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Israel claims to have killed 8,000 Hamas fighters in northern Gaza alone, as the US warns failing to prevent the conflict from spreading in the Middle East would lead to an “endless cycle of violence”.

Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, a spokesman for the Israel Defence Forces (IDF), said Israeli troops had now finished dismantling Hamas’s “military framework” in the north of the Gaza Strip.

He said the military has also seized tens of thousands of weapons in that area and millions of documents, and added: “We are now focused on dismantling Hamas in the centre of and south of the Strip.”

But Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, accepted “far too many” Palestinians have been killed – “especially children” – during the conflict so far.

He was speaking on the second day of an urgent tour of the region, intended to address growing tensions and avoid the risk of the conflict spreading.

Speaking to reporters on the Greek island of Crete, after meeting both Turkish and Greek leaders, Mr Blinken said he was looking for countries to do all they could so “we don’t see escalation”.

Antony Blinken shakes hands with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Istanbul
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Antony Blinken shakes hands with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Istanbul

Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis greets Antony Blinken
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Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis greets Antony Blinken

He said it was in the interest of virtually all nations to contain the fighting and that failure to do so would lead to “an endless cycle of violence… and lives of insecurity and conflict for people in the region”.

“We want to make sure that countries who feel that way are also using their ties, using their influence, using their relationships with some of the actors that might be involved to keep a lid on things, to make sure that we’re not seeing the spread of conflict,” he said.

He also said the US is working with its allies to see what can be done to protect civilians in Gaza as Israel’s military campaign continues, adding that Israel “does not want escalation”, but that they must defend themselves.

Mr Blinken started his tour of the Middle East in Turkey on Friday and spoke to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and foreign minister Hakan Fidan.

The top US official said after the meeting that Turkey was prepared to use its relationships with “critical players” to de-escalate conflicts arising from the situation in Gaza.

Mr Blinken will also visit Jordan before going to other Arab states, Israel and the occupied West Bank.

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People scramble for food in Gaza

Israel continues to bombard Gaza in response to Hamas’s 7 October attack, during which Israel says 1,200 people were killed and 240 hostages were taken back to Gaza.

Israel believes 129 hostages remain, while Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry says the Israeli response to 7 October has killed more than 22,700 Palestinians.

Much of Gaza has been laid to waste, with UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffith warning on Friday it has become a place of “death and despair”.

Pro-Palestinian protests have continued around the world, with demonstrators staging a sit-in at Westminster Bridge in London on Saturday, with several arrests made.

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Gaza protest blocked Westminster Bridge

Tensions rising on border with Lebanon

Israel has been trading fire with Lebanon-based Hezbollah in one of the heaviest days of cross-border fighting in recent weeks.

On Saturday morning, Hezbollah claimed it fired 62 rockets at a key Israeli observation post as a “preliminary response” to the assassination of Hamas’s deputy leader.

Sirens sounded across northern Israel, with its military saying “approximately 40 launches from Lebanon toward the area of Meron in northern Israel were identified”, though there are no reports of casualties or damage.

Later on Saturday, Lebanon’s Jama’a Islamiya said it had also fired two volleys of rockets at Kiryat Shmona in northern Israel, in the third operation claimed by the hardline Sunni Muslim group since the conflict began.

After meeting the Lebanese foreign minister in Beirut, the EU’s senior diplomat Josep Borrell said he is seeing a “worrying intensification” of fire across the Israel-Lebanon border.

“Diplomatic channels have to stay open, war is not the only option – it’s the worst option,” he said, adding it is important that Lebanon not be dragged into the Gaza conflict.

European Union's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell spoke in Beirut
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European Union’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell spoke in Beirut

IDF troops operate in a location given as Gaza.

Pic: IDF
Image:
IDF troops operate in a location given as Gaza. Pic: IDF

Hezbollah had said the death of Saleh al Aroui – a founder of Hamas’s military wing who was killed in an Israeli drone strike in a Beirut suburb on Tuesday – would not go unanswered.

Analysts believe Israel’s drone strike could be a message to Hamas’s ally, Hezbollah, that even its prime stronghold of Dahiyeh is not beyond Israel’s reach.

