Summary of the day …
Israeli politics was dominated on Monday by a row over whether the country should make a ceasefire and hostage release deal with Hamas. Far-right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich said he will not be part of any deal, calling it a “a defeat and humiliation for Israel”. Brandishing a picture of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, he said “Prime minister, this is not the complete victory you promised. It is the complete failure. We will not be part of a deal of surrender to Hamas. The people of Israel, the bereaved families, IDF fighters in regular and the reserves, demand victory”
Opposition leader Yair Lapid said he would provide prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu with a “political safety net” in order to get a deal through the Knesset if his coalition partners pull out of government. Lapid said “Netanyahu is a bad, failed prime minister, and he is to blame for the 7 October disaster, but the most important thing is to bring the kidnapped people back home”
Israeli media reported that security sources were dismayed by a statement by Netanyahu on Sunday setting out Israeli pre-conditions for a deal. One source told Hebrew media outlet Ynet that it was “inappropriate conduct that will harm the chance of returning the abductees home”
A senior Israeli delegation including Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar is in Egypt to continue talks
A protest was held outside the Knesset in Jerusalem with the mothers of some of the about 120 people being kept captive by Hamas in Gaza holding a sign in Hebrew which read “Mother never gives up”
AFP reported that a senior Hamas official on Monday accused Netanyahu of stepping up combat and bombardment in Gaza in order to derail the latest truce effort.
More Palestinians have been killed in Gaza by Israel’s military as it pushed into Gaza City, and again ordered people to forcibly evacuate their homes. The Palestinians death toll from the conflict has risen to 38,193 Palestinians according to the health authority in Gaza. Israel’s military says it has lost 324 troops during its ground operation. It has not been possible for journalists to independently verify the casualty figures being issued during the conflict
Israel’s military has claimed that in the Shujaiya area of Gaza City it has destroyed a Hamas headquarters which it says was converted from a school and health clinic “from civilian use to terrorist purposes”. The claims have not been independently verified
Israel’s military confirmed it was responsible for killing Mustafa Hassan Salman, a Hezbollah member, inside Lebanon. The Iran-backed militant group announced his death earlier on Monday. Israel’s statement said he was “an operative in Hezbollah’s rockets and missiles unit, who took part in the planning and execution of numerous terror attacks against the state of Israel”
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson has warned Israel that it would support Lebanon against any Israeli aggression, which would “increase tension and threaten security in the region”. Nasser Kanaani said “Defending Lebanon is a fundamental principle for Iran”
The Yemen Data Project has said that the US-led strikes on Yemen increased in June compared to May. It recorded 26 strikes in June, compared to 15 in May, and recorded two people killed and nine others wounded by the June strikes
The Yemen Data Project has said that the US-led strikes on Yemen increased in June compared to May. It recorded 26 strikes in June, compared to 15 in May, and recorded two people killed and nine others wounded by the June strikes.
Yemen’s Houthis launched 37 attacks on maritime traffic during June, with six of them successfully striking vessels.
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson has warned Israel that it would support Lebanon against any Israeli aggression, which would increase tension and threaten security in the region.
The Beirut-based Al Mayadeen channel quoted Nasser Kanaani saying that an attack on Lebanon would “constitute a basis for increasing tension in the region and threaten security and peace there.”
He continued:
Defending Lebanon is a fundamental principle for Iran, which will without a doubt support Lebanon in the face of any Israeli aggression. Iran will not hesitate to support Lebanon and protect its security when needed. Israel will bear the consequences of any attack on Lebanon.
Israel’s military has claimed that in the Shujaiya area of Gaza City it has destroyed a Hamas headquarters which it says was converted from a school and health clinic “from civilian use to terrorist purposes”.
It claims its troops “found and destroyed a weapons manufacturing site and dozens of weapons, including mortar shells, machine guns, hand grenades.”
Israel also claimed it found “intelligence documents belonging to Hamas” which were hidden among uniforms and equipment belonging to Unrwa, the UN’s agency for Palestinian refugees.
The claims have not been independently verified.
