Seven Palestinians killed in Israeli strike near Gaza City beach

5:01 PM

The United States continues to assess that the threat of attack against Israel by Iran and its proxy groups still exists, the Pentagon said on Monday, after Hezbollah launched hundreds of rockets and drones at Israel in retaliation for the killing of a senior Hezbollah commander.

“I would point you to some of the public comments that have been made by Iranian leaders and others … we continue to assess that there is a threat of attack,” Pentagon spokesperson Air Force Major General Patrick Ryder told reporters.

(Reuters)

4:38 PM

United Nations humanitarian aid operations in Gaza ground to a halt on Monday after Israel issued new evacuation orders for Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip late on Sunday, a senior UN official said.

“We’re unable to deliver today with the conditions that we’re in,” the official said anonymously.

“We’re not leaving (Gaza) because the people need us there,” the official said. “We’re trying to balance the need of the population with the need for safety and security of the UN personnel.”

The official said UN staff on the ground had been directed to find a way to continue operating.

The official said the United Nations had relocated its main command operations for the Gaza Strip and most UN personnel to Deir Al-Balah after Israel ordered the evacuation of Rafah in the south of Gaza.

(Reuters)

3:58 PM

Palestinian journalist Ali Taima was reportedly identified among the several killed after an Israel drone strike targeted a civilian vehicle in the “safe zone” Al-Mawasi area west of Khan Younis.

Over 170 journalists have been killed since 7 October in Gaza.

Moments ago, Israeli occupation drones attacked a civilian vehicle within the displacement camps in Mawasi Khan Yunis, killing and wounding a number of Palestinians in the area.

Al-Mawasi area has been designated as a “safe” zone by Israeli occupation forces, who have been… pic.twitter.com/NGre3eTpEr

— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) August 26, 2024

3:28 PM

Oil prices jumped Monday after an escalation of hostilities between Israel and the Iranian-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah raised fears of a wider conflict in the Middle East.

Brent, the global benchmark, rose over three percent to trade at more than $81 per barrel.

Stock markets were mixed, taking a breather after US Federal Reserve chief Jerome Powell boosted investors last week by signalling that an interest rate cut was coming.

Israel and Hezbollah traded a barrage of fire Sunday after 10 months of cross-border clashes.

Hezbollah said it had launched a large-scale drone and rocket attack on Israel.

Israel said it conducted air strikes into Lebanon that destroyed “thousands” of Hezbollah rocket launchers and thwarted a significant attack.

3:01 PM

Israeli officials and media reacted on Monday after a long-expected missile attack by the Iranian-backed Hezbollah movement appeared to have been largely thwarted by Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon.

Israeli government spokesperson David Mencer said Hezbollah had suffered a “crushing blow” from the Israeli strikes but that a longer-lasting solution was still needed.

“The current situation is not sustainable,” he told a briefing, referring to the tens of thousands evacuated from their homes in northern Israel, a situation mirrored on the other side of the border in southern Lebanon. “Israel will do its duty and return its population to our sovereign territory.”

(Reuters)

2:38 PM

Iran on Monday praised the drone and missile assault by Lebanon’s Hezbollah group on Israel, saying its arch-foe had lost the ability to prevent such attacks amid heightened regional tensions.

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah on Sunday said the group, which is backed by Tehran, had launched a large-scale attack on Israel, targeting “the Glilot base — the main Israeli military intelligence base”.

Israel’s military said the installation was not hit.

“The Zionist regime may be able to hide, distort or censor some facts regarding Lebanese Hezbollah operations, but it knows very well that the existing facts will not change,” Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani posted on X.

“The Israeli terrorist army has lost its effective offensive and deterrent power and now must defend itself against strategic strikes.”

Kanani noted that the Hezbollah attack “extended deep into the occupied territories”, and said the “strategic balance has undergone fundamental changes” to the detriment of Israel.

He also criticised the United States for its “comprehensive” support for Israel, which had failed to “predict the time and place” of Hezbollah’s actions.

2:06 PM

Egypt reiterates that it has not accepted an Israeli presence in the Rafah border crossing or Philadelphi corridor, state-affiliated Al Qahera News TV quoted a senior source as saying on Monday.

