As the world watches Israel bomb Iran, Gaza's carnage continues
Even as Israel carried out another wave of strikes on Iran on Tuesday, dozens of Palestinians were killed while trying to get aid, with witnesses reporting that Israeli tanks fired shells near a crowd gathered along a route used by aid trucks.
It was the deadliest in a string of incidents to have taken place over the past month near aid distribution centres, as Israel looks to sideline the United Nations as the key aid provider in Gaza. Health officials in Gaza say almost 400 Palestinians have now been killed near humanitarian centres since aid deliveries resumed in late May.
The latest incident took place near a World Food Program site in Khan Younis, but many of the deaths have occurred near centres operated by the controversial US and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. The UN has labelled their aid hubs 'militarised distribution points'.
Israeli gunfire and strikes killed at least 140 people across Gaza in the past 24 hours, local health officials said on Wednesday, as some Palestinians said their plight had been forgotten as attention shifted to Israel's campaign against Iran.
'People are being slaughtered in Gaza, day and night, but attention has shifted to the Iran-Israel war. There is little news about Gaza these days,' said Adel, a resident of Gaza City.
'Whoever doesn't die from Israeli bombs dies from hunger. People risk their lives every day to get food, and they also get killed and their blood smears the sacks of flour they thought they had won,' he told Reuters via a chat app.
'We are maybe happy to see Israel suffer from Iranian rockets, but at the end of the day, one more day in this war costs the lives of tens of innocent people,' said 47-year-old Shaban Abed, a father of five from northern Gaza.
Medical staff said separate airstrikes on Wednesday on homes in the Maghazi refugee camp, the Zeitun neighbourhood and Gaza City killed at least 21 people, while five others were killed in an airstrike on an encampment in Khan Younis in southern Gaza.
In the Khan Younis incident on Tuesday, medics said at least 59 people were killed by Israeli tank fire near a World Food Programme site, in one of the deadliest single events since hostilities resumed after the March truce.
The Israeli military said it was investigating the incident and regretted 'any harm to uninvolved individuals'.
According to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants, at least 531 people were killed and 2486 injured across the territory between June 11 and 18.
The latest death tolls included the most recent killings of Palestinians seeking aid in the weeks since Israel partially lifted its total blockade and the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation began operating.
Israel and the US say the GHF provides a means to deliver aid directly to Palestinians outside existing humanitarian lines of supply, which are vulnerable to being stolen or siphoned off by Hamas – a charge the group denies.
But Palestinian officials, medics and witnesses say Israeli forces have repeatedly opened fire near the hubs, causing mass casualties among desperate crowds. The Israeli military has said its troops only fire in self-defence or at military targets, and that it always tries to minimise the loss of civilian life.
The World Food Programme on Wednesday warned that people's desperation for food was causing them to gather en masse along well-known transport routes in the hope of intercepting supplies.
'Any violence resulting in starving people being killed or injured while seeking life-saving assistance is completely unacceptable,' it said in a statement, which also called for a big increase in food distribution.
The head of the UN's Palestinian refugee agency, Philippe Lazzarini, attacked the current aid system as 'a disgrace & a stain on our collective consciousness', in a post on X on Wednesday.
Amid the violence, the UN's Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) again warned of a looming famine and the World Food Programme called for a big increase in food distribution, saying the 9000 tonnes it had sent recently was a 'tiny fraction' of what was needed.
Gaza's hospitals are also overstretched and face critical shortages of essential medicines and supplies, OCHA says, while also dealing with mass casualty events and fuel shortages. Medical teams have reportedly suffered fainting episodes due to exhaustion and lack of food.
An estimated 55,000 pregnant women in Gaza also face growing health risks, such as miscarriage, stillbirth, and undernourished newborns, OCHA warns, while other life-saving and critical care services are at imminent risk of shutting down, including 80 per cent of maternity units.
In the three months since hostilities resumed, OCHA estimates that more than 680,000 people have been displaced from their homes, and less than 18 per cent of Gaza now remains outside Israeli militarised or evacuation zones.
Since the ceasefire ended in March, Israeli forces have escalated their bombardment from the air, land and sea and expanded ground operations, destroying yet more civilian infrastructure and causing large-scale displacement.
