Live: Strike announced in Israel amid mounting anger at Netanyahu

A commercial ship in the Red Sea has been left "not under command" following a suspected attack by Yemen's Houthis, according to the British military, likely indicating a total power loss.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) centre said the attack involved men on small boats firing small arms some 140km west of the Houthi-held port city of Hodeidah.

The ship was later "struck by two unidentified projectiles before being hit by a third", according to the UKMTO.

“The vessel reports being not under command,” the UKMTO said, adding: “No casualties reported.”

READ MORE: Commerical ship ‘not under command’ after suspected Houthi attack in Red Sea

The Israeli strike on south Lebanon's Sidon has killed an official in the Palestinian group of Fatah, the AFP reports.

The group is chaired by Mahmoud Abbas, the President of the State of Palestine.

Lebanese media reports an drone strike on a vehicle near the Palestinian refugee camp of Mieh Mieh in Sidon, south Lebanon.

مشاهد اولية للغارة الاسرائيلية التي استهدفت منذ قليل سيارة في منطقة الفيلات بمدينة صيدا pic.twitter.com/yU3vsq0fNL

— Al Jadeed News (@ALJADEEDNEWS) August 21, 2024

At least two Israeli kibbutzim have announced that they will boycott the government's plan for a state memorial on the anniversary of the 7 October attack, Israel's Yedioth Ahronoth reports.

Both Be'eri and Kfar Aza were attacked by Hamas fighters in their incursion into Israel, and had several residents taken to Gaza as captives.

The Be'eri kibbutz had reportedly decided to hold its own ceremony even before the government had announced its plans, while Kfar Aza said in a statement that it was "disappointed" by the government's plans while 109 captives remain in Gaza, five of whom are residents of the kibbutz.

Kfar Aza's statement adds that the government should focus on returning the captives and, as far as the memorial is concerned, "make do with lowering the flag to half-staff and standing in attention at the memorial siren, and not produce grandiose events".

Lebanese media reports that an Israeli drone strike has hit a motorcycle in Beit Lif, south Lebanon, injuring one person.

No further information is available at this point.

Israeli media is reporting that dozens of rockets have been fired from Lebanon towards to occupied Golan Heights.

At least four impacts were reported in Katzrin, including a direct hit on a home.

One man is reportedly injured.

המטח לגולן ולגליל: יירוטים רבים בשמי הצפון, דיווחים על ארבע זירות נפילה בקצרין, גבר בן 30 נפצע באורח קל | עדכונים שוטפים >>> https://t.co/ieIhbWqx4j@rubih67 pic.twitter.com/Wij1rzleOj

— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) August 21, 2024

Good morning Middle East Eye readers,

Here are the latest updates:

• Israeli forces have attacks areas across the Gaza Strip, including Jabalia, Deir al-Balah, Rafah and Khan Younis
• US Secretary of State Antony Blinken ended his trip to the Middle East, saying that "time is of the essence" for both Israeli captives and Palestinians in Gaza
• Politico reports that ceasefire talks are on the "brink of collapse" with the US worried about Hamas and Israel remaining at odds
• A group of 20 aid agencies and 20 doctors who have worked in Gaza have called for an urgent ceasefire to administer polio vaccines to around 640,000 under 10 in the Palestinian enclave
• One person was killed and 20 others injured in Israel's strike on Lebanon's eastern Beqaa Valley, deep into the country's territory

Our live coverage from Gaza will shortly be closing until tomorrow morning.

Here are some of the day's key developments:

• Gaza's health ministry said that 40,173 Palestinians have been killed since 7 October in Israeli attacks on the enclave. Additionally, 92,857 were wounded since the start of the war

• Medical sources confirmed to Al Jazeera that at least 52 Palestinians were killed on Monday due to Israeli bombardment across Gaza

• Hamas will not engage with the latest US ceasefire proposal due to its deviation from President Joe Biden’s deal outline announced in May, sources close to the Palestinian movement told Middle East Eye

• The Israeli military recovered the bodies of six captives from Gaza during an overnight operation on Tuesday. Hamas had previously announced the deaths of five captives, saying that they were killed following Israeli strikes

• At least 12 people were killed in an Israeli strike on a school-turned-shelter in Gaza, the enclave's civil defence said in an update on Tuesday

• A UN official reports that death appears to be the “only certainty” for the 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza, who have no way to escape Israeli attacks. The official recounts the growing desperation across the territory

• The Arab Center for the Advancement of Social Media, also known as 7amleh, has released a report on the digital security situation for Palestinians aged 15 to 30 in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem

• Outgoing Israeli ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan has expressed that the United Nations headquarters in New York is "unnecessary" and should be "closed and wiped off the face of the earth"

• Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has told US Secretary of State Antony Blinken that the "time has come" to end Israel's assault on Gaza, warning of the potential for a spreading regional war otherwise.

