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Middle East crisis: Israeli strikes on Syria kill at least 25 people, war monitor says – as it happened [1]
['Yohannes Lowe', 'Martin Belam']
Date: 2024-09-09
8h ago 05.09 EDT UN human rights chief calls on states to challenge Israel over occupation The UN human rights chief has said that ending the war in Gaza is a priority and asked countries to act on what he called Israel’s “blatant disregard” for international law in the occupied Palestinian territories. “States must not – cannot – accept blatant disregard for international law, including binding decisions of the (UN) security council and orders of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), neither in this nor any other situation,” the UN high commissioner for human rights, Volker Turk, said in a speech at the opening of the UN human rights council in Geneva. He cited an opinion released by the UN top court in July that called Israel’s occupation illegal and said this situation must be “comprehensively addressed”. Israel rejected the opinion and said a political settlement can only be reached through negotiations. View image in fullscreen Volker Turk presents a global update on human rights in the world during the opening of the 57th session of the human rights council at the UN headquarters in Geneva in Switzerland. Photograph: Salvatore Di Nolfi/EPA Reading the court’s historic, albeit non-binding, opinion at the time, the president of the ICJ, Nawaf Salam, said: The court considers that the violations by Israel of the prohibition of the acquisition of territory by force and of the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination have a direct impact on the legality of the continued presence of Israel, as an occupying power, in the occupied Palestinian territory. The sustained abuse by Israel of its position as an occupying power, through annexation and an assertion of permanent control over the occupied Palestinian territory and continued frustration of the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, violates fundamental principles of international law and renders Israel’s presence in the occupied Palestinian territory unlawful. Breaches of international law identified by the court included: Forcible evictions, extensive house demolitions and restrictions on residence and movement.
The transfer by Israel of settlers to the West Bank and East Jerusalem and maintenance of their presence.
Its failure to prevent or to punish attacks by settlers.
Restricting the access of the Palestinian population to water.
Israel’s use of the natural resources in the occupied Palestinian territory.
The extension of Israel’s law to the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Share Updated at 05.10 EDT
8h ago 04.50 EDT Israel’s war on Gaza disrupts second school year for hundreds of thousands of children Since the war began last October, schools have been bombed or turned into shelters for displaced people, leaving Gaza’s estimated 625,000 school-age children unable to attend classes. Gaza and the occupied West Bank have internationally high literacy levels, and the under-resourced education system was a source of pride among many Palestinians. Israel’s war in Gaza has devastated the education system, casting a long shadow over many children’s future, adding to the legacy of trauma and loss from the conflict. Here are some figures released by the Palestinian education ministry: More than 600,000 students, since 7 October 2023, have been deprived of their right to a free and safe education.
More than 25,000 children have been killed or injured in Israeli attacks, including more than 10,000 students.
About 90% of the 307 government school buildings have been destroyed In a press release, the ministry said: Despite the expansion of the scope of targeting, the ministry is moving forward with all hope towards protecting education and providing all opportunities for our children in the Gaza Strip as the ministry is working and has begun to launch virtual schools and open our schools in the West Bank to our students in Gaza, and determination leads us to provide as much education as possible, even if inside dilapidated tents. The right to education is an approach and practice, not a luxury, theory and slogans. Share Updated at 08.55 EDT
9h ago 04.31 EDT Iran accuses Israel of carrying out a 'criminal' attack on Syria Iran has accused Israel of carrying out what it called a “criminal” attack in Syria, where 18 people were reported to have been killed. “We strongly condemn this criminal attack by the Zionist regime on Syrian soil,” foreign ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanani told a news conference in Tehran, calling on Israel’s backers to “stop supporting and arming it”, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP). Since the 7 October attacks by Hamas on Israeli civilians and soldiers, Israel has escalated its strikes on Iranian-backed militia targets in Syria and has also struck its army air defences and some forces. Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes on targets inside government-controlled parts Syria in recent years, but it rarely acknowledges or discusses the operations. The strikes often target Syrian forces or Iranian-backed groups. Israel has vowed to stop Iranian entrenchment in Syria, particularly since Syria is a key route for Iran to send weapons to the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. Share Updated at 06.39 EDT
9h ago 04.03 EDT Israeli strikes in central Syria kill 18 people, UK-based war monitor says The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based war monitor, has given an updated death toll resulting from the “intense Israeli strikes” overnight across central Syria. It is now saying 18 people, including eight Syrian fighters, were killed and 32 others injured. The war monitor said previously that seven people were killed in the strikes that destroyed military and scientific facilities where Iran-backed armed groups were said to have been present (you can read more details here). View image in fullscreen A huge fire burning overnight in the Masyaf area in Syria's central Hama province. Photograph: SANA/AFP/Getty Images Share Updated at 05.46 EDT
