Gaza: At least 42 Palestinians killed as Israel strikes residential areas of Shati, Tuffah

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.

Israeli army artillery heavily shelled the west and centre of the city of Rafah in southern Gaza, The New Arab's Arabic edition Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reports.

Israeli forces demolished a residential block in Rafah in southern Gaza, The New Arab's Arabic edition Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reports.

Intense battles resumed between Palestinian fighters and Israeli forces in areas of Rafah where a ground incursion is taking place, amid continuous artillery shelling.

Explosions were heard in western Rafah following Israeli air raids, The New Arab's Arabic edition Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reports.

 A claim by Yemen's Houthi group on Saturday that its forces had attacked the US aircraft carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower in the Red Sea is false, two US officials told Reuters.

"That is incorrect," one of the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The Eisenhower, which ended its deployment to the Red Sea on Saturday and will briefly reposition to the Mediterranean Sea, rushed to the region in the days following the start of Israel's war on Gaza in October.

"The [Eisenhower carrier strike group] protected ships transiting the Red Sea, Bab-el-Mandeb and the Gulf of Aden, rescued innocent mariners against the unlawful attacks from the Iranian-backed Houthis and helped to deter further aggression," the Pentagon said in a statement.

The Pentagon announced the US aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) will follow the Eisenhower, heading to Middle East waters once it completes an exercise in the Pacific.

Earlier the Houthi group said its forces had attacked the Eisenhower in the Red Sea and the operation had achieved its objectives successfully, without elaborating.

The group also said it attacked a commercial ship, Transworld Navigator, in the Arabian Sea.

It did not say when the attacks took place.

A Houthi statement said the Transworld Navigator took a direct hit from a missile.

(Reuters)

Two children were killed and others injured following Israeli bombing of a home in Al-Shati refugee camp, hours after a massacre targeted a crowded residential area of the camp west of Gaza City in the strip's north, The New Arab's Arabic edition Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reports.

A number of Palestinians were killed and wounded following Israeli bombing of an inhabited building next to Al-Jawhara Tower in central Gaza city in the strip's north, The New Arab's Arabic edition Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reports.

Civil defence authorities said it managed to retrieve three bodies of killed people and several injured.

Belgium calls the "loss of civilians" and the "ongoing violence" in Gaza "unacceptable".

"We call for an immediate cessation of hostilities and urge all parties to pave the way to peace," Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib says on X.

She is replying to a post made by European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borell, which says the bloc condemns shelling that damaged a Red Cross office in Gaza.

The loss of civilians and the ongoing violence in #Gaza are unacceptable.

We call for an immediate cessation of hostilities and urge all parties to pave the way to peace. https://t.co/SgNIi5MU7n

— Hadja Lahbib (@hadjalahbib) June 22, 2024

An Israeli soldier was killed in southern Gaza, a spokesperson for the army says.

It means the number of troops killed since the start of the ground attack on the Palestinian enclave has increased to 315, according to the Times of Israel news website.

Reuters denied on Saturday that it had reported that Israel would attack Lebanon within 48 hours, after reports circulated on social media citing the news agency as saying this.

"Any claims that Reuters reported that Israel will attack Lebanon within the next 48 hours are false. Reuters did not report this," a Reuters spokesperson said.

(Reuters)

Palestine welcomes Cuba's decision to join South Africa's case accusing Israel of genocide at the International Court of Justice.

The Palestinian foreign ministry says the decision "exemplifies Cuba's steadfast commitment to justice and the international rule of law, and underscores the deep-rooted solidarity and historical friendship between our nations".

The ministry adds in its X post that Palestine calls on all countries party to the UN Genocide Convention to "actively engage in the proceedings before the court".

"Ending the ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people and combatting Israel's impunity are responsibilities we must shoulder together in the interest of humanity and the law," it adds.

