As Europeans head to the polls in four days of voting across 27 countries to elect a new European Parliament, millions of young people will be casting their ballot for the first time.
In some countries, the voting age has been lowered to 16 – so minors in Belgium, Germany, Austria, Greece and Malta will be able to cast their vote in these elections.
“It’s a very big opportunity for us, because it gives us a voice we never had before,” says Mare Verlinde, a 17-year-old student from Belgium.
“I think Europe needs to step up and be stronger – we can’t always rely on Nato,” her friend Auguste Duchene says, earnestly.
For this group of friends – and for many of their peers – these European elections are hugely significant when it comes to security. They grew up being told Europe was safe – but in the last two years, that conviction has disappeared.
17-year-old Lore Sleeckx is worried about war in Europe.
“My history teachers are saying they wouldn’t be surprised if a world war happened in the future,” she says – and all her friends nod in agreement. “That really scares me.”
In the 2019 European elections, young people turned out in record numbers - their votes going overwhelmingly to green parties that championed strong climate policies. At the time, it was heralded as a “Green wave.”
But five years is a long time in politics.
If the polls are right, an unprecedented number of young voters are considering casting their votes for parties on the right and far right, many of which are broadly Eurosceptic.
“We want to do away with the status quo, and that’s why many of my friends are voting for the right,” Bence Szabó tells me, while attending an anti-EU farmers protest in Brussels. The rumbling sound of the tractors blends with the voices on stage as they denounce Europe’s elites.
“Everything coming from the right is being demonised,” says the 25-year-old from Hungary, “but we can actually solve the issues that the left tried to solve - and failed.”
The issues that young Europeans care about, of course, vary. But this is a generation that grew up during the Covid pandemic, and now feels worried on multiple fronts: war in Europe, climate change, an uncertain job market and a lack of affordable housing.
“We are not extremists. We are just angry,” explains Lazar Potrebic, a 25-year-old from a Hungarian minority in Serbia who is entitled to vote.
He - and many of his peers - are worried about the future, and feel that the more traditional parties are not listening to their concerns.
“We feel like our needs are not being met. People our age are taking really important life steps. We're getting our first jobs, thinking about starting a family…but if you look around Europe, rent prices are going through the roof - and it’s hard to get work.”
Of course the feeling of not being listened to when you’re young, of not being part of the equation, is nothing new. But many of the parties on the far right are actively courting the young vote, says Dave Sinardet, a professor of political science at the Free University of Brussels.
“The radical right channels anti-establishment feelings,” he told the BBC. “They have a bit of a rebellious vibe - especially when it comes to their anti-woke agenda - and that appeals to young people.”
For the leader of Spain’s Vox party, Santiago Abascal, the hot-button issues are transgender rights and abortion.
Migration is another question driving young voters to the right. Last year saw some 380,000 people illegally crossing the EU's borders - the highest number since 2016.
“The EU’s stance on migration has been too lenient,” believes Giorgio, a 28-year-old Italian. He will be voting for Giorgia Meloni’s Brothers of Italy - arguably the far right’s biggest success story in Europe.
He thinks the EU should have a migration policy more similar to that of Hungary, Slovakia and Poland, which have all challenged the EU’s new migration pact which gives dissenting countries the right to pay rather than receive new arrivals.
TikTok
“They were mercilessly criticised when they built fences; but the reality is that what the EU is doing is not working," says Giorgio. "We have no idea who is coming in: people are falling through the cracks, and they could have a criminal record - meaning that Europe is less secure.”
Far-right politicians are also doing a better job at grabbing the youth’s attention online: their social media strategy is unmatched.
The perfect example is French politician Jordan Bardella - the charismatic 28-year-old leader of the National Rally who heads its list for the European elections. With 1.2m followers on TikTok, he is making his party appealing to France’s youth - one selfie video at a time. According to one survey, 36% of French people under 24 back him.
