New Israeli 'massacre' in Gaza Al-Mawasi 'safe zone' kills 90

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Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh on Saturday accused Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of seeking to block a ceasefire in the Gaza war with "heinous massacres" carried out by Israeli forces, a statement by the Palestinian group said.

The head of the political bureau of the group called on international mediators to act following two attacks in Gaza that Palestinian officials said killed more than 100 people.

The Israeli airstrike which killed at least 90 people in Gaza on Saturday "underscores that nowhere is safe in Gaza," a UN spokesperson has said.

UN chief Antonio Guterres is "shocked" and "saddened" by the deaths as a result of the Israeli airstrike, the spokesperson said, adding that Guterres called for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in the war and all that hostages still being held in Gaza must be released "immediately and unconditionally."

Syrian air defences have thwarted an "Israeli aggression" over the Damascus countryside, Syrian state media said early on Sunday.

It did not give other details.

For years Israel has been carrying out attacks against what it has described as Iran-linked targets in Syria, where Iran's influence has grown since it began supporting President Bashar al-Assad in the civil war that started in 2011.

Israeli strikes on Syria increased after the start of the Gaza war last October. Israel typically does not comment on specific reports of strikes in Syria.

Lebanon's Hezbollah launched rockets at Israel on Saturday after an Israeli air strike that according to a Lebanese security source killed two civilians in the country's south.

The Israeli military said its raid had targeted two operatives from the Iran-backed group. A source close to Hezbollah said one of the men was a member of the group and the father of a fighter who had been killed, while the second man was a member of the Shia Amal Movement, a Hezbollah ally.

Hezbollah said it had retaliated by launching dozens of rockets at the border town of Kiryat Shmona, in Israel's north.

The Israeli military said four soldiers were wounded including one "severely", after air defences intercepted most of the "approximately 15 launches... identified crossing from Lebanon".

Gaza ceasefire talks have been halted after three days of intense negotiations failed to produce a viable outcome, two Egyptian security sources said on Saturday, blaming Israel for lacking a genuine intent to reach agreement.

The sources, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said that the behaviour of the Israeli mediators revealed "internal discord".

According to the sources, the Israeli delegation would give approvals on several conditions under discussion, but then come back with amendments or introduce new conditions that risked sinking the negotiations.

The sources said the mediators viewed the "contradictions, delays in responses, and the introduction of new terms contrary to what was previously agreed" as signs the Israeli side viewed the talks as a formality aimed at influencing public opinion.

Egypt has called on Israel not to obstruct ongoing Gaza ceasefire negotiations by putting forward new principles that contradict what has been agreed upon, Egypt's Al Qahera News TV reported on Saturday, citing a senior source.

Israel is wasting time in formal meetings to lure Israeli public opinion away from reaching a deal, the source added.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday his government had "no certainty" that Hamas military chief Mohammad Deif was killed in a strike that officials in Gaza said killed dozens.

"Israel attacked Gaza today in an attempt to eliminate Mohammed Deif and his deputy, Rafa Salama. There is no certainty that the two were eliminated," Netanyahu told a press conference hours after the attack on Al-Mawasi, a designated safe zone in Gaza's south sheltering displaced Palestinians.

Gaza's health ministry says the death toll from Israel's strike on a camp site has risen to 90.

Thousands of Israelis took to the streets of occupied Jeruselum calling for a ceasefire and a captive-prisoner exchange deal. They have also condemned the airstrike that killed at least 71 Palestinians in Khan Younis.

“I don’t have a military perspective on how important or essential was the air strike now, I’m sure it’s not particularly good for the negotiations. But the most important thing is, we need to know that our government is acting for the sake of freedom and human life of our hostages, of innocence on both sides of the borders," one protester told Reuters.

Another said the airstrike “does not change the fact that there is a deal on the table and the deal must be signed as soon as possible. I think maybe this timing was unfortunate. And of course, we regret the loss of all lives. We wish this spiral of violence would cease, and we call for a ceasefire and immediate ceasefire and signing the deal right now. And stop this hostility from both sides.”

Thousands of Israeli settlers take to the streets of occupied Jerusalem demanding that the Israeli Prime Minister immediately pursue a ceasefire that could lead to an exchange deal with the resistance in Gaza. pic.twitter.com/CYZHJVqciD

— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) July 13, 2024

Thousands of supporters of a Pakistani radical political party rallied near the capital, Islamabad, on Saturday, denouncing Israeli strikes in Gaza and urging the government to send more aid to the Palestinians.

The protesters also demanded that Pakistan declare Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “a terrorist.” There was no immediate response from the government following the rally in the garrison city of Rawalpindi.

Pakistan has no diplomatic relations with Israel. Pakistan has been calling for a ceasefire in the almost 10 month war on Gaza and, in recent months, has sent relief items for the Palestinians in Gaza.

