released, there can be no peace, and that this will be an important part of its decision as to whether to proceed with recognition and its current plan.' The families of Ms Damari and freed hostage Eli Sharabi were among those who met with the Foreign Office. Also present were relatives of Nadav Popplewell, who died while held captive, as well as those of Oded Lifshitz, who died, and Yocheved Lifschitz, who was released. Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds has said that the UK will not get into a 'to and fro' with Hamas over the recognition plans and that 'we don't negotiate with terrorists, Hamas are terrorists'. US President Donald Trump disagrees with Starmer plans, as well as those of France and Canada, which have also pledged their countries will recognise Palestine. 'He feels as though that's rewarding Hamas at a time where Hamas is the true impediment to a ceasefire and to the release of all of the hostages,' White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said. The Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office has been contacted for comment.
Telegraph
37 minutes ago
- Telegraph
The British terms for recognition of Palestine are not addressed to Hamas or Israel
Every day, Christians say the prayer which Jesus himself taught, the 'Our Father '. Its first expressed wish is 'Thy kingdom come'. Those three words refer to the belief that Jesus will have a Second Coming to earth which will inaugurate the eternal reign of God. When we say them, we express a sincere hope, but we are assuredly not expecting it to happen any time soon. In history, preachers have emerged claiming they are the Messiah, or his prophet, and that the Kingdom is coming right now. They have been lunatics, charlatans, or political adventurers. It is not, from a Christian view, impossible that the Second Coming will be manifested soon in a high street near you: it is just extremely unlikely. Fear those who claim otherwise. The call for a two-state solution of Israel/Palestine is the political equivalent of 'Thy kingdom come'. It is a noble aspiration towards which we should strive, but not, to put it mildly, likely or imminent. Beware of those who tell you different. The proposal to recognise a Palestinian state now makes the same mistake as those who try to fast-track the coming of Christ's kingdom. Its advocates may be perfectly sincere, but their actions empower the worst people. They will not create the state they seek. There are differences between the recognition terms being offered by France, Canada and Britain. Canada, for example, imposes quite strong conditions, such as demilitarising the Palestinians. The British version is notably the worst. It demands Hamas release the hostages, but with no penalty if Hamas does not comply. Weirdly, the British position makes our recognition of a Palestinian state dependent on Israel's behaviour in the coming weeks. Recognition will be granted 'unless the Israeli government takes substantive steps to end the appalling situation in Gaza and commits to a long-term sustainable peace, including through allowing the UN to restart without delay the supply of humanitarian support … to end starvation, agreeing to a ceasefire, and making clear there will be no annexations in the West Bank'. Is Sir Keir Starmer seriously saying that if Benjamin Netanyahu obeys him and calls off his dogs of war, the case for a Palestinian state falls? If statehood is needed, that need does not depend on how 'good' or 'bad' Bibi decides to be between now and September. And what incentive does Britain give Hamas to offer a ceasefire? We have told the terrorists that if Israel agrees one, we will not recognise Palestinian statehood. What earthly reason will Hamas have for releasing the hostages now? Until the UN General Assembly, when recognition will be declared, it will want to drive Israel into more extreme positions. Then Britain will back the Palestinian state that Hamas wants. This may not matter, since Britain has so little power in the situation, and has now, by its various recent actions, lost all leverage with Israel. For Mr Netanyahu, the latest British pressure need hardly register. The only Western power that matters here is the United States. But why, then, did Sir Keir regard the nearly 80-year-old question of Palestinian statehood as suddenly so urgent that it required an emergency Cabinet meeting this week? And why is it that, for the first time, three G7 members are playing this recognition game? I suppose the answer friendliest to those three states is that they want to forestall Israel. They think that Mr Netanyahu wants to annex Gaza: they fear that President Trump cannot be relied upon to stop him. They imagine their declaration of Palestinian statehood can prevent this. They are right that the Netanyahu government has waged nearly two years of war without disclosing its post-victory plans. That makes everyone nervous. But I fear – a fear confirmed by the hasty, repetitive, almost inarticulate wording of the British statement – that the call for Palestinian state recognition is driven by motives little related to a long-term international settlement. The most obvious is that the countries involved have big, restive Muslim populations to be appeased. Here in Britain, our governing party has a proportion of Muslim membership much higher than that of the general population (thought to be over 60 per cent in London). Labour is shedding votes in all directions. Muslim ones are among the most volatile. It would not be surprising, too, if the security services were privately warning of Islamist attacks stirred up by what is happening in Gaza. Labour is scared. Slightly less obvious, but still powerful, are undercurrents about 'values'. Attending President Macron's speech in Westminster Hall during his state visit, I was struck by