“TikTok and Instagram lend themselves to the type of messages that the radical right wants to spread,” says Dave Sinardet. “Simplistic, unnuanced videos on issues like migration, security and gender.”
In Italy, Matteo Salvini of the far-right League is campaigning on Instagram with the slogan “Less Europe, more Italy”. He posts AI-generated images suggesting that “more Europe” means being forced to eat insects, men with Jesus-like beards giving birth, and the unforgivable sin of eating pineapple on pizza.
“These messages ignite an emotional response, and that’s why they are boosted by the algorithm, especially on TikTok,” says Prof Sinardet. “The far right invested on social media very early on - and now, they are reaping the rewards.”
More than six in ten young EU citizens say they are going to vote in the upcoming European elections. Instead of a “green wave”, this time around they could be pivotal in delivering the most significant push to right since the EU was founded.
That could fundamentally reshape Europe’s agenda on issues ranging from climate, to migration, to support for Ukraine.
Bence Szabó from Hungary has no doubt this will translate into an EU legislature more in tune with the young generation.
PVV leader Geert Wilders hoped to ride a wave of support for the Dutch coalition he has put together after winning big in national elections in November.
Gasps of shock and cheers of joy rippled through the packed hall where members of the GreenLeft-Labour bloc had gathered to watch the results of the exit poll. The results seem to suggest that the GreenLeft-Labour joint list will win eight out of the 31 seats the Netherlands gets in the European Parliament.
Even louder cheers were heard when it was projected the radical right Freedom and Democracy Party is projected to win seven seats. Pro-European parties are expected to have picked up two thirds of the votes.
"Pro European parties in the Netherlands did very well in this election which sends a clear signal to the rest of Europe that there is no necessity to work with the radical right. The assumption that the radical right would sweep this election has not materialized in the Netherlands," former First Vice President of the European Commission Frans Timmermans told Euronews.
Timmermans currently leads the GreenLeft-Labour alliance.
The GreenLeft-Labour combination ran on a joint list for the first time in European elections, but will split up once it gets to Brussels. Labour is part of the Socialists and Democrats and the GreenLeft are part of the Greens.
There was no election party organized by Geert Wilders Party for Freedom and Democracy, despite the result. Wilders is still projected to win seven seats, a hefty increase from five years ago when the party won only a single seat.
During the party's single campaign event on Wednesday, Wilders was mobbed by the press and his supporters.
"I'm not washing this hand till December," said a man who shook Wilders' hand.
Wilders was hoping to ride a wave of support for the Dutch coalition he has managed to put together after winning big in national elections here in November. He sees the rise of the right as part of a bigger trend.
"The West is waking up and you see parties like mine growing in popularity all over the European Union. The people are waking up and I hope for them to stay awake," he told Euronews.
"The next few days are crucial for the future of Europe. Will it be with more borders and immigration or will it be a lot tougher with not an expansion of the European union but returning legislative powers to the capitals? And that is something we are aiming for."
Off to the side stood Sebastian Stoteler, the man who will actually be going to Brussels for the PVV. Stoteler only has a couple of media appearances under his belt so remains largely unknown. On his website he calls Islam a totalitarian ideology similar to fascism and Nazism.
The radical right party had previously always advocated for a withdrawal from the EU, a so-called Nexit, but changed course this year.
Wilders now says he wants to change Europe from within. Wilders is hoping to join the Identity and Democracy Group in Parliament, which is also home to Marine le Pen's Rasssemblement National.
"If you want to change the big institutions like the European Union, it is more effective if you do it from the inside. So if parties like mine, who it looks like they are winning all over Europe, from Austria, France and Belgium to Italy and Spain and other countries, if we would join forces and perhaps form a big group of MEPS that will be able and strong enough to change the European policy from within," he told journalists while campaigning on Wednesday.
Turnout was the highest since 1989 with 47% of voters going to the polls. In 2019, turnout was 42%.
“The purpose of the government of national unity must be, first and foremost, to tackle the pressing issues that South Africans want to be addressed,” Ramaphosa said late on Thursday after a marathon ANC meeting.
