At least 60 killed across Gaza in Israeli strikes – health workers
There is a further update from Palestinian health workers who say at least 60 people were killed by Israeli strikes in Gaza over Friday and Saturday, AFP reports.
Key events
Iran has reopened its central and western airspace to international transit flights, Reuters reports, citing state-run Nour News.
Israeli strike on south Lebanon kills one – health ministry
An Israeli strike on southern Lebanon killed one person on Saturday, the Lebanese health ministry said – the latest attack despite a ceasefire between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah, AFP reports.
In a statement, the health ministry said that an “Israeli enemy” drone strike on a car in Kunin, south Lebanon, killed one man in a preliminary toll.
The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the incident.
At least 60 killed across Gaza in Israeli strikes – health workers
There is a further update from Palestinian health workers who say at least 60 people were killed by Israeli strikes in Gaza over Friday and Saturday, AFP reports.
Six Israelis detained for attacking soldiers in West Bank – military
Six Israelis were detained for assaulting soldiers near a town in the occupied West Bank where clashes with Palestinians erupted earlier this week, the Israeli military said on Saturday.
Soldiers went to disperse a gathering of Israelis near the central West Bank town of Kafr Malik overnight Friday to Saturday, the military said in a statement, AFP reports.
“Upon the arrival of the security forces, dozens of Israeli civilians hurled stones toward them and physically and verbally assaulted the soldiers, including the Battalion Commander,” it said.
“In addition, the civilians vandalised and damaged security forces’ vehicles, and attempted to ram the security forces.”
“The security forces dispersed the gathering, and six Israeli civilians were apprehended and transferred to the Israel Police for further processing.”
Update: at least 49 people killed in Israeli strikes in Gaza
We have an update on the earlier post on the number of people killed across Gaza by Israeli strikes over Friday and Saturday.
At least 49 people were killed across Gaza by Israeli strikes, quoting health staff.
The strikes began late Friday and continued into Saturday morning, among others killing 12 people near the Palestine Stadium in Gaza City, which was sheltering displaced people, and eight more living in apartments, according to staff at Shifa hospital where the bodies were brought, AFP reports.
More than 20 bodies were taken to Nasser hospital, according to health officials.
Lisa O’Carroll
The EU must come up with a more assertive response to the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza and the violations of international law, the bloc’s former chief diplomat has said.
In a strongly worded article, Josep Borrell said the EU had a “duty” to intervene and must come up with its own concerted plan to end the war instead of relying on the US.
“Europe can no longer afford to linger at the margins,” he said in the article that was co-authored with Kalypso Nicolaidis, an occasional adviser to the EU and professorial chair in international affairs at the Florence school of transnational governance at the European University Institute. “The EU needs a concerted plan.
“Not only is Europe’s own security at stake, but more important, European history imposes a duty on Europeans to intervene in response to Israel’s violations of international law,” they say, adding: “Europeans cannot stay the hapless fools in this tragic story, dishing out cash with their eyes closed.”
Their intervention in Foreign Affairs magazine comes as EU member states continue to struggle to unite on action. Last week Borrell’s successor, Kaja Kallas, said it was “very clear” that Israel had breached its human rights commitments in Gaza but said the “concrete question” was what action the member states can agree on.
Here are some images coming to us over the wires.
Summary
Here is a short summary of events so far:
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At least 34 people were killed across Gaza by Israeli strikes, health staff say. The strikes began late Friday and continued into Saturday morning, among others killing 12 people at the Palestine Stadium in Gaza City, which was sheltering displaced people, and eight more living in apartments, according to staff at Shifa hospital where the bodies were brought.
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Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesman says mediators see a “window of opportunity” for a truce in the Gaza Strip.
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Donald Trump has said he would “absolutely” consider bombing Iran again. At a White House briefing, he said he would “without question” attack the country if Tehran is enriching uranium to concerning levels.
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Iran has been holding a state funeral service on Saturday for around 60 people, including its military commanders, killed in its war with Israel.
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Johnnie Moore, head of the controversial US- and Israeli-backed aid group, Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), has defended its work after repeated killings of Palestinians at aid hubs.
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Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said on Saturday that Iranians had given their “blood” during a 12-day war with Israel but “not honour”, AFP reports.
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Yemen’s Iran-backed Huthi rebels said they fired a ballistic missile towards Israel on Saturday, in response to Israel’s conduct towards Palestinians during the Gaza war. The Israeli army confirmed the launch and said the “missile was most likely successfully intercepted”, AFP reports.
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Emirates extended its cancellation of flights to and from Iran’s capital Tehran until July 5 due to the “regional situation“, it said in a statement on Saturday, Reuters reports. The Dubai-based airline said it will recommence operations to Baghdad on 1 July and Basra on 2 July.
Emirates extended its cancellation of flights to and from Iran’s capital Tehran until July 5 due to the “regional situation“, it said in a statement on Saturday, Reuters reports.
The Dubai-based airline said it will recommence operations to Baghdad on 1 July and Basra on 2 July.
Jason Burke
When Benjamin Netanyahu described the opportunities for peace that Israel’s successes in its brief war with Iran might bring, supporters took him at his word.
“This victory presents an opportunity for a dramatic widening of peace agreements. We are working on this with enthusiasm,” Israel’s longest-serving prime minister said on Thursday in a pre-recorded statement.
Critics of the 75-year-old leader saw something else.
“Whatever he does, he tries to turn everything to his advantage … This is a guy who never takes responsibility but only credit … Everything is opportunistic and everything is transactional,” said Prof Yossi Mekelberg at Chatham House in London.
Quite how long Netanyahu will stay in power is now a burning question in Israel, as the country recovers from the rollercoaster of fear and elation of the last weeks.
