At least 6 killed in Israeli strike in Lebanon

At least six people have been killed and three others injured following an Israeli strike on a residential building in the city of Nabatieh in southern Lebanon, the Lebanese Ministry of Health announced in the early hours of this morning.

Miko Peled: Inside Israel’s ‘Insane Society’ that Systematically Tortures and Rapes Palestinians

To discuss Israel’s intensifying atrocities in Gaza, including its weaponization of rape, Rania Khalek was joined by Miko Peled, the son of an Israeli general and the head of the newly established Palestine House of Freedom in Washington, D.C. Peled is the author of “The General's Son: Journey of an Israeli in Palestine.”

David Lammy exposes Keir Starmer’s agenda on Israel, shameful stand on West Bank

British Foreign Secretary David Lammy’s comments on the West Bank has exposed Keir Starmer government’s stand on Israel-Gaza conflict. Rifat Jawaid exposes Lammy and hypocrisy of the West

Would this get through to the Christian Israel supporters?

Pope Francis says Israel's Attack On Gaza Is Terrorism

Pope Francis condemned the killing of civilians in Gaza as "terrorism" during his weekly blessing at St. Peter's Square. He spoke out after reports of Israeli snipers killing two Christian women in Gaza's sole Catholic church, deploring the "grave and painful news" from Gaza, including airstrikes on unarmed civilians. He urged worshipers to remember those suffering from wars in Ukraine, Palestine, Israel, and other conflict regions, and to work towards peace.

Death toll for Israeli strike in southern Lebanon rises again

At least 10 people have now been reported killed, including children, following an Israeli strike on a residential building in the city of Nabatieh in southern Lebanon, according to the Quds News Network, citing Lebanese media.

Israel claims military target hit in Lebanon but Health Ministry says residence attacked

Israel’s military has now said it attacked a Hezbollah “weapons warehouse” in the southern Lebanese city of Nabatieh, where Lebanon’s Health Ministry confirmed earlier that six people were killed in an Israeli strike on a residential building.

The Israeli military gave no further information about its attack in Nabatieh city, where local Lebanese media now report that the death toll has reached 10.

Lebanon health ministry confirms 9 killed in Israeli attack

Lebanon’s health ministry said nine people were killed in the overnight Israeli attack in the Nabatieh city area in the south of the country.

Those killed included “a woman and her two children” and five other people were wounded, two critically, the ministry said in a statement.

The health ministry said earlier that a residential building was attacked in the city, while the Israeli military has recently claimed that it attacked a Hezbollah “weapons warehouse”.

Death toll for Israeli attack in az-Zawayda rises

Earlier, we reported that at least 10 people had been killed after the Israeli military bombed tents sheltering displaced Palestinians in the az-Zawayda area of central Gaza. The death toll from that attack has now risen to 12, with more people still missing, according to local media reports.

Death toll rises again in az-Zawayda attack

At least 15 people are now confirmed dead following an Israeli attack in the az-Zawayda area of central Gaza, according to local media reports.

Footage posted by our Al Jazeera Arabic colleagues shows rescue crews recovering bodies as they search through the rubble of a now-destroyed warehouse, which was said to be housing displaced Palestinians.

Israeli military bombs cart in Khan Younis, killing 2

An Israeli missile has struck a horse-drawn cart in the city of Khan Younis in southern Gaza, killing at least two people, according to local media reports. Their bodies have been transferred to Nasser Hospital.

Six-year-old shot and killed by Israeli quadcopter in Khan Younis: Reports

An Israeli quadcopter has shot a six-year-old boy in the head, killing him as he slept in a tent in Hamad City, west of Khan Younis in southern Gaza, according to local media reports.

Israeli military storms Balata camp, arrests father and son

Gunfire was exchanged between Palestinian resistance groups and Israeli forces as the Israeli military stormed the Balata refugee camp near the occupied West Bank city of Nablus, according to local media reports.

Israeli forces arrested a father and son during the raid and have now withdrawn from the area.

Palestinian resistance groups have also fired at Israeli military vehicles as they passed through the Dhnaba suburb in the city of Tulkarem, our Al Jazeera Arabic colleagues report.

Iran’s UN mission hints at holding off on retaliation amid Gaza truce talks

Asked whether progress in ceasefire talks means Iran will continue to hold off on any retaliatory attack against Israel, a representative from Iran’s mission to the UN in New York responded, “We hope so”, the Reuters news agency reports.

