No end in sight for Gaza bloodshed, 1,000 women & children imprisoned by Israel – Day 310
![Kifah Dabaya (L) , Sobhi Ahmed Al-Bazz (R) were killed by Israeli forces in a raid on Jenin, on 12 August 2024 [blackmoth89/X]](https://israelpalestinenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/8-13-2-300x186.png)
Israeli hostage killed, two wounded in response to Israel’s massacres, Hamas says
Middle East Eye reports: The spokesperson for Hamas’s armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, announced on Monday that one Israeli male captive was killed by his guard and two female captives were seriously wounded in separate incidents in Gaza.
Abu Obaida, the official spokesman for the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, said that a committee has been formed to investigate the incidents and the details of the probe will be announced later. He added that efforts are underway to save the lives of the two women.
“The enemy government [Israel] bears full responsibility for these massacres and the resulting reactions that affect the lives of Zionist prisoners,” he said in a statement posted on Telegram.
The statement provided no further details, leaving the condition of the female captives unclear.
This marks the first time that the Qassam Brigades have publicly acknowledged that one of their guards killed an Israeli captive. They have previously reported the deaths of several captives, blaming the fatalities on Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip.
An Israeli army spokesperson responded to the news, saying: “There is no intelligence document to confirm or refute Hamas’ allegations.”
The killing of the captive followed an Israeli air strike on a school housing displaced Palestinians, which killed at least 100 people. The strike occurred in Gaza City on Saturday while the Palestinians were performing dawn prayers.
A Palestinian Civil Defence worker told MEE that “most of those killed were children and elderly people”, with the victims reduced to shreds and burned body parts due to the intensity of the air strike.
Iran rejects Western calls to stand down Israel threat
The New Arab reports: Tensions continue to mount between Israel and Iran, with Tehran on Tuesday rejecting a joint call from the E3 – France, Germany and the UK – for it to stand down in its threat to retaliate against Israel for the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran late last month.
“The declaration by France, Germany and Britain, which raised no objection to the international crimes of the Zionist regime, brazenly asks Iran to take no deterrent action against a regime which has violated its sovereignty and territorial integrity,” foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani said in a statement.
“Such a request lacks political logic, flies in the face of the principles and rules of international law, and constitutes public and practical support” for Israel, he added.
In a statement on Monday, the United States and European allies called on Iran to “stand down”.
“We called on Iran to stand down its ongoing threats of a military attack against Israel and discussed the serious consequences for regional security should such an attack take place,” said the joint statement issued by Britain, France, Germany, Italy and the United States.
New Israeli intelligence suggests Iran prepares to attack Israel within days: sources
Axios reports: The Israeli intelligence community’s updated assessment is that Iran is poised to attack Israel directly in retaliation for the assassination of Hamas’ political leader in Tehran and is likely to do it within days, two sources with direct knowledge of the issue told Axios.
The new intelligence assessment indicates an attack could come before the Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal talks planned for Thursday, potentially jeopardizing negotiations at what Israeli officials have said is a “now-or-never” moment for a potential deal between Israel and Hamas.
Iran’s mission to the UN in a statement on Friday said “we hope that our response will be timed and conducted in a manner not to the detriment of the potential ceasefire.”
But Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant spoke on Sunday with U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and told him the Iranian military preparations suggest Iran is getting ready for a large-scale attack, a source with knowledge of the call said.
In a summary of the call, the Pentagon said Austin has ordered the ballistic-missile submarine USS Georgia to the Middle East and accelerated the arrival of the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt to the region.
NOTE: Attacks from Iran and Lebanon are expected in retaliation for Israel’s assassination of a top Hezbollah military commander and the political leader of the Hamas party. The US has asked for the states to refrain from responding; Iran and Lebanon insist that they have the right to self defense. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has threatened to “exact a very heavy price from any aggression against us on any front.”
This round of violence began with Israel’s lethal April 1 attack on Iran’s embassy-consulate complex.
Academic union of American university professors now supports boycott of Israeli universities
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