Ceasefire deal ends Israeli bombing in Gaza that left 44 dead
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Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid has told southern municipal leaders that Israel had achieved its goals in the three days of fighting in Gaza against Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and that there was no benefit to continuing Operation Breaking Dawn, according to Hebrew media reports.
At least 31 people have been killed and 275 wounded, half of whom are women and children, since Israel began its bombardment of Gaza on Friday.
Israel and Palestinian armed factions have agreed to observe an Egypt-mediated truce in Gaza from Sunday evening, according to Reuters.
The truce will come into effect at 8pm on Sunday (5pm GMT), a Palestinian official told the news agency.
There was no immediate official confirmation from Israel or Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
Israel and Palestinian armed factions have agreed to observe an Egypt-mediated truce in Gaza from Sunday evening, Reuters reported.
The truce will go into effect at 8pm on Sunday (5pm GMT), a Palestinian official told the news agency.
There was no immediate official confirmation from Israel or Palestinian Islamic Jihad. The two sides have been exchanging fire across the Gaza boundry since Friday after Israel attacked the besieged strip. At least 31 Palestinians have been killed in the bombardment, including six children.
Egypt also helped broker last year's ceasefire between Israel and Gaza in May after a deadly 11-day war.
The logic of Israel's recent bombing campaign on Gaza is difficult to parse, Middle East Eye contributor and veteran Israeli analyst Meron Rapoport said.
Some have pinned the unprovoked Israeli attack on the looming Israeli elections, but this may not be sufficient to explain the campaign.
Although Prime Minister Yair Lapid will use the military campaign to "buttress his political standing ahead of Israel's upcoming general elections," previous experience has shown that attacking Gaza has not always translated well for serving prime ministers in future elections.
Another explanation could be Israel's attempt to undermine Iran, a supporter of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement, as well as Hamas.
But political analysis alone may not be enough to explain Israel's behaviour, Rapoport said.
"Seeking rational explanations for Israel's strange behaviour may be superfluous, because the best explanation may come from the world of social psychology.
"At a certain point, Israel evidently resigned itself to having no goal for the future – whether the goal be the elimination of Palestinian resistance and the collapse of Hamas, as Netanyahu promised before being elected prime minister a second time, in 2009, or the signing of some political agreement with the Palestinians, or even orchestrating their mass expulsion as Israel did in 1948.
"In any of these scenarios, the logic of Israel's recent actions is difficult to parse. Given the context, even an irrational act such as provoking a completely superfluous military conflict in Gaza seems somehow logical."
Read his full analysis below.
The logic behind Israel's Gaza attack, if any, is anyone's guess
Residents of two densely populated areas in the Gaza Strip are reeling from Israeli attacks that killed at least 14 people late on Saturday as funerals were held on Sunday morning.
Monira Nofal, aunt of Khalil Abu Hamada, 19, is still in shock after the death of her nephew, who was killed along with five others, including four children, in a suspected Israeli attack on Jabalia camp, north of the Gaza Strip.
"He was his parents' only child, they had him after trying to have a baby for more than 12 years," Nofal told Middle East Eye's correspondent Mohammed al-Hajjar.
Israel said it wasn't behind the air strike, but Palestinian sources say it could not have come from anywhere else.
Abu Hamada's father had been preparing a new apartment for the 19-year-old to help him get married. He had gone outside his home late on Saturday to check a problem with his father's car, parked outside the house when the shell hit, Nofal said.
"He was was good boy, spoiled and beautiful, and everyone loved him," she added.
Elsewhere, rescue workers continued their work to pull out bodies trapped under the rubble in Rafah city, in the south of the Gaza strip, where another Israeli air strike killed at least eight people, including a 14-year-old boy.
Adeeb Ahmad, an eyewitness to the attack, told MEE the attack came with no warnings.
"The house was hit without any prior notice," Ahmad said. "Homes are overcrowded here, housing seven to eight people each, and they are so close to each other, so when one house is hit several houses around it are impacted.
