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Here’s where things stand on Saturday 27 June 2025:
- Israeli air attacks on al-Tuffah neighbourhood in Gaza City have killed at least 20 people, including nine children, according to medical sources.
- In its latest daily update, the Health Ministry in Gaza says Israeli attacks over the latest 24-hour reporting period have killed at least 81 people and wounded 422 others.
- The killings come a day after US President Donald Trump said a ceasefire in Gaza could be reached “within the next week”.
- Gaza’s Government Media Office says revelations in the Israeli media that soldiers were ordered to “deliberately shoot” starving Palestinians seeking aid supplies are further evidence of “war crimes” in Gaza.
- Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 56,412 people and wounded 133,054, 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.
‘No willingness’ among Palestinians in Gaza to join Abu Shabab armed group: Report
The Abu Shabab armed group, which Israel is reported to have armed in the Gaza Strip, is struggling to establish a real grip on the ground, according to a report by Israeli media outlet Ynet News.
Despite the fact that some 400 people in Gaza have joined its ranks, it has only managed to establish a foothold in the Rafah buffer zone and suffers from deep distrust among Palestinians, Ynet reported.
The outlet said there is “no willingness” among Palestinians in Gaza to join its ranks.
It quoted a father from Gaza who said, “Who would trust Abu Shabab? This is a group of people who looted, stole and killed. He [leader Yasser Abu Shabab] himself was in prison. How do you know he won’t kill me or my children? It sounds like a death trap.”
Hind Rajab Foundation files complaint to the ICC against Israeli brigadier general
The Belgium-based Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF) has filed a complaint to the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Israeli Brigadier General Yehuda Vahn.
HRF, which was formed in 2024, has pulled together lawyers and activists from around the world to prepare cases against Israeli soldiers based on social media content shared by the soldiers themselves.
HRF says Vach was in command of the “establishment and enforcement of an unlawful ‘kill zone’ in the Netzarim Corridor, a zone it said is characterised by ‘the deliberate targeting of civilians — particularly children — by sniper teams and mobile armoured patrols operating with impunity under Vach’s orders”.
“The complaint was based on powers of attorney obtained from the families of two Palestinian children who were summarily executed by Vach’s troops”, HRF said in a statement.
‘The EU is 60,000 Palestinian lives too late,’ says HRW expert
The EU has called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the unconditional release of captives, but it has chosen not to impose sanctions or suspend its trade agreement with Israel.
At a summit this week in Brussels, member states discussed an EU report that found Israel was likely violating its human rights obligations under the EU-Israel Association agreement, which governs its trade ties with the bloc. Rather than imposing sanctions, the EU’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, said, “We will contact Israel to present our findings and look at how we can improve the situation on the ground.”
Such communications, however, are failing to make an impact, according to Claudio Francavilla, the associate EU director at Human Rights Watch. “The truth is that they’ve been contacting the Israeli authorities for about 21 months now, and clearly, that hasn’t worked,” he told Al Jazeera from Brussels.
“There must be a place, a time when people realise that dialogue alone is not working and … has completely failed. If anything, the EU is about 60,000 lives too late in trying to move beyond the dialogue. People are being killed every day before our eyes.”
The question now, said Francavilla, is at what point the EU will stop with the dialogue and start using “non-verbal forms of communication, such as the suspension of the association agreement”.
Israeli military says it carried out an airstrike in southern Lebanon
The Israeli military claims to have eliminated a Hezbollah anti-tank commander earlier today in the town of Kunin in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah has not commented on the claim.
On Friday, at least one person was killed and more than a dozen others wounded in Israeli air attacks in the same area of southern Lebanon, according to the country’s health ministry.
After the attack, Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun accused Israel of continually violating the US-brokered ceasefire deal by keeping up strikes on Lebanon.
The ceasefire deal stipulates that southern Lebanon must be free of any non-state arms or fighters, Israeli soldiers must leave southern Lebanon as Lebanese troops deploy there, and all fire across the Lebanese-Israeli border must stop.
