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Guard at US-backed Gaza aid centres says colleagues fired on hungry Palestinian civilians | BBC News

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A former security contractor for Gaza’s controversial new Israel- and US-backed aid distribution sites has told the BBC he witnessed colleagues opening fire with machine guns on hungry Palestinian civilians who had posed no threat. In one such incident he said he witnessed a man in the crowd fall motionless to the ground and a guard who had been shooting laughed about it.

On another occasion he said a guard opened fire from a watchtower with a machine gun because a group of women, children and elderly people was moving too slowly away from the site.

When asked to respond the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) said the allegations were categorically false.
They referred us to a statement saying that no civilians ever came under fire at the GHF distribution sites.

The GHF began its operations in Gaza at the end of May, distributing limited aid from several sites in southern and central Gaza. That followed an 11-week total blockade of Gaza by Israel during which no food entered the territory.
The system has been widely criticised for forcing vast numbers of people to walk through active combat zones to a handful of sites.

Since the GHF started up, Israeli forces have killed more than 400 Palestinians trying to retrieve food aid from its sites, the UN and local doctors say. Israel says the new distribution system stops aid going to Hamas.

Describing the incident at one of the GHF sites – in which he said guards fired on a group of Palestinians – the former contractor said: “As that happened, another contractor on location, standing on the berm overlooking the exit, opened up with 15 to 20 shots of repetitive weapons fire at the crowd. “A Palestinian man dropped to the ground motionless. And then the other contractor who was standing there was like, ‘damn, I think you got one’. And then they laughed about it.”

The contractor, who spoke to us on condition of anonymity, said GHF managers had brushed off his report as a coincidence, suggesting that the Palestinian man could have “tripped” or been “tired and passed out”.

The GHF claimed the man who made these allegations is a “disgruntled former contractor” who they had terminated for misconduct, which he denies.

Reeta Chakrabarti presents BBC News at Ten reporting by Lucy Williamson.

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The 100th day of the US-Israel war with Iran | BBC News

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100 days into the US-Israel war with Iran, Israel launches airstrikes on the Lebanese capital of Beirut, hitting two buildings in the southern suburbs.

We look at footage from the day the war began and hear analysis from the BBC’s veteran World Affairs Editor, John Simpson, as well as a range of BBC specialists to assess the prospects for a peace deal and the implications for the global economy.

BBC Persian’s Kasra Naji discusses the warning from a senior member of the Iranian parliament that “people in Israel should look at the skies tonight” suggesting that Iran’s missiles may be raining on them tonight.

Since this episode was recorded, Iran has launched missile strikes on northern Israel – follow live:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/clyengg72pgt

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#Iran #Lebanon #Israel #US #BBCNews

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First ever red extreme heat warning issued in UK as Europe hit by heatwave – BBC News

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A red extreme heart warning has been issued for the first time by the UK Met Office for parts of England, meaning a risk to life is likely as temperatures could hit 40C (104F).

It points to there being a danger to life, with the risk of illness not limited to vulnerable people.

In Europe, the heatwave is fuelling wildfires in Portugal, France and Spain.

Experts say heatwaves are becoming more frequent and extreme because of climate change.

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Israeli military launches retaliatory strikes on Iran after attacks on northern Israel | BBC News

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Israel says it has launched strikes on military targets in western and central Iran, after warning it would retaliate after the first Iranian attack on Israel since April.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said the multiple waves of missiles fired at northern Israel are “the beginning of a full week of continuous strikes”.

US President Donald Trump earlier urged his Israeli counterpart not to retaliate to the Iranian strikes, according to several outlets.

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Israel continues strikes on Lebanon after Hezbollah rejects ceasefire countries agreed to | BBC News

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On day 98 of the Iran War, Sebastian Usher joins us from Jerusalem to chat about Hezbollah, US President Donald Trump’s claim he spoke with them and the latest comments from the Lebanese president.

BBC Persian’s Taraneh Fathalian discusses where the US and Iran differ on the main points of a deal, and what life is like for people inside Iran, as the war continues.

Bernd Debusmann is also live in Washington DC to discuss how much the US president needs a deal with Iran and whether the relationship between the US and Israel is changing.

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#Iran #Lebanon #Israel #US #BBCNews

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Astronauts on International Space Station told to shelter as repairs under way to fix air leaks

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Astronauts aboard the International Space Station have been told to shelter on a docked spacecraft as repair work is carried out to fix new air leaks, Nasa says.

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