Page 5 - Gaza Conflict

Israel's long war in Gaza, mass call ups strain high-tech economy

Israel is preparing for a long war, endangering the lives of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, many of whom have faced displacement several times over

US vetoes UNSC resolution calling for Gaza ceasefire, hostage release

The United States once again vetoed a UN Security Council resolution Thursday that had demanded for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages after saying that the effort did not go far enough in condemning Hamas. All 14 other members of the United Nations' most powerful body voted in favor of the resolution, which described the humanitarian situation in Gaza as catastrophic and called on Israel to lift all restrictions on the delivery of aid to the 2.1 million Palestinians in the territory. The outcome further highlights US and Israeli isolation on the world stage regarding the nearly two-year war in Gaza. The vote came just days ahead of the annual gathering of world leaders at the UN General Assembly, where Gaza will be a major topic and where major US allies are expected to recognise an independent Palestinian state. It is a largely symbolic move that is vehemently opposed by Israel and the US, dividing the Trump administration from close allies, .

Israeli impunity in Gaza: US support counters growing global censure

The irony of this flurry of international condemnation, including from India and the Abraham Accord signatories, is that it has not deterred Israel or its sponsor, the US

Israel launches expanded operation in Gaza City, urges residents to leave

After a night of heavy airstrikes, the Israeli military announced Tuesday that its expanded operation in Gaza City to destroy Hamas' military infrastructure has begun and warned residents to move south. The announcement by Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee followed Defence Minister Israel Kataz's statement that Gaza is burning and further escalated the Israel-Hamas war as any potential ceasefire feels even further out of reach despite weeks of diplomacy. Also Tuesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio left Israel and arrived in the energy-rich nation of Qatar, where he planned to meet with its ruling emir as the nation is still incensed over Israel's strike last week that killed five Hamas members and a local security official. While Arab and Muslim nations denounced the strike at a summit Monday, they stopped short of any major action targeting Israel, highlighting the challenge of diplomatically pressuring any change in Israel's conduct in the grinding Israel-Hamas war.

'Gaza is burning', says Israeli defence minister after overnight strikes

Israel's defence minister said Tuesday that Gaza is burning after heavy strikes overnight targeted Gaza City. Defence Minister Israel Katz's remarks come as Israel has been planning a new offensive targeting Gaza City. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking to journalists while leaving Israel for Qatar, suggested the offensive had begun. The Israelis have begun to take operations there. So we think we have a very short window of time in which a deal can happen, Rubio said. We don't have months anymore, and we probably have days and maybe a few weeks.

UN chief calls for stronger peace efforts amid rising global conflicts

Pursuing the cause of peace is 'the beating heart' of the Organisation, 'but today, peace is under siege,' Guterres said

Spain summons Israeli envoy over Netanyahu office remarks amid Gaza war row

Spain summoned Israel's acting ambassador in Madrid Friday in response to comments made by the Israeli Prime Minister's office that accused the European nation's prime minister of threatening Israel. Spanish Foreign Minister Jos Manuel Albares called in Dana Erlich, Israel's charge d'affaires in Spain and the highest-ranking diplomat in the country to categorically reject the false and slanderous statements from the Israeli Prime Minister's office, an official at Spain's Foreign Ministry said. The Foreign Ministry official was not authorized to speak publicly and declined to be named. It's the latest development in an ongoing diplomatic tit-for-tat between the two countries that ensued after Spain's prime minister announced measures Monday to pressure Israel to end the Gaza war. In a post Thursday on social platform X, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Snchez had made a blatant genocidal threat," in reference to comments made by th

Israel expands list of Hamas officials, allies killed in past 2 years

Israel has killed multiple senior officials with Hamas and its regional allies since the deadly October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas-led militants in southern Israel that triggered the war in Gaza. On Tuesday, Israel struck the energy-rich nation of Qatar, which has been mediating ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas. Israel targeted a gathering of Hamas political leaders who were discussing the latest ceasefire proposal in Doha. Hamas said in a statement that six people were killed, but that all of the targeted officials survived. From Gaza to Lebanon to Iran, Israel has killed leaders with Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis and Iranian military leaders. Here is a list of top officials who have been assassinated by Israel during the war: Saleh Arouri The deputy political head of Hamas and a founder of the group's military wing, Saleh Arouri was killed January 2, 2024, in a drone strike in a southern suburb of Beirut. Accused of masterminding attacks against Israel in the West

Israel urges full evacuation of Gaza City ahead of expanded operations

The Israeli military urged a full evacuation of Gaza City on Tuesday morning, ahead of its planned expanded military operation in the city in northern Gaza. This is the first warning for a full evacuation of the city in the current round of fighting. Also on Tuesday, Defence Minister Israel Katz said Israel had demolished 30 high-rise buildings in Gaza, which it accused Hamas of using for military infrastructure. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that Israel plans to destroy at least 50 towers of terror that he said are used by Hamas. Over the past days, Israel has destroyed multiple high-rise buildings in Gaza City, warning that Hamas has installed surveillance infrastructure in them. The demolitions are part of Israel's ramping up its offensive to take control of what it portrays as Hamas' last remaining stronghold, urging Palestinians to flee parts of Gaza City for a designated humanitarian zone in the territory's south. There are around 1 million Palestinians i

Trump issues 'last warning' to Hamas on hostages, eyes Gaza deal 'soon'