Israeli troops remain in at least five posts within Lebanese territory, and its air force regularly launches air raids, which it claims target rank and file Hezbollah members or people affiliated with the group.
‘The whole block is nearly wiped out’: Survivor of Gaza City attack
A survivor from a strike on a residential building in Gaza City recounts the attack, in which at least 20 Palestinians were killed, including nine children.
“We were sitting peacefully when we received a call from a private number telling us to evacuate the entire block immediately – a residential area belonging to the al-Nakhalah family. As you can see, the whole block is nearly wiped out,” one resident, Mahmoud al-Nakhala, told Al Jazeera.
“We still don’t know why two three-story homes were targeted … It’s heartbreaking that people watch what’s happening in Gaza – the suffering, the massacres – and stay silent. At this point, we can’t even comprehend what’s happening here anymore”, he continued.
Civil defence crews are working to remove people from under rubble.
“We are currently in the east of al-Tuffah neighborhood. Warplanes are bombing the area, and right now we are working to extinguish the fires,” Mohammed Essa told Al Jazeera.
“As you can see, the destruction is massive.”
In grieving Tehran, a mix of fear and anger after Israeli attacks
As we’ve been reporting, Iran has held a state funeral for top military commanders and nuclear scientists killed during the conflict with Israel, with tens of thousands of people gathering in central Tehran for the procession.
Speaking to Al Jazeera from the Iranian capital, journalist Fateme Karimkhan said the grief was “unbelievable” among the crowd paying their respects to the slain military figures and scientists, as well as civilians.
“But besides the grief, there’s fear and anger over what has happened in Iran these 12 days of war,” she said.
“It was palpable in the air; today, we could see some of sense of anxiety over what will be next for the country, for ordinary people,” added Karimkhan, noting that some people fear that Israel could attack again.
Commenting on the issue of potential nuclear talks, Karimkhan said there still appeared to be an appetite for discussions among Iranians, as many who voted in the last election had opted for better relations within the international community.
She cautioned, however, that in the wake of the Israeli attacks, as an increasing number of people “are now shifting to a more radical perspective” towards negotiations and engagement with international institutions and wider community.
Public outrage over Israel’s aid blockade has not led to government action: European MEP
The images that have emerged over the past few weeks of Palestinians being starved by Israel’s blockade of Gaza have been “impossible for any politician anywhere in the world to defend”, Lynn Boylan, an Irish member of the European Parliament representing Sinn Fein, tells Al Jazeera.
Even in countries such as Germany, which has been a staunch ally of Israel, citizens have been contacting their politicians and saying, “this must stop,” she noted, adding “unfortunately, then we’ve seen the distraction of [Israel’s conflict with] Iran, and the focus moved away from Gaza.”
Boylan said the daily footage of Palestinians being targeted at the aid distribution sites as they “desperately try to get food and water for their children and themselves” has now become normalised.
“The commentary that we heard was as a direct result of both the imagery and the people power and putting pressure on the German government… hasn’t manifested”, she said.
Over a dozen Palestinian athletes killed in June: Palestinian Olympic Committee
The organisation says that 13 members of the Palestinian sport community have been killed in June alone.
In a statement issued on social media, it said that since Israel launched its war on Gaza, the number of Palestinian athletes and scouts killed has reached approximately 615.
“This devastating loss not only represents a profound human tragedy, but also constitutes a flagrant violation of international law and the fundamental values enshrined in humanitarian and sports charters worldwide”, the statement read.
‘Students, universities stepping up to cut ties with Israel as EU stands by’
The EU’s double standard in sport and culture, from football to the Eurovision song contest, which has seen Russia excluded but not Israel, is rooted in “colonial hypocrisy”, says Giorgia Gusciglio, the Europe coordinator of campaigns for the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement promoting economic pressure against Israel.
“The EU [has] always protected and given carte blanche to Israel to do whatever it wants,” Gusciglio told Al Jazeera.
