Israel-Gaza struggle LIVE: Gaza civil defence says Israeli strikes on Gaza City intensifying

Gaza’s civil defence company stated Israeli air strikes on Gaza City have intensified in current days, following Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s safety cupboard approving plans to increase the struggle there.

The Israeli authorities has not offered a precise timetable on when its forces would enter the realm, however in line with the civil defence company spokesman Mahmud Bassal, air strikes on Gaza City have been rising for the previous three days.

Bassal stated the residential neighbourhoods of Zeitoun and Sabra have been hit “with very heavy airstrikes concentrating on civilian properties, presumably together with high-rise buildings”.

“For the third consecutive day, the Israeli occupation is intensifying its bombardment,” stated the spokesman.

“The Israeli occupation is utilizing all sorts of weapons in that space — bombs, drones, and likewise extremely explosive munitions that trigger large destruction to civilian properties,” he added.

Bassal stated that at the very least 24 individuals had been killed throughout Gaza on Tuesday, together with a number of casualties attributable to strikes on Gaza City.

“The bombardment has been extraordinarily intense for the previous two days. With each strike, the bottom shakes. There are martyrs beneath the rubble that nobody can attain as a result of the shelling hasn’t stopped,” stated Majed al-Hosary, a resident in Zeitoun.

Israel has confronted mounting criticism over the 22-month-long struggle with Hamas, with United Nations-backed specialists warning of widespread famine unfolding in besieged Gaza. — AFP

In a dense city panorama, with seemingly 1000’s of Hamas fighters mendacity in wait, taking Gaza City shall be a troublesome and dear slog for the Israeli military, safety specialists say. 

On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu laid out his imaginative and prescient of victory in Gaza following 22 months of struggle — with the army ordered to assault the final remaining Hamas strongholds in Gaza City and the central camps additional south. 

With a pre-war inhabitants of some 760,000, in line with official figures, Gaza City was the most important of any municipal space within the Palestinian territories. 

But following the unprecedented Hamas assault on Israel in 2023 that sparked the struggle, its inhabitants has solely swelled, with 1000’s of displaced individuals fleeing intensive army operations to the north. 

Gaza City itself has come beneath intense aerial bombardment, and its remaining condo buildings now rub shoulders with tents and different makeshift shelters. — AFP

Israeli opposition chief Yair Lapid on Tuesday (August 12, 2025) backed requires a basic strike in solidarity with hostages nonetheless held in Gaza. 

“Strike on Sunday,” Mr. Lapid posted on X, saying even supporters of the present authorities ought to participate and insisting it was not occasion political. 

Sunday is the primary day of the working week in Israel. 

“Strike out of solidarity. Strike as a result of the households have requested, and that’s purpose sufficient. Strike as a result of nobody has a monopoly on emotion, on mutual accountability, on Jewish values.” 

Mr. Lapid’s submit adopted a name on Sunday by round 20 dad and mom of hostages nonetheless held by Palestinian militants within the Gaza Strip for a strike. 

On Monday, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, the primary consultant group for kinfolk, backed the thought. 

The group has been urgent the leaders of Israel’s predominant commerce union federation, Histadrut, to hitch in however it determined towards doing so. 

Instead, it stated it might help “employees’ solidarity demonstrations”, the Forum stated. 

“Allow a residents’ strike, from the grassroots to the highest. Allow everybody to take a time off on Sunday to observe the dictates of their conscience,” the Forum added in an announcement. 

“The second has come to behave, to take to the streets,” it stated, including “675 days of captivity and struggle should finish”. 

The group once more accused the federal government of sacrificing the remaining hostages “on the altar of an infinite, aimless struggle”. 

Last week, Israel’s safety cupboard authorized plans to increase the struggle into the remaining elements of Gaza not but managed by the army, sparking fears that extra hostages may die consequently. 

Of the 251 hostages taken captive by Palestinian militants throughout Hamas’s October 2023 assault on southern Israel, 49 are nonetheless held in Gaza, together with 27 the Israeli army says are useless. 

In early August, Hamas and its ally Islamic Jihad launched movies displaying two hostages in emaciated situations. 

Hamas’s 2023 assault that sparked the Gaza struggle resulted within the deaths of 1,219 individuals, the bulk civilians, in line with an AFP tally of official figures. 

Israel’s retaliatory offensive in Gaza has killed at the very least 61,499 individuals, the bulk civilians, in line with the figures from the Hamas-run well being ministry thought-about dependable by the United Nations. — AFP

Reuven Azar, Israel’s Ambassador to India, reacted sharply to Congress chief Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s current allegations accusing Israel of genocide in Palestine, countering her claims with an in depth rebuttal. 

In response to Gandhi Vadra’s remarks, Mr. Azar stated, “What is shameful is your deceit. Israel Killed 25,000 Hamas terrorists. The horrible value in human lives derives from Hamas’s heinous techniques of hiding behind civilians, their capturing of individuals attempting to evacuate or obtain help and their rocket fireplace.” 

