Smaller Palestinian armed groups continue to fight as Hamas attacks reduce in Rafah: Monitors

A steep reduction in Hamas’s operations in Gaza’s southern Rafah city appears to indicate that its fighters have been “degraded” by Israel’s months-long ground offensive but smaller Palestinian armed groups continue to target Israeli forces in the area, monitors report.

US-based defence think tanks the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) and the Critical Threats Project (CTP) note a drop-off in a previously high number of attacks on Israeli forces in Rafah by Hamas, and described recent Hamas operations as appearing to “lack clear tactical or operational objectives”.

Smaller groups such as Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and the al-Nasser Salah al-Din Brigades continue to strike Israeli forces in the south and central Gaza, including a combined attack on Thursday involving mortar shelling of Israeli forces in Deir el-Balah and also the detonation of a house-borne improvised explosive device.

The National Resistance Brigades also fired mortars at Israel forces in the Yabna refugee camp, located in eastern Rafah, the ISW-CTP report.

Hamas fighters launched rockets on Thursday towards Israel’s “Mars” military site in southern Israel and the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades fired rockets at Israeli forces in the Kissufim area of Israel, ISW-CTP said.

NEW: US and international health officials confirmed on August 29 that Israel has agreed to implement a temporary humanitarian pause in the Gaza Strip to vaccinate children against polio.

Iran has increased its stockpile of uranium enriched to near weapons-grade levels,… pic.twitter.com/BrV4ndLrro

— Institute for the Study of War (@TheStudyofWar) August 29, 2024

Israeli troops pulling out of Khan Younis areas

Israeli forces have begun to move out of some areas of Khan Younis, after weeks of military operations, report our colleagues on the ground. Relief workers are now searching for the bodies of those killed in neighbourhoods from which troops have withdrawn, according to their report.

Footage shared on Palestinian social media channels, verified by Al Jazeera’s Sanad fact-checking unit, shows responders recovering several bodies from the city’s Street 5.

Israeli military division announces end to a major military operation in Gaza

Israel’s 98th division has wrapped up operations in Deir el-Balah and Khan Younis, according to the military. During its monthlong mission, the division’s forces “eliminated” more than 250 fighters and destroyed dozens of enemy sites, the Israeli military said.

The announcement comes amid reports from Khan Younis that Israeli forces have pulled out of certain areas in the city, leaving a trail of destruction and bodies in the streets.

Israeli army says civilians can return to al-Qarara in Khan Younis

_{A boy gestures as he stands among rubble after Israeli forces withdrew from the area, following an Israeli ground operation in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, August 30}

The Israeli army has said Palestinians can go back to the neighbourhoods of Hamad, al-Jalaa and al-Qarara in Khan Younis as troops have completed operations in these areas.

The neighbourhoods had been evacuated as the military started an operation in Khan Younis and was temporarily removed from, what the military calls, the humanitarian zone.

Colonel Avichay Adraee, the army’s Arabic-language spokesman, said the areas in question are again be considered part of the zone.

Israel has a long history of bombing so-called “safe zones”, and shrinking them with evacuation orders during its war on Gaza. Major international humanitarian NGOs have agreed that there is no safe place in Gaza, despite Israel’s claims.

Air strikes continue in central Gaza, children among victims

The Israeli military’s withdrawal tactics are very familiar. They are misleading, vague and contradictory.

Not all air strikes have ceased. In one area of central Gaza, the military partially withdrew. But further to the north of the central area, attack drones shot at people, whether they were standing in front of their homes or going about their daily business.

In just the past hour or so, 10 people killed or injured have been brought to the hospital. They were hit by flying shrapnel. Two of them are dead and four are in a critical condition.

One of them, a child, could not even be photographed because his head was blown off. This is an example of things we cannot show because of how graphic they are. But they are scenes we are witnessing on a daily basis.

Aid group says Israel hit convoy to hospital in Gaza, killing several

The American Near East Refugee Aid (Anera) humanitarian organisation says that yesterday, a missile struck its convoy carrying medical supplies and fuel to an Emirati hospital working in the besieged enclave.

Israel claimed without immediately offering evidence that it opened fire after fighters seized the convoy on Thursday.

The attack killed several people employed by a transportation company that the group was using to bring the supplies to the Emirates Red Crescent field hospital in Rafah, according to Sandra Rasheed, Anera’s country director for the Palestinian territory.

The attack happened on Thursday on the Salah al-Din Street in Gaza and hit the convoy’s first vehicle.

Aid missions rejected by Israel nearly doubled in August: UN

The United Nations humanitarian affairs office says Israel nearly doubled its rejections of aid missions in Gaza this month despite calls for much more assistance for desperate Palestinians.

