Page 10 - Gaza Conflict

Troops to stay in Gaza for unspecified time as Israel approves takeover

Israel approved plans Monday to seize the Gaza Strip and to stay in the Palestinian territory for an unspecified amount of time, two Israeli officials said, a move that, if implemented, would vastly expand Israel's operations there and likely draw fierce international opposition. The new plan, which was approved in an early morning vote by Israeli Cabinet ministers, also calls for hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to move to Gaza's south. That would likely amount to their forcible displacement and exacerbate an already dire humanitarian crisis. Details of the plan were not formally announced, and its exact timing and implementation were not clear. Its approval came hours after the Israeli military chief said the army was calling up tens of thousands of reserve soldiers. The plan may be another measure by Israel to try to pressure Hamas into making concessions in ceasefire negotiations. A third person, a defense official, said the new plan would not begin until after U.S. Preside

4 year-old girl, other children killed in Israeli strike on Gaza roadside

Massa Abed, 4, brought a rubber ball and her doll to play with friends on the street near her family's home on Sunday. It was a mundane day in Zawaida, the central Gaza town where the Abeds returned weeks ago, with calm largely restored in the area. But that afternoon, an Israeli strike hit a tent on the side of the road, killing Massa and some of the other children. Her older brother, 16, grabbed Massa's little body and rushed to the hospital on a donkey cart. When she was pronounced dead, he wailed, holding her. Days later, Massa's father, Samy Abed, turned the green ball in his hand, describing the incident to The Associated Press. She had a ball on her lap with a doll in her hand. Will she fight them with her football or doll? he said. She's 4 years old. What can she do? She can't even carry a rock. The Israeli army did not respond to requests for comment on the strike, and it remains unclear why the area near the city of Deir al-Balah was struck or who was targeted. Israeli

Israeli strikes kill 14 in Gaza, destroy rubble-clearing equipment

Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip killed at least 14 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and destroyed bulldozers and other heavy equipment that had been supplied by mediators to clear rubble. Separate strikes on Tuesday killed two people in Lebanon. Israel's 18-month offensive against Hamas has destroyed vast areas of Gaza, raising fears that much of it may never be rebuilt. The territory already had a shortage of heavy equipment, which is also needed to rescue people from the rubble after Israeli strikes and to clear vital roads. A municipality in the Jabaliya area of northern Gaza said a strike on its parking garage destroyed nine bulldozers provided by Egypt and Qatar, which helped broker the ceasefire that took hold in January. Israel ended the truce last month, renewing its bombardment and ground operations and sealing the territory's two million Palestinians off from all imports, including food, fuel and medical supplies. The strikes also destroyed a water tanker and a

Israel admits 'professional error' in Gaza strike that killed 15 medics

An Israeli investigation into the killings of 15 Palestinian medics last month in Gaza by Israeli forces said Sunday it found a chain of professional failures and a deputy commander has been fired. The shootings outraged many in the international community, with some calling the killings a war crime. Medical workers have special protection under international humanitarian law. The International Red Cross/Red Crescent called it the deadliest attack on its personnel in eight years. Israel at first claimed that the medics' vehicles did not have emergency signals on when troops opened fire but later backtracked. Cellphone video recovered from one medic contradicted Israel's initial account. The military investigation found that the deputy battalion commander acted under the incorrect assumption that all of the ambulances belonged to Hamas militants. Video footage obtained shows the ambulances had lights flashing and logos visible as they pulled up to help another ambulance that earlier

Israeli probe finds 'professional failures' in Palestine medic killings

An Israeli probe into the killings of Palestinian medics in Gaza says it has found professional failures and a deputy commander will be fired. The findings issued on Sunday come after the killings of 15 medics last month by Israeli forces. Israel at first claimed that the medics' vehicles did not have emergency signals on when troops opened fire but later backtracked. Cellphone video recovered from one of the medics contradicted Israel's initial account of the shooting. The military investigation found that the deputy battalion commander, due to poor night visibility, assessed that the ambulances belonged to Hamas militants. Video footage obtained from the incident shows the ambulances had lights flashing.

Israeli strikes on Gaza kills over 90 people in last 48 hours: Palestinians

More than 90 people have been killed in Gaza by Israeli strikes in the last 48 hours, Gaza's Health Ministry said on Saturday. The ministry does not differentiate between civilians and combatants. The dead include at least 15 people killed overnight, among them women and children, some of who were sheltering in a designated humanitarian zone, according to hospital staff. Israel is ramping up attacks across Gaza as it tries to pressure Hamas to release its hostages and disarm. Israel has said it plans to occupy large security zones inside Gaza.

