Live Updates
Middle East Eye, May 26 2024
Evening recap
Here are the day’s key developments:
- The Palestinian health ministry said that 35,984 Palestinians had been killed and 80,643 injured in Israeli strikes since oct 7 in Gaza.
- Sunday saw another evening of intense Israeli bombardment in Gaza, with at least 35 Palestinians killed and dozens of others wounded after a number of Israeli air strikes hit a camp for displaced people in Rafah. Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri described the attack in Rafah as a massacre.
- Hamas said that Palestinians must “rise up and march” against the Israeli massacre in Rafah.
- Hamas’s al-Qassam Brigades said it had launched a big missile attack on Tel Aviv on Sunday for the first time in six months. Sirens were sounded across central Israel, with Hamas saying the rocket attack was in response to Zionist massacres against civilians.
- Israeli strikes on south Lebanon on Sunday killed five people, official media and a source close to Hezbollah said, as Israel’s military claimed attacks targeting the group.
- The threat of famine has returned to northern Gaza as Israel continues to restrict the entry of aid from all crossings, the Hamas-led government in the besieged strip has said. Salam Marouf, head of the government media office, said on Sunday that the food security crisis was also worsening in the central and southern districts.
- Spain’s foreign minister condemned as “scandalous and execrable” a video posted by his Israeli counterpart suggesting Hamas would be grateful to Spain, in a growing spat between the two countries over the Gaza war. A short video posted by Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz on the social media platform X on Sunday said “Hamas: Gracias Espana.”
Hamas says Palestinians must ‘rise up and march’ against Israeli ‘massacre’ in Rafah
Hamas says Palestinians must “rise up and march” against the Israeli “massacre” in Rafah, according to AFP.
Israeli military says it carried out precise strike on Hamas in Rafah
Israel’s military said on Sunday it had carried out a precise strike on a Hamas compound in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, but that it was reviewing the incident following reports that the strike caused a fire and civilians were harmed. The military said:
An IDF aircraft struck a Hamas compound in Rafah in which significant Hamas terrorists were operating. The strike was carried out against legitimate targets under international law, using precise munitions and on the basis of precise intelligence that indicated Hamas’ use of the area. The IDF is aware of reports indicating that as a result of the strike and fire that was ignited several civilians in the area were harmed. The incident is under review.
At least 35 Palestinians killed by Israeli strikes at camp for displaced in Gaza’s Rafah
At least 35 Palestinians were killed and dozens of others wounded after a number of Israeli air strikes hit a camp for the displaced in Gaza’s Rafah which set their tents on fire, a civil emergency official told Reuters. The strike took place in Tel al-Sultan neighbourhood in western Rafah, where thousands of people were taking shelter after many fled the eastern areas of the city where Israeli forces began a ground offensive over two weeks ago. The strikes “led to the death of 35 martyrs and dozens of injured,” the Hamas-run government media office in Gaza said in a statement late on Sunday, with Gaza’s civil defence agency also confirming Israeli strikes on the area, where it said 100k displaced people live.
The civil defence agency said at least 50 people had been killed and wounded in the strikes. Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri described the attack in Rafah as a “massacre”, holding the US responsible for aiding Israel with weapons and money. one of the residents who arrived at the Kuwaiti hospital in Rafah said:
The air strikes burnt the tents, the tents are melting and the people’s bodies are also melting.
The ICRC said its field hospital in Rafah was receiving an influx of casualties, and that other hospitals also were taking in a large number of patients.
A final death toll at Tal al-Sultan camp is still being determined, another medic said, adding that dozens were injured by the fire that ensued after the strikes, which residents are still trying to put out.
There was no immediate comment from Israel.