A key sticking point in Gaza ceasefire talks mediated by the United States, Egypt and Qatar has been Israel’s insistence on a presence in the so-called Philadelphi Corridor, a narrow 14.5-km-long (9-mile-long) stretch of land along Gaza’s southern border with Egypt.

(Reuters)

1:30 PM

Israel issued new evacuation orders for Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip late on Sunday, forcing more families to flee.

In recent days, Israel has issued several evacuation orders across Gaza, the most since the beginning of the 10-month war, prompting an outcry from Palestinians, the United Nations and relief officials over the reduction of humanitarian zones and the absence of safe areas.

The Deir Al-Balah municipality says Israeli evacuation orders have so far displaced 250,000 people.

In a statement posted on X, the Israeli military urged residents in certain zones to move immediately to the west, as the area they are in is “considered a dangerous combat zone”.

The new orders forced many families and patients to leave Al-Aqsa Hospital, the main medical facility in Deir Al-Balah, where hundreds of thousands of residents and displaced people had taken shelter, for fear of bombardments.

The hospital is close to the area covered by the evacuation notice.

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said in a statement on X on Sunday night that an explosion approximately 250 meters (820 feet) away from the MSF-supported Al-Aqsa Hospital triggered panic.

“As a result, MSF is considering whether to suspend wound care for the time being, while trying to maintain life-saving treatment.”

From around 650 patients, only 100 remain in the hospital, with seven in the intensive care unit, it said, citing Gaza’s health ministry.

“This situation is unacceptable. Al Aqsa has been operating well beyond capacity for weeks due to the lack of alternatives for patients. All warring parties must respect the hospital, as well as patients’ access to medical care,” it added.

Gaza’s Ministry of Health called for the 100 patients inside the hospital, and the medical teams who had remained to care for them, to be protected.

Israeli forces issued an evacuation order in the vicinity of MSF-supported Al Aqsa Hospital, Deir Al Balah, Central Gaza, urging people to flee.

An explosion approximately 250 meters away triggered panic with many choosing to leave the hospital. 1/4

— MSF International (@MSF) August 26, 2024

Out of the 18 water wells in Deir Al-Balah, only 3 are still functioning – according to The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).

The organisation says it is a result of an 85 percent water shortfall.

This comes as the Israeli forces continue their ground invasion of the area, with the army ordering their latest evacuation order on Sunday, further displacing more Palestinian civilians.

“Not only are people in #Gaza in constant fear for their lives, but they struggle to meet even their most basic needs. #CeasefireNow,” UNRWA said on X

Due to ongoing military operations in Deir Al-Balah, only 3 out of 18 water wells there are still functioning, resulting in an 85% water shortfall.

Not only are people in #Gaza in constant fear for their lives, but they struggle to meet even their most basic needs. #CeasefireNow pic.twitter.com/d8N3ZB2tvu

— UNRWA (@UNRWA) August 26, 2024

12:26 PM

The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said Monday that at least 40,435 people have been killed since 7 October.

The toll includes 30 deaths in the previous 24 hours, according to ministry figures, which also list 93,534 people as wounded in the Gaza Strip.

12:00 PM

At least seven Palestinians were killed in an Israeli strike near Gaza City beach, Palestinian health officials said.

The toll is still rising.

(Reuters)

A senior official has reportedly survived an Israeli drone strike targeting a car in the city of Sidon, southern Lebanon – according to Lebanese media reports.

Reports said the strike hit a vehicle in Aabra.

A senior official in the resistance has reportedly survived the Israeli airstrike which targeted a car this morning in the city of Sidon, southern Lebanon, according to Lebanese reports. pic.twitter.com/qQCV85gT7l

— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) August 26, 2024

Israeli forces detained at least 15 Palestinians across the occupied West Bank, including former prisoners, in a series of detentions since Sunday evening. 

The detentions took place in Nablus, Qalqilya, Hebron, Bethlehem, and Jerusalem, the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society (PPS) and the Authority of the Prisoners and Ex-Prisoners said in a statement.

The ongoing Israeli incursions involve widespread raids, beatings, and threats against detainees and their families and destroying and damaging civilian homes.

Over 9,550 Palestinians have been detained by Israeli forces since 7 October.

Settlers, under the protection of Israeli police, stormed into Al-Aqsa Mosque on Monday morning, performing rituals.

According to Wafa, witnesses reported dozens of settlers entered the compound, conducted “provocative tours”, and performed rituals while the police restricted worshippers from entering the mosque.