“These issues include job creation and the growth of our economy that will be inclusive, the high cost of living, service delivery, crime and corruption,” he said.
As Ramaphosa acknowledged after 10 hours of intensive talks with his party’s senior members at a Johannesburg conference centre, the governing party now needs partners to form a government.
There had been speculation the party might seek to form a minority government or a coalition with one or two major parties, but in the end Ramaphosa invited all his rivals to talks.
“Such a national dialogue will enhance the pressing task of rebuilding social cohesion in a fractured society, following a particularly toxic and divisive election campaign,” he said.
Ramaphosa said ANC negotiators had already held talks with five parties: the leftist Economic Freedom Fighters, the Zulu nationalist Inkatha Freedom party, the centre-right Democratic Alliance, the National Freedom party and the anti-immigrant Patriotic Alliance.
“All parties must commit to shared nation building and social cohesion,” he said. “These values include respect for the constitution of the Republic of South Africa and the rule of law, social justice and equity, human dignity, non-racialism and non-sexism.”
King Charles and Queen Camilla have opened a new educational centre close to the British Normandy memorial in France.
The Press Association (PA) reports that shortly after attending the nearby UK commemorative event, Charles and Camilla toured the Winston Churchill Centre for Education and Learning.
They were shown an exhibition gallery, curated by the Royal British Legion, telling the stories of those who fought on D-day and in the Battle of Normandy. According to the PA, Charles was heard remarking: “It’s extraordinary isn’t it?”
Charles and Camilla spoke to a number of people involved in the building of the centre, including sculptor David Williams-Ellis. They then signed the visitor’s book, before departing.
The centre will also feature a purpose-built classroom to host school groups, teaching them how the landings were possible. It will be open to the public from 7 June and entry will be free.
The opening was also attended by UK prime minister Rishi Sunak and Gen Lord Richard Dannatt, the chairman of the Normandy Memorial Trust.
Daniel Boffey reporting from Ver-sur-Mer, has written a piece on how the words of D-day veterans stirred the crowd in Normandy:
It was not the profound silence of the moment of reflection, broken only by gentle birdsong, or even the spectacular sweeping flypast from the Red Arrows that left deep red, blue and white trails hanging in the almost cloudless sky, that most stirred the thousand people honouring the events of 80 years ago among the brilliant white French Massangis stone of the British Normandy memorial.
It was instead the words of Arthur Oborne, 100, which brought people to their feet in a spontaneous show of gratitude and sorrow over the burdens borne and lives prematurely ended by what the king had described as “the vast allied effort” launched on 6 June 1944.
Standing at the centre of the memorial site, opened in 2021 near the village of Ver-sur-Mer and overlooking Gold beach, Oborne, working hard to keep his voice strong and clear, recalled being shot in the lung by a sniper.
He had only been saved by his friend “Gummy” Gummerson, who strapped him up and got him back to a field hospital. But “Gummy” was killed the very next day along with 26 others in the 49th division of the Duke of Wellington’s Regiment, 6th Battalion.
“I wish I could tell him that I have never taken his sacrifice for granted and will always remember him and our friends,” Oborne, from Portishead, Somerset, told the crowd. “So Gummy, thank you my old friend.”
You can read Daniel Boffey’s full piece here:
US president Joe Biden has arrived on Omaha beach with his wife, Gill, to raucous cheers.
One of his first conversations on greeting fellow leaders was with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has been hugging and chatting with a number of the US veterans as they arrive at Omaha beach.
A large screen on the beach provides the audience with a close up look at the greeting line to the right of the stage.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy was engaged in an intensive conversation with the Czech president Petr Pavel soon after his arrival on Omaha beach.
Pavel holds the rank of general and was chair of the Nato military committee until 2018. He was decorated by the Czech and French governments for rescuing French troops besieged by the Serbs during the Bosnian war in 1993.
