More aid seekers killed in Gaza amid war, starvation campaign

The live blog has now ended. Thank you for following. We will be back tomorrow with more updates.

A "projectile" fired towards Israel from Yemen was intercepted, but not before air-raid warnings sounded across the country, the Israeli military said Tuesday.

"Following the sirens that sounded a short while ago in several areas in Israel, a missile that was launched from Yemen was intercepted by the IAF," the military posted on social media platform X.

After decades of inaction and frozen negotiations, the issue of an independent Palestinian state living in peace with Israel returned to the spotlight at a high-level UN conference, and France and Saudi Arabia, which spearheaded the effort, are determined to keep up the momentum.

The conference illustrated that many believe a political solution is possible The French UN ambassador, Jerome Bonnafont, conceded in an Associated Press interview that without a Gaza ceasefire and massive humanitarian aid for over 2 million Palestinians sliding toward famine, "it will be extremely difficult to move forward to define a new way of administering Gaza as part of Palestine", and he said these are priority issues.

But the conference demonstrated that a majority of the UN's 193 member nations are "convinced that there is a possibility of a political solution," he said, and that is "what its follow-up will continue to promote."

A petition from many of Israel's top artists and writers calling for a ceasefire in Gaza attracted fierce criticism Monday from a well-known television actor who was wounded in combat.

The petition, published Sunday and signed by nearly 1,000 artists, read: "As men and women of culture and art in Israel, we find ourselves, against our will and values, complicit... in the responsibility for the horrific events in the Gaza Strip."

"We call on everyone involved in shaping and implementing this policy to stop! Do not issue illegal orders and do not obey them! Do not commit war crimes! Do not abandon the principles of human morality and the values of Judaism! Stop the war. Release the [captives]," they said.

But the star of the popular military thriller "Fauda", singer and actor Idan Amedi, who was severely wounded in January 2024 during Israel's war as a military reservist, spoke out against the petition, accusing the authors of peddling "fake news".

"Step into a tunnel for a moment. Fight for just one day like tens of thousands of reservists, and then go ahead, sign petitions," Amedi posted on social media.

"There is no other army in the world operating in such a densely populated area with as minimal civilian casualties as ours. It's proven. Go check," Amedi posted on social media.

Culture Minister Miki Zokar praised Amedi and actor Moran Atias, who similarly slammed the petition -- hailing their "lucidity and patriotism".

At least five civilians were killed after an Israeli drone targeted a group of humanitarian aid workers at the Al-Tawam Roundabout in the northern Gaza Strip, Wafa reports.

 At least seven were injured and taken to the hospital, with many in critical condition.

Two Palestinians were killed after an Israeli strike targeted a group of people in the Al-Tawan area, north of Gaza City, Wafa reports. Civilians were also injured.

The Canadian government said on Monday it delivered additional humanitarian assistance to Gaza, which has been under a devastating Israeli military assault for almost 22 months.

"The (Canadian Armed Forces) employed a CC-130J Hercules aircraft to conduct an airdrop of critical humanitarian aid in support of Global Affairs Canada into the Gaza Strip. The air drop consisted of 21,600 pounds of aid," the Canadian government said in a statement.

Canada said last week it plans to recognize the State of Palestine at a meeting of the United Nations in September, ratcheting up pressure on Israel as starvation spreads in Gaza.

At least 74 Palestinians have been killed since Monday, and Israel continues with its attacks on Gaza, sources told Al Jazeera.

The toll includes at least 34 seeking aid.

Benjamin Netanyahu will convene his security cabinet this week to decide on Israel's next steps in Gaza following the collapse of indirect ceasefire talks with Hamas, with one senior Israeli source suggesting more force could be an option.

Last Saturday, during a visit to the country, US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff had said he was working with the Israeli government on a plan that would effectively end the war in Gaza.

But Israeli officials have also floated ideas, including expanding the military offensive in Gaza and annexing parts of the shattered enclave.

A senior lawmaker in German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's coalition on Monday said Berlin should consider sanctions on Israel, including a partial suspension of weapons exports or the suspension of a European Union-wide political agreement.

The call by Siemtje Moeller, the deputy leader of the Social Democrats (SPD) parliamentary faction, reflects a sharpening of rhetoric from Berlin against Israel, which has yet to yield any major policy changes, however.

Moeller, whose SPD joined a coalition with Merz's conservatives this year, wrote a letter to SPD lawmakers after returning from a trip to Israel with Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul last week.

"My assessment is that the Israeli government will move little without pressure. If such concrete improvements fail to materialize in the near future, there must be consequences," she said in the letter, seen by Reuters.

