LIVE BLOG: 28 Children Killed Daily in Gaza as Resistance Pushes Back – Day 649

UNICEF: Catherine Russell, Executive Director of UNICEF, told the UN Security Council that over 17,000 children have been killed in Gaza, averaging 28 children killed each day. She said Gaza is losing the equivalent of a full classroom of children every day for almost two years.

AL-JAZEERA: Hospitals in Gaza are experiencing a severe shortage of blood supplies, endangering the lives of the wounded and sick. The number of donors has decreased due to widespread hunger and malnutrition. Despite these challenges, those able to donate blood continue to visit hospitals.

YEMENI MEDIA: Yahya Saree, military spokesperson for the Houthis, announced that their missile forces conducted a special operation targeting Lod Airport (Ben Gurion Airport) and carried out three drone attacks on Lod, the Negev, and the port of Eilat.

UNITED NATIONS: UN Humanitarian Affairs chief Tom Fletcher said child hunger in Gaza reached record levels in June. He warned that food supplies are running out, people seeking food are being shot at, and five newborns must share a single incubator while 70% of essential medicines are depleted.

The Aid that Kills: Gaza and a Game We Never Chose

ISRAELI MEDIA: Israeli news sites reported two “security incidents” in Gaza, which are under military censorship, suggesting Israeli military casualties inflicted by Palestinian resistance. Reports indicated three wounded soldiers were evacuated by helicopter from Gaza, including one in critical condition.

AL-AQSA TV: Al-Aqsa TV said Israeli warplanes carried out multiple airstrikes on Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza this evening, while Israeli artillery shelled eastern Jabalia simultaneously.

AL-AQSA TV: Jihad Taha, spokesperson for the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), said in remarks reported by Al-Aqsa TV that Hamas acted with flexibility and responsibility to end the aggression against the Palestinian people.

He stressed that Hamas will not accept the separation of any geographical area from the Gaza Strip and will not accept the presence of the occupation in the area.

ISRAELI MEDIA: Israeli media reported that the Israeli army intercepted a missile launched from Yemen on Wednesday evening.

PALESTINIAN MEDIA: Hospital sources in Gaza reported that 81 Palestinians were martyred in the Strip since dawn on Wednesday, including 25 aid seekers.

AL-JAZEERA: Al Jazeera correspondent said Israeli occupation forces blew up residential buildings in the northwest of Rafah city, southern Gaza Strip.

PALESTINIAN MEDIA: A source at Al-Awda Hospital reported the martyrdom of four Palestinians seeking humanitarian aid after being shot by Israeli forces near the Nitsarim axis in central Gaza.

ISRAELI MEDIA: Channel 12 reported that the International Criminal Court rejected Israel’s request to freeze investigations and cancel arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

PALESTINIAN MEDIA: Palestinian sources reported that a child was martyred and several other Palestinians were injured following an Israeli artillery strike on “Block 1” in the Bureij Refugee Camp, central Gaza Strip.

PALESTINIAN MEDIA: Palestinian sources reported that three Palestinians were martyred in an Israeli airstrike near Al-Shuhada School, north of Al-Hakar area, in Deir Al-Balah city, central Gaza Strip.

UNRWA: The Commissioner-General of UNRWA said that in Gaza, entire families, neighborhoods, and an entire generation are being wiped out. He added that the war in Gaza is not only a humanitarian disaster but a crisis that undermines the international legal order.

BRITISH PM: The British Prime Minister stated that Britain wants a ceasefire in Gaza, the release of hostages, and the entry of humanitarian aid. He also stressed that Israel must take steps to protect civilians in Gaza.

PALESTINIAN MEDIA: Medical sources in Gaza reported that 51 Palestinians have been martyred across the Gaza Strip since dawn today, including 21 who were waiting to receive humanitarian aid.

AL-QUDS BRIGADES: Al-Quds Brigades released footage showing the detonation of an Israeli military vehicle using a high-powered explosive device during an Israeli incursion east of Al-Zaytoun neighborhood in Gaza City.

