MIDDLE EAST
AN HOUR AGO
Live blog: Hamas ‘halts’ Gaza truce talks after Israeli massacres
Israel’s war on Gaza, now in its 282nd day, has killed at least 38,443 Palestinians — the majority of them women and children –– and wounded 88,481, with 10,000+ estimated to be buried under the debris and 9,500+ abducted by Tel Aviv.

17 Palestinians were killed and 50 were wounded in Israeli strikes on Gaza City. / Photo: AA
AA
17 Palestinians were killed and 50 were wounded in Israeli strikes on Gaza City. / Photo: AA

Sunday, July 14, 2024

0706 GMT — A senior Hamas official has said the Palestinian resistance group is withdrawing from talks on a ceasefire in Gaza because of Israeli “massacres” and its attitude in negotiations.

Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh told international mediators of the “decision to halt negotiations due to the occupation’s lack of seriousness, continued policy of procrastination and obstruction, and the ongoing massacres against unarmed civilians,” AFP reports.

More updates

0712 GMT — Top Hamas official says military chief Deif ‘fine’ after Israeli strike

A top Hamas official has said that the group’s military leader Mohammed Deif is “fine” despite an Israeli attempt to kill him in an air strike.

“Commander Mohammed Deif is well and directly overseeing” the operations of the Hamas military wing, the official told AFP.

Israel staged a huge bombing raid on a camp for displaced in southern Gaza on Saturday that it said was an attempt to kill Deif.

0611 GMT — Israel kills several Palestinians in fresh strikes on Gaza City

At least 17 Palestinians have been killed and 50 wounded in Israeli strikes on Gaza City in the early hours of Sunday, civil emergency and health officials have said.

0103 GMT — UN chief condemns Israeli strike on ‘humanitarian zone’ in Gaza

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned an Israeli air strike on the Al-Mawasi area of Khan Younis in Gaza, which was designated a “humanitarian zone” for displaced Palestinians.

“This (attack) underscores that nowhere is safe in Gaza,” according to a statement that said Guterres is “shocked and saddened” by the strike that killed 90 victims in a densely populated humanitarian area where displaced persons are located.

“The UN Secretary-General condemns the killing of civilians, including children and women,” it noted.

Referring to Israel’s claim of targeting “two Hamas members,” the statement said: “The Secretary-General underlines that international humanitarian law, including the principles of distinction, proportionality, and precautions in attack, must be upheld at all times.”

It reiterated Guterres’s demand for an immediate ceasefire and the release of hostages in Gaza, stating that “the war must end.”

2230 GMT — Netanyahu says Israeli air strike targeted Qassam Brigades general commander, deputy

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that an Israeli air strike Saturday in the Al-Mawasi area of Gaza targeted the general commander of the Qassam Brigades and his deputy.

“Al-Mawasi operation targeted Mohammed Deif and his deputy, Rafaa Salama, but so far there are no confirmations of their deaths,” Netanyahu said in a news conference about the leaders of the military wing of Hamas. “We will reach anyone responsible for the events of Oct. 7.”

He said Israel’s domestic security agency, Shin Bet, presented him with the operation in Al-Mawasi, which he approved.

The attack in southern Gaza killed 90 Palestinians and injured 300, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

The daily Israel Hayom claimed, without providing evidence, that the main goal of the air strike was to eliminate Deif.

2200 GMT — Hezbollah fires rockets after Israeli strike on Lebanon

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

The group 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”.

Israeli aircraft then “struck a Hezbollah field commander who was operating in the area of (Kfar) Tebnit in southern Lebanon”, the military added.

For our live updates from Saturday, July 13, 2024, click here.

SOURCE: TRTWORLD AND AGENCIES