“In August, the number of humanitarian missions and movements within Gaza that have been denied access by Israeli authorities has doubled in the north (68 vs 30) and almost doubled in the south (99 vs 53) compared with July,” the group said in a situation update.

“Between 1 and 29 August, out of the 199 planned humanitarian missions coordinated with the Israeli authorities for northern Gaza, 74 (37 percent) were facilitated, 68 (34 percent) were denied access, 42 (21 percent) were impeded (including missions that succeeded), and 15 (8 percent) were cancelled due to logistical, operational, or security issues.”

The International Court of Justice has issued numerous legally binding orders for Israel to allow more aid into Gaza, but Israeli authorities have instead consistently blocked large portions of humanitarian assistance.

‘I ❤️ COLONIALISM!’: Illegal Israeli Settler Goes MASK OFF

Rules based repression - The Grayzone live

Max Blumenthal and Aaron Mate discuss a wave of arrests of dissidents across the West, as well Pavel Durov's repression. They will also cover Max's coverage of the DNC 2024, Kamala's first interview, Hezbollah's retaliation against Israel, the continuing horror in Gaza, and Zelensky's bid to extort more advanced weapons out of the US.

No Policy Change: In CNN Interview, Harris Refuses to Condition U.S. Military Support for Israel

We turn to Kamala Harris's position on Israel's war on Gaza, which many are calling a genocide. After she was asked about calls to condition U.S. arms shipments to Israel by CNN reporter Dana Bash, Harris refused to consider halting the flow of weapons and instead affirmed her support of Israel. This position violates both federal and international law, argues Palestinian American political analyst Yousef Munayyer, and, coupled with her campaign's denial of a requested Palestinian American speaking spot from "uncommitted" voters at the DNC, he warns that "Harris could be worse than Biden" when it comes to U.S. support for Israel.

Palestinian TikTok star Medo Halimy, 19, killed in Israeli attack

Mohamed “Medo” Halimy, who became known for his “tent life” videos, documenting life in the overcrowded al-Mawasi encampment in the south of the Gaza Strip, was killed in an Israeli air strike on Monday, The Associated Press news agency reports.

“If you wonder what living in a tent is actually like, come with me to show you how I spend my day,” Halimy said in his first of many “tent life” diaries filmed from the sprawling encampment.

The 19-year-old’s sometimes humorous takes on the mundane – and sometimes traumatic – experiences of displacement attracted more than two million views on TikTok. He continued to create and share new content right up until the day he was killed at an internet cafe in a tent, where he had met his friend and collaborator, Talal Murad.

Murad, 18, who was injured in the same attack, said their work “was a kind of resistance [he hoped] to continue”.

_{In this undated photo provided by Helmi Hirez, Mohamed ‘Medo’ Halimy, left, and twin brothers Mohammed Hirez, centre, and Helmi Hirez, right, stand on a beach in Gaza}

Four killed in Israeli attack on Nuseirat camp

Al Jazeera Arabic’s correspondent on the ground reports that four Palestinians have been killed in an Israeli attack on a house in the west of the Nuseirat refugee camp, in the central Gaza Strip.

We reported earlier that an unknown number of Palestinians had been killed and injured in an attack on a Nuseirat home.

The Anadolu news agency shared photographs showing the bodies of Palestinians killed in an attack on Nuseirat, including a young girl, that were taken to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir el-Balah.

_{A man mourns Palestinians killed in an Israeli attack on the Nuseirat refugee camp, at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir el-Balah, Gaza, on Friday}

Israeli bombardment kills 3, injures 20, in Khan Younis

Three Palestinians have been killed and more than 20 wounded in an Israeli bombing of a home in the Jorat al-Lout area south of Khan Younis, our colleagues at Al Jazeera Arabic are reporting.

The attack comes as Palestinians returned to the city in the south of the Gaza Strip after Israeli troops withdrew to find widespread destruction and the bodies of at least nine people.

_{Palestinians walk past destroyed buildings after Israeli soldiers withdrew from Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip on Friday}

Palestinians retrieve bodies from Khan Younis

Health and civil defence teams retrieved bodies of Palestinians from Khan Younis on Friday after the Israeli army withdrew from the area

Palestinians returned to the city in the south of the Gaza Strip to find widespread destruction, including large craters left by the Israeli military

Seven killed in attacks on northern Gaza homes

Israeli forces have carried out a series of deadly attacks in northern Gaza, according to the Wafa news agency.

One attack, on a home in Gaza City’s Sabra neighbourhood, killed at least three people and injured others. Another attack, on a home in the city’s Zeitoun neighbourhood, killed three more, according to the agency.