A protest outside the Knesset in Jerusalem has been held with the mothers of some of those being kept captive by Hamas in Gaza holding a sign in Hebrew which reads “Mother never gives up”.
Finance minister Smotrich: a deal with Hamas would be 'defeat and humiliation for Israel'
Israel’s finance minister Bezalel Smotrich has said he will not be part of any deal with Hamas, threatening a split in Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.
Speaking at a meeting of the Religious Zionist party, and posing with a picture of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, Smotrich said:
We will not be part of a deal to surrender to Hamas. This deal is a defeat and humiliation for Israel and a victory for Sinwar. It will sentence to death 90 abductees who are not part of the deal and will result in thousands of murdered people who will die in the next massacre.
סמוטריץ' בישיבת סיעת הציונות הדתית: "לא נהיה חלק מעסקה של כניעה לחמאס. העסקה הזאת היא תבוסה והשפלה של ישראל וניצחון של סינוואר. היא תגזור למוות את דינם של 90 חטופים וחטופות שאינם חלק מהעסקה ותביא לאלפי נרצחים שימותו בטבח הבא"@diklaaharon pic.twitter.com/dQRkRrX0iY
— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) July 8, 2024
Hebrew media outlet Ynet reports that Smotrich challenged Netanyahu directly, saying:
Prime minister, this is not the complete victory you promised. It is the complete failure. We will not be part of a deal of surrender to Hamas. The people of Israel, the bereaved families, IDF fighters in regular and the reserves, demand victory. We must not disappoint them. We must not endanger the country.
Earlier opposition Yair Lapid stated that he would provide a “political safety net” for the prime minister, and help get an agreement through the Knesset if Smotrich and far-right national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir were to quit the government over it.
Opposition leader Lapid offers Netanyahu 'political safety net' to make hostage release deal
Israel’s operation leader Yair Lapid has said that he will offer Benjamin Netanyahu a political safety net if he reaches a hostage release deal with Hamas.
Far-right elements in the Netanyahu government have spoken out against such a deal –finance minister Bezalel Smotrich earlier called it a “senseless folly” – leading to fears that the government could collapse if a ceasefire were to be announced.
However Lapid has said that he places the release of the hostages as his highest prioirty, and would offer political support to Netanyahu if that happened.
The Times of Israel quotes Lapid saying:
There’s a hostage deal on the table. It is not true that Netanyahu has to choose between the hostage deal and his continued tenure as prime minister. I promised him a safety net, and I will keep that promise.
This is not an easy statement, and it is not an easy decision. Netanyahu is a bad, failed prime minister, and he is to blame for the 7 October disaster, but the most important thing is to bring the kidnapped people back home.
The announcement that Netanyahu issued yesterday was destructive and harmful … [but the hostage deal] as a large majority here in the Knesset, it has to happen. We are coming back and offering Netanyahu a political safety net to make the deal – now.
Smotrich said earlier today that “This is the time to squeeze the neck until we crush and break the enemy. To stop now, just before the end, and let them recover to fight us again is a senseless folly that will take the achievements of the war bought with much blood down the drain. We must continue until victory.”
Israeli security sources have expressed “shock” that Netanyahu intervened in negotiations by issuing a public statement on Sunday night setting out Israeli pre-conditions, which has been described as hindering talks. A senior Israeli delegation is in Egypt to continue talks.
Israel’s military has issued a further evacuation warning, ordering civilians in the south-west of Gaza City to flee to Deir al-Balah.
#عاجل ‼️ نداء عاجل الى كل السكان والنازحين المتواجدين في مناطق الصبرة، الرمال، تل الهوا والدرج في بلوكات 687, 688, 690, 693, 702, 703, 704, 705, 724, 725, 777, 783, 784, 835
— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) July 8, 2024
من أجل أمنكم - عليكم الاخلاء بشكل فوري الى مآوي دير البلح في المنطقة الإنسانية pic.twitter.com/CGFFL9fsJW
The UN has estimated that nine out of ten people in the Gaza Strip have already been internally displaced by Israel’s nine-month long military campaign.
