Gaza live: Fresh Israeli order forces over 170,000 Palestinians to leave their homes

Dozens of Israelis, led by ministers, prayed at Al-Aqsa Mosque during a large raid on Tuesday, violating decades-old arrangements that stipulate only Muslims can worship at the site in Jerusalem's Old City. 

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who was among the crowds, said: “Our policy is to allow Jewish prayer at the Temple Mount.”

Al-Aqsa Mosque is referred to as Temple Mount in Judaism and is considered holy to Jews.

For decades, a delicate status quo has governed worship and visits to the site, permitting only Muslims to pray in its courtyards and prayer halls.

Non-Muslims have been allowed to visit under the supervision of the Waqf, a joint Jordanian-Palestinian Islamic trust that manages the mosque's affairs.

Read more: Israel's Ben Gvir says Jewish prayer permitted at Al-Aqsa Mosque during large raid

Turkey has joined a growing list of countries to condemn the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque in the occupied East Jerusalem by crowds of Israelis, including two far-right ministers.

The storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque by hundreds of far-right Israelis, including ministers, will “further escalate tensions” in the region, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said Tuesday, reported Anadolu Agency.

“The storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque by hundreds of radical Israelis, including ministers, under police protection is a provocation that violates the historical status of Jerusalem and will further increase escalation in our region,” a ministry statement said. 

The UK's National Union of Journalists (NUJ) has slammed Israeli government spokesperson David Mencer for accusing BBC presenter Mishal Husain of inciting “attacks on Jews" in the country.

Mencer also accused the veteran BBC journalist of “blindly repeating what terrorist organisations" fed her.

In an interview on BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Monday, Mencer claimed that the BBC’s reporting had led to antisemitic attacks on Jews in Britain.

Responding to his outburst, the NUJ said Menser was “abusive”, adding that the Israeli government’s “contempt for the work of journalists was laid bare” during the interview.

The union praised Husain as a “consummate professional”.

Read more: Journalist union slams Israeli government spokesman for 'abusive' attack on BBC presenter

The EU's top diplomat Josep Borrell said he "strongly condemns" the actions of dozens of Israelis, led by ministers, who prayed at Al-Aqsa Mosque during a large raid on Tuesday, violating decades-old arrangements that stipulate only Muslims can worship at the site in Jerusalem's Old City. 

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who was among the crowds, said: “Our policy is to allow Jewish prayer at the Temple Mount,” referring to Al-Aqsa Mosque. The Al-Aqsa Mosque complex, also known as al-Haram al-Sharif, lies on a raised plateau that Jews refer to as the Temple Mount.

"The EU strongly condemns the provocations by Israeli Min. Ben-Gvir who, during his visit to the Holy Sites, advocated for the violation of the Status Quo," said Borrell. 

For decades, a delicate status quo has governed worship and visits to the site, permitting only Muslims to pray in its courtyards and prayer halls.

Non-Muslims have been allowed to visit under the supervision of the Waqf, a joint Jordanian-Palestinian Islamic trust that manages the mosque's affairs.

During a meeting on Tuesday with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed concern for the Palestinian people and affirmed Moscow's support for their goal of establishing a sovereign state. Despite the ongoing war in Ukraine, Putin emphasised that Russia remains attentive to developments in the Middle East.

"Everyone is well aware that Russia today, unfortunately, must defend its interests and defend its people with arms in hand. But what is happening in the Middle East, what is happening in Palestine, of course, does not go unnoticed on our part," Putin said, as per a Kremlin transcript.

"And of course, we are watching with great pain and anxiety the humanitarian catastrophe that has unfolded in Palestine," he added.

Putin also said that the suffering of their children "makes tears come to your eyes".

Abbas referred to Russia as "one of the dearest friends" of the Palestinian people, expressing confidence in Russia's support.

On Monday, the Canadian government revealed it had revoked the tax-exempt status of two prominent Jewish organisations: the Jewish National Fund (JNF) Canada and the Ne'eman Foundation.

Although the government did not disclose the reasons behind this decision, pro-Palestinian groups say that it stems from complaints they lodged with tax authorities, accusing the organisations of supporting illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.

