Gaza live: Israeli attack hits Unrwa centre
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"My family has grown accustomed to the monotony of survival. We have been repeatedly displaced by Israel's relentless assault on Gaza, which has continued for more than eight months.
"The constant evacuations, cramped living conditions and scarcity of basic necessities have taken a toll. The passage of time seems to have become warped and distorted. The exhaustion, fear and desperation have blended together into a numb, relentless haze.
"Every day is a struggle. Our lives are devoid of joy or happiness, stuck in a never-ending routine. My siblings ask questions that break my heart, reminding me of all the things we've lost and can't get back.
"When things get really tough, I try to pretend everything will be okay, even though I'm not sure it's true. This war is terrifying. The Israeli army is destroying Gaza, and it's hard to know what will happen next.
"My bed at home in al-Maghazi camp in central Gaza was soft and comfortable; it made me feel safe. A few months ago, after my family was displaced to Rafah, I was forced to sleep on hard ground that hurt my body whenever I moved."
READ MORE: 'I don't want to die, mum', a recounting of the Nuseirat massacre by Eman Alhaj Ali
The UN's Palestinian refugee agency, Unrwa, said that 69 percent of school buildings where displaced people sought shelter have been directly hit or damaged during the war.
"This blatant disregard of humanitarian law must stop," the agency said on X. "We need a ceasefire now."
Nowhere is safe in #Gaza.
— UNRWA (@UNRWA) June 23, 2024
According to @GlobalEdCluster, 69% of school buildings where displaced families were seeking shelter have been directly hit or damaged.
This blatant disregard of humanitarian law must stop. We need a #CeasefireNow. pic.twitter.com/izwPNeKOVC
Good morning Middle East Eye readers,
Here are the latest updates:
- At least eight Palestinians were killed in an Israeli strike on a home in Gaza City's Sabra neighbourhood, and two others were killed by a shell north of the Nuseirat refugee camp, the Wafa news agency reported
- Israel's Defence Minister Yoav Gallant is heading to Washington to meet top US officials, saying these meetings will be "critical for the future of the war"
- Yemen's Houthis claim they have teamed up with the Iran-backed Islamic Resistance in Iraq to target four vessels anchored at Israel's Haifa port
- Israel's military did not comment on the Houthi claim, but said it shot down a drone headed toward the country from the east overnight
Good evening, Middle East Eye readers.
Our live coverage of Israel's assault on Gaza will shortly be closing for the evening.
Here are the day's main developments:
- Gaza's health ministry said that 101 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks in the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 37,551 people killed in the enclave since 7 October. Additionally, 85,911 people have been wounded since the war began.
- Two separate Israeli attacks on Gaza killed at least 42 Palestinians on Saturday, according to the Gaza government's media office and the Civil Defence. Hamas released a statement, saying that Israel "continues its brutal targeting of defenceless civilians in Gaza and carries out new massacres in the Shati Camp, Mawasi and Rafah".
- EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell has called for an independent investigation into a deadly shelling that hit an office of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Gaza.
- Four children have died of malnutrition in a single week in northern Gaza's Kamal Adwan Hospital, according to director Hussam Abu Safia.
- Footage shared online showed Israeli forces tying a wounded Palestinian to the bonnet of an armoured vehicle in Jenin, occupied West Bank, in what seemed to be a case of using him as a human shield.
- Lebanese media report that a drone strike hit a car in the town of Khiara, West Beqaa, some 40km from the border with Israel. The Israeli army said in a statement that it had killed a prominent Hamas and al-Jama’a al-Islamiyya operative in the strike.
- The Qatari prime minister on Saturday said that ceasefire talks were still ongoing, and that his country "continues its efforts, in cooperation with regional and international partners, to end the war in Gaza and prevent the spread of violence".
- According to CNN, the US reassured Israel it would back its ally should an all-out war break out with Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Tens of thousands of protesters waving Israeli flags and chanting slogans against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government rallied in Tel Aviv on Saturday, demanding new elections and the return of hostages held in Gaza, AFP reported.
Many protesters held signs reading "Crime Minister" and "Stop the War" as people poured into the biggest Israeli city's main thoroughfare.
"I am here because I am afraid of the future of my grandchild. There will be no future for them if we don't go out and get rid of the horrible government," said 66-year-old contractor Shai Erel.
"All of the rats in the Knesset… I wouldn't let any one of them be a guard of a kindergarten."
Anti-government protest organisation Hofshi Israel estimated more than 150,000 people attended the rally, calling it the biggest since the Gaza war began.
In an address to the crowd, a former head of Israel's domestic Shin Bet security agency, Yuval Diskin, condemned Netanyahu as Israel's "worst prime minister".
