Gaza live: Israeli attack hits Unrwa centre
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It's hardly the life Israa imagined for her baby daughter when she learned she was pregnant in late May last year.
Like most expecting mothers, she had hopes of buying soft and colourful baby blankets for her little angel Rushdi, along with other items such as socks and early-development toys.
But throughout much of her pregnancy, Israa, who gave only her first name, was instead repeatedly on the move, forced to forego baby shopping and flee on foot, precariously from one shelter to another, in an attempt to outrun Israeli air strikes and invading Israeli soldiers.
"I never imagined I would give birth to my first child away from home and surrounded by air strikes," the young mother told Middle East Eye.
In the midst of what should have been a cause for joy and celebration, Israa said she was made to think mostly about death.
READ MORE: With no nappies, formula or food, new mothers struggle to keep their babies alive
Israeli air strikes have targeted Yaroun, a town in southern Lebanon, according to eye-witnesses.
Videos and photos shared on social media revealed smoke rising from the town.
No casualties have been reported yet.
يارون pic.twitter.com/XixYjWLMMY
— Safwan (@Safwan_cha3ar) June 16, 2024
Israeli anti-government activists have started a week of disruption aimed at pressuring the government to step down, the Times of Israel is reporting.
On Sunday, protestors blocked several highways, calling for elections before 7 October anniversary, according to one of the organisers.
The activists plan to gather outside Israel’s Knesset tomorrow evening, according to the Times of Israel.
“Only elections can start the healing process,” protest leader Moshe Radman told The Times of Israel.
“Netanyahu, what are you afraid of? Only a dictator is afraid of his people.”
Israeli forces violently blocked Palestinians from accessing Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem on Sunday to attend Eid prayer.
Hundreds of people, mainly young men, were prevented at checkpoints in the Old City from reaching the religious site, with some being beaten by batons, pushed and shoved by Israeli officers.
Ahead of the prayer to mark Eid al-Adha, which is celebrated by Muslims worldwide at the end of Hajj, the Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Israeli forces also stormed the courtyard of Al-Aqsa Mosque.
READ MORE: Israeli forces violently block Palestinians from Al-Aqsa Mosque on Eid
The UN agency for Palestinians refugees (Unrwa) has said its teams are organising Eid activities for displaced children in a humanitarian zone in Mawasi, Khan Younis.
Gaza families are unable to celebrate Eid traditionally due to repeated displacement, impoverishment and food shortages.
This #EidAlAdha, @UNRWA teams are working to give some relief to children in #Gaza despite everything they are going through.
— UNRWA (@UNRWA) June 16, 2024
This is today in Mawasi Khan Younis, where our dedicated colleagues are organising play activities to bring a bit of joy to children. pic.twitter.com/RkBfx6p4Ih
Israeli forces have killed two Palestinians in the Tal as-Sultan neighbourhood in Rafah, also targeting the ambulances trying to reach the casualties, Al Jazeera Arabic is reporting.
According to an Al Jazeera correspondent, hundreds of displaced Palestinians are still sheltering in the neighbourhood, which was particularly badly hit by Israel's latest round of air strikes.
The Israeli army has responded to claims that neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nor Defence Minister Yoav Gallant knew about its plans for a "tactical pause" to fighting along a humanitarian corridor in Gaza.
According to Haaretz, the army claims the decision was made by the Southern Command in response to Netanyahu's instructions to boost the flow of aid to Gaza.
Israel's Army Radio previously reported that the Israeli government had not been informed about the move.
Over 9,300 Palestinians, including at least 75 women and 250 children, remain in Israeli prisons and detention centres, the Palestinian Prisoners Society (PPS) said in a statement on Sunday.
Of those held, 899 are prisoners from Gaza, according to the Israeli Prison Service, although the society estimates the actual figure to be in the thousands.
The PPS added that over 3,400 Palestinians are being held in administrative detention, which allows for the arbitrary detention of Palestinians without charge or trial.
Amongst them are around 600 detainees who are serving life sentences or waiting to be issued life sentences by the Israeli authorities, according to the society.
Israeli forces have detained six Palestinians in raids across the occupied West Bank, Wafa news agency is reporting.
