The Times of Israel liveblogged Saturday’s events as they happened.
3 arrested as police move protesters blocking road outside Likud HQ in Tel Aviv
Police officers have removed several anti-government protesters and arrested three following a temporary road blockage on King George Street in Tel Aviv.
The protesters briefly blocked the road opposite Beit Jabotinsky, the headquarters of the Likud party, shortly after the end of the weekly anti-government rally on Kaplan Street.
Police say that after a legal, coordinated protest ended, a handful of demonstrators stayed and blocked the road while burning tires and “endangering” passersby.
They say protesters were violent toward cops, adding that officers used riot control methods to disperse them and made the arrests.
Footage posted online showed mounted police riding into the crowds, shoving protesters aside with their horses. Several people appeared to be pushed around by police while other protesters stepped in to try and stop police from hurting those being pushed.
Mounted police remove protesters blocking road outside Likud HQ in Tel Aviv
Mounted police attempt to disperse protesters in Tel Aviv who have gathered outside Beit Jabotinsky, home to the Likud party headquarters, and several anti-government demonstrators are removed and detained following a temporary road blockage on King George Street.
In video footage, police can be seen riding into the crowds, shoving protesters aside with their horses as they do. Several people appear to be pushed around by police while other protesters step in to try and stop police from hurting those being pushed.
Among the protesters is Labor lawmaker Gilad Kariv, who shouts to mounted police to stay off the sidewalks, and warns that their deployment is illegal.
Some protesters carry signs calling for early elections, and others hold banners calling for an end to the fighting in Gaza.
At a Tel Aviv hotel, evacuees from Kiryat Shmona criticize calls to end war
Returning from prayer on Saturday night, Hevron Sofer stops to argue with an anti-government protester on Kaplan Street.
“Are you serious? You want to surrender?” Sofer, an evacuee from Kiryat Shmona, asks the protester, who is carrying a sign calling for “an immediate ceasefire.”
A woman sitting on a bench shouts him down. “Go serve in the army, you parasite,” the woman tells him. Smiling, Sofer tells the woman: “Do you want to check and see which one of us had the longer army service, you or me?”
A younger man joins the discussion. “The horror, the utter bloodbath in Gaza must stop now,” the man, Ilya Marmer, tells Sofer, who works as a security officer in Tel Aviv, where he has been living at a hotel on Kaplan Street for the past eight months.
“I don’t mind if they make derogatory remarks at me because they see I wear tzitzit,” Sofer says, referring to the knotted fringes worn by religious Jews.
“It’s painful to see these protesters week in, week out, each time I go to pray at the synagogue in the Azreili Center, because I feel like they are working toward making sure that in two, three years, it will be my home in Kiryat Shmona that’s overrun by terrorists.”
Like many of the evacuees living at Sofer’s hotel, he feels that in recent weeks protesters have fully embraced calls to end the war regardless of the hostages. “They endanger all of us by not supporting the war effort. But especially us living in the border area,” Sofer says.
Released hostage calls for others to join her at anti-government protests
From a pedestrian bridge overlooking the Defense Ministry’s Kirya headquarters, Ilana Gritzewsky, who was released from Hamas captivity in November, calls on other released hostages to protest against the government.
“I want to call on other hostages who have returned: Join us on the street! Come demonstrate with us,” Gritzewsky, whose partner Matan Zangauker is still presumed to be held hostage, tells thousands of listeners at the weekly anti-government rally in Tel Aviv.
“I feel betrayed by this government,” Gritzewsky, who was abducted with Zangauker from Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7, adds, saying no cabinet minister had called her to ask how she was doing.
Yifat Calderon, a cousin of hostage Ofer Calderon, criticizes Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the rally, where tens of thousands gather to call for elections.
“This prime minister, who for the past eight months has asked us not to be partisan during wartime, has engaged in the pettiest partisanship imaginable, blaming the military, hostages’ families as he runs a failing war effort with vague targets, his country burns as he sits on the throne.”
In parallel to the anti-government rally on Kaplan Street, relatives of hostages gather at the nearby Hostages Square to call for the government to agree to a deal with Hamas for the return of the hostages.
IDF announces death of soldier fighting in southern Gaza, bringing ground op toll to 315
An Israeli soldier was killed earlier today during fighting in the southern Gaza Strip, the military announces.
The slain soldier is named as Sgt. First Class (res.) Malkia Gross, 25, of the 205th “Iron Fist” Reserve Armored Brigade’s 9212th Battalion from Susya.
His death brings the toll of slain troops in the ground offensive against Hamas and in operations on the Gaza border to 315. The toll includes a police officer killed in a hostage rescue mission.
At anti-government rally, author David Grossman calls for people to fight for the country
David Grossman, one of Israel’s best-known authors and the 2018 winner of the Israel Prize for Literature, calls on Israelis to fill the streets and fight for their country at the weekly anti-government rally in Tel Aviv.
Grossman, a dovish figure and longtime critic of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government, issues the call in a poem he reads to thousands attending the rally on Kaplan Street.