Saad Rizvi, head of the Islamist Tehreek-e-Labiak Pakistan party, which led the rally, said the sit-in at the protest would continue if the government did not accept its demands.

Hundreds of police were deployed near the rally, which took place as militant attacks have surged in Pakistan.

The Pakistani political party TLP has staged a sit-in in Islamabad, demanding that Netanyahu be officially declared a ⚠️ TERRORIST and that action be taken against him.#Israel #palestine #netanyahu pic.twitter.com/k2DWxcI5Cx

— مالك (@HezbollahX) July 13, 2024

The Palestine Red Crescent revealed they retrieved six bodies and three injured after an Israeli strike targeted a prayer hall in the Al-Shati refugee camp west of Gaza City.

At least 17 people were killed as people gathered for noon prayers. 

🚨The Palestine Red Crescent teams retrieved six martyrs and three injured individuals following the Israeli occupation targeting a prayer room in the Al-Shati refugee camp west of #Gaza City.
📷Filmed by volunteer: Yousef Khader pic.twitter.com/zsagChjsYg

— PRCS (@PalestineRCS) July 13, 2024

Hamas is calling on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem to “mobilise” in response to the strike in Khan Younis’s al-Mawasi.

At least 71 people were killed after an Israeli airstrike targeted the Al-Mawasi refugee camp, west of Khan Younis.

“We call on all resistance brigades to mobilise for Gaza and in loyalty to the blood of the martyrs," Hamas wrote on Telegram.

"We call on the masses of our Palestinian people in the West Bank and Jerusalem to go out in massive demonstrations against the criminal Zionist occupation and terrorist settlers who are wreaking havoc in villages and cities, and to engage in clashes in defence of our land and our right to freedom and independence."

Husam Zomlot, Palestinian envoy to the UK, says Israel's attack on Al-Mawasi is in Israel's "response to the ICJ ruling 4 months ago" to the United Nations Security Council and the ongoing ceasefire talks.

"Netanyahu wants permanent aggression and permanent occupation," Zomlot wrote on X.

Another massacre by the Israeli army this morning in #Gaza: dozens of civilians killed, including children, and hundreds injured. The army bombed a densly populated area in Mawasi, Khan Younes, which was designated by Israel as a safe zone for tens of thousands of refugees who… pic.twitter.com/YPAp7ehMoB

— Husam Zomlot (@hzomlot) July 13, 2024

Aid charity ActionAid has said they are "utterly horrified and appalled" by Israel's attack on Al-Mawasi, which has killed 71 and injured over 200.

“This is an area that had been designated a safe humanitarian zone, yet at least 71 people have been brutally slaughtered there today and hundreds injured, once again making it perfectly clear that absolutely nowhere is safe in Gaza," ActionAid said in a statement.

The organisation are calling for this "nightmare" to end and for a permanent ceasefire.

Medical Aid for Palestinians says they were forced to temporarily evacuate one of its medical points in Al-Mawasi after an Israeli airstrike targeted the region.

"MAP have been forced to temporarily evacuate one of our medical points near the area, which is intended to provide primary health care services, due to the insecurity," MAP's statement reads, adding that there is no safe place for anyone in Gaza as Israel continues its bombardment.

MAP further called on the UK to halt arms to Israel.

"The UK Government must now act urgently to suspend arms sales to Israel and prevent further atrocities."

The Israeli army said it targeted Hamas military leader Mohammed Deif on Saturday in a strike on Gaza after the Hamas-run territory's health ministry said dozens were killed in an Israeli attack on a displacement camp.

The army "struck Mohammed Deif and Rafa Salama, the commander of Hamas' Khan Yunis Brigade, who are two of the masterminds of the October 7 massacre", it said in a statement.

It came after the Gaza health ministry said 71 people were killed and 289 wounded in an Israeli strike on the Al-Mawasi camp for displaced people in southern Gaza.

A Lebanese security source said an Israeli airstrike on Saturday killed two civilians collecting water in south Lebanon, while the Israeli army said a raid in the area targeted two Hezbollah operatives.

The security source, requesting anonymity as they were not authorised to speak to the media, said that "two civilians were filling up water from a roadside spring" in the Deir Mimas area when they were killed in an "Israeli air strike".

A source close to Hezbollah, also requesting anonymity, said one of the men was a member of the Shiite Muslim movement and the father of a fighter who had been killed, while the second man was a member of Hezbollah's ally, the Amal movement.

The pair were "civilians, not fighters", the source added.

The Israeli army said in a statement that "soldiers identified two Hezbollah terrorists preparing to launch projectiles toward Israeli territory in the area of Deir Mimas in southern Lebanon".

The Israeli military is still verifying the result of a strike that reportedly targeted Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif and another senior Hamas official on Saturday, a military official told a briefing with reporters.

He said the strike targeted a military compound in the west of the Gaza city of Khan Younis, and he said he could not confirm Palestinian reports that at least 71 people were killed in the attack.

