Israeli minister prays at flashpoint holy site as officials say 33 aid-seekers killed in Gaza

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip -- A far-right Israeli curate visited and prayed astatine Jerusalem's astir delicate beatified tract connected Sunday, triggering determination condemnation and fears that the provocative determination could further escalate tensions. The sojourn came arsenic hospitals successful Gaza reported that 27 much Palestinians seeking nutrient assistance were killed by Israeli fire.

With Israel already facing planetary disapproval implicit famine-like conditions successful the besieged strip, the sojourn by Itamar Ben-Gvir to the hillside compound threatened to further acceptable backmost efforts by planetary mediators to halt Israel's astir two-year subject violative successful the Gaza Strip.

The area, which Jews telephone the Temple Mount, is the holiest tract successful Judaism and was location to the past biblical temples. Muslims telephone the tract the Noble Sanctuary. Today it is location to the Al Aqsa Mosque, the third-holiest tract successful Islam.

Visits are considered a provocation crossed the Muslim satellite and openly praying violates a longstanding presumption quo astatine the combustible site.

Under the presumption quo, Jews person been allowed to circuit the tract but are barred from praying, with Israeli constabulary and troops providing security. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bureau said aft Ben-Gvir's sojourn that Israel would not alteration the norms governing the beatified site.

Ben-Gvir made the halt pursuing Hamas' merchandise of videos showing 2 emaciated Israeli hostages. The videos caused successful uproar successful Israel and raised unit connected the authorities to scope a woody to bring location from Gaza the remaining hostages who were captured connected Oct. 7, 2023, successful the onslaught that triggered the war.

During his sojourn to the hilltop compound, Ben-Gvir called for Israel to annex the Gaza Strip and promote Palestinians to leave, reviving rhetoric that has analyzable negotiations to extremity the war. He raged against a video that Hamas released Saturday of 24-year-old hostage Evyatar David showing him skeletal and hollow-eyed successful a dimly lit Gaza tunnel. He called it an effort to unit Israel.

Ben-Gvir's erstwhile visits to the tract person been explosive and prompted threats from Palestinian militant groups. Clashes betwixt Israeli information forces and Palestinian demonstrators successful and astir the tract fueled an 11-day warfare with Hamas successful 2021.

His Sunday sojourn was swiftly condemned arsenic an incitement by Palestinian leaders arsenic good arsenic Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

Sufian Qudah, spokesperson for the overseas ministry successful neighboring Jordan, which serves arsenic the custodian of the Al Aqsa Mosque, condemned what helium called "provocative incursions by the extremist minister" and implored Israel to forestall escalation.

Videos of bare and suffering Israeli hostages

Israel has been jolted this week by videos of hostages with their faces hollow, ribs protruding and bodies ravaged by hunger.

The videos - released by Hamas and Islamic Jihad, the second-largest militant radical successful Gaza - triggered outrage crossed the governmental spectrum successful Israel. Tens of thousands rallied successful Tel Aviv connected Saturday urging Israel and the United States to urgently prosecute their merchandise aft suspending ceasefire talks.

Right-wing politicians who person opposed deals with Hamas said the footage reinforced their condemnation that the militant radical indispensable beryllium obliterated erstwhile and for all.

"From present we request to bring a connection and guarantee that from today, we conquer each of the Gaza Strip, state sovereignty implicit each of the Gaza Strip, instrumentality retired each Hamas subordinate and promote voluntary emigration," Ben-Gvir said connected a video posted connected societal media aft his sojourn to the beatified site.

Deadly chaos grips nutrient organisation points

Palestinians reported much deadly unit astatine assistance sites and the Palestinian Red Crescent Society said a unit subordinate had been killed erstwhile Israeli forces shelled its bureau with artillery.

With planetary choler increasing astatine the concern successful Gaza, astir 90,000 protesters successful Australia marched crossed the Sydney Harbour Bridge, turning the metropolis landmark into a awesome of absorption to Israel's subject run successful Gaza.

Hospital officials said Israeli forces killed astatine slightest 27 Palestinians seeking nutrient connected Sunday successful the besieged territory, wherever witnesses described facing gunfire arsenic bare crowds surged toward assistance sites and the malnutrition-related decease toll besides rose.

Desperation has gripped the Palestinian territory of much than 2 million, which experts pass is facing "a worst-case script of famine due to the fact that of Israel's blockade and astir two-year offensive.

Yousef Abed, among the radical en way to a organisation point, described coming nether indiscriminate fire, seeing astatine slightest 3 radical bleeding connected the ground.

"I couldn't halt and assistance them due to the fact that of the bullets," helium said.

Two hospitals successful confederate and cardinal Gaza reported receiving bodies from routes starring to Gaza Humanitarian Foundation assistance sites, including 11 killed successful the Teina country en way to a organisation constituent successful Khan Younis.

Three Palestinian eyewitnesses, including 1 traveling done Teina, told The Associated Press that shootings occurred connected the routes, which are successful subject zones secured by Israeli forces. They said they saw soldiers unfastened occurrence connected bare crowds advancing toward troops.

Eyewitnesses seeking nutrient person reported akin gunfire attacks successful caller days adjacent assistance organisation sites, leaving dozens of Palestinians dead. The United Nations reported 859 radical were killed adjacent GHF sites from May 27 to July 31 and that hundreds much person been slain on the routes of U.N.-led nutrient convoys.

GHF says its equipped contractors person lone utilized capsicum spray oregon fired informing shots to forestall deadly crowding. Israel's subject has said it lone fires informing shots arsenic well. Both claimed the decease tolls person been exaggerated.

Israel's subject did not instantly responded to questions astir Sunday's reported fatalities astatine the sites but said it was reviewing Red Crescent's claim. GHF's Media Office said determination was nary gunfire "near oregon astatine our sites."

Meanwhile, the Gaza Health Ministry said six much Palestinian adults died of malnutrition-related causes implicit the past 24 hours. It said Sunday's casualties brought the decease toll among Palestinian adults to 82 implicit the 5 weeks since the ministry started counting deaths among adults successful precocious June. Malnutrition-related deaths are not included successful the ministry's number of warfare casualties.

Ninety-three children person besides died of causes related to malnutrition since the warfare successful Gaza started successful 2023, the ministry said.

Israel has taken a bid of steps to summation the travel of nutrient into Gaza implicit the past week, but U.N. and alleviation groups accidental conditions person not improved.

The warfare began erstwhile Hamas attacked confederate Israel connected Oct. 7, 2023, sidesplitting astir 1,200 people, and abducting different 251. They are inactive holding 50 captives, astir 20 believed to beryllium alive, aft astir of the remainder were released successful ceasefires oregon different deals. Israel's retaliatory subject violative has killed much than 60,400 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry.

The ministry, which doesn't separate betwixt civilians and combatants successful its count, is staffed by aesculapian professionals. The United Nations and different autarkic experts presumption its figures arsenic the astir reliable number of casualties. Israel has disputed its figures, but hasn't provided its ain relationship of casualties.

Metz reported from Jerusalem and Magdy from Cairo.