Gaza war: Hamas says pulling out of truce talks after Israeli 'massacres'

This live blog on Israel's war on Gaza has concluded. Make sure to follow us for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

A senior UN official recounts what he saw when visiting Gaza's Nasser Hospital on Saturday.

"Visiting the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis [on Saturday], I witnessed some of the most horrific scenes I have seen in my nine months in Gaza," Scott Anderson, deputy humanitarian coordinator and director of UNRWA affairs in Gaza, says in a statement.

UNRWA is the UN's Palestinian refugee agency.

"This overstretched health facility admitted well over 100 of yesterday’s severe injuries. With not enough beds, hygiene equipment, sheeting, or scrubs, many patients were treated on the ground without disinfectants," Anderson adds.

"Ventilation systems were switched off due to a lack of electricity and fuel, and the air was filled with the smell of blood.

"I saw toddlers who are double amputees, children paralyzed and unable to receive treatment, and others separated from their parents.

"I also saw mothers and fathers who were unsure if their children were alive. Parents told me in despair that they had moved into the ‘so-called humanitarian zone’ in the hope that their children would be safe there."

Injured people, including children, were transported to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital after a home was targeted in Al-Maghazi refugee camp in central Gaza.

Israeli aircraft bombed the Abu Madyan Mosque in Al-Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza, The New Arab's Arabic edition Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reports.

Four Palestinians, including children, were killed and others injured after Israeli aircraft bombed a home in Al-Maghazi refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, The New Arab's Arabic edition Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reports.

Israeli artillery shells the east of Al-Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza, The New Arab's Arabic edition Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reports.

A Hamas official said on Sunday that the Palestinian group was withdrawing from Gaza truce talks, as Israeli bombardments hit a school a day after a deadly strike purportedly targeting the militant commander Mohammed Deif.

Speaking after the strike on southern Gaza's Al-Mawasi, which the health ministry in the strip said killed at least 92 people, a senior official from Hamas cited Israeli "massacres" as a reason for suspending negotiations.

A second Hamas official said Deif, commander of the Palestinian group's military wing, was "well and directly overseeing" operations despite the Israeli bombing raid that the military alleged was an attempt to kill him.

On Sunday, Israeli forces struck a UN-run school in the central Nuseirat refugee camp that the military claimed "served as a hideout" for militants.

The civil defence agency in Gaza said 15 people were killed in the strike, the fifth attack in just over a week to hit a school used as shelter by displaced Palestinians.

The first Hamas official, quoting the group's Qatar-based political chief Ismail Haniyeh, said Israel's "lack of seriousness, continued policy of procrastination and obstruction, and the ongoing massacres against unarmed civilians" were behind the "decision to halt negotiations".

But according to the official, Haniyeh told international mediators Hamas was "ready to resume negotiations" when Israel's government "demonstrates seriousness in reaching a ceasefire agreement and a prisoner exchange deal".

Talks mediated by Qatar and Egypt, with United States support, have for months tried but failed to bring a halt to the war.

The government of Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Sunday denounced Israeli strikes on southern Gaza, urging the world not to "remain silent in the face of this endless massacre".

"The most recent bombing in the Gaza Strip, which claimed the lives of hundreds of innocent people, is unacceptable," read a statement from the presidency.

The health ministry in the Gaza Strip said at least 92 people were killed and 300 wounded in a Saturday strike on Al-Mawasi, an Israeli-designated "safe zone" on the Mediterranean coast.

The Civil Defence agency said another 20 were killed in an Israeli strike on a makeshift mosque at Al-Shati refugee camp in the territory's north.

On Sunday, 15 were killed in a Gaza school sheltering those displaced by the war, according to the Civil Defence agency.

"It is appalling that they continue to collectively punish the Palestinian people. Tens of thousands have already died in successive attacks since last year, many of them in delimited humanitarian zones that should be protected," said the statement.

"We, the political leaders of the democratic world, cannot remain silent in the face of this endless massacre."

The Israeli bombing that targeted the Abu Oraiban School in Gaza's Nuseirat refugee camp killed 15 people, mostly women and children, the strip's Civil Defence agency says.

The Civil Defence agency in Gaza says the number of its crew members killed in the Israeli attack on tents in Al-Mawasi in southern Gaza on Saturday has risen to three.

Belal Ramadan Farhan died after succumbing to his injuries.

The Civil Defence agency says 79 of its personnel have been killed since Israel's war on Gaza began in October.

Israeli warplanes on Sunday staged a fifth attack in eight days on a Gaza school sheltering war displaced, and residents said more casualties were inflicted.

The latest attack hit a UN-run school in Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza.