Hamas will not engage with the latest US ceasefire proposal due to its deviation from President Joe Biden’s deal outline announced in May, sources close to the Palestinian movement told Middle East Eye. 

The latest proposal, discussed in Qatar last week, differs from what Hamas has previously agreed to and includes new demands by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that are unacceptable to the group, the sources said. 

As such, Hamas has refused to receive it and will not attend the follow-up talks that are planned in Cairo later this week. 

On Tuesday, the Palestinian movement said it was committed to the 2 July proposal that it had previously agreed to, which was based on Biden’s announcement on 31 May. 

The group said it will only come to the table to discuss implementation mechanisms of the 2 July plan and won’t discuss new proposal.

Read more: Hamas says latest ceasefire proposal deviates from previous agreements

The Lebanese newspaper Al-Mayadeen reported late Tuesday that the Israeli military conducted attacks near the city of Baalbek and in the Beqaa Valley, approximately 100 kilometres north of the Israeli border.

So far there have been no casualties reported. 

A UN official reports that death appears to be the “only certainty” for the 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza, who have no way to escape Israeli attacks. The official recounts the growing desperation across the territory.

“It does feel like people are waiting for death. Death seems to be the only certainty in this situation,” said Louise Wateridge, an Unrwa spokeswoman, speaking to AFP from Gaza.

For the past two weeks, Wateridge has been in Gaza, witnessing the humanitarian crisis, the fear of death, and the spread of disease as the war continues.

“Nowhere in Gaza is safe. It’s absolutely devastating. We are facing unprecedented challenges with the spread of disease and hygiene issues, largely due to the Israeli-imposed siege on the Gaza Strip," she added.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who arrived in Qatar from Egypt and met with Emir Sheikh Tamim, said that Washington wants a deal within days, urging all parties to “get the agreement over the finish line now”.

He also said:

• He heard directly from Netanyahu that Israel has accepted the US 'bridging proposal" and hopes Hamas will do the same
• Once Hamas agrees to the proposal, all sides must work on the implementation details
• After Netanyahu assured that Israel will not withdraw its military from Gaza, Blinken reiterated that the US has always opposed a long-term military occupation of the enclave

The Lebanese health ministry announced on Tuesday that an Israeli strike in the village of Dhahira in southern Lebanon killed three people and wounded one.

Additionally, the Al-Hadath news channel reported that the Israeli army conducted air strikes in the villages of Ramyah and Tallouseh, also located in southern Lebanon.

Authorities are bracing for a week of mass protests and disruptions at the Democratic National Convention (DNC), with tens of thousands of anti-war and pro-Palestinian demonstrators descending on the city to demand the US halt support for Israel's war on Gaza.

Security around the perimeter of the DNC in Chicago has already been beefed up with the US Secret Service, together with local law enforcement building "a wall" around the main convention centre.

Residents in neighbourhoods around the two main arenas hosting DNC activities, the United Center and McCormick Place, also reported seeing road closures and several barriers go up.

On Monday, more than 270 organisations under the banner, "The Coalition to March on the DNC", say they will march for an end to US support for Israel, amongst a string of demands from the Democratic Party.

Organisers expect thousands of people from the state of Illinois and 21 other states to participate in the week-long activities. Volunteers are said to have distributed around 100,000 flyers in Chicago alone, inviting the local community to participate in the actions.

Read more: 'Welcome to Hell week' as Chicago braces for mass protests for Palestine

In remarks reported by state media, Ali Mohammad Naeini, the new spokesperson for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, said that the timing and nature of Iran’s retaliation for the assassination of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran might differ from expectations.

He added:

• Israel should be prepared for precise strikes at the appropriate time.
• Time is on Iran’s side, and the wait for this response could be prolonged.
• Iran’s response may not necessarily repeat past operations.