Gaza rescuers say five dead in Israel strike
"Three children, their mother and her husband were sleeping inside a tent and were bombed by an [Israeli] occupation aircraft," family member Omar Abu al-Kass told AFP.
The strikes came "without warning and without having done anything wrong," added Abu al-Kass, who said he was the children's maternal grandfather.
AFP images from the scene showed mourners, some of them weeping, gathering alongside five white shrouds of different sizes.
"Five martyrs and wounded in an [Israeli] occupation air strike on a tent in the Sabra neighborhood" of Gaza City, civil defense spokesperson Mahmoud Bassal told AFP.
The Israeli army, which resumed its offensive in Gaza on March 18, ending a two-month truce, did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the strike.
The war in Gaza was triggered by Hamas's October 2023 attack, which killed 1,218 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
Israeli retaliation has killed at least 52,787 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to figures from the territory's health ministry, which the United Nations considers reliable.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
LBCI
2 hours ago
- LBCI
Negotiations continue: Israel to join Azerbaijan talks on Syria despite tensions with US envoy
Report by Amal Shehadeh, English adaptation by Yasmine Jaroudi Despite its frustration with the U.S. envoy's stance on Syria, Israel is set to take part in security talks in Azerbaijan on Thursday. The negotiations, attended by U.S. presidential envoy Tom Barrack and representatives from Syria, aim to reach understandings that could prevent further escalation along the volatile Israeli-Syrian front. The discussions will primarily focus on security arrangements in southern Syria and on strengthening coordination and communication between the two sides to prevent potential flare-ups. The talks come amid growing discontent in Israel over Barrcak's perceived support for the Syrian government and his criticism of Israel, which he has accused of working to fragment and divide Syria. His position has drawn comparisons to Turkey's stance, which has threatened intervention to block any moves toward partitioning Syrian territory. Meanwhile, Israeli security agencies have decided to maintain maximum alert levels along the border, with ongoing military drills simulating possible infiltration attempts by hostile groups operating from Syrian territory. The Israeli army says it is continuing operations to prevent what it calls the establishment of terrorist infrastructure in southern Syria. It is also actively monitoring and targeting individuals it describes as arms dealers affiliated with Iran, Hezbollah, and Hamas.
L'Orient-Le Jour
3 hours ago
- L'Orient-Le Jour
How does Israel prevent Hezbollah from reorganizing?
In a statement to the Israeli channel N12 (or Channel 12), an Israeli army commander outlined the main features of the surveillance, strikes and assassination system on Lebanese territory to prevent Hezbollah from deploying along the border between southern Lebanon and northern Israel. The officer, who was not named but was presented as the commander of the 89th Battalion of the 8th Brigade, a reserve armored brigade, appeared in a report focused on the eight months since the cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah, aired on Tuesday. The report's contents were translated by the Institute for Palestinian Studies. Several media outlets, including Nidaa al-Watan and Hudhud — a Palestinian media outlet specializing in tracking Israeli media reports and statements — relayed this translation. "As part of the cease-fire agreement, we gather intelligence and attack the enemy who tries to reorganize in areas near the border," the commander said. Military activities are focused on what the army calls "the security zone," he explained, though he did not describe it further, stating that Israeli soldiers were continuously updating their intelligence on the party's movements. He mentioned coordination between observation, intelligence and combat units. "We have a substantial amount of high-quality intelligence thanks to the army's advanced surveillance systems," he said. Operations follow directives issued by his higher command, which include strikes not only in southern Lebanon but also in other areas such as the Bekaa Valley or the southern suburbs of Beirut. He stated that these attacks, which the Lebanese side says are violations of the cease-fire along with the occupation of five strategic points in southern Lebanon, have killed more than 200 Hezbollah members. 'A few pockets remain' According to a tally based on figures from the Health Ministry and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (United Nations), about 280 people in total, including civilians, have been killed in Israeli strikes on Lebanese territory since late November. The commander also claimed that "Hezbollah is no longer as visible in the area," and that it "keeps its distance from the border," though "a few pockets remain." According to a spokesperson contacted by L'Orient-Le Jour, the party asked its members, since the beginning of the cease-fire, to avoid going to the south without urgent reason, whether to see their homes, families or for any other compelling reason. "As the person responsible for this area, I observe the Lebanese villages and I feel that Hezbollah has weakened. It no longer has the same capabilities as before Oct. 7 [2023]. It can no longer conduct attacks or harm the population," the Israeli commander told Channel 12. In addition to strikes, the military official also confirmed that the Israeli army sometimes carries out special operations inside Lebanese territory to "dismantle enemy infrastructure." He mentioned a recent operation in a southern Lebanese village to destroy "a site containing many rockets ready for launch, communication devices and instructions regarding targets." In a statement published July 9, the Israeli army said Wednesday that its soldiers entered southern Lebanon to carry out "special and targeted operations" to dismantle Hezbollah infrastructure a few kilometers from the Israeli border. As recently as Sunday, the Lebanese army increased its deployment near the border village of Rmaish (Bint Jbeil) after an incursion by Israeli military vehicles. In early July, the Israeli army infiltrated Mais al-Jabal and blew up a newly renovated textile factory. While the cease-fire agreement, in effect since November, is violated daily by Israel, the United States is currently engaging Lebanon and Israel to arrive at a formula that would trigger the effective disarmament of Hezbollah and the Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon. Talks have yet to succeed despite the third visit in several weeks from U.S. envoy Tom Barrack, who is in charge of the issue.
