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What's happened in Gaza since Al Jazeera staff were killed?

What's happened in Gaza since Al Jazeera staff were killed?
By Lyndal Rowlands, Tim Hume, Caolán Magee, Stephen Quillen, Usaid Siddiqui and Farah Najjar
Published On 13 Aug 2025

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13 Aug 2025 - 22:56
 (22:56 GMT)

That’s a wrap

Thank you for joining us.

For more on how Israel has intensified its bombardment in Gaza’s north, including Gaza City, read this.

For a first-hand account from a paediatric doctor in Gaza who describes how Israeli forces are targeting specific parts body parts of aid seekers at GHF sites, read this.

And you can follow all our coverage of Israel’s war on Gaza here.

13 Aug 2025 - 22:45
 (22:45 GMT)

Here’s what happened today

We will be closing this live page soon. Here is a recap of today’s main events:

  • At least 100 people were killed in Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip since dawn on Wednesday.
  • UN experts say Israel’s targeted destruction of Gaza’s healthcare system and its killing and starvation of health workers in the Strip amounts to “medicide” – an attempt to wipe out medical care.
  • Gaza’s Government Media Office says the number of people who have died from starvation in the enclave has risen to 235, including 106 children, as the humanitarian crisis reaches what it called “catastrophic levels”.
  • Al Jazeera has seen a copy of a UN report set to be published on Thursday that accuses Israeli forces of using sexual violence against Palestinian prisoners.
  • The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) says critical aid, including food, medicines, shelter materials, and hygiene supplies, is being blocked by Israeli authorities from entering Gaza.
  • An Israeli drone strike targeted a car on the Haris–Hadatha road in southern Lebanon, killing one person, according to Lebanon’s health ministry.
13 Aug 2025 - 22:40
 (22:40 GMT)

UEFA unfurls Gaza-related plea banner after Palestinian tribute fallout

UEFA has unfurled a banner with the message “Stop Killing Children. Stop Killing Civilians” on the pitch before the Super Cup football match between Paris Saint-Germain and Tottenham in Udine, Italy, in the wake of heavy fallout over its meek tribute to a Palestinian player killed by Israel.

“The message is loud and clear,” European football’s governing body said in a post on X on Wednesday.  “A banner. A call.”

Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah last week criticised a UEFA tribute to the late Suleiman al-Obeid, known as the “Palestinian Pele”, after European football’s governing body failed to reference the circumstances surrounding his killing.

The Palestine Football Association said al-Obeid, 41, was killed by an Israeli attack on civilians waiting for humanitarian aid in the southern Gaza Strip.

In a brief post on X, UEFA called the former national team member “a talent who gave hope to countless children, even in the darkest of times”.

Salah responded, “Can you tell us how he died, where, and why?”

Read the full story here.

13 Aug 2025 - 22:35
 (22:35 GMT)
EXCLUSIVE

UN report set to accuse Israeli forces of using sexual violence against Palestinians

By Gabriel Elizondo

Reporting from the United Nations in New York

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is putting Israel on notice – saying there is evidence Israeli forces use sexual violence against Palestinians. He says Israel’s army could be added to a list of parties suspected of doing so, as early as next year.

Every year, the secretary-general issues an annual report on sexual-related violence in conflict. The report is not expected to be released until Thursday.

However, through diplomatic sources, Al Jazeera has seen an advanced copy.

In the report, Guterres warns Israel that he has significant concerns about patterns of certain forms of violence by the Israeli military and security forces against Palestinians.

The alleged crimes include incidents of genitalia violence, prolonged forced nudity of Palestinian prisoners, and abusing and degrading strip searches aimed at humiliation and interrogation.

In his letter, Guterres says Israel did not cooperate with UN investigators, saying that “limited information has been provided on accountability measures undertaken in relation to alleged incidents of sexual violence. Despite witness testimony and digital evidence of Israeli soldiers committing such violations”.

Israel’s ambassador to the UN said Guterres’s report had made baseless accusations against his country.

