An Israeli airstrike targeted a tent housing journalists in Gaza City, killing five Al Jazeera staff members—two reporters and three crew members—according to the satellite channel. The incident occurred as Israel presses ahead with its Gaza offensive despite international condemnation.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced Australia will recognize Palestinian statehood at the UN General Assembly in September, asserting that lasting peace requires “both an Israeli and a Palestinian state.”
Facing domestic protests and criticism from allies, including far-right minister Bezalel Smotrich, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended the military operation in two press conferences. He vowed to “destroy Hamas,” calling Gaza City a “terror capital,” and rejected accusations of starving Palestinian civilians, urging journalists to “open their eyes to Hamas’ lies.” Hamas immediately countered, labeling Netanyahu’s statements “a series of lies.”
The UN Security Council convened in New York, condemning Israel’s plan as a “dangerous escalation” risking “unimaginable” humanitarian collapse. Netanyahu insisted Israel aims to “liberate Gaza from Hamas” by dismantling its “last strongholds” in Gaza City and central camps, including the humanitarian zone of Mawasi. He pledged safe corridors for civilians to access aid and announced new distribution sites, blaming Hamas for aid sabotage while claiming Israel delivered “2 million tons of assistance.”
Netanyahu accused the UN of withholding aid and international media of “blindly” believing Hamas propaganda, threatening legal action against The New York Times for publishing an image of an allegedly malnourished child. He instead displayed photos of emaciated Israeli hostages held by Hamas.
The prime minister stated post-conflict Gaza would be governed by a “non-Israeli civilian administration”—neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority—and dismissed Germany’s suspension of arms shipments, claiming Chancellor Friedrich Merz “succumbed to pressure.”
Tens of thousands of Israelis protested in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, with hostages’ families planning a nationwide strike next Sunday, fearing the offensive endangers captives.
Journalist Deaths Details**: Palestinian sources named the slain Al Jazeera journalists as Muhammad Karika and Anas al-Sharif, killed alongside crew members Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal, and Moamen Aliwa near Al-Shifa Hospital. Israel’s IDF claimed al-Sharif was a “journalist-terrorist” leading a Hamas cell, an allegation Al Jazeera denies. Hamas’ Al-Aqsa channel reported four deaths and multiple injuries.
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