You can read the full report here:
Here are some images coming to us over the wires.
Minister says Iranians gave ‘blood’ not ‘honour’ in Israel war
Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said on Saturday that Iranians had given their “blood” during a 12-day war with Israel but “not honour”, AFP reports.
“Iranians gave blood, not land; gave their loved ones, not honour; they withstood a thousand-ton rain of bombs, but did not surrender,” Abbas Araghchi said on his Instagram account, adding that Iran does not recognise the word “surrender”.
Yemen’s Huthi rebels say they fired missile at Israel
Yemen’s Iran-backed Huthi rebels said they fired a ballistic missile towards Israel on Saturday, in response to Israel’s conduct towards Palestinians during the Gaza war.
The Israeli army confirmed the launch and said the “missile was most likely successfully intercepted”, AFP reports.
In a statement, rebel military spokesman Yahya Saree said the Huthis had fired at a “sensitive Israeli enemy target in the occupied area of Beersheba using a Dhu al-Fiqar ballistic missile.”
Mediator Qatar sees ‘window of opportunity’ for Gaza truce – foreign ministry
Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesman says mediators are engaging with Israel and Hamas to build on momentum from this week’s ceasefire with Iran and work towards a truce in the Gaza Strip.
Majed al-Ansari said in an interview with AFP on Friday:
If we don’t utilise this window of opportunity and this momentum, it’s an opportunity lost amongst many in the near past.
We don’t want to see that again.
At least 34 people killed in Israeli strikes in Gaza – health staff
At least 34 people were killed across Gaza by Israeli strikes, health staff say.
The strikes began late Friday and continued into Saturday morning, among others killing 12 people at the Palestine Stadium in Gaza City, which was sheltering displaced people, and eight more living in apartments, according to staff at Shifa hospital where the bodies were brought.
Six others were killed in southern Gaza when a strike hit their tent in Muwasi, according to the hospital.
Here is more detail on comments made by the head of the controversial US- and Israeli-backed aid group Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), who has defended its work after repeated killings of Palestinians at aid hubs.
Johnnie Moore told the BBC World Service’s Newshour that he did not deny there were deaths near the aid sites, but he added that “100% of those casualties are being attributed to close proximity to GHF” and that was “not true”.
“Moore also accused the UN and other international organisations of spreading information they could not verify,” the BBC added.
Moore also told Sky News there is a “disinformation campaign” fuelled by “some figures” coming out every day.
The UN said at least 410 Palestinians have been killed seeking food since Israel lifted an 11-week aid blockade on 19 May. The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry said at least 549 people have been killed.
On Friday, the UN secretary general, Antonio Guterres, called the GHF aid system “inherently unsafe”.
He said: “Any operation that channels desperate civilians into militarised zones is inherently unsafe. The search for food must never be a death sentence.”
Iran holds state funeral for top brass slain in war with Israel
We have more on the state funeral being held in Tehran for around 60 people, including its military commanders and nuclear scientists.
The proceedings started at 8.00am local time (04.30 GMT) in the capital as government offices and many businesses were closed on Saturday for the occasion, AFP reports.
State TV showed footage of thousands of people wearing black clothes, waving Iranian flags and holding pictures of the slain military commanders.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, along with other senior government officials and military commanders – including Esmail Qaani, head of the Quds Force, the foreign operations arm of the Revolutionary Guards – also attended the event.
The march began near Enghelab (Revolution) Square in central Tehran.
A patriotic eulogy blared from loudspeakers as the procession set out across the sprawling metropolis toward Azadi (Freedom) Square, 11 kilometres (seven miles) away.
Among the dead is Mohammad Bagheri, a major general in Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and the second-in-command of the armed forces after the Iranian leader.
He will be buried alongside his wife and daughter, a journalist for a local media outlet, all killed in an Israeli attack.
Nuclear scientist Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi, also killed in the attacks, will be buried with his wife.
Revolutionary Guards commander Hossein Salami, who was killed on the first day of the war, will also be laid to rest after Saturday’s ceremony – which will also honour at least 30 other top commanders.
Of the 60 people who are to be laid to rest after the ceremony, four are children and four are women.
Trump says US would consider attacking Iran again
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the latest developments in the Middle East.
Donald Trump has said he would “absolutely” consider bombing Iran again.
At a White House briefing, he said he would “without question” attack the country if Tehran is enriching uranium to concerning levels.
Trump also reacted sternly to Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei’s remarks that Iran “slapped America in the face” by launching an attack against a major US base in Qatar following the US bombing raids. Khamenei also said Iran would never surrender.
In a social media post Trump wrote: “His Country was decimated, his three evil Nuclear Sites were OBLITERATED, and I knew EXACTLY where he was sheltered, and would not let Israel, or the US Armed Forces, by far the Greatest and Most Powerful in the World, terminate his life. I SAVED HIM FROM A VERY UGLY AND IGNOMINIOUS DEATH.”
Iran, meanwhile, said a potential nuclear deal was conditional on the US ending its “disrespectful tone” toward the Supreme Leader.
“If President Trump is genuine about wanting a deal, he should put aside the disrespectful and unacceptable tone towards Iran’s Supreme Leader, Grand Ayatollah Khamenei, and stop hurting his millions of heartfelt followers,” Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said in a post on X in the early hours of Saturday.
In other news:
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Iran began a state funeral service on Saturday for around 60 people, including its military commanders, killed in its war with Israel.
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Johnnie Moore, head of the controversial US and Israeli-backed aid group, Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) has defended its work.
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The Israeli army said on Saturday that a missile launched from Yemen toward Israeli territory had been “most likely successfully intercepted”.
