Israel says begins assault on Gaza City, kills dozens in enclave

TNA’s live coverage of the latest from the war on Gaza concludes for today. Join us again at 0900 GMT for updates from the besieged Palestinian enclave.

The Palestinian news agency Wafa reports that Israeli forces carried out raids in Beit Liqya and al-Bireh, near Ramallah in the occupied West Bank.

According to local sources cited by Wafa, Israeli troops fired tear gas at Palestinian youths attempting to block their advance into Beit Liqya.

In al-Bireh, soldiers reportedly opened fire with live ammunition after storming the city from the nearby illegal Israeli settlement of Psagot.

The Palestinian Authority presidency voiced “deep regret and astonishment” over Washington’s decision to revoke visas for Palestinian officials scheduled to attend high-level UN General Assembly meetings next month.

“The Presidency stressed that this decision stands in clear contradiction to international law and the UN Headquarters Agreement, particularly since the State of Palestine is an observer member of the United Nations,” it said in a statement via Wafa news agency.

“It called on the US administration to reconsider and reverse its decision, reaffirming Palestine’s full commitment to international law, UN resolutions, and obligations toward peace.”

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas will be denied entry to the United States for the upcoming UN General Assembly in September, a U.S. State Department official told Israeli newspaper Haaretz.

"Abbas is affected by this action along with approximately 80 other PA officials," the official said.

Earlier on Friday, the department announced that Secretary of State Marco Rubio is "denying and revoking visas" for members of the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority ahead of the assembly session.

Several Israeli media outlets reported Friday that the army fears four soldiers may have been captured by the al-Qassam Brigades in what is being called a "major security incident" in Gaza’s Zeitoun neighbourhood, in the north of the enclave.

The soldiers are reportedly missing, and the Israeli military is conducting search operations in the area.

The Europa League draw has placed Maccabi Tel Aviv in away fixtures in Germany, England, and Greece, despite demands from rights groups to ban Israeli teams from European competitions.

In November, the club’s fans clashed with apparent pro-Palestinian protesters before and after a Europa League match in Amsterdam. Footage circulating on social media showed them chanting anti-Arab slogans, vandalising a taxi, and burning a Palestinian flag.

Maccabi Tel Aviv is scheduled to play Stuttgart and Freiburg in Germany, Aston Villa in Birmingham, and PAOK in Greece.

Due to security concerns, Israeli clubs have been playing UEFA matches in neutral venues, with Maccabi hosting its European games this season in Bačka Topola, Serbia.

The team’s home fixtures are against Dinamo Zagreb, Lyon, Midtjylland, and Bologna.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has criticised an Israeli military assault targeting Deutsche Welle journalists in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

Sara Qudah, CPJ’s regional director for the Middle East and North Africa, said the journalists were “threatened at gunpoint and fired on with tear gas by Israeli soldiers, despite clearly identifying as press.”

“Targeting journalists is unacceptable and must be thoroughly investigated,” Qudah added.

According to Deutsche Welle, its senior international correspondent Fanny Facsar, a cameraman, and a local colleague were in Ramallah to report on the dangers faced by journalists when Israeli soldiers aimed their weapons at them.

“All three wore protective gear clearly marked ‘PRESS.’ Nevertheless, the soldiers fired tear gas, hitting the group, but no one was injured,” the broadcaster said. The incident happened during a major Israeli raid in Ramallah earlier this week that left dozens of Palestinians injured.

🚨 "CPJ condemns the attack on the DW crew in the West Bank, where journalists were threatened at gunpoint and fired on with tear gas by Israeli soldiers, despite clearly identifying as press. Targeting journalists is unacceptable and must be thoroughly investigated." -- Sara… https://t.co/RRfFBBQqYG pic.twitter.com/eI74FIHmoS

— Committee to Protect Journalists (@pressfreedom) August 29, 2025

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) has warned that Israel’s intensified offensive on Gaza City could lead to the forced displacement of up to one million Palestinians.

In a post on X, the agency noted that famine was confirmed in the area last week, adding that "any further escalation would deepen suffering and push more people toward catastrophe."

Israeli newspaper Haaretz reports that police have cancelled a planned fundraising event in Jerusalem aimed at supporting civilians in Gaza.

The order, issued by the Jerusalem District Police commander under Israel’s “anti-terrorism” law, claimed the event could “serve and/or fund the Hamas terror group.”

The fundraiser was organised by Standing Together, a Jewish-Arab coexistence group.

According to Haaretz, organisers were summoned to a police station the previous night and informed of the cancellation, following a complaint by a prominent right-wing activist.

Lebanon's military will soon carry out “sensitive missions” and take necessary steps to ensure their success while preserving civil peace in the crisis-hit nation, the country’s army chief said Friday.

Gen. Rodolphe Haykal was apparently referring to the Lebanese government’s U.S.-backed plan to disarm the Hezbollah group by the end of the year as well as Palestinian weapons in the country’s refugee camps.

The Lebanese government asked the army in early August to prepare a plan to disarm Hezbollah by the end of the month and the Cabinet is scheduled to hold a meeting to discuss the plan Tuesday.