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Israel outlines Gaza post-war plan

Iran warns ‘enemy’ to ‘stay away’

Meanwhile, as concerns grow over key shipping routes where Iran’s allies have been attacking vessels, the commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards vowed on Saturday to reach “the enemy” its interests were threatened.

Guards commander Hossein Salami did not name a specific enemy in his speech, but 22 nations – including the UK – have agreed to join a US-led coalition to protect commercial routes in the Red Sea.

“We need to defend our national interests to wherever they extend,” Mr Salami said in a televised speech.

“It will be harmful for the enemy. They should stay away from this area.”

Since the conflict made Red Sea routes more dangerous, many shipping companies have switched to the longer and more costly route around Africa’s Cape of Good Hope.

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British maritime security firm Ambrey said on Saturday it had received a report of a maritime security event in the Red Sea’s Bab al Mandab area.

Without elaborating, it advised crews to minimise deck movements and that only essential crew should be on the bridge.

Later on Saturday, United Kingdom Marine Trade Operations reported six small craft approaching a merchant vessel to within one nautical mile in the area of the Red Sea near Yemen.

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Eleven civilians killed as Thailand and Cambodia exchange fire in escalating border dispute

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Eleven civilians killed as Thailand and Cambodia exchange fire in escalating border dispute

Eleven Thai civilians and a soldier have been killed in clashes between Thailand and Cambodia, officials have said, as long-standing tensions in disputed border areas boiled over into open conflict.

Among those killed was an eight-year-old boy, the army said in a statement.

It said most casualties occurred in Si Sa Ket province, where six people were killed after shots were fired at a fuel station.

Smoke and fire in the Kantharalak district in Thailand amid clashes between Thailand and Cambodia. Pic: Army Region 2 via Facebook/Reuters
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Smoke and fire in the Kantharalak district in Thailand amid clashes between Thailand and Cambodia. Pic: Army Region 2 via Facebook/Reuters

Another 14 people have been injured in three Thai border provinces.

Thailand’s health minister Somsak Thepsuthin confirmed the fatalities to reporters, adding Cambodia’s actions, including an attack on a hospital, should be considered war crimes.

Both countries accuse one another of starting the military clashes and have downgraded their diplomatic relations in the rapidly escalating dispute. Thailand has also sealed all land border crossings with Cambodia.

Early on Thursday, a Thai F-16 fighter jet bombed targets in Cambodia, according to Thailand’s army.

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“We have used air power against military targets as planned,” Thai army deputy spokesperson Richa Suksuwanon said.

Cambodia’s defence ministry said Thai jets had dropped bombs on a road near the ancient Preah Vihear temple, saying it “strongly condemns the reckless and brutal military aggression of the Kingdom of Thailand against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Cambodia”.

What has caused Thailand-Cambodia border clashes?

Thai people who fled clashes between Thai and Cambodian soldiers take shelter in Surin province. Pic: AP
Image:
Thai people who fled clashes take shelter in Surin province. Pic: AP

Fighting has taken place in disputed border areas
Image:
Fighting has taken place in disputed border areas

‘Civilian areas targeted’

Clashes are ongoing in at least six areas along the border, the Thai defence ministry said.

Thailand’s foreign ministry said Cambodian troops fired “heavy artillery” on a Thai military base on Thursday morning and also targeted civilian areas, including a hospital.

“The Royal Thai Government is prepared to intensify our self-defence measures if Cambodia persists in its armed attack and violations upon Thailand’s sovereignty,” the ministry said in a statement.

A livestream video from Thailand’s side showed people, including children and the elderly, running from their homes and hiding in a concrete bunker as explosions sounded.

The clash happened in an area where the ancient Prasat Ta Muen Thom temple stands along the border between Thailand’s Surin province and Cambodia’s Oddar Meanchey province.

Thai people who fled clashes between Thai and Cambodian soldiers in Surin province, northeastern Thailand. Pic: AP
Image:
Thai people who fled clashes in Surin province, northeastern Thailand. Pic: AP

‘Conflict not spreading’

Thailand’s acting premier said fighting must first stop before peace talks can start.