At the same time, after Ben Gvir said he would allow the construction of a synagogue, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said, “there is no change to the status quo on the Temple Mount”.

The head of the opposition National Unity Party, Yair Lapid, said on X that “Israel is committed to preserving this historic status and has no intention of changing it” while slamming Netanyahu’s leadership, claiming “he is unable to control the government.”

“The freedom of worship will always be guaranteed at the holy site,” Lapid said.

כל האזור רואה את חולשתו של נתניהו מול בן גביר. הוא לא מסוגל לשלוט בממשלה אפילו כשזה ניסיון ברור לערער את הביטחון הלאומי שלנו. אין מדיניות, אין אסטרטגיה, אין באמת ממשלה. pic.twitter.com/OzH7BrAwWe

— יאיר לפיד – Yair Lapid (@yairlapid) August 26, 2024

10:03 AM

Israel has lost its deterrent power as it was unable to anticipate the time and place of Lebanese armed group Hezbollah’s “limited and managed attack”, Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said in a post on X on Monday.

(Reuters) 

🔹جنبش حماس:
ما پاسخ منحصربه فرد حزب‌الله علیه چندین اهداف حیاتی و استراتژیک در عمق رژيم صهیونیستی را تمجید و تبریک می‌گوییم. پاسخ قاطع حزب‌الله ثابت کرد که جنایات دشمن بی‌پاسخ نمی‌ماند.

🔹جنبش جهاد اسلامی فلسطین ضمن تبریک عملیات حزب‌الله در عمق اراضی اشغالی:
این حملات نشان داد… pic.twitter.com/Sq6UbSaTZD

— Nasser Kanaani (@IRIMFA_SPOX) August 26, 2024

Healthcare workers detained by Israeli forces have been tortured since 7 October – according to a report from Human Rights Watch.

Doctors, nurses and paramedics who were released from Israeli custody told HRW their mistreatment, including humiliation, beatings, forced stress positions, prolonged cuffing and blindfolding, and denial of medical care.

“The torture and other ill-treatment of doctors, nurses, and paramedics should be thoroughly investigated and appropriately punished, including by the International Criminal Court (ICC),” said Balkees Jarrah, acting Middle East director at Human Rights Watch.

HRW said the detention of healthcare workers, in the context of Israel’s ongoing attacks on hospitals in Gaza, has “catastrophic degradation of the besieged territory’s healthcare system“.

9:00 AM

Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said he would build a synagogue at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem – according to Israeli Army Radio.

While Al-Aqsa is a highly revered site for Muslims, many Jews refer to the mosque as the “Temple Mount”, believing it to be the location of their two ancient temples.

8:30 AM

The Greek-flagged ship Sounion has been on fire since 23 August after an attack by Yemen’s Houthis with no apparent signs of an oil spill, EU Red Sea naval mission Aspides said in a post on X on Monday.

The EU mission published photos dated Sunday showing fire and smoke coming from the vessel’s main deck.

Houthis, who control Yemen’s most populous regions, said on Thursday that they attacked the Sounion oil tanker in the Red Sea. The Iran-aligned group has been attacking ships in solidarity with Palestinians in the war on Gaza.

Fires were observed on at least five locations on the main deck of the vessel, Aspides said. Additionally, part of the superstructure is on fire too.

(Reuters)

Update on M/V SOUNION:

The MV SOUNION has been on fire since August 23rd.

An EUNAFOR ASPIDES 🇪🇺 unit transiting the area reported that there are fires on at least 5 locations observed on the main deck of the vessel. It is estimated that these are located around the hatches of… pic.twitter.com/ta0IuLhIoY

— EUNAVFOR ASPIDES (@EUNAVFORASPIDES) August 26, 2024

8:00 AM

Some 60 media and rights organisations on Monday urged the European Union to suspend a cooperation accord with Israel and impose sanctions, accusing it of “massacring journalists” in Gaza.

“In response to the unprecedented number of journalists killed and other repeated press freedom violations by the Israeli authorities since the start of the war with Hamas, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and 59 other organisations are calling on the European Union to suspend its Association Agreement with Israel and to adopt targeted sanctions against those responsible”, the groups said in a joint statement.

The call came ahead of a meeting by EU foreign ministers in Brussels on 19 August.