The victims have been brought to the al-Ahli Arab Hospital, it said.

Further north, Israeli forces also attacked a family home in Jabalia camp, killing another person and injuring more people, said Wafa.

Two killed near Rafah

An Israeli bombardment has killed at least two people in the Shakoush area, west of Rafah, our colleagues on the ground are reporting. It comes after a series of deadly attacks in Gaza’s south, particularly Khan Younis, where several homes were struck.

Gaza’s death toll rises

At least 40,691 people have been killed and 94,060 wounded in Israeli military attacks on Gaza since October 7, the enclave’s Health Ministry says. Of those, 89 Palestinians were killed and 205 wounded in the past 24-hour reporting period, the ministry added.

Israeli soldiers shoot dead 2 Palestinians in suspected attacks

Israel’s military said it shot dead two Palestinians in two separate incidents in the occupied West Bank.

The army said its forces responded to a car exploding at a petrol station in the illegal Israeli settlement of Gush Etzion, south of Bethlehem, and when they arrived, a man “who exited the vehicle and attempted to attack” soldiers was killed.

In a second incident around 8km away (4.9 miles), a car rammed the entrance of the illegal settlement of Karmei Tzur and a second Palestinian was killed by Israeli soldiers in that incident.

The Israeli military has mounted a large operation in both areas following the incidents.

Israel’s Magen David Adom rescue service said it was treating two people who were injured by gunfire and a third who was injured in a car collision related to the incidents.

Our colleagues at Al Jazeera Arabic have obtained and verified footage that is said to show the aftermath of the blast at Gush Etzion petrol station and what appears to be the shooting of a suspect.

لحظة إطلاق النار تجاه منفذ عملية مستوطنة "غوش عتصيون" قرب الخليل#فيديو pic.twitter.com/CEzLsjYtiT

— الجزيرة فلسطين (@AJA_Palestine) August 30, 2024

Translation: The moment of shooting at the perpetrator of the “Gush Etzion” settlement operation near Hebron.

Israel says bomb detonated in illegal settlement attack after petrol station blast

We reported earlier that two Palestinians have been killed in the occupied West Bank following a car exploding at a petrol station in the illegal Israeli settlement of Gush Etzion, located south of Bethlehem, and an attack on the illegal Israeli settlement of Karmei Tzur – located some 8km (4.9 miles) away.

The Israeli military now says that an attacker entered the Karmei Tzur settlement in a car and was chased by a security patrol, which collided with the “terrorist’s vehicle”. The driver was then killed on exiting the vehicle but during an exchange of gunfire, a bomb in the suspect’s vehicle exploded.

Three members of the Israeli forces were slightly wounded in the attack, the military reports. The military also confirmed that the explosion at a petrol station in the Gush Etzion illegal settlement was an attempted car bombing, and a suspect was “eliminated”.

A major search by Israeli forces is under way in the Karmei Tzur area to “rule out the presence of additional terrorists”, the military said.

Israeli military bulldozers, troop carriers storm Jenin

The Israeli army siege on Jenin has continued overnight, with our colleagues at Al Jazeera Arabic reporting that dozens of Israeli soldiers are stationed on the outskirts of the refugee camp in the occupied West Bank.

Israeli military bulldozers and troop carriers have also been seen, as Israeli forces blew up homes in the al-Jabriyat neighbourhood of the camp, Al Jazeera reports.

Israeli military closes off Hebron after overnight attacks in West Bank

_{The Israeli army storms homes in the Wadi al-Hariyah area in the city of Hebron in the occupied West Bank}

Israeli forces have sealed off the city of Hebron in the occupied West Bank and arrested two people there during a raid, reports the Wafa news agency.

The forces used concrete blocks to close off entrances to the city from the north, south, east and west, according to Wafa.

The closure comes after a night in which two separate bomb attacks targeted the illegal Israeli settlements of Gush Etzion and Karmei Tzur – located to the north of Hebron – and where two Palestinians were shot and killed by Israeli forces, according to Israel’s military.

قوات الاحتلال تقتحم منطقة جبل أبو رمان بمدينة الخليل وتعتقل شابين. pic.twitter.com/dGNKIZXm72

— المركز الفلسطيني للإعلام (@PalinfoAr) August 31, 2024

Translation: The occupation forces stormed the Abu Rumman mountain area in the city of Hebron and arrested two young men.

Qassam Brigades says fighters clash with Israeli troops in Jenin

The armed wing of Hamas says its members have “engaged in armed clashes” with Israeli forces in the village of Kfar Dan, which is located in the west of the occupied West Bank city.