Ready to release all remaining hostages to end Gaza war, says Hamas

Khalil Al-Hayya, Hamas's Gaza chief and lead negotiator, said the group seeks a comprehensive deal including a full ceasefire, release of Palestinian prisoners, and Gaza's reconstruction

Troops to stay in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria indefinitely, says Israeli minister

Israel's defence minister said Wednesday that troops will remain in so-called security zones in the Gaza Strip, Lebanon and Syria indefinitely. Unlike in the past, the (Israeli military) is not evacuating areas that have been cleared and seized, Israel Katz said in a statement. The military will remain in the security zones as a buffer between the enemy and (Israeli) communities in any temporary or permanent situation in Gaza as in Lebanon and Syria. Israeli forces have taken over large areas of Gaza in recent weeks in a renewed campaign to pressure Hamas to release hostages after Israel ended their ceasefire last month. Israel has also refused to withdraw from some areas in Lebanon following a ceasefire with the Hezbollah militant group last year, and it seized a buffer zone in southern Syria after the overthrow of President Bashar Assad. Israel says it must maintain control of such territories to prevent a repeat of Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 attack, in which thousands of militants ...

EU pledges $1.8 bn aid package to Palestinian Authority to rebuild Gaza

The European Union on Monday unveiled a financial aid package of up to 1.6 billion euros (USD 1.8 billion) to support the beleaguered Palestinian Authority and fund projects in the West Bank, Jerusalem and war-ravaged Gaza. The offer came as Israel expanded its offensive across Gaza over the weekend. More than a third of the money, to be provided over two years, will come as direct budget support to the Palestinian Authority and it's aimed at improving financial sustainability, democratic governance and services to help the private sector develop. Our programme aims to support the Palestinian people in building a sustainable future," said EU Mediterranean Commissioner Dubravka uica. It's about the governing capacity. It's about advancing economic recovery. It's about strengthening the resilience of the private sector. Speaking to reporters after talks in Luxembourg with Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa, she said "a well-functioning and reformed Palestinian Authority must

IDF dismantles 'underground terrorist route' in Gaza, strikes militants

In a post on X, the IDF said a weapons cache near the tunnel held around 20 explosive devices, an anti-tank guided missile, and other arms

Israel to dismiss air force reservists who condemned Gaza conflict

Israel's military said Friday it will fire air force reservists who signed a letter condemning the war in Gaza and accusing it of only serving political interests and not bringing the hostages home. In a statement to The Associated Press, an army official said there was no room for any body or individual, including reservists in active duty, to exploit their military status while simultaneously participating in the fighting, calling it a breach of trust between commanders and subordinates. The army said it decided that any active reservist who signed the letter will not be able to continue serving. It did not specify how many people that included or if the firings had begun. Nearly 1,000 Israeli Air Force reservists and retirees signed a letter, published in Israeli media Thursday, demanding the immediate return of the hostages, even at the cost of ending the fighting. The letter comes as Israel ramps up its offensive in Gaza, trying to pressure Hamas to agree to free hostages, 59

Israeli airstrike on Gaza building kills at least 23, say health officials

Israeli aircraft struck a residential block in war-ravaged northern Gaza on Wednesday, killing at least 23 people, health officials said, as the renewed fighting in the devastated Palestinian enclave showed no signs of letting up. The Al-Ahly hospital said at least 23 people were killed in the strike, including eight women and eight children, figures confirmed by the territory's Health Ministry. The strike hit a four-story building in the Shijaiyah neighborhood of Gaza City and rescue teams were searching for victims under the rubble, according to the Health Ministry's emergency service. The civil defense, a rescue group which operates under the Hamas-run government, said other neighbouring buildings were damaged in the strike. The Israeli military said it struck a senior Hamas militant who it said was behind attacks emanating from Shijaiyah. It did not name him or provide further details. Israel blames the deaths of civilians on the militant group, because it embeds itself in dense

Nearly 400K Palestinians displaced following collapse of Gaza ceasefire: UN

Survivors across Gaza are being displaced repeatedly and forced into an ever-shrinking space where their basic needs just cannot be met, said UN spokesperson

Israel strikes tents near hospitals in Gaza, killing, wounding reporters

Israel struck tents outside two major hospitals in the Gaza Strip overnight, killing at least two people, including a local reporter, and wounding another nine, including six reporters, medics said Monday. Fifteen others were killed in separate strikes across the territory, according to hospitals. A strike on a media tent outside Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis at around 2 a.m. set the tent ablaze, killing Yousef al-Faqawi, a reporter for the Palestine Today TV station, and another man, according to the hospital. The six reporters were wounded in that strike. The Israeli military said it struck a Hamas militant, without providing further information. The military says it tries to avoid harming civilians and blames Hamas for their deaths because it is deeply embedded in residential areas. Israel also struck tents on the edge of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the central city of Deir al-Balah, wounding three people, according to the hospital. Nasser Hospital said it received another 13

