'We are seeking a powerful, well-thought-out response,' says Nasrallah: Day 300 of the Gaza war

Thank you for following today's live coverage of the Gaza war. Make sure to return tomorrow for all the latest updates.

U.S. President Joe Biden will meet today with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss tensions in the Middle East, according to the White House, as reported by AFP.

Relatives of Hamas hostages abducted on October 7 are protesting in Tel Aviv, Israel, on August 1, 2024 (Photo: GIL COHEN-MAGEN / AFP)

Hundreds of people began a march through the streets of Tel Aviv, in central-west Israel, alongside the relatives of hostages held captive in the Gaza Strip, to mark 300 days since their abduction.

"No victory without the return of the hostages," chanted the demonstrators, dressed in yellow t-shirts with the slogan "agreement or abandonment" and carrying portraits of their loved ones.

Credit: UNIFIL press office

The U.N. Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, met with General Edgard Lawandos, commander of the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) for the southern Litani sector, according to a statement from the U.N. force.

Lacroix "emphasized the need to assist the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) in extending their authority in the south of the country and expressed UNIFIL's commitment to strengthening its presence in the region, by U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701."

Israeli aircraft have repeatedly broken the sound barrier over Saida in southern Lebanon, as well as twice over West Bekaa, according to our correspondents in these areas.

The Lebanese Ministry of Health has updated the toll from the deadly Israeli strike on the village of Shamaa in the Sour district of southern Lebanon: it now stands at four deaths, all Syrian nationals. Abdelkader Safieddine, the president of the Shamaa municipality, confirmed to L'OLJ that the victims were a mother and her three children, aged 10, 12, and 20.

"This is a massacre by the Israeli enemy against civilians," Safieddine stated. "This widow and her three children worked in agriculture and did everything they could to survive in the village where they sought refuge," he added. "We decided to bury them here because they have no other place."

The Ministry of Health also reported five Lebanese injuries: one woman was admitted to the hospital and is in stable condition. A man was treated in the emergency room and then discharged. The remaining three individuals sustained minor injuries and were quickly treated by paramedics.

Following the speech of Hezbollah Secretary-General Hasan Nasrallah, in which he denied responsibility for the strike on Majdal Shams, Avichay Adraee, the Israeli army's Arabic-speaking spokesperson, accused Nasrallah in a post on X of "continuing to lie."

Adraee reiterated that Hezbollah was behind the strike that killed 12 children and teenagers.

"These shrapnels took the lives of innocent children in Majdal Shams, and they belong to an Iranian-made Falaq 1 missile that the so-called Fouad Shukur brought to Hezbollah to use in killing civilians," Adraee claimed in a video he attached to the post, in which he was showcasing fragments of a weapon.

"Hezbollah is the one who launched it, the killer, and the perpetrator of the massacre," Adraee said.

Syria condemned the attack that killed Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, according to a statement published by the official Sana news agency. "The Syrian Arab Republic condemns this blatant Zionist aggression and this serious violation of the sovereignty of the Islamic Republic of Iran, which constitutes a breach of international law," the statement reads.

Damascus also criticized "Israel's continued disregard for international laws" and warned of a "regional escalation."

Supporters of Hezbollah and Amal gathered near the coffin of Fouad Shukur, a senior Hezbollah military official assassinated by Israel, during his funeral in southern Beirut on Aug. 1, 2024. (Credit: Mohammad Yassin/OLJ)

"I believe Israel has many military capabilities. But we have something much greater: we have God. I know we will be victorious over the enemy (Israel) that has killed our loved ones," said Nadia Husseini, who lost two sons in the 2006 war while fighting Israel with Hezbollah, to our journalist Ghadir Hamadi.

During Hassan Nasrallah's speech, some attendees claimed he would "escalate the situation," while others were disappointed that he did not. Ayman Hamdane, a store owner in Hamra and resident of southern Beirut, stated, "I almost wish that war would break out. It will be the last war with Israel, and after that, we will be victorious."

Following the death of Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh, the Israeli army announced that Mohammed Deif, the head of the group’s military branch, was "eliminated" in an airstrike on July 13 in Gaza. Several statements, initially from third parties and then from a Hamas official, have denied this claim without proving that Mohammed Deif is still alive.

Mohammed Deif is described as the mastermind behind the Hamas attack on Israel, which triggered the Gaza war on Oct. 7, 2023.

