Page 5 - Gaza Border Clash

EAM S Jaishankar voices 'great concern' over situation in war-ravaged Gaza

Underling that the conflict in Gaza is of great concern, India on Monday said the humanitarian crisis arising from conflicts required a sustainable solution that gives immediate relief to those most affected. Addressing the 55th Session of the UN Human Rights Council, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that terrorism and hostage-taking are not acceptable and hoped that the conflict does not spread within or beyond the region. India strongly condemned the terror attack by Hamas on October 7 last year. At the same time, we must be clear that terrorism and hostage-taking are unacceptable, he said in his address via video link from New Delhi. He said that international humanitarian law must always be respected. It is vital that the conflict does not spread within or beyond the region, he said, adding that the efforts must also focus on seeking a two-state solution where Palestinian people can live within Israelis. Speaking at an interactive session at the Munich Security ...

Int'l community turning blind eye to 'genocide' in Gaza: Priyanka Gandhi

Priyanka also said that everyone will have to pay an "unimaginable price" for this if voices are not raised against it

48 people killed in Israeli airstrikes in Gaza amid calls for ceasefire

At least 48 people were killed in Israeli airstrikes in southern and central Gaza overnight, half of them women and children, the territory's health officials said. European diplomats stepped up calls for a cease-fire on Thursday, with alarm rising over the worsening humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip. Tensions were also rising in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, where three gunmen opened fire Thursday morning on the road near a checkpoint, killing one Israeli and wounding at least five, police said. Two of the attackers were killed and a third was found later and detained. Yoav Gallant, Israel's defence minister, said Thursday that Israel will expand the authority of its hostage negotiators, signalling a small sign of progress in ongoing international efforts to broker a cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas. But unless Hamas agrees to release the remaining Israeli hostages in Gaza, Israel will launch a ground offensive into the crowded southern city of Rafah during the .

Egypt setting up area at Gaza border for Palestinians to take shelter

One of the sources said Egypt was optimistic talks to clinch a ceasefire can avoid any such scenario, but is establishing the area at the border as a temporary and precautionary measure

West Bank settler population grew nearly 3%, Gaza war could give new push

The population of Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank grew nearly 3 per cent in 2023, according to a new report based on population statistics from the Israeli government. The report, released on Sunday by the pro-settler group WestBankJewishPopulationStats.com, found the settler population jumped to 517,407 as of December 31, from 502,991 a year earlier. The settler population has grown over 15 per cent in the last five years, the report said. Last year, it passed the half-million mark, a major threshold. This year's report predicted "accelerated growth" in the coming years, claiming the October 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel, which triggered the current war in Gaza, persuaded many Israelis who were formerly opposed to settlement-building on occupied land to change positions. "Serious cracks have indeed developed in the wall of opposition to Jewish settlement of the West Bank," it said. Israel captured the West Bank, east Jerusalem and Gaza Strip in the 1967 Mideast war

Biden asks Israel to not press into Rafah without plan to protect civilians

Israel shouldn't go ahead with a military operation in the densely populated Gaza border town of Rafah without a credible plan to protect civilians, President Joe Biden told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday, the White House said. They spoke after two Egyptian officials and a Western diplomat said Egypt threatened to suspend its peace treaty with Israel if Israeli troops are sent into Rafah, where Egypt fears fighting could force the closure of the besieged territory's main aid supply route. The threat to suspend the Camp David Accords, a cornerstone of regional stability for nearly a half-century, came after Netanyahu said sending troops into Rafah was necessary to win the four-month war against the Palestinian militant group Hamas. He asserted that Hamas still has four battalions there. Over half of Gaza's population of 2.3 million have fled to Rafah to escape fighting in other areas, and they are packed into sprawling tent camps and UN-run shelters near the border. Egyp

Blinken heads to Middle East to hold negotiations on hostages, Gaza aid

Blinken will travel to Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, Israel, and the West Bank from February 4-8. It is his fifth trip to the region since the Hamas' attacks on Israel on October 7

IDF confirms channelling large volumes of water in suspected Hamas tunnels

"This is a significant tool in combating the threat of Hamas' underground terrorist infrastructure," it also said

Israel instructs Northern farmers to be prepared for expansion of war

People are also instructed to check the functioning of generators, to increase food stocks and to perform any additional action they think is right in order

Israel slams UN for false allegations it is hampering Gaza aid efforts

The Israeli agency COGAT (Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories"For weeks, we've been saying we're inspecting more aid than you can handle," COGAT said on Twitter/X in direct response to UNWRA's charges. "We adjusted long ago. Did you? The answer is no.""Stop spreading accusations and start doing your job," added COGAT. "Hundreds of aid trucks are waiting for you at the border, including now. Collect and distribute them."The post included pictures of the trucks ready to enter Gaza.The comments came after UNWRA alleged on Twitter/X, "Intense fighting, access denials & restrictions + communications blackouts are hampering UNRWA's ability to safely & effectively deliver aid. As risk of famine grows, UN calls for a critical increase in humanitarian access.

