Ninety percent of Gaza’s population is displaced: UN

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has decried the mass displacement of Palestinians in Gaza, as the Israeli army continues to issue more evacuation orders for various parts of the Strip.

“Mass evacuations in Gaza choke survival and severely constrain aid operations,” Muhannad Hadi, humanitarian coordinator for the occupied Palestinian territory was quoted as saying in a post on X.

Thousands of Palestinians have fled parts of Deir el-Balah as the Israeli military issued new evacuation orders yesterday, and its forces advanced deeper into the overcrowded central city.

The area was previously designated by Israel as a so-called “humanitarian safe zone” for civilians, but the Israeli army ordered residents, many of them displaced multiple times already, to leave before a new military operation there.

In 10 months of war, Israeli evacuation orders have displaced 90% of #Gaza’s residents.

"Mass evacuations in Gaza choke survival and severely constrain aid operations," warns Muhannad Hadi, Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

This cannot continue.⬇️

— UN Humanitarian (@UNOCHA) August 22, 2024

Two million Palestinians in Gaza crammed in 39sq km: Report

The Israeli military’s expanded ground operations in recent weeks have pushed Palestinians out of large swaths of previously designated safe zones, crowding them into smaller and smaller slivers of land.

As a result, more than two million people in the enclave are now crammed in an area of 15 square miles (39sq km), reports The Wall Street Journal.

The overcrowding, on top of inadequate aid, is “choking survival”, said the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

That's over 50K per square km, comparable to the population density in Guttenberg, New Jersy, in tents in the desert.

COGAT claims 234 aid trucks entered Gaza on Thursday

The Israeli Defence Ministry agency that oversees the occupied Palestinian territory has claimed that 234 trucks carrying humanitarian aid entered Gaza on Thursday.

The Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) said 206 trucks arrived through the Karem Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossing in southern Gaza and 28 through the Beit Hanoon (Erez) crossing in the north. Trucks arrived from Israel, Egypt and the Ashdod port, it said.

COGAT also claimed that of the 105 truckloads of goods that were collected from the Gaza side of Karem Abu Salem, 100 were retrieved by the private sector and only five by UN agencies. It added that about 490 truckloads of goods are waiting to be collected, 420 of which are for UN aid.

The UN and other international organisations, however, continue to report Israeli restrictions on aid delivery to Gaza.

And mostly obstructing aid deliver inside Gaza.

Polio vaccine must reach all children under 10 in Gaza: UNRWA chief

To stop polio from spreading, it is crucial that the UN’s upcoming vaccination drive covers all young children, said the head of the UN’s agency for Palestinians Philippe Lazzarini.

“It is not enough to bring the vaccines into Gaza and protect the cold chain,” said Lazzarini in a post on X. “To have an impact, the vaccines must end up in the mouths of every child under the age of 10.”

Lazzarini warned that polio, the first case of which was confirmed in Gaza last week, could spread among children, even outside the territory, without a quick humanitarian response.

“Polio will not make the distinction between Palestinian and Israeli children,” he said.

Very sad. @WHO confirms that a 10-month-old baby in #Gaza is now paralysed due to #Polio. The first case in more than 25 years.

Polio will not make the distinction between Palestinian & Israeli children.
Delaying a humanitarian pause will increase the risk of spread among…

— Philippe Lazzarini (@UNLazzarini) August 23, 2024

WHO director says Palestinian infant with polio has partial paralysis

The director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO) says a Palestinian infant who has contracted polio, the first case in Gaza in a quarter-century, has developed partial paralysis.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a post on X that the 10-month-old developed paralysis in the lower left leg and is in stable condition.

“I am gravely concerned,” he said.

Samples from the infected child were tested by the WHO and confirmed to be linked to the variant found in Gaza’s wastewater.

Given the high risk of its spread, the Geneva-based WHO is working with the Palestinian Health Ministry and UNICEF to launch two rounds of vaccinations at the end of August and September.

Polio vaccinations plunged after the war began on October 7, and the territory has become a breeding ground for the virus, which had been eradicated in Gaza 25 years ago.

Israel releases more than 40 Palestinian prisoners

Israeli authorities have released more than 40 Palestinian prisoners after they completed their sentences, the Wafa news agency reports. The men were released at the Dhahiriya checkpoint, in front of the Salem military checkpoint in the Jenin area of the occupied West Bank.

