Gaza live: Israel strike kills 30 Palestinians, mostly children

Numerous Iron Dome interceptions were observed amid a rocket barrage from Lebanon.

Sirens were activated in the north of Israel. 

US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin reported that he discussed with his Israeli counterpart, Yoav Gallant, who faces an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court for possible war crimes committed in Gaza, "the threats posed by Iran, Lebanese Hezbollah, and other Iranian-backed terrorist groups."

He added, "I also emphasised that further escalation is not inevitable and that all parties would benefit from de-escalation, including through finalising a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release agreement.”

Citing "the developments taking place in the region" and concerns for its citizens' safety, Jordan's foreign ministry has issued a statement urging all Jordanian nationals in Lebanon to leave as soon as possible.

The statement also advises against any plans to travel to Lebanon at this time.

The first US response to the double assassinations this week in Beirut and Tehran came from Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin on 31 July.

In the wake of Israel's targeted killing of Hamas political bureau head Ismail Haniyeh in Iran and Hezbollah's top military commander Fuad Shukr in Lebanon, Austin reiterated the US's "unwavering support" for Israel and pledged to come to its defence if attacked.   

As Israel ramps up its military provocations, it is now more apparent than ever that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bellicose address in Congress last week was the opening salvo of a wider regional war - to the rapturous applause of US lawmakers.

Indeed, in the days before and after Netanyahu's visit to Washington, the Israeli regime attacked and killed scores of civilians in Hodeidah port in Yemen, Majdal Shams in the Israeli-occupied Syrian Golan Heights and the southern Dahiya neighbourhood of Beirut in Lebanon, and crossed a new threshold by assassinating Haniyeh in Tehran.

Read more: How Netanyahu's Washington visit paved the way for regional war

Hamas issued a statement on Saturday saying that it has initiated a broad consultation process to select a new leader of its movement following the assassination of its former leader Ismail Haniyeh.

In a statement, the movement said, "The martyr Ismail Haniyeh is a loss not only for the Palestinian people but also for the Arab and Islamic nations."

Hamas emphasised that Haniyeh's assassination would only strengthen the movement and its resistance, increasing their resolve to continue his path and intensifying their efforts against the Israeli occupation. 

"We assure our people and our nation that the movement's institutions remain active and have effective mechanisms to continue the resistance," the statement said.

Hamas also pledged to announce the results of these consultations once they are completed.

Israel's Channel 12 News reported on Saturday that during a conversation between President Joe Biden and the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday, Biden reportedly said, "Stop bullshitting me" after Netanyahu claimed that negotiations in Israel were "progressing" and that "a delegation will depart."

According to the report, Biden ended the conversation by stating, "Don't take the president for granted," the Israeli paper Haaretz reported. 

In response to the report, the Prime Minister's Office issued a statement later on Saturday, saying, "The prime minister does not interfere in American politics and will work with whoever is elected president, just as he also expects the Americans not to interfere in Israeli politics."

Iran has arrested dozens of people in the wake of the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in the capital, Tehran, earlier this week.

Among those arrested are senior intelligence officers, military officials and staff workers at the guest house where Haniyeh was killed.

According to sources familiar with the investigation, speaking to the New York Times, security officials have also targeted Tehran’s international and domestic airports, reviewing months of camera footage from the arrival and departure lounges and examining flight lists.

The sources said the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) specialised intelligence unit for espionage is handling the investigation.

Haniyeh's death has provoked an outcry from Palestinians and allies of Hamas and raised concerns about Iran's ability to maintain security within its borders.

Read more: Iran arrests dozens in sweeping arrests following Hamas leader's assassination

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) claimed that its forces destroyed “Houthi missile and launcher in a Houthi-controlled area of Yemen” in the past 24 hours.

“It was determined these weapons presented an imminent threat to US and coalition forces, and merchant vessels in the region. These actions were taken to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure.”

The Houthi movement, also known as Ansar Allah, has gained global attention for its attacks on commercial and military shipping, which it claims are in response to Israel's ongoing assault on Gaza.

In response, the US and UK governments have intervened to help Israel in fending off attacks from Yemen's Houthis. 

Lebanon’s Health Ministry reports that a 17-year-old boy was killed and six others were wounded after an Israeli air strike struck the town of Deir Siriane in southern Lebanon. 

The Israeli military carried out multiple air raids across southern Lebanon today.

In retaliation Hezbollah also launched several attacks on Israeli positions along the border, and its operatives fired a surface-to-air missile at an Israeli warplane flying in Lebanese airspace overnight, forcing it to retreat.

This follows an Israeli attack a day earlier that killed at least five Syrian migrant workers in southern Lebanon. 

An Al-Jazeera journalist is reporting that Qatar Airways has suspended flights to Lebanon until further notice, amid growing concerns that a war between Israel and Hezbollah could erupt at any moment. 

Hamas has condemned the Israeli attack on Hamama School in the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood of Gaza City, which was sheltering thousands of internally displaced Palestinians.

“The occupation’s criminal attack on Hamama School, which shelters thousands of displaced persons, is an insistence on the brutal war of extermination,” the group stated.

“The occupation army continues its lies by claiming that civilian sites, including schools, hospitals, and displacement centres, are being used for military purposes.”

“The occupation army uses these lies as a pretext to target defenceless civilians in Gaza,” Hamas added.

Jewish settlers have set fire to agricultural land near the town of Surif and thrown rocks at the Palestinian village of Al-Mughayyir in the occupied West Bank, reported the Palestinian news agency Wafa.

A Palestinian was injured in the incident.

Surif's mayor, Hazem Ghneimat, told Wafa that settlers from the "Beit Ein" settlement stormed the city, attacked homes, and burned 60 old olive trees.

Israeli raids on Hamama School in the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood of Gaza City resulted in 17 fatalities and at least 70 people wounded. 

Amongst the seriously wounded were children. 

The hospital scenes were chaotic, with some of the injured lying on the floors and grieving Palestinian families filling the corridors.

One of the survivors reported that the strikes occurred without any prior warning

Nine people have been killed in two Israeli air strikes on the city of Tulkarm in the occupied West Bank.

The Palestinian news agency Wafa said the Israeli army killed four people in a second air strike on the occupied West Bank city of Tulkarm, hours after killing a Hamas commander and four other Palestinians in another strike.

Wafa, citing local sources, said Israeli forces hit a car near the village of Bal'a, killing four people. The agency added that they blocked ambulances from reaching the scene. 

Read more: Nine killed in two Israeli strikes on Tulkarm in occupied West Bank