JNF Canada plans to appeal against the decision, accusing the government of acting on antisemitic motives.

Israeli forces detained Jibril Rajoub, president of the Palestinian Football Association (PFA), upon his return from the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, and handed him a summons for questioning next Thursday, Wafa news agency is reporting.

Rajoub told Wafa that Israeli forces briefly detained him as he was returning home via the Karama crossing with Jordan, confiscating his passport and searching him before handing him the summons.

An investigation by Al Jazeera's Sanad verification agency has revealed that the Israeli attack on al-Tabin School in Gaza City, which killed at least 100 Palestinians, was “deliberately timed to cause maximum casualties."

Based on survivors' testimonies, photos of the remnants of the bombs and documentation of the explosion's immediate aftermath, the investigation concluded that the attack was timed to coincide with dawn prayers.

According to the report, the missiles “penetrated the mosque’s roof, passed through the first floor, where the women’s chapel is located, and exploded on the ground floor, where the men’s chapel is situated."

The agency contradicted claims by the Israeli forces that the attack was intended to target Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad fighters it claimed were in the men’s prayer hall. It said that the mosque was struck at prayer time when it was serving displaced civilians, and cited photographs and survivor testimonies indicating that fire broke out in areas outside the floor the Israeli forces claimed to be targeting.

The Qassam Brigades, Hamas' armed wing, has claimed an attack on Tel Aviv and its suburbs with two "M90" rockets, in its first strike on the city since late May.

According to the Times of Israel, the Israeli military has confirmed a Hamas rocket launched from Gaza landed off Tel Aviv’s coast, but the second failed to cross the border.

Gaza's health ministry said the death toll from Israel's war on the Palestinian enclave has risen to 39,929, with 32 people killed in the past 24 hours.

Additionally, 92,240 people have been wounded since the start of the war.

Israel's military prosecution requested that five Israeli soldiers accused of gang-raping a Palestinian detainee in Sde Teiman detention camp be released to house arrest while the investigation continues, the Times of Israel reports.

The request would keep the soldiers in detention until 22 August.

The house arrest is reportedly part of an agreement between the defence and the prosecution which will be presented to judges at a military court during a remand hearing later on Tuesday.

Credit rating agency Fitch downgraded Israel to A on Monday, a drop from A+.

The agency also gave the country a Negative Outlook.

"The downgrade to 'A' reflects the impact of the continuation of the war in Gaza, heightened geopolitical risks and military operations on multiple fronts," Fitch said, adding that it projects a budget deficit of 7.8 percent of GDP in 2024.

"In our view, the conflict in Gaza could last well into 2025 and there are risks of it broadening to other fronts. In addition to human losses, it could result in significant additional military spending, destruction of infrastructure and more sustained damage to economic activity and investment, leading to a further deterioration of Israel's credit metrics," it said. 

Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, along with fellow Jewish Power party member and minister Yitzhak Wasserlauf, stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque accompanied by over 1,000 Israeli settlers.

The settlers were marking the annual Jewish fast day of Tisha B’Av, which commemorates the destruction of the two ancient Jewish temples.

Israel's 🇮🇱 National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and fellow Otzma Yehudit minister Yitzhak Wasserlauf enter the Temple Mount/Aqsa Compound 🇵🇸 together with hundreds of Jews marking the fast day of Tisha B’Av, which marks the destruction of the Jewish Temples that once stood… https://t.co/GKeTsE1EPp pic.twitter.com/4ajYlVWUmq

— Saad Abedine (@SaadAbedine) August 13, 2024

Iran's foreign ministry said the joint British, French and German call for de-escalation in the region "lack political logic and contradict principles of international law".

The joint statement had called on Iran and its allies to refrain from carrying out attacks on Israel that would escalate tensions.

Iran is expected to retaliate for Israel's assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, while Hezbollah is expected to respond to Israel's assassination of top commander Fuad Shukr near Beirut.

"Without any objection to the crimes of the Zionist regime [Israel], the E3 [France, Germany, UK] statement impudently requires Iran not to respond to a violation of its sovereignty and territorial integrity," Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said.

Kanaani called on the three countries to "once and for all stand up against the war in Gaza and the warmongering of Israel".