More than 1 million forced to flee Rafah
- More than one million people forcefully displaced from Rafah, as Israeli forces kill 40 people in last 24 hours in attacks across Gaza.
- Doubts grow over the latest truce proposal after Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who are facing potential arrest warrants from the ICC, cast doubt on the US-backed proposal.
-
Palestinian presidency refutes comments by Iran’s Khamenei about Gaza war
The Palestinian presidency says Palestinians do not need a war that does not serve their ambitions for freedom and independence as it responds to comments made by Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei.
Khamenei said the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel had happened at the moment the region needed it.
He added that there had been a plan “by the US, Zionist individuals, their followers and some of the region’s countries to change the equation in the region”.
However, the Palestinian presidency said such remarks were aimed at sacrificing Palestinian blood and would not lead to an independent Palestinian state.
Netanyahu says ‘destroying Hamas’ remains Israel’s top priority
Netanyahu says Israel’s top priority is “destroying” Hamas, which will be pursued along with the recovery of captives held in Gaza, saying that both goals are part of a plan to wind down the war approved by the war cabinet.
“This is not something that I am adding now. This is not something that I am adding because I am under pressure within the coalition. It is something we agreed on unanimously in the war cabinet,” Netanyahu said in a video statement.
An Israeli government spokesperson also quoted Netanyahu as saying Biden had published only some of the details of his ceasefire proposal.
“The war will be stopped for the purpose of returning hostages, and then we will proceed with other discussions,” David Mencer quoted Netanyahu as saying.
More on Israeli drone attack on car in Lebanon’s Saida district
We reported earlier that an Israeli drone has targeted a car in the town of Kaouthariyet es-Saiyad in southern Lebanon’s Saida district.
Israeli Army Radio reported that the aim of the attack was to assassinate a Hezbollah operative who was “strengthening” the Lebanese armed group.
Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) also confirmed one death after the drone attack without naming the victim.
Israel says petrol bomb thrown at its Bucharest embassy, no damage
A petrol bomb has been thrown at the Israeli embassy in Bucharest, causing no damage or casualties, Israel’s Foreign Ministry said.
It said Romanian authorities had arrested a suspect, “apparently of Syrian origin”. He had pulled out, lit and thrown the petrol bomb while undergoing a security inspection, it said.
Netanyahu says stage one of ceasefire proposal could happen: Report
Israeli media have quoted Netanyahu as saying the first phase of Biden’s ceasefire plan, entailing the release of captives by Hamas, could be undertaken before the terms of the next stages are fully agreed upon.
The quotes were leaked from a closed-door parliamentary meeting as Netanyahu faces pressure to accept the proposal and secure the release of the captives.
However, far-right ministers have threatened to quit his coalition government if a decision to end the war is taken.
Virgin Atlantic to resume flights to Israel from September
The British airline will resume flights between London and Israel in September after pausing flights due to the war.
The airline said it will operate a daily flight in each direction between Heathrow and Tel Aviv using Airbus A330 aircraft from September 5.
Many carriers suspended flights to Israel last year following the October 7 Hamas attack and the subsequent war on Gaza.
“Our return to Tel Aviv on September 5 will be welcome news for customers who have enjoyed our service since 2019, and this time round it’ll be strengthened by our new codeshare partnership with El Al,” Juha Jarvinen, Virgin Atlantic’s chief commercial officer, said.
What’s the status of the proposed ceasefire agreement?
On Friday, US President Biden unveiled a three-stage ceasefire proposal that would end the war in Gaza, return all Israeli captives in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and plan for Gaza’s reconstruction. Biden framed the deal as an “Israeli” proposal, but it has drawn mixed responses from members of the Israeli government.
Here’s what we know so far:
- Netanyahu immediately seemed to undermine the deal. On Saturday, his office said Israel’s main demands have not changed, and that there would be no permanent ceasefire – which the deal stipulates is to be negotiated in the second stage – until Hamas is destroyed.
- Far-right members of Netanyahu’s governing coalition reacted more aggressively, threatening to collapse the government if the deal was accepted.
- On the flip side, Israeli opposition figures and families of Israeli captives called on Netanyahu to accept the deal.
- Opposition leader Yair Lapid has offered to prop up Netanyahu’s government if the right-wing parties leave to save the deal.
- Today, Defence Minister Gallant reiterated to the US Israel’s commitment to dismantling Hamas in the framework of any deal, according to his office.
- Hamas, for its part, says it is ready to engage “positively and constructively” to the proposal, but needs to see something written.
Israeli forces advance in Khan Younis, Gaza City: Report
Israeli military vehicles have broken into the city of Khan Younis and on the outskirts of the Shujayea neighbourhood in the east of Gaza City, the Wafa news agency reports.
According to local sources, Israeli forces advanced towards the towns of Abasan al-Jadidah and az-Zanna, east of Khan Yonis, with heavy gunfire and artillery shelling. They added that hundreds of citizens had been displaced due to the attacks.
In Gaza City, Israeli forces have made a limited incursion into the eastern Shujaiya neighbourhood using artillery shelling and drone fire.
Israeli minister calls for occupation of Gaza
Israeli Minister of Heritage Amichai Eliyahu has called for the destruction of Hamas and the occupation of the Palestinian enclave.
“Only one way to victory: the destruction of Hamas and the occupation of the Gaza Strip,” said Eliyahu, who had railed against last year’s ceasefire deal with Hamas that saw hundreds of Palestinian prisoners exchanged for dozens of Israeli captives held in Gaza.
