Closing summary
The Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad fired a barrage of rockets into Israel on Monday. The armed wing of Islamic Jihad, an ally of Hamas, said its fighters fired rockets towards several Israeli communities near the fence with Gaza in response to “the crimes of the Zionist enemy against our Palestinian people”. The volley of about 20 rockets caused no casualties, the Israeli military said.
The Israel Broadcasting Authority has quoted the country’s defence minister, Yoav Gallant, as saying the Israeli army needs 10,000 additional soldiers immediately. According to Al Jazeera, Gallant told the foreign affairs and defence committee that 4,800 of those required can be recruited from Israel’s ultra-Orthodox community, which makes up about 13% of people in Israel.
Gaza’s health ministry said 23 people were killed and 91 others injured in Israeli strikes over the past day.
A political row broke out in Israel after about 50 Palestinian detainees from Gaza were released, including Muhammad Abu Salamiya, director of the al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City. Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel’s far-right internal security minister, described it as “security recklessness”, while Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said that he had ordered an immediate inquiry.
WhatsApp messages from inside the Israeli government reported by Hebrew news outlet Ynet appear to show that Ben-Gvir has called for the resignation of the head of Shin Bet, Israel’s internal security service.
The Palestinian health authority said a woman and a child were killed by Israeli security forces during a raid into Tulkarm in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Palestinian news agency Wafa named those killed as Muhammad Ali Sarhan, 15, and Nisreen Khaled Damiri, 47.
We are closing this blog now, but you can stay up to date on the Guardian’s Middle East coverage here.
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The Lebanese army has received an additional $20m (£15.8m) from Qatar in support for its troops, Lebanon’s state agency NNA reported.
Qatar has given tens of millions of dollars annually for fuel and salaries to the Lebanese army in recent years, according to reports.
The support comes at a crucial time, with the Israeli military and the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah trading fire across Lebanon’s southern border in parallel with Israel’s war on Gaza.
The Lebanese army is not involved in the hostilities but one Lebanese soldier was killed by Israeli shelling in December.
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Residents of several neighbourhoods in eastern Khan Younis, which is in southern Gaza, said they had received audio messages from Israeli phone numbers ordering them to leave their homes, Reuters reported.
Some people suggested this could mean Israeli forces will return to the area, which they left several weeks ago. This has not been confirmed by the Israeli military or government.
In an earlier post (see 07.24), we reported that Israel’s military today said about 20 missiles were fired at Israel from Khan Younis inside the Gaza Strip.
Gaza’s health ministry has put out a statement about the number of people it says has been killed and injured by Israeli airstrikes over the past day.
“Israeli attacks killed 23 people and injured 91 others in three massacres against [Palestinian] families in the last 24 hours,” the ministry said.
“Many people are still trapped under rubble and on the roads as rescuers are unable to reach them,” it added.
Janez Lenarčič, the European Commissioner for crisis management, has said that access to Gaza remains “severely constrained”, with aid “piling up at the borders”.
“Safe and unimpeded access for humanitarians and goods is a matter of life and death,” he wrote in a post on X.
As reported by our humanitarian partners, the access to #Gaza remains severely constrained. Aid is piling up at the borders. Safe and unimpeded access for humanitarians and goods is a matter of life and death. It must be granted at scale to address the ongoing catastrophe. #IHL pic.twitter.com/B1on7clXMK
— Janez Lenarčič (@JanezLenarcic) July 1, 2024
Israeli airstrikes and ground fighting with Hamas have devastated Gaza’s medical facilities. The Rafah closure has also severely affected the delivery of food, medicine and other aid: a UN report released last month found that a fifth of the Strip’s 2.3 million population were still at high risk of famine.
The UN has described the risks to humanitarian workers in Gaza as being intolerable, and has pressed Israel for more effective coordination with aid groups who have been demanding the Israeli military improve and adhere to security procedures intended to keep their workers safe.
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The Israeli military announced the death of a soldier in southern Gaza without providing details. Israel’s Army Radio said the soldier was killed in Rafah in a booby-trapped house, according to Reuters. These claims have not been independently verified by the Guardian.
The UN security council is scheduled to convene a special session tomorrow focusing on the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza. It will also include discussions about reconstruction efforts in the region, Wafa, the Palestinian news agency, reports.
Members of the security council will receive a briefing from Sigrid Kaag, the UN coordinator for humanitarian affairs and reconstruction in Gaza, who used to be the dutch former deputy prime minister, according to Wafa.
A recent UN report said that rebuilding Gaza’s shattered homes will take at least until 2040 but could drag on for many decades. It has been estimated that about 85% of schools in Gaza have suffered some level of damage since 7 October, with over 70% requiring major or full reconstruction. The vast majority of the 36 hospitals in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed since October.
