Israel has ‘killed 25,000 Palestinian women and children’ since October attacks

Palestinians wounded in an Israeli strike while waiting for humanitarian aid on the beach in Gaza City
Palestinians wounded in an Israeli strike while waiting for humanitarian aid on the beach in Gaza City - Mahmoud Essa/AP

Israel has killed more than 25,000 Palestinian women and children since the Oct 7 attack by militant group Hamas, according to Gaza health ministry.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin shared the figure during a House Armed Services Committee hearing.

When asked how many women and children had been killed, he replied: “It’s over 25,000.”

The Pentagon later issued a follow-up statement to clarify that they could not independently verify the figures and that they came from the Gazan ministry.

The United States has backed Israel since the unprecedented Hamas attack in October that resulted in the deaths of around 1,160 people.

Israel responded to the attack with a relentless assault on Gaza that the coastal territory’s health ministry said on Thursday has so far left more than 30,000 people dead.

More than 100 more people were killed after Israeli troops opened fire on a crowd gathered trying to get food aid in northern Gaza.


04:34 PM GMT

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04:07 PM GMT

Pictured: Aftermath of attack on people waiting for aid in Gaza City:

Palestinians transport casualties following what Palestinian health officials said was Israeli fire on people waiting for aid, in Gaza City
Palestinians transport casualties following what Palestinian health officials said was Israeli fire on people waiting for aid, in Gaza City - Reuters TV/via REUTERS
Palestinians wounded in an Israeli strike while waiting for humanitarian aid on the beach in Gaza City
Palestinians wounded in an Israeli strike while waiting for humanitarian aid on the beach in Gaza City - Mahmoud Essa/AP

03:37 PM GMT

Gaza ceasefire ‘probably not by Monday’, says Biden

Joe Biden has said a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza was now unlikely to happen by Monday, the timeline that he had predicted earlier this week.

Asked by reporters whether he expected that to happen, Mr Biden said that “hope springs eternal” and that he had been speaking to regional leaders about a ceasefire but added “probably not by Monday”.

Earlier this week, the US president said Israel and Hamas are “close” to a hostage deal in Gaza for a 40-day ceasefire to restore civilian life and rebuilding bakeries and hospitals.


03:31 PM GMT

UN aid chief ‘appalled’ at Gaza killings during transfer of aid

The UN aid chief said he was appalled at the reported killings and injuries of people during the transfer of aid supplies west of Gaza City.

“Even after close to five months of brutal hostilities, Gaza still has the ability to shock us,” Martin Griffiths said in a post on X. “I’m appalled at the reported killing and injury of hundreds of people during a transfer of aid supplies west of Gaza City today.”

He added: “Life is draining out of Gaza at terrifying speed.”


03:21 PM GMT

Pictured: Palestinians inspect the rubble of destroyed buildings after an Israeli airstrike in Nusseirat refugee camp

Palestinians inspect the rubble of destroyed buildings after an Israeli airstrike in Nusseirat refugee camp
Palestinians inspect the rubble of destroyed buildings after an Israeli airstrike in Nusseirat refugee camp - Adel Hana/AP

02:58 PM GMT

Firing on Gazans waiting for aid a ‘serious incident,’ says White House

The White House said on Thursday it is looking into reports of Israeli fire on Palestinians waiting for aid near Gaza City, describing it as a “serious incident.”

A White House National Security Council spokesman said in a statement: “We mourn the loss of innocent life and recognise the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, where innocent Palestinians are just trying to feed their families.

“This underscores the importance of expanding and sustaining the flow of humanitarian assistance into Gaza, including through a potential temporary ceasefire.”


02:25 PM GMT

Israeli defence minister says ultra-Orthodox should serve

Yoav Gallant, Israel’s defence minister, has called for members of the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community to be enrolled in military service as the Gaza war rages on.

“We must all bear the burden,” Mr Gallant said, addressing what has long been a divisive political issue in a country with mandatory military service for most citizens.

Since Israel was founded in 1948, Jewish men who study the Torah full-time in a yeshiva are granted an annual deferment from military service until the age of 26, at which point they become exempt.

Since the war in Gaza erupted after Hamas’s Oct 7 attack, a decades-old debate around these exemptions has gained a new urgency.

On Wednesday, Mr Gallant called for an end to the exemptions, saying he would back legislation to this effect if it is endorsed by centrist ministers in the ruling coalition of Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister.

“An immediate need arises for the extension of military service for our active soldiers and the prolongation of reserve duty for reservists,” Mr Gallant told journalists on Wednesday evening.

“It is not a matter of choice. We must stand firm in defending our homeland.”


02:05 PM GMT

Israel ‘reviewing access to al-Aqsa mosque’ during Ramadan

Israel is reviewing possible curbs on access to al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem over the upcoming Ramadan fasting month, a government spokesman has said, after media reports that the far-Right minister for police might be overruled on the issue.

