Israel’s war on Gaza updates: Army targets homes, kills 33 in single day

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Want to know all of the details of the King Hussein (Allenby) Bridge border crossing attack? Click here.

What could force Netanyahu to agree on a deal with Hamas? Learn more about that here.

And follow along with all our coverage of Israel’s war on Gaza here.

Here’s a quick look at the latest news:

• Paltel, Gaza’s communications provider, said there was a disruption to home internet services in the central and southern areas of Gaza due to ongoing Israeli attacks. The Wafa news agency also reported that mobile services have also been disrupted due to the destruction of transmission towers by the Israeli army.
• The US Army’s Central Command (CENTCOM) has said that in the past 24 hours, its forces “successfully destroyed three Iranian-backed Houthi uncrewed aerial vehicles and two missile systems in a Houthi-controlled area of Yemen”.
• Jordanians held a demonstration in the capital of Amman in support of Palestinians in Gaza.
• A correspondent for Palestinian news agency Wafa reports that a child was killed, and several other people wounded, when the Israeli army bombed a house in the Tuffah neighbourhood of eastern Gaza City, in the north of the Gaza Strip.
• There was a suspected attempt to run over Israeli soldiers at the Negohot settlement south of Hebron in the occupied West Bank, according to Israeli public broadcaster Kan.
• Hamas’ military spokesman Abu Obeida said that the shooting attack carried out by Jordanian citizen Maher Dyab Hussein al-Jazi was “heroic”.
• Jordan’s Ministry of Interior said that initial investigations into the shooting incident at King Hussein (Allenby) Bridge earlier today confirmed that the shooter was a Jordanian citizen named Maher Dyab Hussein al-Jazi, according to Jordan’s news agency Petra.

Jordan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has shared a statement after a “Jordanian citizen opened fire on the Palestinian side” of the Israeli-controlled King Hussein (Allenby) Bridge, killing three Israelis.

Here is a translation of what the ministry’s spokesman, Sufyan Qudah, said:

• Jordan’s “initial investigations confirmed that the incident, in which the shooter was also killed, was an individual act”.
• Jordan rejects and condemns “violence and targeting civilians for any reason”.
• A “just and comprehensive peace that meets all the rights” of the Palestinian people “is the only way to achieve security and stability for all, and to stop the spread of violence and the escalation of conflict in the region”.
• Jordan is continuing efforts to reach a permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
• Restoring hope through lasting peace will protect the “entire region from the consequences of the continued deterioration that perpetuates despair and extremism, and detonates cycles of violence and killing, the price of which everyone pays”.
• Jordan has repeatedly warned of the consequences of Israeli aggression on Gaza, the dangerous escalation against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, and attacks on Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem.

The head of the World Jewish Congress (WJC) has expressed his support for the mediators working to achieve a deal to release the remaining captives in Gaza.

Palestinian fighters took about 250 people captive during the October 7 attack in southern Israel, in which more than 1,100 people were killed. Of those taken, 105 were released in a deal with Hamas but about 100 captives remain in Gaza.

More than 40,000 Palestinians have been killed since Israel launched its war on Gaza.

Ronald Lauder, the president of the US-based WJC, said in a statement that he is grateful to “all parties involved in the effort to release all the remaining hostages” and acknowledged the roles played by Qatar and Egypt, alongside the United States.

“As already acknowledged by many in the international community, particularly the Qatari leadership, who has dedicated much time and effort in securing the release of all hostages and bringing humanitarian relief into Gaza, this is essential to regional stability and security,” he said.

Read the rest here.

“How was [Israel] able to starve 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza at unprecedented speed and intensity?” Michael Fakhri, the UN special rapporteur on the right to food, asked in a post on X.

A new report he authored sought to answer the question.

Israel has been destroying the Palestinian food system for more than 70 years by devastating orchards and farms, and by harassing and killing peasants, fishers and shepherds, Fahkri said.

“In Gaza, malnutrition, famine, and disease are killing more people than bombs and bullets. This personal and social trauma is going to be carried by Palestinians for several generations in the future,” he added.

The reason for Israel’s strategy is to acquire more land – and the solution to end it? A ceasefire, the UN expert stated.

“Targeting journalists is a crime. Arrest warrants are urgently needed,” Francesca Albanese, the UN’s special rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territory, said in a post on X.

