Live Updates: Palestinian death toll from Israel's war in Gaza tops 40,819

Tuesday, September 3, 2024

13:12 GMT — At least 40,819 people have been killed in Israel's war on Gaza, now nearing its 12th month, the Health Ministry in the beseiged enclave said.

The toll includes 33 deaths in the previous 24 hours, according to ministry figures, which also list 94,291 people as wounded in Gaza since October 7.

12:21 GMT — Japan to work with Palestinians for Gaza ceasefire

Japan has said that it will "work closely" with Palestinians to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza amid the ongoing Israeli onslaught.

During a meeting with the head of the Palestine Olympic Committee Jibril Rajoub in Tokyo, Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa voiced "strong concern" over the humanitarian situation in Gaza .

She reaffirmed Japan's commitment t o supporting peace efforts and humanitarian aid, according to an official statement.

Tokyo intends "to work closely with the Palestinian side toward a cease-fire," she added.

12:03 GMT — Chief of Israeli army’s Ground Forces resigns

Chief of the Israeli army’s Ground Forces Tamir Yadai resigned due to “personal reasons,” the military said on Tuesday.

A military statement did not provide further details about Yadai’s resignation, which came after he served three years in his position.

According to Israel’s Army Radio, Yadai is expected to submit his candidacy for "significant positions" within the army.

11:12 GMT — Palestinian boy killed in Israel's ongoing West Bank offensive

A Palestinian boy has been killed and his father injured by the Israeli forces in the Tulkarem refugee camp amid ongoing Israeli offensive in the northern occupied West Bank.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said its medical teams shifted the body of 17-year-old Mohammad Kanaan and his injured father to a hospital.

Medical sources said Kanaan was shot in the head while his father was shot in his waist by the Israeli forces.

10:22 GMT — Netanyahu’s map shows ‘colonial, racist agendas’ of Israel’s government: Palestine

Palestine has strongly denounced Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for using a map that erased the occupied West Bank.

“Netanyahu's map reveals the truth of the colonial and racist agendas of the extremist right-wing government,” the Palestinian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The Israeli premier appeared standing in front of a wall-sized digital map on Monday that obliterated the occupied West Bank.

09:42 GMT — Suspension of arms export licenses to not have ‘material impact’ on Israel security: UK defence chief

The UK's decision to halt 30 of its 350 arms export licenses to Israel will not have a "material impact" on Israel’s security, the British defence secretary has said.

Speaking to Times Radio, John Healey said the suspension decision "will not have a material impact on Israel’s security."

Healey also noted that he informed his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant about the decision before it was announced.

08:17 GMT — Israel continues to bomb Gaza, casualties reported

Several Palestinians have been killed and wounded due to continued Israeli air strikes and shelling across Gaza.

The Palestinian official news agency Wafa said two Palestinians were killed and others injured in an Israeli strike on a tent in northwestern Khan Younis, the southern Gaza.

In the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza, the Israeli warplanes struck a home, while the Israeli military vehicles fired at the camp, causing casualties.

07:25 GMT — Nearly 159,000 children get polio vaccination in Gaza: Health Ministry

The Health Ministry in Gaza has announced that nearly 159,000 children received polio vaccination in the central area of Gaza.

"Medical teams were able to vaccinate 158,992 children within two days of the start of the polio vaccination campaign in Gaza," the Health Ministry said in a statement.

It added that the citizens had a high turnout on the second day of the campaign in Gaza's central area.

06:15 GMT — Biden believes Netanyahu is not doing enough to secure hostage deal

US President Joe Biden has said that he does not think Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is doing enough to secure a hostage deal with Hamas.

His remarks came in response to a reporter during his arrival at the White House.

Biden also said he believes a final deal for the release of hostages held by the Palestinian group is "very close."

05:55 GMT — Hamas says Netanyahu looking for 'imaginary victory' in Gaza

Netanyahu is looking for an "imaginary victory" in Gaza that he has not succeeded in selling to his audience, the Palestinian resistance group Hamas has said.

Izzat Al Rishq, a member of Hamas's political bureau, was commenting on a speech by Netanyahu during which he insisted on keeping the Gaza-Egypt border area known as the Philadelphi Corridor under the Israeli army's control, claiming it is necessary for achieving the war on Gaza's goals.

"Netanyahu's statements are the speech of a desperate person who is looking for an imaginary victory that he has not succeeded in marketing to his audience after 10 months of his Nazi war against our people in the Gaza Strip," Al Rishq said.

He "confirms with his statements today that he is the one obstructing the exchange deal and the ceasefire agreement," he said.

04:38 GMT — 52 Palestinian journalists languishing in Israeli jails: Palestinian prisoners' group

The Israeli army has detained at least 98 Palestinian journalists since the start of Israeli carnage in Gaza, including 52 still languishing in Israeli jails, a prisoners' group said.

In a statement, the Palestinian Prisoners' Society, a non-governmental organisation advocating for prisoners' rights, said among the detained journalists, 15 are being held under administrative detention, including six female journalists, and at least 17 journalists from Gaza were detained.

04:10 GMT — US officials say Netanyahu 'torpedoed everything in one speech'

US officials involved in negotiating a hostage release-ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu torpedoed their efforts with his press conference on Monday night, CNN has said.

The report said that officials continued to work on a deal even after the death of six hostages.

However, Netanyahu said that Israel will never leave the Philadelphi corridor, "and this guy torpedoed everything in one speech," the source said in an initial reaction.

02:50 GMT — Police responds with violence against Israeli protesters

Thousands of Israelis protested across the country on the second day in a row to demand a ceasefire deal in besieged Gaza.

Police used violence to quell protesters in Jerusalem, with over a dozen arrested.

"Some of the protesters began disturbing the peace, crossing fences, clashing with the police and lighting flares," the police said.

"The citizens of Israel are taking to the streets because they have realised that their prime minister decided to abandon Israeli citizens to their deaths," Shai Mozes, nephew of Hamas hostage Gadi Mozes, said in his address to the crowds outside the prime minister’s residence.

For our live updates from Sunday, September 1, 2024, click here