Schools in Nuseirat were the target for two of the earlier school strikes as Israel keeps up its brutal war on the devastated strip.

The Israeli military claimed its air force "struck a number of terrorists who were operating in the area of UNRWA's Abu Araban school building in Nuseirat".

It alleged the building had "served as a hideout" and base for "attacks" on Israeli troops.

Some wounded, including children, were taken to nearby hospitals, residents said, but neither the health ministry in Gaza, nor hospitals, were able to give a precise toll.

AFPTV images showed the three-storey complex still standing, with clothes and bedding airing out over its railings. A wall bearing the UN logo had been blown out, and rooms inside were damaged.

Israel's war on Gaza has seen ambulances, hospitals, and residential buildings attacked. South Africa has accused Israel of genocide at the International Court of Justice.

Yemen's Houthis said on Sunday they had conducted two military operations, one in the Gulf of Aden and one in Eilat at the southern tip of Israel.

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the group had targeted the Israeli ship MSC UNIFIC in the Gulf of Aden with a number of ballistic missiles and drones in addition to attacking military targets in Eilat with drones.

(Reuters)

New British Foreign Secretary David Lammy says he met today with Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa and Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu.

"Our message is clear: we need an immediate ceasefire, the immediate release of all hostages, the protection of civilians, unfettered access to aid in Gaza, and a pathway towards a two-state solution," he posts on X.

Today I met with Israeli PM @netanyahu, and Palestinian Authority PM Mustafa.

Our message is clear: we need an immediate ceasefire, the immediate release of all hostages, the protection of civilians, unfettered access to aid in Gaza, and a pathway towards a two-state solution. pic.twitter.com/kmmIBsHgov

— David Lammy (@DavidLammy) July 14, 2024

The Palestine Red Crescent Society says people in Gaza are struggling to access food amid soaring heat.

"As temperatures soar people in #Gaza, who have been displaced over and over again, struggle to access food and clean water, while enduring the heat in tents and makeshift shelters," the humanitarian group posts on social media platform X.

"The Palestine Red Crescent Society is delivering humanitarian aid and medical care to try and alleviate some of the unprecedented suffering."

As temperatures soar people in #Gaza, who have been displaced over and over again, struggle to access food and clean water, while enduring the heat in tents and makeshift shelters.
The Palestine Red Crescent Society is delivering humanitarian aid and medical care to try and… pic.twitter.com/RFcBfEHZFz

— PRCS (@PalestineRCS) July 14, 2024

Hamas's armed wing says it attacked Israeli forces in the area around the Tel Al-Hawa neighbourhood in Gaza City and a command headquarters in the Netzarim corridor, which splits Gaza in two.

Al-Qassam Brigades say they fired short-range rockets.

Eight Palestinian athletes taking part in the Paris Olympics will be symbols of "resistance" during the war in Gaza, a Palestinian minister said Sunday as the official delegation left the occupied West Bank.

This will be the eighth time Palestinian athletes have taken part in the Olympics since 1996, but Olympic committee head Jibril Rajoub said the athletes had never felt so much attention.

The athletes are preparing for the start of the Paris Games on July 26 in a "very dark moment in our history", said Palestinian authority minister of state for foreign affairs Varsen Aghabekian Shahin.

"You are not just athletes, you are also ... symbols of Palestinian resistance," Aghabekian added.

French organisers have stepped up security in Paris because of the conflict. But Rajoub said: "We want this participation to be a message from the Palestinians to the world that it is time for them to be free in their homeland."

"Through this participation, we want to present the suffering of the Palestinian people and the unprecedented killing taking place in Gaza," he added.

The Gaza Government media office has confirmed that the death toll has increased to 15 following an Israeli strike on a school in the Nuseirat refugee camp, managed by UNRWA, where hundreds were reportedly taking shelter.

"This massacre is part of the ongoing genocide carried out by the occupation army against our Palestinian people for ten consecutive months," the statement read.

"We hold the Israeli occupation and the US administration fully responsible for the continuation of these massacres against displaced persons and civilians," the office added.

Another massacre committed by Israeli warplanes in Nuseirat camp, by bombing the Abu Ariban school, which is a shelter for thousands of displaced people. pic.twitter.com/JjQWEluvBu

— Eye on Palestine (@EyeonPalestine) July 14, 2024

Survivors of the al-Mawasi displacement camp expressed outrage that an Israeli attack, allegedly targeting Hamas leaders, struck an area they had been assured was safe.

“Where are we supposed to go?” asked Mahmoud Abu Yaseen, who recounted hearing two air strikes, clutching his children, and waking up in the hospital to find his son had died.

