Closing summary
The head of Hamas’ military wing, Mohammed Deif, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza last month, the Israeli military said on Thursday, a day after the group’s political leader was assassinated in Teheran. “The IDF (Israel Defense Forces) announces that on 13 July 2024, IDF fighter jets struck in the area of Khan Younis, and following an intelligence assessment, it can be confirmed that Mohammed Deif was eliminated in the strike,” the military said. Hamas did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Israeli announcement, which came as crowds gathered in Teheran for the funeral procession of Hamas’ leader Isamil Haniyeh, Reuters reported.
Lufthansa Group has cancelled all its passenger and cargo flights to and from Tel Aviv with immediate effect until 8 August, a spokesperson for the German airline said on Thursday. “The reason for this is the current development in the region,” the spokesperson added.
Israel is prepared for any eventuality following warnings from Iran and its allies of retaliation for the killing of senior leaders from Hezbollah and Hamas, and will respond strongly to any attack, a government spokesperson said on Thursday. “Israel will exact a very high price for aggression against us from whatever quarter,” he told a briefing with journalists, echoing a similar warning from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday evening.
More than 39,480 Palestinians have been killed and 91,128 have been injured in the Israeli military offensive on Gaza since 7 October, the Gaza health ministry said in a statement on Thursday.
China hopes Palestinian factions can create an independent state as soon as possible, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said on Thursday while addressing a query on the killing of the Hamas chief in Iran. “China earnestly looks forward to all Palestinian factions, on the basis of internal reconciliation, create an independent Palestinian state as soon as possible,” Lin Jian said during a regular press briefing.
Top Iranian officials will meet the representatives of Iran’s regional allies from Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen on Thursday to discuss potential retaliation against Israel after the killing of the Hamas leader in Tehran, five sources told Reuters. The region faces a risk of widened conflict between Israel, Iran and its proxies after Ismail Haniyeh’s assasination in Tehran on Wednesday and the killing of Hezbollah’s senior commander on Tuesday in an Israeli strike on the outskirts of the Lebanese capital Beirut.
Indonesia’s president Joko Widodo has condemned the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in Iran, calling it intolerable. “That was violence, a murder that is intolerable, and took place in the sovereign area of Iran,” he said, according to Reuters. “I suppose all, including Indonesia, strongly condemn violence and murder like that.”
Turkey has blocked cooperation between Nato and Israel since October because of the war in Gaza and said the alliance should not engage with Israel as a partner until there is an end to the conflict, sources familiar with the process said. Israel carries the status of Nato partner and has fostered close relations with the military alliance and some of its members, notably its biggest ally the United States, Reuters reported.
Malaysian prime minister Anwar Ibrahim has criticised Meta for taking down a Facebook post regarding Ismail Haniyeh’s death, calling on it to “cease this display of cowardice” and accusing it of working as a tool of Israel. Muslim-majority Malaysia is a supporter of the Palestinian cause and Anwar had posted a video recording of his phone call with a Hamas official to offer condolences over Haniyeh’s death, which was later removed, Reuters reported.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US president Joe Biden will hold a phone call on Thursday and discuss escalating tensions in the Middle East, Axios reported on Thursday, citing an official in Netanyahu’s office. It comes as Netanyahu said on Israel is on a “high state of alert”, amid growing expectations that Iran or its allies will retaliate for the killing of senior leaders of Hezbollah and Hamas this week.
The Palestinan Quds News Network has also posted footage of the funeral of Al Jazeera journalist Ismail al-Ghoul, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike along with his cameraman, Rami al-Rifi, west of Gaza City on Wednesday. A child was also killed in the attack. The two reporters were wearing media vests and there were identifying signs on their vehicle when they targeted, Al Jazeera said.
That’s all from me, Tom Ambrose, and indeed the Middle East crisis live blog for today. Thanks for following along.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US president Joe Biden will hold a phone call on Thursday and discuss escalating tensions in the Middle East, Axios reported on Thursday, citing an official in Netanyahu’s office.
It comes as Netanyahu said on Israel is on a “high state of alert”, amid growing expectations that Iran or its allies will retaliate for the killing of senior leaders of Hezbollah and Hamas this week.
“Israel is very prepared for any scenario - both defensively and offensively,” he said, according to remarks released by his office following a visit to the Home Front Command. “We will exact a very heavy price for any act of aggression against us from any arena.”