Caretaker Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai told reporters there had been no declaration of war and conflict was not spreading into more provinces.

He said Cambodia had fired heavy weapons into Thailand without any specific targets, resulting in civilian deaths.

Earlier on Thursday, Cambodia downgraded diplomatic relations with Thailand to their lowest level, expelled the Thai ambassador and recalled all Cambodian staff from its embassy in Bangkok.

The day before, its neighbour withdrew its ambassador and expelled the top Cambodian diplomat in protest after five Thai soldiers were wounded in a land mine blast, one of whom lost part of a leg.

A week earlier, a land mine in a different contested area exploded and wounded three Thai soldiers, including one who lost a foot.

Relations between the southeast Asian neighbours have collapsed after a Cambodian soldier was killed in an armed confrontation in a disputed border area in May.

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Nationalist passions on both sides have further inflamed the situation, and Thailand’s prime minister was suspended earlier this month as an investigation was opened into possible ethics violations over her handling of the border dispute.

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Border disputes are longstanding issues that have caused periodic tensions between the countries. The most prominent and violent conflicts have been around the 1,000-year-old Preah Vihear temple.

In 1962, the International Court of Justice recognised Cambodian sovereignty over the temple area.

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Inside Gaza’s Nasser Hospital – where there’s virtually no food for malnourished children

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Inside Gaza's Nasser Hospital - where there's virtually no food for malnourished children

In Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza, they have virtually nothing left to eat.

Warning: This article contains images that some readers may find distressing.

Huda has lost half her body weight since March, when Israel shut the crossings into Gaza, and imposed a blockade.

The 12-year-old girl knows she doesn’t look well.

“Before, I used to look like this,” Huda says, pointing to a picture on her tablet.

“The war changed me. Malnutrition has turned my hair yellow because I lack protein. You see here, this is how I was before the war.”

Her mother says her needs are simple: fresh fruit and vegetables, fish, maybe a little meat – but she won’t find it here.

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Huda can only wish for a brighter future now.

“Can you help me travel abroad for treatment? I want to be like you. I’m a child. I want to play and be like you,” she says.

Huda on her hospital bed
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Huda wishes for a brighter future

A children's ward in Nasser Hospital

Amir’s story

Three-year-old Amir was sitting in a tent together with his mother, father and his grandparents when it was hit by projectiles.

Medical staff carried out surgery on his intestines and were able to stop the bleeding – but they can’t feed him properly.

Instead, he’s given dextrose, a mixture of sugar and water which has no nutritional value.

Amir in hospital in Gaza
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Amir’s mother and siblings were killed in an attack that also left his father ‘in a terrible state’

Medical staff reassembled Amir's intestines
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Medical staff performed surgery on three-year-old Amir – but can’t feed him properly


Amir’s mother and his siblings were all killed in the attack and his father is no longer able to speak.

“His father is in a terrible state and won’t accept the reality. What did these children do? Tell me, what was their crime?” Amir’s aunt says.

The desperate scenes of hungry children in Gaza have not been caused by scarcity.

There’s plenty of food waiting at the crossings or held in warehouses within the territory. Israel claims the United Nations is failing to distribute it.

Pictures of Amir before
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Amir’s relative holds pictures of the toddler and his family before the war

Both Israel and the US have taken charge of the food distribution, with the UN’s hundreds of aid centres shut.

Instead, the UN tries to organise convoys but says it can’t obtain the necessary permits – and faces draconian restrictions on aid.

Sometimes food is made available at communal kitchens called ‘tikiya’.

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Malnourished girl: ‘The war changed me’

‘I want life to be how it was’

Everyone is desperate for whatever they can get – and many leave with nothing.

“It’s been two months since we’ve eaten bread,” one young girl says. “There’s no food, there’s no nutrition. I want life to go back to how it was, I want meat and flour to come in. I want the end of the tikiya.”

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People wait at a soup kitchen

Dr Adil Husain, an American doctor who spent two weeks at Nasser Hospital, treated a three-year-old called Hasan while he was there.

