Saturday, August 23, live news on the Middle East conflict. The Palestinian Ministry of Health reports that 62,622 people have died in Israel since October 7, 2023.

• This new conflict began after October 7, 2023, in Israel's response to the attack by the Hamas terrorist group, which caused nearly 1,200 deaths (including about 800 civilians) and the kidnapping of over 200 people.
• Since then, the Israeli army, which decimated Hamas's leadership and structures in the Strip, has killed over 62,000 Palestinians in Gaza, mostly civilians. According to Gaza authorities, nearly 19,000 children have been killed by the IDF since the beginning of the war.
• Katz: We will destroy Gaza City if Hamas does not release the hostages. The gates of hell will open. US asks Israel to reduce operations in Lebanon
• UN alert: Famine in Gaza, 132,000 children at risk

8:09 PM | August 23

Gantz to Netanyahu: Create a government to free kidnapped Israelis

The leader of Israel's centrist National Unity Party, Benny Gantz, has called on Benjamin Netanyahu, opposition leader Yair Lapid, and Yisrael Betyenu party chairman Avigdor Liberman to form what he calls a government for the redemption of prisoners and equality of burden, with a clear six-month mandate before new elections. The proposal calls for Gantz's party to temporarily join the coalition to focus on the release of the hostages and promoting legislation on the conscription of ultra-Orthodox Christians."I don't want to save Netanyahu, but the hostages," he said.

7:54 PM | August 23

Smotrich: Those who don't leave Gaza City must die or surrender.

In a recent meeting, Israeli Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir clashed with far-right ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir, stating that the IDF is unsure how long it will take to evacuate the civilian population of Gaza City."We have ordered you to carry out a rapid operation. In my opinion, you can besiege them. Those who don't evacuate, don't let them leave. Without water, without electricity, they can starve or surrender. This is what we want, and you are capable of doing it," Smotrich reportedly said, according to Channel 12 and reported by the Times of Israel.

7:18 PM | August 23

Palestinian Journalists' Union: Another journalist killed in Gaza, bringing the total to 270.

The Palestinian Journalists' Syndicate confirmed that journalist Khaled al-Madhoun was killed by the Israeli army in the northern Gaza Strip. He was targeted near the Zikim crossing, north of the besieged Gaza City, while waiting to cover the arrival of a limited number of trucks carrying humanitarian aid. According to a tally by Shireen.ps, a monitoring website named after Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, who was shot dead by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank in 2022, approximately 270 journalists and media workers have been killed in Israeli attacks since the beginning of the war, or approximately 13 journalists per month.

7:16 PM | August 23

Gaza: Eight children killed in Israeli raids today

The death toll has risen to six children and several others injured in this morning's Israeli artillery attack on displaced people's tents in the Asdaa area, northwest of Khan Younis. Two more children were among the victims in a raid in Jabalia an-Nazla, Al Jazeera reports, citing medical sources.

5:52 PM | August 23

Israeli tanks enter a Gaza City suburb

Tel Aviv media, citing sources in the Strip, say that Israeli tanks have entered the Sabra suburb of Gaza City.

5:51 PM | August 23

Al Jazeera: At least 51 dead in Israeli attacks since dawn

At least 51 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli strikes in various areas of the Gaza Strip since dawn this morning, including 16 who were seeking aid. This was reported by sources at Gaza hospitals run by the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, cited by the Qatari-owned pan-Arab satellite broadcaster Al Jazeera.

4:40 PM | August 23

Erdogan's wife to Melania Trump: Intercede for the children of Gaza

Turkish President Emine Erdogan has written to US First Lady Melania Trump, urging her to intercede for the children of Gaza with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. According to the Turkish news agency Anadolu, the Turkish leader's wife referred to the letter Melania Trump sent to Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this month regarding children in Ukraine and Russia. Your compassion for the victims of the war in Ukraine inspires hope, but the children whose laughter has been silenced are not just Ukrainian children. Palestinian children deserve the same joy, the same freedom, and the same dignified future. It is too late for the children and newborns of Gaza we have lost, but we still have a chance for more than a million more children, Emine Erdogan wrote in the letter, which was reported by the Israeli press. It would be extremely meaningful if you sent a letter to Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu containing your strong appeal to end the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, she added. In these days, when the world is experiencing a collective awakening and the recognition of Palestine has become a global will, I believe that your appeal on behalf of Gaza would fulfill a historic responsibility towards the Palestinian people, stressed the wife of the Turkish leader, a Hamas supporter.

3:53 PM | August 23

Demonstrations expected this evening in Israel over the hostage deal

Demonstrations are planned across Israel this evening to demand the release of the hostages and to oppose the government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, ahead of the day of mass protests announced for next Tuesday by the Hostages' Families Forum.