Spectators have cheered and given a standing ovation to Battle of Normandy veterans who are arriving at the commemoration service in Arromanches.
The town square parade by the D-day museum is being watched by crowds and people in overlooking shop windows and a cafe rooftop.
One veteran waved and smiled to the crowds as he arrived in his wheelchair.
In the hot sunshine, veterans donned sunglasses and D-day caps, while being shaded under umbrellas by family members as they watched the military parade start the Arromanches service.
The veterans have a view looking out to sea over Gold Beach where troops landed 80 years ago.
Here are some of the latest images on the newswires from Omaha beach as international leaders, officials, veterans and members of the public make their way for the international commemorative event:
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy and his wife, Olena, were greeted with cheers and applause as they arrived at the international commemorative event on Omaha beach.
Olena Zelenska looked behind in surprise as the crowd erupted as they walked into the open air venue.
France’s Emmanuel Macron and the British defence secretary Grant Shapps were among the politicians to greet Zelenskiy with a hug. No Russian representative has been invited to the commemorative events due to Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
The international commemorative ceremony is under way as international leaders arrive at Omaha Beach in the town of Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer.
BBC coverage is showing the French president, Emmanuel Macron, and first lady, Brigitte Macron, greeting Candian prime minister Justin Trudeau, followed by Prince William.
More than 25 heads of state will be in attendance alongside veterans, officials and the general public.
The UK defence secretary Grant Shapps has arrived at the international ceremony on Omaha beach. He is deputising for the prime minister who returned to London after the British commemorate event this morning.
The Prince of Wales is also attending this afternoon’s service.
The US secretary of state Antony Blinken has shared a statement today in commemoration of the 80th anniversary of D-day.
It reads:
Today, we commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-day, a pivotal moment in our shared history that resonates deeply with Americans, our allies, and the world. On June 6, 1944, brave allied forces stormed the beaches of Normandy in a heroic effort to liberate Europe from the grip of Nazi tyranny.
We honor the extraordinary courage and sacrifice of those who fought on the frontlines for freedom and those who supported them from afar. The bonds forged on the beaches of Normandy have endured for eight decades, evolving into the alliances that underpin our collective security and defence of democracy today.
We extend our profound gratitude to the people of France, who have preserved the memory of D-day with unwavering dedication.
As we prepare to host the Nato Summit in Washington DC., we are reminded of the enduring importance of our alliance. Together, we face renewed challenges to freedom and democracy.
These challenges have reignited the spirit of cooperation and shared purpose that led to victory for those who came before us. The Nato summit will be an opportunity for us to highlight our collective commitment to liberty, democracy, prosperity, and security.
As we mark the 80th anniversary of D-day, we face the future together with courage and determination.”
British prime minister Rishi Sunak has been criticised for missing the major international ceremony to mark the 80th anniversary of D-day, PA Media reports.
PA says:
A Tory source played down the diplomatic impact of the prime minster’s absence, pointing out he will see Macron, Biden, German chancellor Olaf Scholz and other key leaders at the G7 summit in Italy next week.
But Nigel Farage, whose announcement this week that he is standing in the election came as a blow to Sunak, criticised the move.
The Reform UK leader tweeted: “The prime minister has ducked out of the international D-day event to fly back to the UK to campaign. I am here in Normandy in a personal capacity because I think it matters. Does he?”
Sunak attended events in Normandy today, including speaking at the major British ceremony, but will not be present alongside leaders including France’s president Emmanuel Macron and US president Joe Biden at the international gathering.
With the UK general election campaign in full swing, Sunak will head back to the UK – but the leader of the Labour party, Keir Starmer, will be at the high-profile international event in Normandy.
According to PA, a Tory source played down the diplomatic impact of the prime minster’s absence, pointing out he will see Macron, Biden, German chancellor Olaf Scholz and other key leaders at the G7 summit in Italy next week.
British veterans including Ken Cooke, 98, who stepped on to Gold beach at 7.45am on 6 June are being applauded as they arrive at the international commemoration at Omaha beach.
