Live Updates
Middle East Eye, Jun 27 2024
Evening Recap
Here are some of today’s key developments:
- Gaza’s death toll has risen to 37,765 people
- Israel launched a large attack on Gaza City’s Shujaiya neighborhood
- Another child has died of malnutrition in Gaza
- Twenty-one Gaza cancer patients arrived in Egypt for treatment
- Canada has imposed sanctions on seven Israeli settlers accused of taking part in violence in the occupied West Bank
- During a “day of strike and resistance” protesters marched to the Israeli prime minister’s official residence, demanding immediate elections and a deal to release hostages held in the Gaza Strip
- The US is preparing to deliver 500 lb bombs as part of a weapons shipment to Israel that was suspended last month over concerns about Israel’s ongoing military assault in Rafah.
Top US Republican lawmaker calls for Gaza pier to be shut, replaced by land routes
56 minutes ago
A senior US Republican lawmaker has called on Biden’s administration to shut down the Gaza pier and focus on moving aid into the besieged enclave by land. Republican Congressman Mike Rogers wrote in a letter sent to the Biden administration according to Reuters:
I urge the administration to immediately cease this failed operation before further catastrophe occurs and consider alternative means of land and air-based humanitarian aid delivery.
Rogers, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, complained that the pier, which cost $230m, is a waste of taxpayer money and has put US lives in danger, according to Reuters. The letter was sent to Sullivan, Austin and Blinken. The pier was announced with fanfare by the Biden administration but now the US is considering temporarily dismantling and relocating it. Rights groups and Palestinians have criticised it as a costly distraction from the immediate need to press Israel to open more land routes into Gaza. Read more: Top US Republican lawmaker calls for Gaza pier to be shut, replaced by land routes.
US to go ahead with suspended bomb shipment to Israel
The US is preparing to deliver 500 lb bombs as part of a weapons shipment to Israel that was suspended last month over concerns about Israel’s ongoing military assault in Rafah. The matter was discussed this week during a visit to Washington by Gallant, a US official said on Thursday. The shipment was paused by Biden in early May over concerns that the weapons could cause more Palestinian deaths in Gaza.
‘Day of strike and resistance’ sees scores of people protesting across Israel
During a “day of strike and resistance” protesters marched to the Israeli prime minister’s official residence, demanding immediate elections and a deal to release hostages held in the Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, 2k people reportedly also rallied in front of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s private residence in Caesarea.
Houthis target vessel ‘SEAJOY’ in the Red Sea
Yemen’s Houthis targeted “vessel SEAJOY” in the Red Sea with a drone boat and a number of missiles and drones, Houthi milspox Yahya Sari said on Thursday.
Canada sanctions Israeli settlers, entities over West Bank violence
Canada has imposed sanctions on seven Israeli settlers accused of taking part in violence in the occupied West Bank, as well as five entities, including settler organisations. The move marks the second time in just over a month that Canada has taken such measures. Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said in a statement:
We remain deeply concerned by extremist settler violence in the West Bank and condemn such acts, not only for the significant impact they have on Palestinian lives, but also for the corrosive impact they have on prospects for lasting peace.
Ultra Orthodox protest Israel’s military draft bill
Protests broke out in the Israeli city of Bnei Brak today following a unanimous ruling by Israel’s Supreme Court on Tuesday declaring that the military must begin drafting ultra-Orthodox men for military service. Netanyahu’s coalition government relies on two ultra-Orthodox parties, UTJ and Shas. Leaders of those parties said they were disappointed with the ruling but issued no immediate threat to the government.
Norway ‘strongly opposes’ Israeli lawsuit against UNRWA
Norway has denounced an Israeli lawsuit against UNRWA as “a politically motivated campaign aimed at weakening the agency.” The lawsuit, which was filed by families of Israeli hostages in Gaza in New York on Monday, accuses the agency of assisting Hamas through the building of infrastructure and by paying employees in US dollars. Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said in a statement:
We strongly oppose the attack on UNRWA and their staff, including the Norwegian diplomat who previously served as Deputy Commissioner-General of the agency. Norway will continue to stand up for UNRWA and support their work. The agency is the backbone of humanitarian efforts in Gaza.
Twenty-one Gaza cancer patients arrive in Egypt
The first group of patients to be evacuated from Gaza since Israeli forces closed the Rafah crossing in May has arrived in Egypt, AFP is reporting, citing an Egyptian medical source. The group of twenty-one cancer patients arrived via the Kerem Shalom crossing. They are due to travel to the UAE where they will receive treatment, according to the source. According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, 25k children in Gaza need treatment abroad.
Senior US Republican calls for dismantling of Gaza pier
A senior Republican lawmaker has written to the Biden administration demanding the closure of its floating aid pier off the coast of Gaza, which was intended to boost aid deliveries to the enclave. Mike Rogers, the House Armed Serbices Committee Chairman, said that the temporary pier was a “failed operation,” and that the administration should consider “alternative means of land and air-based humanitarian aid delivery.” While Rogers has long called for the pier’s closure, this is the first time he has written formally to the administration to demand its dismantling.
Israeli drone targets motorcycle in Sohmor, southern Lebanon
An Israeli drone strike has killed a person riding a motorcycle in the town of Sohmor in southern Lebanon. Footage circulated online showed ambulances rushing to the area, while a photo revealed the burnt remains of the motorcycle.
