LIVE UPDATES: Israel kills over 70 in Gaza as 549 killed seeking aid in past month

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Here’s where things stand on Friday 26 June 2025:

• Hospital sources in Gaza tell Al Jazeera that at least 71 people have been killed in Israeli attacks across the territory over the past 24 hours.
• Gaza’s Government Media Office says at least 549 Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces while trying to access humanitarian supplies in the past four weeks, and a further 4,066 were injured at or near US and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) aid distribution sites.
• Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said his country delivered a “slap to America’s face” by targeting a US airbase in the recent conflict with Israel and added that Iran would never “surrender”.
• Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 56,259 people and wounded 132,458, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. An estimated 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the October 7 attacks, and more than 200 were taken captive.

Pro-Palestine demonstrators march through New York City

Footage of the protest, posted on social media by activist group The People’s Forum, shows hundreds of demonstrators waving Palestinian flags and chanting antiwar songs as they march through New York City on Thursday.

Israeli veterans say settler attacks on Palestinian village a ‘routine in hell’

Breaking the Silence, a rights group formed by veterans of Israel’s armed forces that now monitor abuses of Palestinians in the occupied territory, said the deadly attack by Israeli settlers on the West Bank village of Kafr Malek followed a “routine”.

First, the settlers arrived and destroyed Palestinian property on Wednesday and shot at residents.

Then the Israeli military arrived close on the heels of the settlers.

When Palestinian residents of the town attempted to protect their homes and families from attack, they were then shot by the military.

“Routine in hell,” is how the rights group described the play of events.

Three Palestinians were killed in the attack on Kafr Malek, and five settlers held as suspects in the violence have been freed without charge by Israeli police, according to reports.

Police free Israeli suspects detained over deadly attack on Palestinian village

Israeli police have released five Israeli settlers arrested in connection with a deadly assault on the occupied West Bank village of Kafr Malek on Wednesday, in which three Palestinians were killed.

Israel’s Haaretz newspaper reports that the suspects were taken to a nearby police station, before officers released them and informed them they were no longer suspects in the case. No other suspects have been arrested in connection with the deadly attack.

On Thursday, the United Arab Emirates issued a statement condemning the attack and calling on the Israeli government to “assume full responsibility, condemn these hostile practices and hold the perpetrators accountable”.

“The UAE stressed that failure to act will be seen as tacit approval that will only further deepen the cycle of hatred, racism and instability,” the statement said.

Palestinian doctor killed by Israeli strike on tent in southern Gaza

The Israeli military has bombed a tent housing displaced Palestinians in the al-Mawasi area of southern Gaza, killing at least two people, our Al Jazeera Arabic colleagues report, citing a source at the Nasser Hospital.

A Palestinian doctor, along with his niece, were killed in the strike, according to the Palestinian Information Center.

We will bring you more information when we have it.

Israel’s defence chief says assassins ‘searched’ for Khamenei

We reported earlier that Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz told Israeli public broadcaster Kan that if it had been possible, the military would have assassinated Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during the 12-day conflict with Tehran.

In a separate interview with Israel’s Channel 13, Katz said Israeli operatives “searched a lot” for Khamenei, but they could not find an “operational opportunity” to carry out an attack.

Iranian authorities have warned that Israel might still be seeking to kill Khamenei despite the fragile ceasefire currently in place.

Katz also told Channel 13 that he does “not see a situation where Iran will restore the nuclear facilities” attacked by US and Israeli forces, adding that Tehran’s capability to build nuclear weapons was “comprehensively destroyed”.

However, in his first speech since the ceasefire, Khamenei said the US strikes “did nothing significant” to Iran’s nuclear facilities.

Israeli sniper shoots 13-year-old three times, 30th child killed in West Bank this year

Rayan Tamer Anwar Houshyeh was killed by the sniper on Wednesday afternoon in the occupied West Bank town of al-Yamoun after he peeked over a wall during an Israeli military incursion, a leading child rights group reports.

The 13-year-old “looked over a stone wall in an alley near the Omar Ibn Al-Khattab Mosque to observe nearby Israeli forces” and was shot by the sniper from a distance of 50 to 60 metres (164 to 196 feet), said Defense for Children International – Palestine (DCI-P).

He was struck by bullets in the neck, abdomen, and thigh, the group said.

“Israeli soldiers entered Rayan’s hometown, killed him without a second thought, and no one will be held responsible. This is Palestinian childhood today,” DCI-P’s Ayed Abu Eqtaish said in a statement.

Rayan’s killing marks the 30th Palestinian child killed by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank so far this year, DCI-P added.

Iranian FM says bill suspending cooperation with UN nuclear watchdog ‘binding’

As we have been reporting, Iran has passed a parliamentary bill suspending its cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

A short while ago, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the bill is now “binding” after being passed by lawmakers and approved by Iran’s Guardian Council, the country’s highest authority.

“The bill that was approved by [parliament] and has been approved by the Guardian Council today [Thursday] … is binding on us and there is no doubt about its implementation,” he told state TV.

“From now on, our relationship and cooperation with the [IAEA] will take a new form,” Araghchi added.

Israeli forces carry out arrest campaigns across the occupied West Bank

The Israeli military has stormed several areas across the occupied West Bank over recent hours, including:

• The city of Qalqilya, where raids have been launched and arrests carried out
• The towns of Azzun, east of Qalqilya; Qabatiya, south of Jenin; and Kafr Malek, east of Ramallah, where arrest campaigns have been carried out
• The village of Tal, west of Nablus

Palestinian Authority (PA) security forces have also surrounded a house inside the Far’a refugee camp in Tubas, according to Al-Aqsa TV.