Universities are “taking matters in their own hand”, she said.
“Many universities are … no longer collaborating with Israeli institutions. They’re not waiting for the EU to act.”
“This is a massive testament to the mobilisation of students, academics.”
Israeli protests calling for an end to Gaza war, release of captives set to resume
Israeli newspaper Haaretz is reporting that protests demanding the return of captives and an end to the war on Gaza will be held across Israel this evening, drawing to a close a two-week pause due to emergency measures imposed during the conflict with Iran.
It said families of the captives will gather in two locations in Tel Aviv, while a silent protest will also take place outside Likud party headquarters in the centre of the city, where people will also display images of Palestinian children killed in Israel’s war on the besieged enclave.
In Jerusalem, demonstrators will march near Netanyahu’s residence, while protests will be held in several cities across Israel.
Hamas says hunger crisis in Gaza ‘ravaging’ children
The Gaza-based armed group has released a statement on the hunger crisis in the besieged enclave.
Here are their translated comments:
- Famine and malnutrition are ravaging Gaza’s children, and the world must take immediate action to stop the ongoing starvation.
- The brutal crimes and targeting of children with starvation, bombing and massacres are a horrific violation of international law and humanitarian values.
- The occupation commits crimes knowing that it is protected from accountability due to the cover provided by Washington’s complicity in these crimes.
Situation ‘catastrophic’ at site of Israeli attack on Gaza City
Al Jazeera’s Ibrahim al-Khalili is reporting from one of the many sites across Gaza attacked by Israel in recent hours.
This strike was on a residential building in Gaza City, in which at least 20 Palestinians were killed, including nine children. Rescue workers are now trying to find survivors trapped under the rubble.
“The fire is breaking out right now, and civil defence forces are trying to put the fire out,” al-Khalili said.
“The situation is catastrophic here, as the Israeli military is intensifying its attacks, resulting in the displacement of many Palestinians in this neighbourhood.”
He added that the area struck is densely populated, where thousands of Palestinians live.
EU a ‘willing partner’ in Israel’s ‘genocide, apartheid and military occupation’
Israel’s stance that it faces an “existential threat” from Hamas and Iran has no validity, says Giorgia Gusciglio, the Europe coordinator of campaigns for the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement promoting economic pressure against Israel.
“Israel has committed war crimes, crimes against humanity. The International Court of Justice has said that Israel is violating the rights of self-determination of the Palestinian people,” she told Al Jazeera.
“It’s committing the crime of apartheid. It’s the crime against humanity. So it keeps violating all human rights, all international law measures, and it keeps doing so thanks to EU colonial hypocrisy and double standards.”
Gusciglio asserted that the EU, in fact, is a “willing partner” in Israel’s “genocide, apartheid and military occupation”.
“It keeps acting as a poodle for the US and Israel. It keeps undermining international law, enabling Israel to do unspeakable horror, and this is only possible thanks to military, financial, political, diplomatic and other forms of unconditional support.”
Guscigli added that the EU should terminate the EU-Israel Association Agreement, as well as stop the sale and transfer of weapons to and from Israel.
Photos: Deadly Israeli air raids on Gaza City tent camp
Several children killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza City neighbourhood
The Israeli military carried out two deadly strikes within a span of 20 minutes.
The first was on a residential home where flying debris and shrapnel left several people wounded, followed by a second attack just a few minutes later on a market street very close to the area, in Yafa Street on Tuffah neighbourhood, where nine people were reported killed.
They were all transferred to al-Ahli Hospital. Inside the hospital, one of the persons in a phone call described the scene as very chaotic.
The hospital is really in bad shape; it doesn’t have the capacity to provide much-needed medical care for injuries. As for now, they are looking into alternative options to transfer those wounded to other hospitals in the area, whether it’s privately owned clinics or al-Shifa Hospital.
This area has been attacked relentlessly by the Israeli military – just in the past three hours, 11 people were killed close to that area, bringing the total number of people who were killed in Yafa Street, in the eastern part of Gaza City, to 20 people so far, including several children.