He noted that his family had already been displaced five times since the conflict began.

The attack on Saturday, one of the deadliest in the nine-month war, resulted in at least 90 deaths and 300 injuries, with many still missing.

This mushroom cloud over Mawasi is testimony to the inhumane Rules of Engagement used by Israel skewed against civilians

Looks like several 2,000lbs war heads dropped on a densely populated 'safe zone' to kill a single man (who might still be alive)#disproportionality pic.twitter.com/t0kLoiwrck

— Dr Andreas Krieg (@andreas_krieg) July 14, 2024

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan urged more pressure on Israel to end the war on Gaza at a joint news conference with Saudi Arabia Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud on Sunday.

Israel's attacks on Saturday showed that the country has no intention of ending the war, he added.

"Hamas accepting conditions of the ceasefire terms is seen by Israel as weakness and surrender, which is highly dangerous," Fidan said.

(Reuters) 

 Delta Air Lines is changing its employee uniform policy following a turbulent ride through a social media storm started by an X user's outrage over two flight attendants who were photographed wearing Palestinian flag pins.

The uproar over the July 10 post on X, which described the Palestinian pins as "Hamas badges," led Delta to ban its employees from wearing pins representing any country or nationality besides the US.

The rule will take effect Monday.

"We are proud of our diverse base of employees and customers and the foundation of our brand, which is to connect the world and provide a premium experience," the Atlanta-based airline said in a statement "We are taking this step to help ensure a safe, comfortable and welcoming environment for all."

Delta's policy shift reflects the ongoing tensions surrounding the Gaza war, which has triggered high-profile protests that, among other things, have roiled college campuses.

Both attendants pictured wearing the pins were in compliance with Delta's previous policy giving employees more flexibility with uniform accessories.

Before Delta announced its new policy, one of its employees escalated the situation by posting a reply on X asserting the attendants wearing the Palestinian pins were violating company rules and sympathizing with passengers who might be "terrified" by it.

That post has since been deleted but was captured in a screenshot shared by the American Muslim rights group CAIR, the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

Delta apologized in a post and said the employee responsible for the reply had been removed from handling its social media communications.

"What happened with Delta is just the latest example of anti-Palestinian racism," Edward Ahmed Mitchell, the national deputy executive director of CAIR, told The Washington Post. He said the group welcomed Delta’s apology.

"And my hope is that this incident will begin to slowly, slowly move the needle in a different direction."

delta just deleted their reply where they said they’re “terrified” by the pаlestinian flag btw pic.twitter.com/h3UDuKwJXY

— Hurt CoPain (@SaeedDiCaprio) July 10, 2024

The Israeli military said that Rafa Salama, Hamas' Khan Younis brigade commander, was killed in an air strike on Saturday that also targeted the head of the group's armed wing, Mohammed Deif.

The military said Salama was one of Deif's closest associates and was involved in planning Hamas' Oct. 7 attack.

His death, "significantly impedes Hamas' military capabilities," the military said. Hamas has not confirmed Salama's fate.

An Israeli attack on a UN school which sheltered hundreds of displaced Palestinians, have led to the killing of at least 14 people and 70 injured.

According to news publication Al Jazeera English, its medical sources said the attack took place at Abu Oraiban school in the Nuseirat refugee camp, marking the latest deadly Israeli onslaught on Gaza’s civilian population.

More updates to come.

Palestinians begin to send off loved ones who were killed by the Israeli attack on an UNRWA School in Nuseirat camp, central Gaza. pic.twitter.com/8Ww1pGKvOo

— PALESTINE ONLINE 🇵🇸 (@OnlinePalEng) July 14, 2024

Britain's new foreign secretary, David Lammy, plans to advocate for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the release of captives during his visit to Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories.

Lammy will hold meetings with Prime Minister Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to emphasize the need for a "credible and irreversible pathway towards a two-state solution," according to a statement from the foreign office.

Expressing concern over the severe loss of life and damage in Gaza, Lammy stated, "The death and destruction in Gaza is intolerable. This war must end now, with an immediate ceasefire, complied with by both sides."

According to the military wing of Hamas, the Al Qassam Brigades, Israeli forces have raided the Al Mashrooh neighbourhood using a truck carrying aid.

Located in southern Gaza, east of Rafah, the group said that troops were seen entering ahouse, when Hamas fighters attacked soldiers special force at point-blank range using light arms and personal grenades.

The group added that this resulted in casualties including deaths and injuries among Israeli troops.

Izzat al-Risheq, a member of Hamas's political office, refuted claims that the group has withdrawn from ceasefire negotiations.