The Palestinian Prisoner’s Society (PPS) said that some of the men were suffering from skin diseases or showed signs of abuse, specifically those released from the Sde Teiman detention camp in the Naqab (Negev) desert in southern Israel, where there have been allegations of torture.

Several of the men were transferred to hospital for treatment, according to the PPS.

Palestinian injured by Israeli live fire in Nablus: Red Crescent

A man was injured by live fire from Israeli forces as they raided the old city of Nablus in the occupied West Bank, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent. The storming of Nablus was one of a number of raids carried out by Israeli forces overnight.

Our colleagues at Al Jazeera Arabic reported that fighters from the al-Quds Brigades engaged with the Israeli forces.

Airlines increase flights over Afghanistan due to Middle East tensions

Several airlines have diverted flight paths away from the Middle East and have resumed flying over Afghanistan, which represents a comparatively safe option, according to a flight data analysis by the Reuters news agency.

Singapore Airlines, British Airways and Lufthansa are among those who have made the switch in light of rising tensions in the Middle East, as fears of all-out war between Israel and Lebanon and Iran grow.

Carriers mostly stopped flying over Afghanistan, which lies on major flight paths between Asia and Europe, when the Taliban rose to power in 2021 and air traffic control services stopped.

“As conflicts have evolved, the calculus of which airspace to use has changed. Airlines are seeking to mitigate risk as much as possible and they see overflying Afghanistan as the safer option given the current tensions between Iran and Israel,” said Ian Petchenik, a spokesperson for flight tracking organisation Flightradar24.

Lufthansa to resume flights to Amman, Erbil from August 27

Germany’s Lufthansa Group will restart flights to Jordan’s capital and the Iraqi city, making use of a northern corridor in Iraqi airspace for the Erbil trips, it said.

The group, which includes carriers Swiss International Air Lines, Austrian Airlines and Eurowings, extended its suspension of flights to Tel Aviv and Tehran up to and including September 2, the airline said.

Flights to Beirut are suspended through September 30, it added.

Israel’s government cannot deal with challenges in the north: Liberman

Hundreds of rockets and drones targeting northern Israel last week are proof of the government’s inability to deal with Hezbollah’s threats, Avigdor Liberman, the chairman of the Yisrael Beytenu party, says.

He wrote on X: “Tens of thousands of residents do not know if the school year will start when they are evacuated from their homes, and many factories and workplaces have been closed or moved from the north to other areas.”

Liberman said challenges in the north are too great for the current Israeli government and therefore it has no right to continue to rule.

Israel intercepts rockets fired from southern Lebanon

The rockets were fired over Mount Meron in the Upper Galilee region in Israel’s north near its border with Lebanon, according to our colleagues at Al Jazeera Arabic. Meanwhile, separate rocket launches from southern Lebanon resulted in fires in the same area, without causing casualties.

According to Israeli media outlet Walla, at least 1,091 projectiles were launched from Lebanon towards Israel in the last month, a threefold increase compared with the beginning of the year.

The Israeli-Lebanese border has witnessed intense tension and deadly attacks on both sides since the outbreak of the conflict between Israel and Hamas.

Israeli military claims to take out fighter cell in Lebanon’s Tayr Harfa

Israel’s air force has struck and “eliminated” a fighter cell that was preparing to shoot projectiles at Israel from the southern Lebanese town of Tayr Harfa, said the Israeli military in a statement.

Footage shared by the Israeli military on its official Telegram page appeared to show a projectile quickly being fired from the targeted facility, right after it was struck by Israeli forces.

Israel’s military also says it fired artillery at “threats” in southern Lebanon’s Shebaa. The claimed strikes continue a series of daily, cross-border clashes between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah.

Hezbollah claims attack on spy equipment in northern Israel

The Lebanese group says it carried out the strike on the equipment located in the Israeli base in Meron, near the border with Lebanon. It said the strike conducted “hit the target directly, leading to its destruction”.

The Israeli army, which reported the attack earlier, said no casualities resulted, according to local media. Separately, Hezbollah said its fighters attacked the Israeli army’s “al-Malikiyah site” at 9:40am (06:40 GMT) with artillery shells, without giving further details.