Last Sunday, according to organizers, nearly a million Israelis participated in the nationwide strike, joining demonstrations across the country—including the largest in Tel Aviv with 500,000 participants—to demand the immediate release of the hostages. It was the largest demonstration since September 2024, when people took to the streets en masse to protest the killing of six young hostages in Gaza.

3:34 PM | August 23

Türkiye, Israel shameless because its war crimes go unpunished

What emboldens Israel and makes it shameless is that its war crimes and violations of international law have remained unpunished to this day. This is according to a statement released by the Turkish Foreign Ministry regarding the UN-recognized famine in the Gaza Strip. The Anadolu news agency reports.

3:13 PM | August 23

Al Jazeera: 61 dead, 308 injured in Israeli attacks in the last 24 hours

The death toll from Israeli attacks in the last 24 hours has risen to 61 and 308 wounded, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Strip Health Ministry, according to Al Jazeera. Hospital officials say the 25 victims of Israeli attacks in Gaza include Palestinians sheltering in tents or seeking food aid. Israeli attacks killed at least 14 people in the southern Gaza Strip early Saturday, according to morgue records and health officials at Nasser Hospital. Officials said the attacks targeted tents housing displaced people in Khan Younis, which has become a refuge for hundreds of thousands of people fleeing other areas of Gaza. More than half of the dead were women and children.

3:04 PM | August 23

According to a poll by the daily newspaper Maariv, 62% of Israelis no longer trust the country's government.

Sixty-two percent of Israelis believe that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government lacks the trust of the majority of the population. This is according to a poll by the Israeli newspaper Maariv, which found that only 27% said the government is trusted, while 11% said they don't know. Regarding a hostage deal, 26% of respondents believe the government should sign an agreement immediately, even for a partial release. 46% believe the government should sign a comprehensive agreement ending the war in Gaza. 18% oppose an agreement, believing the army must continue fighting Hamas even at the risk of the hostages' lives. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has no intention of halting the occupation operations in Gaza because he knows the government would otherwise collapse. IDF sources told the Israeli newspaper Maariv. According to a military source, the impression is that the prime minister will see the operation through to the end. He understands that without the operation, he won't be able to keep the government together. It will fall apart.

3:01 PM | August 23

Huckabee attacks the corrupt and incompetent UN

The UN should declare itself corrupt and incompetent, and the international media doesn't understand the true story of the famine in Gaza. This was stated by US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, attacking the UN after it declared that a famine was underway in Gaza. On X Huckabee wrote that while hostages are starving, Hamas is getting fat. Meanwhile, UN food is rotting in the sun, the ambassador concluded.

2:58 PM | August 23

Ben Gvir was challenged outside his home: Terrorist. Protests took place outside the minister's home.

Protesters supporting a deal to release Hamas-held hostages in the Gaza Strip protested this morning outside the personal residence of National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, while the far-right figure was on his way to synagogue. Haaretz reported, publishing a video showing the minister walking alongside his son and security officers. While showing photos of the Israeli hostages, one protester shouted,"You're sabotaging an agreement," while another accused the minister of being a terrorist and a criminal.

2:27 PM | August 23

Palestinian Authority Ministry of Health: 62,622 dead in Israeli attacks since October 7, 2023

The death toll from Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023, stands at 62,622 and 157,673 are injured. The Palestinian National Authority (PNA) Ministry of Health reported this in a statement on Telegram, adding that 61 deaths and 308 injuries were recorded in the last 24 hours. Furthermore, the PA ministry noted, 298 more deaths—in addition to those from the last 24 hours—have been added to today's toll, the data of which has been finalized and approved by the Judicial Commission overseeing the case of missing persons and reports.

2:01 PM | August 23

Renovation of Khan Yunis European Hospital begins ahead of Gaza City evacuation

Local Gaza teams and international organizations have begun renovation and reopening work on the European Hospital in the southern governorate of Khan Yunis, with Israel's consent, as part of preparations for the evacuation of Gaza City, located in the northern Strip. The Times of Israel reported this news. Earlier this week, the Israel Defense Forces said the European Hospital, which had been closed since a May 13 attack severely damaged it and made it inaccessible, would resume operations. In the same IDF attack, one of the highest-ranking members of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, Muhammad Sinwar, was killed while hiding in one of the tunnels beneath the hospital. The IDF then raided the medical facility in June, seizing the bodies of the militants killed in the attack and sealing the underlying tunnel with concrete.

12:55 PM | August 23

Hamas: Eight people die of hunger in Gaza, including two children.