Notably, the remarks by the US President come shortly after on Saturday, CENTCOM's Admiral Brad Cooper concluded his visit to Israel where he held a situational assessment

France, Saudi to co-chair conference on two-state solution for Palestine

Macron also set priorities for the conference that include permanent ceasefire, hostage release, large-scale aid to Gaza, and a stabilisation mission in the Gaza Strip

UK outraged at Israel restricting aid, works to evacuate sick Gaza children

British officials are working to get critically sick and injured children out of Gaza so they can receive specialist treatment in UK hospitals, the British foreign secretary said Monday, adding that the first patients will arrive in coming weeks. David Lammy said he was outraged by Israel not allowing enough aid to enter Gaza as he announced USD 20 million more for medical assistance for Gaza and the region. This is not a natural disaster, it's a manmade famine in the 21st century, he said. I'm outraged by the Israeli government's refusal to allow in sufficient aid. We all know there is only one way out an immediate ceasefire, Lammy added. He told lawmakers that British officials are also supporting students from Gaza who have been granted scholarships at UK universities so that they can start their studies in the fall. Lammy said a massive humanitarian response was needed to prevent more Palestinians from dying and starving after the world's leading authority on food crises said

US revokes visas of Palestinian president, other officials ahead of UNGA

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has revoked the visas of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and 80 other officials ahead of next month's annual high-level meeting of the UN General Assembly, where the Palestinians previously have been represented. A State Department official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss visa issues that are normally confidential, disclosed Friday that Abbas and other officials from the Palestinian Authority were among those affected. The move is the latest in a series of steps the Trump administration has taken to target Palestinians with visa restrictions and comes as the Israeli military declared Gaza's largest city a combat zone. The State Department also suspended a program that had allowed injured Palestinian children from Gaza to come to the US for medical treatment after a social media outcry by some conservatives. The department said in a statement earlier that Rubio also ordered some new visa applications from Palestinian officials, ...

Israel declares Gaza's largest city combat zone, halts humanitarian pauses

Israel's military on Friday said it was suspending mid-day pauses to allow the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza City, calling it a a dangerous combat zone. The city was among the places that Israel paused fighting last month to allow food and aid supplies to enter from 10 am to 8 pm. The tactical pauses lasted applied to Gaza City, Deir al-Balah and Muwasi, three places where hundreds of thousands of displaced people are sheltering. The pivot comes as Israel prepares to broaden its offensive, mobilising tens of thousands of troops to seize Gaza City. Israel's military did not say whether they had notified residents or aid groups about the plans to resume daytime hostilities. Israel has said in the past that Gaza City is a Hamas stronghold, with a network of tunnels that remain in use by militants after several previous large-scale raids. The city also is home to some of the territory's critical infrastructure and health facilities. The United Nations said Thursday that the ...

India calls killing of journalists in Gaza 'shocking, deeply regrettable'

Among the journalists killed were Al Jazeera's Mohammad Salama, Reuters cameraman Hussam al-Masri, and Mariam Abu Daqqa, a freelance journalist working for AP at the time

Microsoft to probe Israel tech use, condemns protest at Brad Smith's office

An employee group called 'No Azure for Apartheid' says that by selling software and AI tools to Israel's military, the company's Azure cloud service is profiting from the deaths of civilians

Food for Gaza: India has a role to play as a compassionate power

By the IPC's estimates, half a million people, or a quarter of the Palestinian population in Gaza, is suffering from famine

Israeli forces intensify strikes on Gaza outskirts, expand ops in north

Tens of thousands of reservists are expected to report for duty on September 2, with the large-scale operation anticipated to follow in the coming weeks

Israel plans new phase of Gaza operation as ceasefire talks continue

Israel is preparing to launch an expanded military operation in Gaza City, possibly in the coming days, even as negotiators scramble to bring Israel and Hamas to a ceasefire to end 22 months of fighting. The Israeli military said Wednesday that the country's defence minister has approved plans to begin a new phase of operations in some of Gaza's most densely populated areas, and that it would call up 60,000 reservists and lengthen the service of an additional 20,000 reservists currently serving. It comes as human rights groups warn that a humanitarian crisis could worsen in Gaza, where most residents have been displaced, vast neighbourhoods lie in ruins, and communities are facing the threat of famine. A military official, speaking on the condition of anonymity in line with military regulations, said that the military will be operating in parts of Gaza City where the Israeli military has not yet operated and where it believes Hamas is still active. The official said that Israeli ..

Record 383 aid workers killed in global hotspots in 2024, half in Gaza: UN

A record 383 aid workers were killed in global hotspots in 2024, nearly half of them in Gaza during the war between Israel and Hamas, the UN humanitarian office said Tuesday on the annual day honouring the thousands of people who step into crises to help others. UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said the record number of killings must be a wake-up call to protect civilians caught in conflict and all those trying to help them. Attacks on this scale, with zero accountability, are a shameful indictment of international inaction and apathy, Fletcher said in a statement on World Humanitarian Day. As the humanitarian community, we demand again that those with power and influence act for humanity, protect civilians and aid workers and hold perpetrators to account. The Aid Worker Security Database, which has compiled reports since 1997, said the number of killings rose from 293 in 2023 to 383 in 2024, including over 180 in Gaza. Most of the aid workers killed were national staff servin