Abdallah al-Dardari, director of the regional bureau for Arab states at the UN development programme, said in May that the level of destruction in Gaza had not been since the second world war. He estimated that postwar reconstruction could cost up to $50bn. Educational attainment, poverty levels, health and life expectancy at birth are among the development factors that officials fear will be significantly set back by Israel’s war on Gaza.
A so-called recovery phase after the war will prioritise trying to provide temporary shelters and basic services for Palestinian people to be able to return to the sites of their former homes destroyed by Israeli airstrikes.
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10,000 Israeli soldiers required immediately, defence minister says
The Israel Broadcasting Authority has quoted the country’s defence minister, Yoav Gallant, as saying the Israeli army needs 10,000 additional soldiers immediately.
According to Al Jazeera, Gallant told the foreign affairs and defence committee that 4,800 of those required can be recruited from Israel’s ultra-Orthodox community, which makes up about 13% of people in Israel.
Israel’s supreme court ruled last month that ultra-Orthodox Jewish men must be drafted into military service, upholding an interim decision in May that said the state had no authority to offer an exemption for ultra-Orthodox, or Haredi, men.
Mandatory army service for Jewish citizens is a large part of the Israeli national ethos, but longstanding legal compromises have to date exempted Haredi men, who instead continue full-time study of religious texts funded by government stipends. You can read more on the supreme court ruling and its political implications on Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition here.
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In a statement on Telegram, the Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, claims it has killed and wounding Israeli soldiers to the east of Gaza City. The claims have not been independently verified.
Israel’s military has not commented on the claims. Official figures state that 317 Israeli troops have been killed during the ground offensive inside Gaza since 7 October.
Israel has again carried out airstrikes inside Lebanon. The IDF said in a statement “IDF soldiers identified terrorists entering a Hezbollah military compound in the area of Blida in southern Lebanon. Shortly afterward, the IAF struck the compound where the terrorists operated.”
The claims have not been independently verified.
Lebanon’s national news agency has reported several times this morning that Israeli jets have repeatedly generated sonic booms at low altitude over southern Lebanon, which it reports caused “widespread alarm” in several Lebanese regions.
Associated Press have a summary of the political turmoil that has come after Israel released Muhammad Abu Salamiya, director of the al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City. Israeli forces detained him in November, and said that the hospital complex was being used by Hamas as a command and control centre. He has been released without charge, and alleges he was abused while he was in detention.
Associated Press reports that defense minister Yoav Gallant’s office released a brief statement saying the incarceration and release of prisoners is the responsibility of the prison service and the Shin Bet internal security agency.
The prison service said the decision was made by the Shin Bet and the army, and released a document ordering his release that was signed by an army reserve general.
The Shin Bet said the government had decided – against its advice – to release detainees who were determined to be less of a threat in order to free up space.
“Though the Shifa hospital chief passed the risk assessment compared to other detainees – the matter will be internally reviewed,” it said.
Benjamin Netanyahu’s office says it also investigating.
More than 37,900 Palestinians have been killed and 87,060 have been injured in Israel’s military offensive in Gaza since 7 October, Reuters reports the Gaza health ministry said in a statement on Monday.
It has not been possible for journalists to independently verify the casualty figures being issued during the conflict.
Woman and child killed by Israeli raid in occupied West Bank – reports
The Palestinian health authority has said a woman and a child were killed by Israeli security forces during a raid into Tulkarm in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Palestinian news agency Wafa named those killed as 15-year-old child Muhammad Ali Sarhan and 47-year-old Nisreen Khaled Damiri. It cited medical sources at Thabet Thabet governmental hospital. It reported they were shot by Israeli forces, and that four others were wounded.
Israeli forces raided Tulkarm on Sunday, killing a member of the Islamic Jihad militant group.
At least 550 people, including more than 130 children, have been killed by Israeli security forces or Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank since 7 October.
Israel’s military has claimed to have “eliminated numerous terrorists in close-quarters encounters and located large quantities of weapons” during its operation in the Shejaiya neighbourhood of northern Gaza.
In a statement on its official Telegram channel, the IDF also said that “during dozens of IAF strikes, approximately 20 terrorists were eliminated, and numerous weapons manufacturing and storage facilities were dismantled.”
The claims have not been independently verified.
Reporting from Deir al-Balah for Al Jazeera, Hind Khoudary states that Israel’s military is continuing the assault on Shejaiya for a fifth day. She writes:
It’s a densely populated area where some people were able to evacuate from but others stayed and were unable to leave; they were trapped in their houses.
People are injured and medical teams cannot reach them. There has been no water, no food for five days and the intensity of airstrikes continues.
