Live Updates: Protesters to encircle White House as Israel torments Gaza

Saturday, June 8, 2024

23:40 GMT — Pro-Palestine activists demanding an end to Israel's carnage in besieged Gaza and to American support for Israel plan to surround the White House during a weekend protest.

Advocacy and activist groups like CODEPINK and the Council on American Islamic Relations said on Friday that demonstrations were planned on Saturday, marking eight months of Israel's carnage in Gaza that has killed tens of thousands while causing a humanitarian crisis with widespread hunger and destruction.

The United States, Israel's key ally, has seen months of pro-Palestine protests ranging from marches in Washington and vigils near the White House to the blocking of bridges and roads near train stations and airports in multiple cities and encampments on many college campuses.

At least eight officials have quit President Joe Biden's administration, citing their opposition to his policy. Protesters have also disrupted some of Biden's reelection campaign events.

22:04 GMT — Dozens of corpses lying on streets in Rafah

A hospital director in Rafah has said there are dozens of corpses on the streets in the southern besieged Gaza city who were killed by the Israeli army.

Suhayb al-Hams, director of the Kuwaiti Specialized Hospital in Rafah, told Anadolu Agency there are dozens of wounded people whom the ambulances cannot reach because of the Israeli attacks.

"The medical situation is extremely catastrophic after all hospitals in Rafah are out of service due to the continuation of the military operation in Rafah," said al-Hams.

He held Israel responsible for directly targeting hospitals and urged international health organisations to live up to their responsibilities toward Israeli crimes in Rafah and provide the hospitals with fuel and medical supplies.

22:37 GMT — Palestine trashes Israel's list claiming to have killed Palestinian fighters

Authorities in besieged Gaza refuted allegations by the Israeli military that it killed 17 Palestinian fighters in an air strike on a UN-run school sheltering thousands of displaced people in the Nuseirat camp.

Palestinian authorities said the Israeli list contains names of Palestinians who were killed before the attack on Thursday in the Nuseirat camp, including Majd Darweesh, who was killed on Wednesday by the army in the Maghazi camp; Maher Fadel and Motasem Shaqra, both killed on Wednesday in the Bureij camp and Jamil al Maqadma, an elderly man who died in 2017.

It added that the Israeli list includes three Palestinians who are still alive, including one who has been living abroad for years.

They also named 12 children killed in the attack in addition to the remains of two unknown children.

20:09 GMT — Israeli opposition leader says Gaza humiliated Netanyahu regime

Israeli opposition leader Avigdor Lieberman has said that hawkish PM Benjamin Netanyahu's regime faced "complete humiliation" in besieged Gaza, while "losing the north and continuing to surrender" to Hezbollah.

"The Israeli government lost the north and continues to surrender to Hezbollah, which does everything it can," the head of the Yisrael Beiteinu party wrote on X.

"Exactly eight months since the October 7 attack, eight months in which instead of 'complete victory', we received complete humiliation," he added.

He noted that the government "did not eliminate Hamas, and did not return all the abductees."

"The time has come for a different leadership," he added.

21:00 GMT — US claims destroying Houthi drones, missiles

American forces have destroyed four drones and two anti-ship ballistic missiles in areas of Yemen controlled by Houthis, the US military said.

"US Central Command [USCENTCOM] forces successfully destroyed four UASs and two ASBMs in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen," the military command said in a social media post, using abbreviations for unmanned aircraft systems and anti-ship ballistic missiles.

"USCENTCOM forces also successfully destroyed one UAS launched from a Houthi-controlled area of Yemen into the Bab al-Mandab Strait," CENTCOM said, adding that American forces also destroyed a Houthi patrol boat.

The Houthis meanwhile launched four anti-ship ballistic missiles over the Red Sea, but "there were no injuries or damage reported by US, coalition, or commercial ships," the military command said.

20:40 GMT — Hezbollah targets Israeli military gathering

The Lebanese Hezbollah group has announced more attacks against the Israeli military's positions and soldiers' gatherings near the border areas with Lebanon.

In a statement, the group said its fighters targeted a deployment of Israeli soldiers in an area known as Horsh Matawa, northern Israel, with missiles.

Hezbollah also targeted military vehicles inside the Birkat Risha site with rockets, and claimed to achieve a direct hit.

In another statement, the Hezbollah group said its fighters hit the Israeli army's artillery positions in the Khirbet Maar base.

The Israeli army said it also struck Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon.

21:13 GMT — Poll shows majority of Israelis will not vote for warmonger Netanyahu

An opinion poll in Israel has found the majority of Israelis will not vote for hawkish PM Netanyahu or any party that backs him in upcoming elections, Israeli media reported.

The poll conducted by Channel 12 found that 62 percent of voters will not cast their ballots for a party that supports Netanyahu to continue as the leader of Israel.

The poll showed just 19% would vote for a party that supports Netanyahu, while 19 percent of other respondents said they do not know.

The results also indicated that 30 percent of those who currently classify themselves as voters within Netanyahu's bloc said they will not vote for a party that supports Netanyahu to continue as prime minister.

For our live updates from Friday, June 7, 2024, click here.