Albanese said that 111 Palestinian journalists and media workers have been killed in Palestine since October 7 in Israeli attacks.

“The unpunished killing of those journalists, as well as of [Al Jazeera reporter] Shireen Abu Akleh, highlights Israel’s inability or unwillingness to investigate and prosecute these crimes,” she added.

The Wafa news agency reports that Israeli forces have stormed Tulkarem and Balata in the West Bank.

In Tulkarem, which recently witnessed an intense 10-day Israeli military operation, one of the largest seen in decades, Israeli soldiers, including two military bulldozers, are stationed around the Al-Alimi Roundabout in the city, Wafa says.

The bulldozers have begun destroying infrastructure in the area, common features of Israeli raids in the West Bank.

Military bulldozers were also deployed in the Israeli raid on Balata, during which, Wafa says, clashes broke out between local Palestinians and Israeli soldiers.

Stay here for updates on Israel’s military operations in the occupied West Bank.

A group of activists has been protesting near an international airport in western Ireland, which they say is being used to transport weapons to Israel.

Shannon airport is regularly used by the US Air Force as a stopover for carrying military personnel and equipment across the Atlantic.

The demonstrators say the planes need to be more thoroughly checked for Israel-bound arms.

Watch the interview with Zoe Lawlor, the chairperson of the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign:

Israel’s Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant said he discussed ongoing tensions in the region with the commander of the US Army’s Central Command, General Michael Kurilla.

“Israeli and American troops work closely together to deter common threats posed by Iran and its proxies,” Gallant said in a post on X.

Discussed the operational and strategic situation in the region with @CENTCOM Commander General Kurilla, and reflected on ways to further strengthen interoperability to achieve our common objectives. Israeli and American troops work closely together to deter common threats posed… pic.twitter.com/xQGJkmameA

— יואב גלנט – Yoav Gallant (@yoavgallant) September 8, 2024

Israeli and Jordanian security officials held a secret meeting hours after the King Hussein (Allenby) Bridge (Allenby) crossing attack, Israeli broadcaster Kan reported.

The meeting discussed security arrangements and the exchange of information that may help with the investigation, the outlet said.

The attack earlier today occurred on the border crossing between the occupied West Bank and Jordan. Three Israeli border guards were killed.

Turkish authorities are working to repatriate the body of activist Aysenur Ezgi Eygi who was shot dead by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank.

She was shot in the head by an Israeli soldier while at a demonstration on Friday.

Neta Golan is the co-founder of the International Solidarity Movement, with whom Ezgi Eygi was a volunteer.

She says Israeli soldiers behind these killings conduct themselves with impunity.

Watch the interview to learn more:

The US Army’s Central Command (CENTCOM) has said that in the past 24 hours, its forces “successfully destroyed three Iranian-backed Houthi uncrewed aerial vehicles and two missile systems in a Houthi-controlled area of Yemen”.

CENTCOM said these systems “presented a clear and imminent threat to US and coalition forces, and merchant vessels in the region”.

These actions were taken to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure, it added.

The Houthis continue to carry out attacks on commercial and military vessels in the waters surrounding Yemen, in what they say are sympathy strikes with Palestinians in Gaza.

Jordanians have held a demonstration in the capital Amman in support of Palestinians in Gaza.

Some are also supporting the slain Jordanian who shot and killed three Israeli security personnel at the King Hussein border crossing (also known as Allenby Bridge) earlier today.

Two rockets were launched from Gaza towards Ashkelon in Israel, one of which was intercepted, according to the Israeli military.

The second rocket fell in the Ashkelon maritime area, and there were no casualties, the army said.

Israeli news platforms stated that the rockets were launched from Beit Lahiya, in the north of the Gaza Strip.

The Palestinian Authority (PA)’s General Director of Borders and Crossings Nazmi Muhanna has said that the King Hussein (Allenby) crossing will reopen tomorrow at 10am local time (7am GMT).

Muhanna told the official news agency Wafa that the crossing will be open for travellers only, and will remain closed to commercial trucks.

We’ve been reporting all day on an incident at the King Hussein (Allenby) Bridge border crossing between the occupied West Bank and Jordan, in which an armed man killed three Israeli border guards.

Al Jazeera’s Nida Ibrahim reports from the border crossing: