Page 49 - Gaza Conflict

Israel strikes south Gaza, raids hospital in north amid renewed US support

Israeli strikes killed at least 28 Palestinians in southern Gaza and troops raided one of the last functioning hospitals in the north as the country pressed ahead with its offensive against Hamas on Tuesday with renewed backing from the United States, despite rising international alarm. The offensive, launched in response to Hamas' October 7 attack into Israel, has killed nearly 20,000 Palestinians, displaced some 1.9 million, demolished much of northern Gaza and sparked attacks on US and Israeli targets across the region. Attacks on ships in the Red Sea by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels have led major shipping companies as well as the oil and gas giant BP to suspend trade through the vital waterway, prompting the US and its allies to launch a new mission to counter the threat. But after meeting with Israeli officials Monday, Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said he was not here to dictate timelines or terms." His remarks signalled that the US would continue shielding Israel fro

UNSC delays vote on resolution urging cessation of hostilities in Gaza

The UN Security Council delayed until Tuesday morning a vote on an Arab-sponsored resolution calling for a halt to hostilities in Gaza to allow for urgently needed aid deliveries to a massive number of civilians as members intensified negotiations to try to avoid another veto by the United States. The council said Monday's 5 p.m. EST vote would not take place, and diplomats said negotiations were taking place to get the United States, Israel's closest ally, to abstain or vote yes on the resolution. A key issue is how to implement and sustain a desperately needed aid operation. Human Rights Watch accused Israel earlier Monday of deliberately starving Gaza's population by blocking the delivery of water, food and fuel, a method of warfare that it described as a war crime. The United Nations' food agency reported on December 14 that 56 per cent of Gaza's households were experiencing severe levels of hunger, up from 38 per cent two weeks earlier. The draft on the table on Monday morning

US seeks to press Israel to wind down major combat operations in Gaza

US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin was expected to press Israel to wind down major combat operations in Gaza on a visit Monday, in the latest test of whether the US can leverage its unwavering support for the offensive to blunt its devastating impact on Palestinian civilians. France, the UK and Germany some of Israel's closest allies joined global calls for a cease-fire over the weekend, and Israeli protesters have demanded the government relaunch talks with Hamas on releasing more hostages after three were mistakenly killed by Israeli troops while waving a white flag. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted that Israel will keep fighting until it removes Hamas from power, crushes its still-formidable military capabilities and returns the dozens of hostages still held by the group after its Oct. 7 attack, which ignited the war. The US has vetoed calls for a cease-fire at the UN and rushed munitions to Israel while pressing it to take greater steps to avoid harming civilians.

Over four km long tunnel discovered adjacent to Gaza border, claims Israel

The Israeli military said on Sunday it has discovered a large tunnel shaft in Gaza close to what was once a busy crossing into Israel, raising new questions about how Israeli surveillance missed such conspicuous preparations by Hamas for the militants' deadly October 7 assault. The entryway to the tunnel is just a few hundred metres from the heavily fortified Erez crossing and a nearby Israeli military base. The military said it stretches for over 4 kilometres, links up with a sprawling tunnel network across Gaza and is wide enough for cars to pass through. The army said on Sunday that the tunnel facilitated the transit of vehicles, militants, and supplies in preparation for the October 7 attack. That day, militants used a rocket-propelled grenade to break past the portion of wall close to the Erez crossing and stormed the base, killing at least three soldiers and kidnapping some back to Gaza, the army said. It was one of several places along the border wall where militants easily

Communications blackout, spiralling hunger compound misery in Gaza Strip

A prolonged communications blackout that severed telephone and internet connections compounded the misery Saturday in the besieged Gaza Strip, where a United Nations agency said hunger levels had spiralled in recent days. Internet and telephone lines went down Thursday evening and were still inaccessible Saturday morning, according to internet access advocacy group NetBlocks.org, hampering aid deliveries and rescue efforts as Israel's war against Gaza's ruling militant group Hamas stretched into the 11th week. The internet blackout is ongoing, and based on our records it is the longest such incident in the over-two-month war, said Alp Toker, the group's director. The United Nations' humanitarian affairs department said communications with Gaza were severely disrupted due to damage to telecommunications lines in the south. The offensive, triggered by the unprecedented Oct 7 Hamas attack on Israel, has flattened much of northern Gaza and driven 85% of Gaza's population of 2.3 million

Rising civilian death toll: US pushes Israel for Gaza strategy shift

Hospitals in Deir al-Balah, Khan Younis and Rafah reported a new influx of dead and wounded early on Friday including two children

Israeli president says 'two-state solution' not a solution: What is it?

The two-state solution means establishing two separate states for the people of two communities, i.e., Israel for the Jewish and Palestine for the Palestinian people

Biden envoy to meet with Abbas, discuss postwar arrangements for Gaza

The United States national security adviser and the Palestinian president were set Friday to discuss postwar arrangements for Gaza which, according to a senior US official, could include reactivating Palestinian security forces driven out by Hamas in its 2007 takeover of the territory. The proposal, floated as one of several, was the first specific indicator of Washington's vision for security arrangements in Gaza if Israel achieves its US-backed objective to end Hamas control of the besieged enclave. Any role for Palestinian security forces in Gaza is bound to elicit strong opposition from Israel, which seeks to maintain an open-ended security presence there and says it won't allow a postwar foothold for the internationally backed Palestinian Authority, a West Bank-based autonomy government led by President Mahmoud Abbas. On Thursday, Jake Sullivan, the national security adviser, spoke to Israeli leaders about a timetable for winding down the intense combat phase of the war. The

Hamas war to last mths, says Israeli min as US envoy discusses timetable

Israel's defence minister said it will take months to destroy Hamas, predicting a drawn-out war even as his country and its top ally, the United States, face increasing international isolation and alarm over the devastation from the campaign in Gaza. Yoav Gallant's comments came as US national security adviser Jake Sullivan met with Israeli leaders to discuss a timetable for winding down major combat in Gaza. Israeli leaders repeated their determination to pursue the military assault until they crush the militant group for its Oct 7 attack. The exchange seemed to continue a dynamic the two allies have been locked in for weeks. President Joe Biden's administration has shown unease over Israel's failure to reduce civilian casualties and its plans for the future of Gaza, but the White House continues to offer wholehearted support for Israel with weapons shipments and diplomatic backing. I want them to be focused on how to save civilian lives, Biden said Thursday when asked if he wants

President Biden urges Israeli caution as leaders eye 'lower-intensity' war

Biden has delivered increasingly urgent appeals to Israel to exercise restraint in its Gaza offensive following Hamas's Oct. 7 attack

Israel vows to continue fight in Gaza despite rising international pressure

Israel has vowed to keep fighting in Gaza until it crushes Hamas after one of the deadliest single battles of the war for its soldiers, even as it faces mounting international calls for a cease-fire and unease on the part of its closest ally, the United States. The ambush a fresh reminder that Hamas is still able to fight after six weeks of devastating warfare aimed at crushing its military capabilities. Israel has imposed a total siege and flattened much of northern Gaza with a massive air and ground campaign, driving hundreds of thousands of people from their homes. Hamas' resilience has called into question whether Israel can defeat Hamas without wiping out Gaza. Support for Hamas has surged among Palestinians, in part because of the militant group's stiff resistance to a far more powerful foe, while Israel's most important ally, the US, has expressed growing discomfort over civilian deaths in what is already one of the 21st century's most devastating military campaigns. We are .

Zara yanks ads that some found reminiscent of Israel's war on Hamas in Gaza

The Spanish fashion brand Zara has pulled advertising images that to some appeared to reference Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza. The images for a line of jackets included what the company called unfinished sculptures in a sculptor's studio. But some online critics said one image of a model holding a wrapped-up mannequin resembled someone holding a corpse. Other photos included a mannequin with missing limbs and a figure wrapped in fabric or plastic on the floor, according to news reports. The company apologised in a statement posted on Instagram on Tuesday and said the campaign was conceived in July and photographed in September. Hamas attacked Israeli civilians on October 7, prompting Israel's subsequent invasion of Gaza. Zara said the campaign was created with the sole purpose of showcasing craftmade garments in an artistic context. While acknowledging the offence critics took to the images, the company said these people saw in them something far from what was intended when t

Israel pounds Gaza as hunger spreads, disease risk grows: Report

Residents said the shelling of Rafah, where the Israeli army this month ordered people to head for their safety, was some of the heaviest in days

Heavy fighting in south Gaza as Israel presses on with renewed US support

Heavy fighting raged overnight and into Sunday in the southern Gaza town of Khan Younis, as Israel pressed ahead with its offensive after the US blocked the latest international efforts to halt the fighting and rushed more munitions to its close ally. Israel has faced rising international outrage and calls for a cease-fire after the killing of thousands of Palestinian civilians and the displacement of nearly 85 per cent of Gaza's 2.3 million people within the besieged territory, where UN agencies say there is no safe place to flee. But the United States has lent vital support to the offensive once again in recent days, by vetoing United Nations Security Council efforts to end the fighting that enjoyed wide international support, and by pushing through an emergency sale of over USD 100 million worth of tank ammunition to Israel. The US has pledged unwavering support for Israel's goal of crushing Hamas' military and governing abilities in order to prevent any repeat of the October 7 .

Day after US vetoes UN truce resolution, Israel continues with Gaza strikes

Israeli warplanes struck parts of the Gaza Strip overnight into Saturday in relentless bombardments, including some of the dwindling slivers of land Palestinians had been told to evacuate to in the territory's south. The latest strikes came a day after the United States vetoed a United Nations resolution demanding an immediate humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza, despite it being backed by the vast majority of Security Council members and many other nations. The vote in the 15-member council was 13-1, with the United Kingdom abstaining. Attacks from air, land and sea are intense, continuous and widespread, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said before the vote. Gaza residents are being told to move like human pinballs ricocheting between ever-smaller slivers of the south, without any of the basics for survival. Guterres told the council that Gaza was at a breaking point with the humanitarian support system at risk of total collapse, and that he feared the consequences could be ..

Desperation grows among Palestinians trapped with little aid in warzone

Desperation grew Thursday among Palestinians largely cut off from supplies of food and water as Israeli forces engaged in fierce urban battles with Hamas militants. Strikes in the southern Gaza town of Rafah sowed fear in one of the last places where civilians could seek refuge. United Nations officials say there are no safe places in Gaza nearly a week after Israel widened its offensive into the southern half of the territory. Heavy fighting in and around the city of Khan Younis has displaced tens of thousands of people and cut most of Gaza off from aid deliveries. More than 80% of the territory's population has already fled their homes. Two months into the war, the grinding offensive has triggered renewed international alarm. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres used a rarely exercised power to warn the Security Council of an impending humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza and urged members to demand a cease-fire. Gutteres explicitly cited Article 99 of the UN Charter, which allows th

Israel hits South Gaza town, one of last areas where Palestinians can flee

Israeli forces struck the southern Gaza town of Rafah twice overnight, residents said Thursday, sowing fear in one of the last places where civilians could seek refuge after Israel widened its offensive against Hamas to areas already packed with displaced people. United Nations officials say there are no safe places in Gaza. Heavy fighting in and around the southern city of Khan Younis has displaced tens of thousands of people in a territory where over 80% of the population has already fled their homes, and cut most of Gaza off from deliveries of food, water and other vital aid. Two months into the war, the grinding offensive has set off renewed alarms internationally, with U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres using a rarely exercised power to warn the Security Council of an impending humanitarian catastrophe and urging members to demand a cease-fire. The United States has called on Israel to limit civilian deaths and displacement, saying too many Palestinians were killed when it

Israeli forces battle Hamas in southern Gaza, humanitarian concerns grow

Tanks were stationed on the edge of the Khan Younis refugee camp, not far from the house of Hamas' leader in Gaza, Yehya Al-Sinwar, they said. It was unclear whether anyone was there

Israeli forces should retain control of Gaza for disarmament: PM Netanyahu

Meanwhile, the Israeli military encircled the city of Khan Younis in southern Gaza, the Israel Defense Forces' chief of the general staff said, CNN reported

Biden calls reports of Hamas raping Israeli hostages 'appalling'

President Joe Biden has forcefully denounced the reported rape and sexual violence against Israeli girls and women by Hamas militants following the October 7 attack on Israel, calling on the world to condemn such conduct without equivocation and without exception. Speaking at a campaign fundraiser in Boston on Tuesday, Biden noted that in recent weeks, female survivors and witnesses to the attacks have shared horrific accounts of unimaginable cruelty. Reports of women raped repeatedly raped and their bodies being mutilated while still alive of women corpses being desecrated, Hamas terrorists inflicting as much pain and suffering on women and girls as possible and then murdering them, Biden said. It is appalling. Israel has said it is investigating several cases of sexual assault and rape from the Hamas attack on Israel. Witnesses and medical experts have said that Hamas militants committed a series of rapes and other attacks before killing the victims in the October 7 attack, ...