دولة فلسطين ترحب بإعلان #كوبا التدخل في قضية الإبادة الجماعية ضد إسرائيل أمام محكمة العدل الدولية 🇵🇸 🇨🇺

The State of Palestine Welcomes #Cuba’s Declaration of Intervention in the Genocide Case Against Israel Before the #ICJ@CubaMINREX @CIJ_ICJ #Gaza_under_attack… pic.twitter.com/r6jRMmVikS

— State of Palestine - MFA 🇵🇸🇵🇸 (@pmofa) June 22, 2024

A senior Red Cross official in Gaza on Saturday told reporters of the horrific scenes after an Israeli strike in the Gaza Strip.

It was around 3:30pm when three explosions rocked the walls of the Red Cross compound in Gaza on Friday, William Schomburg, the local chief for the ICRC, told reporters in Geneva via video link.

Then came the "flood of wounded people" seeking help, said the international charity's chief in Rafah.

"There were piles of dead bodies, blood everywhere," he added.

Twenty-two people were killed in shelling that lightly damaged the outside walls of the compound where the Red Cross has been operating.

"All of our buildings are very well known to all parties to the conflict," Schomburg said.

Refusing to speculate on the source of the shelling, he said: "We're not here to lay blame.

"But of course, this incident is one of several near misses that we have had... and we as the ICRC cannot operate like this."

Many of the wounded were taken by ambulance to a nearby Red Cross field hospital for operations. Some did not survive.

No Red Cross employees were killed, Schomburg said, but two children of staff members required treatment for injuries sustained in the blasts.

Schomburg said that recovering from the trauma of Friday's strike would not be easy.

"Around the compound on the street, there were pools of blood, there were bodies strewn across the ground," he said.

"We literally found body parts scattered in different areas, including within the compound.

"Frankly, it's like nothing I've ever seen before. The scale of the suffering in such a short period of time was really very shocking for the team."

The number of people killed following Israeli bombing of residential neighbourhoods in Gaza has risen to 40, with dozens seriously injured, a civil defence spokesperson says.

Three Israeli army helicopters landed in areas west of the city of Rafah, Palestinian media report.

The landing of helicopters usually indicates the transfer of injured or killed Israeli forces, The New Arab's Arabic edition Al-Araby Al-Jadeed says.

Hamas's armed wing, Al-Qassam Brigades, says it attacked Israeli vehicles with mortars near Awad Allah junction in the Yibna refugee camp in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, The New Arab's Arabic edition Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reports.

Israeli airstrikes on Saturday killed at least 24 people in north Gaza, health officials in the strip said.

Dr Mahmud Aliwa of Al-Ahli Arab Baptist Hospital in Gaza City said his facility received 24 bodies after the strikes, which left smoke rising over the city.

Gaza civil defence agency spokesman Mahmud Basal told AFP that at least 20 were killed in a strike on a house in Al-Tuffah neighbourhood, while a strike in Al-Shati refugee camp claimed the lives of four others.

Against a grey backdrop of destruction, men used a donkey cart to remove some of the dead in Al-Tuffah.

Earlier on Saturday, Israel's military claimed its fighter jets were striking "two Hamas military infrastructure sites in the area of Gaza City".

The Israeli military has announced that it targeted Hezbollah members and sites associated with the group.

In Ayta ash-Shab, they struck a Hezbollah operative who had been observed at one of the group’s observation posts.

The military reported that a fighter jet also hit a building in Yaroun where another Hezbollah operative was detected.

Additionally, fighter jets targeted another building used by Hezbollah in Ramyeh, according to the military.

The Yemeni Houthi group said on Saturday its forces had attacked the U.S. aircraft carrier Eisenhower in the Red Sea and the Transworld Navigator ship in the Arabian Sea. It did not say when the attacks took place.

A Houthi statement said the Transworld Navigator took a direct hit from a missile. The operation against the Eisenhower had achieved its objectives successfully, it said, without elaborating.

Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur to the occupied Palestinian Territories, reacted to footage shared online showing an Israeli armored vehicle in Jenin driving past ambulances with an injured Palestinian man strapped to the hood.

“It is flabbergasting how a state born 76 years ago has managed to turn international law literally on its head,” she stated in a post on X.