There were also drone strikes on other parts of the Gaza Strip, including in the city of Khan Younis and the Bureij refugee camp.
What we’re witnessing now is a significant increase, a surge in air attacks across the Strip, causing further civilian casualties, a sheer level of destruction and enforced displacement.
The EU demonstrates ‘blatant’ double standards in its treatment of Israel
The lack of action and double standards demonstrated by the European Union when it comes to Israel’s aggression have damaged its credibility, Lynn Boylan, an Irish member of the European Parliament representing Sinn Fein, tells Al Jazeera.
She said the failure to hold Israel accountable, after nearly two years of its war on Gaza, stands in stark contrast to the “swift action taken” by the EU when it came to Russia after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
“The double standards are so blatant … and citizens are telling me that every single day that they are ashamed of the EU … that why should any country respect trade agreements or any other form of agreement or negotiation or cooperation with the EU, when Israel is able just to tear up international law with no consequences,” she said.
At least 3 children among 29 bodies recovered in 24 hours by Gaza’s civil defence
Gaza’s civil defence crews carried out 31 missions from yesterday morning until this morning, including one firefighting mission, 13 rescue missions and 17 ambulance missions, the emergency service said in a statement.
Here are some of the killings they recorded due to Israeli attacks during this period:
- Nine bodies were recovered after homes belonging to the al-Zein and Darduna families were targeted in the Jabalia al-Balad area of northern Gaza.
- Four bodies, including those of three children, were recovered from the Osama bin Zayed School, which houses displaced people, and was targeted by Israeli forces in the as-Saftawi area of northern Gaza.
- Eight bodies were recovered and a fire was extinguished in the al-Shawa building targeted by Israeli forces in the Remal area of Gaza City.
- In the same area, eight bodies were recovered after an Israeli attack on the tents of displaced persons near Palestine Roundabout.
Israeli attack on al-Tuffah kills 20 people
The death toll has risen in this attack on the Gaza City neighbourhood, and among those killed are at least nine children, a source at al-Ahli Arab Hospital tells Al Jazeera’s team on the ground.
This brings today’s death toll from Israeli attacks on various parts of the Gaza Strip to 58.
The Abu Shabab armed group in Gaza coordinates with the Israeli military
The overwhelming majority of the Abu Shabab armed group are either “convicted murderers, thieves, collaborators, drug dealers or members of ISIS [ISIL] in Sinai or in Gaza itself”, Muhammad Shehada, senior fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, tells Al Jazeera.
He said the armed group “shares the same predicament with [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu: Criminals on the run from authority who know that as soon as the genocide in Gaza is over, they might be in prison”.
He said there is a clear connection between the Israeli military and the armed group, which is proven by the fact that its fighters can operate in areas the Israeli military designates as “extermination zones”.
“To have in the very deep heart of Rafah that Israel wiped out completely, allowing [the Abu Shabab armed group] to have a military complex and warehouses to store giant piles of looted aid … there is a zero-percent chance that this is not coordinated with Israel”, Shehada said.
Iran reopens central, western airspace for global transit flights: Report
Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization Coordination Committee has decided to open the airspace in the central and western part of the country for international transit flights only.
That’s according to a statement made by a spokesperson for the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development.
The statement said the move follows “security and safety reviews in the current situation”.
The airspace in the eastern half of the country had already been open for domestic, international, and transit flights, it added.
Grief, defiance on streets of Tehran
As we’ve been reporting, a huge funeral procession has been held in Tehran to honour military commanders, nuclear scientists and civilians killed in the recent Israeli air attacks.
Reporting from the ceremony in the Iranian capital, Al Jazeera’s Tohid Asadi said the atmosphere was heavy with grief, infused with anger at the attacks. Mourners were heard chanting slogans condemning Israel and the United States, as well as seen burning their flags.
“The strikes have left deep scars for the nation,” said Asadi.