Cooke, who had never seen a ship before sailing to Normandy from Southampton eight decades ago, spoke to the Guardian before the commemorative events in Normandy.
You can read Daniel Boffey’s interview with Ken Cooke here:
The Press Association (PA) reports that King Charles told a D-day veteran he is “doing well” as he and Queen Camilla attended a D-day memorial event in Normandy.
After attending the UK’s commemoration event in Ver-sur-Mer in Normandy on Thursday, Charles and Camilla visited a marquee where veterans were having tea and cakes. On one table, the king sat beside Ronald Hendrey, 98, of Clacton-on-Sea, who asked about his health.
Hendrey said: “He was very nice, he listened to what I was saying and took it in. “I asked him how he was doing, he told me he is doing well.”
Readers have been sharing their stories of family members who took part in D-day. Here are some of them:
‘His hair started falling out in clumps. A barometer of his state of mind’
My dad, John Clarke, born August 1917 in Aston, Birmingham was a lorry driver in the Royal Army Service Corps. He volunteered alongside two mates the day before war broke out as he reasoned that the earliest recruits would be demobilised first. They didn’t imagine for a moment that their next day on Civvy Street would be seven or so years later.
On 4 June 1944, they were told to prepare to ship out. No mention was made of invasion, although this had been quite obvious for some weeks or months. On the 5th, they set off for Normandy, and it was only then that their true destination was revealed. My dad has told me little about the journey over to France, other than the terrible sea state that made many sick, and that he noticed his hair started falling out in clumps. A barometer of his state of mind.
They landed late evening on 6 June at Arromanches when the beach head had been established and things were relatively quiet, but the evidence of what had occurred earlier in that day was no doubt sobering. Adrian Clarke, 57, telecom engineer, Auckland, New Zealand
‘He was only a lad at the time’
Aged 18, Peter Brown from Hull, my dad, took part in the D-day landings landing on Sword Beach in the first wave as part of the Second Battalion, East Yorkshire Regiment. He talks of the feelings of himself and all his young comrades leading up to the event. I think they were apprehensive, but stoic. Another soldier told him, ‘‘You never look scared”, which he said was obviously not true. He was only a lad at the time. You just resign yourself, I suppose, to carry you through.
When they did get off, the water was much deeper than he expected it to be. He got absolutely soaked carrying these big packs and his gun. And obviously he saw comrades, already killed, in the water.
Having survived the beaches his battalion’s job was to plough on towards Caen, where he was wounded and returned briefly to Haslar, Portsmouth to have shrapnel removed from his arm. When he rejoined his unit, there was only one soldier left that he knew.
He went on to prepare for Operation Market Garden subsequently making his way through the Netherlands, battle after battle, ending up in Bremen when peace was declared. My dad wrote a fairly detailed account of his experiences sometime after the war. He joined the Normandy Veterans Association some time in the 80s and made many trips back to Normandy and Holland. Chris Townend, retired teacher, Knutsford, Cheshire
‘Dad, not knowing in the dark if this was friend or foe, played dead’
Raymond Wynne Batten, my dad, was in the 13th Battalion of the British 6th Airborne Division that parachuted into Normandy on D-day. He landed in a tree at the edge of his drop zone, but before he could cut himself down he heard machine gun fire and then someone came through the undergrowth and looked up at him. Dad, not knowing in the dark if this was friend or foe, played dead, and this seemed to be effective, as the figure moved off, after which he got out of the tree and moved towards the rallying-horns.
I had a close relationship with him, especially as an only child, but there was an atmosphere in the family that we didn’t want to talk about unpleasant things, and as a typical hippy pacifist type of youngster I think I blocked out the necessity of war and dad’s experience. Only much later as an adult, and hopefully a bit wiser, did I really sit down with him and listen.