➡️ More information here.

The Lebanese Ministry of Health stated in a statement that the Israeli raid on the town of Shamaa resulted in three deaths and five injuries. This toll is expected to rise as ambulance teams are continuing to search for additional potential victims in the targeted area.

A plane carrying the body of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed Wednesday in Tehran, has arrived in Doha, according to Qatar's Al-Jazeera channel.

The leader of the Palestinian Islamist movement, who was living in exile in Qatar, is set to be buried in the Gulf country on Friday, following prayers at the Imam Mohammad bin Abdul Wahhab Mosque, the largest in Doha.

Caretaker Health Minister Firass Abiad stated that the Lebanese healthcare system is sufficiently stocked with medical supplies and medications to last at least four months in the event of a war, according to remarks made at a press conference and reported by our correspondent.

This announcement was made by the minister following a meeting with the "public health emergency operations center team and its partners," aimed at discussing the sector's preparations in case of a sudden deterioration in the country's security situation.

▶️ More information here.

(Image Caption: Photo sent by the al-Rissala Scouts to our correspondent)

More information on the Israeli strike in Shamaa, southern Lebanon:

The strike killed a Syrian mother and two of her children, aged around 10 and 12, according to a medical source, local residents, and municipal members speaking to our correspondent. Search efforts are underway to find a third child.

Lebanese casualties are also reported. The al-Rissala Scouts Civil Defense has indicated that they are on the scene, assisting in evacuating the injured to regional hospitals.

⚡ Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated that Israel is at a "very high level" of preparedness for any scenario, "both defensive and offensive," according to a statement from his office.

"We will impose a very high price for any act of aggression against us," Netanyahu said in the statement.

Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi has described Israel as a "rogue state" that must be prevented from "imposing more wars and destruction" in the Middle East, in response to the assassination of the Hamas leader.

“The Security Council must not allow a state that has become a rogue state to impose more wars and destruction in the region,” Safadi said during a joint press conference with his Luxembourg counterpart, Xavier Bettel, in Amman. Jordan and Israel have been bound by a peace treaty since 1994.

Here are the main points from the speech delivered by Hassan Nasrallah today:

- “The attack on the southern suburb, where high-ranking party member Fouad Shukur was killed along with civilians, is not a response to the strike on Majdal Shams but an act of aggression.”

Meaning: Unlike previous attacks, which followed a logic of retaliation and counter-retaliation, this strike will be met with a retaliatory action. The same applies to the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh on Iranian soil: elevating it to a matter of honor suggests a more intense and violent reaction from Tehran.

- “We have entered a new phase, which now goes beyond merely supporting Gaza, affecting all fronts of the ‘axis of resistance’; the extent of escalation will depend on Tel Aviv’s response.”

Meaning: The axis forces are preparing a violent response from all fronts, possibly simultaneously, to recent Israeli attacks (including the strike on Hodeida a few weeks ago). The future course of the conflict will depend on Tel Aviv’s decisions, which will determine whether the war intensifies further and who will bear the consequences.

- “Message to the West and those seeking a return to calm: No solution without pressure on Israel to stop the war in Gaza.”

Meaning: Nasrallah is addressing the Americans, who do not want a regional war before the November elections but seem to be held hostage by increasingly impulsive decisions from Benjamin Netanyahu.

- “Our response will certainly come; that is not up for debate. It is now up to the enemy and those behind them to wait. Between you and us, time and the ground will tell.”

Meaning: Nasrallah is once again playing his strongest card: psychological warfare and maintaining suspense. By emphasizing that the response will be genuine and well-considered rather than symbolic, he is buying time before taking action.

More details on the Israeli strike on the town of Shamaa (Sour district):

The targeted house in Shamaa was inhabited by a Syrian family, a security source told our correspondent. The strike caused at least five injuries, including serious ones.

Born in 1962 in Nabi Sheet, in the Bekaa Valley, Fouad Shukur was one of the founding members of Hezbollah and sat on Hezbollah’s highest military body, the Jihad Council, responsible for major strategic decisions.

Almost 24 hours after the Israeli strike on Haret Hreik on Tuesday, his body was retrieved from under the rubble and he was declared dead. Read more about the assassinated senior Hezbollah commander 👉 here.