Eight people, including two children, have died of malnutrition in the past 24 hours in Gaza, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in the Hamas-led Strip. A total of 281 people, including 114 children, have died from starvation. Yesterday, the United Nations officially declared a famine in the Strip, attributing it to Israel's systematic obstruction of aid.

12:41 PM | August 23

Israel blocks two foreign doctors from entering Gaza

Israel, acting on the Shin Bet's instructions, has barred two foreign doctors from the United States and France from entering the Gaza Strip. Haaretz reported, specifying that they are American Mimi Syed and Frenchwoman Catherine Le Scolin-Quere. The two doctors were supposed to return to the Palestinian enclave last Thursday to volunteer at local hospitals, but COGAT informed them at the last minute that they would not be allowed entry. Contributing to the decision, according to Syed, were interviews she gave to Israeli and foreign media after leaving Gaza last December, in which she criticized the Jewish state for the war in the Strip.

12:39 PM | August 23

The Pope: No people can be forced into exile

The renewed prospect of your return to your native archipelago is an encouraging sign and has symbolic force on the international stage: all peoples, even the smallest and most vulnerable, must be respected by the powerful in their identity and rights, particularly the right to live in their own lands; and no one can force them into forced exile. Pope Leo XIV said this in his audience with the delegation of the Chagos Refugees Group from Port Louis, Mauritius.

12:37 PM | August 23

Netherlands: Majority of MPs Calls for Destruction of Hamas

A majority of Dutch parliamentarians in the Tweede Kamer (Left Chamber) declared that the Islamic terrorist organization Hamas must be completely destroyed and must have no role in the future of Gaza. They also called for maximum pressure to be applied on the countries protecting Hamas leaders, as requested by the far-right PVV party led by Geert Wilders. The NLTimes reports. The move came at the end of a day that saw the political crisis in the Netherlands deepen, with the resignation of outgoing Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp. The lower house then approved a motion urging Israel to allow journalists and international and domestic observers access to Gaza. Opposition parties' proposals to boycott products from Israeli settlements, recognize the Palestinian state, or ban Dutch arms purchases from Israel were not approved.

12:22 PM | August 23

Iran's Defense Minister: We have created weapons production infrastructure in several countries.

In recent days, Minister Nasirzadeh had already announced that Iran was ready to deploy new missiles in the event of further attacks by Israel."We know the enemy's weaknesses, and the next response to any aggression will be lethal, surprising, and beyond all expectations," Nasirzadeh stated. Referring to the 12-Day War that broke out in June, which saw Israel and the United States bomb Iran, the minister emphasized that the Islamic Republic's forces did not rely in any way on foreign resources. Everything used in the war was produced by our defense industries. The world saw that the missiles used perfectly hit their targets and caused serious damage to the Zionist enemy (Israel), Nasirzadeh further stated. The missiles used in the 12-Day War were manufactured several years ago. We have produced and possess missiles with much greater capabilities than previous ones, and if the Zionist enemy (Israel) were to undertake another aggression, we would undoubtedly use them, the minister said.

12:04 PM | August 23

Protesters against Ben-Gvir, criminal, sabotage agreement

Shouts and insults against National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir: the far-right leader was intercepted by protesters in Kfar Mala, central Israel, while he was on his way to synagogue with his son, and was harshly criticized for his opposition to a deal with Hamas for the release of the hostages. Ben-Gvir was greeted in the streets with chants of shame and photos of the kidnapped prisoners still held in Gaza."You're sabotaging an agreement," one protester told him, while another shouted,"Terrorist, criminal." One turned to the minister's son, Shoval, who is serving in the army, and showed him photos of the hostages:"Look at their faces. If you were kidnapped, your father would let you die."

11:26 AM | August 23

Israel closes Kerem Shalom crossing, aid to Egypt halted.

After opening the Kerem Shalom crossing and allowing humanitarian aid into Gaza for four consecutive weeks, Israeli authorities closed this crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip yesterday, an official source from the Egyptian Red Crescent told ANSA. Israeli authorities have also maintained their intransigence, preventing the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza and closing the Rafah crossing on the Palestinian side, according to international sources.

10:54 AM | August 23

West Bank: Emirates condemn Israel's new settlement plan

The United Arab Emirates has strongly condemned and denounced Israel's new settlement plan in the E1 area of the West Bank. This was revealed in a statement from the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which also condemns the ongoing large-scale military operations in the Gaza Strip. The ministry reiterated that these practices constitute serious violations of international law and relevant United Nations resolutions, severely undermining regional and international efforts to achieve a just and comprehensive peace and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state. The ministry also warned of the catastrophic consequences of the continued aggression, including worsening humanitarian suffering and threatening the security and stability of the region. The UAE renewed its call for an immediate halt to settlement expansion and military operations, urging the international community to assume its responsibilities in ending these violations and to work towards a credible political process leading to a just, comprehensive, and lasting peace based on international legitimacy, the statement concluded.

