Gaza rescuers say Israeli forces kill over 50 as ceasefire calls mount
The swift resolution of Israel's 12-day war with Iran has revived hopes for a halt to the fighting in Gaza, where more than 20 months of combat have created dire humanitarian conditions for the population of more than two million.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will visit the White House on July 7, a US official told Agence France-Presse (AFP) on condition of anonymity.
US President Donald Trump recently urged Israel to "make the deal in Gaza", and the Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer is visiting Washington this week for talks with US officials.
But on the ground, Israel has continued to pursue its offensive across the Palestinian territory.
Gaza's civil defence agency said 51 people had been killed by Israeli forces on Monday, including 24 in a strike on a rest area on Gaza City's seafront.
"I saw body parts flying everywhere, and bodies cut and burned... It was a scene that made your skin crawl," 26-year-old eyewitness Ahmed Al-Nayrab told AFP, recalling a "huge explosion that shook the area".
"The place is always crowded with people because the rest area offers drinks, family seating and internet access."
Another eyewitness, 35-year-old Bilal Awkal, said "blood covered the ground and screams filled the air".
"Women and children were everywhere, like a scene from a movie about the end of the world."
Approached for comment by AFP, the Israeli army said it was "looking into" the reports.
The Hamas government media office reported that photojournalist Ismail Abu Hatab was among those killed in the strike.
Israeli restrictions on media in Gaza and difficulties in accessing some areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by rescuers and authorities in the territory.
'Targeting was deliberate'
Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP that 27 others were killed by Israeli strikes or fire across Gaza, including 11 near aid points in the centre and south.
Eyewitnesses and local authorities have reported repeated killings of Palestinians near distribution centres in recent weeks, after Israel began allowing in a trickle of aid at the end of May.
Samir Abu Jarbou, 28, told AFP by phone that he had gone with relatives to pick up food in an area of central Gaza around midnight.
"Suddenly the (Israeli) army opened fire, and drones started shooting. We ran away and got nothing," he said.
In the southern city of Khan Yunis, the dead and wounded were rushed to a hospital in an open-top trailer after aid seekers said they were fired on by Israeli forces in Rafah.
"The targeting was deliberate, aimed at people as they were leaving," eyewitness Aboud al-Adwi told AFP.
"There was no one among us who was wanted or posed any threat. We were all civilians, simply trying to get food for our children," he added.
AFP footage from Nasser Hospital showed the wounded being treated on a blood-stained floor.
The Israeli military did not immediately provide comment when asked by AFP about the civil defence reports.
'No longer any benefit'
Netanyahu had said on Sunday that Israel's "victory" over Iran had created "opportunities", including for freeing hostages.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid, meanwhile, said on Monday there was "no longer any benefit" to the war.
Israel's defence minister suggested during a meeting with Netanyahu and the army's general staff that the campaign in Gaza was nearing its goal.
"We now face the completion of the campaign in Gaza, to achieve its objectives -- foremost among them, the release of all hostages and the defeat of Hamas," Israel Katz said.
Trump had said on Friday that he was hoping for a new ceasefire in Gaza "within the next week".
Three days later, Washington announced the US$510-million sale to Israel of bomb guidance kits and related support.
"The United States is committed to the security of Israel, and it is vital to US national interests to assist Israel to develop and maintain a strong and ready self-defense capability," the US Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said in a statement.
Qatar's foreign ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari told journalists on Monday that "momentum" had been created by the Iran truce but "we won't hold our breath for this to happen today and tomorrow".
Israel launched its campaign in response to Hamas's attack on Oct 7, 2003, which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.
Of the 251 hostages seized during the assault, 49 are still held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead.
