Gaza live: Palestinian death toll passes 37,000 after brutal Israeli attack on Nuseirat

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Minister Benny Gantz, a member of Israel's war cabinet, has announced his exit from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's emergency wartime government. 

His departure will not endanger the parliamentary majority of 64 seats in the 120-seat Knesset held by the ruling right-wing coalition. 

Just after Gantz's announcement, far-right national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir demanded a seat on the war cabinet in place of Gantz.

"The time has come to make brave decisions," Ben-Gvir said in a post to X social media that included a copy of his official demand. 

Meanwhile, Israel's opposition leader Yair Lapid hails Benny Gantz's exit, saying the "decision to leave the failed government is important and correct".

Other updates from Sunday include: 

• Israel’s finance minister Bezalel Smotrich hit out against Benny Gantz following his resignation from Israel’s war cabinet by stating in a post on X, “There is no act less stately than withdrawing from the government during a war.”

• Israel's Gaza Division Commander has announced that he is resigning from his post and retiring from the army

• Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas's armed wing, said in a video posted on its Telegram channel on Sunday that three captives were killed, including a US citizen, during Israel's military operation in central Gaza

• Israeli military spokesman Peter Lerner denied three Israelis were killed on Saturday during the operation

• Six Palestinians, including a child, were wounded during an attack by Israeli settlers protected by Israeli forces in the village of Urif, south of Nablus in the occupied West Bank

Israeli military spokesman Peter Lerner denied three Israelis were killed on Saturday during  the operation that freed four captives and killed 274 Palestinians. 

The comments come after the military wing of Hamas said the three were killed during the incursion, including one US citizen.

“This is just Hamas propaganda, their attempt to try and create concern in Israel,” Lerner told the UK’s Sky News. “When we listen to what Hamas is saying, I say take it with a pinch of salt. Everything they say.”

The military wing of the Hamas movement, al-Qassam Brigades, said in a video posted on its Telegram channel on Sunday that Israeli forces killed three captives, including a US citizen, in a military operation that resulted in the deaths of 274 Palestinians. 

The group did not release the names of those said to be killed, but the video showed what appeared to be three unidentifiable corpses using censor bars over their faces.

Read more: Hamas video allegedly depicts three captives killed by Israel, including US citizen

Israel’s finance minister Bezalel Smotrich hit out against Benny Gantz following his resignation from Israel’s war cabinet by stating in a post on X, “There is no act less stately than withdrawing from the government during a war.”

“This is exactly what [Yahya] Sinwar, [Hasan] Nasrallah and Iran were aiming for, and unfortunately you are fulfilling their request,” Smotrich also said, referring to Hamas and Hezbollah leaders.

Smotrich threatened to topple the government last week by withdawing over Prime Minister Netanyahu's consideration of US President Biden's proposed ceasefire deal. 

Israel's opposition leader Yair Lapid hails Benny Gantz's exit, saying the "decision to leave the failed government is important and correct".

"The time has come to replace this extreme and reckless government with a sane government that will lead to the return of security to the citizens of Israel, to the return of the abducted, to the restoration of Israel's economy and international status," he added.

ההחלטה של גנץ ואיזנקוט לעזוב את ממשלת הכשלון היא חשובה וצודקת.

הגיע הזמן להחליף את הממשלה הקיצונית והמופקרת הזו בממשלה שפויה שתוביל להחזרת הבטחון לאזרחי ישראל, להשבת החטופים, לשיקום הכלכלה והמעמד הבינלאומי של ישראל.

— יאיר לפיד - Yair Lapid (@yairlapid) June 9, 2024

Translation: Gantz and Eisenkot's decision to leave the failed government is important and correct.

The time has come to replace this extreme and reckless government with a sane government that will lead to the return of security to the citizens of Israel, to the return of the abducted, to the restoration of Israel's economy and international status.

Far-right national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir demands a seat on the war cabinet in place of Minister Benny Gantz.

"The time has come to make brave decisions," Ben-Gvir said in a post to X social media that included a copy of his official demand. 

Minister Benny Gantz, a member of Israel's war cabinet, just announced his exit from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's emergency wartime government. 

