Israel pounds Lebanon, kills 21 Palestinians in Gaza mosque attack
- Israeli forces also bomb a mosque in central Gaza – killing at least 21 Palestinians and wounding dozens more – as the military orders civilians in the north to immediately evacuate as attacks intensify.
- Israel’s army unleashes a new wave of attacks on the southern suburbs of Beirut, causing massive explosions with flames reaching the sky of the Lebanese capital.
Gaza healthcare workers ‘constantly scared they’ll be the next target’
Dr Jeremy Hickey, speaking to Al Jazeera from Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir el-Balah, says when he worked there in July, the facility was at 300 percent capacity but the situation is even more desperate now.
“The place is flooded with people and this is the daily situation,” said Hickey.
Medical facilities have been repeatedly attacked by Israeli forces since the beginning of the war and the doctor noted local healthcare workers are “constantly scared they’ll be the next target”.
“There’s some level of safety being a foreigner, but at the same time, we don’t know who or when will be struck. For those reasons, we’ve been instructed very particularly we’re not to leave the hospital grounds. But even last night there was an attack literally across the road to the hospital entrance, and any one of us could’ve been struck.”
Israeli army encircles northern Gaza’s Jabalia camp
Israeli forces have surrounded the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza.
Palestinian Civil Defence spokesman in Gaza, Mahmoud Basal, said multiple strikes rocked Jabalia through the night and there were many casualties. Israeli forces have bombarded Jabalia regularly since the war on Gaza started, displacing almost all of its residents.
“The troops of the 401st Brigade and the 460th Brigade have successfully encircled the area and are currently continuing to operate in the area,” the Israeli military said in a statement.
Intelligence indicates the “presence of terrorists and terror infrastructure in the area of Jabalia … as well as efforts by Hamas to rebuild its operational capabilities in the area”.
“Prior to and during the operation, the [air force] struck dozens of military targets in the area to assist ground troops.
Iran’s oil minister visits key terminal during Israel attack fears
Iran’s Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad landed on Kharg Island as concerns swirl that Israel could attack Iran’s largest oil terminal there.
“Paknejad arrived this morning in order to visit the oil facilities and meet operational staff located on Kharg Island,” the Oil Ministry’s news website Shana reported.
The oil terminal can store 23 million barrels of crude, it said.
China, which does not recognise US sanctions, is Tehran’s main client. Analysts say China imported 1.2 to 1.4 million barrels per day from Iran in the first half of 2024.
Hezbollah repels Israeli incursion into southern Lebanon
We heard a barrage of rocket fire and then almost immediately afterwards we got an alert from the Israeli army saying it intercepted surface-to-surface missiles. So Hezbollah is still very much in the fight.
In the last few moments, we heard an Israeli air strike – a very loud explosion – in the Bekaa Valley in the east of Lebanon. Fighting has been going on all night.
Hezbollah said it fired artillery along the border to repel an Israeli incursion into its territory. Also in Manara, in northern Israel, the group says it attacked Israeli soldiers as they evacuated their dead and wounded.
Fighting is also going on in Lebanon’s Yaroun and Odaisseh. In Odaisseh, Israeli forces have been trying to capture the municipal building for a few days now. These are only two areas along the 120km (75-mile) border area where the Israelis have gained some kind of foothold after being beaten back by Hezbollah.