Hezbollah claims attack on troops in northern Israel

The Lebanese group says it conducted an artillery strike on the soldiers located in the vicinity of the “Khazan Hill”. It said the attack was carried out at 12:10pm (09:10 GMT) and hit the target directly.

Seven killed in Israeli strikes on Lebanon: Health Ministry

The Lebanese Ministry of Health says that seven people, including a child, were killed in Israeli raids on the towns of Tayr Harfa, Aita al-Jabal, Mays al-Jabal and Aitaroun. An Israeli fighter jet also targeted the town of Yaroun.

Hezbollah later mourned three fighters who died in the Tayr Harfa raid.

Crew rescued from stricken oil tanker in Red Sea: EU

The crew – 23 Filipinos and two Russians – of an oil tanker that was badly damaged in an attack in the Red Sea off Yemen have been rescued.

But a European Union naval mission says the Greek-flagged Sounion now poses an “environmental hazard”. Several projectiles hit the ship off the rebel-held Yemeni port of Hodeidah on Wednesday, causing a fire and cutting engine power.

Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels have since claimed the attack. They began attacking merchant shipping in the area in November in a campaign they have said is in solidarity with Gaza.

On August 21, the MV SOUNION, which had not asked for EUNAFVOR ASPIDES 🇪🇺 protection, came under an attack in the South Red Sea area and lost its engine power.

Following a request from the master, the operation dispatched a ship in order to rescue the crew.

While approaching… pic.twitter.com/gdSbTjmzRm

— EUNAVFOR ASPIDES (@EUNAVFORASPIDES) August 22, 2024

Australia to hold command of Red Sea maritime task force

An Australian Navy captain is set to assume command of a maritime task force set up to protect merchant shipping in the Middle East, according to the country’s Defence Ministry.

The Combined Task Force 153 (CTF 153), which was established in April 2022, was bolstered last December in response to growing Houthi attacks on vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. The Yemen-based group says it’s carrying out the attacks in protest against Israel’s war on Gaza.

While Australia will take command of CTF, however, the government of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has said it will not deploy any additional military resources for the mission. His government was criticised by opposition parties last year for not responding to a US request for more warships to be deployed to the region to protect the shipping lanes.

Harris: ‘Now is the time’ to get Gaza ceasefire deal done

Kamala Harris has spoken about Gaza in her acceptance speech as the Democratic nominee for president.

She told the crowd she and President Biden were “working around the clock” to end the Israeli military invasion and said it was time for a ceasefire.

“Now is the time to get a hostage deal and a ceasefire deal done,” she said.

Harris stressed that she would “always stand up for Israel’s right to defend itself”, adding that “the people of Israel must never again face the horror” of the October 7 attack by Hamas.

“At the same time, what has happened in Gaza the past 10 months is devastating. So many innocent lives lost. Desperate, hungry people fleeing for safety over and over again. The scale of suffering is heartbreaking,” she said.

“President Biden and I are working to end this war such that Israel is secure, the hostages are released, the suffering in Gaza ends, and the Palestinian people can realise their right to dignity, security, freedom and self-determination.”


Protesters outside DNC demand end to US weapons supply to Israel

As we’ve reported, Kamala Harris has accepted the Democratic nomination for the presidency. She took to the stage on the last day of the Democratic National Convention (DNC).

But little space has been afforded to Palestinian Americans or pro-Palestinian delegates in this week’s convention, despite crowds of protesters gathering nearby on a daily basis.

Among them is Muhamad Sankari of the US Palestinian Community Network. He says people are turning out, “first and foremost to end the genocide against the Palestinian people [by] the Democratic Party”.

“For 11 months now almost, [the Democratic Party] has supported [Israel’s war] unequivocally. So we’re here to make the demands to end the genocide against the Palestinian people,” he said.

“This is because of you, Kamala Harris, this is because of you, [US President] Joe Biden, because of your policies. And whoever the president is, whoever’s in charge of the Democratic Party, could end that right now by ending the flow of weapons, by ending the political cover, and demanding the Israelis end the genocide,” he added.

Israeli delegation ‘presenting new offer’ in Cairo: Report

The Israeli delegation, which is currently in Cairo for the Gaza ceasefire talks, is presenting a new proposal that would allow a UN monitoring mission at the Philadelphi Corridor, according to the Al-Araby Al-Jadeed publication.

Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported that the plan seeks to have a European Union mission at the Rafah Crossing along with the Palestinian Authority.