The region has braced for a strong response following Israel’s assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran’s capital Tehran in late July.

A retaliation has yet to materialise and with a deal between Israel and Hamas appearing to be moving closer, US officials have said that an Iranian strike could derail the talks.

A senior White House official, briefing reporters on condition of anonymity, said the US is sending a message to Iran: “Do not do such a thing. Don’t. We mean it. The consequences for such a thing would be cataclysmic”.

The IDF are 'using Palestinians as human shields,' claims Israeli veteran

Nadav Weiman is the executive director of Breaking the Silence, an Israeli NGO composed of former soldiers. His organisation claims that the Israeli Defense Forces have been using Palestinian civilians as human shields during military operations in Gaza.

Israel denies what Weiman describes as a 'widespread' practice. Newspaper Haaretz, whose investigation reached a similar conclusion, claims that the chief of staff’s office in Israel is aware of the practice.

Mr Weiman speaks to James O'Brien about what he's learnt in Gaza, and reveals the strains it has put on him and his family.

IDF Uses Palestinians To "Detect Booby-Trapped Gaza Tunnels," Soldiers Told To Ignore Laws of War?

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) has been using Palestinian civilians as human shields during operations in Gaza, according to a report by Haaretz. The report said these ‘human defenders’ are ordered to go into tunnels and homes that the IDF fears may be booby-trapped.

The routine use of civilians, including children and the elderly, as human shields by the IDF is a breach of the international law. The Haaretz report indicates that the practice is carried out with the knowledge of top Israeli military leaders, including the chief of staff. The report cited several soldiers who have witnessed the tactic regularly used in Gaza by the IDF.

State Dept Grilled on Israel’s Alleged Use of Palestinians as Human Shields, US says 'disturbing'

Reporters questioned Spokesperson Vedant Patel regarding reports from Israeli media alleging that Israel has used human shields. Patel responded by urging Israel to investigate these claims thoroughly. The exchange underscores the ongoing debate and scrutiny surrounding the use of human shields in the Israel-Palestine conflict, reflecting the broader concerns and tensions in the region.

Vast majority of Israelis back reaching a Gaza deal: Poll

Sixty-three percent of respondents want the Israeli government to close an agreement with Hamas over a truce and the return of captives in Gaza, according to a poll by Israeli broadcaster Channel 12.

About a quarter of the respondents said they are undecided on the issue, while 12 percent stressed they oppose a deal, a report by the channel said.

Gaza ceasefire talks, which were continuing in Doha, paused on Friday with negotiators to meet again next week to seek an agreement.

Israeli team stays in Doha following ceasefire talks

Following the two-day ceasefire talks in Doha, there is still an Israeli technical team on the ground trying to iron out details and bridge remaining gaps.

We also hear that in the coming days a technical team will travel to Cairo, where mediators said another meeting will take place next week. The hopes are that a final agreement can be reached, either before that meeting or when that meeting occurs.

Going into such high-stakes diplomacy, there had initially been low expectations. But there now seems to be forward momentum. The fact that there is a technical team still on the ground here is certainly a positive step.

We must remember though, we still need to hear from the parties – from Israel and Hamas – about what exactly is being presented to them, what exactly they are willing to do. But as of now, mediators seem to indicate that [the talks] have exceeded their expectations.

Protests held outside homes of several Israeli ministers: Report

Israeli newspaper Haaretz reports that dozens of Israelis have gathered outside houses of ministers and public officials across the country, protesting against the government and calling for a deal to secure the release of the captives held in Gaza.

The newspaper reports that some of the protesters, some blindfolded and others holding signs, were scattered along Likud politician Yuli Edelstein’s route as he was making his way to his synagogue.

Israeli president debates protesters outside home, suggests Ben-Gvir should be removed

A group of antigovernment protesters have gathered outside the home of Isaac Herzog, accusing him of failing his constituents, reports the Ynet news site.

The Israeli president told the protesters he was doing his best to bring the country together. But when asked if he supported unity with Kahanists – a reference to a far-right Zionist ideology linked to National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir – Herzog said: “On the contrary, Kahanism should certainly be removed. Kahanism should be removed from the government,” according to Ynet.