(Reuters)

At least 10 Palestinians were killed in an Israeli attack on a prayer hall at a Gaza beach camp for the displaced, west of Gaza City, health officials said on Saturday.

(Reuters)

Israel's claim that it was targeting Hamas leaders in an airstrike in Gaza on Saturday was "false", Hamas said in a statement.

"It's not the first time Israel claims to target Palestinian leaders, only to be proven false later," Hamas said.

The airstrike in the southern city of Khan Younis killed at least 71 Palestinians and injured 289, the enclave's health ministry said.

Israel's military said it was targeting Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif.

(Reuters)

The Gaza Health Ministry confirms at least 38,443 Palestinians have been killed and over 88,481 have been injured since 7 October. 

The Gaza Health Ministry said 71 people were killed in an Israeli attack on Saturday in the south of the war-stricken enclave.

The ministry said 289 others were injured in the attack that struck the Khan Younis area. It noted that many of the wounded and dead were taken to nearby Nasser Hospital.

At the hospital, Associated Press journalists counted over 40 bodies, and witnesses there described an attack that included several strikes.

It remains unclear if the attack landed inside Muwasi, an Israeli-designated humanitarian zone which stretches from northern Rafah to Khan Younis. The coastal strip is where hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians have fled in search of safety, mainly sheltering in makeshift tents.

Israeli Army Radio said on Saturday its military had targeted Hamas' military chief in a strike on Khan Younis in Gaza, in a strike that the enclave's health ministry said had killed over Palestinians.

Army Radio said it was unclear whether Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif was killed.

The Israeli military said it was looking into the report.

The Gaza health ministry said in a statement that Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis received 20 bodies and 90 wounded. The statement didn't give a final figure of victims moved to other medical facilities.

The Hamas-run media office said at least 100 people had been killed and wounded, including members of the Civil Emergency Service.

A senior Hamas official did not confirm whether Deif had been present.

(Reuters)

An Israeli airstrike has killed over 100 displaced Palestinians in the Khan Younis Mawasi area - which was declared a "safe zone". Gaza's civil defence report that Palestinians were gathering to collect water. 

Al Jazeera reports the Israeli army "directly targeted" the civil defence and the Ministry of Health as well as emergency workers also being targeted when trying to rescue the wounded.

The al-Kuwaiti field hospital and the Nasser medical facility are reportedly overwhelmed with wounded people. 

The Israeli army claims at least one high-profile Hamas official was targeted - but this has not been confirmed.

أكثر من 60 شهد في قصف مواصي خانيونس pic.twitter.com/VaLBeNxdTw

— حسن اصليح | Hassan (@hassaneslayeh) July 13, 2024

Japan said it would consider recognising a Palestinian state.

During a meeting in Tokyo, Japanese Foreign Minister Yōko Kamikawa said the state understands Palestine's goal of establishing itself as an independent state and supports its efforts and a two-state solution.

"With regard to recognition of the Palestinian state, we want to continue to address this issue comprehensively, taking into account how to advance the peace process," Kamikawa said.

Algeria announced on Friday that it will be suspending all major art festivals this summer in solidarity with the people of Gaza. 

The nation's culture minister, Soraya Mouloudji, said the decision stems from Alergia's pro-Palestine stance.

Algeria organises many festivals over the summer including the Timgad International Cultural Festival in Batna in eastern Algeria and the Kazif International Festival in the capital of Algiers.

The UN's Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Israel's latest evacuation orders in Gaza City have seen more civilian suffering and bloodshed, and UNRWA hasn't been spared.

The UN Chief revealed at least 195 UNRWA staff members have been killed since 7 October, making it the highest staff death toll in UN history.

"They are the backbone of humanitarian operations in Gaza," the secretary-general said.

Speaking at the donor's conference at UN headquarters Friday, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said UNRWA faces "a profound funding gap", and Palestinians are also seeing widening gaps in respect for international humanitarian law and recognition of their human rights and dignity.

The United Nations chief appealed for funding Friday for the beleaguered UN agency helping Palestinian refugees in Gaza and elsewhere in the Middle East, accusing Israel of issuing evacuation orders that force Palestinians “to move like human pinballs across a landscape of destruction and death.”

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told a donor conference that UNRWA faces “a profound funding gap.”

UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said at the start of the conference that the agency only had funds to operate through August.

Argentina designated Hamas a terrorist organisation Friday and ordered a freeze on the financial assets of the Palestinian group, a largely symbolic move as President Javier Milei seeks to align Argentina strongly with the US and Israel.

Announcing the decision, Milei's office cited the  Palestinian group's cross-border attack on Israel on 7 October.

The statement also mentioned Hamas' close ties to Iran, which Argentina blames for two deadly attacks on Jewish sites in the country.

The move comes just days before the 30th anniversary of one of those attacks, the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community centre in Buenos Aires.