Updated
AFP reports that a senior Hamas official on Monday accused Benjamin Netanyahu of stepping up combat and bombardment in Gaza in order to derail the latest truce effort.
“Whenever a round of negotiations begins and a breakthrough is within reach, he disrupts it all and escalates the aggression and massacres against civilians,” the Hamas official said, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity.
Israeli media has reported that security sources have told it that the Israeli prime minister’s release of a statement on Sunday was “inappropriate conduct that will harm the chance of returning the abductees home”.
Jordan’s news agency Petra reports that the country has carried out three aid drops over southern Gaza.
القوات المسلحة تنفذ 3 انزالات جوية لمساعدات على جنوب قطاع غزة#بترا #الأردن pic.twitter.com/5FSKvp4Lr3
— Jordan News Agency (@Petranews) July 8, 2024
Israel’s military has confirmed that it was responsible for killing Mustafa Hassan Salman, a Hezbollah member. The Iran-backed militant group announced his death earlier.
Israel’s statement said he was “an operative in Hezbollah’s rockets and missiles unit, who took part in the planning and execution of numerous terror attacks against the State of Israel.”
Israel released footage which it said was of the attack, which appeared to show that Salman was targeted while in a moving vehicle.
Al Jazeera reports that two Palestinians have been killed in the latest Israel airstrike on Gaza City, in the Sabra neighbourhood in the south of the city.
The health authority in Gaza has issued an updated casualty figure from the conflict. It states that 38,193 Palestinians have been killed and an additional 87,903 wounded in Israel’s military offensive on the territory.
It has not been possible for journalists to independently verify the casualty figures being issued during the conflict.
Israeli media is reporting that security officials were left “shocked” by Benjamin Netanyahu’s public intervention yesterday into ceasefire negotiations.
Two unnamed officials told Kan “Negotiations should be conducted inside the room, not in announcements to the media. And certainly not just before the start of a meeting that determines the continuation of the negotiations”
Hebrew outlet Ynet reported that a security source described Netanyahu’s actions as “Inappropriate conduct that will harm the chance of returning the abductees home.”
Late on Sunday Netanyahu’s office issued a document entitled Principles for a Hostage Release Deal demanding that “any deal enable Israel to resume its offensive operations until it achieves its war goals”, to “prevent Hamas from smuggling arms from Egypt”, and to prevent “thousands of terrorists from returning to northern Gaza”.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid was deeply critical of Netanyahu’s statement, posting to social media to say “I have one response to the announcement from the prime minister’s Office: what is it good for? We are at a critical moment in the negotiations, the lives of the abductees depend on it, why issue such provocative messages? How does it contribute to the process?”
A senior Israeli delegation has travelled to Egypt to continue talks.
Esti Perez, a journalist with Kan News in Israel, has spoken to Lishi Miren, whose husband Omri is being held in Gaza by Hamas. The couple have two small daughters. Miren told Kan:
Alma was six months old when Omri was kidnapped. We taught her to say ‘Daddy’ and she recognises him in pictures. Roni remembers, misses him very much and wants him to come back, she talks about him every day. I have two roles, wife of an abductee and mother of two little girls – this what keeps me going.
Palestinian news agency Wafa reports that at least 30 Palestinians have been detained by Israeli security forces in the occupied West Bank in the last 24 hours. It also reports that Palestinian crops and greenhouse have been burned south of the city of Tulkarm after they were targeted by Israeli forces.
Reuters reports that Gaza residents said Israeli tanks advanced from at least three directions on Monday and reached the heart of Gaza City, backed by heavy fire from the air and ground. That forced thousands of people out of their homes to look for safer shelter, which for many was impossible to find, and some slept on the roadside.
Medics at the Al-Ahli Arab Baptist hospital in Gaza City had to evacuate patients to the already crowded and under-equipped Indonesian hospital in the northern Gaza Strip, Palestinian health officials said.
The Palestinian Fatah al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades claims to have fired mortar bombs against Israeli forces during the raid in southwest Gaza City.
The claims have not been independently verified.
A family member of one of the hostages being held in Gaza has been forcibly removed from a meeting of the Knesset constitution, law and justice committee.
