20 h. ago Middle East crisis live: Israeli attack on tents housing journalists in Gaza kills at least two, say Palestinian medics

Airstrikes hit media tent outside Nasser hospital in Khan Younis, say medics, injuring nine othersAs we mentioned in the opening summary, ten Britons have been accused of committing war crimes while fighting for Israel in Gaza. Here is some more of the story, written by the Guardian’s legal affairs correspondent Haroon Siddique:Michael Mansfield KC is one of a group of lawyers who will on Monday hand in a 240-page dossier to Scotland Yard’s war crimes unit alleging targeted killing of civilians and aid workers, including by sniper fire, and indiscriminate attacks on civilian areas, including hospitals.The report, which has been prepared by a team of UK lawyers and researchers in The Hague, also accuses suspects of coordinated attacks on protected sites including historic monuments and religious sites, and forced transfer and displacement of civilians. Continue reading...

Events

36 h. ago Israeli military changes account of Gaza medics’ killing after video shows attack

Phone footage contradicts IDF claims vehicles were not using emergency lights when troops opened fireIsrael’s military has backtracked on its account of the killing of 15 Palestinian medics in Gaza last month after footage contradicted its claims that their vehicles did not have emergency signals on when Israeli troops opened fire. The military said initially it opened fire because the vehicles were “advancing suspiciously” on nearby troops without headlights or emergency signals. An Israeli military official, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with regulations late on Saturday, said that account was “mistaken”.The almost seven-minute video, which the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said on Saturday was recovered from the phone of Rifat Radwan, one of the men killed, appears to have been filmed from inside a moving vehicle. It shows a red fire engine and clearly marked ambulances driving at night, using headlights and flashing emergency lights. Continue reading...

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61 h. ago Phone footage appears to contradict Israel's account in troops' killing of 15 Palestinian medics

A video on the phone of one of 15 Palestinian medics killed by Israeli forces in Gaza shows that their emergency vehicles had their lights and sirens flashing and their logos clearly visible when they came under a barrage of gunfire from troops lasting more than five minutes

Events

3 d. ago Israeli strikes kill at least 17 in Gaza as ground troops enter Palestinian territory's north

Israeli strikes have killed more than a dozen people in the Gaza Strip as Israel sent more ground troops into the Palestinian territory to ramp up its offensive against Hamas

Events

4 d. ago The Guardian view on Israel’s killing of paramedics: a new atrocity in an unending conflict | Editorial

Impunity over Palestinian deaths in Gaza will lead to further cases like this massacre of rescue and healthcare workersAfter 18 months of slaughter, it is still possible to be shocked by events in Gaza. More than 50,000 people have been killed, according to Palestinian health authorities. More are starving because Israel has cut off aid. The offensive is intensifying again – with 100 children killed or maimed each day since Israel resumed heavy strikes last month, the UN reports.Even so, Israel’s killing of 15 Palestinian paramedics and rescue workers is particularly chilling. Though they died on 23 March, it took days for Israel to grant access to the site, the UN said. Another man was last seen in Israeli custody. Two grounds for seeing this not only as tragic but as a war crime stand out. The first is that the UN says the men were shot “one by one”, and a forensic expert said that preliminary evidence “suggests they were executed, not from a distant range”, given the “specific an...

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4 d. ago ‘I heard them take their last breath’: survivor recounts Gaza paramedic killings

Munther Abed, 27, was in the first ambulance on the scene of an airstrike near Rafah when Israeli soldiers opened fire• Gaza paramedic killings: a visual timelineA survivor from a massacre of Palestinian paramedics and rescue workers in Gaza has said he saw Israeli troops open fire on a succession of Red Crescent ambulances and rescue vehicles and then use a bulldozer to bury the wreckage in a pit.Munther Abed, a 27-year-old Red Crescent volunteer, was in the back of the first ambulance to arrive on the scene of an airstrike in the Hashashin district of Rafah before dawn on 23 March, when it came under intense Israeli fire. His two Red Crescent colleagues sitting in the front were killed but he survived by throwing himself to the floor of the vehicle. Continue reading...

Events

5 d. ago Israel announces intention to seize large areas of Gaza Strip in major escalation

Defence minister Israel Katz says seized land ‘will be added to the state of Israel’s security areas’Middle East crisis – live updatesIsrael’s defence minister has said the country intends to “seize large areas” of the Gaza Strip amid a major expansion of aerial and ground operations in the besieged Palestinian territory.Israel Katz said in a statement on Wednesday that “troops will move to clear areas of terrorists and infrastructure, and seize extensive territory that will be added to the state of Israel’s security areas”. Continue reading...

Politics

6 d. ago Middle East crisis live: Israel issues evacuation order for parts of northern Gaza

IDF says residents should evacuate Beit Hanoun, Beit Lahiya and the neighbourhoods of Sheikh Zayed, al-Manshiya and Tal al-ZaatarThe IDF has issued a forced evacuation order to residents in parts of northern Gaza: Beit Hanoun, Beit Lahiya and the neighbourhoods of Sheikh Zayed, al-Manshiya and Tal al-Zaatar.Avichay Adraee, an Arabic language spokesperson for the Israeli army, said it is a “final” warning before the “raid”. Continue reading...