It’s sad to see this happen again in Shejaiya. In the 2014 war, the same area witnessed demolition and violence. This is the continuous cycle of systematic actions against Palestinians by Israeli forces.
Al Jazeera has been banned from operating inside Israel by Benjamin Netanyahu’s government since May.
The national news agency of Lebanon has reported an Israeli airstrike on a house near Tyre.
Muhammad Abu Salamiya, director of the al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City, has claimed that while he was detained for months by Israeli security forces he was beaten and his finger was broken.
Associated Press reports Abu Salamiya said “There was almost daily torture. Cells are broken into and prisoners are beaten.” He said guards broke his finger and caused his head to bleed during beatings, in which they used batons and dogs.
Israeli forces raided the al-Shifa hospital in November, alleging it was a significant command and control centre for Hamas inside the Gaza Strip. The military uncovered a tunnel beneath the hospital leading to a few rooms, as well as evidence that militants had been present, but the evidence fell well short of what it had claimed before the raid.
Israel detained the hospital director in November 2023. He has been released without charge.
Release of detained al-Shifa hospital director sparks political row in Israel
A political row has broken out in Israel after about 50 Palestinian detainees from Gaza were released, including Muhammad Abu Salamiya, director of the al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City.
Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel’s far-right internal security minister described it as “security recklessness”. Haaretz reports that sources close to defense minister Yoav Gallant have said he was not aware that the release was planned, and that he was not involved.
Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said that he had ordered an immediate inquiry, but noted that “the decision to release the prisoners follows High Court hearings,” and that releases were determined “independently by security officials.”
Former war cabinet minister Benny Gantz, who recently quit Netanyahu’s government leading to the dissolution of the war cabinet, said “A government that releases those who cooperated with the murderers committed in al-Shifa in October, who helped hiding our hostages, made an operational and moral error. It cannot lead this war of existence.”
Former Israeli prime minister Yair Lapid joined the chorus of criticsim, saying “The debacle surrounding the release of al-Shifa hospital director is a direct continuation of the lawlessness and dysfunction of the government, which harms the security of Israeli citizens.”
WhatsApp messages from inside the Israeli government reported by Hebrew news outlet Ynet appear to show that Ben-Gvir has called for the resignation of the head of Shin Bet, Israel’s internal security service.
Israel has said that the al-Shifa hospital was being used by Hamas under the watch of Abu Salmiya, and says that Israeli hostages including Noa Marciano were killed on the premises.
Upon his release, speaking from Nasser hospital in Gaza’s Khan Younis, Abu Salmiya said:
All the Palestinian detainees are suffering. I left them in a very dire condition. My message is that their issue must be part of any negotiations until all the Palestinian detainees are released. Al-Shifa Hospital will be rebuilt and it will be once again a beacon of healthcare for all the Palestinians, not only Gazans. I will resume my duties as soon as it is feasible.
Israel arrests everyone, including medical teams. There are prisoners who died from torture, and there are physicians and medical staff members who are still being held and in need of treatment. We are happy about the release but we left behind thousands who are enduring indescribable suffering.
AFP has more details on the statement by Islamic Jihad about the attack it launched on Israel earlier today. The Al-Quds Brigades said “We bombed the settlements along the Gaza Strip with a missile barrage in response to the crimes of the Zionist enemy against our Palestinian people.”
Earlier the IDF said at least 20 rockets were fired from the Khan Younis area towards southern Israel, but no injuries or damage were reported.
Palestinian news agency Wafa has spoken to a detainee released by Israel, who told the agency those from Gaza being held by Israeli forces suffer from tragic and unbearable conditions and circumstances.
He said he had been detained on 16 November, had been held in a tent with 30 inmates, and that Israeli prisoners were subject to various types of torture, abuse, and assaults.
Wafa also quotes a lawyer, Khaled Mahajneh, who said he had been able to visit detainess a fortnight ago. He recounted that people were being kept shackled 24 hours a day and kept blindfolded. He also asserted that people had suffered amputations and the extraction of bullets without anesthesia.
The claims have not been independently verified. Israel has not officially stated how many detainees it is holding from Gaza, and has denied the mistreatment of prisoners. Whistleblowers, however, have reported widespread abuses.
Here are some images being sent across the wires of Palestinian men who have been released from Israeli captivity arriving for medical checkups and reunions with family at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
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Islamic Jihad’s armed wing, Al-Quds Brigades, has claimed the barrage of projectiles launched at Israel from Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip earlier today.
Israel’s military said that about 20 projectiles had been fired, with some being intercepted and some falling into open ground in southern Israel. There were no reports of any casualties.
Palestinian news agency Wafa is reporting that several civilians have been injured in Gaza City by Israeli forces dropping a bomb from a drone. It reports “the exact number of casualties is yet to be officially confirmed”.