“Now’s the time to fight, men, women. Now’s the time to fill the roads and streets. There’s someone and something to fight for. For such a gift, from life itself, we will nevermore receive. No country shall arise again from conflict.
“There’s someone to fight for, it all depends on you. Now’s the time to rise, to live. To be a people or not to be. To be people or not to be. There’s who for, and there’s what for. All hangs by a thread,” Grossman reads.
The rally, where tens of thousands gathered under a full moon to demand an early election, erupts into applause. Hundreds of people blow vuvuzelas that echo far beyond Kaplan Street.
Grossman’s bellicose tone reflects an escalation in rhetoric and actions at the weekly rally and dozens of smaller ones like it following Benny Gantz’s decision to leave Netanyahu’s wartime government and return to the opposition.
Protesters highlight plight of northern Israel’s displaced residents outside PM’s Jerusalem home
Thousands of protesters calling for the government’s ouster and a hostage deal are marching to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s official residence in Jerusalem.
The protest, larger than usual for Jerusalem’s standards, comes at the heels of a full week of anti-government demonstrations in the city.
“Who will watch over the evacuees?” protesters chant, alluding to the 60,000 civilians relocated from northern Israel amid regular rocket fire from Hezbollah which began October 8.
The government has been resisting pressure from many communities in the north urging it to set a date for them to return to their homes.
Marchers hold signs with the names of different villages in the north, each on a backdrop of flames.
Outside Netanyahu’s residence, protesters will hear speeches from hostage family members and anti-government activists affiliated with the Jerusalem branch of the Hostages and Missing Families Forum and the city’s anti-government movement, Safeguarding our Shared Home.
Freed hostage Shani Goren marks birthday of best friend Arbel Yehud, still held by Hamas
Shani Goren from Kibbutz Nir Oz, who was abducted by Hamas on October 7 and freed from captivity last November, speaks in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square and marks the 29th birthday of her best friend from the kibbutz, Arbel Yehud, who has now been held hostage by Hamas for 260 days.
“I am Shani Goren from Kibbutz Nir Oz. Arbel is my best friend,” says Goren. “I returned in the last stage of the previous deal after being held hostage by Hamas for 55 days in the nightmare of Hamas captivity.”
It’s been almost 8 months since then,” says Goren. “People ask me how I’m doing and if I’m managing to process what I’ve been through. The answer is that I can’t.
“Every day I wake up, I’m still held hostage. Because until Arbel and everyone else return home, we can’t even begin to discuss rehabilitation and moving forward. I know. I was there.”
“Bring her home,” she urges. “Bring them all home. Now!”
Amnon Muchtar named as victim of Qalqilya shooting, was in city to buy produce for his vegetable stall
The Israeli who was shot dead in his car in the West Bank city of Qalqilya earlier today has been identified as Amnon Muchtar, 67, from Petah Tikva, Hebrew media reports.
Muchtar, who leaves behind a wife and five children, owned and operated a vegetable stall in his hometown, and according to his family, would often purchase his produce from Palestinian traders in Qalqilya.
“He was a righteous man murdered by terrorists,” his son Nir says to the press, adding that his father loved visiting Qalqilya and knew the people there.
“Everyone loved him and he would help everyone. It’s tragic that it ended like this, he didn’t think they would do that to him there.”
Naama Levy’s father to Netanyahu: Take care of the hostages the way you take care of yourself
Yoni Levy, whose daughter Naama Levy is marking her 20th birthday in Hamas captivity, addresses the weekly protest at Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square.
“I’m imagining exactly what you would be doing today,” he says, addressing his daughter. “We would prepare a table full of candy and balloons and gifts for you like we do every year. How happy this day could have been.
“Instead you’ve been there, in the dark, for 260 days. This year, candy is tasteless and there’s no desire for gifts,” he adds.
Turning his attention to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Yoni Levy calls for him to “love my daughter and take care of her and all the hostages, just as much as you love and take care of yourself.”
Portion of US-built pier in Gaza washes up on Tel Aviv’s Frishman Beach
A portion of the US military’s pier in Gaza washed up on the shores of Tel Aviv’s Frishman Beach earlier today, Channel 12 reports.
The pier was damaged by rough seas last Friday and had to be removed for repairs for the second time since it started operations in May. It was reattached and operations resumed on Wednesday.
Earlier this week, The New York Times reported that the pier could be dismantled earlier than planned as it has done little to alleviate shortages in the Palestinian enclave.
US official says Houthi claim of attacking US aircraft carrier in Red Sea is ‘incorrect’
A claim by Yemen’s Houthi group on Saturday that its forces had attacked the US aircraft carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower in the Red Sea is false, two US officials tell Reuters.
“That is incorrect,” one of the officials says, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The Iran-backed Houthis claimed earlier that the operation against the Eisenhower had achieved its objectives successfully, without elaborating.
A report prior to that said that the Eisenhower had been ordered home, after months of leading US operations against the Houthi attacks.
Pessimism on hostage deal: Mediators don’t have enough leverage over Sinwar, Israeli source tells TV
An unnamed senior Israeli diplomatic source tells Channel 12 news that Israel has gone as far as it can with its current proposal for a hostage release-ceasefire deal, and that “the ball is in Hamas’s court.”