Saraya Al-Quds announced that their fighters destroyed a Zionist military vehicle with a powerful explosive device during an incursion east of Al-Zaytoun, Gaza City. pic.twitter.com/DgSEYarWS8

— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) July 16, 2025

GAZA GOVERNMENT MEDIA OFFICE: The Gaza Government Media Office stated that the Israeli occupation and the American organization committed a horrific massacre against hungry civilians, resulting in 21 martyrs. The so-called “Gaza Humanitarian Foundation” is not a humanitarian entity and does not adhere to any relief standards.

ISRAELI MEDIA: Channel 12 reported that the port of Eilat (Umm Al-Rashrash) will be shut down starting next Sunday due to Ansarallah attacks.

GAZA HEALTH MINISTRY: The Gaza Health Ministry announced 21 dead, including 15 who suffocated after gas was fired at civilians gathering at a food distribution center in southern Khan Younis. For the first time, martyrs have been recorded due to suffocation and severe crowding at aid distribution points. The ministry accused both the Israeli occupation and the American organization of committing massacres against starving people using various methods.

Gaza Health Ministry: 21 Palestinians killed in Khan Younis, including 15 who suffocated after Israeli forces fired gas at civilians gathered for food aid. pic.twitter.com/Nsl6JHdxiU

— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) July 16, 2025

PALESTINIAN MEDIA: Medical sources in Gaza confirmed that 37 Palestinians have been martyred since dawn today, including 20 people who were seeking humanitarian aid.

ISRAELI MEDIA: Israeli media reported that the corruption trial session for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commenced. Later, Channel 12 stated the session was halted after Netanyahu received a security update and left the courtroom.

AL-JAZEERA: Al Jazeera correspondent reported that Israeli airstrikes hit homes in Al-Zaytoun neighborhood, south of Gaza City.

ISRAELI ARMY: The Israeli army announced that it had completed the opening of a new axis in Khan Younis, which extends for 15 kilometers and separates the east from the west of Khan Yunis.

PALESTINIAN MEDIA: Medical sources in Gaza hospitals reported that twenty Palestinians were killed due to Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip since dawn today.

MAARIV: A Maariv newspaper poll revealed that 52 percent of Israelis support imposing control over Gaza and establishing temporary military rule after the war. Sixty-four percent oppose the establishment of a Palestinian state, and 53 percent reject involving the Palestinian Authority in any future settlement concerning Gaza.

PALESTINIAN MEDIA: Palestinian media reported the death of one Palestinian and injuries to others following an Israeli airstrike on Al-Safa tower in Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza.

ISRAELI MEDIA: According to Yedioth Ahronoth, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu granted his negotiation team in Doha more flexibility and broader options to make decisions.

FRANCESCA ALBANESE, UN SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR: UN Rapporteur Francesca Albanese called on the world to take action to stop the genocide in Gaza, noting Israel’s economy is designed to sustain occupation and escalate it into genocide.

MAARIV: An Israeli soldier was seriously injured after shooting himself in a military base in southern Israel, in the fourth suicide attempt among soldiers in ten days.

ISRAELI MEDIA: Walla website, citing sources, reported that the Israeli army is carrying out an engineering operation aimed at reinforcing its presence by expanding bases in the buffer zone and constructing new axes.

PALESTINIAN MEDIA: Israeli occupation army forces have raided the town of Zababdeh, south of Jenin, in the occupied West Bank.

AL-JAZEERA (Citing the International Protection Group):

Ten children in the Gaza Strip are losing one or both legs daily due to the ongoing war.

More than 40,000 children in Gaza have sustained war-related injuries.

A staggering 1,580 health workers and 467 humanitarian aid staff have been killed in the Strip.

There’s been a systematic targeting of hospitals, ambulances, and medical and humanitarian personnel in Gaza.

PALESTINIAN MEDIA: Hospital sources in Gaza report that the death toll from Israeli airstrikes across the Strip has risen to 61 since dawn today. Of these, 23 fatalities were in the Al-Shati refugee camp in western Gaza.

ISRAELI MEDIA: Israel is taking an unprecedented step to change the status quo at the Ibrahimi Mosque in Al-Khalil (Hebron), according to sources cited by Israel Hayom.

A decision has been made to withdraw powers from the Hebron Municipality and transfer them to the Religious Council of the Kiryat Arba settlement.

This marks the first time significant changes have been made at the Ibrahimi Mosque since 1994.