Israel war on Gaza updates: 50 killed in Israeli attacks across Palestine

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Read more about Yahya Sinwar, Ismail Haniyeh’s successor as Hamas chief, here.

For more on Iran’s possible response to Israel and possible scenarios, read this analysis.

And, watch the latest episode of The Stream, in which Canadian physician Dr Gabor Mate and his son Daniel discuss the context of genocide in Gaza and how bearing witness to that has affected them.

You can always find all our latest coverage of Israel’s war on Gaza, here.

We will shortly be moving to a new live page but before we do, here’s a quick recap of what happened today:

• Hamas has announced Yahya Sinwar as its new political chief.
• Israeli forces killed at least 12 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, including eight in and around Jenin where drone strikes were carried out.
• At least three people were killed and more than 10 wounded in the latest Israeli attack on Deir el-Balah.
• The Israeli military hit a building in the Lebanese town of Mayfadoun, killing five Hezbollah fighters.
• Hezbollah said it fired a “swarm of drones” at northern Israel, targeting a military barracks some 20km (12.4 miles) from the border.
• Local media reported that clashes broke out for a second day between ultra-Orthodox Israelis protesting military conscription and police forces.

Sinwar is elected leader of Hamas a week after the movement’s political chief Haniyeh was assassinated.

The 62-year-old strongman was already at the heart of power. Now, he calls all the shots, about peace and war.

Now, Israel must deal with Sinwar, a man it imprisoned for over two decades and then released in a prisoner exchange deal in 2011 that Netanyahu signed off on. After that, Sinwar – the son of refugees who grew up in a refugee camp in Khan Younis – was an unstoppable political actor.

A fierce foe for Israel, Sinwar is closer to the military wing of Hamas yet able to manoeuvre its multi-layered political ranks and become its leader during a ferocious war.

Now, he is the lead negotiator of the faltering ceasefire talks regional and international mediators, including the Biden administration, desperately need to succeed.

The Israeli army has called on people located in the Beit Hanoon, al-Manshiyeh and Sheikh Zeid neighbourhoods in Gaza to leave immediately in preparation for a military attack after rockets were fired towards Ashkelon.

US Secretary of State Blinken has pressed for a ceasefire in Israel’s war on Gaza and warned against the possibility of worsening regional escalation.

Here are a few of Blinken’s key remarks:

• An agreement between Israel and Hamas is in the “final stage” and called on all parties to finalise it “as soon as possible”.
• Further attacks “only perpetuate” conflict, instability and insecurity.
• The US has told Iran and Israel “directly” that regional fighting must not escalate further.

Content creator Saeed Mohamed has posted a video on Instagram showing the fragile condition of 10-year-old Rafeef al-Daya due to the ongoing starvation as a result of Israel’s siege on Gaza.

The girl with cerebral palsy, which has been exacerbated by malnutrition and lack of healthcare, is seen lying inside a tent for displaced people which lacks the most basic necessities.

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A post shared by saeed Mohamed/ سائد محمد (@saeedmhm97)

Al Jazeera is reporting from Jordan because the Israeli government has banned it from the country.

Israel’s Foreign Minister says Sinwar’s appointment is more of an excuse to assassinate him.

In comments made to Arab media, Israeli army spokesperson Daniel Hagari said the only preparations and intentions that Israel is making for Sinwar are “the same fate as Mohammed Deif”, the Hamas commander who was allegedly killed on July 13.

Within the Israeli political landscape and Israeli media, there really isn’t a distinction between Hamas’s military and political leadership.

When the war on Gaza began, Netanyahu gave a directive that every single leader in Hamas – political or militarily – was one unit and that they were all going to be killed.

Hezbollah has congratulated Hamas on Sinwar’s appointment, portraying his elevation as a testament to the failure of Israel’s policy of assassinating Hamas leaders.

The Lebanon-based group said that Sinwar’s selection “confirms goals that the enemy [Israel] seeks from killing leaders and officials failed in achieving its outcome”.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says the ongoing Israeli bombardment and hostilities continue to kill, injure and displace Palestinians, the Wafa news agency has reported.

OCHA said three schools sheltering internally displaced people were hit in the last 48 hours, resulting in mass casualties.

Farhan Haq, deputy spokesperson for the UN chief, called on all parties to respect their duties under international humanitarian law, which include sparing civilians and civilian objects.

US Central Command (CENTCOM) says its forces have successfully destroyed one Houthi uncrewed aerial vehicle and two antiship ballistic missiles launched from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen over the Red Sea.

The Houthis have launched attacks on Israel-linked international shipping near Yemen since November in solidarity with Palestinians amid Israel’s war on Gaza.

Osama Hamdan, a Hamas official, told Al Jazeera that Sinwar was chosen as the Palestinian group’s new chief “unanimously”.

“This shows that the movement is aware of the nature of the stage, and the negotiation was managed by the leadership and Sinwar was always present,” said Hamdan.

“The fact that Hamas chose Sinwar as chief so quickly demonstrates the vitality of Hamas. The team that followed the negotiations during the presence of Haniyeh will follow them during the presence of Sinwar.

“Sinwar’s accurate knowledge of the occupation will strengthen our negotiating position in the next stage.”

Here are the latest developments:

• Israeli air raids continue to pound central Gaza and the eastern part of Khan Younis.
• At least three people were killed and more than 10 wounded in the latest Israeli attack on Deir el-Balah.
• Yahya Sinwar has been named by the Palestinian group as its new leader.
• Mohammed Issa Abu Saada is the latest journalist to be killed by Israeli forces, raising the death toll of journalists in Gaza to 166.
• Israeli air defences are trying to intercept rockets launched by Hezbollah towards Israeli positions in the occupied Golan Heights.
• EU’s Josep Borrell issues a new plea to end the war in Gaza, warning it has brought the region to “the brink of a war of unknown proportions”.

The phone call between Biden and Qatar’s emir has been a part of a larger project.

Biden has been taking a series of calls along with Blinken for days in a wave of diplomacy in an effort to try and limit the response by Iran.

Just a day ago, we’ve had Biden speaking to Jordan’s king and over the weekend, Blinken speaking with G7 leaders as well as of the UK, France and Iraq.

There’s a compound effort by the US speaking with allies of Iran – given the fact that the US does not have direct relations with Iran – looking for those channels to try to communicate to Iran to not attack or limit that attack.

Wafa news agency is reporting that a young Palestinian man was shot and wounded by Israeli forces in the northern Jordan Valley.

The report, citing security sources, said that the Israeli forces east of the town of Tammun, south of the city of Tubas, fired on the Palestinian man after he “allegedly carried out a shooting attack in the Beka’ot settlement”.

The report added that Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) crews were prevented by the Israeli forces from providing medical aid to the injured.

On Tuesday, a progressive Democrat will fight to save her seat in the United States Congress – against a threat from within her own party.

That Democrat, Cori Bush, faces a punishing primary challenge from county prosecutor Wesley Bell, as they both compete to represent Missouri in the House of Representatives.

But experts say their battle boils down to one central issue: how to approach Israel’s war in Gaza.

Read more here.