The report added Israeli troops would gradually withdraw from the border.

Earlier, the US ambassador to the UN told the Security Council that a ceasefire deal was “in sight”.

Netanyahu’s office doubles down on Israeli control of Philadelphi Corridor

The office of the Israeli prime minister has denied news reports that Israel is open to an international monitoring mission for the Philadelphi Corridor.

“The report suggesting that the idea of deploying an international force along the Philadelphi Corridor is being considered is incorrect,” said Netanyahu’s office in a statement carried by Israeli Army Radio. “Netanyahu insists on the principle that Israel will control the route.”

Earlier, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported that Israeli negotiators planned to introduce a new proposal in Cairo allowing a UN monitoring mission at the corridor, control of which has become a major stumbling block in ceasefire talks.

Iran, Hamas have taken over Palestinian issue: Katz

The Israeli foreign minister says a Palestinian state would mean an Iranian base in Gaza and the occupied West Bank – just like in Lebanon, Yemen, Syria and Iraq.

He added on X that this would threaten Israel’s population centres, flight paths, shipping routes and economic hubs. “We cannot let this happen,” Katz also said.

Israeli officials frequently attack the possibility of the creation of a Palestinian state, even though a two-state solution is the official policy of the US, Israel’s closest and most powerful ally.

Israel’s presence in a post-war Gaza ‘legally wrong’: UN expert

Francesca Albanese, the Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in the occupied Palestinian territory, says that “imagining Israel’s continued presence in “post-war” Gaza (where the scars of its genocide are indelible)” is “absolutely legally wrong”.

In a post on X, she cites the recent International Court of Justice ruling that said Israel’s continued presence in the occupied Palestinian territory is unlawful and should come to an end “as rapidly as possible”.

As the political establishment continues to treat Palestine 'business as usual', even imagining Israel's continued presence in "post-war" Gaza (where the scars of its genocide are indelible), be aware that this is absolutely legally wrong.
The #ICJ's Advisory Opinion on the… https://t.co/0MJMjxG2Ct

— Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur oPt (@FranceskAlbs) August 23, 2024

Netanyahu’s stance on Philadelphi Corridor shows no desire for ceasefire: Hamas

Hamas official Osama Badran says Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s demand to keep Israeli troops at the Philadelphi Corridor – a strip of land along Gaza’s border with Egypt – shows he is unwilling to reach a final ceasefire deal.

Speaking to AFP news agency, Badran reiterated that Hamas would accept “nothing less than the withdrawal of occupation forces, Philadelphi included”. This is in line with the original US- and UN-backed ceasefire plan presented by US President Joe Biden back in May, he said.

Currently, Israeli negotiators are in Cairo with mediators trying to hammer out the details of a deal, which the US and Israel said they have agreed to a “bridging proposal” for. However, Hamas has not accepted the “bridging proposal”, which it says violates earlier agreed-upon terms, and is not taking part in this round of talks.

Captive’s daughter leaves Netanyahu meeting with little hope: Report

A group of released Israeli captives and captives’ relatives has met with Netanyahu, Israel’s Maariv newspaper reports. Ela Ben Ami, the daughter of Israeli captive Ohad Ben Ami, said she left the meeting with little hope that her father would soon be freed.

“Our feeling is that this will not happen soon,” Ben Ami said in comments carried by Maariv. “I am concerned for the lives of the girls in captivity.” “The [ceasefire and captives release] deal must be finalised as soon as possible.”

Israeli army orders Palestinians to evacuate parts of northern Gaza

An Israeli army spokesman has ordered residents out of several neighbourhoods, citing rockets recently fired from those areas. In a post on X, Avichay Adraee told residents to move to shelters west of Gaza City.

He said the military would “act forcefully” against “terrorist elements” in the area.

Four Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes on northern Gaza: Report

Three people have been killed in Israeli attacks east of Jabalia, according to the Palestinian news agency Wafa. A fourth person was killed west of Beit Lahiya, according to the news agency.

Israeli military says soldier killed in Gaza City

The soldier was killed during an operation in the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City, the army says. It said that 12 other soldiers were hurt, including four who suffered serious injuries.

Al-Quds Brigades says attacked Israeli base north of Gaza

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s armed wing says it bombed the Zikim military base, north of Gaza, with heavy mortar shells.