Weighing just 6kg, Hasan should be 15kg at his age.

“He needs special feeds, and these feeds are literally miles away. They’re literally right there at the border, but it’s being blockaded by the forces, they’re not letting them in, so it’s intentional and deliberate starvation,” Dr Husain tells me.

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Hasan died two days after Dr Husain examined him.

“It’s just so distressing that this is something man-made, this is a man-made starvation, this is a man-made crisis,” he says.

Israel says it has not identified starvation, but this feels like a situation that is entirely preventable.

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Why have tensions escalated between Thailand and Cambodia – and is it safe to travel there?

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Why have tensions escalated between Thailand and Cambodia - and is it safe to travel there?

Military clashes have erupted between Thailand and Cambodia, killing at least 12 people, including 11 civilians.

A long-standing dispute over border areas escalated into an exchange of gunfire, shelling and rockets being launched on 24 July, with both sides accusing one another of initiating the violence.

Relations between the Southeast Asian neighbours deteriorated sharply after an armed confrontation in May that killed a Cambodian soldier. Nationalist passions on both sides have further inflamed the situation.

Here is all you need to know about the situation and how it got to this stage.

What is happening in Thailand and Cambodia?

Tensions first broke out on Thursday morning in an area near the ancient Ta Muen Thom temple along the border of Thailand’s Surin province and Cambodia’s Oddar Meanchey province.

The Thai army said that most casualties occurred in the Si Sa Ket province, where six people were killed after shots were fired at a fuel station. At least 14 people were injured in three other border provinces.

Smoke and fire in the Kantharalak district in Thailand amid clashes between Thailand and Cambodia. Pic: Army Region 2 via Facebook/Reuters
Image:
Smoke and fire in the Kantharalak district in Thailand. Pic: Army Region 2 via Facebook/Reuters

An eight-year-old boy was among those killed, Thailand’s health minister Somsak Thepsuthin said.

Thailand’s foreign ministry said Cambodian troops fired “heavy artillery” on a Thai military base on Thursday morning and also targeted civilian areas, including a hospital.

Fighting has taken place in disputed border areas
Image:
Fighting has taken place in disputed border areas

In response, the Thai army said a Thai F-16 fighter jet bombed military targets in Cambodia.

Cambodia’s defence ministry said Thai jets had dropped bombs on a road near the ancient Preah Vihear temple, saying it “strongly condemns the reckless and brutal military aggression of the Kingdom of Thailand against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Cambodia”.

Clashes are now thought to be ongoing in at least six areas along the border, the Thai defence ministry said.

Firefighters work to extinguish fire at a convenience store at a petrol station in Kantharalak, Thailand.
Pic: TPBS/Reuters
Image:
Pic: TPBS/Reuters

What caused the escalation?

For more than a century, Thailand and Cambodia have laid claim to undisputed points along their 817-km (508-mile) land border. This has led to skirmishes over several years and at least a dozen deaths, including during a weeklong exchange of artillery in 2011.

Tensions were reignited in May after a Cambodian soldier was killed during a brief exchange of gunfire, which escalated into a full-blown diplomatic crisis and now has triggered recent armed clashes.

Both countries agreed to de-escalate tensions, but Cambodian and Thai authorities continued to implement or threaten restrictions on the other.

Thai people who fled clashes between Thai and Cambodian soldiers in Surin province, northeastern Thailand. Pic: AP
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Thai people who fled clashes between Thai and Cambodian soldiers in Surin province, northeastern Thailand. Pic: AP

Thai people who fled clashes between Thai and Cambodian soldiers take shelter in Surin province. Pic: AP
Image:
Pic: AP

Tighter restrictions on Thailand’s land border with Cambodia were implemented, stopping almost all crossings except for students, medical patients and others with essential needs. Thai authorities sealed the border entirely after Thursday’s escalation.

Meanwhile, Cambodia has banned Thai movies and TV shows, stopped the import of Thai fuel, fruits and vegetables and boycotted some of its neighbour’s international internet links and power supply.

