Page 14 - Gaza

At least 30 killed in Israeli strikes in Gaza Strip, say officials

Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip killed at least 30 people on Sunday, including six children at a water collection point, local health officials said, despite attempts by mediators to bring about a ceasefire. Israel and Hamas appeared no closer to a breakthrough in talks meant to pause the 21-month war and free some Israeli hostages. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was in Washington last week to discuss the deal with the Trump administration, but a new sticking point has emerged over the deployment of Israeli troops during the truce, raising questions over the feasibility of a new deal. Israel says it will only end the war once Hamas surrenders, disarms and goes into exile, something it refuses to do. Hamas says it is willing to free all the remaining 50 hostages, less than half said to be alive, in exchange for an end to the war and the full withdrawal of Israeli forces. Gaza's Health Ministry said Sunday that more than 58,000 people have been killed in the war. The ...

Over 70 arrested at UK protests in support of banned group Palestine Action

More than 70 people were arrested Saturday at protests in the UK against the Palestine Action group being proscribed a terrorist organisation by the British government following a break-in and vandalism at a Royal Air Force base. In London, the Metropolitan Police said 42 people had been arrested by late afternoon. All but one of the arrests were for showing support for a proscribed organisation, which police have said includes chanting, wearing clothing or displaying articles such as flags, signs or logos. Another person was arrested for common assault. A further 16 arrests were made in Manchester, according to Greater Manchester Police, while South Wales Police said 13 people were also held in Cardiff. In London, it was the second straight week protesters gathered to support the pro-Palestinian activist group. Its outlawing has meant support for the organisation is deemed a criminal offense. Police arrested 29 people at a similar protest last weekend. Two groups gathered undernea

59 Palestinians killed in Gaza by Israeli strikes, gunfire near aid site

At least 31 Palestinians were fatally shot on their way to an aid distribution site in the Gaza Strip on Saturday, while Israeli airstrikes killed at least 28 Palestinians including four children, Palestinian hospital officials and witnesses said. There were no signs of a breakthrough in ceasefire talks following two days of meetings between US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Trump had said he was nearing an agreement between Israel and Hamas that would potentially wind down the war. The 31 Palestinians shot dead were on their way to a distribution site run by the Israeli-backed American organization Gaza Humanitarian Foundation near Rafah in southern Gaza, hospital officials and witnesses said. The Red Cross said its field hospital saw its largest influx of dead in more than a year of operation after the shootings, and that the overwhelming majority of the more than 100 people hurt had gunshot wounds. Airstrikes in central Gaza's Deir al-Balah

Israeli forces kill two Gaza terror leaders, including sector commander

Fazal Abu al-Ata previously served as deputy commander of the Shuja'iyya sector in Gaza, and during the Iron Swords war was appointed commander of the Shanaiyah sector

Palestinians paying high price to get scarce cash in Gaza

Cash is the lifeblood of the Gaza Strip's shattered economy, and like all other necessities in this war-torn territory food, fuel, medicine it is in extremely short supply. With nearly every bank branch and ATM inoperable, people have become reliant on an unrestrained network of powerful cash brokers to get money for daily expenses and commissions on those transactions have soared to about 40 per cent. The people are crying blood because of this, said Ayman al-Dahdouh, a school director living in Gaza City. It's suffocating us, starving us. At a time of surging inflation, high unemployment and dwindling savings, the scarcity of cash has magnified the financial squeeze on families some of whom have begun to sell their possessions to buy essential goods. The cash that is available has even lost some of its luster. Palestinians use the Israeli currency, the shekel, for most transactions. Yet with Israel no longer resupplying the territory with newly printed bank notes, merchants a

Europe unveils deal for more food, fuel for Gaza; Israeli strike kills 15

European officials reached a new deal with Israel to allow desperately needed food and fuel into Gaza, the European Union's foreign policy chief said Thursday, hours after an Israeli airstrike killed 15 people, including 10 children, waiting for help outside a medical clinic. The children's deaths drew outrage from humanitarian groups even as Israel allowed the first delivery of fuel to Gaza in more than four months, though still less than a day's supply, according to the United Nations. The killing of families trying to access life-saving aid is unconscionable, UNICEF's chief, Catherine Russell, said. These were mothers seeking a lifeline for their children after months of hunger and desperation. The Israeli military said it was targeting a militant when it struck near the clinic. Security camera footage outside the clinic in the central Gaza city of Deir al Balah showed about a dozen people squatting in front of the clinic when a projectile explodes a few meters (yards) away, ...

