Live Updates: Hamas lauds 'heroic operation' bombings in occupied West Bank

Saturday, August 31, 2024

07:44 GMT — Hamas lauds 'heroic operation' bombings in occupied West Bank

Palestinian resistance group Hamas issued a statement praising what it called a "double heroic operation" in the occupied West Bank, saying it "is a clear message that resistance will remain striking, prolonged and sustained as long as the brutal occupation's aggression and targeting of our people and land continue".

Hamas said that the timing of the two attacks—one at a petrol station in the illegal Israeli Gush Etzion settlement and the other in the illegal Israeli settlement of Karmei Tzur, about 8 km (4.9 miles) away—was significant because they occurred while Israeli forces were conducting a large military operation in the northern part of the territory.

Hamas described the attacks as a major blow to the occupation’s security system, noting that they were carried out while Israeli forces were on high alert. Israel’s military reported that its forces killed one Palestinian attacker after the explosion at the petrol station and that a bomb detonated in a car during an exchange of gunfire in the illegal Karmei Tzur settlement, which resulted in the death of the second Palestinian attacker.

06:50 GMT — Israeli actions in Gaza, West Bank, Jerusalem severely worsen situation: France

Israeli actions in Gaza, the occupied West Bank, and Jerusalem have severely worsened the situation, noted the French Foreign Ministry.

“France expresses its strong concern over the deterioration of the situation in the Palestinian Territories following recent Israeli actions,” the ministry said in a statement.

Regarding Gaza, the ministry highlighted that Israeli attacks on schools and shelters for displaced persons have resulted in an unacceptable number of civilian casualties.

06:03 GMT — UAE offers $5M for polio vaccination in war-torn Gaza

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced a $5 million donation for a polio vaccination campaign in Gaza, that is set to begin.

According to the UAE’s official news agency WAM, the country's President, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, directed the funding for the critical polio vaccination campaign in Gaza as part of the UAE’s efforts to support the Palestinian people.

The campaign, which will be implemented in cooperation with the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF, will consist of two rounds and aim to vaccinate 640,000 Gazan children under the age of 10 with two doses each.

05:21 GMT — Israel kills 12 Palestinians in Gaza as toll soars in West Bank

The Israeli army has killed 12 Palestinians in a series of raids across besieged Gaza, with more bodies being recovered from areas previously vacated by Israeli forces.

Palestinian Civil Defense spokesperson Mahmoud Basal stated that six Palestinians were killed in two Israeli air strikes in Jabalia, northern Gaza, including one targeting a gathering of people.

In the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood of northwestern Gaza City, another Palestinian was killed in an Israeli air strike on a residential home, according to the statement.

04:58 GMT — Israeli settlers injured in occupied West Bank

At least four Israelis settlers have been injured in two separate attacks in the illegal settlement of Gush Etzion in the southern occupied West Bank.

Israeli media reported that the perpetrators of the two attacks were killed by Israeli military.

Israeli Army Radio reported that two settlers were injured in an explosion involving a car in Gush Etzion; one sustained moderate injuries, while the other was lightly injured.

04:00 GMT — Jordan, Iran discuss ceasefire and West Bank escalation

Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi and his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi have discussed the Gaza ceasefire efforts and the Israeli escalation in the occupied northern West Bank.

According to a statement by the Jordanian Foreign Ministry, both top diplomats spoke over the phone and discussed the regional developments, including the Israeli carnage in Gaza and the risky Israeli escalation in the occupied West Bank.

The statement quoted Safadi as stressing that halting Israeli aggression on Gaza is the first step in preventing the spread of an "all-out regional war."

03:19 GMT — Death toll from Israel aggression in West Bank reaches 20

Palestinian health authorities have said that the death toll from Israel's most aggressive invasion into the occupied West Bank since the start of its carnage in Gaza has reached at least 20.

The Palestinian Health Ministry reported the killing by Israeli forces of "an elderly man" in the city of Jenin, without specifying his age, bringing the total death toll from the military raids in the occupied territory to 20. Israel says it has killed 20 Palestinian fighters and arrested 17 others. Hamas has claimed at least 10 of those killed as its fighters.

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees, or UNRWA, said the Palestinians killed in the West Bank raids included a person with disabilities and a number of children, without specifying how many.

For our live updates from Friday, August 30, 2024, click here.