Mediators suggest gaps could ‘narrow’ in ceasefire talks

At the moment, you still have a technical team from Israel in Doha trying to work through these details before another meeting in Cairo before the end of next week.

In the statement released last night after these two days of ceasefire talks, the mediators, the US, Qatar and Egypt, all said that they believe these gaps could be narrowed, hopefully, within the coming week.

Before the talks started in Doha, many diplomats close to the talks expressed reservations and scepticism about how exactly it [a deal] could be accomplished. That’s because every iteration of the talks in the last few months has not led anywhere.

But if you look at the language in the statement released about this proposal presented by the US and supported by Egypt and presented to Israel and Hamas, the mediators felt confident that enough had been done and that perhaps these gaps could be narrowed even more in the days ahead.

Biden wants a ceasefire but Netanyahu is ‘trying to extend the conflict’

Sultan Barakat, professor of public policy at Hamad Bin Khalifa University, says mediators involved in the ongoing truce talks claim that they were “bridging” the gaps in the ceasefire proposal, which indicates that neither side has accepted its original framework.

He told Al Jazeera that the most important aspect of the current talks is the potential to “defuse the retaliation from Iran” after the assassination last month of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in return for a ceasefire in Gaza.

An added aspect that would be of concern for Israel is the potential that captives in Gaza may be killed not just by their own bombing campaigns but by Hamas’s guards, as occurred earlier in the week.

US President Joe Biden wants a ceasefire to allow Kamala Harris to “regain some of the Muslim and Arab votes”.

In contrast, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu is trying to continue the war, he said, adding that his strategy has to be to ramp up attacks on Gaza every time there are truce talks, making it very difficult for Palestinians “even to accept to consider an end to this war”.

French foreign minister calls on all parties to accept Gaza ceasefire deal

French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne has held talks with his Egyptian counterpart, Badr Abdelatty, at Tahrir Palace in Cairo, saying that all parties must “quickly implement” a ceasefire agreement.

“I particularly welcome the colossal work carried out yesterday and the day before in Doha. It is now important that the parties to the conflict welcome the proposals that have been made to them and accept, then quickly implement, a ceasefire agreement,” Sejourne said.

Gaza ceasefire talks in Doha paused on Friday with negotiators set to meet again next week to reach an agreement to end the Israeli war on Gaza and free remaining captives in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.

In a joint statement, the US, Qatar and Egypt said Washington had presented a new proposal that built on points of agreement over the past week, closing gaps in a way that could allow rapid implementation of a deal.

Casualties in Israeli attack on Lebanon include children: State media

We are receiving updates on Israel’s air attack on southern Lebanon.

About 10 people have been killed, including two children, and five have been wounded by the attack on a residential building in the city of Nabatieh, according to state news agency NNA.

The victims were all Syrian citizens, NNA said, adding that a final toll of the attack would be announced after DNA tests were conducted to determine the identity of the victims.

The Israeli military said the air attack targeted a weapons depot used by Hezbollah.

Northern Israel on high alert after Nabatieh attack

Israel’s Upper Galilee Regional Council has issued an alert for residents near the Lebanese border, urging them to stay near bomb shelters, reports The Times of Israel. The warning applies to residents of the Israeli communities of Hulata, Yesud HaMa’ala, Sde Eliezer, Ayelet Hashachar, Gadot, Mishmar HaYarden and Machanayim, it said.

The alert comes after an Israeli attack killed 10 people in southern Lebanon’s Nabatieh city.

Fire, power outages in northern Israel after missile barrage: Reports

Numerous projectiles have been intercepted in northern Israel, according to Israeli media and footage verified by Al Jazeera’s fact-checking agency Sanad. The incoming projectiles or fragments have sparked a fire in Israel’s Biriya forest, while power has gone out in the towns of Safed and HaGlilit, reports Israel’s Ynet news site.

Hezbollah claims rocket attack on northern Israel as fires spread

Fires caused by incoming rocket have now broken out in at least 10 places in northern Israel, reports The Times of Israel. Hezbollah in a statement said it had fired the volley of rockets at Israel, targeting the kibbutz of Ayelet HaShahar for the first time. The Lebanese group said it launched the rocket salvo to retaliate against an earlier Israeli attack in Lebanon’s Nabatieh that killed 10 people.

