A Palestinian woman carries the body of a child outside Shifa hospital in Gaza City where casualties of Israeli fire were transported ahead of their funerals, on Friday, as the war between Israel and the Hamas militant movement continues. — AFP Gaza City (Palestinian Territories), Aug (Agencies): United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has denounced the “endless catalogue of horrors” unfolding in Gaza after nearly two years of conflict, as Gaza’s civil defence reported dozens of new casualties from Israeli strikes.
As Israel’s military prepares to take control of Gaza City, the nation faces increasing domestic and international pressure to halt its offensive in the Palestinian territory, where the UN has officially declared a famine.
About two million Palestinians—the vast majority of the population—have been displaced at least once during the conflict, with humanitarian organisations warning against any expansion of military operations.
“Gaza is piled with rubble, piled with bodies and piled with examples of what may be serious violations of international law,” Guterres told journalists on Thursday, emphasising the need for accountability.
On Thursday, massive plumes of smoke were rising above Gaza City following Israeli bombardments of the city’s outskirts, as captured in video footage.
Aya Daher, displaced from Gaza City’s Zeitoun district, told the AFP news agency she had no shelter and was “just waiting for God’s mercy” outside a local hospital.
“There were explosions all night. I was injured, my husband was injured by shrapnel, and my son was also wounded in the head. Thank God we survived, but there were martyrs,” she said.
Cindy McCain, head of the UN’s World Food Programme, warned that Gaza had reached “breaking point” and called for the urgent restoration of its network of 200 food distribution points.
Following a visit to the territory, McCain reported witnessing firsthand that “desperation is soaring”.
The UN formally declared a famine in the Gaza governorate last week, attributing it to “systematic obstruction” of humanitarian aid deliveries by Israel.
Israel declared Gaza’s largest city a dangerous combat zone and recovered the remains of two hostages on Friday as the army launched the "initial stages" of a planned offensive that has drawn international condemnation.
As the military announced the resumption of fighting, health officials said the death toll in Gaza has risen to 63,025, with 59 new deaths reported by hospitals over the last 24 hours. Aid groups and a church sheltering people said they would stay in Gaza City, refusing to abandon the hungry and displaced who depend on them.
The shift comes weeks after Israel first announced plans to in the city, where hundreds of thousands are sheltering while enduring famine. The military has in recent days ramped up strikes in neighborhoods on the city's outskirts.
Plumes of smoke and thunderous blasts could be seen and heard across the border in southern Israel on Friday morning.
Macron backs Lebanese sovereignty after Israeli drone strike kills 2 soldiers
French President Emmanuel Macron reaffirmed France's support for Lebanese sovereignty and security on Friday, following a deadly Israeli drone strike that killed two Lebanese soldiers in the southern town of Naqoura earlier on Thursday.
In a statement posted on X, Macron said he had spoken with Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam to discuss the country's security situation and the path forward.
UK govt says Israeli officials
not invited to London arms fair
Israeli government representatives will not be invited to attend a major London arms fair next month, a UK government spokesperson said Friday, amid worsening diplomatic relations between Britain and Israel over the Gaza conflict.
"We can confirm that no Israeli government delegation will be invited to attend DSEI UK 2025" in September, said a defence ministry statement emailed to AFP.
Israeli defence companies will still be allowed to attend the biennial event. But Israel slammed the move as "discrimination".
Prime Minister Keir Starmer's government has in recent months suspended arms export licences to Israel for use in Gaza, suspended free trade talks with Israel and sanctioned two far-right Israeli ministers in protest at Israel's conduct of the war.
Turkey bars Israeli ships, flights from its territory
Turkey's top diplomat said Friday that Ankara had closed its ports and airspace to Israeli ships and planes, with a diplomatic source telling AFP the ban applied to "official" flights.
"We have closed our ports to Israeli ships. We do not allow Turkish ships to go to Israeli ports.... We do not allow container ships carrying weapons and ammunition to Israel to enter our ports, nor do we allow their aircraft to enter our airspace," Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told lawmakers in a televised address.
Asked for clarification about the minister's remarks, a Turkish diplomatic source said its airspace was "closed to all aircraft carrying weapons (to Israel) and to Israel's official flights".
Lebanon says Israeli drone explodes after crash, killing two soldiers
Lebanon's army said two personnel were killed Thursday after an Israeli drone that had crashed in the country's south exploded, the latest deadly incident for Lebanese troops near the Israeli border.
Under a November ceasefire that sought to end more than a year of hostilities including two months of open war between Israel and Hezbollah, Lebanon's army has been deploying in the country's south and dismantling the Iran-backed group's infrastructure there with the support of UN peacekeepers.
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