Danny Elgarat was taken out by security forces after refusing to leave when ordered after a sharp verbal exchange. Elgarat’s brother, Itzik, is being held by Hamas inside Gaza. Noa Shpigel, reporting for Haaretz, described it as a heartbreaking image.
תמונות ששוברות את הלב: דני אלגרט, אח של איציק החטוף, הוצא על ידי משמר הכנסת באלימות מועדת חוקה אחרי שסרב לצאת מהחדר.
— Noa Shpigel (@NoaShpigel) July 8, 2024
יור הועדה רוטמן רוטמן הורה להוציא אותו בעקבות ויכוח עם חברים בפורום תקווה. pic.twitter.com/gVG9jRJphC
Al Jazeera reports that “at least four Palestinians have been killed in an Israeli raid on the Shejaiya neighbourhood in eastern Gaza City”.
The news network has been banned from operating inside Israel by Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.
Israel's finance minister: ceasefire deal would be 'senseless folly'
Israeli far-right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich has said making a ceasefire deal would be a “senseless folly” and instead Israel should press on in its military campaign against Hamas.
He posted to social media to say:
Hamas is collapsing and begging for a ceasefire. This is the time to squeeze the neck until we crush and break the enemy. To stop now, just before the end, and let them recover to fight us again is a senseless folly that will take the achievements of the war bought with much blood down the drain. We must continue until victory.
In recent weeks Smotrich has described it as his “life’s mission” to prevent a Palestinian state being formed, and described in explicit terms his active effort to annex the occupied West Bank permanently to Israel.
Hezbollah has said one of its members has being killed by overnight Israeli strikes inside Lebanon. Israel’s military earlier said it had struck multiple targets inside Lebanon overnight.
Israel’s military has said in a statement that it is operating in Gaza City “following intelligence indicating the presence of Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorist infrastructure, operatives, weapons, and investigation and detention rooms.”
It claims this includes the use of “the Unrwa headquarters”.
The IDF claims in the statement that it “called on and warned civilians about the operational activity in the area, and a defined route will be opened to facilitate the evacuation of uninvolved civilians from the area.
The claims have not been independently verified.
Local media has claimed that dozens of families have been trapped in their homes during the bombardment, while thousands have been forced to flee.
Unrwa commissioner-general Philippe Lazzarini has previously criticised both Hamas and Israel for occupying and using its facilities during the conflict on the ground inside Gaza.
Haaretz reports that the head of Israel’s Shin Bet security service, Ronen Bar, has traveled to Egypt to continue talks.
Israel’s military has claimed in a statement that “Over the past day, IDF troops and IAF aircraft operated to eliminate more than 30 terrorists who posed a threat to IDF troops in the area of Rafah. The troops also located additional tunnel shafts and confiscated weapons in the area.”
The claims have not been independently verified.
Reuters reports that Israel is again attacking Gaza City in what residents say is one of the heaviest attacks since 7 October.
It reports the Gaza civil emergency service said they believed dozens of people were killed in eastern Gaza areas but emergency teams were unable to reach them because of ongoing offensives in Tel Al-Hawa, Sabra, Daraj, Rimal, and Tuffah suburbs.
Israeli media reports that Egypt has told Israel it would work with the US on a “hi-tech underground barrier to prevent the smuggling of weapons into Gaza” on the border between Egypt and Gaza.
The Times of Israel reports that “Troops have discovered at least 25 cross-border smuggling tunnels between Egypt and Gaza. The existence of some of the tunnels was previously known to the IDF, and others were discovered for the first time when troops entered the border area.”
Ending weapons smuggling into Gaza is one of Israel’s demands for a ceasefire.
Palestinian news agency Wafa reports that three people have been killed in Gaza by Israeli airstrikes.
It writes:
Local sources said that occupation warplanes bombed a residential apartment near the industrial junction south of Gaza City, killing two citizens and wounding five others.
They added that the occupation aircraft bombed a house near south of Gaza City, killing a citizen and wounding seven others.