US approves $30m for controversial Gaza relief effort, EU leaders call for ceasefire in Gaza

The US State Department has approved $30m in funding for the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) – a group back by the US and Israel that has set up food distribution sites in Gaza.

That funding has been approved despite concerns about continuing violence near those sites where Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces as they try to collect food.

Israel lashes out at Spanish PM Sanchez’s Gaza ‘genocide’ comments

Israel’s embassy in Madrid has accused Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez of “demonising” Israel, and saying his country was “on the wrong side of history”.

The statement, which was also posted on the embassy’s X account, did not directly reference Sanchez’s statement earlier at an EU meeting where he called Israel’s war on Gaza a “genocide” and urged the bloc to suspend cooperation with Israel.

“This is not only deeply regrettable: it is morally indefensible,” the embassy said.

“Let us be clear: Israel, a democratic country facing existential threats on multiple fronts, has the right — and the duty — to defend its citizens,” it added.

In response, the Spanish government called the Israeli statement “unacceptable” and summoned the embassy’s charge d’affaires.

Controversial aid distribution group in Gaza welcomes $30m US funding

The interim head of the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) has welcomed a $30m funding contribution from the US government as the group’s work comes under intense criticism for chaos at its aid distribution sites that has contributed to the deaths of hundreds of people.

GHF’s Interim Executive Director John Acree also called for “unity and collaboration” in Gaza.

“We look forward to other aid and humanitarian organizations joining us so we can feed even more Gazans, together,” he said in a statement.

Well-known aid groups and the United Nations have refused to work with the GHF, saying it violates basic humanitarian principles by coordinating delivery with Israeli troops backed by privately hired and armed US security personnel.

Video clips have emerged showing Palestinians, many of them children, being shot at while trying to collect food aid.

As of Thursday, at least 549 Palestinians have been reported killed while waiting for food aid distributed at GHF sites, according to the Gaza Government Media Office.

Far right ministers Smotrich, Ben-Gvir warn Netanyahu of opposition to ‘Palestinian terror state’

Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has said the Abraham Accords, establishing diplomatic normalisation between Israel and some Arab states, should not be expanded to countries that support a Palestinian state.

Smotrich was responding to Prime Minister Netanyahu’s comments on Thursday that Israel’s “victory” over Iran opens the door for more peace agreements with Arab countries.

“Expanding the Abraham Accords is wonderful; peace alliances from a position of strength, with security potential and economic development for the entire region,” Smotrich said.

“But if it’s a shiny cover concealing an existential threat in the form of dividing the land, handing over territory to the enemy, and establishing a Palestinian terror state 20 times larger than Gaza and geographically and topographically dominating most of Israel—then no! Thank you.”

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir also said he finds it “hard to believe” Netanyahu will “repeat past mistakes and enter negotiations that will lead to the establishment of a Palestinian terror state”.

Spanish PM calls situation in Gaza ‘catastrophic’ genocide

Speaking ahead of a European Union summit in Brussels, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said Gaza was in a “catastrophic situation of genocide” and urged the EU to immediately suspend cooperation with Israel.

Sanchez mentioned an EU report which found “indications” Israel was breaching its human rights obligations under a cooperation deal with the European bloc, which forms the basis for trade ties.

His comments represent the strongest condemnation to date by the Spanish premier, who was already an outspoken critic of Israel’s offensive in Gaza, which has killed more than 56,000 Palestinians since October 2023.

Death toll rises to 72 in Israeli attacks across Gaza

Sources at hospitals in Gaza have told Al Jazeera that the death toll from the latest Israeli attacks across the besieged territory has now risen to 72.

The number of deaths in the last 24 hours includes Palestinians who were reportedly killed while waiting for food aid.

One Palestinian killed, five injured while waiting for food aid in central Gaza

Our colleagues from Al Jazeera Arabic are reporting, citing sources at al-Awda Hospital, that one Palestinian was killed and at least five others injured after they were shot at by Israeli forces while waiting for food aid.

The latest deadly incident reportedly took place just south of Wadi Gaza, located in the central area of the besieged Palestinian territory.

Earlier, we reported that 71 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli fire across Gaza since Thursday.

According to the Gaza Government Media Office, as of June 26, at least 549 Palestinians have been killed near aid sites since the US and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) humanitarian operation started one month ago.

Aid trucks enter Gaza, providing relief for Palestinians under Israel’s blockade

More than 100 aid trucks carrying flour, medicine, blood supplies, and emergency food aid entered Gaza on Thursday.

But it’s far from enough to meet the needs of Palestinians, who have been stripped of basic necessities for months.

A recap of recent developments

• At least 71 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks across Gaza since midnight on Thursday, including several aid seekers. Two infants in the enclave also died due to malnutrition.
• Gaza’s Government Media Office has said at least 549 Palestinians have been killed trying to access aid since the US and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation began operating four weeks ago.
• President Donald Trump has said US and Iranian officials will discuss Tehran’s nuclear programme next week. Iran denied it would meet the US, as it suspended cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency.
• The Trump administration has doubled down on its claim that US attacks destroyed Iran’s nuclear programme, but Democratic Senator Chris Murphy said classified intelligence shown to Congress did not support the claim.
• During a meeting in Brussels, the European Union has said it “deplores the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, the unacceptable number of civilian casualties and the levels of starvation”.
• The EU also called for a ceasefire in Gaza, but said it will not decide until July if Israeli abuses there have violated its human rights obligations under the terms of a pact governing its ties with the bloc.

Welcome to our coverage

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the conflict between Israel and Iran, as well as Israel’s war on Gaza.

Stay with us for the latest updates, reactions and analysis.

You can find all our updates from Thursday, June 26, here.