The Israeli cabinet voted unanimously on Monday to dismiss Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, a vocal critic of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, only for a court to immediately suspend the move.

Justice Minister Yariv Levin announced the cabinet's decision and addressed a letter to Baharav-Miara saying she "should not try to impose herself on a government that has no trust in her and cannot work with her effectively".

Immediately after the decision, however, opposition party Yesh Atid and activist groups filed urgent petitions to Israel's High Court of Justice seeking to halt the dismissal.

In response, the court issued an injunction suspending the decision and preventing the government from appointing a substitute.

It announced it would hear further petitions against the sacking in the following 30 days.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is leaning toward expanding the offensive in Gaza and seizing the entire enclave, Israel's Channel 12 cited an official from his office as saying on Monday.

Netanyahu will be convening his cabinet on Tuesday to make a decision on the matter, Israeli media reported. 

Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan congratulated British Prime Minister Keir Starmer for his statements over the recognition of a Palestinian state on Monday, Erdogan's office said.

Erdogan and Starmer discussed bilateral relations in a phone call, as well as regional and global issues, the Turkish statement said. It added that the Turkish president also emphasised the importance of taking steps to compel Israel to agree to a ceasefire in Gaza and a two-state solution.

U.S. states and cities that boycott Israeli companies will be denied federal aid for natural disaster preparedness, the Trump administration has announced, tying routine federal funding to its political stance.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency stated in grant notices posted on Friday that states must follow its "terms and conditions." Those conditions require they certify they will not sever “commercial relations specifically with Israeli companies” to qualify for funding.

The requirement applies to at least $1.9 billion that states rely on to cover search-and-rescue equipment, emergency manager salaries and backup power systems among other expenses, according to 11 agency grant notices reviewed by Reuters.

The requirement is the Trump administration's latest effort to use federal funding to promote its views on Israel.

The Department of Homeland Security, the agency that oversees FEMA, in April said that boycotting Israel is prohibited for states and cities receiving its grant funds.

FEMA separately said in July that U.S. states will be required to spend part of their federal terrorism prevention funds on helping the government arrest migrants, an administration priority.

The Save the Children NGO said 43 percent of Palestinian pregnant and breastfeeding women in Gaza are malnourished, raising fears over the health of their would-be newborns and babies.

323 of the 747 women the NGO had screened during the first half of July were malnourished, impacting their ability to feed their newborns, adding that mothers have been asking for stocks of infant formula to ensure their babies can be fed if they die.

"Since April, staff at Save the Children’s two primary healthcare centres operating in Gaza have reported monthly increases in the number of pregnant and breast-feeding women found to be malnourished, with food, water and fuel almost entirely unavailable," the NGO said.

According to the Save the Children report, some malnourished mothers without breast milk reportedly give their babies water mixed with ground chickpeas or tahini.

One-year-old Wateen's skin is blotched, bones protruding and she can longer curl her fingers.

The New Arab's Gaza correspondent Sally Ibrahim writes about how the enclave's children are the most vulnerable victims of Israel's imposed starvation campaign. Read more

.

A Palestinian nurse has been killed in the Gaza Strip after an aid box fell directly on him in Al-Zawaida, central Gaza.

Udai al-Quraan worked at the Al-Aqsa Hospital Deir al-Balah.

Just two days ago, the nurse told media about the danger of airdropping aid and insisted that the border crossings are open to ensure the safe entry of humanitarian relief.

An Israeli drone strike killed at least one person Monday afternoon in the town of Khiam, in the Marjayoun district of southern Lebanon, according to local media.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday said he would convene a cabinet meeting later in the week to decide on how to proceed in the war in Gaza.

"Later this week, I will convene the cabinet to instruct the [army] on how to achieve the three war objectives we have set," he said, at the opening of a government meeting.

He reiterated that Israel's three war goals remain "the defeat of the enemy, the release of our hostages and the promise that Gaza will no longer pose a threat to Israel".

Jordan has seen a decrease in the number of tourists visiting its famed ancient city of Petra and other sites since the Gaza war began in October 2023, according to officials.

Although Jordan does not border the Gaza Strip, it has been among several countries across the region impacted by the war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Figures released by the Petra Development and Tourism Region Authority and reported Monday by the official Al-Mamlaka TV showed the number of visitors slashed by 61 percent, from 1,174,137 in 2023 to 547,215 this year.

"We feel the repercussions of the aggression on Gaza every day, especially for providers of tourism services," Abdul Razzaq Arabiyat, the director of the national tourism board, told Al-Mamlaka on Friday.

He said incoming tourism from Europe and North America has hit a record low, dealing a devastating blow to the hotel industry and tour operators around Petra, in Jordan's south.