I’m now married to a German, live in Bavaria and since Brexit have taken on German nationality. Our fathers met once and were really friendly and open to each other, even though they couldn’t speak each other’s language. Susan Batten-Seidl, 68, retired English teacher from the UK, now living in Amberg, Bavaria
US president Joe Biden commissioned a challenge coin in honour of the 80th anniversary of D-day, the White House said.
The coin features an image of troops approaching the beaches of Normandy and B-17 aircraft flying overhead and the number 9388 etched in the sand, which represents the number of Americans who remain in Normandy to this day and lie at rest in the cemetery.
It also features the presidential seal adorned with a blue star and a gold star and a quotation on the coin reads: “They also serve who only stand and wait.” The White House said the line from Milton often used by Biden is to “encapsulate the service and sacrifices of military families”.
Biden presented the coins to the second world war veterans he met prior to the start of the ceremony, all of whom are D-day survivors.
A 21-gun salute follows as Biden, Macron and those present salute before a moment of silence then a fly past from F-35 jets in the missing man formation.
Biden says: “To bow down to dictators is simply unthinkable. To do that would be forgetting what happened on these hallowed beaches. We will not forget.
“History tells us freedom is not free. If you want to know the price of freedom, come to Normandy and look. Go to the other cemeteries in Europe where our fallen heroes rest. Go back home to Arlington. Remember the price of unchecked tyranny is the blood of the young and the brave. In their generation, in their hour of trial, the Allied forces at D-Day did their duty. Now the question for us is: in our hour of trial, will we do ours?
“We have to ask ourselves, will we stand against evil, against crushing brutality. Will we stand for freedom, will we defend democracy? Will we stand together? My answer is yes and only can be yes.”
He says: “In memory of those who fought here, died here, literally saved the world here – let us be worthy of their sacrifice. Let us be the generation that history writes about in 10, 20, 50, 80 years from now. Let it say: when the moment came, we met the moment and stood strong.”
An Israeli air attack on a UN-run school sheltering displaced Palestinians in central Gaza’s Nuseirat camp killed at least 40 people, mainly women and children, according to local government officials.
The raid on Thursday came after the military announced a new ground and air assault in several refugee camps in central Gaza.
The Palestinian news agency Wafa said thousands of displaced Palestinians were sheltering at al-Sardi school, which is linked to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), when it came under attack.
Palestinian group Hamas, which governs the Gaza Strip, condemned the predawn attack as a “horrible massacre”.
Reuters reports Israel’s military spokesperson has claimed that many Hamas fighters were killed in its strike on an Unrwa school and that he is unaware of civilian casualties.
More details soon …
Spain to join South Africa’s genocide case against Israel’s actions in Gaza at the International Court of Justice, its foreign minister José Manuel Albares said on Thursday, Reuters reports.
Spain is the first European nation to join the case, which has also been joined by Chile and Mexico.
Last Tuesday Spain announced it recognised a Palestinian state alongside Ireland and Norway.
Al Jazeera reports that shelling to the east of Deir al-Balah has killed at least one other Palestinian, on top of the dozens killed in the earlier strike on the Unrwa school and shelter in Nuseirat refugee camp. That strike killed dozens, including children sheltering. Israel has claimed it was striking at a Hamas compound with the school.
AFP reports that the Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital in Deir al-Balah says it has received 37 bodies from the Israeli strike on the Unrwa school in Nuseirat refugee camp.
Here are some more of the latest pictures sent over the newswires from the Unrwa school in Nuseirat refugee camp struck by Israel’s military. The precise death toll remains unclear although is at least dozens of people.
Tareq Abu Azzoum, reporting from Deir al-Balah in Gaza for Al Jazeera, has told the network:
It is another tragic morning in the central area of Gaza, particularly in Nuseirat refugee camp, where an overnight attack targeted a UN-run school that was housing hundreds of displaced Palestinian families.
In addition, a residential house was completely destroyed. At least 39 Palestinians have been reported killed in those attacks. We’ve been talking to a number of families at the hospital. They say they did not receive any prior warning ahead of the attack.