Israel's retaliatory campaign has killed at least 56,531 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry. The United Nations (UN) considers these figures to be reliable.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Bangkok Post
5 hours ago
- Bangkok Post
Israel expands campaign in Gaza
GAZA CITY - Israel's military said Tuesday that it had expanded its operations in Gaza, where residents reported fierce gunfire and shelling days ahead of a planned trip to Washington by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The intensified operations came after days of mounting calls for a ceasefire, with US President Donald Trump — whom Netanyahu is slated to meet with next week — among those urging Israel to strike a new deal to halt the war and bring home the hostages still held in Gaza. Israel's campaign to destroy the Palestinian militant group Hamas has continued unabated, however, with Gaza's civil defence agency reporting Israeli forces killed 17 people on Tuesday. In response to reports of deadly strikes in the north and south of the territory, the Israeli army told AFP it was 'operating to dismantle Hamas military capabilities'. Separately, it said Tuesday morning that in recent days it had 'expanded its operations to additional areas within the Gaza Strip, eliminating dozens of terrorists, and dismantling hundreds of terror infrastructure sites both above and below ground'. Raafat Halles, 39, from the Shujaiya district of Gaza City district, said 'air strikes and shelling have intensified over the past week', and tanks have been advancing. 'I believe that every time negotiations or a potential ceasefire are mentioned, the army escalates crimes and massacres on the ground,' he said. 'I don't know why.' Amer Daloul, a 44-year-old resident of Gaza City, also reported fiercer clashes between Israeli forces and militants in recent days, telling AFP that he and his family were forced to flee the tent they were living in at dawn on Tuesday 'due to heavy and random gunfire and shelling'. In the southern city of Rafah, resident Mohammed Abdel Aal, 41, said 'tanks are present' in most parts of town. Aid seekers killed Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP that eight people were killed near aid distribution sites in central and southern Gaza Tuesday, in the latest in a long-running spate of deadly attacks on those seeking food. One person was killed and 50 wounded when tanks and drones opened fire as crowds were waiting to collect aid near the Wadi Gaza Bridge in the middle of the territory, Bassal said. The civil defence said another six people were killed nearby while trying to reach the same aid centre. Asked for comment, the Israeli military told AFP its forces 'fired warning shots to distance suspects who approached the troops', adding it was not aware of any injuries but would review the incident. At least one more person was killed near another aid centre in Rafah, the civil defence said. Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by rescuers. A group of 169 aid organisations called Monday for an end to Gaza's 'deadly' new US- and Israeli-backed aid distribution scheme, which they said forced starving civilians to 'trek for hours through dangerous terrain and active conflict zones, only to face a violent, chaotic race' for food. They urged a return to the UN-led aid mechanism that existed until March, when Israel imposed a full blockade on humanitarian assistance entering Gaza during an impasse in truce talks with Hamas. The new scheme's administrator, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), has distanced itself from reports of aid seekers being killed near its centres. The Israeli army said it had also opened a review into a strike on a seafront Gaza cafe on Monday that it said had targeted militants. The civil defence agency reported that the attack killed 24 people. Maher Al-Baqa, 40, the brother of the owner of the cafe, told AFP that several of his relatives including two nephews were killed in the strike. 'It's one of the most well-known cafes on the Gaza coast, frequented by educated youth, journalists, artists, doctors, engineers and hardworking people,' he said. 'They used to feel free and safe there — it was like a second home to them.' The military maintained it had taken steps 'to mitigate the risk of harming civilians using aerial surveillance'. PM's US visit Netanyahu announced he would visit Trump and senior US security officials next week, after previously saying Israel's campaign against Iran had created 'opportunities', including for freeing hostages held in Gaza. Israel's declaration of victory in the recent 12-day war has raised pressure on it to put a similar end to more than 20 months of devastating fighting in Gaza. 'Taking advantage of the success is no less important than achieving the success,' Netanyahu said at the start of a cabinet meeting on Tuesday. Hamas official Taher al-Nunu told AFP the group is 'ready to agree to any proposal if it will lead to an end to the war and a permanent ceasefire and a complete withdrawal of occupation forces'. 'So far, there has been no breakthrough.'
Bangkok Post
5 hours ago
- Bangkok Post
Cartoon enrages Turkish protesters
