Dozens killed in Gaza as war enters 12th month

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Hezbollah said it launched a salvo of rockets at a north Israel town early Sunday in retaliation for an attack that Lebanon's health ministry said had killed three civil defence workers in south Lebanon.

"In response to the enemy attacks... and particularly the attack" that killed emergency workers in south Lebanon's Froun on Saturday, Hezbollah fighters "bombed... Kiryat Shmona with a volley of Falaq rockets", the Iran-backed group said in a statement.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken plans to travel to the United Kingdom on Monday, the State Department said, a week after Britain suspended some arms export licenses with Israel over equipment that could be used in the war in Gaza.

In the trip slated to go through Tuesday, Blinken will open the U.S.-UK Strategic Dialogue, "reaffirming our special relationship," Matthew Miller, a State Department spokesperson, said on Saturday.

Blinken will also meet with senior government officials to discuss issues including the Indo-Pacific, the AUKUS defense pact between the US, Australia, Britain and the Middle East, and collective efforts to support Ukraine in the war against Russia.

(Reuters)

Yemen's Houthis said they shot down a US MQ-9 drone that was conducting hostile acts over the airspace of Marib governorate, the Iran-aligned group's military spokesman Yahya Saree said on Saturday.

(Reuters)

Palestinian AFP photographer Mahmud Hams has won the Visa d'Or News prize for his coverage of the conflict in Gaza, the Visa pour l'Image Association announced Saturday.

The 44-year-old photographer, who has worked for AFP in the Palestinian territory since 2003, thanked the jury for the award in a recorded video message aired at the ceremony in Perpignan, France.

فاز المصوّر الصحافي الفلسطيني في وكالة #فرانس_برس محمود الهمص السبت بالجائزة الذهبية (فيزا دور نيوز) للأخبار في مهرجان "فيزا بور ليماج" في بربينيان في فرنسا، وهي اعرق جائزة للمصورين الصحافيين في العالم، عن عمله في قطاع #غزة.@MahmudHams pic.twitter.com/VnsScaqPMl

— فرانس برس بالعربية (@AFPar) September 7, 2024

The Israeli army said on Saturday that several UAVs crossed into Israel from Lebanese territory, following a round of warning sirens in the upper Galilee region.

In a statement shared via Telegram, the army said its air force struck and "dismantled" a Hezbollah launcher from where rockets had been fired.

It also said its artillery fired on four towns in south Lebanon.

The Lebanese health ministry announced earlier today the deaths of three civil defence workers who were killed by an Israeli strike while attending to fires.

Israeli citizens took to the streets of Tel Aviv on Saturday night calling on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for a ceasefire deal in Gaza which would see the release of hostages.

Hundreds of thousands of Israelis demonstrated for a consecutive weekend as tensions ramp up for Netanyahu over his apparent inability to ensure the safe return of some 100 hostages who have been held in Gaza for nearly one year.

Ceasefire talks have been ongoing for weeks between Israeli, US, Qatari and Egyptian mediators but they are yet to reach a breakthrough.

Israeli media reported that a group of protesters have gathered outside Netanyahu's residence in Jerusalem, waiving flags for the hostages.

Lebanon's health ministry said three emergency personnel were killed and two wounded in an Israeli attack Saturday on a civil defence team that had been fighting fires in the country's south.

"Israeli enemy targeting of a Lebanese civil defence team that was putting out fires sparked by the recent Israeli strikes in the village of Froun led to the martyrdom of three emergency responders," the health ministry said in a statement.

Two others were wounded, one of them critically, the statement said, adding that the toll was provisional.

Lebanon's civil defence said in a statement that three of its employees were killed in "an Israeli strike that targeted a firefighting vehicle after they had finished a firefighting mission".

The Palestinian News Agency WAFA said that the number of people killed by an Israeli shelling of a house belonging to the Eid family in Nuseirat camp in central Gaza today rose to five, two children and three women.

Thousands of people took to the streets of London on Saturday to call for a ceasefire in Gaza and end to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land.

The march ended at the Israeli embassy in west London and was organised by a coalition of Palestine solidarity movements. Hundreds of activists, trade unionists and members of Arab, Jewish and Muslim communities took part.