Hamas was mentioned in Guterres’s report as well as “credibly suspected of being responsible for patterns of rape or other forms of sexual violence”, something Hamas has repeatedly denied as attempts to divert attention from Israel’s ongoing genocide.

13 Aug 2025 - 22:30
 (22:30 GMT)

Protests and vigils held worldwide over Israel’s killing of Gaza journalists

Protests and vigils have taken place around the world in support of Palestinians suffering in Gaza and to pay tribute to the four Al Jazeera journalists and two freelancers killed by Israel in the besieged enclave in a targeted assassination on Sunday.

Journalists, students, activists and members of civil society – notably in Cape Town, South Africa; Manila, the Philippines; and London, the United Kingdom – held the protests on Wednesday to call on their governments to put pressure on Israel to allow international media into Gaza and bring an end to Israel’s genocidal war there.

Late on Sunday, Al Jazeera correspondents Anas al-Sharif and Mohammed Qreiqeh, along with cameramen Ibrahim Zaher and Mohammed Noufal, were killed in an Israeli strike that had targeted their media tent located by al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.

Al-Sharif had been one of Gaza’s most recognisable faces for his constant reporting of the reality on the ground since Israel’s war on Gaza began following the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attacks on southern Israel.

Read more of this piece here.

Filipino protesters in Quezon City, Philippines, condemn Israel’s killing of Palestinian journalists in Gaza [Aaron Favila/AP Photo]
13 Aug 2025 - 22:15
 (22:15 GMT)

Canada takes part in Gaza aid airdrops

Canada’s Foreign Ministry says about nine tonnes of Canadian-funded humanitarian aid were airdropped into Gaza on board a Royal Jordanian Air Force aircraft.

In a post on X, it described the humanitarian crisis in the enclave as “catastrophic” and “intolerable,” adding that “inaction is not an option”. The ministry said it continues to work with Jordan to deliver lifesaving assistance to Gaza’s population.

International aid groups and experts have repeatedly warned that aid airdrops are inefficient and often dangerous, and instead called for Israel to allow more aid trucks to flood the Gaza Strip.

Western countries, including the United Kingdom, France and Spain, have also recently taken part in aid airdrops for Gaza.

13 Aug 2025 - 22:00
 (22:00 GMT)

Israeli assault on Gaza City’s Zeitoun neighbourhood destroys 300 homes

Israeli forces have carried out a days-long intensive assault on Zeitoun, one of Gaza City’s largest neighbourhoods, destroying more than 300 homes in the past three days, Wafa news agency says, citing Gaza’s Civil Defence.

The neighbourhood has faced continuous bombardment and demolitions since Tuesday. Civil Defence officials said entire families were killed when their homes were blown up without warning using high-explosive bombs that also levelled surrounding buildings.

They added that rescue crews have been blocked from reaching the wounded or recovering bodies, worsening the humanitarian situation.

The assault comes as Israel’s military chief approved plans to fully seize Gaza, starting with Gaza City. The plan reportedly involves forcing around one million residents southwards before surrounding the city and launching incursions into residential areas, followed by an expansion into refugee camps in central Gaza, Wafa said.

13 Aug 2025 - 21:45
 (21:45 GMT)

Photos: Displaced Palestinians in Gaza endure heat wave as water scarcity worsens

Displaced Palestinians gather to collect water from a truck during a heat wave at a makeshift tent camp in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, August 13, 2025 [Abdel Kareem Hana/AP Photo]
Most Palestinians in Gaza have been displaced since October 7, 2023 amid Israel’s war on Gaza, with many living in makeshift shelters [Abdel Kareem Hana/AP Photo]
Palestinians collect drinking water at a desalination plant in Deir el-Balah, central Gaza Strip [Abdel Kareem Hana/AP Photo]

13 Aug 2025 - 21:30
 (21:30 GMT)

Hamas’s armed wing claims attack on Israeli tanks in Khan Younis

In a statement, the Qassam Brigades said its fighters struck two Israeli military tanks with al-Yassin 105 missiles and an explosive device.

