The genocidal war led by Israel on the besieged Gaza Strip entered its 298th day, with the Zionist occupation forces continuing to commit acts of genocide in Gaza through dozens of airstrikes, artillery shelling, and bloody massacres against civilians.
Shelling Khan Younis
A number of Palestinian civilians were martyred and others were injured in an occupation shelling that targeted the cities of Khan Younis and Gaza early Tuesday, according to Palestinian media reports. Many citizens were martyred in an Israeli shelling that targeted a house in the town of Abasan al-Jadeeda east of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip.
Shelling Saint Porphyrius Church
Several citizens were injured in an Israeli shelling similar to the Saint Porphyrius Church, which houses displaced people in the vicinity of the Baptismal Hospital in the center of Gaza City. The occupation's artillery targeted the vicinity of the Return Schools, which house displaced people east of Khan Younis, while an Israeli airstrike targeted a house in "Jurat al-Lot" east of the city.
At the same time, Israeli occupation forces withdrew from the eastern areas of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip. The Palestinian Red Crescent in Gaza said that the occupation army caused massive destruction in several neighborhoods in Khan Younis, and added that the Israeli army's shrinking of the areas it claims to be safe increases the suffering of the displaced people.
Martyr toll
The occupation continues its war on Gaza for the 298th consecutive day with absolute American support, where the brutal war on the sector has resulted in more than 130,000 martyrs and Palestinian wounded, most of them children and women, and over ten thousand missing, amidst massive destruction and famine.
The Ministry of Health stated that the occupation committed 3 massacres, resulting in 39 martyrs and 93 injured being taken to hospitals in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of martyrs to 39,363, in addition to 90,923 injured since October 7th last year.
Military police arrested 10 soldiers from the Sde Teman base for investigation into allegations of torturing prisoners from Gaza, while Israeli government and parliamentary figures expressed solidarity with the torture victims.
UNRWA schools shelled
Earlier this month, the Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees, Philippe Lazzarini, explained that the Israeli occupation army has shelled two-thirds of the agency's schools in Gaza since the beginning of the continuous aggression on Gaza on October 7th.
He noted that "schools have turned from safe places for education and hope for children into crowded shelters, often ending up as places of death and misery."
UNRWA warned earlier this month of a whole generation of children in Gaza losing their education due to the Israeli aggression.
Negotiations update
Regarding negotiations aimed at ending the war in Gaza and exchanging prisoners, Hamas stated in its first comment on the outcomes of the Rome meeting that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has once again returned to a strategy of stalling and evading reaching a deal in Gaza by imposing new conditions and demands.
Mediation parties met in the Italian capital yesterday, Monday, to discuss a ceasefire deal in Gaza, with the participation of the Israeli Mossad chief David Barnea, CIA Director William Burns, Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, and Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel.
Israel strikes Lebanon
Reuters reported Monday, July 29, 2024, that the United States is leading a diplomatic campaign to deter Israel from striking the Lebanese capital Beirut or its main civilian infrastructure after its threats to launch an attack following the incident in the town of Majdal Shams in the occupied Golan Heights.
Washington Trying to Avoid Full-scale War on Lebanon
According to the agency, Washington is racing against time to avoid a full-scale war between Israel and the Lebanese Hezbollah supported by Iran after the attack on the Golan Heights, which is occupied by Israel, resulting in the deaths of 12 children and teenagers on Saturday, July 27.
According to the five sources, including Lebanese and Iranian officials, as well as diplomats from the Middle East and Europe, shuttle diplomacy is focused on restraining Israel by urging it not to target the densely populated Beirut, the Hezbollah stronghold in the southern suburbs, or key infrastructure such as airports and bridges.
Meanwhile, deputy speaker of the Lebanese Parliament, Elias Bou Saab, told Reuters that Israel could avoid the risk of major escalation by avoiding the capital and its surroundings.
He added that he has been in contact with the American mediator Amos Hochstein since the Golan attack on Saturday, stating: "If they avoid civilians and Beirut and its suburbs, their attack will be well-calculated."
An Iranian official said that Washington has conveyed messages to Tehran three times since Saturday, warning that the escalation would be harmful to all parties.
Israeli officials said that Israel wants to harm Hezbollah but does not want to drag the region into a full-blown war. The diplomats stated that Israel has not committed to avoiding striking Beirut, its suburbs, or civilian infrastructure.
The U.S. State Department stated that it would not comment on the details of the diplomatic talks. A spokesperson for the department told Reuters, "Our support for Israel's security is strong and unwavering against all threats supported by Iran, including Hezbollah."
While the Israeli army accused Hezbollah of being behind the "Majdal Shams" incident and vowed to respond, the party categorically denied any responsibility for it.
Israel has occupied Lebanese territories in the south for decades, as well as the occupied Syrian Golan Heights, in addition to Palestinian territories.
On Sunday evening, the Israeli Cabinet for Political and Security Affairs authorized Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yaakov Galant to "make a decision on the type and timing of the response to Hezbollah."
According to Israeli military analysts, Tel Aviv wants to deliver a "strong blow" to the party in Lebanon, but without sliding into a "full-scale and regional war."