L'Orient-Le Jour
3 hours ago
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Clashes outside Egyptian embassy in Beirut during protests for Gaza
A group of activists protesting the Israeli blockade on Gaza gathered Wednesday around midday outside Egypt's embassy in Bir Hassan, in Beirut's southern suburbs and tensions arose between them and the Lebanese Army. Videos circulating on social media, including by the media outlet Sawratcom, show dozens of protesters — many wearing kuffiyehs and/or carrying the Palestinian flag — trying to forcibly enter the embassy and confront the army, which was heavily deployed in the area. The embassy has been surrounded for years by large concrete blocks and barbed wire, making it almost inaccessible from the adjacent avenue. The protesters' attempts to force their way into the embassy entrance were pushed back by the army, according to footage filmed by protesters at the scene. L'Orient-Le Jour attempted to verify this information with the Lebanese Army but did not receive confirmation before publishing this article. In the videos, protesters try to push back the barricade formed by soldiers and are beaten by military personnel. In one clip, the filming protester calls the army 'Zionist' and says she's pleased 'to have been able to protest [on the adjacent avenue] even though they tried to prevent us.' It's unclear who organized this movement: An observer interviewed by L'Orient-Le Jour says they are 'leftist groups.' The choice of Egypt's embassy is significant, as the country controls Gaza's southern border and is regularly accused of keeping the crossing closed despite the plight of the people in the enclave, who have faced a one-sided war with Israel since Oct. 8, 2023. Protesters are calling for Egyptian authorities to 'break the blockade' and allow food aid to enter. Millions of Gazans have endured hunger for months, and, according to the U.N., more than a thousand people have been shot dead while trying to reach the few aid deliveries by a U.S.-backed NGO. Another video from the protest shows the Lebanese Red Cross (LRC) taking an elderly woman from the scene to the hospital in an ambulance. In the background, a woman's voice says she is suffering from a 'malaise.' An LRC source confirmed that the protester was evacuated but gave no further details, adding that the clashes did not result in other injuries. Another demonstration, called for by civil society activists the day before, was held from 11 a.m. to noon in front of the ESCWA (United Nations) building in downtown Beirut, without any incidents. Civil society lawyer Hassan Bazzi noted on his Facebook account that 63 activists attended and delivered a letter to the U.N. secretary-general about the war and famine in Gaza. Sit-in at Beddawi camp A sit-in against the Israeli blockade on Gaza was also held Wednesday by Palestinians at the Beddawi camp (northern Lebanon). Demonstrators held up signs against the 'killing of children in Gaza,' calling for the 'immediate opening of the borders so that aid can be delivered to the enclave.' At this gathering, the hunger strike by a Palestinian activist in the camp, Atef Khalil, a member of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), was announced. In remarks at the site, Khalil said he was on his second day of striking, saying this action 'is a message to the world, which remains silent in the face of Gaza's blockade and the slow death of its children, women and elderly.' Échauffourées devant l'ambassade d'Égypte à Beyrouth lors de manifestations en soutien à Gaza