“If Hamas does its part, Israel will stop the war at the time set out in the agreement, alongside the release of all the hostages,” the source says.
But, the TV report says, the Qatari and Egyptian mediators do not have sufficient leverage over Hamas’s Gaza chief Yahya Sinwar, the key decision maker, to persuade him to accept the proposal.
Under the reported terms of the Israel proposal, some details of which were set out by President Joe Biden on May 31, Israel would agree to a temporary ceasefire in the first phase of a deal, and this would develop into a permanent cessation of military hostilities in the second phase, provided Hamas proceeds with hostage releases as detailed in the deal.
Presenting what the TV report describes as a pessimistic overview, the source says that there’s no way for Israel to move further: “Israel went as far as there is to go, Biden adopted the framework, and the UN Security Council voted in favor of a framework under which Israel ends the war.”
“There’s nothing more to discuss” on the Israeli side, the source adds.
But unfortunately, the source continues, “the mediators have no leverage over Sinwar in the tunnel — or at least not enough. He is the one who decides.”
Responding to the contention that Israel could end the war now, as Hamas demands, and renew it were Hamas to breach the deal, the source says, “If we pull the troops out of Gaza unilaterally [as Hamas also demands], the significance is clear: most of the hostages remaining in the hands of Hamas.”
Were Israel not to insist on the sequential honoring of all the clauses that obligate Hamas to honor the deal and to release all the hostages, the source says, “it will play tricks and not release them all.”
“We will not give up on the leverage afforded by military pressure,” says the source. “That’s all we have left.”
Hamas responded to the Israeli offer 10 days ago with various amendments, some of which US Secretary of State Antony Blinken described as not workable.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted repeatedly that the terms of the Israeli proposal, which has not been published in full, enable the achievement of Israel’s declared goals of destroying Hamas’s military and civil governance capabilities and bringing home all the hostages, and that the war will not end until they are achieved.
Former Shin Bet head urges public to protest until ‘worst government’ in Israel’s history is replaced
Former Shin Bet head Yuval Diskin addresses the weekly anti-government protest in Tel Aviv after weeks of turning down a request to do so, as he believed the time was not yet ripe.
Diskin, who served as the head of the intelligence agency from 2005 until 2011, tells the crowds that “the worst prime minister” in Israel’s history has spent the past decade leading the country to a situation in which there is no internal, regional, or international security, and that Israel’s existence as a state could be threatened in the immediate future.
He calls for elections at the earliest possible opportunity, with the goal of establishing “a national unity government” without Benjamin Netanyahu and without extremists and messianic fanatics.
“Those who are still hesitating: there is no time to save the country. Rise up and join the protest to replace the government,” he urges the gathering on Kaplan Street, opposite the Kirya headquarters of the Defense Ministry. Thousands attending the rally chant repeatedly “Now!”
Urging Israelis to go out to the streets and protest until the government is dissolved, Diskin says Israel’s priority must be the return of the hostages from Gaza, as well as normalizing relations with Saudi Arabia in a way that will lead to a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Weekly nationwide anti-government protests kick off, with calls for early elections, hostage deal
Three protesters lie motionless on Tel Aviv’s Democracy Square near Kaplan Street.
Surrounded by a red-and-white crime scene line, they are covered in red paint. They are performing an art display titled “Am Israel Die,” a word play on the Hebrew language slogan associated with war on Hamas, which means “the People of Israel lives.”
The display is part of the weekly protests against the government, which take place in dozens of locales across Israel, including Mitzpe Ramon in the Negev, Haifa, and Amiad Junction in the north.
The main protests are in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, where thousands attend each Saturday night. The protesters demand early elections, and, increasingly, an end to the eight-month fighting with Hamas.
Separately, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which represents some relatives of hostages in Gaza, is holding its weekly rally on Hostages Square in Tel Aviv. The rally calls for an immediate deal to free the hostages, which Hamas says will only be released if the fighting stops, among other demands.
Thousands at rally marking 20th birthday of hostage Naama Levy
Thousands of people gather at Hostage Square in Tel Aviv to mark the 20th birthday of Naama Levy, a surveillance soldier who was abducted by Hamas terrorists on October 7.
Demonstrators carry photos of Levy, as friends and family deliver prayers for her return.
Hours after she was kidnapped from the Nahal Oz military base, a Hamas video appeared on Telegram, showing Levy, her hands tied, her pants bottom covered in blood and smeared with dirt, her feet bare, being pulled by her hair from the back of a black pickup truck and then pushed into the back seat.
Levy was also featured in a video showing her capture, along with four other soldiers, released by the Hostage and Missing Families Forum last month.
Houthis claim to have attacked flagship US aircraft carrier, which was said to have been ordered home
CAIRO, Egypt — The Yemeni Houthi rebels say its forces had attacked the US aircraft carrier Eisenhower in the Red Sea and the Transworld Navigator ship in the Arabian Sea. It does not say when the attacks took place.