Many people have been forced to take refuge in any available space, including overcrowded refugee sites, makeshift shelters, bombed-out buildings, streets and open areas, OCHA reports.
Fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups has also been reported.
The death toll in Gaza since the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel, which triggered the war, is now at least 55,637, with 129,880 injured, according to the Hamas-run ministry.
That figure includes some 5334 people killed and 17,839 injured since fighting resumed on March 18, according to health ministry figures.
Hamas militants killed 1200 people in the 2023 attack on Israel and took 251 people hostage. Fifty-three hostages are still being held by Hamas in Gaza, at least 20 of whom are believed to be alive.
As Israel and Iran continue to trade fire, on Wednesday, Amnesty International accused both sides of 'time and again' demonstrating 'utter disregard for international human rights' and 'committing grave international crimes with impunity'.
'The world must not allow Israel to use this military escalation to divert attention away from its ongoing genocide against Palestinians in the occupied Gaza Strip', Amnesty secretary general Agnès Callamard said.
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Pro-Palestinian activists damage planes on UK base
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The group Palestine Action said two members entered RAF Brize Norton on Wednesday and used electric scooters to approach the Voyager jets, which are used for air-to-air refuelling and transportation. The duo sprayed red paint into the planes' turbine engines with repurposed fire extinguishers and caused further damage with crowbars, according to the group, which released video footage appearing to show an individual approach a jet and spray paint into the engine. The activists left the base without being detained, Palestine Action said. The group said that "despite publicly condemning the Israeli government, Britain continues to send military cargo, fly spy planes over Gaza and refuel US/Israeli fighter jets". It called the UK "an active participant in the Gaza genocide and war crimes across the Middle East". Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the "vandalism" as "disgraceful" in a post on X. Britain's defence ministry confirmed the incident, saying: "We strongly condemn this vandalism of Royal Air Force assets." Planes from Brize Norton, about 100km northwest of London, regularly fly to RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, Britain's main air base for operations in the Middle East. The UK has sent more Typhoon fighter jets and Voyager tankers to Cyprus since the Israel-Iran war started a week ago for what Starmer called "contingency support". Iran has threatened to attack US, French and British bases in the region if those countries help Israel fend off Iranian strikes. The defence ministry and police are investigating. with Reuters British police are searching for suspects after pro-Palestinian activists claimed to have broken into a Royal Air Force Base and damaged two planes with red paint. The group Palestine Action said two members entered RAF Brize Norton on Wednesday and used electric scooters to approach the Voyager jets, which are used for air-to-air refuelling and transportation. The duo sprayed red paint into the planes' turbine engines with repurposed fire extinguishers and caused further damage with crowbars, according to the group, which released video footage appearing to show an individual approach a jet and spray paint into the engine. The activists left the base without being detained, Palestine Action said. The group said that "despite publicly condemning the Israeli government, Britain continues to send military cargo, fly spy planes over Gaza and refuel US/Israeli fighter jets". It called the UK "an active participant in the Gaza genocide and war crimes across the Middle East". Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the "vandalism" as "disgraceful" in a post on X. Britain's defence ministry confirmed the incident, saying: "We strongly condemn this vandalism of Royal Air Force assets." Planes from Brize Norton, about 100km northwest of London, regularly fly to RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, Britain's main air base for operations in the Middle East. The UK has sent more Typhoon fighter jets and Voyager tankers to Cyprus since the Israel-Iran war started a week ago for what Starmer called "contingency support". Iran has threatened to attack US, French and British bases in the region if those countries help Israel fend off Iranian strikes. The defence ministry and police are investigating. with Reuters British police are searching for suspects after pro-Palestinian activists claimed to have broken into a Royal Air Force Base and damaged two planes with red paint. The group Palestine Action said two members entered RAF Brize Norton on Wednesday and used electric scooters to approach the Voyager jets, which are used for air-to-air refuelling and transportation. The duo sprayed red paint into the planes' turbine engines with repurposed fire extinguishers and caused further damage with crowbars, according to the group, which released video footage appearing to show an individual approach a jet and spray paint into the engine. The activists left the base without being detained, Palestine Action said. The group said that "despite publicly condemning the Israeli government, Britain continues to send military cargo, fly spy planes over Gaza and refuel US/Israeli fighter jets". It called the UK "an active participant in the Gaza genocide and war crimes across the Middle East". Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the "vandalism" as "disgraceful" in a post on X. Britain's defence ministry confirmed the incident, saying: "We strongly condemn this vandalism of Royal Air Force assets." Planes from Brize Norton, about 100km northwest of London, regularly fly to RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, Britain's main air base for operations in the Middle East. The UK has sent more Typhoon fighter jets and Voyager tankers to Cyprus since the Israel-Iran war started a week ago for what Starmer called "contingency support". Iran has threatened to attack US, French and British bases in the region if those countries help Israel fend off Iranian strikes. The defence ministry and police are investigating. with Reuters
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Europe to tell Iran that US open to direct talks
European foreign ministers will tell their Iranian counterpart that the US is open to direct talks even as it considers joining Israeli strikes intended to smash Tehran's nuclear capacity, diplomats say before a meeting in Geneva. Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi would be told that Iran must send a "clear signal", two diplomats told Reuters, with pressure mounting on Tehran to agree tough curbs on its nuclear program to prevent the potential development of an atomic weapon. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke to several Western counterparts before the meeting in Switzerland, the diplomats said, indicating readiness to engage directly with Tehran. Washington did not confirm that though broadcaster CNN quoted a US official saying President Donald Trump supported diplomacy from allies that could bring Iran closer to a deal. Tehran, however, has repeatedly said it will not talk to the Trump administration until Israeli attacks end. 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"There is no room for negotiations with the US until Israeli aggression stops," Araqchi was quoted as saying on Iranian state TV on Friday. The E3 have in past talks with Iran suggested it keep some uranium enrichment but accept extremely strict international inspections of its nuclear activities. Trump has demanded zero enrichment and French President Emmanuel Macron appeared to echo that call on Friday, saying any new deal needed to go towards zero enrichment for Iran. The main message Europeans will pass to Araqchi is that the US has signalled readiness for direct talks, but that Iran must give a serious signal, the two European diplomats said, without defining what the signal should be. Trump's special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, has spoken to Araqchi several times since last week, sources say. While diplomats did not expect a breakthrough in Geneva, they said it was vital to engage with Iran because once the war stopped the nuclear issue would remain unresolved given that Tehran would still retain the scientific know-how. Trump has said he will decide within two weeks whether to join Israeli strikes. "A window now exists within the next two weeks to achieve a diplomatic solution," British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said. European foreign ministers will tell their Iranian counterpart that the US is open to direct talks even as it considers joining Israeli strikes intended to smash Tehran's nuclear capacity, diplomats say before a meeting in Geneva. Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi would be told that Iran must send a "clear signal", two diplomats told Reuters, with pressure mounting on Tehran to agree tough curbs on its nuclear program to prevent the potential development of an atomic weapon. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke to several Western counterparts before the meeting in Switzerland, the diplomats said, indicating readiness to engage directly with Tehran. Washington did not confirm that though broadcaster CNN quoted a US official saying President Donald Trump supported diplomacy from allies that could bring Iran closer to a deal. Tehran, however, has repeatedly said it will not talk to the Trump administration until Israeli attacks end. The ministers from Britain, France and Germany, known as the E3, plus the European Union's foreign policy chief, were meeting separately on Friday before planned face-to-face talks with Araqchi. "The Iranians can't sit down with the Americans whereas we can," a European diplomat said. "We will tell them to come back to the table to discuss the nuclear issue before the worst-case scenario, while raising our concerns over its ballistic missiles, support to Russia and detention of our citizens." The talks were due for mid-afternoon in Geneva, where an initial accord between Iran and world powers to curb its nuclear program in return for sanctions lifting was struck in 2013 before a comprehensive deal in 2015. Separate talks between Iran and the US collapsed when Israel launched what it called Operation Rising Lion against Iran's nuclear facilities and ballistic capabilities on June 12. "There is no room for negotiations with the US until Israeli aggression stops," Araqchi was quoted as saying on Iranian state TV on Friday. The E3 have in past talks with Iran suggested it keep some uranium enrichment but accept