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Live: Israel’s Supreme Court rules military must draft ultra-Orthodox men
Israel’s Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled that the military must begin drafting ultra-Orthodox men for military service, a decision that could lead to the collapse of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s governing coalition. Ultra-Orthodox men, who attend special seminaries that focus on religious studies, have long been exempt from the draft, which is compulsory for most Jewish men and women. Follow our liveblog for all the latest developments.

Issued on: 25/06/2024 – 06:34
Modified: 25/06/2024 – 10:41

2 min
An ultra-Orthodox Jewish man wears handcuffs as he sits on a street during a protest against army recruitment in Jerusalem, Sunday, June 2, 2024.
An ultra-Orthodox Jewish man wears handcuffs as he sits on a street during a protest against army recruitment in Jerusalem on Sunday, June 2, 2024. © Leo Correa, AP
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FRANCE 24
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FRANCE 24
Summary:
Israel’s Supreme Court Tuesday ruled that the military must begin drafting ultra-Orthodox men for military service, a ruling that could split Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s coalition.

The Gaza civil defence agency said an Israeli air strike early on Tuesday killed 10 members of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh’s family. Israel’s military said its forces had targeted militants overnight in Gaza City who had been involved in the planning of attacks on Israel.
During a visit meant to reaffirm ties between Israel and the US, Antony Blinken “underscored the importance of avoiding further escalation of the conflict” with Lebanon to Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant. Tensions between Israel and Lebanon’s Iranian-backed militant movement Hezbollah have been steadily rising with growing exchanges of fire from both sides.
At least 37,626 Palestinians have been killed and 86,098 injured in Israel’s war in Gaza, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run enclave. The Hamas-led October 7 attacks resulted in the deaths of more than 1,190 people, mostly civilians, according to official Israeli figures. Some 250 people were taken hostage, with about 120 remaining in Gaza, according to Israeli tallies. Many have been declared dead by Israeli authorities.

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2 hours ago
Israel to work on resolving Hezbollah conflict, official says
Israel will spend the coming weeks trying to resolve the conflict with Lebanon’s Iran-backed group Hezbollah and would prefer a diplomatic solution, Israel’s national security adviser said on Tuesday.

National security adviser Tzachi Hanegbi also said Israel was discussing with Washington a possible joint effort by the United States, European and some Arab countries to find a replacement for Hamas rule in the Gaza Strip.

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2 hours ago
Israeli supreme court says ultra-Orthodox must serve in military
Israel’s Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled unanimously that the military must begin drafting ultra-Orthodox men for military service, a decision that could lead to the collapse of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s governing coalition as Israel continues to wage war in Gaza.

The court ruled that in the absence of a law that distinguishes between Jewish seminary students and other draftees, Israel’s compulsory military service system applies to the ultra-Orthodox like any other citizens.

Under longstanding arrangements, ultra-Orthodox men have been exempt from the draft, which is compulsory for most Jewish men and women. These exemptions have long been a source of anger among the secular public, a divide that has widened during the eight-month-old war.

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3 hours ago
Israeli airstrikes kill at least 24 in Gaza City, Hamas officials say
Israeli forces killed at least 24 Palestinians in three separate airstrikes on Gaza City early on Tuesday, health officials said, while tanks deepened their incursion into the town of Rafah in the south of the enclave.

Two of the strikes hit two schools in Gaza City, killing at least 14 people, medics said. Another strike on a house in the Shati (Beach) camp, one of the Gaza Strip’s eight historic refugee camps, killed 10 others.

The house in Shati belonged to the extended family of Hamas political chief, Ismail Haniyeh, who is based in Qatar, killing one of his sisters along with other relatives too, family members and medics said.

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3 hours ago
Gaza civil defence says Israeli strike kills 10 relatives of Hamas chief
The Gaza civil defence agency said an Israeli air strike early on Tuesday killed 10 members of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh’s family, in an attack the Israeli military did not immediately confirm.

