By Middle East Correspondent
London, (The Muslim News): The UN on Monday warned of continuing civilian casualties in Gaza as Israeli attacks persisted despite a ceasefire, while Palestinian officials said 1,014 athletes had been killed since Israel launched its war on the territory. Israeli minister enters Al-Aqsa Mosque compound and prays inside and Israel continues its bombing campaign in Lebanon.
“We continue to remain very concerned about the impact on civilians because of the continued Israeli airstrikes,” UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters.
Dujarric said recent reports included the killing of a young boy and damage to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital compound in Deir al-Balah. Medical sources said a three-year-old child and a young man were killed over the weekend when Israeli forces shelled a group of civilians.
“Civilians and civilian infrastructure must always be protected,” Dujarric said.
The UN also warned that preparations for Gaza’s approaching rainy season were being hampered by limited aid, funding shortages and a lack of essential equipment. Local authorities have mapped flood risks across hundreds of areas, but shortages of engine oil, heavy machinery and spare parts are restricting humanitarian operations. Aid groups are also struggling to establish shelters in safer areas because much of the territory remains inaccessible.
A US-backed ceasefire took effect in Gaza last October, but attacks have continued. Gaza’s Health Ministry says 1,320 Palestinians have been killed and 4,385 injured since the ceasefire began, while more than 73,000 have been killed and over 174,000 wounded since Israel launched its military campaign in October 2023.
Sports toll reaches 1,014
The latest reported death was Jabalia Services Club defender Abdel Fattah Abu al-Aish, killed Saturday when an Israeli strike hit an electric motorcycle operated by a delivery company in Gaza City’s Tal al-Hawa neighbourhood.
Mustafa Siam, secretary-general of the Palestinian Sports Media Federation, said the 1,014 victims included players, coaches, referees and Palestinian Football Association officials.
Abu al-Aish had been preparing with his team for the Thousand Martyrs’ Cup, a Palestinian Football Association tournament due to begin on September 4. His funeral was held in Gaza City on Sunday.
Israeli attacks have also devastated Gaza’s sports infrastructure, destroying more than 50 of the territory’s 56 sports clubs and about 20 five-a-side football fields established by the Palestinian Football Association with FIFA support, according to the federation.
Despite the destruction, Palestinian sporting bodies began efforts to resume organised competition in March, when a five-a-side tournament was held using only three surviving fields.
Ben-Gvir enters Al-Aqsa compound
In occupied East Jerusalem, far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound on Monday under police protection, with images showing him praying inside.
An official from the Islamic Endowments Department said Ben-Gvir entered with police guards and several Israeli settlers. His repeated visits to the compound have drawn Palestinian, Arab, Muslim and international condemnation.
The latest incursion came less than two months before Israel’s general election on October 27.
Al-Aqsa is Islam’s third-holiest site. Palestinians seek occupied East Jerusalem as the capital of a future state, while international resolutions do not recognise Israel’s occupation of the city since 1967 or its annexation in 1980.
Israeli attacks continue in southern Lebanon
Israeli forces also carried out attacks in southern Lebanon on Monday, with powerful explosions causing part of Al-Qantara mountain in the Marjayoun district to collapse, Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported.
Israeli drones flew at low altitude over towns in the Tyre district and Beirut’s southern suburbs, while another blast near Beaufort Castle in Nabatieh was followed by artillery fire on nearby areas.
Beaufort Castle, a 12th-century landmark overlooking the Litani River, was placed on UNESCO’s list of World Heritage sites in danger on July 27 as part of the castles of the Jabal Amel region.
The attacks continued despite a US-backed agreement providing for a phased Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon.
Lebanese authorities say Israeli attacks since March 2 have killed more than 4,000 people, wounded more than 12,000 and displaced over one million.
Israel continues to occupy parts of southern Lebanon, including areas held for decades and others occupied since the 2023-24 war.
[Photo: Palestinians inspect the damage at a site following Israeli drone strikes in the Ketiba area west of Gaza City, Gaza, Palestine, on September 1, 2026. A vehicle was rendered unusable in the strikes, which were reported to have violated the ceasefire. Photojournalist: Saeed M. M. T. Jaras/AA]