According to figures from the Petra tourism authority carried by official media, 32 hotels have had to shut down and nearly 700 people have lost their jobs.

Petra, famous for its stunning temples hewn from rose-pink cliff faces, is a UN World Heritage site.

Germany's interior ministry is reviewing the feasibility of projects that would involving bringing children from Gaza to Germany for treatment, a ministry spokesperson said on Monday.

"The feasibility of such initiatives depends crucially on the security situation, the possibility of leaving the country, and other factors," said the spokesperson.

The German cities of Hanover and Duesseldorf have said in recent days that they would accept children from the Gaza Strip and Israel who are particularly vulnerable or traumatised.

The ministry has not yet received any inquiries from German cities about the issue, the spokesperson said at a regular government press conference in Berlin. 

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar on Monday said he wants the issue of hostages held in Gaza at the "front and centre" of the world stage, and that he will discuss it at a special UN Security Council session.

"The world must put an end to the phenomenon of kidnapping civilians. It must be front and centre on the world stage," Saar said during a briefing with journalists, adding he will take part in the UN session Tuesday.

Syrian Democratic Forces said on Monday that they clashed with government forces in Dayr Hafir in Aleppo province.

SDF said that the government forces carried out attacks against four of their posts in the area.

The SDF was the main fighting force allied to the United States in Syria during fighting that defeated Islamic State in 2019 after the group declared a caliphate across swathes of Syria and Iraq.

Israeli authorities are reportedly detaining 24 doctors from Gaza under harsh conditions, according to the Palestinian Centre for Prisoners’ Defence.

The centre added in a statement that Israeli forces have arrested more than 400 medical workers since the start of the war in Gaza in October 2023, and that most of them were later released without charge.

More than a dozen House Democrats have signed a letter pressing the Trump administration to recognise a Palestinian state, with at least one lawmaker planning to introduce a pro-statehood resolution, Axios reported on Monday.

Reuters could not immediately verify the report. 

The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has called on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to "assume its responsibilities" under international law by "enforcing an immediate ceasefire", urging UNSC members to conduct an official visit to the Gaza Strip.

The ministry warned that more than two million Palestinians in Gaza are "living in a tight death circle of killing, starvation, thirst, and deprivation of medicine, treatment, and all basic human rights".

It also questioned the role of some security council members, accusing some states of "deliberately prolonging the war in service of various political agendas and interests".

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Monday vowed that "justice is coming", five years after a catastrophic explosion at Beirut's port for which nobody has been held to account.

The blast on 4 August 2020 was one of the world's largest non-nuclear explosions, devastating swathes of the Lebanese capital, killing more than 220 people and injuring over 6,500.

Aoun said that the Lebanese state "is committed to uncovering the whole truth, no matter the obstacles or how high the positions" involved.

"The law applies to all, without exception," Aoun said in a statement.

Monday has been declared a day of national mourning, and rallies demanding justice are planned later in the day, converging on the port.

"The blood of your loved ones will not be in vain," the president told victims' families, adding: "Justice is coming, accountability is coming."

The Civil Defense in the Gaza Strip announced on Monday that the total number of civilians killed while awaiting humanitarian aid on Sunday had reached 56, as a result of Israeli gunfire.

Twenty aid seekers were killed and 150 others were wounded in the Zikim area in the northern Gaza Strip, while eight others were killed and 47 wounded in the Netzarim area in the central Gaza Strip.

Fourteen injuries were also recorded in the Kissufim area, while the Morag and al-Tina areas in the southern Gaza Strip witnessed the largest massacre, with 28 killed and 205 wounded.

Israeli forces killed at least two Palestinian men in the town of Qabatiya, south of Jenin, on Monday, according to the Palestinian news agency Wafa.

The General Authority of Civil Affairs confirmed to the Ministry of Health the killing of Yousef Imad Ibrahim Al-Amer, 33. The second victim's body has yet to be identified.

The Israeli forces reportedly surrounded a barracks in the town and fired bullets and Energa bombs at it, leading to its complete destruction and demolition, according to the agency.

More than 600 retired Israeli security officials including former heads of intelligence agencies have urged US President Donald Trump to pressure their own government to end the war in Gaza.

"It is our professional judgement that Hamas no longer poses a strategic threat to Israel," the former officials wrote in an open letter shared with the media on Monday, calling on Trump to "steer" Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's decisions.

💥Now with English subtitles, the remarkable, historic call from generations of Israel's security chiefs to end this war. pic.twitter.com/Jz09kQlT7w

— Noga Tarnopolsky נגה טרנופולסקי نوغا ترنوبولسكي (@NTarnopolsky) August 4, 2025