"This arrogant enemy deepens its crimes against our people."
The Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) movement and Hamas have condemned the assassination of Khalid Mansour, commander of the southern division in Gaza of the al-Quds Brigades (Saraya al-Quds), the military wing of the PIJ.
Mansour was killed in an air strike that hit an overcrowded area in Rafah city, in the south of the Gaza Strip, late on Saturday. At least seven people were killed in the attack, including two other PIJ fighters, Ziad Ahmed al-Mdalal and Rafat Saleh Sheikh al-Eid, as well as a 14-year-old child and two women.
"The Islamic Jihad movement in Palestine and its military arm, Saraya al-Quds, mourn the martyrdom of the fallen fighters and civilians who were killed in a violent Zionist aggression that targeted a residential area in the al-Sha'ut camp in the city of Rafah," the group said in a statement.
"While we mourn the dead, we confirm that their death will not go in vain, and that our fighters will not let their blood dry before they attack the enemy's settlements with our rockets," it said.
The Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, issued a similar statement mourning Khalid Mansour and Taiseer al-Jabari, head of the northern division of al-Quds Brigades, who was killed on Friday.
Scores of Israeli ultra-nationalists, including settlers, stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem on Sunday morning as the Israeli military onslaught on Gaza entered its third day.
Protected by heavily armed Israeli forces, the storming began at around 7am local time and continued for three hours, as Israelis marked the Jewish holiday of Tisha B'av.
Organised by far-right groups that call for the destruction of Al-Aqsa Mosque, one of the holiest sites in Islam, another round of storming is planned between 1:30pm and 2:30pm.
During the tours in the courtyards of the mosque, settlers performed religious prayers and raised the Israeli flag, in contravention of long-standing agreements on the site.
According to local Palestinian media, at least 1,000 Israeli had stormed the site in the morning.
Small groups of Muslim worshippers who were inside the mosque during the raids were assaulted by Israeli forces.
Outside the mosque, located in Jerusalem's ancient Old City, skirmishes occurred between Israeli ultra-nationalists and Palestinian residents.
Some Israeli activists were seen chanting anti-Muslim slogans, such as "Mohammed is Dead," referring to Islam's prophet.
Translation: Settlers insult Prophet Mohammed and raise the occupation flag on Bab al-Silsila Road
Good morning MEE readers,
Palestinian medics have been working for hours overnight and into Sunday morning after an Israeli air strike flattened a residential building in Rafah, in the south of the Gaza Strip, as the assault enters the third day.
After eight hours of digging through the rubble, rescue workers pulled out at least seven bodies of Palestinians, including a 14-year-old child and two women.
The Israeli strike hit an overcrowded refugee camp in the city late on Saturday. At least 30 people were wounded, according to initial estimates, with numbers of casualties likely to be higher.
The Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement (PIJ), the main target of Israel in the military operation, said three of its members were killed in the strike, including Khalid Mansour, commander of the southern division in Gaza of the al-Quds Brigades (Saraya al-Quds), the military wing of the PIJ.
The attacks late on Saturday took the death toll to 29 killed since Friday, including six children. At least 253 were wounded, more than half of them women and children, according to the Palestinian health ministry.
Meanwhile, Palestinian rockets have continued to be fired into Israel from Gaza, as the PIJ vowed to avenge its dead members and "protect the Palestinian people".
Around 400 projectiles have been fired so far, according to Israeli estimates, causing two minor injuries and some material damage, mostly in southern Israeli cities.
On Sunday, the PIJ said it fired rockets towards Jerusalem, which the Israeli army said were intercepted.
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Hello MEE readers.
The Israeli army concluded the second day of its military operation in Gaza with large-scale deadly attacks on overcrowded residential areas, taking the toll to at least 24 people killed since Friday, with at least 203 civilians having been wounded, according to the Palestinian health ministry.
