Israel-Gaza war live: investigation after wounded Palestinian man strapped to Israeli military vehicle | Israel-Gaza war

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant headed to Washington on Sunday to discuss the next phase of the Gaza war and escalating hostilities on the border with Lebanon, where exchanges of fire with Hezbollah have stoked fears of wider conflict.

Iran-backed Hezbollah has been trading fire with Israel since the Gaza war erupted more than eight months ago. The group has said it will not stop until there is a ceasefire in Gaza.

“We are prepared for any action that may be required in Gaza, Lebanon, and in more areas,” Gallant said in a statement before setting off to Washington, where he said he will meet his counterpart Lloyd Austin and secretary of state Antony Blinken.

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (Unrwa), citing the Global Education Cluster, says 69 per cent of all schools sheltering displaced families in Gaza have either been “directly hit or damaged” during the war.

Shelters run by Unrwa have also been hit repeatedly, according to the agency, killing more than 500 people sheltering in them.

“This blatant disregard of humanitarian law must stop. We need a ceasefire now,” Unrwa said in a post on X.

Julian Borger

‘They miscalculated’: Gaza’s floating aid pier failing to deliver in rough seas: A floating pier built by the US military for seaborne humanitarian deliveries to Gaza has proved itself to be fragile in the face of rougher seas than expected, and the future of the whole $230m project is now in question.

The pier has been usable for just 12 days since it began operations on 17 May. On most of those days the assistance arriving by sea has had to be left on the beach as there have been no trucks to distribute it to warehouses in Gaza, because of lack of security.

The scheme has fallen far short of initial expectations. When he announced it in his state of the union speech on 7 March, Joe Biden said the temporary pier “would enable a massive increase in the amount of humanitarian assistance getting into Gaza every day”.

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The EU’s foreign affairs chief has called for an independent probe into a shelling which damaged the office of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Gaza.

In a post on X, Josep Borrell said the EU condemned the shelling which also “led to dozens of casualties”.

The ICRC reported on Saturday that heavy-calibre projectiles “landed within metres” of its office and residences, killing at least 25 people.

“An independent investigation is needed and those responsible must be held accountable,” Mr Borrell said.

“ICRC must be able to carry out all its Geneva Conventions duties in safety,” he added.

Cuba has said it will join a case by South Africa which accuses Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.

The Cuban foreign ministry said in a statement that the move was to “stop the atrocities against the Palestinian people as a result of the disproportionate and indiscriminate use of force by Israel”.

South Africa filed a case with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in December last year, arguing Israel is breaching the UN convention on genocide.

Israel described the lawsuit as a “despicable and contemptuous exploitation” of the court.

In May, the ICJ ordered Israel to stop its military offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah in response to an emergency request by South Africa.

The Israeli military says it targeted Hezbollah fighters and buildings on Saturday night.

It said Israeli warplanes struck a Hezbollah observation post in the Kfar Kila area of southern Lebanon. Israeli forces also attacked Hezbollah fighters in the Taiba area.

The latest attacks come as UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned the “world cannot afford Lebanon to become another Gaza”.

In other developments:

• Thousands rallied in Tel Aviv to mark the 20th birthday of hostage Naama Levy. Protesters called for new elections and to call for an immediate ceasefire in the war with Palestinian militant group Hamas and for the government to bring the hostages home. Among the families were the parents of Naama Levy, an Israeli soldier who marked her 20th birthday in captivity, who has been held hostage in Gaza since 7 October.

• A drone damaged a merchant ship 65 nautical miles (120km) west of Hodeidah, Yemen, the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UK MTO) reported. The ship is making its way to its next port of call and “all crew members are reported safe”, it added. The latest attack comes after the Yemen-based Houthis claimed to have hit a commercial vessel directly with a ballistic missile after it used an Israeli port.

• Dozens of Palestinians have been killed in Israeli airstrikes on two densely populated locations in Gaza City. According to initial reports in the Israeli media, the bombings were aimed at assassinating a very senior Hamas commander. Amid initial reports of tens of casualties, including some still buried under the rubble, the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement it had struck Hamas “military infrastructure sites”.

• The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said that 25 people were killed in a shelling attack that damaged its Gaza office, which is surrounded by hundreds of displaced Palestinians living in makeshift tents. The health ministry in the Hamas-run territory also said there were 50 injured in the shelling, which it blamed on Israel. Al-Mawasi had been designated as a humanitarian “safe zone” by Israel and thousands of people had fled there following Israel’s assault on the southern city of Rafah. The Israeli military said the episode was under review but that “there is no indication that a strike was carried out by the IDF” inside the safe zone.

• Washington assured Tel Aviv that it will have its full support if a full-scale war breaks out with Hezbollah. The assurance came after Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly accused the US of withholding weapons and ammunitions from his country earlier this week, amid a tense back-and-forth between Israeli and US officials. Tensions have been growing between Israel and Hezbollah after months of intensifying cross-border attacks in southern Lebanon and northern Israel.

Hello and welcome to the Guardian’s live coverage of the Israel-Gaza war and its repercussions across the Middle East.

Israeli troops tied a wounded Palestinian man, Mujahed Azmi, to a military vehicle during a raid in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin, the army said Sunday, admitting that soldiers had violated operational procedures.

Footage of the incident, which occurred on Saturday, has gone viral and shows Azmi, a Jenin resident strapped horizontally to the bonnet of a military Jeep as it passes through a narrow alley.

The military said the Palestinian was wounded during a “counter-terrorism operation” launched to apprehend wanted suspects.

During an exchange of fire between troops and militants, one of the suspects was wounded and apprehended, the military said in a statement.

The family of Azmi told the Reuters news agency he was wounded during an Israeli raid. When the family asked for an ambulance, the military took Azmi, strapped him on to the hood of their four-wheel drive and drove off.

The military statement added: “In violation of orders and standard operating procedures, the suspect was taken by the forces while tied on top of a vehicle.”

“The conduct of the forces in the video of the incident does not conform to the values of the IDF [military],” it added. “The incident will be investigated and dealt with accordingly.” The statement also said that the wounded man was transferred to the Palestinian Red Crescent for treatment.