A Houthi statement says the Transworld Navigator took a direct hit from a missile. The operation against the Eisenhower had achieved its objectives successfully, it says, without elaborating.
A report earlier said that the Eisenhower had been ordered home, after months of leading US operations against the Houthi attacks.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
Group of hostage families slam PM for week’s political machinations, say deal only possible if he is ousted
A group of hostage families say Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is incapable of reaching a deal to free their loved ones and call for his ouster, at a weekly press conference in Tel Aviv.
“As long as Netanyahu feels safe in his seat, there won’t be a deal, there won’t be a solution in the north, there won’t be a solution for the country,” says Einav Zangauker, whose son Matan is held in Gaza.
“There won’t be a deal and there won’t be rehabilitation without the fall of Netanyahu’s government. Take to the streets to save the hostages and the country. He can surround himself with walls and guards, but it won’t help him because we won’t give up,” she says.
Danny Elgert, whose brother Itzik is held captive, accuses Netanyahu of doing nothing the past week to save the hostages, instead focusing on personal political goals, citing legislation that aimed to expand the Chief Rabbinate’s influence before it was withdrawn.
“Instead of working with the US in order to bring an immediate deal to save lives, you have chosen to feud with them,” he adds, referring to the prime minister’s public comments that sparked agitation in Washington this week, in which he claimed they had withheld arms.
Ayala Metzger, whose father-in-law Yoram’s body is held in Gaza, cited a report earlier this week that only around 50 hostages remain alive in Gaza.
“Time passes, a deal is stuck, and the hostages are dying in captivity because Netanyahu doesn’t want a deal. The blood of the hostages is on the hands of Netanyahu and his government,” Metzger says.
IDF strikes several Hezbollah operatives, sites in southern Lebanon
Several Hezbollah operatives and sites belonging to the terror group were struck in southern Lebanon today, the IDF says.
One strike in Ayta ash-Shab targeted a Hezbollah operative who had been spotted at one of the group’s observation posts, the IDF says.
The military says that in Yaroun, a fighter jet struck a building used by Hezbollah, after an operative was identified entering it.
Fighter jets struck another building used by Hezbollah in Ramyeh, the IDF adds.
כוחות צה"ל זיהו מוקדם יותר היום מחבל בעמדת תצפית של חיזבאללה במרחב עייתא א-שעב. זמן קצר לאחר מכן, הותקפה באופן ממוקד העמדה בה שהה המחבל.
במרחב יארון שבדרום לבנון, הכוחות זיהו מחבל נכנס למבנה צבאי של חיזבאללה. בסגירת מעגל מהירה, מטוס קרב של חיל האוויר תקף את המבנה בו שהה המחבל>> pic.twitter.com/T8S3Pz3uQM
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) June 22, 2024
Hezbollah fires two anti-tank missiles at Metula, sparking fires
Two anti-tank guided missiles were launched from Lebanon at the northern border community of Metula a short while ago, the military says.
The missiles sparked fires in the area. Images from Lebanon show the aftermath of the attack.
There are no reports of injuries.
The IDF says it shelled the source of the fire in southern Lebanon with artillery.
Hezbollah takes responsibility for the missile fire, claiming to have targeted homes used by the Israeli military.
مراسل المنار :
إندلاع النيران بين منازل مستعمرة #المطلة بعد إستهدافها بالصواريخ الموجهة pic.twitter.com/nAS6lVeiN8
— عـ ـلي شـ ـعيـ ـب ???????? (@alishoeib197) June 22, 2024
Police detain man for allegedly making online posts calling for violence at anti-government protests
Police say they have arrested a 45-year-old man suspected of making online posts calling to burn the Ayalon Highway in Tel Aviv, ahead of nationwide anti-government protests this evening.
“Burning the Ayalon is the most responsible thing to do. Throwing a burning torch at a mounted police officer is the most democratic thing to do,” the suspect, a resident of Rishon Lezion allegedly wrote on social media.
IDF: Soldiers who tied hurt Palestinian to vehicle acted ‘contrary to orders and procedures’
The IDF says troops who tied a wounded Palestinian to the hood of a military vehicle in the northern West Bank this morning acted against army protocols.
Troops had operated in the Wadi Burqin area, adjacent to the city of Jenin, to detain wanted Palestinians. Amid the operation, the IDF says troops returned fire at gunmen who shot at the soldiers.
The man was shot and detained amid the gun battles by troops who suspected he was involved in the gunfire. He was brought out of the area while tied to the vehicle’s hood.
However, he was later handed over to the Red Crescent.
The IDF in response to a query on the matter says the soldiers’ actions were “contrary to orders and procedures.”
“The conduct seen in the video is not consistent with the IDF’s orders and what is expected of its soldiers,” the military says.
It adds that the “incident is being investigated and will be dealt with accordingly.”
قوات الاحتلال تنكل بشاب فلسطيني في #جنين بربطه على مقدمة آلية عسكرية#حرب_غزة pic.twitter.com/Oor9G1r66N
— قناة الجزيرة (@AJArabic) June 22, 2024
Military source says deadly Qalqilya shooting appears to be terror attack
This morning’s deadly shooting in the West Bank city of Qalqilya appears to be a terror attack, a military source says.
