Pro-Palestinian protesters clear out Canadian campus encampment

Students at the University of Toronto have cleared out an encampment ahead of a court-ordered deadline to leave.

The move came a day after the Ontario Superior Court of Justice granted the university an injunction to tear down the encampment, and gave Toronto police the authority to remove and arrest anyone who did not comply with the 6pm (22:00 GMT) deadline, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) reported.

It quoted Mohammad Yassin, an encampment organiser, as saying: “We refuse to give the Toronto Police Service any opportunity to brutalise us.”

“We are leaving on our own terms to protect our community from the violence the University of Toronto is clearly eager to unleash upon us,” Yassin told reporters ahead of the deadline

“Let us be clear – the university will disclose its investments, divest from companies profiting from Palestinian suffering and deaths, and cut ties with academic institutions tied to the Israeli war machine. The question is not if, but when,” he added.

The encampment was set up on May 2, after students on campuses across North America set up similar sit-ins to demand their schools divest from companies profiting from Israel’s offensive in Gaza.

_{People leave the encampment site after an Ontario judge ordered pro-Palestinian protesters to leave their two-month-old encampment at the University of Toronto}

CAIR condemns Biden administration’s support for Israel as it commits ‘genocide’

The United States’ largest Muslim civil rights organisation has condemned US President Joe Biden’s unconditional support for Israel, saying its military “is committing genocide, starving innocent civilians, and engaging in ethnic cleansing [and] land theft”.

“We are at a loss for words to describe the depravity unfolding every day before our eyes,” the Council on American–Islamic Relations (CAIR) said in a statement on X. “The Biden administration’s policies are endangering world peace, human rights, and American national interests and security.”

We are at a loss for words to describe the depravity unfolding every day before our eyes. Enabled by the Biden admin's unconditional support, the Israeli govt is committing genocide, starving innocent civilians, and engaging in ethnic cleansing & land theft. The Biden… https://t.co/BSWMaq9fYB

— CAIR National (@CAIRNational) July 3, 2024

Protesters unfurl pro-Palestine banners on Australia’s Parliament House

Pro-Palestine protesters have unfurled banners on the roof of Australia’s Parliament House in Canberra, including one that read: “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”

Another banner said, “No peace on stolen land, genocide since 1788”, referring to the year Australia was colonised by England, and the longstanding solidarity between Indigenous Australians and Palestinians.

Earlier on Thursday, organisers said at least 100 people protested outside a factory they say is part of the supply chain for F-35 fighter jets in Melbourne, Australia, amid ongoing protests against the Australian weapons manufacturing industry’s role in Israel’s war on Gaza.

Australia’s Parliament House was designed with a flat roof and grass lawn to symbolise “that the government is never above the people”, according to Australia’s Parliamentary Education Office; however, security fences were controversially installed in 2017 to prevent public access.

UN denounces Israel’s ‘unacceptable’ treatment of Palestinian detainees

The UN has branded reports of Israel’s torture and abuse of Palestinian detainees as “unacceptable” and demanded an investigation.

UN rights chief Volker Turk said it was “sickening to see such totally unacceptable treatment” when he was asked about the case of a wounded Palestinian man being tied to an Israeli military vehicle during a raid in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin last month.

“There must be a transparent and independent investigation to know what happened and to ensure that the perpetrators are brought to justice,” Turk told reporters in Geneva on Wednesday.

Turk’s spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani added that the UN rights office had received reports of Palestinians “being held incommunicado … torture, mistreatment, handcuffing, deprivation of food, of water, of medication”, as well as allegations of sexual abuse by Israeli soldiers.

“It’s unacceptable, and it needs to stop,” she told the AFP news agency.

Cautious optimism as Israel evaluates Hamas’s response to proposed ceasefire

Negotiations had for some time been at a standstill. Tonight, Israeli officials say they are approaching the news that the Mossad is evaluating a Hamas response to a ceasefire deal with cautious optimism.

At the end of May, Israeli officials had laid out to mediators what they were looking for in a deal. On May 31, US President Joe Biden gave a speech in which he outlined a three-phase plan to end the war.