“This risks being the end of multilateralism, which for some influential member states no longer serves any relevant purpose,” Albanese added.

#HumanShielding in action.
It is flabbergasting how a state born 76 years ago has managed to turn international law literally on its head.

This risks being the end of multilateralism, which for some influential member states no longer serves any relevant purpose.… https://t.co/swwjiuJYmG

— Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur oPt (@FranceskAlbs) June 22, 2024

Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani stated that there has been some progress towards achieving a ceasefire in Gaza, noting that Hamas' responses indicate there are still gaps between what was proposed and their replies. He explained, "This is natural in negotiations as solutions should be built on compromises between the parties."

"Qatar’s efforts in this regard have continued without interruption, with successive meetings with Hamas leaders in recent days to bridge gaps and reach an agreement on a ceasefire and the release of prisoners and hostages," he indicated. He emphasized that efforts are still ongoing, and reaching a suitable and acceptable formula will mark the beginning of communication with the Israeli side to bridge the gaps and reach an agreement as soon as possible, according to a statement from Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Heads Qatar's Delegation to Opening Session of Inaugural Qatari-Spanish Strategic Dialogue

🔗Read More: https://t.co/nYFY5PjgRg#MOFAQatar pic.twitter.com/aCy6N13gbP

— Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Qatar (@MofaQatar_EN) June 22, 2024

EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell on Saturday called for a probe into deadly shelling that damaged an office of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Gaza.

"The EU condemns the shelling which damaged the ICRC office in Gaza and led to dozens of casualties. An independent investigation is needed and those responsible must be held accountable," Borrell wrote on X.

The EU condemns the shelling which damaged the @ICRC office in #Gaza and led to dozens of casualties.

An independent investigation is needed and those responsible must be held accountable.

Protection of civilians is an obligation under Geneva Conventions.

1/2

— Josep Borrell Fontelles (@JosepBorrellF) June 22, 2024

Footage shared online shows a group of pro-Palestine students demonstrating in front of Hunter College in New York, condemning the continuation of the war.

The videos depict students carrying Palestinian flags, wearing keffiyehs, and chanting slogans against the war and US support for Israel.

Student platforms reported that the NYPD intervened to break up a fight between a pro-Palestine protester and a pro-Israel protester.

#NYC At Hunter College, pro Palestinian protesters rally to kick off a “Summer of Resistance” in solidarity with Palestine and Atlanta’s Black Revolutionaries who “escalate for liberation by any means necessary.”

Students also repeat the news of another massacre by Israel… pic.twitter.com/TI7P2EqHfT

— Spyder Monkey (@SpyderMonkey0_0) June 21, 2024

Hussam Abu Safia, the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, announced that the number of children who have died in the hospital due to malnutrition has risen to four within one week, as reported by Al Jazeera.

“We lost a child in the nursery department of the hospital during the past few hours. He is the fourth child to die in the hospital in the last week due to malnutrition,” he stated during a news conference held in the northern Gaza Strip.

Footage shared on social media shows an Israeli armoured vehicle driving past ambulances with an injured Palestinian man strapped to the hood. They appear to be using the man as a human shield.

BREAKING: Israeli occupation forces commit a new crime in Jenin, mistreating an injured young man by placing him on the hood of a military jeep while he is in critical condition. pic.twitter.com/dRQRqNNvl0

— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) June 22, 2024

At least 42 people were killed in Israeli attacks on districts of Gaza City in the north of the Palestinian enclave on Saturday, the director of the Hamas-run government media office said.

One Israeli strike on houses in Al-Shati, one of the Gaza Strip's eight historic refugee camps, killed 24 people, Ismail Al-Thawabta told Reuters. Another 18 Palestinians were killed in a strike on houses in the Al-Tuffah neighbourhood.

A video online purports to show the sheer destruction of an Israeli airstrike on a residential building in the al-Shati refugee camp. 

