MEZIESBLOG

Israel’s defence minister has warned Hezbollah that the clock is ticking for Naim Kassem after his appointment as the group’s new leader.

Writing on X alongside an image of Mr Kassem, Yoav Gallant said: “The appointment is temporary. The countdown has begun.”

Mr Kassem was today named as Hezbollah’s successor to former chief Hassan Nasrallah, who was assassinated by Israel’s military last month in Beirut.

Hashem Safieddine, considered by many to be Nasrallah’s most likely successor, was killed by an Israeli air strike two weeks later as the Israel Defence Forces sought to decimate the group’s leadership.

‘No justification to take down a UN agency so crucial’

No organisation can match the scale of operations that UNRWA has provided to Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, the director of ActionAid Palestine has said.

Israel passed two laws yesterday that ban the UN’s relief and works agency for Palestinian refugees from conducting “any activity” or providing any service in Israel, including the areas of East Jerusalem, Gaza and the West Bank (see 6.39 post).

The ban is set to come into effect within three months, at which point millions of Palestinian refugees will be cut off from its help.

“This decision brings down an agency, a UN agency, that has been leading the humanitarian response, especially in Gaza, since the start of this current genocide and this brutal war in Gaza,” Jamil Sawalmeh told Sky News.

“It’s been providing services and commitment to the Palestinian refugees for over 70 years.

“No organisation can match the scale of operations of UNRWA or the services that have been provided.

“There is no justification to take down a UN agency that is so crucial, especially in this very critical time.”

Dozens killed in Gaza in past 24 hours, health ministry says

Some 41 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s military offensive in Gaza in the past 24-hour reporting period, the Hamas-run health ministry has said.

According to its latest figures, 43,061 people have now been killed by Israel since 7 October 2023.

A further 101,223 have been injured during that time, it added.

The toll does not include those killed in today’s attack on the northern Gazan town of Beit Lahiya.

For context: The ministry’s figures do not differentiate between Hamas fighters and civilians.

While Israeli officials have cast doubt on the numbers killed in Gaza, several independent groups say the ministry’s figures have proved to be largely reliable and broadly in line with those later produced by the UN and Israel itself.

Examination of data from previous Gaza conflicts, comparing the ministry’s counts with post-war United Nations analysis, shows the initial data is largely accurate with, at most, a 10-12% discrepancy.

The Israeli military told Sky News earlier this month that 20,000 Hamas militants had been killed, but this remains unverified.