In the following weeks, on June 11, Hamas had given their own response to that deal. It was slammed, with Israel and the United States saying that they had removed key elements.

On June 24, Netanyahu told Israeli media that he was willing to come up with a partial deal that would see the release of only some of the captives. But later, he told the Israeli parliament that he was committed to the plan outlined by the Biden administration.

Now both sides are saying there is a willingness to reach a deal, but some sources say there are still going to be major obstacles.

What has changed is that perhaps the Israelis themselves are looking to come to the table because the Israeli population is increasingly frustrated with Netanyahu’s governance.

Hamas says it ‘exchanges ideas’ with mediators with aim of ending Israeli assault

Hamas says it has “exchanged some ideas” with mediating parties with the aim of stopping the “aggression against our people”. The group did not provide details in its statement, which it published on its official Telegram channel.

The announcement comes as Israel said it is evaluating Hamas’s response to a ceasefire proposal that would include the release of captives and a ceasefire in Gaza.

Hamas says its leader Ismail Haniyeh has been in touch with Qatari and Egyptian mediators to discuss ideas for a ceasefire deal to end the war in Gaza.

“The movement dealt in a positive spirit with the content of the ongoing deliberations,” the statement said. The group added that in recent hours, its members also discussed recent developments with officials in Turkey.

Relatives of captives in Gaza tell Netanyahu to accept deal

The Association of Families of Israeli Prisoners Detained in Gaza has told Netanyahu in a statement that the prime minister must accept a deal to bring back their relatives held in Gaza or face street protests.

The group said it would not allow the government to obstruct reaching an exchange deal again and that millions of Israelis would take to the streets if one is not reached.

‘Serious division’ between Netanyahu and military leaders on truce talks: Analyst

Omar Baddar, a US-based political analyst, tells Al Jazeera, “It doesn’t seem like much has changed on the Israeli side, so far,” as both Israel and Hamas release statements acknowledging they are engaging in mediated ceasefire negotiations.

While the US “has enormous leverage over Israel”, it is continuing in a “charade” of insisting it is Hamas that is holding up a ceasefire deal, while “Netanyahu openly says that he will not agree to any kind of agreement that ends the war permanently”, says Baddar.

Meanwhile, there is “very serious division” between Israel’s military leaders who realise there is “no path to a better future for Israel out of this entire mess, and that it is time to simply end this war”, and its political leaders “that have absolutely no interest in doing that”, Baddar added.

Hmmm I predict this war will war in Gaza will wrap up and reignite again in five years

Israeli military announces death of another soldier in Gaza

The Israeli military has announced that a soldier was killed on Wednesday during combat in northern Gaza.

The 21-year-old platoon commander in the 435th Infantry Battalion was killed in fighting while a captain and a combat officer were seriously injured in the same incident and have been evacuated to hospital.

The death brings the total number of soldiers killed during Israel’s ground offensive against Hamas in Gaza to 324, according to an Israeli media tally.

Palestinian fighters continue to battle Israeli forces in Shujayea and Rafah: Monitors

8/ Palestinian fighters conducted four indirect fire attacks into Israel on July 3. Palestinian fighters fired rockets, which landed around Kfar Maimon, southern Israel. PIJ separately fired rockets into southern Israel. The Mujahideen Brigades fired rockets targeting the IDF… pic.twitter.com/rkyPC7g8vL

— Institute for the Study of War (@TheStudyofWar) July 4, 2024

Israeli forces kill one, injure three in eastern Gaza City

One person has been killed and three people have arrived at the al-Ahli Hospital injured after Israeli forces targeted two Palestinians on Shaaf Street, in eastern Gaza City, Palestinian media has reported.

For several hours, Israeli artillery has continued its intense bombardment of the Shujayea neighbourhood, in eastern Gaza City, and its surrounding areas.

Red Crescent retrieve bodies of two children killed in Gaza City

The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) says its ambulance crews retrieved the bodies of two children killed in an Israeli attack on Yaffa Street in Gaza City last night, as well as eight injured people.