Earlier this week, the organisers had faced push back from the London police authorities who tried to change the time and route of the march, threatening to shut it down. 

Saturday's march was the eighteenth since the outbreak of war last October.

The police tried to stop us. 125,000 people turned up in London today to say #WeWillMarch - and we did. Stay united, stand defiant and don’t stop fighting for Palestine 🇵🇸 pic.twitter.com/PhiTu9wbGo

— Shabbir Lakha (@ShabbirLakha) September 7, 2024

Four Palestinians have been killed, and others injured, following an Israeli airstrike on a house belonging to the Eid family in the Nuseirat refugee camp, according to Palestinian media reports.

Lebanon’s foreign minister, Abdullah Bouhabib, told Al Jazeera that Israel has communicated through intermediaries that it is not seeking a ceasefire in Lebanon, even if a truce is reached with Hamas in Gaza.

According to Bouhabib, Israel is determined to continue military operations in the north, regardless of any ceasefire agreements related to the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

According to Al Jazeera English, at least five people have been killed in the eastern part of the Nuseirat refugee camp due to Israeli shelling.

The casualties include three women and two children. Further details are expected as the situation develops.

Richard Moore, the head of Britain's MI6, has indicated that Iran is likely still planning a response to the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, which occurred in Tehran in late July.

Iran has blamed Israel for the killing, and Moore warned that the threat remains, stating, "I suspect they will try, and we won’t be able to let our guard down" regarding potential Iranian actions.

The assassination sparked outrage across Palestine and raised concerns about a broader regional conflict, particularly amid the ongoing Gaza war.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday Islamic countries should form an alliance against what he called "the growing threat of expansionism" from Israel.

He made the comment after describing what Palestinian and Turkish officials said was the killing by Israeli troops of a Turkish-American woman taking part in a protest on Friday against settlement expansion in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

"The only step that will stop Israeli arrogance, Israeli banditry, and Israeli state terrorism is the alliance of Islamic countries," Erdogan said at an Islamic schools' association event near Istanbul.

He said recent steps that Turkey has taken to improve ties with Egypt and Syria are aimed at "forming a line of solidarity against the growing threat of expansionism," which he said also threatened Lebanon and Syria.

Erdogan hosted Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Ankara this week and they discussed the Gaza war and ways to further repair their long-frozen ties during what was the first such presidential visit in 12 years.

Ties between them started thawing in 2020 when Turkey began diplomatic efforts to ease tensions with estranged regional rivals, including the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.

Erdogan said in July that Turkey would extend an invitation to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad "any time" for possible talks to restore relations between the two neighbours, who severed ties in 2011 after the outbreak of the Syrian civil war.

Israel did not immediately comment on Erdogan's remarks on Saturday.

Gaza's civil defence agency said an Israeli air strike targeting a school-turned-shelter for displaced Palestinians  killed at least three people on Saturday.

"Three martyrs and more than 20 wounded people were retrieved after an Israeli warplane fired two missiles at a prayer room and a classroom at the Amr Ibn al-Aas School, where refugees were sheltering in the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood in northern Gaza City," Mahmud Bassal, spokesman for the civil defence agency, said in a statement.

In recent months, Israeli forces have struck several schools that were housing displaced Palestinians, many of them in Gaza City, saying the strikes targeted Hamas operatives.

Tens of thousands of displaced people have sought refuge in schools since the war in Gaza, which entered its 12th month on Saturday.

At least eight people, including a child, have been killed in an Israeli airstrike on the western part of the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, according to a spokesperson from the Palestinian Civil Defence.

Meanwhile, news publication Al Jazeera English reports that Israeli forces have also attacked a home, located north of the camp, leading to casualties. 

The attacks are part of the ongoing conflict in the devastated territory since last October, which continues to claim civilian lives.

Israeli warplanes bombed the home of the Radi family in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip. With ambulances unable to reach the area, the young children are scrambling to get their injured father to the hospital. pic.twitter.com/qiZThbWkhX

— Gaza Notifications (@gazanotice) September 7, 2024

 The head of the CIA, who is also the chief US negotiator seeking an end to the Gaza war and release of hostages held by Hamas, said a more detailed ceasefire proposal would be made in the next several days.