Hezbollah’s leadership has vowed not to disarm, saying the national government’s decision to remove the Iran-backed group’s weapons by the end of the year serves Israel’s interests.

“The army is taking major responsibilities at all levels,” Haykal was quoted as saying by an army statement. He made his comments during a meeting with the military’s top generals.

Haykal added that the army is approaching a “delicate stage during which it will carry out sensitive missions and will take all the steps needed to make these missions successful taking into consideration the preservation of civil peace and internal stability.”

Hamas warned Israel on Friday that its planned offensive to conquer Gaza City would subject hostages in the area to the "same risks" as the group's fighters.

"We will take care of the prisoners the best we can, and they will be with our fighters in the combat and confrontation zones, subjected to the same risks and the same living conditions", Abu Obeida, the spokesperson for Hamas's armed wing, said in a statement.

At least 67 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip, including 33 in Gaza City and five in al-Mawasi- an area designated as a “safe zone” in the south.

Among the dead are 19 people who were seeking aid, reportedly shot by Israeli forces in different parts of Gaza.

Israel's foreign minister hailed as a "bold step" Friday a US decision to deny Palestinian officials visas for next month's UN General Assembly, where France is leading a push to recognise a Palestinian state.

"We thank (President Donald Trump) and the administration for this bold step and for standing by Israel once again," Gideon Saar posted on his official X account.

"Thank you (Secretary of State Marco Rubio) for holding the "PLO" (Palestine Liberation Organization) and PA (Palestinian Authority) accountable for rewarding terrorism, incitement and efforts to use legal warfare against Israel," he added.

Israel has launched a strike in south Lebanese town of Sir el-Gharbiyeh, killing a battalion commander in Hezbollah's Radwan force according the Israeli military.

The Palestinians' ambassador to the UN, Riyad Mansour, told reporters that they were checking exactly what the US move means "and how it applies to any of our delegation, and we will respond accordingly."

Abbas' office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Palestinian militant group Hamas urged governments around the world on Friday to "escalate punitive measures" against Israel after Turkey said it had closed its ports and airspace to Israeli ships and planes.

"We urge Turkey, as well as Arab and Islamic countries and the free nations of the world, to escalate punitive measures against" Israel, the group said in a statement.

It called on countries to "sever all relations with it, and work to isolate it - so as to compel it to halt the genocide and destruction of Gaza".

The United States said Friday it will refuse visas to members of the Palestinian Authority to attend next month's UN General Assembly, where France is leading a push to recognise a Palestinian state.

"Secretary of State Marco Rubio is denying and revoking visas from members of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) and the Palestinian Authority (PA) ahead of the upcoming United Nations General Assembly," the State Department said in a statement.

In Gaza City, where bombs fall without pause and the nights are pierced by the sound of drones, families face a tormenting question each day: should they abandon their homes and head south, as the Israeli army has ordered, or should they remain in neighbourhoods which have been reduced to rubble?

For many, the answer is bitterly clear: "Evacuation is not an option."

This refusal does not stem from bravery or denial of death. It emerges from lived memory, from the realisation that displacement has become another name for humiliation, hunger, and despair.

The dilemma intensified as Israel continues its military operation, "Gideon's Chariots 2," now in its third week, tightening its grip around Gaza City from the north, south, and east.

As the bombardment escalates, the army insists that evacuation is the only way to survive. But for Palestinians, the so-called "safe zones" are anything but safe.

Separately speaking to The New Arab, numerous residents from Gaza City described that what lies in the south is not life but another chapter of suffering, crowded shelters, broken tents, the struggle for food, and the endless repetition of tragedy.

"Where should we go? And where should I start my displacement journey?" Iyad Abdul Jawad, a father of five from the al-Sabra neighbourhood in Gaza City, said to TNA. "Displacement is not just leaving your area. It is uprooting your soul. You start from zero, but with no guarantees." 

Turkey has closed its airspace to Israeli planes in protest at the war in Gaza, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Friday.

"We have completely cut off our trade with Israel. We do not allow Turkish ships to go to Israeli ports. We do not allow their planes to enter our airspace," he told a special parliamentary debate on Gaza in Ankara.

Turkey severed direct trade ties with Israel in May last year, demanding a permanent ceasefire and the immediate entry of humanitarian aid to Gaza. In 2023 the two countries carried out $7 billion in trade.

Turkish media reported last week that a ban on maritime traffic linked to Israel had been imposed, although there was no official statement. According to reports, Israeli vessels were banned from docking in Turkey and Turkish-flagged ships were not allowed to enter Israeli ports.

Ankara has been a harsh critic of Israeli attacks on Gaza, with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan repeatedly referring to Israel's actions as genocide and likening Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Hitler.

Last November, Turkish authorities denied permission for Israeli President Isaac Herzog's plane to enter Turkey's airspace for a trip to an international summit in Azerbaijan. "As Turkey, we have to take a stance on certain issues," Erdogan later said when asked about the incident.