As Netanyahu wraps US visit, progress on Gaza ceasefire remains murky

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attended a memorial service on Thursday for two slain Israeli Embassy staffers as he wraps up a four-day visit to Washington in which talks with President Donald Trump, White House aides and lawmakers focused on finding a pathway to a ceasefire deal in Gaza. But as Netanyahu gets set to head back to Israel, it is unclear if there was any breakthrough on sealing a Trump-backed 60-day truce between Israel and Hamas, which the US leader believes can lead to a permanent end to the 21-month war in Gaza. Netanyahu said in a video released Thursday that he is trying to wrap up the US-backed deal but stressed it will be temporary and would be aimed at releasing the final 50 hostages who remain in captivity in Gaza. The prime minister also underscored that in any potential ceasefire agreement he will not budge from his fundamental demand that Hamas lay down its arms and no longer have any governing or military capabilitiessomething the group so far has ...

Gaza ceasefire possible in a week or two, not in a day: Israeli official

Israeli official said that if the two sides agree to a proposed 60-day ceasefire, Israel would use that time to offer a permanent ceasefire that would require the Palestinian militant group to disarm

US issues sanctions against UN investigator probing abuses in Gaza

The Trump administration announced it is issuing sanctions Wednesday against an independent investigator tasked with probing human rights abuses in the Palestinian territories, the latest effort by the United States to punish critics of Israel's 21-month war in Gaza. The State Department's decision to sanction Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur for the West Bank and Gaza, comes after a recent US pressure campaign to force the international body to remove her from her post failed. Albanese, a human rights lawyer, has been vocal about what she has described as the genocide that Israel is waging against Palestinians in Gaza. Both Israel and the US, which provides military support, have strongly denied that accusation. In recent weeks, Albanese has issued a series of letters, urging other countries to pressure Israel, including through sanctions, to end its deadly bombardment of the Gaza Strip. The Italian national has also been a strong supporter of the International Crimina

Israeli strikes kill 40 in Gaza with no sign of progress in ceasefire talks

Israeli airstrikes killed at least 40 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, including 10 members of a family sheltering in a tent, hospital officials said Wednesday. The strikes came as US President Donald Trump pushed for a ceasefire that might end the war and free dozens of Israeli hostages. Trump met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the second time in two days at the White House on Tuesday evening, but there was no sign of a breakthrough. Netanyahu has vowed to continue the 21-month war until Hamas is destroyed, while the militant group has said it will only release the remaining hostages in return for a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. Nasser Hospital in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis said the dead included 17 women and 10 children. The war has gutted Gaza's health system, with several hospitals taken out of service and leading physicians killed in Israeli strikes. The Israeli military said it had struck more than 100 targets across Gaza

Israel plans to pack Gaza's population into closed border zone

Israel's defence minister has outlined plans to pack hundreds of thousands of Palestinians into a closed zone of the Gaza Strip along the border with Egypt, according to local media reports. It appears to be the latest version of plans by the Israeli government to maintain lasting control over the territory and relocate much of its population of some 2 million. Critics say that would amount to forcible displacement in violation of international law because Israel's offensive and blockade have made Gaza largely uninhabitable. Israeli officials say the aim is to separate the civilian population from Hamas, which still controls parts of Gaza and holds dozens of hostages abducted in the Oct 7 attack that triggered the war 21 months ago. Palestinians would then be given the option of emigrating, they say. US President Donald Trump, who has said he is narrowing in on a ceasefire and hopes to eventually end the war, has also voiced support for the mass transfer of Palestinians out of Gaza.

