Middle East updates: Israeli strikes on Gaza kill scores

The Israeli military on Monday said that that its forces have received new instructions after looking into reports of civilians being killed at aid distribution centers in Gaza. 

The UN estimates that more than 400 Palestinians have been killed trying to access food aid since Israel lifted a blockade on May 19. The majority of incidents have been reported near aid centers operated by US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).

The UN has criticized the GHF for being unsafe by forcing civilians to walk through military zones to access aid.

"Following incidents in which harm to civilians who arrived at distribution facilities was reported, thorough examinations were conducted in the Southern Command and instructions were issued to forces in the field following lessons learned," the Israeli military said in a statement, without going into detail on what the new guidelines would entail.

The statement added that incidents in which civilians were harmed were under review.

An airstrike on a cafe in Gaza City killed at least 20 people on Monday, according to Gaza health authorities and witnesses.

Al-Baqa Cafe was a popular gathering spot for people seeking internet access, electricity and a place for remote work.

A man who was in the cafe at the time told The Associated Press that "all of a sudden, a warplane hit the place, shaking it like an earthquake."

Medics said the victims included women, children and a local journalist, Reuters news agency reported.

The strike took place after Israel had issued an evacuation order for large swaths of northern Gaza.

The Israeli military said it was reviewing information about the strikes, adding that it had targeted militants in northern Gaza, including command and control centers. The military said it was taking steps to mitigate the risk of harming civilians.

Palestinian rights group Al-Haq lost its court case against the British government for supplying Israel with parts for F-35 fighter jets and other military equipment.

According to the human rights group, the sales violate UK and international law, and would make the British government complicit in reported war crimes taking place against Palestinians.

The government said the ruling showed it had rigorous export rules, a spokesperson said.

Al-Haq and other groups that supported it, including the UK-based Global Legal Action Network, Amnesty International and Oxfam, described the ruling as a disappointing setback.

"Despite the outcome of today, this case has centered the voice of the Palestinian people and has rallied significant public support, and it is just the start," said Al-Haq's general director, Shawan Jabarin.

A total of 935 people were killed in Iran during the 12-day war with Israel, state media said Monday, citing a spokesperson for the Iranian judiciary.

Among the dead were 38 children and 132 women.

This makes a sharp increase from the previous tally by Iran's Health Ministry of 610.

The Washington-based group Human Rights Activists reported over the weekend that 1,190 people had been killed, according to its own research. 

Israeli settlers assaulted soldiers and police, while also vandalizing military vehicles and a security installation in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, the Israeli army said on Monday.

Media in Israel reported that the settlers had targeted the commander of the Binyamin Regional Brigade base in the West Bank, whom they called a "traitor."

This comes after another settler attack last week that resulted in at least three Palestinians being killed.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz called a meeting of all security agencies Monday to discuss the incident.

At least 22 people were killed and 20 others were injured by Israeli fire while trying to get desperately needed food aid in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, according to witnesses, hospitals and health authorities.

The incident took place about 3 kilometers (2 miles) from the Gaza Humanitarian Fund  site, where aid is distributed to Palestinians, many of whom had been on their way back from the distribution center using the only accessible route.

"They fired at us indiscriminately," Gaza resident Yousef Mahmoud Mokheimar told the Associated Press.

He said he was shot in the leg, and said another man was shot while trying to rescue him.

More than 500 Palestinians have been killed while trying to reach aid over the past month through the US- and Israel-backed distribution program.

Israel signaled it was ready for more normalization deals with its Arab neighbors, amid a war in the devastated Gaza Strip, which has dragged on for over 20 months.

"Israel is interested in expanding the Abraham Accord circle of peace and normalization," Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said at a news conference, referring to US-sponsored agreements signed in 2020 by Israel with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco.

"We have an interest in adding countries, Syria and Lebanon, our neighbors, to the circle of peace and normalization while safeguarding Israel's essential and security interests," he added.

In parallel to the war in Gaza, Israel had been engaged in fighting with the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah since October 2023. In October 2024, Israeli forces launched a ground invasion, with a ceasefire coming into effect the next month that was meant to guarantee both Israel and Hezbollah's exit from southern Lebanon.

Israel has also intensified strikes on Syrian locations since the ouster of dictator Bashar Assad in December 2024, with Israeli troops moving into a demilitarized zone inside Syria, including the Syrian side of the strategic Mount Hermon.

"In any peace agreement, the Golan will remain part of the State of Israel," Saar said, referring to the territory Israel seized from Syria in 1967 and later annexed in a move not recognized by the United Nations.

Paris, Berlin and London have condemned what they called "threats" against the head of the United Nations' nuclear watchdog after Tehran turned down a request by the International Atomic Energy Agency to visit its bombed nuclear sites.

"France, Germany and the United Kingdom condemn threats against the director general of the IAEA, Rafael Grossi, and reiterate our full support to the agency," Foreign Ministers Jean-Noel Barrot, Johann Wadephul and David Lammy said in a joint statement.

The trio called on Tehran to "refrain from any steps to cease cooperation with the IAEA," and "immediately resume full cooperation in line with its legally binding obligations."

The three countries comprise the E3 group, which coordinates on foreign and security matters, particularly Iran's nuclear program.

On Friday, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had criticized IAEA chief Rafael Grossi's insistence on visiting the nuclear sites bombed by Israel and the US during the recent war, saying such insistence was "meaningless and possibly even malign in intent."

Tehran reiterated its position on Monday but toned down its rejection, saying it could not guarantee the safety of the IAEA inspectors.

"How can they expect us to ensure the safety and security of the agency's inspectors when Iran's peaceful nuclear facilities were attacked a few days ago?" Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei told a news conference.

Israel struck Iranian nuclear and military sites on June 13, prompting a response from Tehran which started a 12-day war where the US also struck three Iranian nuclear sites, before US President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire.

One day before the Israeli strikes, the IAEA's board passed a resolution that accused Iran of ignoring its nuclear obligations. Tehran has argued that the resolution was an "excuse" for the war.

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Tensions remain high in the region after Tehran rejected a request by the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to visit the facilities bombed by Israel and the US during the war earlier this month.

European countries Britain, France and Germany lambasted Iran's "threats," while Tehran defended its position, saying it could not guarantee the safety of the watchdog's inspectors.

In Israel, officials condemned an attack reportedly by settlers in the occupied West Bank on Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers, while Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said the country was "interested" in normalizing ties with its Arab neighbors Syria and Lebanon.

This blog will bring you the latest on the situation in the Middle East, including in Iran, Israel and Gaza.