ISTANBUL - Angry protesters rallied in Istanbul on Tuesday despite a heavy police presence, shouting threats following allegations that a satirical magazine had published a cartoon of the Prophet Mohammed. Unrest began late Monday after Istanbul's chief prosecutor ordered the arrest of staff at LeMan weekly saying it had published a cartoon that 'publicly insulted religious values'. LeMan categorically denied the allegation, with its editor-in-chief telling AFP the image had 'nothing to do with the Prophet Mohammed'. But news of the warrant brought an angry mob of hardline Islamist protesters onto the streets, who clashed with police late into the night, an AFP correspondent said. A group called Islamic Solidarity Platform called another protest Tuesday, prompting police to shut Taksim Square and Istiklal, the city's busy shopping thoroughfare. The group of around 300 protesters shouted abuse at the magazine and chanted 'don't forget Charlie Hebdo ', referring to the 2015 attack on a Paris magazine when Islamist gunmen killed 12 people after it published caricatures lampooning the Prophet Mohammed. According to the correspondent, the protesters were far less aggressive than those who rallied on Monday night, when around 400 Islamist hardliners tried to storm a bar frequented by the magazine staff. 'Down with secularism, long live sharia (law)! Jihad, jihad, martyrdom!' they shouted while clashing with police, who fired tear gas and rubber bullets. 'No justification for violence' Publication of the image drew sharp condemnation from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who denounced it as a 'hate crime'. 'It is a clear provocation disguised as humour, a vile provocation,' he railed, saying the authorities had confiscated all existing copies of the offending issue. 'Those who are insolent towards our Prophet and other prophets will be held accountable before the law.' Monday's violence drew sharp condemnation from Erol Onderoglu, the Turkey representative of Reporters Without Borders (RSF). 'There is no justification for such violence, which we strongly condemn,' he told AFP, saying it was 'hard to understand' why police did not intervene sooner and that the 'cartoonists' safety must take priority'. Overnight, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya posted images of the cartoonist, LeMan's graphic designer, its publisher and another staff member being roughly dragged away under arrest, prompting a rebuke from the Turkish rights group MLSA. 'Detaining cartoonists and subjecting them to mistreatment under the accusation of 'insulting religious values' over a cartoon is unlawful,' its co-director Veysel Ok wrote on X. 'Even if a non-violent image or statement disturbs, offends, or provokes a large part of society, it is still protected by freedom of expression.' Copies of the disputed cartoon posted online show two characters hovering in the skies over a city being bombed. 'Salam aleikum, I'm Mohammed,' says one shaking hands with the other who replies, 'Aleikum salam, I'm Musa.' 'Social lynching' Opposition leader Ozgur Ozel said he was shocked when he first heard the allegations but after looking at the image, said he quickly realised they were not true. 'Take a proper look: I see an angel who died in a bombardment in Gaza, with a halo and wings who encounters another angel also killed by a bomb … (but) Mohammad is a prophet, not an angel,' he said. 'I will not allow any disrespect to the Prophet Mohammed, but I won't remain silent about a social lynching based on a non-existant disrespect.' Speaking to AFP from Paris, LeMan editor-in-chief Tuncay Akgun said the image had been deliberately misinterpreted to cause provocation. 'In this work, the name of a Muslim who was killed in Israel's bombardments is fictionalised as Mohammed,' he said. 'This cartoon is not a caricature of Prophet Mohammed in any way,' he said, describing the arrest warrant as a 'systematic provocation and attack' on the decades-old satirical magazine.
Bangkok Post
6 hours ago
- Bangkok Post
Ukraine hits Russian city deep behind front line
MOSCOW - Ukrainian drones attacked the Russian city of Izhevsk on Tuesday, killing three people and wounding dozens in one of the deepest strikes inside Russia of the three-year conflict, authorities said. Izhevsk, more than 1,000 kilometres from the front line, has arms production facilities including factories that make attack drones and the world-famous Kalashnikov rifle. A Ukraine security services source said Kyiv had targeted an Izhevsk-based drone manufacturer and that the attack had disrupted Moscow's 'offensive potential'. Unverified videos posted on social media showed at least one drone buzzing over the city, while another showed a ball of flames erupt from the roof of a building. The region's head said the drones hit an industrial 'enterprise', without giving detail. 'Unfortunately, we have three fatalities. We extend our deepest condolences to their families,' Alexander Brechalov, head of the Udmurt Republic, where Izhevsk is located, wrote on Telegram. 'I visited the victims in the hospital. At the moment, 35 people have been hospitalized, 10 of whom are in serious condition.' Russian forces in turn struck the town of Guliaipole in Ukraine's central Dnipropetrovsk region, causing 'casualties and fatalities', Ukraine's southern defence forces said, without specifying numbers. Diplomatic efforts to end the conflict have stalled in recent weeks. The two sides held direct talks almost a month ago but Moscow has since stepped up deadly strikes on Ukraine. Moscow ramps up advance Kyiv's military chief vowed in June to increase the 'scale and depth' of strikes on Russia, warning Ukraine would not sit back while Moscow prolonged its offensive. Moscow's army has ravaged parts of east and south Ukraine while seizing large swathes of territory. An AFP analysis published Tuesday found that Russia dramatically ramped up aerial attacks in June, firing thousands of drones to pressure the war-torn country's stretched air defence systems and exhausted civilian population. Moreover, in June, Moscow made its biggest territorial gain since November while accelerating advances for a third consecutive month, according to another AFP analysis based on data from US-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW). In another sign of an intensifying offensive, a top Kremlin-installed official claimed on Monday that Russia was now in full control of Ukraine's eastern Lugansk region. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly accused Russia of dragging out the peace process — something that Moscow denies. 'We are certainly grateful for the efforts being made by Washington and members of Trump's administration to facilitate negotiations on the Ukrainian settlement,' Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters including AFP on Tuesday.