Spain’s foreign minister condemns ‘scandalous’ Israeli flamenco video
Spain’s foreign minister condemned as “scandalous and execrable” a video posted by his Israeli counterpart suggesting Hamas would be grateful to Spain, in a growing spat between the two countries over the Gaza war. Spain last week announced it would recognise Palestine as a state and in recent days two Spanish government ministers referred to a genocide in Gaza. A short video posted by Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz on the social media platform X on Sunday said “Hamas: Gracias Espana.” The video showed the Spanish flag and then a couple dancing to flamenco music. Film of Hamas fighters is interspersed including people fleeing during the Oct 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel that triggered Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares told a news conference in Brussels:
We are not going to fall into provocations. The video is scandalous and execrable. It’s scandalous because all the world knows, including my colleague in Israel, that Spain condemned the actions of Hamas from the first moment. And execrable for the use of one of those symbols of Spanish culture.
Spanish Defence Minister Margarita Robles said on Saturday that the conflict in Gaza was a “real genocide,” echoing a comment by Spanish Deputy Prime Minister Yolanda Diaz who last week also described the conflict as a genocide.
Evening update
It’s 7pm in Gaza, and here is a summary of today’s events:
- Netanyahu is due to convene a war cabinet at 9 pm (local time) to discuss a Gaza truce and a new hostage deal, a senior Israeli source told AFP.
- A member of the Hamas political bureau, Izzat al-Rishq, said the group had not heard anything from mediators but insisted that a “long-standing ceasefire” would be the starting point for any negotiations.
- Hamas’s al-Qassam Brigades said it had launched a “big missile” attack on Tel Aviv on Sunday for the first time in six months. Sirens were sounded across central Israel, with Hamas saying the rocket attack was in response to “Zionist massacres against civilians.”
- The Palestinian health ministry said that 35,984 Palestinians had been killed and 80,643 injured in Israeli strikes since 7 October in Gaza.
- Geneva-based NGO Euro-Med Monitor said famine was spreading across the Gaza Strip, as 70 human rights groups called on international bodies to declare the situation in Gaza as a famine.
Five dead in Israeli strikes on south Lebanon
Israeli strikes on south Lebanon on Sunday killed five people, official media and a source close to Hezbollah said, as Israel’s military claimed attacks targeting the Iran-backed militant group. Lebanon’s official National News Agency reported:
The Israeli enemy targeted a motorbike in Hula (a border village), leading to two martyrs and two wounded.
It was the third such strike on people on motorbikes in south Lebanon on Sunday, the agency said. The NNA had earlier reported:
There were two martyrs and wounded civilians in the raid that targeted a motorcycle in Aita al-Shaab (another border village).
It was unclear whether civilians were among the dead in Hula and Aita al-Shaab. The NNA also reported unspecified casualties in a separate strike earlier that “targeted a motorbike” in the border town of Naqura. The Israeli army said in a statement:
A Hezbollah terrorist was identified exiting a military structure in the Naqura area and eliminated. Two Hezbollah terrorists were identified operating in the Aita al-Shaab area and eliminated.
Hezbollah announced a fighter had been killed, and a source close to the group said he died in Naqura.
‘I want to go back’: A New York nurse’s journey to Gaza and back
Since the start of the Israeli war in Gaza on Oct 7, Rohaan Gill has been part of several WhatsApp groups trying to find a way into the war zone, but it seemed impossible. The 28-year-old registered nurse based in Brooklyn, New York, could not sit still while seeing the atrocities happening thousands of kilometres away. He said he felt ashamed, frustrated and guilty. Gill, a Brooklyn native of Pakistani-origin told Middle East Eye:
The whole point of me pursuing a career is to use my skills to help our people. If I can’t even do that, then what is the point?
One day in April, a group chat Gill was a part of, Doctors Against Genocide, put out a call for medical volunteers. Gill didn’t hesitate and immediately signed up. She said:
I went to my mom after I signed up. I asked her if she’d be ok if they called me to Gaza. She told me ‘It’s your duty. You’d have to go and I would never be able to stop you.’
So on 29 April, Gill left for the journey of a lifetime after getting the go-ahead. For a trip that was only meant to last a week, Gill ended up staying in Palestine for nearly a month. Read more: ‘I want to go back’: A New York nurse’s journey to Gaza and back.