Al-Aqsa, Islam’s third-holiest shrine, is a focus of Palestinian statehood hopes. The site is also revered by Jews as vestige of their two ancient temples. Israeli controls on access have often stoked political friction, especially during Ramadan.

Itamar Ben-Gvir, the national security minister, said last week there would be a quota for members of Israel’s 18 per cent Muslim minority who wish to take part in peace prayers at al-Aqsa.


01:44 PM GMT

Prince William visits London synagogue to hear of rising antisemitism

Prince William visited a London synagogue on Thursday to hear about an upsurge in anti-Semitism, as he returned to public duties two days after pulling out of a high-profile royal event over what was described as a “personal matter”.

A week after the heir-to-the-throne called for an end to the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, the Prince met young ambassadors from the Holocaust Educational Trust who are seeking to tackle hatred amid soaring antisemitism in Britain.

On Wednesday, Rishi Sunak announced 54 million pounds of new funding to protect Jewish communities after figures showed antisemitic incidents had hit a record high in Britain last year.

During his visit to the Western Marble Arch Synagogue, the prince, who wore a kippah, the traditional Jewish cap, listened to Jewish students as they recounted how there had been what one described as an “explosion” in antisemitism, including death threats and assaults.

Read the full story here


01:15 PM GMT

Hamas chief says he has Israel ‘right where we want them’

Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas leader in Gaza, believes the group is winning the war against Israel.

Sinwar reportedly sent a message through a courier to Hamas leaders in exile in Qatar, saying: “Don’t worry, we have the Israelis right where we want them.”

Sinwar, the man believed to have orchestrated the Oct 7 attacks, sought to reassure leaders of the terror group who met in Doha  earlier this month amid fears over the death toll of Hamas fighters.

According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, Sinwar assured Hamas’s military wing, the al-Qassam Brigades, were prepared for Israel’s expected offensive in Rafah.

He said the high number of civilian deaths would pressure Israel into stopping the war.

Hamas estimates around 6,000 of its members have been killed since Oct 7.


12:50 PM GMT

Israel strikes kill Hezbollah fighter near Syria-Lebanon border

Israel killed a Hezbollah fighter in a strike on Syria, close to the Lebanese border, also hitting near Damascus, a war monitor has said, hours after similar attacks [see post at 11:47].

Hezbollah holds sway over Lebanon’s eastern border with Syria, as well as some regions on the other side of the border including Qusayr, the target of Thursday’s strike.

Rami Abdel Rahman, who heads the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said: “An Israeli drone strike on a truck killed a Hezbollah fighter in the Qusayr area near the Syrian-Lebanese border.”

At the same time, Israeli strikes targeted Syrian air defence and radar sites near Damascus, said the Britain-based monitor with a network of sources inside Syria.


12:25 PM GMT

Pictured: An Israeli army soldier firing a weapon in an unspecified location in the Gaza Strip

An Israeli army soldier firing a weapon in an unspecified location in the Gaza Strip
An Israeli army soldier firing a weapon in an unspecified location in the Gaza Strip - AFP

11:47 AM GMT

Israeli strike hits Hezbollah truck near Lebanese-Syrian border

An Israeli strike hit a Hezbollah truck near the Lebanese-Syrian border on Thursday killing at least one fighter, a security source familiar with the Iran-aligned group told Reuters.

Israel has been carrying out an unprecedented wave of deadly strikes in Syria targeting cargo trucks, infrastructure and people involved in Iran’s weapons lifeline to its proxies in the region, sources with direct knowledge of the matter had previously told Reuters.

The sources said Israel had shifted strategies following the Oct 7 rampage by Hamas fighters into Israeli territory and the ensuing Israeli bombing campaigns in Gaza and Lebanon.


11:16 AM GMT

Medic says 50 killed as Israel fires on Gazans rushing to aid trucks

An emergency doctor in Gaza has said that Israeli forces shot dead at least 50 people who rushed towards trucks loaded with humanitarian aid for Gaza City residents.

A dire humanitarian crisis is unfolding in the war-torn territory, with food shortages greatest in the north of Gaza.

Amjad Aliwa, the director of the emergency department of Al-Shifa hospital, said in a statement: “The number of martyrs rose to at least 50... and more than 120 were injured, including women and children, as a result of the occupation’s shooting [on the crowd].”

The Israeli army said it was “checking” the reports on the incident, while the United Nations’ humanitarian office OCHA said it was “familiar with the reports”.

A witness told AFP the violence unfolded at the Nabulsi roundabout in the western part of Gaza City, when thousands of people rushed towards the trucks.

“Trucks full of aid came too close to some army tanks that were in the area and the crowd, thousands of people, just stormed the trucks,” the witness said, declining to be named for safety reasons.

“The soldiers fired at the crowd as people came too close to the tanks.”

The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza put the death toll at 70 and said 280 people were injured, their conditions ranging “from critical to serious”.