EAM Jaishankar, Blinken discuss Red Sea attacks, Gaza, Ukraine war

The United States has welcomed the "increased cooperation" with India in defending freedom of navigation in the Red Sea as the two countries discussed "shared concerns" over the reckless Houthi attacks in the region. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke Thursday and "discussed the United States and India's shared concerns over the reckless Houthi attacks in the southern Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, which threaten the free flow of commerce, endanger innocent mariners, and violate international law". State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement that Blinken emphasised the Red Sea is a major commercial corridor that facilitates international trade and "welcomed increased cooperation with India in defending freedom of navigation in the region". Jaishankar and Blinken also discussed the Israel-Hamas conflict, efforts to prevent the escalation and increase the delivery of humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza. Blinken also

US Secy of State Antony Blinken back in West Asia amid escalating tensions

Israel to launch more targeted assault on Hamas; Maersk warns of disruption

Israel lays out vision for next steps of Gaza war ahead of Blinken visit

Israel's defence minister on Thursday laid out his vision for the next phase of the war in Gaza, describing how Israeli forces would shift to an apparently scaled-down "new combat approach" in northern Gaza, while continuing to fight Hamas in the south of the territory "for as long as necessary". Ahead of a visit by the US secretary of state, Yoav Gallant also outlined a proposal for how Gaza would be run once Hamas is defeated, with Israel keeping security control while an undefined, Israeli-guided Palestinian body runs day-to-day administration, and the US and other countries oversee rebuilding. Israel has come under heavy international pressure to spell out a post-war vision but so far has not done so. The issue is likely to be on the agenda in Secretary of State Antony Blinken's talks this weekend in Israel and other countries in the region. The United States has pressed Israel to shift to lower-intensity military operations in Gaza that more precisely target Hamas, after nearly

Gaza ground offensive has expanded into urban refugee camps, says IDF

Israeli forces on Tuesday expanded their ground offensive into urban refugee camps in central Gaza after bombarding the crowded Palestinian communities and ordering residents to evacuate. Gaza's main telecom provider announced another complete interruption of services in the besieged territory. The military's announcement of the new battle zone threatens further destruction in a war that Israel says will last for many months as it vows to crush the ruling Hamas militant group after its October 7 attack. Israeli forces have been engaged in heavy urban fighting in northern Gaza and the southern city of Khan Younis, driving Palestinians into ever-smaller areas in search of refuge. The US said Israel's minister for strategic affairs, Ron Dermer, was meeting with Secretary of State Antony Blinken and national security adviser Jake Sullivan. Despite US calls for Israel to curb civilian casualties and international pressure for a cease-fire, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said

UN appoints former Dutch deputy premier as Gaza humanitarian coordinator

Sigrid Kaag, the Netherlands' former deputy prime minister and a Mideast expert, was appointed the UN coordinator for humanitarian aid to war-torn Gaza, the United Nations chief announced on Tuesday. The announcement by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres follows the Security Council's adoption of a resolution on Friday requesting him to expeditiously appoint a senior humanitarian and reconstruction coordinator for Gaza, where more than 2 million civilians are in desperate need of food, water and medicine, Guterres said Kaag, who speaks fluent Arabic and five other languages, brings a wealth of experience in political, humanitarian and development affairs as well as in diplomacy to her new post. She is expected to start on January 8. She will facilitate, coordinate, monitor, and verify humanitarian relief consignments to Gaza, he said, adding that Kaag will also establish a UN mechanism to accelerate aid deliveries "through states which are not party to the conflict. Gaza's enti

War exacts very heavy price from us, but we have no choice: Netanyahu

Fifteen Israeli soldiers have been killed in combat in Gaza over the weekend, the Israeli military said on Sunday, while tentative efforts continued on a deal for another exchange of hostages for Palestinians held by Israel. As Christmas Eve fell, smoke still rose over Gaza from the fighting, while Bethlehem in the West Bank was hushed, its holiday celebrations called off. The mounting death toll among Israeli troops 154 since the ground offensive began could erode public support for the war, which was sparked when Hamas-led militants stormed communities in southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 and taking 240 hostage. The war has devastated parts of Gaza, killed roughly 20,400 Palestinians and displaced almost all of the besieged territory's 2.3 million people. The Health Ministry in Gaza said 166 people were killed in the coastal enclave over the past day. Israelis still largely stand behind the country's stated goals of crushing Hamas' governing and military capabilities and

Israel strikes 2 homes, more than 90 Palestinians killed, hundreds detained

More than 90 Palestinians, including dozens from an extended family, were killed in Israeli airstrikes on two homes, rescuers and hospital officials said Saturday, a day after the UN chief warned again that nowhere is safe in Gaza and that Israel's offensive is creating massive obstacles to distribution of humanitarian aid. Also Saturday, the Israeli military said troops arrested hundreds of alleged militants in Gaza over the past week and transferred more than 200 of them to Israel for further interrogation, providing rare details on a controversial policy of mass roundups of Palestinian men. The army said more than 700 people with alleged ties to the militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad have so far been sent to Israeli lockups. Israel declared war after Hamas gunmen stormed across the border on Oct. 7, killing some 1,200 people and taking some 240 hostages. More than 20,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's war to destroy Hamas and more than 53,000 have been wounded, .

UNSC adopts UAE's resolution on scaling up, monitoring aid to Gaza

The resolution calls for urgent steps to immediately allow safe, unhindered, and expanded humanitarian access and for a sustainable cessation of hostilities in the Gaza Strip

More than 20,000 Palestinians killed in Israel-Hamas war: Gaza officials

Health officials in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip say more than 20,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war between Israel and Hamas. The figure, amounting to nearly 1% of the territory's prewar population, is a new reflection of the staggering cost of the war, which in just over 10 weeks has displaced more than 80% of Gaza's people and devastated wide swaths of the tiny coastal enclave. Gaza's Health Ministry said Friday that it has documented 20,057 deaths in the fighting. It does not differentiate between combatant and civilian deaths. It has previously said that roughly two-thirds of the dead were women or minors.

Israel established full 'operational control' over Gaza's Shejaiya: IDF

According to the IDF, dozens of tuneel shafts found in homes, schools, health clinics and weapons were destroyed