Live Updates: Israel kills 48 Palestinians in Gaza in less than an hour

Wednesday, July 17, 2024

05:30 GMT — Israel kills 48 Palestinians in Gaza in less than an hour

Three Israeli air strikes in less than one hour killed 48 Palestinians in Gaza, according to civil defence agency.

Israel said it carried out two of the strikes that the civil defence agency said also left dozens more wounded.

According to an updated toll, 25 people died at the UN-run Al Razi School in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, an agency director, Mohammed al Mughair told AFP.

04:40 GMT — Lebanon media says 3 children among 5 dead in Israeli strikes

Lebanese official media said separate Israeli strikes in south Lebanon killed five people including three Syrian children, with Hezbollah announcing rocket fire at Israel in retaliation.

"Three Syrian children" were killed "in an enemy raid that targeted farmland in the village of Umm Toot", the National News Agency (NNA) said.

It also said an "enemy" drone strike had targeted a motorcycle on the Kfar Tebnit road elsewhere in south Lebanon, killing two Syrians.

04:10 GMT — Israeli army chief of staff demands apology from Netanyahu

Israeli Army Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi has demanded that hawkish Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu apologise for recent comments he made in which he criticised the military for not putting enough pressure on resistance group Hamas to achieve progress in hostage talks, local reports said.

Israel's Channel 12 said that during a press conference on Saturday, Netanyahu said that "for months, there was no progress because the military pressure was not strong enough, and I thought that both for the sake of the hostage deal and for the sake of the victory over Hamas, we must enter Rafah."

During a meeting on Sunday that was also attended by the heads of Israel's two main spy agencies, the Shin Bet and Mossad, Halevi asked Netanyahu to apologise, Channel 12 reported.

3:38 GMT — Egypt, France discuss efforts to prevent escalation in Middle East

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron have agreed that international efforts must intensify to prevent the Middle East region from entering a new cycle of conflict.

In a phone call, the two leaders expressed their commitment to enhancing bilateral cooperation across various domains and exchanged views on regional and international issues, with a particular focus on "developments in the Gaza Strip," the Egyptian Presidency said in a statement.

President Sisi highlighted "Egypt’s ongoing mediation efforts to secure an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and facilitate the exchange of hostages between Israel and Hamas."

02:40 GMT — Israel kills several Palestinians in air strikes in Gaza

Israel has killed several Palestinians and wounded others in air strikes on different parts of besieged Gaza, which destroyed three homes.

Artillery fire also targeted areas in central and northern governorates.

Israeli warplanes targeted a house in the Al-Manara neighbourhood of Khan Younis in southern Gaza, with no immediate reports of injuries, according to Anadolu Agency.

Earlier, an Israeli strike hit a residential apartment in the Tel al Hawa neighbourhood southwest of Gaza City.

02:00 GMT — Turkish foreign minister, Hamas chief discuss Gaza humanitarian crisis, ceasefire talks

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has held a phone call with Hamas' political bureau chief, Ismail Haniyeh, about the ongoing humanitarian crisis in besieged Gaza and the latest in ceasefire negotiations, according to diplomatic sources.

During the conversation, Fidan addressed the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza and concerning developments resulting from increasing hunger and diseases in northern Gaza.

Additionally, Fidan and Haniyeh discussed the latest developments in ceasefire negotiations with Israel.

For our live updates from Tuesday, July 16, 2024, click here.