TRANSCRIPT
In the occupied West Bank, the sounds of panic and grief fill the halls of a morgue in Tulkarm, as Palestinians attempt to identify the bodies of their loved ones.
At least five people were killed in strikes the Israeli military says it carried out on an 'operational centre' in the area, without specifying who the target was.
Shortly after the strike, an Israeli settler in the West Bank shot and killed a Palestinian civilian and wounded three others.
These attacks came shortly after Israel launched a massive pre-emptive strike on Lebanon, prompting retaliatory attacks from Hezbollah, which says it was holding off strikes to allow for ceasefire talks to proceed.
Spokesman for the UN Secretary General Stéphane Dujarric says the Secretary General is deeply concerned about the escalations.
“These actions, he said, put both the Lebanese and Israeli populations at risk, as well as threatening regional security and stability. He called for an immediate de-escalation. ... Along with our partners, we continue to scale up relief efforts in support of the Lebanese Government-led response. However, humanitarian response efforts are being undermined by funding constraints, and we urgently need additional resources. We call on all parties to follow and to abide by their obligations under international humanitarian law, emphasising the need to protect civilians, including children, and civilian infrastructure at all times.”
With at least three people killed in Lebanon and one in Israel during the missile exchange, both sides say they are happy to avoid further escalation for now, but warn that there could be more strikes to come.
And in Beirut, resident Ahmad Baltaji has deplored the tense conflict's impact on Lebanon’s already battered economy, which has blighted its summer tourism season.
“I believe there won’t be a war, only settlements. Hopefully, there won’t be a war. But who knows? If they don’t know, how can we? Everyone is expecting something different. Let's hope for the best. Hopefully, there won't be a war, and our economy and country will recover and thrive, which is what we all want and wish for, and people will come to the country, there will be work, and the youth will have jobs. This is what everyone hopes for — no one wishes for war. But if war breaks out, there will be no escape."
Experts say a major war between Israel and Hezbollah would disrupt the efforts of mediators to achieve a ceasefire deal.
Negotiations underway in Cairo are continuing as both sides trade accusations that the other is stalling progress.
The United States says the events over the weekend have not had an impact on the talks and continues to describe them as constructive.
In Gaza, the United Nations says their humanitarian aid operations in the strip have come to a halt as Israel continues to order mass evacuations of designated humanitarian zones.
Senior Communications Officer for UNRWA, Louise Wateridge, says the situation on the ground is 'catastrophic'.
“People just don't know where to go. If you see the humanitarian area, if you see Khan Younis - Mawasi area, you can barely even see the sand of the floor any more. It is just packed shelter to shelter. People are using the sand and building walls with the sand to stop the seawater coming into their makeshift shelters... There are scorpions, there are mosquitoes, rats, mice, snakes among the population who are living in these conditions."
She says humanitarian operations in the Gaza Strip are being squeezed of the resources and space needed to deliver vital aid.
“The humanitarian operations are also being displaced within these evacuation orders, and the humanitarian response here is being completely strangled and (has) limited our ability of what we can do. Everything seen here, has been unprecedented so far. Everything the United Nations has achieved in the Gaza Strip has been unprecedented. The conditions are unprecedented. Every day is a new challenge."
The latest evacuations affected 15 premises hosting aid agencies and came as U-N agencies planned to conduct mass vaccination after the first polio case there in 25 years.
Senior Deputy Field Director for UNRWA Sam Rose says the delivery of the Polio vaccine is critical.
“We're working collectively. All our efforts are now geared on making the polio campaign, which will start this Saturday, into a success. It involves mass human resources. Over 3,000 people in total will be working on the campaign. Over 1,000 of them drawn from UNRWA, which is essentially the largest primary health care provider left in the Gaza Strip. The vaccines have come in. We're calling for calm. We're calling for humanitarian pauses that will allow the vaccination programs to pass and be implemented successfully.”
And in Israel, a talking puppet of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has started making regular appearances at anti-government protests in Tel Aviv.
The project, led by a university researcher, allows mobile phone users from anywhere in the world to speak through the robotic puppet using Prime Minister Netanyahu’s AI-generated voice.
Gal Gorfung, the Tel Aviv coordinator, says the project was inspired by puppets used in peaceful protests in other parts of the world and is intended to give a voice to those who can't attend the protests.
“Well, we're still waiting on the hostage deal and the ceasefire. And we all want to end this war. And I think there is one person that is responsible for stopping it and has most of the power, and we hope that maybe we can convince him to look at himself and hear what the people have to say.”
The puppet's website says the project does not take a political stance but simply wants to allow people to creatively engage in the discourse.