9h ago 03.48 EDT Israel should shift focus towards Hezbollah, Netanyahu's top political rival says Benny Gantz, the centre-right National Unity party leader and former defence minister, has reportedly said that Israel should shift its focus toward Hezbollah and the Lebanese border. Speaking in Washington DC at a Middle East forum, he was quoted by the Times of Israel as having said: We have enough forces to deal with Gaza and we should concentrate on what is going on in the north. The time of the north has come and actually I think we are late on this. In Gaza, we have crossed a decisive point of the campaign. We can conduct anything we want in Gaza. We should seek to have a deal to get out our hostages but if we cannot in the coming time, a few days or few weeks, or whatever it is, we should go up north. We are capable of … hitting the state of Lebanon if needed. “The story of Hamas is old news,” Gantz, the former army chief added, saying instead that “the story of Iran and its proxies all around the area and what they are trying to do is the real issue.” View image in fullscreen Benny Gantz says Israel should shift its focus toward Hezbollah. Photograph: Nir Elias/Reuters Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah have been trading near-daily cross-border fire since last October, with Hezbollah saying they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians affected by Israel’s war in Gaza. Gantz, a major rival to Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, joined the now disbanded three-man war cabinet as a minister without portfolio in the aftermath of Hamas’s 7 October attack, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 250 hostages taken. But as Israel’s war in Gaza dragged on, disagreements over strategy emerged, culminating in Gantz accusing Netanyahu of pushing strategic considerations such as a hostage deal aside for his own political survival. He resigned from his position in June. Share Updated at 03.50 EDT
10h ago 03.06 EDT More on the deadly overnight Israeli airstrikes on central Syria. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based war monitor, has said that at least four of the people killed were civilians. Syrian state media says the total number of people killed in the strikes is 14, with more than 40 injured. The strikes damaged a highway in Hama province, sparking fires. Local media also reported strikes around the coastal city of Tartus, along with the city of Homs. Share
10h ago 02.58 EDT Northern Gaza hospital will be out of service within 48 hours due to fuel shortages, director warns The director of Northern Gaza’s Kamal Adwan hospital, Hussam Abu Safia, has described the dire conditions at the health facility amid continuing Israeli airstrikes. In an interview with Al Jazeera, he warned that the hospital will be out of service within 48 hours due to fuel shortages and a lack of critical medical supplies. Safia also said fuel shortages in the intensive care unit could lead to the deaths of dozens of children. Conditions are dire across Gaza, with severe shortages of water, medicine and fuel. Few hospitals are functional. Israel’s bombing campaign in Gaza has decimated the territory’s healthcare system, with 31 of 36 hospitals damaged or destroyed, according to the World Health Organization It has left those with chronic conditions unable to access basic care. Share
10h ago 02.47 EDT Syria’s state media also reported that the strikes that hit Syria on Sunday caused two fires, which firefighters have been working to extinguish. Israel usually does not comment on attacks in Syria and has not given a response to this latest attack, which was reported to have come in waves. Share
11h ago 02.33 EDT Israeli airstrikes in Syria kill 14 people – media As we mentioned in the opening summary, a series of Israeli strikes were reported to have hit multiple areas in central Syria on Sunday. Syrian state media said on Monday that the overnight Israeli strikes killed at least 14 people in central Hama province, raising the earlier death toll of seven. Two regional intelligence sources told Reuters that a major military research centre for chemical arms production located near Masyaf had been hit several times. It is believed to house a team of Iranian military experts involved in weapons production. “The number of martyrs resulting from the Israeli aggression on a number of sites in the vicinity of Masyaf has risen to 14 martyrs and 43 wounded including six critically,” official news agency Sana reported citing a medical source. These figures are yet to be independently verified by the Guardian. “At around 23:20 on Sunday evening, the Israeli enemy launched an air aggression from the direction of northwestern Lebanon, targeting a number of military sites in the central region (of Syria),” a military source told the news agency. “Our air defence systems confronted the aggression’s missiles and shot down some of them,” the source added, without providing further details. The strike in Syria reportedly targeted several sites near the cities of Homs, Hama and Tartus. View image in fullscreen Media personnel stand near a damaged vehicle in the aftermath of a suspected Israeli strike in Hama, Syria. Photograph: Firas Makdesi/Reuters Share Updated at 09.51 EDT
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[1] Url:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2024/sep/09/middle-east-crisis-seven-killed-in-israeli-airstrike-on-iran-linked-military-site-in-syria-says-war-monitor?page=with:block-66deb1f58f08a07a6f4ceab4#block-66deb1f58f08a07a6f4ceab4
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