Gaza live: Palestinian death toll passes 37,000 after brutal Israeli attack on Nuseirat
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Israelis held an anti-government demonstration in Tel Aviv, demanding the release of all hostages held captive in the Gaza Strip and calling for new elections. pic.twitter.com/ztKvMQGEOk
— Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) June 9, 2024
At least 274 Palestinians were killed and 698 wounded by Israel's brutal attack on Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, Gaza's health ministry said on Sunday.
That brings the death toll of Palestinians killed by Israel's war on Gaza since 7 October to 37,084. At least 84,494 others have been wounded during that time, the ministry added.
Turkey has strongly condemned Israel's attack on Nuseirat refugee camp in Gaza on Saturday, which killed over 200 Palestinians.
"With this latest barbaric attack, Israel has added a new one to the list of war crimes it has committed in Gaza," the Turkish foreign ministry said in a press statement on Sunday.
"We call on the institutions responsible for the maintenance of international peace and security, the UN Security Council in particular, to exercise their responsibility to put an end to these crimes by Israel, which is on trial before the International Court of Justice for violating its obligations under the 1948 Genocide Convention."
Washington has denied that the temporary aid pier in Gaza was used during Israel's operation in central Gaza on Saturday which killed over 200 Palestinians and rescued four Israeli captives.
"The humanitarian pier facility, including its equipment, personnel, and assets were not used in the operation to rescue hostages today in Gaza," US Central Command said in a statement.
"An area south of the facility was used by the Israelis to safely return the hostages to Israel. Any such claim to the contrary is false. The temporary pier on the coast of Gaza was put in place for one purpose only, to help move additional, urgently needed lifesaving assistance into Gaza."
A US official told Axios on Saturday that a US cell stationed in Israel "supported" the Israeli military's operation, with the New York Times later reporting that the US provided "intelligence and other logistical support".
Citing a source familiar with the matter, CNN reported that there were "no US boots on the ground", adding that the American cell has been in place since 7 October, supporting Israel with information gathering.
Videos circulating online on Saturday showed a helicopter taking off from the beach in Gaza with the US pier in the backdrop.
At least 22 Palestinians, including a child and a woman, have been detained by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank over the past day, according to the Palestinian Prisoners' Affairs Authority and the Palestinian Prisoners Society.
The arrests took place in Jenin, Hebron, Tulkarm, Ramallah, Qalqilya and Jericho, the two organisations said in a joint statement.
On Sunday morning, a Palestinian woman was beaten and wounded, and three young men were arrested, during an Israeli military raid north of Jericho, Wafa news agency reported.
In Jenin, six Palestinians, including a woman, were arrested during a raid on the town of Arraba. Israeli forces ransacked their homes during the operation, local media reported.
The number of Palestinians arrested in the occupied West Bank since 7 October has now surpassed 9,125, according to Wafa news agency.
Hello MEE readers,
Israeli forces killed more than 200 people during an operation to rescue four hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, in one of the single bloodiest Israeli assaults of the eight-month-old war.
The United States assisted in the operation, but sources told CNN that US boots were not on the ground. The degree of US involvement remains unclear.
All four captives were reported to be in good health.
Meanwhile, Israel has taken heat for the deadly operation, which Hamas said also resulted in the deaths of other Israeli captives.
In addition to the heavy death toll, rights groups have expressed outrage at Israel over its use of humanitarian aid trucks in its operation.
Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur to Palestine, slammed Israel for using "humanitarian camouflage" in its deadly attack.
"Israel has used hostages to legitimise killing, injuring, maiming, starving and traumatising Palestinians in Gaza,” Albanese said.
Leftist Israeli Knesset member Ofer Cassif condemned the Israeli government for the "price" paid to retrieve the four Israeli captives from Gaza.
"The liberation is joyful, the price is disgraceful," Cassif said in a post to X social media site in Hebrew.
European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the EU condemned "in the strongest terms" the Israeli attack.
"The bloodbath must end immediately,” he said, adding that US President Joe Biden’s three-stage ceasefire plan, unveiled last week, "is the way forward for an enduring ceasefire and to end the killing".
Other updates from today include:
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Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas instructed Palestine’s envoy to the UN to call for an emergency session of the Security Council following what he called a "bloody massacre"
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Two people were killed in an Israeli air strike on the outskirts of the southern Lebanese town of Aitaroun
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Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv to demand action from the Israeli government. At least 33 people were arrested in Tel Aviv
Israeli police arrested 33 people at the anti-government protests in Tel Aviv calling on the government to secure the release of captives held in Gaza and a ceasefire deal, Israel's Haaretz newspaper reported.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken welcomed the rescue of four Israelis held captive in Gaza in a statement without mentioning the at least 210 Palestinians killed.
"We welcome the rescue of four hostages who after eight months of captivity have finally been reunited with their families in Israel. The United States will not rest until every hostage is returned home," Blinken said.
Blinken also called on Hamas to accept the ceasefire deal.
According to Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant and other high-ranking Israeli officials, Israel would not accept Hamas’s rule of Gaza under any ceasefire deal.
Blinken did not make mention of Israel's demands in his statement, saying: "The only thing standing in the way of achieving this ceasefire is Hamas".
Blinken welcomes rescue of hostages held by Hamas pic.twitter.com/4VzwySgKN4
— Barak Ravid (@BarakRavid) June 8, 2024
The American cell that assisted with Israel’s operation to retrieve Israeli captives is a team that’s been in place supporting the country since 7 October with information gathering about the captives , a US official told CNN.
The news agency said that " a source familiar with the matter" said that there were "no US boots on the ground" during today's operation, which left more than 200 Palestinians dead.
Read More: US involved in Israeli operation in Nuseirat that killed over 200 Palestinians
Massive anti-government protests are also taking place in Tel Aviv tonight.
Israeli police are attempting to disperse the crowds using water cannons, according to widespread footage on social media.
"They aren’t budging - chanting and banging drums as they get drenched," Haaretz reporter Rachel Fink said on X.
Police attempt to use a water cannon to disperse protestors, to no avail. They aren’t budging - chanting and banging drums as they get drenched. pic.twitter.com/EqXnU6M6ds
— Rachel Fink (@RachelSFink) June 8, 2024
Far-left Israeli MK Ofer Cassif condemned the Israeli government for the "price" paid to retrieve the four Israeli captives from Gaza.
"The liberation is joyful, the price is disgraceful," Cassif said in a post to X social media site in Hebrew.
"There is certainly no heroism here. The blood of thousands - abductees, Palestinian civilians, Israelis and soldiers - could and should have been spared if the government of atrocities had come to a deal immediately after the October massacre and on the countless occasions since then," Cassif said.
Thousands of protesters have taken to the streets of Jerusalem to demand action from the Israeli government.
Demonstrators are calling for the government to come to a ceasefire agreement that would see Israeli captives held in Gaza released.
The Palestinian Islamic Jihad group, which is an ally of Hamas, said Israel's military operation on Gaza's Nuseirat refugee camp, which killed more than 200 Palestinians will not affect the current prisoner swap proposal.
💥The protests tonight: Jerusalem. pic.twitter.com/C8WTr3uB83
— Noga Tarnopolsky נגה טרנופולסקי نوغا ترنوبولسكي (@NTarnopolsky) June 8, 2024
Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur to Palestine, slammed Israel for using "humanitarian camouflage" in its deadly attack on al-Nuseirat refugee camp, during which four Israeli captives were recovered and more than 200 Palestinians were killed.
Israel is alleged to have entered the area inside humanitarian aid trucks.
"Israel has used hostages to legitimise killing, injuring, maiming, starving and traumatising Palestinians in Gaza. And while intensifying violence against Palestinians in the rest of the occupied territory and Israel," Albanese said in a post to X social media.
Albanese went on to slam the Israeli government for not doing more to secure a ceasefire earlier.
"Israel could have freed all hostages, alive and intact, 8 months ago when the first ceasfire and hostage exchange was put on the table. Yet, Israel refused in order to continue to destroy Gaza and the Palestinians as a people. This is genocidal intent turned into action. Crystal clear."
Relieved that four hostages have been released. It should not have come at the expense of at least 200 Palestinians, including children, killed and over 400 injured by Israel and allegedly foreign soldiers, while perfidiously hiding in an aid truck.
— Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur oPt (@FranceskAlbs) June 8, 2024
This is "humanitarian…
European Union foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell says the EU condemns "in the strongest terms" the Israeli army attack on al-Nuseirat refugee camp, which killed least 210 people.
"The bloodbath must end immediately", he said, adding that US President Joe Biden’s three-stage ceasefire plan, unveiled last week, "is the way forward for an enduring ceasefire and to end the killing".
Reports from Gaza of another massacre of civilians are appalling. We condemn this in the strongest terms.
— Josep Borrell Fontelles (@JosepBorrellF) June 8, 2024
The bloodbath must end immediately.@POTUS 3-stage plan is the way forward for an enduring ceasefire and to end the killing.
Two people were killed in an Israeli airstrike on the outskirts of the southern Lebanese town of Aitaroun, Lebanon's state news agency NNA said.
The Israeli military said that a member of Hezbollah had been identified in the Aitaroun area, and that soon afterwards an Israeli aircraft had carried out an airstrike that hit the individual.
Israeli forces launched two missiles targeting a cafe at a petrol station, causing significant damage to the premises and to the surrounding area, NNA said.
Hezbollah said its fighters retaliated by firing rockets on Malkia, in northern Israel, followed by a salvo of missiles at a military command centre in northern Israel using the Falaq 2 rockets.
A security source told Reuters it was the first time the group had used this type of rocket, after firing the Falaq 1 on dozens of previous occasions.