The Jewish Israeli man in his 60s was shot dead in his car by Palestinians in the city, reportedly after entering for shopping. His vehicle was later set ablaze.
Hundreds march in Tel Aviv to mark 20th birthday of hostage Naama Levy
Hundreds are marching from Habima to Hostage Square in Tel Aviv to mark the 20th birthday of Naama Levy, a surveillance soldier taken captive by Hamas terrorists on October 7.
Protesters will gather later this evening nationwide to call for early elections and an immediate deal to free the remaining hostages held in the Gaza Strip.
IDF: Reported gunfire near UN team related to battle with gunmen, aid workers weren’t located close to incident
The military responds to reports of gunfire near teams of the United Nations’ World Food Programme (WFP) along the Israeli-designated “humanitarian route” from the Kerem Shalom crossing into the Gaza Strip yesterday, saying that troops had engaged two gunmen in the area.
“Following an examination on the matter, the IDF operated to neutralize two gunmen who posed a threat to nearby IDF troops in the area,” the military says.
The IDF says the gunmen were not in close proximity to the UN workers during the incident.
“We emphasize that the UN workers were not the target of the operation and they were not harmed during the strike,” the military says in a statement.
Separately, the IDF says it is examining claims of an attack in the al-Mawasi area yesterday, which according to the Red Cross killed 22 people and damaged its office there.
“Following an initial inquiry, there was no direct attack carried out by the IDF against a Red Cross facility,” the military says in the statement.
It says that “the incident will be quickly examined and its findings will be presented to our international partners.”
“The IDF makes significant efforts to avoid harming workers, UN facilities and international organizations working in the Gaza Strip. The IDF is committed to enabling the activity and safe movement of international organizations, including the UN, in the Gaza Strip,” the statement adds.
EU’s top diplomat calls for probe into shelling that damaged Gaza Red Cross office
BRUSSELS, Belgium — EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell calls for a probe into deadly shelling that damaged an office of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Gaza.
“The EU condemns the shelling which damaged the ICRC office in Gaza and led to dozens of casualties. An independent investigation is needed and those responsible must be held accountable,” Borrell writes on the social media platform X.
The International Committee of the Red Cross said 22 people were killed in the shelling. The ICRC didn’t specify who fired the “heavy caliber projectiles,” but a statement on X said the shells “damaged the structure of the ICRC office” in Gaza.
A military spokesman told AFP “there is no indication” that Israeli forces carried out the strike.
The EU condemns the shelling which damaged the @ICRC office in #Gaza and led to dozens of casualties.
An independent investigation is needed and those responsible must be held accountable.
Protection of civilians is an obligation under Geneva Conventions.
1/2
— Josep Borrell Fontelles (@JosepBorrellF) June 22, 2024
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
Two elderly women suspected to be infected with West Nile virus die, hospital says
Two women in their 80s have died, possibly due to being infected by the West Nile virus, Beilinson Hospital says in a statement.
According to the Petah Tikva facility, lab results have yet to confirm the two were infected by the virus.
The Health Ministry said Friday that the number of people in Israel infected with West Nile virus has risen to 19, 17 of whom are hospitalized and three of whom are on ventilators.
They are all from the central part of the country, the ministry said.
Cuba says it will join South Africa’s ICJ ‘genocide’ case against Israel
Cuba will join South Africa’s case before the International Court of Justice accusing Israel of “genocide,” its Foreign Ministry says in a statement.
The statement says its measure aims at “stopping the atrocities against the Palestinian people as a result of Israel’s disproportionate and indiscriminate use of force.”
In December of last year, South Africa filed a case against Israel over the war in Gaza, declaring that Israel was in breach of its obligations under the Genocide Convention.
Last month, the court ordered Israel to prevent acts of genocide against Palestinians and do more to help civilians, although it stopped short of ordering a ceasefire as requested by South Africa.
In response to an emergency request filed by South Africa, the ICJ also ordered Israel to “immediately halt its military offensive, and any other action in the Rafah governorate, which may inflict on the Palestinian group in Gaza conditions of life that could bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part.”
Despite a wave of international criticism, the IDF launched its offensive in the city, which is said to be weeks away from completion.
Man shot dead in northern Arab town of Tur’an
A 37-year-old man was shot dead in the northern Arab town of Tur’an, police and medics say.
Paramedics arrived on the scene and brought the victim, who was in critical condition, to Baruch Padeh Medical Center, where he was declared dead, according to a Magen David Adom ambulance service statement.
Police say they are investigating the shooting.
Senior member of Hamas, al-Jama’a al-Islamiyya killed in Israeli strike deep inside Lebanon
A prominent Hamas and al-Jama’a al-Islamiyya operative was killed in the airstrike in Lebanon’s Western Beqaa District a short while ago, the military says.
According to the IDF, Ayman Ghatma was responsible for supplying weapons to Hamas and al-Jama’a al-Islamiyya in Lebanon.