Breaking: Horrific footage shows an Israeli airstrike targeting a residential block in Al-Shati refugee camp, with expectations of dozens of civilian casualties. #GazaGenocide pic.twitter.com/ThFBaZFd0b

— Ramy Abdu| رامي عبده (@RamAbdu) June 22, 2024

According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, Israeli attacks have resulted in the deaths of 101 Palestinians and injuries to 169 others in the latest 24-hour reporting period.

"A number of victims are still under the rubble and on the roads, and ambulance and civil defence crews cannot reach them," the Health Ministry reported.

This marks the highest daily death toll recorded in the enclave by the ministry since June 8, when Israeli forces killed at least 274 Palestinians during an operation to release four Israeli captives in the Nuseirat refugee camp.

Local media reports casualties in the bombing of houses in al-Shati refugee camp, west of Gaza City.

BREAKING: Israeli warplanes bomb a location in the Al Shati refugee camp in Gaza City. pic.twitter.com/mP3VazrF7y

— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) June 22, 2024

The health ministry in Gaza reported Saturday that at least 37,551 people have been killed during more than eight months of Israel's war on the enclave.

The toll includes at least 120 deaths over the past 48 hours, a ministry statement said, adding 85,911 had been wounded.

Former Mossad chief Tamir Bardo, speaking on Israel’s Channel 12, criticized Prime Minister Netanyahu, stating that he "has no strategy and no vision for the future."

"All he cares about is staying in power, and he is leading us to disaster," Bardo remarked. "The absolute victory he is talking about will result in more soldiers losing their lives."

Bardo further commented, "Netanyahu doesn’t hear, doesn’t see, doesn’t think, and he only cares about himself and doesn’t think about the state. He leads us to disaster. All that matters to him is that he remains at the head of the government."

At least 552 Palestinians have been killed and more than 5,200 wounded in attacks by Israeli forces and settlers across the occupied West Bank since 7 October.

Israeli forces have also made at least 9,300 arrests in the time period.

According to a CNN report citing an unnamed senior Biden administration official, Washington has assured Tel Aviv of its full support should a full-scale war erupt with Hezbollah.

The commitment was reportedly conveyed during a meeting in Washington, DC, this week involving US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and Secretary of State Antony Blinken with Israeli National Security Advisor Tzachi Hanegbi and Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer.

The source indicated that the US would provide Israel with military assistance, though it would not involve deploying ground troops.

An Israeli civilian was shot dead in the Palestinian town of Qalqilya in the occupied West Bank on Saturday, Israel's military said.

Israeli troops arrived in the area shortly after and were investigating what happened, the military said. It gave no further details.

There was no immediate Palestinian comment.

Israeli public broadcaster Kan reported the man was shot and killed after driving into Qalqilya. His car was later set on fire, it reported.

Violence in the West Bank, already on the rise before Israel's war on Gaza, has further escalated, with stepped-up Israeli military raids and  settler violence against Palestinians.

On Friday, Israeli forces shot and killed two Palestinian gunmen in an exchange of fire during an arrest raid in Qalqilya, Israel police said.

Armed confrontations have broken out in Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank after Israeli forces sent military reinforcements to the Jabriyat neighbourhood.

Israeli forces shelled tent camps for displaced Palestinians outside Gaza's southern city of Rafah on Friday, killing at least 25 people and wounding another 50, according to the territory's health officials and emergency workers.

This was the latest deadly attack in the Gaza Strip, where hundreds of thousands have fled Israel's devastating war on Gaza . It comes less than a month after an Israeli bombing triggered a deadly fire that tore through a camp for displaced Palestinians in southern Gaza, drawing widespread international outrage — including from some of Israel’s closest allies — over the military’s expanding offensive into Rafah.

Witnesses whose relatives died in one of the bombardments near a Red Cross field hospital north of Rafah told The Associated Press that Israeli forces fired a second volley that killed people who came out of their tents.

The International Committee of the Red Cross said the hospital was flooded with casualties, including 22 dead and 45 wounded, and condemned the firing of “high-caliber projectiles” a few meters (yards) from the facility. Hundreds of people live in tents nearby, including many of the hospital staff, the ICRC said.