Israel-Gaza live: More than 52,000 Palestinians ‘displaced by airstrikes’ as Biden shows support for ceasefire
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More than 52,000 Palestinians have been displaced by Israeli airstrikes, the United Nations aid agency said on Tuesday.
About 47,000 of the people displaced people have sought shelter in 58 UN-run schools in Gaza, Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), told reporters, according to Reuters.
It comes as the Israeli army unleashed a fresh wave of airstrikes on Gaza overnight.
Israel’s army said it was once again targeting an underground “metro” system it says is being used by Hamas operatives to evade surveillance.
The residences of five Hamas commanders were also struck, with the Israeli military asserting that some of the homes had been used as command and control centres, while an anti-tank squad in Gaza City was also targeted.
On Monday, President Joe Biden expressed support for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas rulers in a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The US leader stopped short of demanding an immediate end to the violence, but “expressed his support for a ceasefire” and “encouraged Israel to make every effort to ensure the protection of innocent civilians,” the White House said.
Mr Biden also renewed his “his firm support for Israel’s right to defend itself against indiscriminate rocket attacks,” a readout of the call said.
At least 213 Palestinians have been killed in airstrikes so far, including 61 children, with more than 1,400 people wounded, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
Meanwhile, ten people have been killed in Israel, including two children, Israeli authorities have said.
- A brief history of the Israel-Palestinian conflict
- Israel-Palestine map: Gaza’s conflict hotspots and a history of violence at the border
- Gaza ‘days away’ from blackout as fuel running out after week of bombardment
- ‘I lost my entire family, in an instant’: Miracle baby is sole survivor of Israeli airstrike that kills 10
Death toll rises to 213 Palestinians killed
The death toll of the past week’s fighting has risen to 213 Palestinians killed, including 61 children, the Gaza Health Ministry has said.
More than 1,400 Palestinians have also been wounded in the attacks, with Israel launching a fresh round of airstrikes overnight.
In Israel, at least 10 people have been killed, including two children.
Members of the international community have urged a ceasefire, with US President Joe Biden expressing his support for a ceasefire in a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday.
In the same call, Mr Biden also renewed “his firm support for Israel’s right to defend itself against indiscriminate rocket attacks,” according to the White House.
Israeli troops fatally shoot Palestinian who ‘tried to attack them with a gun’, military says
The Israeli military has said its troops fatally shot a Palestinian who they said tried to attack them with a gun and and improvised explosives in the occupied west Bank.
“An assailant armed with an IED, an improvised ‘Carlo’ submachine gun, & a knife arrived in Hebron, and attempted a combined attack on IDF soldiers,” the Israeli military said in a tweet on Tuesday.
“Our soldiers spotted the assailant, responded with fire & neutralized him,” the military said.
Also on Tuesday, the military said it had downed an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) near the border with Jordan.
More than 52,000 Palestinians displaced in Gaza, says UN aid agency
More than 52,000 Palestinians have been displaced by Israeli airstrikes, the United Nations aid agency said on Tuesday.
About 47,000 of the people displaced people have sought shelter in 58 UN-run schools in Gaza, Jens Laerke, spokesman of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), told reporters, according to Reuters.
Laerke said the UN had recorded the destruction of a total of at least 132 buildings, with 316 others severely damaged.
Among the damaged buildings are at least six hospitals and nine primary healthcare centres.
The UN agency said it welcomed news of Israel opening one border crossing for humanitarian supplies but said more aid should be allowed through.
Metropolitan Police investigating officer who shouted ‘free Palestine’ at protest
The Metropolitan Police is investigating an officer who shouted “free Palestine” at a demonstration over the Israel-Gaza conflict.
The uniformed female officer was filmed at a pro-Palestinian demonstration in London, where she was seen accepting a white rose and hugging a protester.
Lizzie Dearden reports:
Met Police investigating officer who shouted ‘free Palestine’ at protest
The Metropolitan Police is investigating an officer who shouted “free Palestine” at a protest over the Israel-Gaza conflict.
Bel Trew answers your key Israel-Gaza conflict questions
The Independent’s Middle East correspondent, Bel Trew, has been on the ground covering the Israeli-Palestinian conflict this week.
Yesterday, she held an ‘Ask Me Anything’ event, responding to readers’ questions on the conflict.
Thank you to all who participated - here is Q&A run-down of Bel’s responses to some of your biggest questions:
Bel Trew’s answers to your Israel-Gaza conflict questions
The conflict is now in its second week and The Independent’s Middle East correspondent Bel Trew has been on the ground in both Israel and Palestine
Amnesty International calls for war crimes investigation into Israeli airstrikes
London-based Amnesty International has called for an investigation into Israel’s deadly airstrikes in Gaza, asserting that the country’s actions could amount to “war crimes or crimes against humanity”.
At least 213 Palestinians have been killed in the fighting so far, including 61 children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
Israel has said that it strikes sites it consider military targets and has said that it regularly issues warnings to allow buildings to be evacuated before launching attacks.
In a statement, however, Amnesty accused Israeli forces of having “displayed a shocking disregard for the lives of Palestinian civilians by carrying out a number of airstrikes targeting residential buildings in some cases killing entire families - including children - and causing wanton destruction to civilian property”.
The organisation said it believes Israel’s actions “may amount to war crimes or crimes against humanity”.
Palestinians across Israel and occupied territories strike
Palestinians across Israel and the occupied territories have reportedly gone on strike.
The general strike comes as Israeli airstrikes continue to pummel Gaza and as militants have fired dozens of rockets from the Hamas-ruled territory.
With the fighting showing no signs of abating, Palestinians in Israel, east Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank participated in a general strike on Tuesday.
The collective action is rare among Palestinians in Israel, who make up about 20% of the population.
Muhammad Barakeh, one of the organisers of the strike, told the Press Association that Palestinians are expressing a “collective position” against Israel’s “aggression” in Gaza and Jerusalem.
He also said it was a show against “brutal repression” by police across Israel.
Additional reporting by PA
Strike from Gaza wounds 10 in Israel
Israeli medics have reportedly said that a strike from Gaza has wounded 10 people, with four seriously injured.
Israeli media has reported that the projectile attack hit a region in southern Israel on Tuesday.
Militants from Gaza have launched thousands of rockets at civilian targets in Israel since last week, with Israel responding with airstrikes that have seen more than 200 Palestinians killed.
At least 213 Palestinians have been killed in airstrikes so far, including 61 children, while 1,400 people have been left wounded, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
In Israel, the death toll has remained at 10 for days, with two children being among the dead.
Additional reporting by AP
Two foreign workers killed in Israel after rockets fired from Gaza
Two people have been killed in Israel after a wave of rockets from Gaza landed in the Eshkol region.
The two people killed were workers from Thailand, Micky Rosenfeld, Israel Police’s national spokesperson to the foreign media has said.
At least one other person was injured seriously in the attacks, with another suffering moderate injuries and five others sustaining minor injuries at the scene.
The fatalities bring the death toll in Israel up to 12 people killed, including two children.
Israel criticised after state Twitter account posts rocket emojis amid airstrikes
Israel is facing criticism after the state’s Twitter page posted a series of rocket emojis amid its continued airstrikes in Gaza.
An official account, which states online that it is managed by the foreign ministry, posted hundreds of rocket emojis on Monday.
Matt Mathers covers the response to the tweet:
Israel criticised after state Twitter account posts rocket emojis amid airstrikes
Israel says symbols related to number of rockets fired at its citizens by Hamas, critics argue post is insensitive
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