Past attacks by Israeli forces on aid workers have strained relations between Netanyahu’s government and the Biden administration, which provided Israel with a steady supply of weapons throughout the war.
After nine months of conflict, aid groups describe Gaza as one of the most dangerous places in the world to operate, with more than a million civilians sheltering in tents from the summer heat. A strain of the polio virus has been detected in Gaza’s sewage, Israel’s health ministry said on Friday as a UN-backed assessment of famine looms as the health crisis escalates.
On Monday, Israel’s military ordered the evacuation of an area previously designated as a safe zone for civilians, saying it was planning an operation against Hamas militants who have been using the area to launch rockets into Israel. In a statement, Hamas’ military wing said it fired on three Israeli tanks and a bulldozer in the Bani Suhaila area of Khan Younis, suggesting heavy fighting had broken out.
The area in question covers the eastern part of Khan Yunis, including part of the humanitarian zone that includes Mawazi, where the Israeli military estimates some 1.8 million Palestinians are taking refuge, families packed in so tightly that their tents stretch along the shore.
Images from inside Gaza showed thousands of people clutching their belongings in crowded and debris-strewn streets as Israel sought to flee areas it said would soon see military action.
Iman al-Seir, a 34-year-old mother of four, contacted by phone in a section of Khan Younis that was included in the evacuation order, said she was unable to leave because of heavy gunfire.
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Gaza’s health ministry said 70 people had been killed and 200 wounded so far on Monday. The local civil defense force said one of its ambulance crews was injured while trying to reach casualties at the Bani Suhaila roundabout.
Zeer said he heard heavy shelling and airstrikes nearby. “We were hearing the screams of people as they fled,” he said. “Whenever we try to move, we are shot at. It is impossible for us to move because we have to walk towards Bani Suhaila.
Philip Lazzarini, head of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA), said on Monday that Israeli forces opened fire on one of the organization’s convoys as they waited for the Israeli army to advance to battle. Scar in the North.
“Clearly marked teams in UN armored cars and UN They traveled in underwear. One vehicle sustained at least five bullets,” Lazzarini said in a news release Sent to X. “Those responsible must be held accountable.”
The Israeli military did not respond to a request for comment on the incident. UNRWA’s spokesperson, Louise Wateredge, said that by accident, she was sitting in the front passenger seat of the vehicle where the shots were fired. The bullets appeared to have come from an area of IDF operations to the east, and left shrapnel in the back seat.
“We were incredibly lucky because there was no one in the back seat. This is the first mission I’ve ever been on in Gaza where there was no one in the back seat. But it shouldn’t come down to luck,” she said.
He added that no military targets were visible in the area, and that the bullets exploded in the air after a displaced Palestinian mother drove past carrying a child, three young children frolicking behind her in the blazing sun.
“They were actually there a few minutes ago,” Waterridge said. “They would have been in the firing line, for what?”
More than 39,000 Palestinians have been killed since Israel’s military operation began Gaza Ministry of HealthIt does not distinguish between civilians and militants but says most of the dead are women and children.
Netanyahu’s strained relationship with Biden has worsened in recent months as Israel has defied multiple pleas from the White House to increase the flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza and do more to protect civilians. The administration suspended 2,000-pound bombs to Israel in May, citing their use in populated areas.
Israeli military officials say they are nearing the end of the most intense war against Hamas. But on the ground in Gaza, Palestinian and foreign doctors say they have seen an uptick in mass-casualty attacks by Israeli forces in recent weeks. Aid groups say hospitals are overwhelmed by victims who cannot cope with the number of unhealed wounds they have been treating from previous attacks.
Analysts presented the move as part of an Israeli strategy to pressure Hamas into a ceasefire and the release of more than 100 hostages. With U.S.-backed talks reportedly gaining momentum in Cairo, the Biden administration is pressuring a reluctant Netanyahu to accept a deal. He denies that he is obstructing the process.
Netanyahu has been accused by critics of prolonging the war for his own political gain, which he denies. He is adamant that Israel must fight until Hamas is destroyed, a goal that his own commanders have said will never be achieved.
Before Biden dropped out of the 2024 presidential race, US administration officials denied that Netanyahu was significantly emboldened by criticism of the president’s physical ability to do his job. But they acknowledged that Biden’s mounting problems coincided with a hardening of the prime minister’s stance. Netanyahu recently made last-minute demands that U.S. negotiators fear could stall the Cairo talks, according to diplomats familiar with the discussions.
Two hostages, Alex Danzig, 76, and Yaakov Buchstab, 35, were killed in the Gaza Strip, the Israel Defense Forces said Monday. “The circumstances of their deaths while in Hamas captivity are being investigated by all relevant professional bodies,” military spokesman Daniel Hagari said. “The IDF and other security agencies will continue to support the families of the hostages as needed.”
The Hostage Families Forum, an umbrella group representing the loved ones of more than 250 hostages abducted by Hamas and other armed groups on October 7, described the news as “devastating”. Buchstab, it said, was “a humble and unassuming man who loved life” in the kibbutz where he was taken. “The hostages who were held captive with him reported it [Dancyg] He spent his time in captivity giving history lectures to fellow prisoners.
“Their deaths in captivity are a tragic reflection of the consequences of foot-dragging in negotiations. We reiterate our demand to the Israeli government and its leader: ratify the agreement immediately.
Here’s what else to know:
- Israeli athletes participating in the Paris Olympics will be provided with 24-hour security. French Interior Minister Gérald Dormanin said on Sunday. The security announcement came after a far-left French member of parliament said Israel’s delegation was not welcome at the event and called for protests against participating athletes..
- A Canadian citizen attempted to carry out a stabbing attack in southern Israel near the Gaza border, the IDF and Israeli police said Monday. The suspect was neutralized by the Rapid Response Team who allegedly threatened him. Police described him as a Canadian Muslim who had visited Israel as a tourist.
- At least 39,006 people have been killed and 89,818 Wounded in Gaza since the start of the war said Gaza’s health ministry did not distinguish between civilians and fighters, but said most of the dead were women and children. Israel estimates that about 1,200 people, including more than 300 soldiers, were killed in the October 7 attack by Hamas. 326 soldiers have been killed since the start of its military operations in Gaza.
Lear Soroka in Tel Aviv and Steve Hendrix in Jerusalem contributed to this report.