Rescue workers on the site of the attack the morning after the Israeli strike on Haret Hreik. (Credit: Mohammad Yassine/L'Orient Today)

Ali Imad, a man in his early 40s, pauses from sweeping up shattered glass and stands, broom in one hand, to show something he found on the ground — what appears to be shrapnel from one of the rockets fired by Israeli jets on a residential building the night before.

Read about what it was like in the streets of Beirut's southern suburbs the morning after an Israeli strike killed three women, two children, and senior Hezbollah commander Fouad Shukur 👉 here.

Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah has concluded his speech.

Nasrallah:

"We will continue the path of our commander and our martyrs. Their spilled blood commits us to our responsibility."

Nasrallah:

"The Israelis do not know where the response will come from. Israel does not know where it is headed. The decision depends on [what is happening] on the ground. It is the ground that knows what needs to be done. We are seeking a genuine response, not a superficial one. We are looking for a well-thought-out response."

Nasrallah: "We must pressure Israel to stop its aggressions in Gaza. The only solution is to end the hostilities in Gaza."

"I asked our brothers to remain calm yesterday and today in southern Lebanon. We will resume tomorrow morning. We have reorganized to continue on the support front. The Resistance will inevitably respond to Israeli aggression, that goes without saying. The enemy and those who support them should expect our response, which will certainly come — if God wills it."

(Credit: Mohammad Yassin/L'Orient Today)

Nasrallah: "We said we have entered a new phase. On the support fronts, we will not cease fighting."

"Benjamin Netanyahu’s goal is for Hamas to say: 'Here are the hostages and the weapons, come and take them.' That will not happen. We will not surrender, neither in Lebanon, Gaza, nor in Yemen."

Nasrallah on Fouad Shukur: "Sayyed Fouad was part of the generation that founded Hezbollah in Lebanon. He led several operations in southern Lebanon."

Nasrallah: "When one of our commanders is martyred, we quickly replace him with one of his pupils. We have an excellent new generation of commanders."

The strike on Shamaa. (Credit: Muntasser Abdallah/OLJ)

During Nasrallah's speech, strikes continued along the Lebanese-Israeli border:

- Israeli warplanes targeted the town of Kfar Kila (Marjayoun district), destroying a house, according to residents. No injuries were recorded.

- Israeli warplanes targeted the town of Shamaa, south of Sour, destroying a house, according to residents. Ambulances headed to the targeted location. This is the first time Shamaa has been targeted.

- Three Israeli missiles were fired on the town of Shamaa, causing several casualties, our correspondent in the south reports, citing residents.

🔴 Nasrallah:

"The Israelis are joyful; they have killed Sayyed Mohsen [Fouad Shukur] and Ismail Haniyeh in a matter of hours. Laugh now, but you will weep greatly."

"You do not know what red line you have crossed. The enemy must now expect anger and retribution. We have entered a new phase concerning all support fronts."

🔴 Nasrallah on the Israeli strike on Beirut's southern suburb: "When we decided, along with the Amal Movement, the SSNP, and Jamaa Islamiya, to enter the battle, we knew what awaited us."

"We have moved beyond just a support front. This is an open battle on all fronts. We have entered a new phase."

(Credit: Mohammad Yassine/L'Orient Today)

Hezbollah officials and supporters are gathered in large numbers in the southern suburb of Beirut to attend the funeral of senior commander Fouad Shukur, who was killed in an Israeli strike, and to listen to a speech by the party's Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, broadcast on a screen. Among those present was Mohammad Raad, head of Hezbollah's parliamentary bloc.

🔴 Nasrallah on the strike on the southern suburbs of Beirut: "The strike on the southern suburb is not a response to the strike in Majdal Shams. It is part of the war and a response to the Lebanese support front."

"We are paying the price for our support for Gaza and the Palestinian people."

Nasrallah on the strike in Majdal Shams: "When the Israelis saw that there were children and Druze in Majdal Shams, they accused the Resistance. These accusations are unjust and aim to harm us."

"They want to sow discord between the people of the Golan, the Druze, and the Resistance — especially the Shiite community."

Nasrallah: "The Israelis say it is a reaction. They claim it was a response to Majdel Shams, alleging that our brother [Fouad Shukur] killed children there. We completely deny carrying out this strike. We are brave enough to admit when we conduct a strike. The enemy quickly blamed us without providing evidence."

Nasrallah on the Israeli strike on Haret Hreik, in Beirut's southern suburbs: "What happened in Dahiyeh is an act of aggression, not just an attack. They attacked the capital and residential buildings, they killed civilians, and they targeted a senior Resistance commander."