Politics

7 d. ago Middle East crisis live: Israel orders Rafah evacuation; return to ceasefire between Israel and Hamas essential, says EU

Sweeping order from military covers most of city in southern Gaza; European Union says resumption of negotiations is only way forwardThe Israeli military said on Monday that an inquiry had found that on 23 March, troops opened fire on a group of vehicles that included ambulances and fire trucks when the vehicles approached a position without prior coordination and without headlights or emergency signals.It said several militants belonging to the militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad were killed. Continue reading...

Events

1 week ago Middle East crisis live: Netanyahu repeats threat to seize parts of Gaza if Hamas does not release hostages

Israeli PM says he will take ‘more powerful repression’ if Hamas does not release remaining hostagesFull story: Hundreds join Hamas protest in GazaHere are some of the latest images coming in via the newswires:The Gaza health ministry said on Wednesday that at least 830 people had been killed in the Palestinian territory since Israel resumed large-scale strikes on 18 March, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP). Continue reading...

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1 week ago Five killed by Israeli shelling in southern Syria, officials say; US appears to confirm fresh Yemen strikes – Middle East crisis live

Israel shells province of Darra amid warning of escalation in region; US attacks Houthis in a bid to regain control of international shipping lanesIn a statement regarding the airstrike on Syria, the Israeli military said:IDF (army) troops identified several terrorists who opened fire toward them in southern Syria. The troops returned fire in response and the IAF (air force) struck the terrorists. Hits were identified. Continue reading...

Events

1 week ago US appears to confirm fresh strikes on Yemen; Israel issues fresh calls to evacuate northern Gaza – Middle East crisis live

US attacks target Houthis in a bid to regain control of international shipping lanes; IDF tells people to head towards ‘known shelters’ At least five people have been killed in Israeli shelling of the southern Syrian province of Daraa, local authorities said.In a post on Telegram, provincial authorities reported a provisional toll of “five people killed in the Israeli bombardment of the town of Kuwayya... west of Daraa”. Continue reading...

Events

1 week ago Israel military issues further calls to evacuate northern Gaza as airstrikes continue – Middle East crisis live

Military tells people to head towards ‘known shelters’ despite the fact there is no guarantee of safety as 57 people killed in past 24 hoursAs we mentioned in the opening summary, Israel’s security cabinet has approved a suggestion by the country’s defence minister, Israel Katz, to set up a new administration within his department tasked with enabling Palestinians to “voluntarily” leave Gaza, their homelands.In a statement a couple of days ago, Katz’s office said the new directorate would work to:Prepare for and enable safe and controlled passage of Gaza residents for their voluntary departure to third countries, including securing their movement, establishing movement routes, checking pedestrians at designated crossings in the Gaza Strip, as well as coordinating the provision of infrastructure that will enable passage by land, sea and air to the destination countries.The ministry of foreign affairs and expatriates condemned in the strongest terms Israel’s announcement of the establ...

Events

2 w. ago Israeli strike at Gaza hospital kills five including senior Hamas figure

Ismail Barhoum and medics die in attack, which Israel says was based on extensive intelligenceAn Israeli airstrike on Sunday night hit the largest hospital in southern Gaza, killing five people, including a Hamas political leader and Palestinian medics, the militant group has said, in an attack that wounded others, causing a large fire.The Gaza health ministry said the strike hit the surgery department at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis. The Israeli military said its attack followed extensive intelligence and used precise munitions to minimise harm at the site. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Israeli strike at Gaza hospital kills five including Hamas political leader

Ismail Barhoum died in attack on Khan Younis, which Israel says followed extensive intelligenceAn Israeli airstrike on a hospital in Gaza has killed five people, including a Hamas political leader and Palestinian medics, Hamas has said, in an attack Israel said had targeted a key figure in the militant group.The Gaza health ministry said the strike hit the surgery department at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis. The Israeli military said its attack followed extensive intelligence and used precise munitions to minimise harm at the site. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Israeli strikes kill 19 Palestinians in Gaza, including senior Hamas political leader, officials say

Palestinian officials say Israeli strikes across the southern Gaza Strip have killed at least 19 people overnight into Sunday, including a senior Hamas political leader

Politics

2 w. ago At least 58 killed in fresh Israeli airstrikes on Gaza, Palestinian medics say

New bombardment comes as Hamas says it is talking to mediators about how to restore ceasefire

Events

2 w. ago Dozens killed in fresh Israeli airstrikes on Gaza overnight, Palestinian medics say

Dozens of Palestinians have been killed in fresh Israeli strikes across the Gaza Strip overnight, local health officials said on Thursday.

Events

2 w. ago Middle East latest: Israeli airstrikes overnight killed dozens in Gaza, Palestinian medics say

Israeli strikes overnight killed dozens of Palestinians across the Gaza Strip, medics in the territory said Thursday

Events

2 w. ago Netanyahu says Israel has resumed ‘fighting with force’ against Hamas

Israeli military’s renewed air strikes in Gaza kill more than 400 people, say Palestinian officials

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