His departure will not endanger the parliamentary majority of 64 seats in the 120-seat Knesset held by the ruling right-wing coalition, but Netanyahu had asked Gantz not to resign from the emergency government, calling instead for unity.

Gantz, however, responded rejecting Netanyahu's call, saying the prime minister was impeding victory. 

"Netanyahu is preventing us from progressing towards a true victory. For this reason we are leaving the emergency government today, with a heavy heart, yet wholeheartedly."

Read More: Gantz exits Netanyahu's emergency government

"Children in #Gaza continue to suffer unimaginably from this war," the UN agency for Palestinian refugees said in a post to X social media. 

The group said that the UN Children's Fund (Unicef) has reported that nine out of 10 children in Gaza "are experiencing severe food poverty".

Meanwhile, according to Oxfam, "many" people in Gaza "spend entire days without food".

"No child should face such horrific conditions: #CeasefireNow," Unrwa concluded in its post. 

Children in #Gaza continue to suffer unimaginably from this war.@UNICEF reports 9 out of 10 children in #GazaStrip are experiencing severe food poverty, with @Oxfam reporting that many spend entire days without food.

No child should face such horrific conditions: #CeasefireNow pic.twitter.com/cOAqoOMMjP

— UNRWA (@UNRWA) June 9, 2024

Israel's Gaza Division Commander has announced that he is resigning from his post and retiring from the army. 

In a statement, Brig. Gen. Avi Rosenfeld said he "failed in [his] mission to protect the lives of residents of Gaza border communities", referring to the Israeli neighbourhoods near the frontier with Gaza. 

Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas's armed wing, said in a video posted on its Telegram channel on Sunday that three captives were killed, including a US citizen, during Israel's military operation in central Gaza. 

During the attack on Nuseirat refugee camp on Saturday, Israeli forces killed 274 Palestinians and wounded 698 others. Four Israeli captives who had been held since 7 October were rescued.

An Israeli military spokesperson said the Hamas statement about three captives being killed was a "blatant lie". 

Six Palestinians, including a child, were wounded during an attack by Israeli settlers protected by Israeli forces in the village of Urif, south of Nablus in the occupied West Bank.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said its crews treated a 15-year-old child, who was wounded by live bullets in the shoulder. Others were wounded by live bullets, shrapnel and rocks.

PRCS added that Israeli forces held one of its ambulances at a military checkpoint southwest of Nablus, while it was transporting a wounded person to Rafidia Hospital nearby.

Wafa news agency said Israeli settlers attacked the house of local resident Issam Al-Safadi and burned a vehicle, under the protection of security forces.

Palestinian villagers responded to the attack, sparking confrontations, during which Israeli soldiers fired live bullets.

The UK defence ministry has said a claim by Yemen's Houthis to have fired ballistic missiles at a British destroyer in the Red Sea was false.

The Houthis did not say whether the attack on the HMS Diamond had caused any damage, but described it as "accurate".

"These claims are untrue," a British defence ministry spokesperson said.

Yemen's Houthis said on Sunday it had fired ballistic missiles at the HMS Diamond, a British destroyer, in the Red Sea.

The Houthis said the strike was "accurate" but did not say whether it had caused damage.

They said they had also attacked two commercial vessels which they identified as the Norderney and Tavvishi.

The Houthis have launched drone and missile attacks on global shipping in the Red Sea since November, in solidarity with Palestinians being killed by Israeli forces in Gaza.

Israel's telecoms regulator has extended its ban on Al Jazeera's operations in Israel by another 45 days, after the cabinet said its broadcasts posed a threat to security.

Last week, an Israeli court upheld an initial 35-day ban on the media network's operations in Israel, imposed by the government on national security grounds, which ended on Saturday.

In a separate ruling on a petition by Al Jazeera against the ban, Israel's Supreme Court described the measure against the broadcaster as "precedent-setting".

According to court documents, Al Jazeera had told the court it did not incite violence or terrorism and that the ban was disproportionate.

"We will not allow the terrorist channel Al Jazeera to broadcast from Israel and endanger our fighters," said Shlomo Karhi, Israel's communications minister. 

"In light of the seriousness of the damage to the security of the state I am convinced that the closure orders will be extended in the future as well."