The PRCS shared a video on social media showing some of the injured being taken to hospital.

https://twitter.com/PalestineRCS/status/1808730431795130765?ref_s

Israeli helicopters shooting live ammunition at Palestinians in Nuseirat

Israeli strike targets school in Gaza City’s Daraj neighbourhood

An Israeli attack has targeted a school sheltering displaced people in eastern Gaza City, killing and injuring a number of people, an Al Jazeera correspondent reports.

Earlier we reported that Israeli forces were targeting residential homes in Gaza City in Shaaf and Daraj neighbourhoods.

14 children among 77 killed in Israeli air strikes on occupied West Bank since October: UN

Since October, Israel has carried out at least 28 air strikes on the occupied West Bank, which have killed 77 Palestinians, including 14 children, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) reports.

The latest UN report on conditions for Palestinian people living in the occupied territory also notes that at least 200 houses were damaged during a recent Israeli military raid on the Nur Shams refugee camp in the West Bank’s Tulkarem city.

Four people were killed by an Israeli air strike during the Nur Shams incursion, which also saw Israeli soldiers use armoured bulldozers and explosives to destroy seven residential buildings that left 47 people in 11 families, including 19 children, homeless.

The soldiers also damaged the main road linking Tulkarem with Nablus, which affected the water supply and interrupted power and internet services in the refugee camp.

Israeli forces kill Palestinian man in Jenin, occupied West Bank

Israeli special forces have killed a Palestinian man in Jenin. The 23-year-old was shot at the car repair store where he worked.

The incident is the latest in a spate of attacks by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank and inside Israel in recent days, including a stabbing at a mall in the northern city of Karmiel in which an Israeli soldier was killed.

Settlers’ attacks continue in occupied West Bank

Local sources said a large number of [Israeli] settlers overnight attacked several homes that were vandalised. Two were burned down and some livestock stolen across areas in the occupied West Bank.

This morning, international activists who provide some protection to these Palestinian communities were also attacked.

Israeli settler attacks are averaging four every day, with the UN documenting 1,050 settler attacks since October 7.

The UN says more than 20 Palestinian communities, of at least 1,000 people, have disappeared in the Masafer Yatta area and the Jordan Valley since the start of the war.

These communities, usually in rural areas, are being pushed away into cities while the land is being cleared of Palestinians.

Sirens in northern Israel after attack from Lebanon

Sirens have been sounded at least seven times within 20 minutes across towns and settlements in northern Israel after continuous shelling and drone attacks from Lebanon. Israeli civil defence service reported no injuries or damage so far.

Israeli medics say two people injured in northern Israel

Israeli ambulance service Magen David Adom says two women were taken to hospital in northern Israel with light injuries following warning sirens over a rocket attack from Lebanon.

Hezbollah says it launched more than 200 missiles at several military sites in Israel in retaliation to an Israeli air raid on Wednesday which killed one of the group’s senior commanders.

It was one of the largest volley of rockets by the Iran-aligned group since the start of the war in Gaza, which came a day after Hezbollah launched scores of Katyusha and Falaq rockets with heavy warheads into northern Israel and the occupied Syrian Golan Heights.

The Israeli military said “numerous projectiles and suspicious aerial targets” had entered its territory from Lebanon, many of which it said were intercepted.

An escalation, but still within rules of engagement on Israel-Lebanon border

Dozens of firefighting teams putting out fires in Upper Galilee, occupied Golan Heights

_{Firefighters work to extinguish a fire following an attack from Hezbollah, in an area in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights}

حرائق كبيرة تلتهم أراضي بالجولان المحتل إثر صواريخ ومسيرات أطلقها حزب الله من جنوب #لبنان#حرب_غزة #فيديو pic.twitter.com/H3czaBKIqC

— الجزيرة فلسطين (@AJA_Palestine) July 4, 2024

Hezbollah again targets Israeli army

Hezbollah says in a statement, it has targeted the “Bayad Blida site” with a Burkan missile. The group did not claim to have made a direct hit or to have caused casualties with this attack.

Hezbollah vows to attack ‘new sites’ in Israel after commander’s killing

Senior Hezbollah official Hashem Safieddine has threatened to attack new locations within Israel as part of the group’s response to the killing by Israel of its top commander Muhammad Nimah Nasser.