10:27 AM | August 23

Al Jazeera: At least 34 Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks since dawn

At least 34 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli airstrikes in various areas of the Gaza Strip since dawn this morning. Sources at Gaza hospitals controlled by the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas said the victims included eight people awaiting humanitarian aid. According to the Palestinian news agency Wafa, 19 people, including six minors and a newborn baby, were killed by Israeli airstrikes that hit refugee tents in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza, and a house in the Maghazi refugee camp, in the central Strip.

10:19 AM | August 23

UNRWA: Israel must allow us to deliver aid to Gaza

The famine in Gaza City can be stopped. Reverse the ongoing catastrophe: flood Gaza with a massive increase in aid through the United Nations, including UNRWA. UNRWA warehouses in Jordan and Egypt alone are full. There is enough food, medicine, and hygiene supplies ready to fill 6,000 trucks. The State of Israel must allow us to deliver aid to Gaza. This is the appeal launched by the UN agency for the Palestinians in a message on X, the day after the UN officially declared a famine in the Strip.

10:15 AM | August 23

Israel's ambassador to Rome: The presence of Hamas-linked individuals in Italy is concerning.

What your investigation has brought to light is concerning. The presence of individuals linked to Hamas in Italy is very concerning, stated the Israeli ambassador to Italy, Jonathan Peled, commenting to Il Tempo on the newspaper's investigation into the relationships between certain Italian political circles and individuals close to the Palestinian Islamist movement."There are figures already sanctioned by the United States, such as Mohammad Hannoun," Peled recalled,"but we trust the Italian authorities will take action." The ambassador then denounced the media war won by Hamas: "We are winning the military conflict, but losing the battle of communication due to disinformation, propaganda, and anti-Zionist prejudice. We have not paid sufficient attention to this front, but it is an area where we must raise the bar." Peled also criticized the UN special rapporteur, Francesca Albanese, accusing her of making egregious and distorted statements about the role of Hamas, adding:"I wonder who and what she represents." The ambassador finally expressed grave concern about the spread of anti-Semitism in Europe and Italy, arguing that it poses a danger not only to Jews and Israel, but to the entire West. In Italy today, life has become more difficult for many Jews: they face verbal and physical attacks, threats, and offensive graffiti.

7:37 AM | August 23

Four children killed in Israeli attack in Khan Younis

Medical sources at the Kuwait Hospital in Gaza told Al Jazeera that four children were killed and several others injured in an Israeli airstrike in the early hours of the morning in southern Khan Younis. According to sources, the victims were killed by Israeli fire while sheltering in tents for displaced Palestinians. Meanwhile, the Gaza Health Ministry said at least 71 people had been killed by Israeli strikes in the past 24 hours in the Palestinian territory.

0:43 | August 23

Yemen: Houthis successfully hit Tel Aviv airport. Israel denies attack.

The pro-Iranian Yemeni group Ansar Allah, better known as the Houthis, announced that it successfully struck Ben Gurion Airport, near Tel Aviv, with a ballistic missile. In a statement carried by the Yemeni news agency Saba, the Houthis revealed that they had conducted a successful military operation using a hypersonic ballistic missile (named Palestine 2), bypassing enemy Israeli interception systems. Furthermore, according to the Yemeni group, two drones were launched from Yemen and targeted two enemy Israeli targets, one military and the other vital, in the Tel Aviv and Ashkelon areas. For their part, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced that the missile fragmented in the air during descent, and some of the debris fell in central Israel without causing significant damage. At the same time, the IDF reported intercepting one drone over southern Israel, while the second likely crashed before reaching the country.

0:42 | August 22

Trump: Fewer than 20 hostages alive in Gaza. Israel denies: 20

Donald Trump stated from the White House that likely fewer than 20 hostages held in Gaza are still alive, contradicting official Israeli figures and sparking renewed concern among the prisoners' families. Now they say 20, but it's not really 20, because some are no longer with us, the US president stated, also denouncing Hamas's extortion practices and claiming credit for the release of hundreds of hostages. Gal Hirsch, the Israeli government's official for hostages, responded immediately. He met with the families and issued a statement reported by The Times of Israel:"According to Israeli information, there has been no change from what was reported. Twenty hostages are alive, there are grave concerns about two of them, and 28 are no longer alive and are considered killed. Currently, according to Israeli estimates, around 50 people remain held captive by armed groups in Gaza, while pressure from the families for a release agreement remains high."