He additionally highlighted Israel’s humanitarian efforts, saying, “Israel facilitated 2 million tonnes of meals into Gaza whereas Hamas tries to sequestrate them, thereby creating starvation.” 

Addressing demographic issues raised not directly by the accusations, Azar added, “Gaza inhabitants has grown 450% within the final 50 years, no genocide there.” 

He concluded with a warning to the worldwide group, urging, “Don’t purchase Hamas numbers.” 

This trade comes amid intensifying violence and rising worldwide debate over the humanitarian disaster and civilian casualties within the Gaza Strip. ANI

Student Maha Ali was decided to turn into a journalist at some point and report on occasions in Gaza. Now she and different college students have only one ambition: discovering meals as starvation ravages the Palestinian enclave.

As struggle rages, she resides among the many ruins of Islamic University, a once-bustling academic establishment, which like most others in Gaza, has turn into a shelter for displaced individuals.

“We have been saying for a very long time that we wish to stay, we wish to get educated, we wish to journey. Now, we’re saying we wish to eat,” honours pupil Ali, 26, stated.

Ali is a part of a technology of Gazans — from grade faculty by means of to school — who say they’ve been robbed of an training by almost two years of Israeli air strikes, which have destroyed the enclave’s establishments.

More than 60,000 individuals have been killed in Israel’s response to Palestinian militant group Hamas’ October 7, 2023 assault on its southern communities, in line with Gaza well being authorities. Much of the enclave, which suffered from poverty and excessive unemployment even earlier than the struggle, has been demolished.

Palestinian Minister of Education Amjad Barham accused Israel of finishing up a scientific destruction of faculties and universities, saying 293 out of 307 faculties have been destroyed utterly or partially.

“With this, the occupation needs to kill hope inside our little kids,” he stated.

There was no rapid remark from the Israeli army or international ministry.

Israel has accused Hamas and different militant teams of systematically embedding in civilian areas and buildings, together with faculties, and utilizing civilians as human shields.

Hamas rejects the allegations and together with Palestinians accuses Israel of indiscriminate strikes. — Reuters

Congress chief Priyanka Gandhi Vadra stated the Israeli state is committing “genocide” and slammed the Indian authorities for standing “silent” as Israel “unleashes devastation” on the individuals of Palestine.

The Congress basic secretary stated the “Israeli state murdered over 60,000 individuals, 18,430 of whom have been kids”.

“It has starved a whole bunch to loss of life together with many kids and is threatening to starve tens of millions,” she stated in a submit on X.

Enabling these crimes by silence and inaction is a criminal offense in itself, Priyanka Gandhi asserted.

“It is shameful that the Indian Government stands silent as Israel unleashes this devastation on the individuals of Palestine,” she stated.

New Zealand parliamentarian Chloe Swarbrick was ordered to go away Parliament on Tuesday (August 12, 2025) throughout a heated debate over the federal government’s response to Palestine.

An pressing debate was referred to as after the centre-right authorities stated on Monday it was weighing up its place on whether or not to recognise a Palestinian state.

Close ally Australia on Monday (August 11, 2025) joined Canada, the UK and France in asserting it might recognise a Palestinian state at a U.N. convention in September.

Ms. Swarbrick, who’s co-leader of the Green Party, stated New Zealand was a “laggard” and an “outlier” and the dearth of determination was appalling earlier than calling on some authorities members to help a invoice to “sanction Israel for its struggle crimes.” The invoice was proposed by her occasion in March and is supported by all opposition events.

“If we discover six of 68 Government MPs with a backbone, we are able to stand on the best facet of historical past,” stated Ms. Swarbrick.

Speaker Gerry Brownlee stated that assertion was “utterly unacceptable” and she or he needed to withdraw it and apologise. When she refused, Ms. Swarbrick was ordered to go away parliament. — Reuters

Italy is contemplating implementing sanctions towards Israel, not as a transfer towards the Jewish state however “as a strategy to save its residents from a authorities that has misplaced its purpose and humanity,” Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto stated in an interview with The Jerusalem Post, revealed on Monday (August 11, 2025). 

Crosetto emphasised the necessity to differentiate governments from states and peoples, in addition to from the religions they practise. “This applies to Netanyahu, and it applies to Putin, whose strategies have turn into dangerously related,” he stated, drawing a parallel between the Gaza struggle and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, in line with The Jerusalem Post. 

Speaking on the potential of Italian sanctions towards Israel, Crosetto stated, “As you understand, I feel the occupation of Gaza and a few severe incidents within the West Bank mark a qualitative leap ahead, and selections should be made that pressure Netanyahu to suppose.” 

“What is occurring [in Gaza] is unacceptable. We usually are not dealing with a army operation with collateral injury, however the pure denial of the regulation and the founding values of our civilisation,” he added, as reported by The Jerusalem Post. 

Crosetto additional burdened the necessity to make Netanyahu rethink his actions, stating, “We should now discover a strategy to pressure Netanyahu to suppose clearly.” — ANI

During President Joe Biden’s administration, the U.S. army carried out waves of air drops of meals into Gaza, delivering some 1,220 tons of help. 