CIA Director William Burns was speaking at a Financial Times event in London alongside Richard Moore, head of Britain's MI6 foreign spy agency, the first time they had appeared together publicly.

After 11 months of conflict in Gaza, Burns is working for the United States with Qatar and Egypt to secure a ceasefire, and said there was ongoing work on "texts and creative formulas" for finding a proposal which satisfies both parties.

"We will make this more detailed proposal, I hope in the next several days, and then we'll see," he said.

He added that it was a question of political will and he hoped leaders on both sides recognised "the time has come finally to make some hard choices and some difficult compromises".

Richard Moore @ChiefMI6 and William Burns, Director of @CIA are appearing together in public for the first time today at the @FT Weekend Festival here at Kenwood House in London. They've opened with a discussion on the nature of the partnership between their two services pic.twitter.com/W81i4SLJLV

— Gordon Corera (@gordoncorera) September 7, 2024

Israeli forces have demolished 45 agricultural buildings and homes in the Taybeh area, northwest of Hebron, according to the Wafa news agency, which cited local sources.

Ayman Shalaldeh, a local resident, reported that Israeli forces had barred residents from the area for a week. Upon their return, they found their properties destroyed.

Shalaldeh's own property, a two-storey stone building with a water tank, a warehouse, and a residential area on the upper floor, was among those demolished.

Local Palestinian sources and the Wafa news agency, citing medical sources, have reported the death of a young girl from Khan Younis, southern Gaza.

The girl, Yaqin al-Asṭal, died from malnutrition and dehydration amid a severe shortage of essential supplies.

Wafa also reported that at least 37 children have died from malnutrition since the onset of Israel’s war on Gaza. The ongoing blockade has resulted in critical shortages of food, clean water, and medical supplies in the enclave.

UN Secretary-General Spokesman Stephane Dujarric recently highlighted that over one million people in central and southern Gaza did not receive any food rations in August. Earlier, in June, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) reported that more than 50,000 children in Gaza were in urgent need of treatment for acute malnutrition.

A UNRWA statement warned that "with continued restrictions on humanitarian access, people in Gaza continue to face desperate levels of hunger."

Several people were injured after gunfire from naval warships stationed offshore targeted a tent, where displaced Palestinians reside, near the coast of Al-Nuseirat refugee camp, according to The New Arab's Arabic language sister site Al-Araby-Al-Jadeed.

Around 20 Israelis gathered outside Neve Tirza women’s prison in Ramla, demanding the release of 27-year-old Noa Goldenberg, according to Hebrew-language newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth.

Goldenberg is accused of throwing sand at National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir during an incident on a Tel Aviv beach. Protesters, chanting through loudspeakers, expressed their support for Goldenberg, saying, "Noa, we are with you, you are not alone."

The report also described Goldenberg being led out of Tel Aviv’s Lev police station in handcuffs.

Protesters condemned Ben-Gvir, calling him a "murderer" and blaming him for the deaths of prisoners.

Noa Goldenberg, 27, the young Israeli woman who threw sand on Ben Gvir yesterday, has been arrested & will be tried today.

Meanwhile, impunity thus far for IDF soldiers who killed 26 yr-old American peace activist Ayşenur Eygi & 13 yr-old Palestinian girl Bana Bakr yesterday. pic.twitter.com/vdzOn4ll9Z

— Monica Marks (@MonicaLMarks) September 7, 2024

In the past 48 hours, at least 61 Palestinians have been killed and 162 injured in the Gaza Strip, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

These latest fatalities bring the total death toll to 40,939, with at least 94,616 people injured since the outbreak of war on October 7 of the previous year.

The autopsy of American-Turkish activist Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, who was fatally shot by Israeli forces during a protest, confirmed that she was killed by an Israeli sniper, according to the governor of Nablus as reported by Al Jazeera English.

Eygi, 26, was participating in a demonstration against illegal Israeli settlements on Mount Sbeih in Beita, located south of Nablus.

Israeli forces reportedly used live ammunition, stun grenades, and tear gas to disperse the protesters, during which Eygi was shot. 

Medical sources have reported that at least 18 Palestinians have been killed across the Gaza Strip this morning.

The most recent attack took place in central Gaza's Nuseirat, which led to five Palestinians killed including a child, the territory's civil defence reported. 

