In the West Bank, a Palestinian man succumbs to injuries sustained from Israeli forces on 7/5 in Jenin. Israeli settlers raid Burqa, setting fire to a vehicle. Israeli settlers also set up a settlement outpost in Saddet Tha’ala in the Masafer Yatta area. Elsewhere, Israeli settlers set fire to an agricultural structure and olive trees in Dhahr al-Abed. Israeli settlers also vandalize olive trees in Kafr Ni’ma. Meanwhile, Israeli settlers begin construction of a settlement road near Husan. Israeli forces arrest 16 Palestinians during late-night raids in and around Hebron, Tubas, Ramallah, and Jerusalem. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces assault a Waqf employee at the Haram al-Sharif compound. In Gaza, Israeli forces bomb Rafah, Gaza City, Khan Yunis, Nuseirat refugee camp, al-Bureij refugee camp, Beit Lahiya, and Dayr al-Balah, killing at least 55 people, including deputy Labor Minister Ehab al-Ghussein and 3 others in an airstrike on Gaza City. Israeli forces also order the evacuation of the Tuffah, Daraj, and Old City neighborhoods of Gaza City. A Palestinian child dies of starvation at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, bringing the number of Palestinians dead from starvation to 41. 4 Palestinians are found dead wearing handcuffs near the Karem Abu Shalom (Kerem Shalom) crossing. An Israeli soldier is killed in combat. In Lebanon, Israeli forces bomb Naqoura, Ayta ash Shab, Yaroun, Maroun al-Ras, and Qabrikha. Hezbollah forces launch a large-scale drone attack on an Israeli military facility in Mount Hermon. (AJ, AJ, HA, HA, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 7/7; AP, REU 7/8)
More than 38,153 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 15,983 children and 10,637 women, and around 87,828 have been injured since 10/7/2023. At least 10,000 people are missing in rubble. 564 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7/2023, including 132 children. More than 5,420 people have been injured. Israel reports that 1,139 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed and 5,400 have been injured in Israel since 10/7/2023, including Israeli soldiers. In addition, 324 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 2,069 injured in Gaza since the ground invasion began on 10/27/2023. Over 1.93 million Palestinians, nearly 85% of the population of Gaza, have been displaced since 10/7/2023. There has been a complete electricity blackout in Gaza since 10/12/2023 due to the Israeli blockade. At least 79,000 housing units have been destroyed and 370,000 have been damaged in Israeli airstrikes since 10/7/2023. Al-Ahli Arab Hospital evacuates injured people to other hospitals in northern Gaza after Israel issues an evacuation order for parts of Gaza City. The Lancet journal publishes an article estimating that based on the current death toll 186,000 people will die as direct or indirect result of the Israeli war on Gaza. (AJ, WAFA, WAFA 7/7; AJ, REU 7/8)
PA president Mahmoud Abbas speaks with new UK prime minister Keir Starmer, urging him to recognize the State of Palestine. (AJ, HA, WAFA 7/7)
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israeli demands in the ceasefire negotiations include that Israel can continue its war on Gaza after the ceasefire, that the deal must prohibit smuggling of weapons via the Egyptian border, that Hamas militants will not be allowed to return to northern Gaza, and that the maximum number of live captives are released to Israel. Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant says a ceasefire with Hamas will not end Israel’s aggression against Hezbollah. Netanyahu also speaks with the Prime Minister Starmer, discussing ceasefire negotiations and the situation along the Blue Line. (AJ, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, REU 7/7; NYT 7/8)
The French left-wing party New Popular Front (NFP) surprisingly wins the second round of the parliamentary elections. NFP leader Jean-Luc Melenchon says the new government must recognize the State of Palestine. NFP does not have enough seats in parliament to form a government on its own. (NYT 7/7; AJ, HA 7/8)
Haaretz reports that Israel activated the Hannibal Directive on 10/7/2023 with the military ordering its soldiers at 11:22 a.m. to make sure that “not a single vehicle can return to Gaza.” As early as 7:18 a.m. an Israeli commander ordered “Hannibal at Erez” after reports of a kidnapping at the Beit Hanun (Erez) crossing. The Hannibal Directive dictates that Israeli soldiers uses maximum force to avoid the kidnapping of Israelis in order to prevent abduction, even if they kill Israelis. (AJ, HA 7/7)
The New York Times, AP, and other news outlets report on a tour of Rafah by the Israeli military that their journalists participated in on 7/3. The journalists describe the city as “maze of rubble” where everyone is gone. (AP, NYT 7/7)