The Israeli military said on the Israeli Army Radio on Friday that they attempted to eliminate the Houthi chief of staff and defence minister on Thursday, but are awaiting the results of the strike. 

The World Health Organisation has run out of critical medical supplies in Gaza that it needs to treat a surge in cases of a rare paralysis-causing syndrome in the Palestinian enclave, the U.N. agency said on Friday.

There have been 94 documented cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome in Gaza since June, resulting in 10 deaths, although GBS had rarely been seen in the enclave before the war on Gaza started nearly two years ago, it said.

GBS is a rare condition that involves a person's immune system attacking the peripheral nerves. Severe cases can result in near-total paralysis and breathing problems, the WHO said.

The fatalities include four children under 15 and six older patients with an average age of 25, the WHO said. Two of the victims had received no treatment, reflecting critical shortages in essential treatment supplies, it added.

Although GBS is usually treatable, the WHO said its treatment efforts were constrained by a lack of certain medical supplies.

"Intravenous immune globulin  (IVIG), the (Gaza) Ministry of Health's first-line treatment for GBS, and plasmapheresis filters remain out of stock, leaving no treatment options available for suspected GBS cases," the WHO said.

Israel's war on Gaza has killed over 63,000 Palestinians since October 2023, the Gaza health ministry said on Friday.

 The foreign ministers of Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Norway, Slovenia, and Spain strongly condemn the most recent Israeli offensive launched in the Gaza Strip and the announcement to establish a permanent presence in Gaza City, they said in a joint statement on Friday. 

Israel's restrictions on aid have resulted in five more Palestinians to starve to death in Gaza.

The ministry of health in Gaza said the deaths happened in the last 24 hours and included two children.

The toll of those who have starved to death has now topped 322 people. 

Israeli settlers have attacked the Duma village south of the occupied West Bank city of Nablus, according to Palestinian news agency Wafa, which said that settlers assaulted one person from the village and vandalised property.

The UN's agency for Palestine Refugees has warned that Israel's new military assault on Gaza City "would put around 1 million people at risk of being forcibly displaced again."

"With famine already confirmed in the area, any further escalation would deepen suffering and push more people toward catastrophe," the agency added.

An intensified military operation in #Gaza City would put around 1 million people at risk of being forcibly displaced again.

With #famine already confirmed in the area, any further escalation would deepen suffering and push more people toward catastrophe.#CeasefireNow pic.twitter.com/7DyUEu3oAP

— UNRWA (@UNRWA) August 29, 2025

Israel's bombardment of Gaza has killed 41 Palestinians since dawn, according to Al Jazeera, citing medical sources.

The report added that the deaths include three aid seekers.

Israel has recovered the body of hostage Ilan Weiss from the Gaza Strip, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said on Friday.

The body of a second individual, whose identity has not yet been cleared for publication, was also retrieved, the statement added.

The Israeli military said on Friday that it has begun preliminary operations and the initial stages of an attack on Gaza city, adding that it is currently operating with great force on the outskirts.

The Israeli military declared Gaza City "a dangerous combat zone" on Friday, as it prepared to conquer the Palestinian territory's largest city after almost two years of war.

"Starting today (Friday), at 10:00 (0700GMT), the local tactical pause in military activity will not apply to the area of Gaza City, which constitutes a dangerous combat zone," the military said in a statement, referring to daily pauses in certain areas aimed at facilitating aid distribution.

Israel accused Britain of "discrimination" after its officials were on Friday excluded from a London arms fair, amid worsening ties between the two countries over the Gaza war.

A British government spokesperson said no Israeli government delegation would be invited to attend the DSEI UK 2025 fair next month.

"These restrictions amount to a deliberate and regrettable act of discrimination against Israel's representatives. Accordingly, the Israel Ministry of Defense will withdraw from the exhibition and will not establish a national pavilion," the ministry said in a statement.

Aid group Medical Aid for Palestinians is warning of a "noticeable and escalating increase in the number of reported cases of Guillain-Barré Syndrome," an autoimmune disorder that affects the nervous system, and can cause paralysis and impair breathing functions.

"Before the war we used to see one case of Guillain-Barré Syndrome yearly, but in the last three months we have nearly diagnosed already 100 cases," said Dr Ahmad al-Farra, head of Paediatrics at the Nasser Hospital, speaking with the group.

He added: "I expect to see an increase in cases and in cases of severe acute malnutrition if the situation here continues."

Israeli government representatives will not be invited to attend an upcoming arms fair in London, a UK government spokesperson said Friday, amid worsening diplomatic relations between Britain and Israel over the Gaza conflict.

"We can confirm that no Israeli government delegation will be invited to attend DSEI UK 2025" next month, noted a ministry of defence statement emailed to AFP.

Israeli defence companies will still be allowed to attend the biennial event.

The Israeli military expressed its regret for the "injury" of Lebanese soldiers due to a technical malfunction during a strike in southern Lebanon that targeted Hezbollah infrastructure, a spokesperson said on Friday.

The Lebanese army said on Thursday that two military personnel were killed and two wounded when an Israeli drone crashed and then exploded in the Ras al-Naqoura area of southern Lebanon.