Four children and a teenager were killed in a suspected Israeli air strike that hit a residential area near a mosque in the overcrowded Jabalia refugee camp north of the Gaza Strip late on Saturday. The Israeli army denied conducting any air strikes in the area at the time of the blast, saying it was likely a misfired Palestinian rocket.
At the same time, another wave of heavy bombing hit Rafah city, south of the Gaza Strip, with at least 30 people wounded. "The attack came with no warning, and multiple bombs hit the residential area," local journalist Wael Abu Omar said. "The wounded included elders, women and children."
Israel warned on Saturday that its deadly bombing campaign on Gaza could last a week, as cross-border fire reverberated for a second day in the worst escalation since last year’s war.
Earlier in the day, Gaza’s sole power plant said it was forced to close down, as Israel has prevented the entry of fuel trucks into Gaza for almost a week. This led the Palestinian health ministry to warn that health facilities in Gaza could be forced to shut down within 72 hours and called for the international community to put pressure on Israel to allow patients out of the enclave.
A Palestinian member of the Israeli parliament, Sami Abu Shehadeh, slammed the Israeli military operation in Gaza as part of an election campaign by caretaker Prime Minister Yair Lapid and Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz.
Egypt's President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi expressed hope that calm would be restored soon, saying that his government was trying to play a positive role through contacts with the Palestinian and Israeli sides.
"We are working with our partners to restore peace and stability in the Gaza Strip," he said.
Meanwhile, the international community has reacted to the Israeli assault on Gaza.
The UN envoy for the Middle East Peace Process, Tor Wennesland, said he was "deeply concerned" by the escalating violence.
"There can be no justification for any attacks against civilians," he said.
Turkey condemned the air strikes, saying it was "unacceptable that civilians, including children, lose their lives in attacks".
US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby urged calm from both sides but said US ally Israel had the right to defend itself.
"We certainly urge all sides to avoid further escalation… We absolutely fully support Israel's right to defend itself against terrorist groups that are taking the lives of innocent civilians in Israel," he said.
Russia, whose ties with Israel have been tested by Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, appeared to pin initial blame on the Israelis.
"The new escalation was caused by Israeli army firing into the Gaza Strip on 5 August, to which Palestinian groups responded by carrying out massive and indiscriminate bombardments on Israeli territory," foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.
That's a wrap from the Middle East Eye team for now, please continue to follow us for more updates, and check out our Twitter and Instagram for the latest coverage.
At least six people have been killed, including four children, in a suspected Israeli air strike that hit a residential area near a mosque in the overcrowded Jabalia refugee camp north of the Gaza Strip late on Saturday, reports Middle East Eye correspondent Mohammed al-Hajjar.
The Israeli army denied conducting any air strikes in the area at the time of the blast, saying it was likely a misfired Palestinian rocket.
The children killed in the blast were identified as Momen al-Nairab, five, Hazem Salem, nine, Khalil Shubair, 10 and Ahmad al-Nairb, 11.
A further 15 people were wounded, most of whom were children.
Ahamd Arafah, an eyewitness, described scenes of horror.
"I can't even put to words what I have just witnessed, I'm still shaking," Arafah told MEE.
"We were watching the news like everyone, then we heard screaming and went outside. I saw frightening scenes. Blood-covered children, body parts all over the street, people running around confused.
"Of course, all of this is in the midst of power outages and we can barely see what happened," said Arafah, adding that they then began taking bodies into the ambulances, about 10 in each vehicle.
"It was literally a massacre. There are no other words to describe it. I'm still in shock at what I saw. They were just children. What is their crime?"
At the same time, another wave of heavy bombing hit Rafah city, south of the Gaza Strip. The strikes hit a house belonging to the al-Mudallal family.
According to initial reports, at least 30 people have been wounded while some remain buried under the rubble.
"The attack came with no warning, and multiple bombs hit the residential area," local journalist Wael Abu Omar said. "The wounded included elders, women and children."
The two late Saturday raids have taken the death toll in Gaza to 24 since Friday, including six children. More than 203 have been wounded.