extremely strict international inspections of its nuclear activities. Trump has demanded zero enrichment and French President Emmanuel Macron appeared to echo that call on Friday, saying any new deal needed to go towards zero enrichment for Iran. The main message Europeans will pass to Araqchi is that the US has signalled readiness for direct talks, but that Iran must give a serious signal, the two European diplomats said, without defining what the signal should be. Trump's special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, has spoken to Araqchi several times since last week, sources say. While diplomats did not expect a breakthrough in Geneva, they said it was vital to engage with Iran because once the war stopped the nuclear issue would remain unresolved given that Tehran would still retain the scientific know-how. Trump has said he will decide within two weeks whether to join Israeli strikes. "A window now exists within the next two weeks to achieve a diplomatic solution," British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said. European foreign ministers will tell their Iranian counterpart that the US is open to direct talks even as it considers joining Israeli strikes intended to smash Tehran's nuclear capacity, diplomats say before a meeting in Geneva. Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi would be told that Iran must send a "clear signal", two diplomats told Reuters, with pressure mounting on Tehran to agree tough curbs on its nuclear program to prevent the potential development of an atomic weapon. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke to several Western counterparts before the meeting in Switzerland, the diplomats said, indicating readiness to engage directly with Tehran. Washington did not confirm that though broadcaster CNN quoted a US official saying President Donald Trump supported diplomacy from allies that could bring Iran closer to a deal. Tehran, however, has repeatedly said it will not talk to the Trump administration until Israeli attacks end. The ministers from Britain, France and Germany, known as the E3, plus the European Union's foreign policy chief, were meeting separately on Friday before planned face-to-face talks with Araqchi. "The Iranians can't sit down with the Americans whereas we can," a European diplomat said. "We will tell them to come back to the table to discuss the nuclear issue before the worst-case scenario, while raising our concerns over its ballistic missiles, support to Russia and detention of our citizens." The talks were due for mid-afternoon in Geneva, where an initial accord between Iran and world powers to curb its nuclear program in return for sanctions lifting was struck in 2013 before a comprehensive deal in 2015. Separate talks between Iran and the US collapsed when Israel launched what it called Operation Rising Lion against Iran's nuclear facilities and ballistic capabilities on June 12. "There is no room for negotiations with the US until Israeli aggression stops," Araqchi was quoted as saying on Iranian state TV on Friday. The E3 have in past talks with Iran suggested it keep some uranium enrichment but accept extremely strict international inspections of its nuclear activities. Trump has demanded zero enrichment and French President Emmanuel Macron appeared to echo that call on Friday, saying any new deal needed to go towards zero enrichment for Iran. The main message Europeans will pass to Araqchi is that the US has signalled readiness for direct talks, but that Iran must give a serious signal, the two European diplomats said, without defining what the signal should be. Trump's special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, has spoken to Araqchi several times since last week, sources say. While diplomats did not expect a breakthrough in Geneva, they said it was vital to engage with Iran because once the war stopped the nuclear issue would remain unresolved given that Tehran would still retain the scientific know-how. Trump has said he will decide within two weeks whether to join Israeli strikes. "A window now exists within the next two weeks to achieve a diplomatic solution," British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said. European foreign ministers will tell their Iranian counterpart that the US is open to direct talks even as it considers joining Israeli strikes intended to smash Tehran's nuclear capacity, diplomats say before a meeting in Geneva. Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi would be told that Iran must send a "clear signal", two diplomats told Reuters, with pressure mounting on Tehran to agree tough curbs on its nuclear program to prevent the potential development of an atomic weapon. