Israel war on Gaza live: At least 81 killed in Israeli blitz on Khan Younis
- At least 16 people have been killed in Israeli attacks on Palestinian homes in northern Gaza in the early hours of this morning, the Palestinian Civil Defence reports.
- A new Israeli military assault on eastern Khan Younis in southern Gaza has killed at least 81 Palestinians and injured more than 250, according to our team on the ground.
Israeli forces prepare to demolish homes south of Hebron
Israeli forces, accompanied by heavy demolition vehicles, have stormed the town of Wadi al-Jawaya, south of Hebron in the occupied West Bank, in preparation for demolishing homes in the town, our colleagues on the ground report.
An Al Jazeera correspondent also reported that Israeli forces are destroying and bulldozing infrastructure in the Tulkarem refugee camp in the occupied West Bank during its military operation in the camp that has been ongoing for more than 10 hours.
More on agreement signed by Palestinian factions in Beijing
We have reported earlier that Palestinian groups including Hamas and Fatah concluded three days of intra-Palestinian reconciliation talks which had been held in the Chinese capital, Beijing. It ended with them signing an agreement.
Husam Badran, a member of Hamas’s political bureau, has since said in a statement that the most important points of the deal are “forming a national consensus government to manage the affairs of Gaza and the West Bank, supervise reconstruction, and prepare the conditions for elections”.
“Forming a consensus government is the most appropriate solution for the Palestinian situation after the war, which will create an impregnable barrier against all interventions to impose facts against the interests of our people,” he added.
At least 17 people killed across Gaza since dawn: Medical sources
Israeli raids have killed at least 17 Palestinians in various areas of the Gaza Strip since dawn today, according to medical sources.
Our colleagues at Al Jazeera Arabic also reported that the Israeli army launched an air strike targeting agricultural land near the town of Hamad, west of Khan Younis in southern Gaza.
Israeli snipers deliberately kill children in Gaza: American Jewish doctor
Mark Perlmutter, a Jewish orthopaedic surgeon from the US and vice president of the International College of Surgeons, volunteered in Gaza from the end of April through the first half of May.
In an interview with the CBS News broadcaster, he said children are being shot by Israeli snipers.
“I have two children that I have photographs of that were shot so perfectly in the chest, I couldn’t put my stethoscope over their heart more accurately, and directly on the side of the head, in the same child. No toddler gets shot twice by mistake by the ‘world’s best sniper’. And they’re dead-centre shots,” he said.
CBS News said that more than 20 doctors, who were recently in Gaza, also testified about gunshot wounds they witnessed in children.
One American doctor told the show he reviewed CT scans to confirm what he saw because he “didn’t believe that this many children could be admitted to a single hospital with gunshot wounds to the head”.
Israel shrinks Gaza’s ‘humanitarian zone’
Israel’s military launched artillery and air strikes on eastern Khan Younis shortly after demanding residents leave what it had previously designated a humanitarian zone.
The enclave’s population, most of which has been displaced and is in desperate need of shelter and food, has found it increasingly difficult to find security as they have been pushed into shrinking “safe zones” by Israel’s bombardment.
“People feel like the Israelis are playing a chess game with them, moving them from one place to another, and no place is safe,” Al Jazeera’s Hind Khoudary said reporting from the ground.
Palestinian man wounded by Israeli forces in West Bank succumbs to injuries: Report
A man shot by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank town of ash-Shuyukh, northeast of Hebron, has died of his injuries, the Wafa news agency reports.
Earlier, we reported that the 22-year-old had been critically wounded and that Israeli forces had shot and killed another Palestinian man during a military raid in the nearby town of Sa’ir.
The Israeli military also carried out a drone strike in Tulkarem, reportedly killing several people, including a mother and daughter.
Khan Younis death toll rises to 81
We have received the following update from our team on the ground in Gaza, reporting on the developments in the Khan Younis governorate in the past 24 hours.
- At least 81 people have been killed and more than 250 others injured, with the casualties arriving at Nasser Hospital.
- Israeli air raids targeted the al-Qarara area, north of Khan Younis, the Sheikh Nasser neighbourhood and the al-Balad area in the centre of the governorate, as well as the town of Abasan al-Kabira in the east.
- There was also continuous artillery shelling in the eastern areas of Khan Younis and quadcopters shot at anything that tried to move from one place to another.
- Israeli forces targeted the al-Qahwaji family house in the centre of the Bani Suheila town in the east of the governorate, the al-Jabour family and the Abu Taha family homes in the city of Khan Younis.
- People are being displaced from the eastern areas of Khan Younis towards the western parts.
- A number of Israeli military vehicles and bulldozers are stationed along al-Shuhada Street in the centre of Bani Suheila, east of Khan Younis, from al-Alam Roundabout to al-Farabi School.
-
Red Crescent says Israeli military blocked access to victims of Tulkarem drone strike
The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) has said that Israeli forces prevented them from reaching the site of a drone strike in the Tulkarem refugee camp which reportedly killed several people.
“The Israeli occupation forces prevented our crews from reaching the site bombed by the occupation inside the camp to deal with martyrs and injuries at the location,” PRCS wrote in a post on X.
Earlier, we reported that the drone strike in the occupied West Bank refugee camp had killed a commander with the Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas. Our Al Jazeera Arabic colleagues reported that at least five people were killed in the attack, including a mother and daughter.
The PRCS also said it transported two Palestinians to hospital who were shot by Israeli forces during armed confrontations in the camp.
Conditions ripe for captives’ return: Netanyahu
Speaking about the prospect of reaching a ceasefire deal with Hamas under which Israeli captives would be exchanged for Palestinian prisoners, Netanyahu has said that “the conditions for their return are ripe”.
He made the comments during a meeting with representatives of the families of Israeli captives in Washington, where he is on an official visit, according to Israeli newspaper Haaretz.
“The conditions are ripe for the simple reason that we are putting very strong pressure on Hamas and we are seeing a certain change and I think that change will increase as we get closer to doing that,” Netanyahu claimed.
There was no indication from Hamas that any negotiations are under way or that the group is willing to drop its demand of a permanent ceasefire for the captives’ release.
Israeli military shoot second man in occupied West Bank’s Sa’ir: Reports
The Israeli military has shot a second Palestinian man in the occupied West Bank town of Sa’ir, according to local media reports.
Earlier, we reported that the Israeli military had shot and killed a man after clashes broke out in the town in the Hebron governorate.
We will bring you more information on this story as it emerges.
Hamas says signed deal with Fatah in China calling for ‘national unity’
We have reported earlier that Palestinian groups Hamas and Fatah concluded three days of intra-Palestinian reconciliation talks which had been held in the Chinese capital, Beijing.
Since then, senior Hamas official Mousa Abu Marzouk announced that his group had signed an agreement there.
“Today we sign an agreement for national unity and we say that the path to completing this journey is national unity. We are committed to national unity and we call for it,” Abu Marzouk said.
Israel continues nightly attacks on southern Lebanon
Israeli jets and artillery fired on several targets in southern Lebanon overnight, the military said.
“Terrorist infrastructure” and a “weapons warehouse” were attacked by warplanes in the Hula and Aita al-Shaab areas of Lebanon, according to the Israeli military.
Artillery also fired into Lebanon to “remove a threat”, it added.