More details soon …
Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel’s far-right internal security minister, has criticised the release of Muhammad Abu Salamiya, director of the al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City.
In a quote carried by the Times of Israel, Ben-Gvir said the decision to free him was “security recklessness.”
He said it was time prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu intervened to stop defense minister Yoav Gallant and intelligence officials from enacting decisions that contradict the wishes of the cabinet.
Haaretz is carrying a quote from Muhammad Abu Salamiya, director of the al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City, who has been released after being held by Israeli forces since November.
It quotes him saying:
Israel arrests everyone, including medical teams. There are prisoners who died from torture, and there are physicians and medical staff members who are still being held and in need of treatment.
Israel’s military claims that Hamas were using resources at the hospital.
Here are some of the images of protests in Jerusalem overnight in which Israeli security forces intervened. Ultra-Orthodox Jews, also known as Haredim, were protesting against plans to end their exemption from compulsory military service.
Al Jazeera reports that Muhammad Abu Salamiya, director of the al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City, has been released by Israeli forces.
Israel has been holding him in detention since 23 November.
Al Jazeera has been banned from operating inside Israel by Benjamin Netanyahu’s Israeli government since early May.
IDF: approximately 20 projectiles fired at Israel from Khan Younis
Israel’s military has said in a statement that about 20 missiles were fired from Khan Younis inside the Gaza Strip. It reported:
Following the sirens that sounded a short while ago in communities near the Gaza Strip, approximately 20 projectiles were identified crossing from the area of Khan Younis. A number of the projectiles were intercepted and some of the projectiles fell inside southern Israel. No injuries were reported. IDF Artillery is currently striking the sources of the fire.
The claims have not been independently verified.
Welcome and summary
Hello and welcome to the Guardian’s live coverage of the Israel-Gaza war and the wider crisis in the Middle East.
Thousands of Jewish ultra-Orthodox men have clashed with Israeli police in central Jerusalem, during a protest against a supreme court order for them to begin enlisting for military service.
Tens of thousands of men rallied on Sunday night in an ultra-Orthodox neighbourhood to protest against the landmark decision last week. But after nightfall, the crowd made its way toward central Jerusalem and turned violent.
Israeli police said protesters threw rocks and attacked the car of an ultra-Orthodox cabinet minister, pelting it with stones. Water cannon filled with skunk-scented water and police mounted on horses were used to disperse the crowd.
Military service is compulsory for most Jewish men and women in Israel. But politically powerful ultra-Orthodox parties have won exemptions for their followers to skip military service and instead study in religious seminaries. The longstanding arrangement has bred resentment among the broader public, a sentiment that has grown stronger during the eight-month war against Hamas.
More on that in a moment, first here’s a summary of the day’s other main events.
Israeli forces advanced further on Sunday into the Shejaiya neighbourhood of northern Gaza and also pushed deeper into western and central Rafah in the south, killing at least six Palestinians and destroying several homes, residents said.
Israeli tanks, which moved back into Shejaiya four days ago, fired shells towards several houses, leaving families trapped inside and unable to leave, the residents said. Tens of thousands of Palestinians have fled the devastated neighbourhood, where the Israeli army said it has carried out raids and fought Palestinian militants both “above and below ground” in tunnels.
Speaking at a weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu repeated his stance that there is no substitute for victory in the war against the Hamas. “We are committed to fighting until we achieve all of our objectives: Eliminating Hamas, returning all of our hostages, ensuring that Gaza never again constitutes a threat to Israel and returning our residents securely to their homes in the south and the north,” he said.
Israeli troops carried out an airstrike in the northern West Bank on Sunday, killing a Palestinian militant and wounding five other people, Palestinian health officials said. The strike took place in Nur Shams, an urban refugee camp which is reputed as a stronghold of Palestinian militants. Islamic Jihad identified the dead man as Saeed al-Jaber, one of its local commanders. The Israeli military confirmed an attack on the home, saying that militants inside, including al-Jaber, were responsible for recent attacks on Israeli targets.
Israel’s military said on Sunday 18 of its soldiers were injured, one of them seriously, when a drone struck their position in the occupied Golan Heights, near Lebanon. The Israeli Defence Force (IDF) said in a statement the strike happened earlier on Sunday. It said since then, it had struck Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon with airstrikes and artillery fire.
In a speech marking Egypt’s 30 June 2013 Revolution, President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi addressed the conflict in “the heinous Israeli war in Gaza.” Sisi said that humanity’s conscience has been absent and the international community has turned a blind eye to the suffering and displacement in the region. He added: “Egypt’s position has been noble, honourable, and patriotic. Egypt did not stay idle in providing relief to our Palestinian brothers with actions before words.”
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