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke to several Western counterparts before the meeting in Switzerland, the diplomats said, indicating readiness to engage directly with Tehran. Washington did not confirm that though broadcaster CNN quoted a US official saying President Donald Trump supported diplomacy from allies that could bring Iran closer to a deal. Tehran, however, has repeatedly said it will not talk to the Trump administration until Israeli attacks end. The ministers from Britain, France and Germany, known as the E3, plus the European Union's foreign policy chief, were meeting separately on Friday before planned face-to-face talks with Araqchi. "The Iranians can't sit down with the Americans whereas we can," a European diplomat said. "We will tell them to come back to the table to discuss the nuclear issue before the worst-case scenario, while raising our concerns over its ballistic missiles, support to Russia and detention of our citizens." The talks were due for mid-afternoon in Geneva, where an initial accord between Iran and world powers to curb its nuclear program in return for sanctions lifting was struck in 2013 before a comprehensive deal in 2015. Separate talks between Iran and the US collapsed when Israel launched what it called Operation Rising Lion against Iran's nuclear facilities and ballistic capabilities on June 12. "There is no room for negotiations with the US until Israeli aggression stops," Araqchi was quoted as saying on Iranian state TV on Friday. The E3 have in past talks with Iran suggested it keep some uranium enrichment but accept extremely strict international inspections of its nuclear activities. Trump has demanded zero enrichment and French President Emmanuel Macron appeared to echo that call on Friday, saying any new deal needed to go towards zero enrichment for Iran. The main message Europeans will pass to Araqchi is that the US has signalled readiness for direct talks, but that Iran must give a serious signal, the two European diplomats said, without defining what the signal should be. Trump's special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, has spoken to Araqchi several times since last week, sources say. While diplomats did not expect a breakthrough in Geneva, they said it was vital to engage with Iran because once the war stopped the nuclear issue would remain unresolved given that Tehran would still retain the scientific know-how. Trump has said he will decide within two weeks whether to join Israeli strikes. "A window now exists within the next two weeks to achieve a diplomatic solution," British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said.
Sky News AU
2 hours ago
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Global Islamic politics expert says Israel's claims about Iranian nuclear weapon 'at odds' with intelligence reports as Netanyahu 'desperate' to involve Trump in war
An Australian global Islamic politics expert has urged the world to be "sceptical" of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claims after numerous intelligence reports concluded that Iran is not "close at all" to building a nuclear weapon. Professor Greg Barton from Deakin University told Sky News Netanyahu's strategy to close down Iran's nuclear program may not be as "clear cut and simple", as he would present it to be to President Donald Trump, in an attempt to persuade the US to join the Israeli assault. "I think that the way that Benjamin Netanyahu will sell it to Trump is that you just send in a couple of B2s over Fordow and it's done," Mr Barton told Sky News host Steve Price. "You've closed down the nuclear program and we're good. "But of course, it is not likely to be so clear cut and so simple." According to Axios, President Trump believes the US has leverage over Iran due to its bunker buster munitions – which Israel does not have – that are capable of destroying the Fordow nuclear enrichment facility that sits deep under a mountain. Mr Barton added the bunker buster bombs are unlikely to demolish Iran's nuclear program and could instead result in dangerous escalation of war in the Middle East. 'First of all, those B2 strikes with massive ordnance, penetrator bombs over Fordow, 90 metres underground, that likely wouldn't finish Iran's nuclear program,' he said. 'They'd probably scramble to take what they have left and actually move towards nuclear weapons. 'In the meantime, they're likely to strike out against US targets all around the Middle East and use their proxies to do so. 'So a very dangerous risk of escalation and a prolonged conflict.' When questioned about the validity of Netanyahu's claims about Iran's existential threat to Israel, Mr Barton said they were 'at odds' with other publicly available intelligence reports have said, including what Trump was briefed on by his own security adviser. Mr Barton highlighted Israel's remarkable capabilities at penetrating Iranian society and its defence apparatus, but noted other intelligence reports suggest 'Iran is some way off, it's not close at all' to building a nuclear weapon. 'It is possible they know something that no one else knows, but what all the other intelligence reports are saying is that Iran is some way off, it's not close at all,' he said. 'We can't know, we're sort of making a claim from Netanyahu who is desperate to involve Trump and America in this programme, and on balance you sort of want to be a bit sceptical about what he's saying for that reason.' Israel has been trading missiles with Iran since last Friday in an attempt to shut down any efforts of Tehran building an atomic weapon to wipe out the existence of the Jewish state. Netanyahu said the operations were to "strike the head of Iran's nuclear weaponisation program". White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told a media briefing on Thursday, local time, she had been asked to pass on a 'direct quote' from President Trump on the possibility of US intervention in the Israel-Iran war. 'Based on the fact that there is a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks,' she said, quoting the President. Ms Leavitt also urged sceptics of US involvement to 'trust' in President Trump's judgement, before emphasising his 'top priority' was to prevent Iran acquiring a nuclear weapon.