Israel controls half of Gaza as Palestinians pushed into smaller zones

Israel has dramatically expanded its footprint in the Gaza Strip since relaunching its war against Hamas last month. It now controls more than 50 per cent of the territory and is squeezing Palestinians into shrinking wedges of land. The largest contiguous area the army controls is around the Gaza border, where the military has razed Palestinian homes, farmland and infrastructure to the point of uninhabitability, according to Israeli soldiers and rights groups. This military buffer zone has doubled in size in recent weeks. Israel has depicted its tightening grip as a temporary necessity to pressure Hamas into releasing the remaining hostages taken during the October 7, 2023, attack that started the war. But the land Israel holds, which includes a corridor that divides the territory's north from south, could be used for wielding long-term control, human rights groups and Gaza experts say. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said last week that even after Hamas is defeated, Israel will

Israel to create new Gaza security corridor to pressure Hamas: Netanyahu

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that Israel is establishing a new security corridor across the Gaza Strip to pressure Hamas, suggesting it would cut off the southern city of Rafah, which Israel has ordered evacuated, from the rest of the Palestinian territory. The announcement came after Netanyahu's defence minister said that Israel would seize large areas of Gaza and add them to its so-called security zones. A wave of Israeli strikes, meanwhile, killed more than 40 Palestinians, including several women and children, according to Palestinian health officials. Israel has vowed to escalate the nearly 18-month war with Hamas until the militant group returns dozens of remaining hostages, disarms and leaves the territory. Israel ended a ceasefire in March and has imposed a monthlong halt on all imports of food, fuel and humanitarian aid. Netanyahu described the new axis as the Morag corridor, using the name of a Jewish settlement that once stood between Rafah and Khan ..

Israel announces plan to seize parts of Gaza as military operation expands

Israel's military operation in the Gaza Strip is expanding to seize large areas of the Gaza Strip, the defence minister said Wednesday. Israel's offensive in the Palestinian territory was expanding to crush and clean the area of terrorists and terrorist infrastructure and capture large areas that will be added to the security zones of the State of Israel," Defence Minister Israel Katz said in a written statement. The defence minister called on Gaza residents to expel Hamas and return all hostages. The militant group still holds 59 captives, of whom 24 are believed to still be alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals. The war began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on Oct 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 hostages. Israel's offensive has killed more than 50,000 Palestinians, including hundreds killed in strikes since a ceasefire ended about two weeks ago, according to Gaza's Health Ministr

Israeli military orders mass evacuation of Gaza's southern city of Rafah

The Israeli military on Monday issued sweeping evacuation orders covering most of Rafah, indicating it could soon launch another major ground operation in the southernmost city in the Gaza Strip. Israel ended its ceasefire with the Hamas militant group and renewed its air and ground war earlier this month. At the beginning of March it cut off all supplies of food, fuel, medicine and humanitarian aid to the territory's roughly 2 million Palestinians to pressure Hamas to accept changes to the truce agreement. The evacuation orders appeared to cover nearly all of the city and nearby areas. The military ordered Palestinians to head to Muwasi, a sprawl of squalid tent camps along the coast. The orders came during Eid al-Fitr, a normally festive Muslim holiday marking the end of the fasting month of Ramadan. Israel launched a major operation in Rafah, on the border with Egypt, last May, leaving large parts of it in ruins. The military seized a strategic corridor along the border as well a

Gaza's bakeries may close within week under Israel's blockade of supplies

Gaza's bakeries will run out of flour for bread within a week, the UN says. Agencies have cut food distributions to families in half. Markets are empty of most vegetables. Many aid workers cannot move around because of Israeli bombardment. For four weeks, Israel has shut off all sources of food, fuel, medicine and other supplies for the Gaza Strip's population of more than 2 million Palestinians. It's the longest blockade yet of Israel's 17-month-old campaign against Hamas, with no sign of it ending. Aid workers are stretching out the supplies they have but warn of a catastrophic surge in severe hunger and malnutrition. Eventually, food will run out completely if the flow of aid is not restored, because the war has destroyed almost all local food production in Gaza. We depend entirely on this aid box, said Shorouq Shamlakh, a mother of three collecting her family's monthly box of food from a UN distribution center in Jabaliya in northern Gaza. She and her children reduce their meals

Thousands of Palestinians protest in Gaza in rare call to end Hamas's rule

The demonstrations against Hamas have been largely peaceful, with the militant group's police and security forces rarely appearing in public