“There are 10 martyrs … as a result of the strike, including Zahr Haniyeh, sister of Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh,” Mahmud Basal, spokesman for Gaza’s civil defence, told AFP, also reporting “several” wounded.

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5 hours ago
More than 20,000 children missing amid Gaza war, NGO says
An estimated 21,000 children are missing in Gaza, with many feared to be buried under the rubble of destroyed buildings and presumed dead, according to a report published Monday by Save the Children.

“At least 17,000 children are estimated to be unaccompanied or separated from surviving family members, and at least 4,000 children are likely to be buried under the rubble,” said Alexandra Saieh, head of humanitarian policy at Save the Children.

According to the NGO’s estimates, children account for around 40 percent of all deaths in Gaza.

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5 hours ago
Media probe highlights ‘attack on press freedom’ in Gaza war
A collaborative investigation by international media outlets on Tuesday shed light on the circumstances behind more than 100 Palestinian journalists and media workers being killed in the Gaza war, some while wearing a press vest.

A consortium led by investigative outlet Forbidden Stories and involving around 50 journalists from 13 organisations including AFP, The Guardian and the Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism group (ARIJ) took part in the four-month probe.

It looked into strikes involving journalists and media infrastructure since Israel launched a devastating offensive in the Gaza Strip in response to Palestinian militant group Hamas carrying out an unprecedented attack in Israel on October 7.

“More than 100 journalists and media workers have been killed,” Forbidden Stories’ Laurent Richard said in an editorial accompanying the Gaza Project’s publication.

“Today’s Gaza journalists have long known that their ‘press’ vests do not protect them,” he wrote.

“Worse still, the protective gear might further expose them.”

FRANCE 24

Investigation highlights ‘attack on press freedom’ in Gaza war
A collaborative investigation by international media outlets on Tuesday shed light on the circumstances behind more than 100 Palestinian journalists and media workers being killed in the Gaza war, some…
Read the article on https://www.france24.com
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6 hours ago
Israel bombs Gaza as US warns against wider war
Israel kept up its bombardment of Gaza on Tuesday after Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said the “intense phase” of the war was winding down, as the United States urged its ally to avoid further escalation along the Lebanon border.

Israeli forces launched more deadly strikes, with 13 people killed across two schools and a home hit in Gaza City, according to the Hamas-run territory’s civil defence agency.

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6 hours ago
Blinken ‘underscores importance’ of avoiding Lebanon escalation in meeting with Israel defense minister
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant was on a visit to Washington seeking to reaffirm the value of ties with Israel’s top ally, after Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu publicly chastised the United States for what he said was a delay in weapons deliveries.

Blinken also “underscored the importance of avoiding further escalation of the conflict and reaching a diplomatic resolution that allows both Israeli and Lebanese families to return to their homes,” US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement.

Tensions have been rising with growing exchanges of fire between Israel and Lebanon’s Iranian-backed militant movement Hezbollah.

Netanyahu has said Israeli forces are winding up the most intense part of the Gaza war and will redeploy to the northern border, although he cast the move as defensive.

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Yesterday’s key developments:
A US-backed proposal to wind down the eight-month-long war in Gaza was cast into doubt on Monday after Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said he would only be willing to agree to a “partial” ceasefire deal that would not end the war. His comments sparked anger among Israeli citizens whose family members are being held hostage by Hamas.
The United Nations Palestinian refugee agency (UNWRA) was sued in New York Federal Court on Monday by 101 Israelis, including people who survived Hamas’s October 7 attack or had relatives who were killed in it. The plaintiffs are seeking unspecified damages for what they allege was UNRWA’s “aiding and abetting Hamas’s genocide, crimes against humanity, and torture,” which they said violated international and US federal law.
About casualty figures from Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry:
Gaza’s health ministry collects data from the enclave’s hospitals and the Palestinian Red Crescent. For more on the health ministry’s casualty figures, click here.

(France 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)