Warning: Some graphic pictures beneath.
JERUSALEM (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was in Israel on Sunday as its navy intensified assaults on northern Gaza, flattening a number of high-rise constructing and killing a minimum of 13 Palestinians.
Rubio mentioned earlier than the journey that he would search solutions from Israeli officers about their view of a path ahead in Gaza, following Israel’s assault on Hamas leaders in Qatar final week that upended efforts to dealer an finish to the battle.
His two-day go to can be a present of help for the more and more remoted Israel because the United Nations holds what is anticipated to be a contentious debate subsequent week on dedication to the creation of a Palestinian state. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu strongly opposes the popularity of a Palestinian state.
Rubio visits Israel regardless of anger over Qatar assault
Nathan Howard/Pool/AFP by way of Getty Photographs
Rubio’s go to proceeded regardless of U.S. President Donald Trump’s anger at Netanyahu over the Israeli strike in Doha, which he mentioned the US wasn’t notified of beforehand.
On Sunday, Netanyahu, Rubio and their wives, together with U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee and his spouse, toured the Western Wall and the excavated tunnels close to it.
“I think his (Rubio’s) visit here is a testament to the durability, the strength of the Israeli-American alliance. It’s as strong and as durable as the stones of the Western Wall we just touched,” Netanyahu mentioned.
On Friday, Rubio and Trump met with Qatar’s prime minister in regards to the fallout from the Israeli operation. The back-to-back conferences with Israel and Qatar illustrate how the Trump administration is making an attempt to stability relations between key Center East allies regardless of widespread worldwide condemnation of the assault.
The Doha assault, which killed a minimum of six individuals, additionally seems to have ended makes an attempt to safe an Israel-Hamas ceasefire and the discharge of hostages earlier than the upcoming U.N. Normal Meeting session, at which the warfare in Gaza is anticipated to be a main focus.
In the meantime, Qatar’s prime minister denounced Israel as international ministers from Arab and Muslim nations met Sunday to debate a potential unified response. Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, who additionally serves as international minister, mentioned Qatar remained dedicated to working with Egypt and the U.S. to succeed in a ceasefire within the Israel-Hamas warfare, however that Israel’s strike represented “an attack on the principle of mediation itself.”
Lethal airstrikes mount
Ali Jadallah/Anadolu by way of Getty Photographs
On Sunday, a minimum of 13 Palestinians have been killed and dozens wounded in Israeli strikes throughout Gaza, in accordance with native hospitals.
One strike on a tent within the metropolis of Deir al-Balah killed a minimum of six members of the identical household. Two mother and father, their three youngsters and the youngsters’s aunt have been killed, in accordance with Al-Aqsa Hospital. The household was from the northern city of Beit Hanoun, and arrived in Deir al-Balah final week after fleeing a Gaza Metropolis shelter.
The Israeli navy didn’t instantly remark.
As a part of its increasing operation in Gaza Metropolis, the navy destroyed a number of high-rise buildings Sunday after warning residents to evacuate. Some have been destroyed lower than an hour after an evacuation order was posted on-line by navy spokesman Avichay Adraee.
With out offering proof, Israel has accused Hamas of constructing militant infrastructure inside civilian areas.
On Sunday, the navy mentioned Hamas had positioned statement factors to assemble intelligence about troop motion and that militants have been poised to strike Israeli troops, although it provided no proof to help these claims.
Residents mentioned the Kauther tower within the Rimal neighborhood was flattened. There have been no rapid stories of casualties.
“This is part of the genocidal measures the (Israeli) occupation is carrying out in Gaza City,” mentioned Abed Ismail, a Gaza Metropolis resident. “They want to turn the whole city into rubble, and force the transfer and another Nakba.”
The phrase Nakba is Arabic for disaster and refers to when round 700,000 Palestinians have been expelled by Israeli forces or fled their houses in what’s now Israel, earlier than and through the 1948 warfare that surrounded its creation.
Israeli strongly denies accusations of genocide in Gaza.
“The skyline of Gaza is changing,” Protection Minister Israel Katz wrote on X together with footage of the strikes that destroyed one of many buildings.
Hunger in Gaza
Alaa Y.M. Abumohsen/Anadolu by way of Getty Photographs
Individually, two Palestinian adults died of causes associated to malnutrition and hunger within the Gaza Strip during the last 24 hours, the territory’s Health Ministry reported Sunday.
That has introduced the loss of life toll from malnutrition-related causes to 277 since late June, when the ministry began to rely fatalities amongst this age class, whereas one other 145 youngsters died of malnutrition-related causes for the reason that begin of the warfare in October 2023, the ministry mentioned.
The Israeli protection physique overseeing humanitarian support in Gaza mentioned greater than 1,200 vehicles carrying support, primarily meals, entered into Gaza over the previous week.
Support employees say the help that does attain Gaza is simply too little and inadequate for the territory’s monumental wants. A lot of additionally it is looted earlier than it will probably attain the Palestinians in determined want.
Worldwide groups additionally completed restore work on a water line from Israel to Gaza, one among three water traces from Israel to Gaza, growing the every day quantity of water coming into Gaza from Israel to 14,000 cubic meters (3.7 million gallons).
Over the almost two years since Israel launched its offensive, Gaza’s water entry has been progressively restricted and the Palestinian territory is now enduring a second scorching summer season in wartime. Dad and mom and kids typically chase down water vehicles that come each two or three days, filling bottles, canisters and buckets after which hauling them dwelling.
The warfare in Gaza started when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing round 1,200 individuals, largely civilians, and abducting 251. There are nonetheless 48 hostages remaining in Gaza, of whom Israel believes that 20 are nonetheless alive.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed a minimum of 64,871 Palestinians, in accordance with Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t say what number of have been civilians or combatants. It says round half of these killed have been ladies and kids. Giant components of main cities have been utterly destroyed and round 90% of some 2 million Palestinians have been displaced. ___
Samy Magdy reported from Cairo. Related Press writers Melanie Lidman in Tel Aviv, Israel, Eric Tucker in Washington, and Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed to this report.