Russia, whose ties with Israel have been tested by Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, has appeared to pin initial blame on the Israelis for escalating the assault on Gaza.
"We are observing with profound worry how events are evolving," foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said, according to AFP, adding that Moscow was calling "on all the parties involved to show maximum restraint".
"The new escalation was caused by [the] Israeli army firing into the Gaza Strip on 5 August, to which Palestinian groups responded by carrying out massive and indiscriminate bombardments on Israeli territory," she said.
The family of the five-year-old Palestinian girl killed on Friday in the Shujaiya neighbourhood north of Gaza has spoken to Middle East Eye of their shock and grief.
Alaa Qaddoum had been playing with friends in the vicinity of Abu Samra Mosque as worshippers inside prepared for the Asr afternoon prayer.
Then Israeli fighter jets bombed the area, killing her among others, making Alaa one of the first victims of Israel's latest bombing campaign on the besieged Palestinian enclave.
"Alaa was an innocent five-year-old playing in the street with her brothers and cousins. What did she do to be killed?" a cousin, Abu Diab Qaddoum, told MEE as he waited outside the intensive care unit at Al Shifa Hospital, where Alaa's father, Abdallah Qaddoum, was being treated.
Abdallah, 30, sustained serious injuries in the strike and is now receiving critical care.
Alaa was killed immediately when shrapnel hit her forehead, chest, and right leg, according to Mohammed Abu Selmeyeh, director of Al Shifa Hospital.
"They are the light of my eyes," their 28-year-old mother, who did not wish to give a name, said as her eyes welled up with tears.
The pair's aunt also couldn't hold back her tears speaking to MEE. "Her blood hasn't dried yet," she said as she held Alaa's blood-splattered pink and white shirts.
Read the full story here.
An Israeli village (Yishuv) located near the boundary with the Gaza Strip is set to be evacuated as the Israeli army threatens to widen its attacks against the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement.
According to Israeli broadcaster Kann, residents of the unnamed village will be removed tomorrow.
Earlier today, Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz warned that the leadership of Islamic Jihad who "sit abroad in restaurants and hotels in Tehran, Syria and Lebanon" will also "pay the bill".
Gantz's comments came as a sustained barrage of rockets continued to be fired from Gaza into Israel.
Around 400 projectiles have been fired so far, according to Israeli estimates, causing two minor injuries and some damage in the southern city of Ashkelon. Sirens warning of incoming rockets were heard in Ashkelon, Ashdod and Tel Aviv, among other areas.
Egypt's President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, on the second day of the Israeli onslaught on Gaza, has expressed hope that calm would be restored soon.
Speaking at a military academy event on Saturday, Sisi said his government was trying to play a positive role through contacts with the Palestinian and Israeli sides.
"We are working with our partners to restore peace and stability in the Gaza Strip," he said.
Egypt has traditionally played the role of mediator in the Israel-Palestine conflict since it formally recognised Israel in 1979.
Cairo brokered the truce that ended the 11-day war in Gaza last year. The war killed 256 Palestinians, including 66 children, and displaced at least 72,000 people, according to the Gaza health ministry.
Palestinian demonstrators have taken to the streets in Haifa and Umm al-Fahm, and more protests are expected in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem demanding an end to Israeli shelling that has killed 15 people in Gaza in 24 hours.
Translation: Umm al-Fahm: A protest held condemning the Israeli occupation's aggression on Gaza
Israeli ultra-nationalists, including settlers, are planning a large-scale storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque on Sunday, amid Palestinian calls to mobilise at the occupied East Jerusalem site.
The planned storming, organised by far-right groups and in coordination with Israeli forces, will take place between around 7am to 10am local time, then again at 1:30pm, to mark the Jewish holiday of Tisha B’av.
Despite concerns that provocative tours by Israeli settlers in Al-Aqsa Mosque could escalate violence, Israeli police do not intend to stop the planned stormings tomorrow, according to Israeli media.
However, the situation could change by Sunday, security sources told the Israeli daily Haaretz.