“The ceasefire may have stopped the war, but public sentiment shows that deeply rooted hostility remains even higher than before.”
On the sidelines of the procession through central Tehran, one woman, who gave her name as Reyhaneh, spoke passionately of the marchers’ loyalty to their country and its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
“Let the US and UK know this,” she told Al Jazeera. “We will sacrifice every last drop of our blood for our leader and for his honour. They can’t do a damn thing.”
Why is Trump so frustrated with Israel and Iran?
From negotiating with Iran to bombing its nuclear facilities and then brokering a ceasefire, Trump’s erratic pivots appear to be driven more by optics than coherent diplomacy.
Mainstream Western news outlets, however, are making the job easier, painting Iran as an existential threat while downplaying Israel’s illegal actions.
‘No one sure’ if ICC will survive Trump pressure as attacks on Gaza aid seekers continue
We’ve spoken to Triestino Mariniello, a legal representative for Gaza victims at the International Criminal Court (ICC), about potential legal ramifications over the killings of aid seekers in Gaza.
He said Israel was violating international humanitarian law by setting up the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) to deliver aid in the territory, which he added had been created to “bypass” the fundamental principles of humanitarian aid delivery: independence, impartiality, neutrality and humanity.
Beyond the violations of international humanitarian law in the aid delivery, Mariniello told Al Jazeera that intentional attacks on civilian aid seekers amounted to war crimes, which both individual members of the Israeli military and the GHF would bear liability for before the ICC.
Asked whether the families of those killed near GHF aid sites in Gaza could feel comfortable in getting justice, he said that they should – but acknowledged that it would require political support for the ICC, as it faced an unprecedented attack from the Trump administration.
The Trump administration has sanctioned ICC judges, and is reportedly considering pulling funding for groups that investigate war crimes.
“The court is under incredible pressure and no one is sure, including the ICC staff, if in the next few months there will still be an International Criminal Court,” said Mariniello, adding that the court was “the only possibility” for the families of victims to get justice.
He said recent moves in Washington sent “a very dangerous” message about the new US approach to international human rights law: that “there must be no accountability for serious violations of international law, according to the Trump administration”.
Video captures clouds of smoke rising after Israeli attack on Khan Younis
Palestinian journalist Ibrahim Qannan has published a video on Instagram showing clouds of smoke rising among residential houses due to heavy Israeli bombardment in east and central Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip.
Israeli, US goals in Iran attacks ‘failed’
We’ve spoken to Ali Akbar Dareini, a researcher at the Centre for Strategic Studies in Tehran, about how people in Iran are viewing the recent conflict in which it was attacked by Israel and the US.
He said that, from Iran’s perspective, both countries had failed in their objectives.
“Trump’s goals have been to destroy Iran’s nuclear programme, and then invite Iran to the negotiating table from a position of power, assuming that Iran has been weakened and has no option but to surrender to American demands,” he said.
Israel’s goals had been to destroy Iran’s nuclear programme, foment unrest and topple Iran’s leaders, he claimed.
“That has not happened – it’s not going to happen,” he said, adding that the country instead was rallying around the flag in the face of foreign aggression.
He said Trump had squandered a “golden opportunity” to strike a deal with Iran over its nuclear programme.
“But he burned his chance for a deal – because he deceived Iran while Iran was at the negotiating table – by planning to carry out attacks,” he said.
“He talked about [being] the president of peace, now he’s proved he’s the president of war.”
Girl with Down syndrome among 11 killed by Israel in Gaza City
We have reported earlier that 11 Palestinians were killed in an Israeli attack on the Tuffah neighbourhood of Gaza City.
Mahmoud Basal, a spokesman for Gaza’s Civil Defence, confirmed the figure in a statement on Telegram, adding that a girl with Down syndrome was among the women, children and elderly killed in the attack.
No confirmation from Israel on potential ceasefire deal
There has been no public acknowledgement from Israeli officials that they are anywhere closer to a ceasefire deal.