Israeli forces stormed Far'a camp near Tubas, firing live ammunition, injuring a young man and arresting three people, the agency said.
Three more Palestinians were arrested during a raid in al-Khader, south of Bethlehem.
Around 9,200 Palestinians have been arrested in the West Bank in near-daily raids by Israeli forces since 7 October, the Palestinian Prisoners Society said in a statement.
Israeli forces assaulted worshippers attending Eid al-Adha prayers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied Jerusalem this morning, Wafa news agency is reporting.
An agency correspondent said that worshippers had been assaulted on their way to the mosque and when leaving, adding that dozens had been barred from attending, forcing them to pray outside the mosque gates.
Israeli forces also reportedly broke into the mosque's courtyard, disrupting the worshippers in order to check their identification documents.
According to the Islamic Waqf, the Jordan-run authority that runs the site, 40,000 worshippers managed to attend the prayers despite the restrictions.
Israel's far-right finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, and Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir have denounced the military's announcement of a "tactical pause" to fighting to allow aid deliveries into southern Gaza.
In a post on X, Smotrich said the move was prioritising international legitimacy over "victory", adding that allowing the passage of aid into the besieged enclave was enabling Hamas and prolonging the war.
He said that the only way to end the fighting was the occupation of Gaza and the imposition of a temporary military government.
Meanwhile, Ben Gvir said the decision was "delusional", particularly in light of the deaths of 10 Israeli soldiers in attacks on Saturday.
מי שהחליט על ״הפוגה טקטית״ לצורך מעבר הומניטרי במיוחד בשעה שטובי חיילנו נופלים בקרב הוא אוויל וכסיל שאסור לו להמשיך להיות בתפקידו. לצערי מהלך זה לא הובא בפני הקבינט והוא מנוגד להחלטותיו. הגיע הזמן לצאת מהקונספציה ולהפסיק את הגישה המטורללת וההזויה שרק מביאה עלינו עוד הרוגים…
— איתמר בן גביר (@itamarbengvir) June 16, 2024
Hamas's response to the latest Gaza ceasefire proposal is consistent with the principles put forward in US President Joe Biden's plan, the group's Qatar-based leader, Ismail Haniyeh, said in a televised speech on the occasion of the Islamic Eid al-Adha on Sunday.
"Hamas and the [Palestinian] groups are ready for a comprehensive deal which entails a ceasefire, withdrawal from the strip, the reconstruction of what was destroyed and a comprehensive [prisoners] swap deal," Haniyeh said.
On 31 May, Biden laid out what he called a "three-phase" Israeli proposal that would include negotiations for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza as well as phased exchanges of Israeli and Palestinian prisoners.
Hamas replied to the proposal on 11 June. You can read the full text of their response here, exclusively revealed by MEE.
Reporting by Reuters and MEE
A coalition of 30 organisations have won a case against the organisers of the world's largest arms fair, resulting in the barring Israeli arms companies, their affiliates and all Israeli delegations or intermediaries from the Eurosatory arms show.
The coalition, which includes Al-Haq, ASER, Stop Fuelling War, AFPS, Urgence Palestine and Stop Arming Israel France, said that the court extended its initial ban after some Israeli companies tried to circumvent it by attending other companies' stands.
"The associations showed that at least seven subsidiary companies were majority-owned by Israeli companies, were still registered for the show," they said in a statement.
📢 Al-Haq & Partners Win Case Against COGES - the organizers of the world’s largest arms fair. Israeli arms companies, their affiliates and all Israeli delegations or intermediaries are barred from EUROSATORY arms fair https://t.co/fS3175MVfk
— Al-Haq الحق (@alhaq_org) June 15, 2024
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the temporary "humanitarian pause" in parts of Rafah announced by the military earlier today was "not acceptable", a diplomatic source said according to the Times of Israel.
The military said an 11-hour pause would be observed on a key road in eastern Rafah daily to allow safe passage for aid trucks. It appears the decision was taken without consultation with the political leadership.
According to the Times of Israel, Netanyahu sought clarification after the announcement and was informed that fighting would continue in Rafah unchanged.