Thousands of Israelis rallied in Tel Aviv on Saturday to mark the 20th birthday of Naama Levy, who has been held hostage in Gaza since 7 October, and to call for an immediate ceasefire in the war with Palestinian militant group Hamas.
Releasing balloons and chanting to the beat of drums, protesters shared bite-sized cupcakes decorated with birthday candles, while demanding the release of all hostages taken by Hamas following its raid on Israel eight months ago.
"She needs to be here with her family, with her friends,” said Yoni Levy, 52, Naama’s father, wearing a shirt emblazoned with his daughter's image.
The Yemeni Houthi group said on Saturday that its forces had attacked US aircraft carrier the Dwight D Eisenhower in the Red Sea and the Transworld Navigator ship in the Arabian Sea. It did not say when the attacks took place, Reuters reported.
A Houthi statement said the Transworld Navigator took a direct hit from a missile.
The operation against the Eisenhower had achieved its objectives successfully, it said, without elaborating.
Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani said that ceasefire talks were still ongoing, and that his country "continues its efforts, in cooperation with regional and international partners, to end the war in Gaza and prevent the spread of violence".
"Qatar is working towards an agreement on a ceasefire and the exchange of prisoners and detainees, currently reviewing responses from all parties and coordinating with relevant partners on the next steps," he said in a joint news conference with Spain's foreign minister, Jose Manuel Albares.
He added that bridging the gaps with Hamas was a natural process in negotiations, as solutions should be built on compromises between parties.
Qatar's foreign ministry said in a statement that the country's officials held "successive meetings with Hamas leaders in recent days to bridge gaps and reach an agreement on a ceasefire and the release of prisoners and hostages".
"Efforts are still ongoing, and reaching a suitable and acceptable formula will mark the beginning of communication with the Israeli side to bridge the gaps and reach an agreement as soon as possible".
EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell has called for an independent investigation into a deadly shelling that hit an office of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Gaza.
"The EU condemns the shelling, which damaged the ICRC office in Gaza and led to dozens of casualties," he said on X. "An independent investigation is needed and those responsible must be held accountable."
The EU condemns the shelling which damaged the @ICRC office in #Gaza and led to dozens of casualties.
— Josep Borrell Fontelles (@JosepBorrellF) June 22, 2024
An independent investigation is needed and those responsible must be held accountable.
Protection of civilians is an obligation under Geneva Conventions.
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The Israeli army said in a statement that it killed a prominent Hamas and al-Jama’a al-Islamiyya operative in its strike on Lebanon's West Beqaa district earlier on Saturday.
They claim the man, Ayman Ghatma, was in charge of providing weapons for the two groups in Lebanon.
Footage shared online shows Israeli forces tying a wounded Palestinian on the hood of an armoured vehicle in Jenin, occupied West Bank, in what seems to be a case of using him as a human shield.
Israeli forces withdrew from Jenin on Saturday.
Footage captured the moment Israeli occupation forces drove off a neighbourhood in Jenin in the occupied West Bank, with an injured Palestinian man placed on the hood of their military vehicle on Saturday. pic.twitter.com/A7bTzaqcfP
— Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) June 22, 2024
Two separate Israeli attacks on Gaza killed at least 42 Palestinians on Saturday, according to tolls from the Gaza government's media office and the Civil Defence.
The media office said that a strike on seven buildings in the Shati refugee camp killed at least 24 Palestinians and another on Gaza City's Tuffah neighbourhood killed 18, while the Civil Defence said they recovered 19 bodies following the strike on Tuffah.
Four children have died of malnutrition in a single week in northern Gaza's Kamal Adwan Hospital, director Hussam Abu Safia has announced.
"We lost a child in the nursery department of the hospital during the past few hours. He is the fourth child to die in the hospital in the last week due to malnutrition," he said in a news conference.
Hamas released a statement saying Israel "continues its brutal targeting of defenceless civilians in Gaza and carries out new massacres in the Shati Camp, Mawasi and Rafah".
The Palestinian armed group called on the international community to take "more effective action" to stop Israel from committing such acts.
"The occupation and its Nazi leaders will pay the price for their violations against our Palestinian people, and these crimes will not break the will [of the Palestinians]."
Lebanese media report that a drone strike hit a car in the town of Khiara, West Beqaa, some 40km north from the border with Israel.
شاهد 🔽 - مراسل الجديد: إستهداف سيارة عند مفترق بلدة الخيارة في البقاع الغربي @farhat_muhamad1 pic.twitter.com/gvznqWI7mm
— Al Jadeed News (@ALJADEEDNEWS) June 22, 2024