Israeli forces carry out raid in Beit Lahiya

Our Al Jazeera Arabic colleagues in Gaza are reporting that Israeli forces have also blown up residential buildings in the Kuwait Roundabout area. Additionally, Israeli troops conducted raids in Aliyin Square and south of Gaza City.

Humanitarian access worsening in Gaza despite promises: NRC head

Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) chief Jan Egeland says Israel and its Western allies have not made good on months of promises that “the haemorrhage of civilian lives would stop and that humanitarian access would improve” in Gaza.

In a social media post, Egeland said aid workers with the NRC and other groups had to again flee their posts this week due to the violence, “abandoning our shelters, offices and warehouses”.

Israel has “progressively reduced the so-called ‘humanitarian zone’”, he added, leaving “countless civilians trapped with no means of escape”.

Aid organisations received less than half of the aid needed for the people of Gaza in April, Egeland said, and by July, the number of deliveries to starving Palestinians had dropped by another 80 percent.

“NRC aid has been blocked for months, with only 2 trucks getting through since May – one of which was looted,” he said.

GAZA:

Israel and its Western allies promised every month since last November that the haemorrhage of civilian lives would stop and that humanitarian access would improve to the besieged enclave.

But, it has become so much worse since then:

🧵1/8

— Jan Egeland (@NRC_Egeland) August 23, 2024

Childhood malnutrition spiking in Gaza: UN

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has reported a spike in acute malnutrition among Palestinian children in Gaza in recent months.

The agency said the number of cases in northern Gaza spiked 300 percent from May to July. In the south of the enclave, it jumped by more than 150 percent during the same period.

Meanwhile, the amount of food assistance entering Gaza in July was one of the lowest since the war began, according to the agency.

Stephane Dujarric, the spokesman for UN chief Antonio Guterres, also said “hostilities, damaged roads, access constraints and a lack of public order and safety have led to critical food shortages” in the territory.

“Children are paying the heaviest price with poor diet and the decimation of healthcare services and water sanitation and hygiene infrastructure, raising the risk of malnutrition and disease,” Dujarric told reporters.

‘The heat is suffocating us’

Tens of thousands of Palestinians are enduring the sweltering summer heat, packed into makeshift tents. Palestinian journalist Bisan Owda spoke to families struggling to survive without basic necessities in a video for AJ+.

“I am 75 years old. I can’t live in a tent. The heat is suffocating us,” said Harba Abul-Aal, a Palestinian woman displaced from Rafah in southern Gaza. “I left my home with only the clothes I had on. I have no summer or winter clothes.”

Another displaced resident, Salwa Ayoush, said she places water bottles under several blankets to keep them cool enough to drink. “As for hot water, I leave a bucket out, cover it to protect it from the dust, and put it there to warm up for bathing,” she said. “What else can I do?”

Gaza’s displaced families endure soaring heat inside tents, while children struggle with skin rashes and ulcers.

Bisan Owda (@wizardbisan) documents their stories of survival in unbearable conditions during the ongoing heat wave. pic.twitter.com/NZ3Pm3elQz

— AJ+ (@ajplus) August 22, 2024

Seven people wounded in Israeli attacks on central Syria: State television

The Syrian Arab News Agency reports that Israeli air attacks have hit several areas in the centre of the country. The initial report did not provide more specific locations.

War monitor says three fighters killed by Israeli strikes in Syria

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitor, has said the fighters were killed in four Israeli strikes in Homs and Hama. It said those killed were members of Iran-aligned groups, although it did not identify which groups.

Another 10 people were wounded in the attacks.

A weapons depot, an air defence battery, and a fuel storage belonging to Syrian members of the Lebanon-based group Hezbollah were among the targets of the strikes, the monitor said.

Fires burning on ship carrying crude oil in Red Sea: UKMTO

Three fires have been burning on board a Greek-flagged oil tanker in the Red Sea, a United Kingdom maritime agency has said. UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) gave the update a day after the vessel was evacuated following an attack by Houthi fighters.

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the vessel “belongs to a company that has ties to the Israeli enemy and violated the ban decision of entry to the ports of occupied Palestine”.

The tanker is carrying 150,000 tonnes of crude oil, heightening fears of an environmental crisis. The Houthis have vowed to attack commercial ships in the waterway in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.