Israel leaves bodies in wake of Khan Younis exit
- Israeli forces have withdrawn from areas of eastern Khan Younis after a 22-day military operation, leaving destruction in their wake. At least nine bodies have been recovered by the Palestinian Civil Defence there so far.
- As Israel’s massive raid on the occupied West Bank continues for a third day, its army claims that it killed Hamas commander Wissam Hazem in Jenin.
UK ‘deeply concerned’ by Israeli raids in occupied West Bank
The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office say it is “deeply concerned” about the methods used by Israel in its assault on the West Bank.
“We continue to call on Israeli authorities to exercise restraint, adhere to international law, and clamp down on the actions of those who seek to inflame tensions,” the office said in a statement.
“[The UK] strongly condemns settler violence and inciteful remarks such as those made by Israel’s National Security Minister Ben-Gvir, which threaten the status-quo of the Holy Sites in Jerusalem,” the statement added.
On Monday, Ben-Gvir, who has repeatedly ignored the Israeli government’s longstanding ban on Jews praying at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, told Israeli Army Radio that if it were possible, he would build a synagogue at the compound area, known to Jews as the Temple Mount.
‘It’s not perfect, but best solution we have’: WHO on vaccination plan
WHO spokesperson Dr Margaret Harris has spoken to Al Jazeera about the organisation’s upcoming polio vaccination drive in Gaza, which will take place for at least three days starting on Sunday.
Harris said the WHO welcomes the Israeli military’s commitment to daily pauses in fighting in specific areas of Gaza during the campaign, even though it falls short of the full ceasefire the organisation had sought.
“It’s not perfect … but it’s the best workable solution we have at the moment,” Harris said. “We’re accepting that this is what has been made possible because it’s such an emergency to get these children vaccinated.”
The daily pauses in fighting will take place in designated zones of central, southern and northern Gaza, she said, stressing that Israel’s military must “guarantee the safety” of children who turn out for vaccinations.
“We have to hope that [the Israeli military’s] agreement will be held to,” she said.
Harris also noted that three days would likely not be enough to finish the campaign and that an understanding had been reached with the Israeli military to potentially extend it by at least one day.
Israeli army says civilians can return to al-Qarara in Khan Younis
The Israeli army has said Palestinians can go back to the neighbourhoods of Hamad, al-Jalaa and al-Qarara in Khan Younis as troops have completed operations in these areas.
The neighbourhoods had been evacuated as the military started an operation in Khan Younis and was temporarily removed from, what the military calls, the humanitarian zone.
Colonel Avichay Adraee, the army’s Arabic-language spokesman, said the areas in question are again be considered part of the zone.
Israel has a long history of bombing so-called “safe zones”, and shrinking them with evacuation orders during its war on Gaza. Major international humanitarian NGOs have agreed that there is no safe place in Gaza, despite Israel’s claims.
One killed in Maghazi
Israel’s military has now bombed a home in central Gaza’s Maghazi refugee camp, killing at least one person, reports the Palestinian Civil Defence.
It is unclear if there are any other casualties.
We’ll bring you more on this as we have it.
Israeli military division announces end to a major military operation in Gaza
Israel’s 98th division has wrapped up operations in Deir el-Balah and Khan Younis, according to the military.
During its monthlong mission, the division’s forces “eliminated” more than 250 fighters and destroyed dozens of enemy sites, the Israeli military said.
The announcement comes amid reports from Khan Younis that Israeli forces have pulled out of certain areas in the city, leaving a trail of destruction and bodies in the streets.
Israeli delegation leaves truce talks in Qatar: Report
The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reports that the Israeli negotiating team that attended truce talks in Qatar has returned to Israel.
The newspaper said the delegation which travelled to Qatar on Tuesday included representatives from Shin Bet, Israel’s internal intelligence service, Mossad, its foreign intelligence agency and the Israeli military.
Haaretz, citing Israeli sources, reported that there had “been no breakthroughs in the talks thus far regarding the red lines set forth by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu“.
These included the issues of inspections at the Netzarim route, the presence of Israeli forces on the Philadelphi Corridor, and the manning of the Rafah crossing.
Hamas has blamed Israel and Netanyahu for the lack of progress during the talks, with the PM accused of imposing new demands and not being serious about reaching a ceasefire.
UNRWA suspends services to several camps in the occupied West Bank amid Israeli raids
The head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, Philippe Lazzarini, has stated on X that Israeli security forces’ operations in the north of the occupied West Bank “continue impacting Palestine Refugees”.
“Tens of thousands of people in four refugee camps have been impacted by this operation, including through destruction of public and private infrastructure,” he said, adding that the UN has had to suspend “services to the communities in several camps”.
Hundreds of thousands of polio vaccines delivered to Gaza: WHO
Some 1.2 million vaccine doses have already been delivered to Gaza ahead of a September 1 campaign to vaccinate more than 640,000 children against polio, according to a World Health Organization official.
Some 400,000 additional doses are en route to the territory, said Rik Peeperkorn, the WHO’s representative for the occupied Palestinian territory.
The Beijing Declaration ‘a key step to resolving the Palestinian question’
China invited senior representatives of 14 Palestinian factions to engage in dialogue in Beijing in July and from which the Beijing Declaration on Ending Division and Strengthening Palestinian National Unity was signed.
The Beijing Dialogue was the most inclusive and in-depth reconciliation talks of 14 political factions to date.
With the war on Gaza continuing and the spillover spreading – as multiple regional conflicts are interconnected – China has proposed a three-step initiative to chart a way out of the current predicament and help end the conflict.
Israeli army attacks Palestinians in Jabalia camp: Civil defence
A statement by the organisation’s spokesman on Telegram says troops shelled of a group of Palestinians in al-Ajarma Street in the Jabalia refugee camp.
Khan Younis residents ‘going back to piles of rubble’
We still don’t have an official statement from the Israeli military about the nature of their withdrawal [from some areas of eastern Khan Younis]. It may be tactical, it may be partial.
The aftermath of the military’s incursion is damage to public facilities, infrastructure, and remaining residential buildings that people had hoped to go back to. These hopes have vanished – people are now going back to piles of rubble and more of a wasteland.
People who thought they had surviving family members in the area are also concerned about the bodies being collected from the streets. Many bodies have already been taken to Nasser Hospital, including those of women and children.
Israeli army says it killed head of Hamas in Jenin
The Israeli forces, under the direction of the Israeli intelligence, have killed Wassam Hazem and two other armed fighters in the occupied West Bank city, according to a military statement.
The three were killed in an exchange of fire with troops which was followed by an air attack, it added.
Hazem was involved in carrying out and directing shooting and bomb attacks as well as promoting other activities of Hamas in the West Bank, the army said.
Misra Mesharka and Arafat Amer, the other two fighters that were killed, operated under Hazem and were involved in shooting attacks, according to the statement.
Weapons and funds were seized in the vehicle and on the bodies, the army also said, adding that there were no casualties on the Israeli side.
Sixteen killed this morning in Gaza
The Israeli military’s early morning attacks in Gaza have already killed 16 people, according to local medical sources cited by Al Jazeera Arabic.
Most recently, deadly attacks have taken place in southern Gaza, particularly Khan Younis and the nearby town of Abasan al-Kabira.
