Gaza live: Israel to build 'different government' in Gaza, says defence minister

Hello MEE readers, 

The US is expecting Israel to accept the deal to end its bombardment of Gaza if Hamas also agrees, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said earlier today.

"This was an Israeli proposal. We have every expectation that if Hamas agrees to the proposal - as was transmitted to them, an Israeli proposal - then Israel would say yes," he said in an interview with ABC News.

Still, several of Israel’s far-right ministers have spoken out against the ceasefire deal. Adding to Israel’s national security and finance ministers statements on Saturday, today Israel's Diaspora Affairs Minister urged his government not to accept the deal outlined by US President Joe Biden to end the war.

Meanwhile, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said that his country is working on finding a replacement for Hamas in Gaza, asserting that Israel will not stop the war until it has dismantled the Palestinian group's military and governing capabilities.

Other updates include: 

• The Maldives government said it will ban Israelis from entering the country.  Israel's foreign ministry on Sunday recommended that Israeli citizens not travel to the Maldives

• Tunisia’s Ministry of Education has banned students from wearing "the Palestinian keffiyeh" or any other form of clothing that "influences the behaviour of the Baccalaureate candidate inside the examination halls".

• A drone thought to have been launched by Hezbollah fell in the Israeli coastal city of Nahariya, causing a fire but no injuries

• Gaza's health ministry said that the death toll from Israel's war on Gaza has risen to 36,439, with 60 people being killed in the past 24 hours.

A drone thought to have been launched by Hezbollah fell in the Israeli coastal city of Nahariya, causing a fire but no injuries, Israel's military and local media reported.

A continuous exchange of rocket fire between Lebanon and Israel has been documented in the area today.

The drone's falling triggered air raid sirens, sending the city's roughly 75,000 residents running for shelter.

Nahariya is about 4.4 miles from the Lebanese border.

Israel's military said in a statement that it tried unsuccessfully to intercept the drone.

There was no immediate claim of launching the drone by Hezbollah.

Speaking at a conference in Manhattan, Israel's Diaspora Affairs Minister urged his government not to accept the deal outlined by US President Joe Biden to end the war and bring home the hostages.

During the conference, sponsored by the right-wing, settler-aligned news organisation Besheva, Minister Amichai Chikli said: "No surrender, not to American pressure, not to anything." 

"We don't have any other choice but to continue the war and annihilate Hamas, and there is no option to accept a ceasefire while Hamas is still in power," Chikli said.

 Israel's foreign ministry on Sunday recommended that Israeli citizens not travel to the Maldives after its government banned the entry of visitors with Israeli passports.

The recommendation, the Israeli ministry said, includes Israelis with dual citizenship.

"For Israeli citizens already in the country, it is recommended to consider leaving, because if they find themselves in distress for any reason, it will be difficult for us to assist," the ministry said in a statement.

Read More: Israel recommends its citizens t0 avoid Maldives following passport ban

Tunisia’s Ministry of Education has banned students from wearing "the Palestinian keffiyeh" or any other form of clothing that "influences the behaviour of the Baccalaureate candidate inside the examination halls".

In a statement, the ministry said that it would not hesitate to implement "penalties to preserve the integrity of our educational institutions".

Still, the office "reaffirmed" its "support for the Palestinian cause", in line with the Tunisian government. 

Tunisia’s Ministry of Education:

« Wearing the Palestinian keffiyeh or any other form of clothing that influences the behavior of the Baccalaureate candidate inside the examination halls is prohibited. […] The Ministry will not hesitate to implement these penalties to preserve… pic.twitter.com/k44ZM9GeMx

— Mohamed Dhia Hammami - محمد ضياء الهمامي (@MedDhiaH) June 2, 2024

The Maldives government said it will ban Israelis from entering the country as public anger rises in the nation over the Gaza war.

The AP reports that the president's office said that the Cabinet decided to change laws to prevent Israeli passport holders from entering the country and to "establish a subcommittee to oversee the process".

Nearly 11,000 Israelis visit the Maldives every year, or 0.6 percent of the total tourist arrivals.

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said that his country is working on finding a replacement for Hamas in Gaza, asserting that Israel will not stop the war until it has dismantled the Palestinian group's military and governing capabilities.

"In any process of ending the war, we will not accept the rule of Hamas," he said, following an assessment at the Israeli army's Southern Command in Beersheba. "We are advancing an alternative government to Hamas, within the framework of which we will isolate areas, remove the Hamas members and bring in other forces that will enable a different government."

"On one hand, military action, and on the other, the ability to change the government, will lead to the achievement of two of the goals of this war, the dismantling of the Hamas government and its military power, and the return of the hostages."

White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said that Israel accomplished most of its military goals against Hamas.

Asked about Biden's assertion that Hamas can no longer conduct an attack similar to that of 7 October, 2023, Kirby said that "it is based on accumulation of our own intelligence assessments across the intelligence agencies".

"We’re also not saying that Hamas has been wiped off the face of the map," he told ABC News. "We have not said that Hamas has no military capabilities.

"We have not said that they don’t still represent a viable threat to the Israeli people. Of course they do.”

“But they don’t have the military capabilities to do what they did on the 7th of October. From a military perspective only — as President Biden said — the Israelis have accomplished most of their goals in Gaza."

White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said on Sunday that if Hamas agrees to the deal to end the Gaza war, the US expects Israel to also accept the plan, Reuters reports.

"This was an Israeli proposal. We have every expectation that if Hamas agrees to the proposal — as was transmitted to them, an Israeli proposal — then Israel would say yes," he said in an interview with ABC News.

United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani have discussed Biden’s ceasefire proposal, according to the UAE state news agency WAM.

The two leaders expressed their support for all serious initiatives and efforts to reach a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, protect civilians and ensure de-escalation in the region.

They also expressed their backing for a path towards lasting peace in the region based on a two-state solution.

An aide to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that Israel had accepted a framework ceasefire deal presented by US President Joe Biden, but described it as flawed and in need of much more work.

Ophir Falk, chief foreign policy adviser to Netanyahu, said Biden's proposal was "a deal we agreed to - it's not a good deal but we dearly want the hostages released, all of them".

"There are a lot of details to be worked out," he said in an interview with Britain's Sunday Times.

Falk added that Israeli conditions, including "the release of the hostages and the destruction of Hamas" have not changed.

READ MORE: Biden's Gaza plan 'not a good deal' but Israel accepts it, Netanyahu aide says

Gaza's health ministry said that the death toll from Israel's war on Gaza has risen to 36,439, with 60 people being killed in the past 24 hours.

Additionally, 82,627 have been wounded since the start of the war.

The Israeli military bombarded several villages in southern and eastern Lebanon over the weekend, wounding 16 children in one air strike.

The Islamic Health Committee said that the Saturday strike on the southern village of Siddikine, located inland from the coastal city of Tyre, wounded children between the ages of four and 14. 

Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said that the strike was one of several conducted by Israel in south Lebanon on Saturday, resulting in seven people being wounded.

READ MORE: Israeli strike wounds 16 children in south Lebanon

Israel's military said it has intercepted several rockets from a barrage fired from Lebanon towards the Margaliot area in northern Israel.

Several Iron Dome interceptions seen over the Margaliot area in northern Israel. pic.twitter.com/9rlBVQo9yr

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) June 2, 2024

Two Palestinian teenagers were killed by Israeli gunfire near the Aqabat Jaber refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, according to the Palestinian health ministry.

The Israeli military said that they fired live bullets at two suspects who allegedly hurled explosives towards a local community, but did not confirm the deaths.

"Hits were identified," they said in a statement.

The two boys were 16 and 17 years old.