Last week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israeli negotiators were constantly in talks with mediators, but that they were looking to push a temporary proposal put forward by US envoy Steve Witkoff several months ago that would see a 60-day pause in the fighting, in exchange for captives released from Gaza and Palestinian prisoners released from Israeli jails.
However, just a couple of nights ago, there was a report in Israeli media citing a call between the US president and the Israeli prime minister, talking about how they can wrap up the war on Gaza and in exchange there could be one, a Palestinian state, and two, normalisation with countries in the region.
Some of the countries that have been floated on the list include Syria, which Israeli officials confirm having direct talks behind the scenes.
But when it comes to a deal at this point, Netanyahu isn’t really signalling that Israel is anywhere closer to ending the war on Gaza.
‘It’s close’, ‘window of opportunity’: What US and Qatar have said about Gaza truce
Speaking to reporters yesterday, Trump expressed optimism a ceasefire in Gaza between Israel and Hamas could be reached as early as next week.
“I think it’s close. I just spoke to some of the people involved,” the US president said at the White House. “We think within the next week we’re going to get a ceasefire,” Trump added, without revealing who he had been in contact with.
Also on Friday, Majed al-Ansari, spokesperson for Qatar’s Foreign Ministry, told AFP that mediators are “trying to use the momentum that was created by the ceasefire between Iran and Israel to restart the talks” over the war on Gaza.
“If we don’t utilise this window of opportunity and this momentum, it’s an opportunity lost amongst many in the near past. We don’t want to see that again,” al-Ansari said.
He explained there are no discussions currently between the warring sides but said Qatar was “heavily involved in talking to every side separately”.
“We have seen US pressure and what it can accomplish,” al-Ansari said, referring to a January truce that Israel broke in March.
“We are working with them very, very closely to make sure that the right pressure is applied from the international community as a whole, especially from the US, to see both parties at the negotiating table,” he added.
There have been no comments from Israel and Hamas so far.
Israel kills nearly 50 Palestinians in Gaza since dawn: Medical sources
At least 44 Palestinians have been killed in the besieged enclave since dawn, hospital sources have told our colleagues at Al Jazeera Arabic.
Here is a summary of the casualties:
- An Israeli attack on the Tuffah neighbourhood, east of Gaza City, has killed at least 11 people, including four children, according to Ahli Hospital.
- Attacks in Gaza City and the north have killed at least 23 people.
- Six people were killed by Israeli gunfire near an aid distribution centre in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, according to Nasser Medical Complex.
- The hospital also said four people were killed in Israeli shelling on the town of al-Qarara, north of Khan Younis city, also in southern Gaza.
‘Long way to go’ before Gaza ceasefire becomes possible
Speaking to Al Jazeera after comments by US President Trump that a truce could be possible within a week, analyst Chris Doyle says “we have a long way to go, sadly, until we get to a ceasefire.”
Director of Council for Arab-British Understanding, also said the US leader’s remarks were “all about how you get a ceasefire for Israel, how you get normalised relations between Israel and some of its neighbours, and indeed, I’m afraid, how you get Donald Trump to get a Nobel Peace Prize”.
Doyle argued that putting pressure solely on Hamas is insufficient, emphasising that unless pressure is put on the Israelis, there will not be a “proper ceasefire”.
“That means that Palestinians’ lives can somehow start returning to dignity and decency, and they can try to recover from this genocide,” he added.
Anxiety high in Tehran as Iranians resume life after Israeli attacks
I have never seen Tehran so calm. The Iranian capital is famous for its heavy traffic, and now there is almost none.
Yet in the last two or three days, life is beginning to return to normal. Hotels, restaurants and coffee shops are opening again, and the city’s institutions are starting to operate once more.
But despite the signs of life returning to the capital, we’re seeing that people remain cautious.
Iranians never thought their capital would come under attack, yet for more than 10 days Israeli planes were bombing Tehran and other major cities.
People feel their country is more vulnerable than ever before, and that there is a high possibility of a second wave of the conflict.