As Gaza enters its second school year without schooling, most of its children are caught up helping their families in the daily struggle to survive amid Israel’s devastating campaign, rights group say.

Humanitarian workers say the extended deprivation of education threatens long-term damage to Gaza’s children.

Younger children suffer in their cognitive, social and emotional development, and older children are at greater risk of being pulled into work or early marriage, said Tess Ingram, regional spokesperson for UNICEF, the United Nations agency for children.

“The longer a child is out of school, the more they are at risk of dropping out permanently and not returning,” she said.

Gaza’s 625,000 school-age children already missed out on almost an entire year of education. Schools shut down after Israel launched its assault on the territory.

In August, UNRWA began a “back to learning” program in 45 of its schools-turned-shelters that provide children activities like games, drama, arts, music and sports.

The aim is to "give them some respite, a chance to reconnect with their friends and to simply be children," spokesperson Juliette Touma said.

The family of a Turkish-American woman shot dead while demonstrating against Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank demanded an independent investigation into her death on Saturday, accusing the Israeli military of killing her "violently".

Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, 26, was "shot in the head" while participating in a demonstration in Beita in the West Bank on Friday.

"Her presence in our lives was taken needlessly, unlawfully, and violently by the Israeli military," Eygi's family said in a statement.

"A US citizen, Aysenur was peacefully standing for justice when she was killed by a bullet that video shows came from an Israeli military shooter.

"We call on President (Joe) Biden, Vice President (Kamala) Harris, and Secretary of State (Antony) Blinken to order an independent investigation into the unlawful killing of a US citizen and to ensure full accountability for the guilty parties."

Eygi was a member of the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), a pro-Palestinian organisation, and was in Beita on Friday for a weekly demonstration against Israeli settlements, according to ISM.

Washington called it a "tragic" event and has pressed its close ally Israel to investigate.

But her family has demanded an independent probe.

"Given the circumstances of Aysenur's killing, an Israeli investigation is not adequate," her family said.

Her family said Eygi always advocated "an end to the violence against the people of Palestine".

A Turkish-American woman was shot dead Friday while demonstrating against Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank town of Beita, where the army acknowledged opening fire.

Turkey identified the woman as Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, condemning her death, while the United States called it a "tragic" event and pressed its ally Israel to investigate.

The UN rights office said Israeli forces killed Eygi with a "shot in the head".

According to news agency AFP, medics were seen rushing her into a Nablus hospital with her head wrapped in bandages.

The UN said Eygi, 26, was participating in a "peaceful anti-settlement protest" in Beita, scene of weekly demonstrations.

The Eviatar settlement outpost overlooking Beita has been backed by far-right Israeli ministers and has drawn protesters to the nearby hillside in recent years, during which Israeli forces have killed multiple Palestinians.

Eygi arrived at the Rafidia hospital in Nablus "with a gunshot in the head" and was later pronounced dead, said hospital director Fouad Nafaa.

Turkey said she was killed by "Israeli occupation soldiers", with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemning the Israeli action as "barbaric".

Israel's top ally Washington said it had "reached out to the government" for more information.

"We are deeply disturbed by the tragic death of an American citizen," said White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.

A 26 year old American peace activist was just shot in the head and killed by an Israeli sniper in the West Bank https://t.co/LT13DLKORc

— dylan saba (@shaabiranks) September 6, 2024

 The heads of the American and British foreign intelligence agencies said Saturday they are “working ceaselessly” for a ceasefire in Gaza , using a rare joint public statement to press for peace.

CIA Director William Burns and MI6 Chief Richard Moore said their agencies had “exploited our intelligence channels to push hard for restraint and de-escalation.”

In an opinion piece for the Financial Times, the two spymasters said a ceasefire in Israel’s war in Gaza "could end the suffering and appalling loss of life of Palestinian civilians and bring home the hostages after 11 months of hellish confinement."

Burns has been heavily involved in efforts to broker an end to the fighting, traveling to Egypt in August for high-level talks aimed at bringing about a hostage deal and at least a temporary halt to the conflict.

So far there has been no agreement, though United States officials insist a deal is close. US President Joe Biden said recently that "just a couple more issues" remain unresolved.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, however, has said reports of a breakthrough are “exactly inaccurate."