One injured in southern Lebanon after motorcycle struck

An air attack has hit a motorcycle near the southern Lebanese city of Tyre, reports Lebanon’s National News Agency. The attack, to the east of Tyre, injured one person who has been rushed into an ambulance, it said. Lebanon’s an-Nahar news site reported the Israeli military carried out the attack, which comes after a rocket barrage claimed by Hezbollah hit areas in Israel’s north.

Israel says Hezbollah commander killed in Tyre attack

One person has now been killed in an Israeli attack on a motorcycle near Lebanon’s Tyre, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency. Israel’s military in a statement confirmed it carried out the attack, which it said killed a commander in Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force, named as Hussein Ibrahim Kaseb.

Hezbollah did not immediately comment on the attack.

Israel issues evacuation orders for Maghazi areas

Israel has issued yet another round of evacuation orders, this time for neighbourhoods in central Gaza’s Maghazi refugee camp.

Israel’s Arabic-language spokesperson Avichay Adraee made the announcement in a social media post, listing blocks in Maghazi, as well as several other neighbourhoods in central Gaza, that residents should flee from.

He said Hamas had fired rockets from the areas and Israel’s military would respond “forcefully”. “For your own safety, move immediately to the humanitarian zone”, Adraee said.

It is the third time Israel has ordered new Gaza neighbourhoods to evacuate in as many days, displacing tens of thousands of people.

_{A displaced, disabled Palestinian man flees Hamad City following an Israeli evacuation order, in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, on August 16}

Israeli evacuation orders no longer prelude to ground operations: Monitors

Israel’s mass evacuation orders for areas of the Gaza Strip are “no longer a reliable indicator” that an Israeli ground operation is imminent, war monitors report.

Addressing the most recent orders for people to flee Beit Hanoon city in the north of Gaza, US-based think tanks the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) and Critical Threats Project (CTP) said Israeli forces had already issued evacuation orders for the area on August 7.

But Israeli ground forces did not advance on Beit Hanoon despite the earlier order for people to leave, and they have “not conducted clearing operations in all of the recent evacuation zones”, according to the latest ISW-CTP joint report.

The ISW-CTP also said that Palestinian fighters launched rockets and mortar shells targeting Israeli forces deployed on the Netzarim and Philadelpi corridors on Friday, Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades snipers targeted Israeli forces to the east of Khan Younis, and the Palestinian Mujahideen Movement used a “barrel bomb” against an Israeli armoured personnel carrier in Rafah city.

Hamas fighters also launched two separate rocket barrages targeting Israeli territory on Friday, including five missiles fired at Israel’s Nirim area, east of Khan Younis.

Gaza bracing for ‘worst-case scenario’ after polio case confirmed

Relief workers are preparing for a potential outbreak of polio in Gaza, where the first case has been confirmed in 25 years and wastewater has been found with traces of the virus.

“We are anticipating and preparing for the worst-case scenario of a polio outbreak in the coming weeks or month,” Francis Hughes, CARE International’s Gaza response director, told AP.

“We are not optimistic because we know that doctors could also be missing the warning signs,” he said.

As we’ve been reporting, UN agencies are urging for a seven-day truce at the end of this month to carry out a mass vaccine drive in the enclave. Without such a truce, the campaign will not be successful, they say.

Al-Awda Hospital nearly out of fuel: Director

Mohammed Salha, the acting director of the hospital in the Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, says that operations will cease within 24 hours if more fuel to run the facility’s generators does not arrive.

Salha said al-Awda is trying to run small generators as much as possible to conserve fuel so that it can continue to provide healthcare for the sick and wounded. He also said the facility is rapidly running out of medical supplies, and appealed to the UN’s World Health Organization for a restock.

 
450,000 affected by central Gaza evacuation orders: Civil defence

The Palestinian Civil Defence in Gaza has appealed to the United Nations to push Israel to stop repeated mass displacement of people in the enclave. The call comes after Israel issued several new evacuation orders, covering swaths of northern and central Gaza, within days, further shrinking the territory’s “humanitarian zone”.

In a statement, the civil defence said the latest evacuation orders in central Gaza had affected more than 450,000 people, “reopening their wounds”. “We appeal to the United Nations and the International Court of Justice to intervene to stop this policy,” said the statement, claiming it “violates humanitarian law”.