But the choice hasn’t been significantly thought-about by Donald Trump’s administration, U.S. officers and different sources say, whilst he voices concern over hunger in Gaza amid Israel’s almost two-year-old army marketing campaign towards Hamas. 

One supply stated it’s seen as an unrealistic choice as a result of airdrops wouldn’t come near assembly the wants of two.1 million Palestinians. 

This comes whilst shut U.S. allies together with Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Britain have carried out air drops of help to Gaza. 

Humanitarian help teams have lengthy been essential of air drops of help, calling them extra symbolic than really efficient when the dimensions of the necessity in Gaza requires open land routes for giant quantities of help to enter the enclave. 

The heavy packages may additionally current a hazard to civilians on the bottom dashing towards the parachuting help. 

“It simply hasn’t been a part of the discussions,” stated one U.S. official, talking on situation of anonymity to debate inside Trump administration deliberations. 

A supply accustomed to the difficulty stated: “It hasn’t been a severe consideration as a result of it’s not likely a severe choice at this second.” 

Some U.S. officers war-gamed the choice and located “it’s completely unrealistic,” stated the supply accustomed to the matter. The supply stated it was unknown how “large a carry capability” might be managed even when the Israelis authorized U.S. use of the airspace. 

A diplomatic supply, talking on situation of anonymity, stated he was unaware of any U.S. curiosity in collaborating within the air drop effort. 

Another official in a U.S.-allied nation which is participating within the airdrops stated there had been no conversations with the United States about Washington participating within the effort. 

The official added that the United States was not offering logistical help for the airdrops being carried out by different nations. 

Asked for remark, a White House official stated the administration was open to “artistic options” to the difficulty. 

“President Trump has referred to as for artistic options ‘to assist the Palestinians’ in Gaza. We welcome any efficient effort that delivers meals to Gazans and retains it out of the fingers of Hamas,” the White House official stated. 

Israel started permitting meals air drops in late July, as international concern mounted in regards to the humanitarian toll in Gaza from the struggle. — Reuters

Congress chief Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday (August 12, 2025) stated the “chilly blooded homicide” of 5 Al Jazeera journalists is one other heinous crime dedicated on Palestinian soil, and asserted that the immeasurable braveness of those that dare to face for the reality won’t ever be damaged by the violence and hatred of the Israeli state. 

Al Jazeera journalist Anas al-Sharif has been killed alongside 4 colleagues in a focused Israeli assault on a tent housing journalists in Gaza City, in line with the Al Jazeera media community. 

In a submit on X, Ms. Priyanka Gandhi stated, “The chilly blooded homicide of 5 Al Jazeera journalists is yet one more heinous crime dedicated on Palestinian soil.” The immeasurable braveness of those that dare to face for the reality won’t ever be damaged by the violence and hatred of the Israeli state, the Congress basic secretary stated. 

“In a world the place a lot of the media is enslaved to energy and commerce, these courageous souls reminded us of what true journalism is. May they relaxation in peace,” she stated. 

Mr. Priyanka Gandhi has been elevating her voice towards Israel’s actions in Gaza and expressing solidarity with Palestinians. 

The U.N. human rights workplace on Monday (August 11, 2025) condemned Sunday’s air strike concentrating on the journalists’ tent in grave breach of worldwide humanitarian regulation. — PTI

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The European Union condemned the killing of 5 Al Jazeera journalists in an Israeli strike within the Gaza Strip, the bloc’s international coverage chief Kaja Kallas stated on Monday.

“The EU condemns the killing of 5 Al Jazeera journalists in an (Israeli army) airstrike exterior al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, together with the Al Jazeera correspondent Anas al-Sharif,” she stated after EU international ministers mentioned the struggle in digital talks.

An Israeli army assertion accused Sharif of heading a Hamas “terrorist cell” and being “liable for advancing rocket assaults” towards Israelis.

The EU took word of Israel’s allegation, Ms. Kallas stated, “however there’s a want in these instances to supply clear proof, within the respect of rule of regulation, to keep away from concentrating on of journalists”.

AFP

Australia Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stated on Tuesday his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu was “in denial” in regards to the humanitarian state of affairs in Gaza, a day after asserting Australia would recognise a Palestinian state for the primary time.

Australia will recognise a Palestinian state at subsequent month’s United Nations General Assembly, Mr. Albanese stated on Monday, a transfer that provides to worldwide stress on Israel after related bulletins from France, Britain and Canada.

Mr. Albanese stated on Tuesday the Mr. Netanyahu authorities’s reluctance to take heed to its allies contributed to Australia’s determination to recognise a Palestinian state.

“He once more reiterated to me what he has stated publicly as properly, which is to be in denial in regards to the penalties which might be occurring for harmless individuals,” Mr. Albanese stated in an interview with state broadcaster ABC, recounting a Thursday cellphone name with Mr. Netanyahu discussing the difficulty. 

Reuters