The IDF says the drone strike was carried out over Ghatma’s involvement in advancing attacks against Israel.
Ghatma was targeted and killed while driving near the town of Khiara, some 40 kilometers from the Israeli border.
The IDF publishes footage of the strike.
צה"ל תקף באמצעות כלי טיס של חיל האוויר במרחב הבקעא, וחיסל בתקיפה ממוקדת את המחבל אימן ע'טמה, פעיל טרור מרכזי האחראי על אספקת אמצעי הלחימה עבור חמאס והג'מאעה האסלאמית בלבנון, ובקידום תשתיות טרור במרחב>> pic.twitter.com/Kr4E7jhP76
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) June 22, 2024
Senior Hamas commander Raad Saad reportedly targeted in Gaza City strike
Unverified Hebrew-language media reports, citing “reports in Gaza,” claim that the target of the IDF strike in Gaza City was senior Hamas commander Raad Saad.
Saad has been previously reported to be the chief of Hamas operations.
He was thought to have been at Gaza City’s Shifa Hospital when the IDF raided the medical center in March, although he was not found there at the time.
The IDF said it struck two Hamas military sites in Gaza City, and would provide further information soon.
At least 42 Palestinians were killed in the strikes on Gaza’s Tuffah neighborhood and Shati camp, Ismail Al-Thawabta, the director of the Hamas-run government media office, tells Reuters.
The figures cannot be verified and do not distinguish between combatants and civilians.
חוסל או לא חוסל?
ראא'ד סעד, ראש אגף המבצעים של חמאס. pic.twitter.com/54xRKvckcK
— ???????? נועם אמיר (@noamamir74) June 22, 2024
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
Footage shows result of Israeli strikes in Gaza City’s Shati camp; Palestinians report large number of casualties
Footage shows the aftermath of the unusual Israeli airstrike in Gaza City’s Shati camp.
Another strike was reported in the Tuffah neighborhood.
Palestinian media report a large number of casualties in the strikes.
The IDF said it would provide further details later on the attacks, which it said targeted two Hamas military sites.
مجزرة مروعة في مخيم الشاطئ غرب #غزة وأخرى في حي التفاح شرق غزة..
أكثر من 101 شهيد في مجازر العدو المروعة خلال الساعة 24 الماضية.. pic.twitter.com/7kSzbKWE0Q
— أدهم أبو سلمية ???????? Adham Abu Selmiya (@adham922) June 22, 2024
Lebanese media reports Israeli strike on vehicle in town 40 km from border
Lebanese media reports an Israeli strike against a vehicle near the town of Khiara, in the Western Beqaa District.
No further details are immediately available.
Khiara is located about 40 kilometers from the Israeli border.
استهداف سيارة من نوع غراند شيروكي عند مفرق الخيارة – البقاع الغربي pic.twitter.com/ErxASibQJ3
— LBCI Lebanon News (@LBCI_NEWS) June 22, 2024
Iran overturns death sentence for rapper who supported Mahsa Amini protests, lawyer says
TEHRAN, Iran — Iran’s Supreme Court has overturned a death sentence against popular rapper Toomaj Salehi who was jailed for backing nationwide protests sparked by Mahsa Amini’s death, his lawyer says.
“Salehi’s death sentence was overturned,” the rapper’s lawyer, Amir Raisian, says in a post on X, adding that the Supreme Court had ordered a retrial.
In unusual statement, IDF says fighter jets strike two Hamas sites in Gaza City
In an unusual statement, the IDF says fighter jets struck two Hamas military sites in Gaza City.
The military says it will provide further details later.
Two anti-tank missiles strike kibbutz on northern border
Two anti-tank guided missiles launched from Lebanon struck the northern border community of Manara earlier this morning.
According to the IDF, the missiles hit open areas in the kibbutz, including one in the plantations area.
There are no injuries.
Hezbollah takes responsibility for the attack, claiming to have targeted a military position.
Israeli shot dead in Qalqilya reportedly found with vegetables he bought in city
An Israeli who was shot dead in his car this morning in the West Bank city of Qalqilya was found with vegetables he bought in the city, an unnamed source in the Palestinian Authority’s security forces tells the Kan public broadcaster.
Findings in the ongoing investigation have been passed onto Israel’s security establishment, the report says.
The Jewish Israeli was found shot dead in his vehicle this morning, which was later set on fire.
IDF jets strike weapons depots, terror cells across Gaza
Israeli fighter jets and other aircraft struck numerous targets across the Gaza Strip over the past day, including weapon depots and cells of terror operatives, the military says.
In one incident, the IDF says it carried out a drone strike against a cell that had fired an anti-aircraft missile at an Israeli attack helicopter operating over Gaza.
The helicopter was not under any real threat, the military says, adding that an adjacent weapons warehouse used by the cell was also destroyed in a strike.
In northern Gaza, two Hamas operatives were killed in a separate drone strike, the IDF says.
In the Netzarim Corridor area in the Strip’s center, the IDF says airstrikes were carried out against several gunmen spotted by troops of the Alexandroni Brigade.