Nasrallah on Fouad Shukur, killed in Haret Hreik strike:

"The enemy's aim was to kill Sayyed Mohsen (Fouad Shukur)."

Hassan Nasrallah also recalled that the attack killed seven people: three women, two children, an Iranian man and the Hezbollah commander. He offered his condolences to the families.

Caretaker Energy Minister Walid Fayad — who is close to the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) — is in the first row of the audience watching Hassan Nasrallah's speech.

Nasrallah began by offering condolences to Ismail Haniyeh, head of the political bureau of the Palestinian Islamist movement assassinated in Tehran.

⚡ Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah began his speech.

An Iranian Revolutionary Guard video was posted online today by accounts close to Hezbollah. The barely one-minute video shows a number of successful rocket launch tests, carried out in unspecified locations and on unspecified dates.

(Credit: Mohammad Yassin/L'Orient Today)

An elderly man wearing a keffiyeh addressed the crowd at Fouad Shukur's funeral in the southern suburbs of Beirut. "Sing with me: death to America, death to Israel!" he urged, prompting the attendees to chant along.

According to Ghadir Hamadi, our on-site journalist, attendees at the funeral of Fouad Shukur in the southern suburbs of Beirut are predominantly dressed in black. Many are waving Palestinian flags and started arriving even before the official time. Photos of the deceased high-ranking Hezbollah commander have been placed on chairs for people to hold up during Nasrallah's speech.

Fatima, who chose not to provide her last name for security reasons, told L'Orient Today that she "does not want the Sayyed to announce a total war."

While she desires a strong and appropriate retaliation for the assassinations of Ismail Haniyeh (the head of Hamas's political bureau, killed by Israel in Tehran on Wednesday) and Fouad Shukur, she does not believe, nor hopes, that the Hezbollah leader will declare a war.

Addressing the "foreign press," one of the young men present at the funeral of Fouad Shukur in downtown Beirut exclaimed, "Death to the Americans, that is our message. We do not mean the death of American citizens, but the end of American hegemony over the world."

The young man did not provide his name to our on-site journalist Ghadir Hamadi.

Hamas has reportedly again denied claims about the death of one of its military leaders, Mohammad Deif, who was targeted by an Israeli strike in July, according to a Telegram account close to Hezbollah.

A Hamas official, Mahmoud Merdawi, also stated that Deif "is doing well" and "is following the Israeli news regarding his assassination."

(Credit: Mohammad Yassin/L'Orient Today)

Holding a photo of the assassinated Hezbollah commander, Fouad Shukur, a Hezbollah supporter, Hassan Mohammed Charara, told L'Orient Today that he expected Hassan Nasrallah to "prepare a surprise in his speech," scheduled for 5 p.m. during the funeral organized in the southern suburbs of Beirut, according to our on-site journalist Ghadir Hamadi.

"I was shocked by the assassination of Hajj Shukur by Israel, but I will not make any comments before hearing the Sayyed's speech," he added.

According to our journalist Gilles Khoury on site, the Rafik Hariri International Airport is moderately crowded and the atmosphere is quite tense. Announcements about flight details are ongoing. Of the dozen travelers interviewed, the majority are expatriates who indicated they have shortened their stay in Lebanon due to the security situation. The rest are divided between Lebanese nationals going on vacation or seeking to leave the country until the situation calms down.

Members of Hezbollah in position in the Sayyed al-Shouhada hall in the southern suburbs of Beirut, one hour before the official start of the funeral for the high-ranking Hezbollah commander killed on Tuesday in an Israeli strike in the capital. (Credit: Mohammad Yassin/OLJ)

The funeral of Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh in Iran on July 31, 2024. (Credit: AFP)

A British delegation including Foreign Secretary David Lammy and Defense Secretary John Healey has just arrived in Ain al-Tineh where they are due to meet with Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri.

The United Kingdom on Monday advised its citizens to leave Lebanon as efforts mounted to prevent an escalation between Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah following the deadly attack on the occupied Golan.

The Lebanese Health Ministry updated the death toll from the Israeli attack in Beirut's southern suburbs on Tuesday evening. According to the toll, the attack left seven people dead.