It said the tanks were near the Abu Humaid roundabout in central Khan Younis, southern Gaza.

13 Aug 2025 - 21:15
 (21:15 GMT)

Palestinian group says prisoner numbers in Israeli jails hit highest since 2000

The Palestinian Prisoners Information Office says about 10,800 Palestinians are currently held in Israeli jails, the highest number since the second Intifada – or uprising – which began in the year 2000.

In its August tally, the group said the detainees include 49 women, among them two girls and two prisoners from Gaza, and more than 450 children. It added that 3,613 people are being held without charge or trial under administrative detention, the highest figure recorded to date.

Another 2,378 detainees are classified by Israel as being “unlawful combatants”, including prisoners from Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria, it added.

Since Israel’s war on Gaza began, Israeli forces have intensified arrest campaigns across the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, detaining thousands, including women and children.

13 Aug 2025 - 21:00
 (21:00 GMT)
Houthi

Israeli attacks kill 100 people across Gaza since dawn

At least 100 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip since dawn, including at least 37 aid seekers, medical sources have told Al Jazeera.

Among today’s death toll, 61 were killed in Gaza City.

13 Aug 2025 - 20:45
 (20:45 GMT)

Hamas decries Netanyahu’s ‘Greater Israel’ remarks, urges global action

Hamas has strongly condemned Netanyahu’s statements outlining what he called the “Vision of Greater Israel”, which the group said includes plans to seize Egyptian, Jordanian, Syrian, and other Arab lands.

In a statement, Hamas said the remarks expose the “danger” of expansionist schemes that threaten all countries and peoples in the region, accusing Netanyahu of pursuing a “criminal and extremist” agenda while waging a war of extermination and starvation against Palestinians in Gaza.

The group called on Arab states to take “clear and firm” measures, including supporting Palestinian resistance, cutting ties with Israel, halting normalisation, and uniting to confront the occupation.

Hamas also urged the international community to condemn the statements, act to stop Israel’s war on civilians in Gaza, and block any expansionist ambitions it said threaten regional and global security.

13 Aug 2025 - 20:30
 (20:30 GMT)

Saudi Arabia condemns Netanyahu’s ‘Greater Israel’ remarks

Saudi Arabia has strongly condemned statements by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the so-called “Greater Israel vision”, rejecting what it described as settlement and expansionist plans by Israeli authorities.

In a statement carried by state news agency SPA, the Foreign Ministry reaffirmed the Palestinian people’s historical and legal right to establish an independent and sovereign state on their own land, in line with international law.

Riyadh warned the global community that Israel’s “flagrant violations” undermine international legitimacy, infringe on state sovereignty, and threaten both regional and global peace and security.

13 Aug 2025 - 20:15
 (20:15 GMT)

WATCH: Protests over Israeli murder of Al Jazeera journalists spread

Journalists from Mexico City to Manila are protesting the Israeli assassination of Al Jazeera journalists in Gaza.

Watch the video below:

13 Aug 2025 - 20:00
 (20:00 GMT)

Iran’s president mocks Netanyahu over pledge of help over water crisis

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on X that Israel has denied Palestinians access to water and food, so cannot be trusted.

“A regime that deprives people of Gaza from water and food says it will bring water to Iran? A MIRAGE, NOTHING MORE,” he said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had addressed Iranians in a video message on Tuesday, pledging that Israel would help solve the country’s severe water shortages once Iran is “free” from the current government, according to Israeli media, including The Jerusalem Post.

Pezeshkian also said during a cabinet meeting in Tehran that “those with a deceptive appearance are falsely claiming compassion for the people of Iran”.

“First look at the difficult situation of Gaza and [their] defenceless people, especially children who are struggling … because of hunger, lack of access to potable water and medicine, because of a siege by the brutal regime,” Pezeshkian said.