Also in the corridor, a strike was carried out against a rocket launching site used to attack troops yesterday, the military says.
Meanwhile in southern Gaza’s Rafah, the IDF says troops killed several gunmen in close-quarters combat, sniper fire, and by calling in airstrikes.
Parents of officer killed in hostage rescue op want those saved to ‘live their lives’
The parents of Arnon Zmora, who died rescuing hostages in the Gaza Strip earlier this month, say they want all those who their son saved to “live their lives.”
Zmora, an officer of the elite Yamam counter-terrorism unit, was shot and critically injured by Hamas terrorists guarding three of the four hostages. He succumbed to his wounds shortly upon arriving at a hospital in Israel.
He was part of the mission to rescue Almog Meir Jan, Andrey Kozlov, Shlomi Ziv, and Noa Argamani, which was subsequently renamed “Operation Arnon” in his honor.
“The whole country has taken it very hard because Arnon really gave up his life knowingly to save hostages,” Arnon’s father Reuven tells The Daily Mail. “People we have never met said to me they came to find out who is the family who raised this boy, to say thank you, and to say sorry for our loss.”
The father of Argamani came to Zmora’s funeral, where Arnon’s mother Ruthi told him they were “thrilled” about his daughter’s rescue.
“I told him that I’m very glad that Noa came back – and I hope she will live a full life, build a home and live every day like it’s the last day,” she says, adding that she wants all those rescued in the mission to heed that message.
“This is the most important thing for us, that they really live their lives,” she says. “Because this is the meaning of our loss. It was their life that motivated Arnon that day.”
When the hostages and the injured Zmora arrived at Sheba Medical Center in Tel Aviv, Reuven describes the atmosphere as having “an air of happiness side by side with sadness.”
Zmora told his father that he was training for a hostage rescue mission in the weeks leading up to the operation, and said he had a “good feeling” that they would succeed.
A week before the mission, he gave his father his watch, and told him to give it back when he returned, The Daily Mail reports.
“He knew the rescue would come at a cost,” Reuven says, his mother adding: “Arno said rescuing a hostage is the most ethical and valuable action there is.”
“We don’t just want Arnon’s legacy to be a name of mission,” Reuven says. “We want people to be like Arnon.”
“Arnon hated violence or bullies and he didn’t go there to kill anyone – but to save lives,” he adds.
Two rockets land in open field near Gaza border kibbutz
Two rockets hit an open field near Kibbutz Sufa after sirens sounded there a short while ago, the military says.
There are no reports of injuries or damage.
Rocket warning sirens sound near Gaza border
Rocket warning sirens are sounding in the Gaza border community of Sufa.
Red Alert [10:24:59] – 1 Alert:
• Gaza Envelope — Sufa#Israel #RocketAlert #RedAlert pic.twitter.com/z9qndzDraH
— ILRedAlert (@ILRedAlert) June 22, 2024
IDF says Israeli shot in Qalqilya has died, troops enter West Bank town
The Israel Defense Forces say that an Israeli man who was shot in his vehicle by unknown gunmen in the West Bank town of Qalqilya has died.
The military says troops have entered the area and that the IDF and Israel Police are investigating the incident.
The man, who media reports said was a Jewish Israeli civilian, was found shot dead in his vehicle, which was later set on fire.
Israeli reportedly shot in West Bank town of Qalqilya
Media reports say a Jewish Israeli man was shot and critically wounded after driving his vehicle into the West Bank town of Qalqilya.
Palestinian security sources tell the Ynet news site that the man was transferred by the Palestinian Red Crescent to an Israeli ambulance.
Images posted to social media appeared to show that his vehicle was later set on fire.
There is no immediate confirmation from the Israel Defense Forces or rescue services.
It’s unclear what the man was doing in Qalqilya. Israelis are barred from entering West Bank areas controlled by the Palestinian Authority.
The incident comes a day after police said that two wanted Palestinians, members of the Islamic Jihad terror group, were killed by officers in a raid on Qalqilya.
Images emerge of a suspected Palestinian terror attack on an Israeli civilian earlier today in Qalqilya. https://t.co/heeYNHK3SJ pic.twitter.com/s3rdnYiFGj
— Israel War Room (@IsraelWarRoom) June 22, 2024
US said to assure Israel of its full support in the event of war with Hezbollah
The US reassured Israel it will offer the Jewish state full support in the event a full-scale war with Hezbollah breaks out, CNN quotes a senior Biden administration official as saying.
The pledge was made during meetings in Washington this week between National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi, Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
The official tells CNN that the Biden administration would offer Israel the security assistance it needs. However, the US would not deploy American troops to the ground in such a scenario.
The reassurances come amid a public spat between Jerusalem and Washington that was sparked by a Tuesday video statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in which the premier blasted what he said were “inconceivable bottlenecks” that the Biden administration had placed in the transfer of weapons and munitions to Israel.
US aircraft carrier leading mission against Houthis said ordered home
US officials reportedly order the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, the aircraft carrier leading America’s response to Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, to return home.
The US Naval Institute’s news service reports, citing an anonymous official, that the Eisenhower would be returning home to Norfolk, Virginia, after an over eight-month deployment in combat that the Navy says is its most intense since World War II.
