Israel’s military says ‘large number’ of militants dead in Shujaiya area near Gaza City amid reports of bodies in streets
See all our Israel-Gaza war coverage
Hello and welcome to the Guardian’s continuing live coverage of the Israel-Gaza war and wider Middle East crisis. Here’s a snapshot of the latest news.
Explosions, air strikes and gunfire rattled northern Gaza on Saturday, the third day of an Israeli military operation that has uprooted tens of thousands of Palestinians and compounded what the UN called “unbearable” living conditions in the territory.
Israel’s foreign minister said Iran’s message of an “obliterating war” made it worthy of destruction. “A regime that threatens destruction deserves to be destroyed,” Israel Katz said in a post on X on Saturday. He also said Israel would act with full force against Iran-backed Hezbollah if it did not stop firing at Israel from Lebanon and move away from the border. Iran’s UN mission said on Friday that if Israel embarked on a “full-scale military aggression” in Lebanon, “an obliterating war will ensue”.
Four bodies were pulled from an apartment after an Israeli strike in central Gaza, the territory’s civil defence agency said on Saturday. Further south, in the Rafah area, witnesses reported dead and wounded after a new Israeli incursion. Tarek Qandeel, director of the medical centre in al-Maghazi, central Gaza, said it was seriously damaged when a neighbouring house was bombed, making it the latest Gaza medical facility affected by the war.
A UN spokesperson said she had just returned to central Gaza after four weeks outside the territory and “it’s really unbearable”. Louise Wateridge said by video link that the situation had “significantly deteriorated”. “There’s no water there, there’s no sanitation, there’s no food,” and people were returning to live in “empty shells” of buildings. In the absence of toilets they were “relieving themselves anywhere they can”.
At least 37,834 Palestinians have been killed and 86,858 wounded in Israel’s offensive on Gaza since 7 October, the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory said on Saturday.
Hamas said there had been no progress in ceasefire talks with Israel. A senior official of the militant group, Osama Hamdan, also told a news conference in Beirut on Saturday that it was still ready to “deal positively” with any ceasefire proposal that ended the war. Hamas and Israel have both blamed each other for the impasse. Axios reported on Friday that the US had proposed new language for parts of the hostage and ceasefire proposal in an effort to secure a deal.
Continue reading…Israel’s military says ‘large number’ of militants dead in Shujaiya area near Gaza City amid reports of bodies in streets See all our Israel-Gaza war coverageHello and welcome to the Guardian’s continuing live coverage of the Israel-Gaza war and wider Middle East crisis. Here’s a snapshot of the latest news.Explosions, air strikes and gunfire rattled northern Gaza on Saturday, the third day of an Israeli military operation that has uprooted tens of thousands of Palestinians and compounded what the UN called “unbearable” living conditions in the territory.Israel’s foreign minister said Iran’s message of an “obliterating war” made it worthy of destruction. “A regime that threatens destruction deserves to be destroyed,” Israel Katz said in a post on X on Saturday. He also said Israel would act with full force against Iran-backed Hezbollah if it did not stop firing at Israel from Lebanon and move away from the border. Iran’s UN mission said on Friday that if Israel embarked on a “full-scale military aggression” in Lebanon, “an obliterating war will ensue”.Four bodies were pulled from an apartment after an Israeli strike in central Gaza, the territory’s civil defence agency said on Saturday. Further south, in the Rafah area, witnesses reported dead and wounded after a new Israeli incursion. Tarek Qandeel, director of the medical centre in al-Maghazi, central Gaza, said it was seriously damaged when a neighbouring house was bombed, making it the latest Gaza medical facility affected by the war.A UN spokesperson said she had just returned to central Gaza after four weeks outside the territory and “it’s really unbearable”. Louise Wateridge said by video link that the situation had “significantly deteriorated”. “There’s no water there, there’s no sanitation, there’s no food,” and people were returning to live in “empty shells” of buildings. In the absence of toilets they were “relieving themselves anywhere they can”.At least 37,834 Palestinians have been killed and 86,858 wounded in Israel’s offensive on Gaza since 7 October, the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory said on Saturday.Hamas said there had been no progress in ceasefire talks with Israel. A senior official of the militant group, Osama Hamdan, also told a news conference in Beirut on Saturday that it was still ready to “deal positively” with any ceasefire proposal that ended the war. Hamas and Israel have both blamed each other for the impasse. Axios reported on Friday that the US had proposed new language for parts of the hostage and ceasefire proposal in an effort to secure a deal. Continue reading…