his emphasis on recognising Palestine. Although he said it was his own view, he implied it arose from Anglo-French conversations. He waxed eloquent about how 'for us as Europeans there is no double standard' (a remark which implies a false equivalence between Israel and Hamas). Mark Carney takes a similar line. He is back home ruling Canada these days, but there remains no greater devotee of European righteousness. One must not forget that Sir Keir, although outwardly deferential to Trump, is desperate for a shadow EU membership for Britain to wash off what he sees as the stain of nationalism and realign us with the Union our voters rejected in 2016. For him, 'European values' are talismanic. Unfortunately, they have never included robust support for Israel. Then there is colonial guilt. Speaking at Wednesday's UN conference on the two-state solution in New York, the Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, invoked 'the hand of history' that famously fingered Tony Blair in Northern Ireland. Britain bears 'the special burden of responsibility' that goes back to the Balfour declaration of 1917, he said. We must protect the 'civil and religious rights' of the Palestinian people which, along with a homeland for the Jews, Balfour promised. Balfour did not promise a Palestinian state, however. There has never been one. Palestinian leaders have rejected all offers of one. This Mr Lammy did not discuss. It is a serious matter to create a new state. As a result, there are four international legal principles for doing so, based not on aspiration, but on facts: does the entity in question have 'a permanent population, a defined territory, a government and the capacity to enter into relations with other states'? This Government of lawyers is oddly reluctant to engage with these questions. It was a surprise to hear the distinguished ex-jurist Lord Sumption say on television that it is 'completely clear' that Palestine has met these conditions, especially that of having a government. Until now, such complete clarity has eluded all those who have sought to deal with representatives of the Palestinians. The Palestinian Authority is much less than a government. Hamas, as all admit, has no legitimacy whatever. Its plan for statehood was well expressed in its actions of Oct 7 2023. Palestinian statehood, as currently offered, bursts with contradictions. Here is a darkly funny one. At present, the official status of most Palestinians in the territories is that of refugees (the only example in the world of refugee status being hereditary), for whom the UN is responsible. If statehood were granted, they would be refugees no more, so would UNWRA and all its aid have to be sent packing? That is just one of the many things which Sir Keir and colleagues have not thought about.
ITV News
an hour ago
- ITV News
Trump envoy visits Gaza aid sites as starvation worsens
The United Nations says more than 1,000 people have been killed by Israeli forces while seeking food since late May, when the Israel- and US-backed GHF began operating. ITV News Correspondent Sejal Karia reports US President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff visited food distribution sites in Gaza on Friday amid international outrage over worsening starvation and deadly chaos near aid sites in the enclave. With food scarce and parcels being airdropped, Witkoff and US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee toured one of the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation's (GHF) distribution sites in Rafah, Gaza's southernmost city. Chapin Fay, the GHF's spokesperson, said the visit reflected Trump's understanding of the stakes and that 'feeding civilians, not Hamas, must be the priority.' All four of the group's sites are in zones controlled by the Israeli military and have become flashpoints of desperation during their months of operation, with starving people scrambling for scarce aid. The United Nations (UN) says more than 1,000 people have been killed by Israeli forces while seeking food since late May, when the Israel- and US-backed GHF began operating. Of those, hundreds have died near GHF sites, according to the UN. The GHF was created to replace the UN's aid role in Gaza and has been widely criticised for failing to improve conditions. The Israeli military says it has only fired warning shots at people who approach its forces, and GHF says its armed contractors have only used pepper spray or fired warning shots to prevent deadly crowding. It falls against the backdrop of man-made 'mass starvation' in Gaza due to the aid blockade on the enclave, the chief of the World Health Organisation warned reporters at a briefing on Wednesday. 'Parents tell us their children cry themselves to sleep from hunger,' Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. 'Food distribution sites have become places of violence.' Scenes of desperation and chaos played out again on Friday as scores of Palestinians ran toward food aid dropped from the air in central Gaza. Aid providers have turned to the skies as border crossings remain closed amid severe food insecurity across the Gaza Strip. Despite the airdropped parcels, the amount getting into Gaza remains far lower than the 500 to 600 trucks per day that aid organisations say are needed. The Israeli defence body in charge of coordinating humanitarian aid in Gaza said 270 trucks of aid entered Gaza on Wednesday, and 32 pallets of aid were airdropped into the Strip. Israel claims its actions were sparked by Hamas's October 7, 2023, attacks, which saw around 1,200 people killed and 251 others abducted. Hamas still hold 50 hostages, including around 20 believed to be alive. Most of the others have been released in ceasefires or other deals. The retaliatory offensive has killed more than 60,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry.
