Israeli strikes in Gaza kill 93 Palestinians, health officials say
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, 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 on 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 on 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 unravelled 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 US 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's attack on October 7 2023, 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 months 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, fewer than half of them are 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.
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Scotsman
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Picture: Lisa Ferguson. | LISA FERGUSON Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The August 9 march with an estimated 500 participants is set to be held on the same day as a major Orange walk, which is expected to see 1,500 participants descend on the city centre at the height of the Festival. The city's Licensing Sub-Committee on Monday considered two pro-Palestine demonstrations from the organisers of Saturday's march, with one set to run on August 2 and the other on August 9. Police sergeant Grant Robinson said: 'Our assessment was that serious safety issues were frankly ignored by participants and stewards. Many presented waving high flags and banners on approach to the Edinburgh Tram line. 'This resulted in an emergency shutdown of the overhead power cables, as if the flags or banners touched or came near these items, the electricity would have arced, causing serious injury or worse. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'It's essential that we have agreed routes with sufficient notice, so that safety measures can be put in place in advance, as this caused frantic calls between police and Edinburgh Trams to enable the shutdown.' A spokesperson for Edinburgh Trams confirmed that the power lines were shut down for 15 minutes on Saturday over safety concerns. Sergeant Robinson also said the 'number, ability and knowledge' of the protest stewards was concerning to the police service. He said Police Scotland was willing to arrange third-party free training sessions to 'upskill' stewards. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The organisers of the event were not present, having asked if the council sub-committee meeting could be delayed so they could attend. Council officers proposed that the routes of the pro-Palestine rally on the 2nd be swapped with one on the 9th, in order to space out the demonstrations happening on that day. 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I very much stress that we do not want to charge people for exercising their right [to protest], but it is a qualified right.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Addressing the request by council officers to swap the routes of the two marches, Conservative councillor and sub-committee convener Joanna Mowat said: 'I would be mindful not to alter their fundamental structure, as in, they want to go up to the American consulate. I don't know why they want to go on August 2, but that's not relevant for us. 'I would be minded, because we are going to have to do something on the 9th, which is quite a big change that we're going to have to make to their routes, that I wouldn't alter the dates. I think public safety have asked us to do that, but I'm not sure we have justification to do that.' For the march on the 9th, committee agreed a new route intended to keep protesters away from the trams, which would run from Waverley Bridge and up Market Street, turning left at the Mound. 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