The ministry did not specify the identity of the seventh victim, but it could be an Iranian military adviser, Milad Beidi, as several local and regional media reported. Hezbollah has not commented on this death, and the Iranian embassy in Beirut did not respond to L'Orient Today's calls. The other victims include five civilians, including three women, two children – a girl and a boy – and Hezbollah military commander Fouad Shukur.

Reacting to the Israeli army's announcement of the death of Hamas' military leader, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said that "Mohammad Deif, the Osama bin Laden of Gaza, was eliminated on July 13, 2024."

"This is an important step in the process of dismantling Hamas as a military and governmental authority in Gaza, and in achieving the goals of this war," he added. "The operation was carried out with precision and professionalism. It reflects the fact that Hamas is disintegrating and that Hamas terrorists can either surrender or be eliminated." 

The Gazan Health Ministry announced on Thursday a new death toll of 39,480 in the Palestinian territory since the start of the war nearly ten months ago with Israel.

At least 35 people have been killed in the past 24 hours, the ministry said in a statement, adding that 91,128 people have been injured in the Gaza Strip since October 7.

“We can now confirm: Mohammad Deif has been eliminated,” the Israeli army wrote on X.

After a mid-July strike on the al-Mawassi camp in the southern Gaza Strip, the Israeli army said it had indications that it had managed to eliminate Mohammad Deif there. Hamas has never confirmed these allegations. 

Lebanon's caretaker Information Minister Ziad al-Makari received a message of solidarity and support from the head of Egypt's Supreme Council for Media Regulation (SCMR), Karam Gabr, following the Israeli airstrike that targeted the Southern Suburbs of Beirut two days ago, according to the state-run National News Agency.

"I affirm my full solidarity with the brotherly State of Lebanon, my rejection of any threats aimed at destabilizing [the country] ... as well as my total rejection of the escalation of the Israeli aggression against the State of Lebanon," Gabr's letter reads.

He also emphasized the need for "immediate intervention by the international community to spare the peoples of the region from further catastrophic consequences of the widening conflict, which poses a threat to international peace and security."

Australia has asked its citizens in Lebanon to leave the country, saying there is a real risk that tensions between Israel and Hezbollah will escalate.

An Iranian military adviser, Milad Beidi, was killed in an Israeli strike in the southern suburbs of Beirut, several local and regional media outlets reported, including the Hezbollah channel al-Manar, citing the Iranian news agency Fars.

According to the latest report from the Lebanese Ministry of Health, the Israeli attack on Tuesday evening resulted in the death of at least five civilians, including three women, a girl and a boy. In addition, the military commander of Hezbollah, Fouad Shukur and the Iranian military adviser, if confirmed.

Hezbollah has yet to comment on this new potential death and the Iranian embassy in Beirut has not responded to L'Orient Today's calls.

Here is what has been happening at the Lebanese-Israeli border this morning:

•⁠ ⁠An Israeli drone carried out an airstrike on the village of Kfar Kila (Marjayoun) at 9 a.m.

•⁠ ⁠Kfar Kila and the outskirts of Khiam (Marjayoun) have been subjected to Israeli artillery shelling.

Hezbollah has not yet claimed any attack against Israel since the Israeli airstrike that targeted the Southern suburbs of Beirut two days ago.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on " all parties" in the Middle East to de-escalate at a press conference, AFP reports.

Hours after Ismail Haniyeh's death, the U.N. Security Council held an emergency meeting at Iran's request. Many members of the council expressed concern about the risks of escalation in the Middle East.

Hezbollah is to bury in the southern suburbs its top commander Fouad Shukur, inaccurately presented as the "right-hand man" of the party's secretary general Hassan Nasrallah by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a speech recalling the strikes on the southern suburbs of Beirut and Tehran.

Hassan Nasrallah plans to speak during Shukur's funeral at 5 p.m.

Finally, the official funeral of Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh began early today in the center of Tehran.

Read more about the funeral here.

Despite everything that has been happening, Iran announced on Wednesday that it has no intention of intensifying the conflict in the Middle East, according to its first vice-president, Mohammad Reza Aref, quoted in a statement published after the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.

Update on the situation in southern Lebanon last night:

There were no strikes last night with only Israeli jets flying over parts of the south.

Be sure to read the Morning Brief so you are caught up with what has been happening.

Morning Brief

Hezbollah commander confirmed killed after Israeli strike on Beirut: Everything you need to know to start your Thursday

Good morning!

Thank you for joining us for our live coverage of the ongoing war in Gaza and its regional and global impacts.