11:00 AM GMT

Israel could invade Lebanon in ‘coming months’

The United States believes Israel could launch a ground offensive against Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Officials close to Joe Biden have voiced concerns an incursion may take place in the late spring or early summer, according to a report in CNN.

One senior Biden administration official said: “We are operating in the assumption that an Israeli military operation is in the coming months.

“Not necessarily imminently in the next few weeks but perhaps later this spring. An Israeli military operation is a distinct possibility.”

Sources familiar with the intelligence briefings say the invasion could take place if Hezbollah cannot be forced to retreat from the border through diplomatic means.

There have been weeks of cross-border fire since Oct 7 between Hezbollah and Israel. On Monday, the IDF carried out some of its deepest strikes in Lebanon on Monday in the first attacks on Hezbollah targets outside of the country’s south since the start of the war in Gaza.


10:32 AM GMT

Pictured: Israeli military in Gaza

Photos of IDF activity in Gaza
Photos of IDF activity in Gaza
Photos of IDF activity in Gaza
Photos of IDF activity in Gaza

10:11 AM GMT

War crimes committed by all parties in Israel-Hamas conflict, says UN rights chief

The UN human rights chief has said war crimes have been committed by all parties in the conflict between Israel and Hamas, calling for them to be investigated and for those responsible to be held accountable.

Volker Turk told the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva: “Clear violations of international human rights and humanitarian laws, including war crimes and possibly other crimes under international law, have been committed by all parties.

“It is time – well past time – for peace, investigation and accountability.”

The Oct 7 attack by Hamas, which killed 1200 people, sparked an Israeli offensive in Gaza, which it says is intended to rescue the remaining hostages and eradicate Hamas. Hamas-run health authorities in Gaza say some 30,000 people have been confirmed killed during the offensive.

Mr Turk, who was presenting a report on the human rights situation in Gaza and in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, said his office had recorded “many incidents that may amount to war crimes by Israeli forces”.

He said there were also indications that Israeli forces have engaged in “indiscriminate or disproportionate targeting” in violation of international law. Israel has said it is doing all it can to minimise harm to civilians.

Mr Turk said Palestinian armed groups launching indiscriminate projectiles across southern Israel and the holding of hostages also violated international humanitarian law.


09:45 AM GMT

Gaza hospital receives 10 dead bodies

Gaza’s Kamal Adwan hospital received the bodies of 10 dead people and dozens of wounded Palestinians from western Gaza City, the head of the hospital Hussam Abu Safieyah told Reuters on Thursday.

“We don’t know how many are there in other hospitals,” he added.

Hamas-led Gaza’s Government Media office said Israeli military strikes killed 70 Palestinians and wounded 250 others as crowds waited for aid trucks in Gaza City.


09:21 AM GMT

Canada ‘working to air drop aid to the Gaza Strip as soon as possible’

Canada is working to air drop humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip as soon as possible, a cabinet minister has said.

The confirmation that an active effort is underway comes after Ahmed Hussen, the Canadian international development minister, said Ottawa was exploring new options to deliver aid.

He said the provision of airdrops in partnership with like-minded countries in the region, such as Jordan, was on the table.

Mr Hussen said last week that the provision of aid is nowhere near what’s needed and a tedious inspection process was slowing down the movement of supplies brought in by truck.


08:52 AM GMT

Pictured: People inspect damage following Israeli air strikes in Gaza

People inspect damage and recover items from their homes following Israeli air strikes in Gaza
People inspect damage and recover items from their homes following Israeli air strikes in Gaza - APAImages/Shutterstock/Shutterstock

08:51 AM GMT

New Zealand lists Hamas as terrorist group

New Zealand has listed Hamas in its entirety as a terrorist organisation and imposed travel bans on “extremist” Israeli settlers whom it said had committed violent attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank.

Christopher Luxon, the prime minister, said in a statement that the attacks by Hamas on Israel in October “were brutal and we have unequivocally condemned them.”

He added that “New Zealand wants to be clear that the designation of Hamas is about the actions of an offshore terrorist entity and is not a reflection on the Palestinian people in Gaza and around the world.”

New Zealand has designated the military wing of Hamas as a terrorist entity since 2010.

Winston Peters, the foreign minister, said the whole of Hamas bears responsibility for the October attacks, making it difficult for the New Zealand government to distinguish between the group’s military and political wings.


08:50 AM GMT

I’ll win back Arab-American voters who snubbed me over Gaza, promises Joe Biden

Joe Biden has pledged to “win back” the votes of Arab Americans who punished him over his handling of the war in Gaza in time for November’s presidential election.

Mr Biden easily won Michigan’s Democratic primary on Tuesday night but faced a backlash from predominantly young and Arab voters who object to his support for Israel.

The US president took about 81 per cent of the vote, but more than 100,000 voters (13 per cent) revolted by marking “uncommitted” on their ballot papers instead. Mr Biden only won the state by 150,000 votes in 2020.

Read more here


08:49 AM GMT

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