The report said an aircraft carrier operating in the Pacific would be taking the Eisenhower’s place.
The closest American aircraft carrier known to be operating in Asia is the USS Theodore Roosevelt.
UK security agency reports explosions near ship off Yemen
Explosions were reported near a ship east of the Yemeni port city of Aden, Britain’s maritime safety agency UKMTO says.
The agency, which did not identify the vessel, says the ship was able to continue its journey and “the crew are reported safe.”
Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels have been targeting vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since November 2023 in attacks they say are in solidarity with Palestinians during the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.
Kuwait calls on its citizens in Lebanon to leave ASAP
Kuwait’s foreign ministry calls on its citizens in Lebanon to leave the country as soon as possible, amid concerns that recently escalating skirmishes between Israel and Hezbollah could descend into full-scale war.
Netanyahu: ‘Gays for Gaza an absurdity. If you’re gay there, you’ll be shot in the back of the head’
Ahead of his address to Congress next month, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu slams anti-Israel protesters in the United States, lamenting a recent poll in which some 20 percent of respondents say they back Hamas over Israel in the war in Gaza.
“Who are they supporting — these murderers, these rapists of women, the beheaders of babies, the burning of innocent civilians, the taking of hostages, including Holocaust survivors,” Netanyahu says in an interview with Punchbowl News. “There’s obviously an issue that affects parts of American society that challenges not Israel but challenges America.”
He adds: “The people who protest with these killers … You have Gays for Gaza. That’s an absurdity if I’ve ever heard one. If you are gay in Gaza, you’ll be shot in the back of the head. Women for Gaza. What are women in Gaza — they’re chattel and other such absurdities.”
Netanyahu’s remarks came in response to question about what his goal was for his upcoming speech, with the interviewer asking how we would address criticism that it would be partisan in light of the decision by some Democrats to boycott the July 24 address.
“I’m not a partisan, I’m not a Republican or a Democrat. I’m an Israeli patriot, and I speak on behalf of the Israeli people,” the premier says. “I intend to speak to the broad spectrum of the American people and to cull bipartisan support that is still solid in America and we need it to stay solid.”
IDF says ‘no indication’ it launched deadly strike on Gaza tent camp; Red Cross office damaged
An a military spokesman says “there is no indication” that Israeli forces carried out a deadly strike in an area of Gaza where hundreds of displaced Palestinians are living in tents.
“An initial inquiry conducted suggests that there is no indication that a strike was carried out by the IDF in the humanitarian area in Al-Mawasi. The incident is under review,” the IDF spokesman tells AFP.
The International Committee of the Red Cross says 22 people were killed in the shelling. The ICRC doesn’t specify who fired the “heavy calibrer projectiles” but in a statement on social media platform X says the shells “damaged the structure of the ICRC office” in Gaza.
It says 22 bodies and 45 wounded were taken to a nearby Red Cross field hospital after the shelling, and there are “reports of additional casualties.”
The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza says there are 25 dead and 50 injured in the shelling, which it blamed on Israel.
French prosecutors charge teens for planning terror attack on Jewish targets
PARIS — French prosecutors have charged a 19-year-old man and a youth in the Paris region with planning a terrorist attack on Jewish targets, a judicial source tells AFP.
While no details on the pair have been released, French anti-terrorist investigators have expressed increased concern over the young age of some suspects detained in recent months for planning terror attacks.
The 19-year-old has been charged with “terrorist conspiracy” to commit attacks and the “acquisition and possession of arms for a terrorist enterprise,” says the judicial source, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The youth aged under 18 was detained on June 13, the source says.
The pair made contact on social media and were planning a “a violent action notably aiming at Jewish targets,” says the source without giving details on the plot.
Anti-terrorism investigators say a growing number of youths have been held in recent months for preparing attacks.
French politicians have also condemned a growing number of attacks on the country’s Jewish community, the biggest outside Israel and the United States.
Outrage has been expressed over the rape of a 12-year-old Jewish girl in a park in the Paris suburbs last Saturday. Two 13-year-old boys have been charged with rape and making antisemetic insults.
UN chief says most aid going into Gaza is being looted amid ‘total lawlessness’
The United Nations chief says that “total lawlessness” and “chaos” in Gaza is preventing the distribution of humanitarian aid within the enclave, which is why an immediate ceasefire is needed.
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres tells reporters that “most of the trucks with humanitarian aid inside Gaza are now looted because this is a war that is different from any other one.”
“We have attacks, we have bombings, and then troops move to other places,” he says. “Hamas returns to the original ones and there is total chaos in Gaza, and there is no authority in most of the territory.” He adds that “Israel does not even allow the so-called blue police to escort our convoys because it’s local police linked to the local administration [Hamas], so lawlessness is total.”
The UN chief also stresses that those obstacles pose “extreme difficulty” to distribute aid.
“There must be a mechanism, guarantee that there is a minimum of law and order that allows for that (aid) distribution to take place and that’s why a cease-fire is so necessary,” he said.
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