Israeli strikes target southern Lebanon village
Israel conducted air strikes targeting the Aitaroun village in the Nabatieh governorate in southern Lebanon, Lebanese media are reporting. An image circulated online by the Bint Jbeil online newspaper showed smoke rising from residential buildings. This was later followed by a photo of a house reduced to rubble.
Israeli troops practice combat near Lebanese border
The Israeli army has released footage and photos of its troops conducting drills simulating combat scenarios near the border with Lebanon. The exercises were intended to train Israeli soldiers in “responding to various threats with the cooperation of the infantry, armor and fire forces,” the army said in a statement on its website.
Palestinian economy contracts by 35% in Q1 2024: report
The State of Palestine’s overall GDP has declined by 35% in Q1 2024, the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics reports. There was a stark difference between the West Bank, which witnessed a 25% decline, and the Gaza Strip, where the number was 86% amid the ongoing Israeli war. The manufacturing sector decreased by 29% in the West Bank and 95% in Gaza, while the construction sector decreased by 42% in the West Bank and essentially collapsed in Gaza, with a 99% decrease.
Gaza death toll rises to 37,765
Gaza’s health ministry said that 37,765 people have been killed by Israeli attacks on the enclave since Oct 7, 47 of them in the past 24 hours. Additionally, 86,429 people have been wounded since the start of the war.
Girl dies of malnutrition in Gaza
Another child has died of malnutrition in Gaza, Reuters reports. The girl died in northern Gaza’s Kamal Adwan Hospital, bringing the death toll from malnutrition and dehydration among children to 31, though health officials say recording cases during the war is difficult.
Girl dies of malnutrition in Gaza
Another child has died of malnutrition in Gaza, Reuters reports. The girl died in northern Gaza’s Kamal Adwan Hospital, bringing the death toll from malnutrition and dehydration among children to 31, though health officials say recording cases during the war in difficult.
How Palestine could qualify for the 2026 World Cup
Palestine’s national football team will learn on Thursday who they will play in the next Asian World Cup qualifying round. Like other teams, they are faced with a complex system of group stages and playoffs as they bid to be among the finalists at the next edition of the expanded tournament in the US, Canada and Mexico in 2026. Unlike other teams, Palestine are competing against the backdrop of war in Gaza, in which football players have been among tens of thousands killed by Israeli forces. The 2026 World Cup is set to be the biggest ever, contested by 48 teams, compared with 32 at the last tournament in Qatar in 2022. The number of qualifying places for Asian teams has doubled from four to eight, offering outsiders such as Palestine their best ever chance of reaching the finals. Read more: How Palestine could qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
Israel launches large attack on Gaza City’s Shujaiya
Residents are fleeing Gaza City’s Shujaiya following intense Israeli air strikes on the neighbourhood, with several deaths and injuries reported by journalists on the ground. Israeli tanks are reportedly advancing on the eastern Gaza City neighbourhood, which has suffered heavy attacks from Israeli forces since the beginning of the war.
Israeli army says warplanes attacked Khan Younis school
The Israeli army said that its fighter jets attacked the al-Hasna school in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis. The military said the school served as “the headquarters of the terrorist organisation Hamas” from which it “planned, directed and carried out many attacks” against soldiers in Gaza, without providing any evidence. The army did not say if there were any casualties, but claims it used “precise weaponry.”
Israeli soldier killed in Jenin blast
One Israeli soldier was killed and 17 others were wounded in a blast in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin, Al Jazeera Arabic reports. Palestinian fighters in the area ambushed Israeli soldiers during clashes earlier on Thursday, leaving some in critical condition.
Israel-Lebanon conflict: Hezbollah will be a formidable foe if war escalates
Israel’s warmongering against Lebanon is a longtime practice in times of war and peace alike.This week, Britain’s Telegraph published unsubstantiated allegations from anonymous airport staff, swiftly denied by Lebanese officials, that Hezbollah was importing and storing Iranian weapons at Beirut’s international airport. Such reckless accusations bolster Israel’s psychological warfare, which has reached a fever pitch amid speculation that Tel Aviv is planning a full-scale attack on Lebanon once it winds down operations in Rafah. Israel’s reported redeployment of offensive troops to the Lebanese border, along with the regional redeployment of US aircraft carriers Eisenhower and Roosevelt in the Eastern Mediterranean, have added more fuel to the fire. But a cool-headed analysis reveals the serious challenges Israel would face should it escalate the ongoing war of attrition into a major offensive. Since 8 October, Israel’s attacks on Lebanon have caused death, trauma and displacement among civilians, in addition to successful assassinations of Hezbollah fighters and commanders. Read more: Israel-Lebanon conflict: Hezbollah will be a formidable foe if war escalates.
Morning update
Here are the latest updates:
- Israeli forces hit northern Gaza’s Jabalia refugee camp overnight, killing several people, according to WAFA
- An Israeli strike near Sayyida Zainab, southern Syria killed two people, Syrian state media reports
- The Israeli military conducted over 113 military raids in East Jerusalem and the West Bank over the 20-23 June period, arresting more than 80 Palestinians, the UN says
- Reuters reports that the US will maintain the pause on a shipment of heavy bombs to Israel that have been held up since May
- Gallant has warned during his visit to Washington that Israel can take Lebanon “back to the Stone Age” in a war with Hezbollah, but still prefers a diplomatic solution.
Niqnaq 