Earlier on Thursday, Cambodia said it was downgrading diplomatic relations with Thailand to their lowest level, expelling the Thai ambassador and recalling all Cambodian staff from its embassy in Bangkok.

A residential area in Surin Province shelled by Cambodia, according to Thailand. Pic: Royal Thai Army/AP
Image:
A residential area in Surin Province shelled by Cambodia, according to Thailand. Pic: Royal Thai Army/AP

That was in response to Thailand withdrawing its ambassador and expelling the Cambodian ambassador a day earlier, in protest against a number of land mine blasts that injured a total of eight Thai soldiers.

Thai authorities alleged the mines were recently laid along paths that by mutual agreement were supposed to be safe. They said the mines were Russian-made and not of a type used by Thailand’s military.

Cambodia accused Thailand of making “baseless accusations”, pointing out that the unexploded mines could have been from previous periods of unrest.

An injured Thai soldier who stepped on a land mine being airlifted to a hospital in Ubon Ratchathan, Thailand.
Pic: The Royal Thai Army/AP
Image:
An injured Thai soldier who stepped on a land mine being airlifted to a hospital in Ubon Ratchathan, Thailand.
Pic: The Royal Thai Army/AP

Political fallout

Earlier this month, Thailand’s former prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra attempted to resolve tensions via a call with Cambodia’s influential former prime minister and current president of the senate, Hun Sen.

Thailand's Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra speaks after Thailand's Constitutional Court suspended her from duty pending a case seeking
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Thailand’s suspended prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra. Pic: Reuters

Their conversation was later leaked, revealing Ms Shinawatra referred to Mr Sen – who stepped down as prime minister in favour of his son Hun Manet in 2023 – “uncle” and criticised Thai military leadership.

Her comments caused widespread outrage and protests and led to Ms Shinawatra being suspended from her position on 1 July after a court ruling.

Hun Sen speaks at a press conference at the National Assembly after a vote to confirm his son, Hun Manet, as Cambodia's prime minister in Ph
Image:
Hun Sen, Cambodia’s former prime minister. Pic: Reuters

Her ally, former defence minister Phumtham Wechayachai was appointed as acting prime minister.

Mr Wechayachai said on Thursday that fighting between Cambodia and Thailand must stop before negotiations between the two sides can begin.

Is it safe to travel there?

The neighbouring countries are both hugely popular with tourists, but since tensions escalated on the border on Thursday, the UK Foreign Office (FCDO) has updated its advice for individuals already in the area or planning to visit.

The FCDO website states: “There are reports of fighting including rocket and artillery fire on 24 July between Thailand and Cambodia at several locations along the border. Casualties have been reported, as well as evacuations of areas close to the border.”

People wait in line to receive food at a shelter in Buriram, Thailand.
Pic: Reuters
Image:
People wait in line to receive food at a shelter in Buriram, Thailand.
Pic: Reuters

It adds that British nationals should “exercise a high level of vigilance in border areas” and “follow the instructions of local authorities. There are also unexploded landmines in the border area”.

The US Embassy in Thailand also released new advice, telling US citizens to “follow direction from Thai security services and consult local government authorities for the latest information”.

Pic: Reuters
Image:
Pic: Reuters

People rest at a shelter, following recent clashes along the disputed border between the two countries, according to authorities people have
Image:
Pic: Reuters

Why is the border contested?

Tensions over the border largely stem back to a 1907 map drawn under French colonial rule that was used to separate Cambodia from Thailand.

Cambodia has used the map as a reference to claim territory, while Thailand has argued the map is inaccurate.

The most prominent and violent conflicts have been over the 1,000-year-old Preah Vihear temple.

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In 1962, the International Court of Justice awarded Cambodia sovereignty over the temple area, which caused irritation between the neighbouring countries.

Cambodia went back to the court in 2011, following several clashes between its army and Thai forces that killed about 20 people and displaced thousands. The court reaffirmed the ruling in Cambodia’s favour in 2013.

Cambodia has again turned to the international court to resolve the border disputes but Thailand has rejected the court’s jurisdiction.

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