Israel kills 21 Palestinians in Gaza since dawn

Israeli attacks across Gaza since dawn have killed at least 21 Palestinians, the majority around the southern city of Khan Younis, according to medical sources speaking to Al Jazeera.
The killings come a day after US President Donald Trump said a ceasefire in Gaza could be reached “within the next week”.PIJ’s armed wing claims attack on Israeli solders in Gaza City
The armed wing of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, al-Quds Brigades, has published a video on Telegram, claiming that it shows its artillery targeting a group of Israeli soldiers and their vehicles with mortar shells.

It said the attack came around al-Muntar Hill, east of the Shujayea neighbourhood in Gaza City.Netanyahu’s denials of military wrongdoing undermined by daily slaughterIt’s no surprise that the statement from the Israeli prime minister’s office is denying any wrongdoing by the military in Gaza in response to an explosive Haaretz newspaper report yesterday.

The report quoted Israeli soldiers as saying that commanders had instructed them to fire at Palestinians approaching food aid distribution sites in Gaza.

Netanyahu has consistently denied wrongdoing by the Israeli military since the war began nearly two years ago. This time, Netanyahu has dismissed the report as a “blood libel”, saying that the Israeli military operates in incredibly difficult conditions and does what it can to minimise the harm to civilians.

That’s a little hard to believe given the fact that more than 56,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s onslaught.

The Israeli soldiers quoted in this report said Gaza has become a killing field, especially in the areas near the aid distribution sites.

Bodies of two aid seekers recovered in northern Gaza: Medical source
A source at Ahli Hospital has told Al Jazeera the bodies of two Palestinians were recovered among a crowd of people waiting for aid, at the Netzarim Corridor south of Gaza City.Scenes in Tehran show renewed national unity in face of foreign attacks
The huge crowds gathered for a state funeral in Tehran reflect a renewed sense of patriotism across Iran in the wake of the recent conflict, according to an Iranian researcher.

Ali Akbar Dareini of Tehran’s Centre for Strategic Studies told Al Jazeera that the Israeli and American attacks had “reignited that sense of patriotism and nationalism in Iran”.“Iranians love their country no matter their political affiliations,” he said, adding that even those opposed to Iran’s government were now rallying behind the flag.

“Iranians now feel that … a country with 7,000 years of civilisation is under attack, and they have to stand up to foreign aggression, no matter their political affiliation.”

Despite the ceasefire, there was “absolutely no trust in the Israelis” that it would hold, he said. “I would not be surprised if Israelis are not going to attack Iran again as soon as they replenish their arsenal,” he said. “But Iran is also making itself prepared for defence.”More than 20 killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza so far today
The number of Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks across Gaza since dawn today has now risen to 21, according to medical sources.

The death toll earlier had been reported as at least 17.Israeli army confirms settlers attacked troops in West Bank’s Kafr Malek
We have reported earlier several dozen Israeli settlers reportedly attacked Israeli military reservists while rampaging through the occupied West Bank village of Kafr Malek, leading to arrests.

Now, the Israeli military statement published on Telegram said the incident took place overnight when several Israeli civilians were driving towards an area designated as a closed military zone.

“Upon the arrival of the security forces, dozens of Israeli civilians hurled stones towards them and physically and verbally assaulted the soldiers, including the Battalion Commander,” it said, adding that the group vandalised and damaged the military vehicles as well as attempting to ram the security forces.

The security forces dispersed the gathering, and six Israeli civilians (settlers) were apprehended and transferred to the Israel Police for further processing, the statement said.‘Gaza food hubs death traps luring Palestinians to be shot at’
We’ve spoken to Chris Doyle, director of the Council for Arab-British Understanding, about the growing number of Palestinians being killed while waiting near food distribution centres in Gaza.

“These are death traps, essentially using these hubs of food to try to lure starving Palestinians to be shot at,” he told Al Jazeera.

Doyle, a commentator on Middle East affairs, said the confirmation from Israeli soldiers of the shootings in a report this week “only just demonstrates the sheer brutality of what is going on here”.

He also stressed that UN agencies and humanitarian groups have for months warned that operations by the Israeli and United States-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation were “utterly wrong and unworkable”.

“And you are doing this to a population that’s already endured such suffering,” Doyle said. “They are already on the brink of starvation or actually being starved, and without any form of a healthcare system – all the hospitals have been hit, healthcare centres, you name it, we’ve all seen this, so to allow this to continue is a disgrace,” he called, calling for international sanctions against Israel.

“We need measures to be taken against the Israeli government, further sanctions to utterly force and compel them to stop.”