“The series of responses continues in succession, and this series will continue to target new sites that the enemy did not imagine would be hit,” Safieddine said, speaking at Nasser’s memorial.

How many captives and prisoners are held by Israel and Hamas?

A potential deal between Israel and Hamas could see the release of captives held by Hamas in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.

In November last year, Palestinian prisoners were released at a ratio of 33 Palestinian prisoners to one Israeli captive. A proposal put forward by Hamas in May put the ratio at 50 Palestinian prisoners to one Israeli captive.

By contrast, a UN Security Council resolution adopted in June only mentions Palestinian prisoners once and does not specify how many could potentially be released. The UN resolution does specify that all Israeli captives held by Hamas would be released.

According to the Israeli army, there are 116 Israeli captives still in Gaza, including 42 the army says are dead.

The number of Palestinians held in Israeli prisons and detention centres has increased significantly since October.

Israel currently detains at least 9,300 Palestinians, including 3,450 held without charges. However, the number of Palestinians from Gaza detained by the Israeli military since the start of the war remains unknown, the UN humanitarian agency OCHA said last week.

Prisoner released after 21 years, describes inhumane conditions in Israeli prisons

One of the 50 Palestinian men released this week from Israeli jails has spoken to Al Jazeera about his horrific experience being detained for more than 20 years.

Yousef Miqdad, now 63 years old, was imprisoned in 2002 for being a member of the armed wing of the Palestinian group Fatah. On Monday, he was released back into the war-torn Gaza Strip, where he met his grandson for the first time.

Israeli gov’t adviser demands closure of Sde Teiman detention centre

The Israeli government’s judicial adviser has requested Netanyahu to close the Sde Teiman detention centre in Negev, where Gaza prisoners are being held, Israeli daily Maariv reported.

Israeli human rights organisations had submitted a petition to the Supreme Court, demanding an end to the torture of Palestinians held in the infamous detention centre and urging its “immediate” closure.

Japan slams Israel for ‘legalizing’ West Bank settlements

We’ve been reporting on a decision by the Israeli government to approve the largest West Bank land seizure in more than three decades as the rate of land grabs in the occupied Palestinian territory peaks.

Yesterday, Japan slammed Israel for its decision to “legalize” settlement outposts in the West Bank, saying it violates “international law and undermines the viability of a two-state solution”.

“With regard to the reported authorization by the government of Israel to legalize five outposts in the West Bank, the government of Japan is deeply concerned about and reiterates its deep regret over the continuing settlement activities by the government of Israel despite repeated calls by the international community, including Japan”, a Foreign Ministry statement said.

Japan also “strongly” urged Tel Aviv to withdraw the decision and “fully” freeze its settlement activities, the statement added.

Hamas in touch with mediators on Gaza ceasefire proposal

Hamas says it has shared its plan with mediators about a potential ceasefire-for-captives deal. Israel has said it is examining the offer and its intelligence agency, Mossad, will respond.

The Association of Families of Israeli Prisoners Detained in Gaza says millions of people will protest if the Israeli government does not accept the deal.

Of course Israel could 'expand' South as well...

Israeli minister shares post calling for occupation of Sinai

Israel’s heritage minister, Amichai Eliyahu, has shared a post on X that calls for Israel to reoccupy Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula. The post called on people to buy shirts that read “occupation now” and show a map of Israel that includes the peninsula, the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

Eliyahu retweeted the post more than four decades after Israel returned the Sinai to Egypt as part of the two countries’ 1979 peace treaty.

The Times of Israel reported that neither a spokesman for Eliyahu nor for National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir responded to requests for comment. Eliyahu is a member of Ben-Gvir’s far-right Otzma Yehudit party.

Israeli army claims attacks on Lebanese territory

The army says in a statement that its warplanes attacked the Ramieh and Hula areas of southern Lebanon. It added that these attacks took place after air raid sirens sounded in Israel’s north today as the army monitored 200 rocket shells incoming from Lebanon, fired by Hezbollah.