It reports that thousands were forced to flee their homes as Israeli forces moved in, and that “Eyewitnesses said that thousands of citizens were displaced from areas southwest of the city towards the northwest and spent the night on the streets without shelter.”
The claims have not been independently verified.
Health authorities inside the Gaza Strip state that more than 38,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel’s military assault on the territory since 7 October. Israel’s military states that 324 Israeli troops have been killed during its ground offensive.
It has not been possible for journalists to independently verify the casualty figures being issued during the conflict.
In a statement Israel’s military has claimed to have again struck at what it called “a Hezbollah military site” inside Lebanon. It also claims to have struck “a Hezbollah weapons storage facility” and several other locations to the north of Israel.
The statement continued “IDF artillery fired to remove a threat in a number of areas in southern Lebanon. The IDF will continue to operate against the threat of the Hezbollah terrorist organization in order to defend the state of Israel.”
The claims have not been independently verified.
Israel and anti-Israeli forces have exchanged almost continuous fire since 7 October across the UN-drawn blue line that separates northern Israel and southern Lebanon. Tens of thousands of civilians on both sides have been forced to flee their homes.
Welcome and opening summary
Welcome to our latest live blog on the Israel-Gaza war and the wider Middle East crisis. Here are the latest headlines …
Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu says any Gaza ceasefire deal must allow Israel to resume fighting until its objectives are met, Reuters reports.
Hamas wants mediators to guarantee a permanent ceasefire, but Netanyahu is vowing to keep fighting until Israel destroys Hamas’ military and governing capabilities, reports Associated Press.
“Any deal will allow Israel to return and fight until all the goals of the war are achieved,” Netanyahu said in a statement Sunday.
Five days after Hamas accepted a key part of the plan, two officials from the Palestinian militant group said the group was awaiting Israel’s response to its latest proposal.
Hamas has dropped a key demand that Israel first commit to a permanent ceasefire before it would sign an agreement. Instead, it said it would allow negotiations to achieve that throughout the six-week first phase, a Hamas source told Reuters on Saturday on condition of anonymity.
But Netanyahu said he insisted the deal must not prevent Israel from resuming fighting until its war objectives are met. Netanyahu said:
The plan that has been agreed to by Israel and which has been welcomed by President Biden will allow Israel to return hostages without infringing on the other objectives of the war.
Netanyahu was scheduled to hold consultations late on Sunday on the next steps in negotiating the three-phase plan that was presented in May by US President Joe Biden and is being mediated by Qatar and Egypt.
It aims to end the war and free about 120 Israeli hostages being held in Gaza.
In other developments:
The Israeli government has been accused of attempting to sabotage a US-backed ceasefire proposal, according to Israeli media, by introducing new demands despite previously accepting the plan. Two Hamas officials told Reuters they were now waiting for a response from Israel. However, David Barnea, the chief of the Mossad foreign intelligence service, who was dispatched over the weekend to Qatar, where talks are being held, was reported to have provided the mediators with a list of new reservations, according to Israeli media.
Protests aimed at pressuring the Israeli government to reach a hostage deal with Hamas began across Israel on Sunday, with demonstrators blocking roads and picketing at the homes of government ministers. The demonstrators took to the streets, blocking rush hour traffic at major intersections across the country. They briefly set fire to tires on the main Tel Aviv-Jerusalem highway before police cleared the way.
In Gaza, Palestinian health officials said at least 15 people were killed in separate Israeli military strikes on Sunday. An Israeli airstrike on a house in the town of Zawayda, in central Gaza, killed at least six people and wounded several others, while six others were killed in an airstrike on a house in western Gaza, the health officials said.
Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement fired another 20 rockets at northern Israel, leaving one person injured there, the latest cross-border attacks launched in solidarity with Gaza’s Palestinian militant group Hamas. Hezbollah said that “in response to the attack and assassination that the Israeli enemy carried out”, it had targeted “one of the main bases” in northern Israel, west of Tiberias, with “dozens of Katyusha rockets”.
At least 38,153 Palestinians have been killed and 87,828 injured in Israel’s military offensive on Gaza since 7 October, Gaza’s health ministry said on Sunday.
