Israeli missiles are no longer raining on only Gaza anymore.
Since June 13, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu decided to strike at the heart of Iran, as part of a preemptive and retaliatory military campaign aimed at neutralising "imminent threats from Iran’s nuclear and missile infrastructure". On the first day of the assault, Israel attacked nuclear facilities in Natanz, Fordow, Isfahan and other enrichment plants in Tehran including other military installations. Since then, as many as many as 13 Irani military commanders have been reported dead by news agencies.
Israel's two-pronged war has left news agencies, NGOs and the country's governments counting the dead.
Here's breaking the past week down for you
Gaza Strip - 278 deaths
June 12: Reuters reported the death of 103 humanitarian aid workers, of which 21 died near the Gaza humanitarian foundation. Total deaths: 124
June 13: No confirmed or reported deaths by any official body or news agency
June 14: 45 Palestinians were killed near aid distribution points in Gaza, says Reuters
June 16: Aid ministry reported 68 bodies of Palestinians killed in the prior 24 hours; also noted tank shelling and aid-related casualties, says Reuters
June 17: 30 killed by gunfire and airstrikes, 11 killed at aid centre, reports Reuters
Iran - 585 deaths
June 13: According to the United Nations, 78 people died in Iran, including military commanders
June 14: According to Reuters, 60 poeple died in Tehran after Israel bombed the housing complexes
June 15: 93 people, including 20 children died in Tehran, says Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei
June 16: Three Iranian Red Crescent workers died, reports Reuters
June 17: No daily count published by any source
But according to Associated Press and Reuters citing a human rights group, Israeli strikes have killed at least 585 people across Iran and wounded 1,326 others.
IDF 'looking into deaths of those waiting for food'
On June 17, Gaza's health ministry had said 397 Palestinians among those trying to get food aid had been killed and more than 3,000 wounded since aid deliveries restarted in late May.
Some in Gaza expressed concern that the latest escalations in the war between Israel and Hamas that began in October 2023 would be overlooked as the focus moved to Israel's five-day-old conflict with Iran.
"People are being slaughtered in Gaza, day and night, but attention has shifted to the Iran-Israel war. There is little news about Gaza these days," said Adel, a resident of Gaza City.
"Whoever doesn't die from Israeli bombs dies from hunger. People risk their lives every day to get food, and they also get killed and their blood smears the sacks of flour they thought they had won," he told Reuters via a chat app.
What Donald Trump said
US President Donald Trump called Israel’s airstrikes on Iranian nuclear and military sites “excellent” and said “they got hit hard, very hard,” warning there was “a lot more” to come.
He emphasised that Iran had been given “chance after chance” to strike a nuclear deal, stating, “I gave Iran a 60‑day ultimatum… Today is day 61.” He urged them to “just do it” before “there is nothing left,” and warned of even more brutal attacks if they didn’t, reported Reuters.
In an interview with Reuters, Trump admitted he and his team “knew everything” about the planned Israeli strikes. He said he had urged diplomacy to avoid 'humiliation and death'.
Condemnations worldover
United States
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Israel took “unilateral action against Iran” and that Israel advised the US that it believed the strikes were necessary for its self-defence.
“We are not involved in strikes against Iran, and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region,” Rubio said in a statement released by the White House. “Let me be clear: Iran should not target US interests or personnel.”
United Nations
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for “maximum restraint” to avoid “descent into deeper conflict”.
“The secretary-general condemns any military escalation in the Middle East,” Guterres’s spokesperson Farhan Haq said. “He is particularly concerned by Israeli attacks on nuclear installations in Iran while talks between Iran and the United States on the status of Iran’s nuclear programme are under way.”
International Atomic Energy Agency
The UN Security Council also held an emergency session over the Iran-Israel conflict on Friday. The meeting was requested by Iran, and supported by Russia and China.
UN nuclear watchdog head Rafael Grossi said that nuclear facilities “must never be attacked” and called “on all parties to exercise maximum restraint to avoid further escalation” following Israeli strikes on Iran.
“This development is deeply concerning … I reiterate that any military action that jeopardises the safety and security of nuclear facilities risks grave consequences for the people of Iran, the region, and beyond,” Grossi, who heads the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said in a statement to board members.
NATO
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said it was “crucial” for Israel’s allies to work to de-escalate tensions.
“I think it is now crucial for many allies, including the United States, to work, as we speak, to de-escalate. I know that they are doing that and I think that is now the first order of the day,” Rutte told reporters at a news conference in Stockholm.
“This was a unilateral action by Israel,” Rutte said, while noting it was “obviously a rapidly evolving situation”.
Iraq
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani condemned Israel’s “military aggression” against Iran, saying that the wave of air strikes violated international law and threatened global security.
“The Government of the Republic of Iraq strongly condemns the military aggression launched by the Zionist entity against the territory of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” the prime minister’s office said in a statement, referring to Israel.
“This act represents a blatant violation of the fundamental principles of international law and the Charter of the United Nations, and constitutes a serious threat to international peace and security.”
Oman
Oman, which has been mediating nuclear talks between the US and Iran over recent months, decried Israel’s attacks as a “dangerous and reckless escalation” that “violates the principles of international law”.
“[It] represents unacceptable and ongoing aggressive behaviour that undermines the foundations of stability in the region,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
India
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday gave a call for “early restoration of peace” in the backdrop of the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran. He conveyed the Indian position in a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday evening when the latter briefed him about the Israeli attacks on Iran.
“Received a phone call from Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel. He briefed me on the evolving situation. I shared India’s concerns and emphasised the need for early restoration of peace and stability in the region,” said PM Modi.
Turkiye
Ankara issued a sharp condemnation of Israel’s attack, calling it a violation of international law and a reckless provocation.
“The air strike shows that Israel does not want issues to be resolved through diplomatic means,” Turkiye’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.
It called on Israel to “immediately halt aggressive actions that could lead to greater conflicts”, warning that such moves could push the region closer to widespread instability.
Turkiye condemned the assault “in the strongest terms”, it said.