Middle East updates: 11 killed in attack on Gaza residence
August 22, 2024
What you need to know
- Eleven people, including children, were killed in an Israeli strike that the IDF has said was targeting militants
- Israel has arrested four people over militant settler violence in the occupied West Bank
Here are the latest developments from the Israel-Hamas war and news from the wider Middle East region on August 22:
French ship rescues sailors targeted by Houthi attack
A French naval destroyer has rescued 29 sailors whose oil tanker repeatedly came under fire while passing through the Red Sea, officials said on Thursday.
The French vessel, part of an European mission to provide security in the area, also destroyed a sea drone, officials said.
The ship, a Greek-flagged oil tanker called Sounion, has been abandoned due to engine problems but will be moved to a safer location.
The attack was carried out by Yemen's Houthi rebels, who have launched many similar strikes in recent months. The Houthis say they are doing so in solidarity with the miltant Hamas group in Gaza and state that their attacks on maritime traffic will stop if there is a ceasefire in Gaza.
Four arrested over settler attack on West Bank village
Israeli security forces arrested four suspects following an attack by militant Israeli settlers on the Palestinian village of Jit in the occupied West Bank.
Israel's domestic intelligence agency Shin Bet called the attack a "serious terrorist incident."
The incident in question occurred last Thursday, when a 23-year-old Palestinian man was killed and another resident was injured after dozens of masked settlers stormed their village. Residents said some 100 settlers armed with knives and firearms set cars and homes ablaze.
The attack was strongly condemned by Israeli officials as well as the US, the UN and European countries.
Israeli authorities said the four suspects were being questioned and that an investigation was ongoing.
The Palestinian health ministry in the West Bank said that three more Palestinians were killed in an Israeli strike on Thursday. The IDF said it was targeting armed militants.
11 killed in strike on residential building: local media
An Israeli strike on a house in the northern Gaza town of Beit Lahiya killed 11 people, including children, Palestinian news agency Wafa reported.
Another six were injured in the strike, including a local journalist, medics said.
An Israeli army spokeswoman said the strike was against a terrorist target and that the military was not yet aware of any other casualties.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said fighting was continuing in other parts of the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip, ongoing for over ten months now, have killed over 40,000 Palestinians, health authorities in the Hamas-run enclave say.
Israel's military campaign began after the militant Hamas group attacked Israel on October 7 last year. The attack resulted in 1,200 deaths and militants also took around 250 people hostage. Just under half of the hostages were released during a temporary cease-fire last November.
Hamas is designated as a terrorist group by Israel, the US, Germany and others.
es/rmt (AP, AFP, dpa, Reuters)