Israel’s war on Gaza updates: New Israeli law paves way for Al Jazeera ban

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We will be closing this live page soon. Here’s a quick recap of today:

• Iranian officials have called for a “serious response” from the international community after an Israeli attack hit Iran’s consulate in Damascus, killing at least seven people.
• Four foreigners are among five aid workers killed in an Israeli attack on Deir el-Balah.
• The Al Jazeera Media Network has issued a statement saying Netanyahu’s comments against the news organisation are “lies” and has held him responsible for the safety of its staff around the world after the Knesset passed a law likely to pave the way for the banning of the network in Israel.
• Israeli troops withdrew from al-Shifa Hospital after a two-week raid, leaving widespread destruction, while bodies of “executed” civilians are lying around the medical complex, the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said.
• Israel’s army has said more than “500 suspects” were detained during its siege of al-Shifa Hospital. The Gaza government’s media office said that 400 Palestinians have been killed in attacks there.

The protesters gathered near the Israeli Embassy in Amman, calling for an end to diplomatic relations between Jordan and Israel and expressing unity with the Palestinian people.

The demonstrations have previously led to clashes with Jordanian police, with tear gas used by security forces to break up the protest last week.

However, protesters have continued to gather on a nightly basis.

A spokesman from Gaza’s media office said Israeli forces killed the aid workers in Deir el-Balah “in cold blood”.

“Today, victims of this genocide include four foreigners who were working with an organisation in Gaza,” he said. “It is time for this war to come to an end immediately.”

A spokesman from Gaza’s media office has confirmed that among the five aid workers who were killed in an Israeli air attack in Deir el-Balah are a UK national, an Australian and a Polish national.

He said a fourth foreigner has not yet been identified and the fifth is a Palestinian.

Speaking to Al Jazeera, James Jeffrey, who served as the US ambassador to Iraq and Turkey and was the deputy national security adviser under President George W Bush, expressed his doubt over whether Iran would hit back hard following Israel’s attack on its consulate in Damascus.

Jeffrey pointed to Iran’s response following the killing of Qassem Soleimani, the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard’s elite Quds Force, by the US in 2020. While many at the time feared all-out war, Iran chose to continue to mainly focus on its support for proxy groups across the region.

“It is not a given proof that if you hit Iran hard, Iran will escalate. In fact, I would argue it’s the opposite,” said Jeffrey. “But this time, we may be wrong. War is not a clear-cut obvious thing.”

Jeffrey added that despite the US’s concerns over Israel’s strategy in Gaza, there would be no “specific action against Israel over this”.

The US and Israel have released a joint statement after a virtual meeting to discuss Israel’s planned offensive on Rafah, which Washington has warned against due to the fear of mass civilian casualties.

The statement said that the US had expressed its concerns about Israel’s plans to attack Rafah and that Israel had agreed to take those concerns into account.

The US has continued to offer overwhelming support for Israel, despite growing international condemnation of its actions in Gaza and Israel’s repeated dismissal of the US’s limited criticism.

UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini has said that Israel continues to work on dismantling the agency responsible for Palestinian refugees.

“It is the main provider of primary and pre-secondary education. More than 300,000 girls and boys attended our schools before the war. Dismantling UNRWA – in the absence of a functioning administration – also means preventing children from education,” he said in a post on X.

Citing UNICEF and other organisations, Lazzarini said that more than 50 schools have been completely destroyed, among them are several run by UNRWA.

“Every child has been deprived from education for nearly months now. This cannot continue. The children of Gaza and the region deserve better.”

Three sources told Reuters that the US government was weighing whether to move forward with a $18bn arms transfer package, including dozens of F-15 aircraft and munitions.

The sale of 25 F-15s has been under review since Israel made the request in January 2023.

The Biden administration has been under heavy pressure from domestic opponents of Israel’s war in Gaza to not approve arms transfers to Israel in light of the more than 32,000 Palestinians who have been killed in the war and Israel’s apparent unwillingness to end its offensive.

The Al Jazeera Media Network has released a statement after the Knesset passed a law likely to pave the way for the banning of the news organisation in Israel. Following the passing of the law by parliament, Netanyahu said that he would “act immediately to stop” Al Jazeera’s broadcasts in the country.

Here’s the full statement:

In an escalating move, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched a frantic campaign against Al Jazeera, accusing it of harming Israel’s security, actively participating in the October 7 attack, and inciting against Israeli soldiers. Al Jazeera Media Network condemns these statements and sees [them] as nothing but dangerous ludicrous lies.

Netanyahu could not find any justifications to offer the world for his ongoing attacks on Al Jazeera and Press Freedom except to present new lies and inflammatory slanders against the Network and the rights of its employees.

Al Jazeera holds the Israeli prime minister responsible for the safety of its staff and Network premises around the world, following his incitement and this false accusation in a disgraceful manner.

The network stresses that this latest measure comes as part of a series of systematic Israeli attacks to silence Al Jazeera, including the assassination of its correspondent Shireen Abu Akleh, the killing of its journalists Samer AbuDaqqa and Hamza AlDahdouh, the bombing of its office in Gaza, the deliberate targeting of a number of Al Jazeera journalists and their family members, and the arrest and intimidation of its correspondents in the field.

Al Jazeera reiterates that such slanderous accusations will not deter us from continuing our bold and professional coverage, and reserves the right to pursue every legal step.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has discussed the latest developments in the region with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, including efforts aimed at halting Israel’s assault on Gaza.

In a phone call with Blinken, Abbas “stressed the importance” of allowing the immediate entry of humanitarian aid to Palestinians across the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian state news agency Wafa reported.

He urged Blinken to prevent Israel from launching a military operation in the southern city of Rafah, where more than 1 million displaced Palestinians are sheltering, and warned of the “possible repercussions” of such an operation.

The NGO Doctors Without Borders (Medecins Sans Frontieres, or MSF) says it is “horrified” at the destruction of al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.

“Gaza’s largest hospital is now out of service,” MSF said in a social media post. “Given the extent of the destruction, people in the north are left with even fewer healthcare options.”

CNN is reporting that amid tensions with Arab and Muslim Americans over US support for Israel in its war in Gaza, the White House has decided to “host a significantly scaled-down iftar dinner on Tuesday to commemorate Ramadan”.

CNN cited three sources familiar with the issue.

“Several people who were invited to the dinner have declined, sources said, citing frustration with the administration’s support of Israel amid the humanitarian crisis in Gaza,” CNN reported.