EU’s Borrell holds talks with Palestinian Authority on taking control of Gaza
The European Union’s Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell said a “strong” Palestinian Authority is needed to bring peace in the Middle East. Speaking alongside Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa, Borrell reiterated the EU’s support for the PA and said:
A functional Palestinian Authority is in Israel’s interest too, because in order to make peace, we need a strong Palestinian Authority.
Borrell made these comments before holding talks with Mustafa on how the EU can build up the PA to take control of Gaza from Hamas.
Israeli strikes in south Lebanon kill three: Reports
Two Israeli raids on Sunday killed three people in south Lebanon, official media and a source close to Hezbollah said, as Israel’s military claimed attacks targeting the armed group. Lebanon’s Hezbollah, a Hamas ally, has traded regular cross-border fire with Israel since the Palestinian group’s Oct 7 attack on southern Israel. Lebanon’s official National News Agency reported “two martyrs and wounded civilians in the raid that targeted a motorcycle in Aita al-Shaab,” a border village. It said the strike was carried out by an “Israeli drone.” The NNA had earlier said a separate strike by “enemy aircraft” on the border town of Naqura “targeted a motorbike,” reporting unspecified casualties. The Israeli army later said in a statement that “a Hezbollah terrorist was identified exiting a military structure” in the Naqura area, adding that “an aircraft struck and eliminated” the operative. It also said the army struck “two Hezbollah terrorists who were identified operating” in the Aita al-Shaab area. Hezbollah announced a fighter had been killed, and a source close to the group said he died in Naqura.
Israeli strikes in south Lebanon kill three: Reports
Two Israeli raids on Sunday killed three people in south Lebanon, official media and a source close to Hezbollah said, as Israel’s military claimed attacks targeting the armed group. Lebanon’s Hezbollah, a Hamas ally, has traded regular cross-border fire with Israel since the Palestinian group’s Oct 7 attack on southern Israel. Lebanon’s official National News Agency reported “two martyrs and wounded civilians in the raid that targeted a motorcycle in Aita al-Shaab,” a border village.
It said the strike was carried out by an “Israeli drone”.
The NNA had earlier said a separate strike by “enemy aircraft” on the border town of Naqura “targeted a motorbike”, reporting unspecified casualties. The Israeli army later said in a statement that “a Hezbollah terrorist was identified exiting a military structure” in the Naqura area, adding that “an aircraft struck and eliminated” the operative. It also said the army struck “two Hezbollah terrorists who were identified operating” in the Aita al-Shaab area. Hezbollah announced a fighter had been killed, and a source close to the group said he died in Naqura.
Threat of famine returns to north Gaza amid aid restrictions, local authorities say
The threat of famine has returned to northern Gaza as Israel continues to restrict the entry of aid from all crossings, the Hamas-led government in the besieged strip has said. Salam Marouf, head of the government media office, said Sunday the food security crisis is also worsening in the central and southern districts. In a statement, Marouf said relief efforts remain well below the minimum needs. Over the past week, around 300 trucks have entered Gaza through the US-built pier and a newly-established crossing point with Israel opened in northern Gaza, he said. The minimum daily need in Gaza is 500 trucks per day. Meanwhile, Israel continues to block the Rafah crossing with Egypt and limit aid entry via the Karem Shalom crossing with southern Gaza, Marouf added.
Israel war cabinet to discuss new push for Gaza hostage deal: AFP
Netanyahu was set to convene his war cabinet on Sunday to discuss the latest efforts towards a Gaza truce and hostage release deal, a senior official told AFP. An Israeli senior official told AFP:
The war cabinet is expected to meet in Jerusalem tonight at 9 pm (local time) to discuss a hostage release deal.
The official had said on Saturday that “there is an intention to renew these talks this week” after negotiations involving US, Qatari and Egyptian mediators had stalled in early May. A member of the Hamas political bureau, Izzat al-Rishq, however, said on Sunday:
Regarding the rumours about negotiations, we have not received anything from the mediators. We demand for a permanent cessation of hostilities in all of Gaza as the foundation and the starting point for anything.