13 Aug 2025 - 19:45
 (19:45 GMT)

UNRWA urges Israel to ‘lift the siege’ on Gaza

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) says critical aid, including food, medicines, shelter materials, and hygiene supplies, is being blocked by Israeli authorities from entering Gaza.

In a statement on X, UNRWA said it can distribute aid at scale across all areas of the Gaza Strip, but stressed that sustained humanitarian access is urgently needed.

“UNRWA aid will save lives. Lift the siege,” the agency said.

13 Aug 2025 - 19:30
 (19:30 GMT)
Analysis

Israeli journalist says Gaza media ban and killings aim to ‘silence’ reporters

Israeli journalist Oren Ziv, who attended a vigil for the Al Jazeera journalists killed in a targeted Israeli assassination in Gaza earlier this week, says some reporters in Israel have been “celebrating” the murders.

“But we, a small group of local and international journalists, wanted to express our anger and solidarity with the Palestinian journalists in Gaza who are doing an incredible job under very hard circumstances,” Ziv told Al Jazeera.

“We think [these killings] happen not by mistake, but as a step to try and silence the only journalists there,” he said.

Ziv said the killings and the ban imposed on international media from entering Gaza were done “on purpose” in advance of a planned full military seizure of Gaza City.

He said Israeli media outlets have been joining the Israeli government in dehumanising Palestinians in the Strip, adding that mainstream Israeli media “don’t show what is happening in Gaza”.

“People in Israel know less than the average American or European that consume conservative news channels,” Ziv said.

13 Aug 2025 - 19:15
 (19:15 GMT)
Analysis

What are Israeli intentions behind escalating attacks on northern Gaza?

By Marwan Bishara

Al Jazeera's senior political analyst

I was torn between whether this is all tactical or strategic.

Tactical – in the sense that Israel might just be trying to put more pressure on Hamas and the mediators … so that a captive-prisoner deal can be reached.

Or strategic – meaning Netanyahu’s long-term decision to invade the rest of Gaza, “finish” the campaign, and occupy it with soldiers on the ground for the long term.

At first, I was conflicted, but I’m increasingly feeling this is leaning towards a strategic decision. Still, this remains an educated guess on both fronts.

On the diplomacy front, there are two scenarios.

First, a short-term, quick exchange of perhaps 8-10 captives for a number of Palestinian prisoners, along with some limited Israeli redeployment.

Second, a full-fledged exchange tied to Israel’s complete withdrawal from Gaza. I’m sceptical about the second scenario.

If we look at the strategic path, although the Israeli army – under pressure – has now agreed with Netanyahu on reoccupying Gaza, they disagree with him on how to go about it.

13 Aug 2025 - 19:03
 (19:03 GMT)
Houthi

Israeli attacks kill 98 people across Gaza since dawn

At least 98 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip since dawn, including at least 37 aid seekers, medical sources have told Al Jazeera.

Among today’s death toll, 61 were killed in Gaza City.

13 Aug 2025 - 19:00
 (19:00 GMT)

Deaths from starvation rise to 235, including 106 children, Gaza media office says

Gaza’s Government Media Office says the number of people who have died from starvation in the enclave has risen to 235, including 106 children, as the humanitarian crisis reaches what it called “catastrophic levels”.

In a statement, it said hospitals and health centres are facing an unprecedented emergency under the Israeli blockade, which has severely restricted the entry of food and medicine for the enclave’s 2.4 million residents, more than half of them children.

According to the Health Ministry’s figures, the dead include 19 women, 75 elderly people, and 35 men over 18. It warned that 40,000 infants under one year old are suffering from malnutrition, 250,000 children under five face life-threatening food shortages, and 1.2 million children under 18 are living in severe food insecurity.

The statement accused Israel of using starvation as a weapon of war in violation of international humanitarian law and urged the UN, rights groups, and humanitarian agencies to act immediately to lift the blockade, open crossings, and ensure unrestricted aid flows to Gaza.