Israel’s military has claimed that “Before the strike, a number of steps were taken to reduce the risk of harming uninvolved civilians during the strike, including conducting aerial surveillance, and additional intelligence information.”
On its official Telegram channel, Israel’s military claims to have thwarted an attempt to cross the border from Gaza by a group of what it described as “three terrorists”. It wrote:
IDF troops operating in the area of the security fence identified several suspects who approached the border from the Gaza Strip and moved toward Israel in an attempt to cross the security area in the area of Rafah.
The troops engaged the terrorists who opened fire at them. The troops then returned fire at the terrorists.
An IAF aircraft that monitored the terrorist cell struck the terrorists and eliminated two of them. Another terrorist was eliminated by means of tank fire shortly afterward.
We emphasise that the terrorists did not cross the fence built along the Gaza Strip. The incident is under review.
The claims have not been independently verified.
Israel’s military has reported that one soldier was killed in a drone attack in northern Israel yesterday. Nine others were wounded in the attack on Hurfeish, which is near Mount Meron and the UN-drawn blue line that separated Israel and Lebanon.
Hello and welcome to the Guardian’s continuing coverage of the Israel-Gaza war and the wider crisis in the Middle East.
At least 30 people, including five children, were killed in an Israeli strike on a UN school on Thursday in the central Gaza Strip, according to local health officials in Gaza. Israeli forces said the Unrwa school was a Hamas compound, containing militants involved in the 7 October attack on southern Israel. Israel’s military said that before the strike by Israeli fighter jets, the military took steps to reduce the risk of harm to civilians.
Ismail Al-Thawabta, the director of the Hamas-run government media office, has rejected Israel’s claims.
The occupation uses lying to the public opinion through false fabricated stories to justify the brutal crime it conducted against dozens of displaced people.
The attack comes as Israel announces a new military campaign in central Gaza, as it battles a group of fighters relying on hit-and-run insurgency tactics.
More on that in a moment, first here’s a summary of the day’s other main events.
The US has warned against an “escalation” on the Israel-Lebanon border, saying conflict would only harm Israeli security. “We don’t want to see that escalation of the conflict which would just lead to further loss of life from both Israelis and the Lebanese people and would greatly harm Israel’s overall security and stability in the region,” state department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters. It comes after prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened an “extremely powerful” response to attacks by Hezbollah during a visit on Wednesday to Kiryat Shmona in northern Israel.
Months of extreme hunger have already killed many Palestinians in Gaza and caused permanent damage to children through malnutrition, two new food security reports have found. The US-based famine early warning system network (Fews Net) said it was “possible, if not likely” that famine began in northern Gaza in April. Two UN organisations said more than 1 million people were “expected to face death and starvation” by mid-July.
The leader of Hamas said the group would demand a permanent end to the war in Gaza and Israeli withdrawal as part of a ceasefire plan, dealing an apparent blow to a truce proposal touted last week by US president Joe Biden.
Israel said there would be no halt to fighting during ceasefire talks and launched a new assault on a central section of the Gaza Strip near the last city yet to be stormed by its tanks.
Violent clashes broke out in Jerusalem during the annual Jerusalem flag day march which commemorates the anniversary of Israel taking control and occupying East Jerusalem in 1967. At least two journalists were injured as right-wing Israeli youths marched chanting anti-Arab and anti-Islamic slogans. Israeli peace activists have been taking part in the “flower parade”, where they hand flowers to Palestinian residents as an alternative to the flag march.
Israel is phasing out the use of a military-run detention camp for Palestinians captured during the Gaza war where rights groups alleged there has been abuse of inmates, justice officials said on Wednesday. In late May, Lorenzo Tondo and Quique Kierszenbaum reported for the Guardian that whistleblowers had described harrowing treatment of detainees at the camp. The claims included inmates regularly being kept shackled to hospital beds, blindfolded and forced to wear nappies, and reports of a man having his limb amputated as a result of injuries sustained from constant handcuffing