Smotrich calls for ‘full Israeli control’ over Gaza after Tel Aviv rocket attack
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has called for full military control over the Gaza Strip after Hamas fired its first rocket attack targeting Tel Aviv in months. In a statement on social media platform X, Smotrich also said Israel must occupy the whole of Rafah, in the south of Gaza. He wrote:
The State of Israel cannot accept shooting at Sderot, surrounding area and the centre. Occupying the whole of Rafah, by all means, now and full control of the IOF in the entire Gaza Strip. This is the only way we will restore security, this is the only way we will return the kidnapped.
Afternoon update
Here’s a summary of what has taken place today:
- Hamas’s military wing, al-Qassam Brigades, said it launched a “big missile” attack on Tel Aviv on Sunday, which struck several cities across central Israel, including Herzliya. This attack marks the first rocket attack in six months since Israel began its bombardment of Gaza.
- Geneva-based NGO Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor is warning that famine is spreading rapidly across the Gaza Strip, amid calls by 70 rights groups for international institutions to declare that a famine is taking place in the besieged enclave.
- Meanwhile, the Palestinian health ministry said that Israeli strikes have killed at least 35,984 Palestinians and injured 80,643 since Oct 7.
Recognising Palestinian state is ‘justice’ for Palestinians: Spain
Recognising the State of Palestine “is justice for the Palestinian people, the best guarantee of security for Israel,” Spain’s foreign minister, Jose Manuel Albares, said on Sunday alongside Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa. Welcoming Spain’s move, with Norway and Ireland, to recognise the Palestinian state on Tuesday, Mustafa said:
We want to have every country in Europe to do the same.
More details on the rocket attacks on Israel
We’re getting more details on the rocket attacks by Hamas on central Israel from Israeli media. Israeli media are reporting that Palestinian groups fired rockets from Rafah in southern Gaza, where the Israeli army is carrying out its military operation. Media reports added that rocket sirens were sounded in many cities outside of Tel Aviv, including Herzliya and Petah Tikva. The Times of Israel quoted the military, who said Palestinian groups fired 10 rockets in the barrage and that the Israeli army intercepted multiple rockets.
Hamas fires large rocket barrage at Tel Aviv
The Hamas armed wing said it fired a large barrage of rockets at Tel Aviv as sirens sounded throughout central Israel on Sunday. It is the first time Hamas has fired long-range rockets at Israel in months.
Gaza death toll reaches 35,984, says health ministry
New figures released by the Palestinian health ministry showed the death toll in Gaza had risen to 35,984 Palestinians and 80,643 wounded from Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip. The ministry added that Israeli strikes had killed 81 people and injured 223 during the last 24 hours.
Netanyahu prioritising ‘political survival’ over fight in Gaza, says Lapid
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid criticised Netanyahu on Sunday and said the premier’s only interest in Gaza is his “political survival and wreaking havoc in the state of Israel.” Lapid was commenting on a post that appeared to show an Israeli reserve soldier in Gaza directly addressing Netanyahu and threatening him with mutiny if Israel decides to hand over control of Gaza back to the Palestinians. Earlier this month, Lapid said Netanyahu had “lost control” and criticised his handling of the war in Gaza, citing the death toll of Israeli soldiers and the deteriorating relations with the United States.
Morning update
Here are the latest developments from Israel’s war on Gaza, which is now in its eighth month:
- Relentless Israeli shelling continued on Sunday, killing at least 11 Palestinians across Rafah in the early hours, including children, according to media reports.
- Overnight, Israeli forces raided Jenin and Nablus, with reports of armed clashes heard in both cities.
- The head of the Egyptian Red Crescent Society in North Sinai told Reuters that about 200 aid trucks, including four fuel trucks, are expected to enter Gaza today through the Karem Shalom crossing between Israel and Gaza, as the vital Rafah crossing remains closed since Israel seized it earlier this month.
- Israeli war cabinet minister Benny Gantz said he submitted a proposal to establish a state commission of inquiry into the Hamas-led attack on Oct 7 and the subsequent war in Gaza, a move that is likely to increase tensions between him and Netanyahu.
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