"There is no truth to what was reported by the media about the movement stopping negotiations," al-Risheq stated.

These comments followed a report by news agency AFP, citing an unnamed senior Hamas official, claiming the group was pulling out of truce talks due to Israel's "stalling" and ongoing "massacres" of civilians in Gaza.

However, Israeli broadcaster Kan, referencing a diplomat claimed to be familiar with the discussions, reported that negotiations are still scheduled to take place this week in Doha, Qatar.

In the car ramming attack near Ramla in central Israel, the suspect drove into people at a bus stop, then made a U-turn and crashed into another bus stop, according to Israeli news outlet Haaretz.

Police commander Avi Bitton stated that the suspect struck multiple individuals before being confronted by border patrol officers, who then shot and killed him.

Bitton assured reporters that they are working to ensure no additional threats are present and believes this was an isolated incident.

Four people were injured when a car struck pedestrians near Ramla in central Israel.

One person is in critical condition, another is seriously hurt, one has moderate injuries, and another is lightly injured, according to police.

Israeli news outlet Haaretz reports that police officials confirmed that the attacker has been killed and was a resident of occupied East Jerusalem.

BREAKING: At least four Israeli soldiers reported injured, including 2 seriously, in a car-rammming operation near the city of Ramla in central occupied Palestine. pic.twitter.com/TuMMbCF3tR

— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) July 14, 2024

At least 38,584 Palestinians have been killed and 88,881 others injured in Israel's military offensive on Gaza since Oct. 7, Gaza's health ministry said on Sunday, an increase of 141 deaths since the day prior.

In the last two days, Israeli forces have detained 30 Palestinians throughout the West Bank, according to the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society.

This organization reports that these arrests contribute to a larger total of 9,655 individuals apprehended in the West Bank since the beginning of the Gaza conflict in October.

A senior Hamas official told news agency AFP Sunday that the Palestinian group has withdrawn from talks on a ceasefire in the Gaza war because of Israeli "massacres" and its attitude in negotiations.

Another Hamas official said the group's military leader Mohammed Deif was "fine" and working despite Israel's huge bomb attack on a southern Gaza camp that it said targeted the wanted Hamas commander.

Gaza's health ministry said the attack left 92 dead.

Israel said Deif, who it considers one of the "masterminds" of the October 7 attacks, was said to be the target of the strikes on the Al-Mawasi camp in southern Gaza where tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians from other districts have gathered.

But Hamas, without confirming that Deif was at the camp, said he was alive and working.

"Commander Mohammed Deif is well and directly overseeing Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades and resistance operations," the official said, referring to Hamas's armed wing.

An Israeli strike has killed at least two people after targeting the vicinity of southern Gaza's Rafah border crossing in southern Gaza, according to news publication Al Jazeera English.

As of Saturday, at least 38,443 people have been killed and 88,481 wounded in Israel’s war on Gaza since October 7.

A Syrian soldier was killed early on Sunday and three others injured in Israeli strikes on several positions in and around Damascus, Syrian state media said.

The Israeli army, meanwhile, said it had targeted a Syrian military command centre as well as targets and infrastructure belonging to the Syrian army and air defence in response to two drones launched towards Israel from Syrian territory.

The statement was a rare acknowledgement by the Israeli military of action in Syria, where it has launched hundreds of strikes since the country's civil war erupted in 2011, which have mainly targeted army positions and Iran-backed fighters.

"A soldier was killed and three others injured following an aerial aggression launched by the Israeli enemy after midnight" on Sunday, Syria's state news agency SANA reported.

The strike "was launched from the occupied Syrian Golan Heights targeting several military positions in the southern region and a residential building in the Kafr Sousa district of Damascus", it added.

It said that aerial defence systems had intercepted and downed a number of missiles "despite their intensity".

A top Hamas official said Sunday that the group's military leader Mohammed Deif is "fine" despite an Israeli attempt to kill him in an air strike.

"Commander Mohammed Deif is well and directly overseeing" the operations of the Hamas military wing, the official told news agency AFP. Israel staged a huge bombing raid on a camp for displaced in southern Gaza on Saturday that it said was an attempt to kill Deif.

The EU naval mission protecting ships crossing the Red Sea said that its frigate Psara had destroyed an unmanned aerial drone in the Gulf of Aden on Sunday.

The Aspides mission began in February in response to drone and missile attacks by Iranian-aligned Houthi fighters on vessels in the region. The Houthis describe the attacks as acts of solidarity with Palestinians in Israel's war in Gaza.

Other countries, including the United States, also have naval forces operating in the area.