Trump, Netanyahu back Gaza relocation plans amid ceasefire talks

Meeting took place over dinner in the Blue Room as indirect US-backed negotiations between Israel and Hamas continued in Qatar for a potential 60-day ceasefire to halt the ongoing 21-month war in Gaza

5 IDF soldiers killed overnight in north Gaza, 18 dead in Israeli strikes

Five Israeli soldiers were killed overnight in northern Gaza, the Israeli military said Tuesday. Two other soldiers were seriously wounded. Meanwhile, health officials in Gaza said Israeli strikes at two locations in the territory killed 18 people. Israeli media said the infantry soldiers were on patrol when explosive devices were detonated against them. Media said militants also opened fire on the reinforcements sent to evacuate the dead and wounded. The latest violence comes as Israel and Hamas consider a U.S.-backed ceasefire proposal to pause the 21-month conflict in the territory The soldiers' deaths came roughly two weeks after Israel reported once of its deadliest days in months in Gaza, when seven soldiers were killed when a Palestinian attacker attached a bomb to their armoured vehicle. Health officials at the Nasser Hospital, where victims of the Israeli strikes were taken, said one of the strikes targeted tents sheltering displaced people in Khan Younis in southern Gaza

Trump welcomes Hamas' positive reply to US-backed Gaza ceasefire plan

The plan also includes staged release dates for the remaining hostages and a commitment by Israel to allow increased humanitarian aid into Gaza through traditional channels

Hamas agrees to 'immediately' enter talks on 60-day Gaza ceasefire plan

A deal on the framework would see Hamas return half of the 50 hostages it still holds and pursue mediated talks with Israel to end the war

UN reports 613 deaths near Gaza aid points run by US-backed group

The UN human rights office said on Friday it has recorded 613 killings in Gaza near humanitarian convoys and at aid distribution points run by an Israeli-backed American organization since it first began operations in late May. Spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani said the rights office was not able to attribute responsibility for the killings. But she said it is clear that the Israeli military has shelled and shot at Palestinians trying to reach the distribution points operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. She said it was not immediately clear how many of those killings had taken place at GHF sites, and how many occurred near convoys. Speaking to reporters at a regular briefing, Shamdasani said the figures covered the period from May 27 through June 27, and there have been further incidents since then. She said she was basing the information on an internal situation report at the office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. Shamdasani said the figures, compiled through i

Strikes kill 94 Palestinians in Gaza, 45 waiting for aid, say authorities

Israeli airstrikes and shootings killed 94 Palestinians in Gaza late Wednesday and Thursday, including 45 who were attempting to get much-needed humanitarian aid, hospitals and the Health Ministry said Thursday. Families wept over the bodies from a strike that hit a tent camp during the night as displaced people slept in southern Gaza. At least 13 members of a single family were killed, including at least six children under 12. My children, my children my beloved, wailed Intisar Abu Assi, sobbing over the bodies of her son and daughters and their young children. Another woman kissed the forehead of a dead little girl wrapped in a blanket on the floor of the morgue at Nasser Hospital in the city of Khan Younis. In central Gaza, a boy stroked the face of his dead sister, 6-year-old Heba Abu Etiwi, in a morgue at Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Hospital. The girl and another of her brothers were among eight people killed when a strike Wednesday evening hit near a stand selling falafel. A separate .

Israeli strikes kill 82 in Gaza, including 38 waiting for aid: Officials

Airstrikes and shootings killed 82 Palestinians in Gaza overnight, including 38 while attempting to get much-needed humanitarian aid, hospitals and the Health Ministry said on Thursday. Israel's military did not have immediate comment on the strikes Wednesday night and Thursday morning. Five people were killed around sites associated with the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, the newly created, secretive American organization backed by Israel to feed the Gaza Strip's population, while 33 others were killed waiting for aid trucks in other locations across the Gaza Strip.

Donald and Melania Trump to meet hostage freed from Gaza at White House

President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump will meet at the White House on Thursday with Edan Alexander, the last living American hostage in Gaza, who was released in May. The President and First Lady have met with many released hostages from Gaza, and they greatly look forward to meeting Edan Alexander and his family in the Oval Office tomorrow, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement. Alexander, now 21, is an American-Israeli from New Jersey. The soldier was 19 when militants stormed his base in Israel and dragged him into the Gaza Strip. Alexander moved to Israel in 2022 after finishing high school and enlisted in the military. He was released on May 12 by the militant group Hamas after 584 days in captivity. Alexander had been in Israel since he was freed until he travelled last month home to New Jersey, where his family still lives. He was among 251 people taken hostage by Hamas in the October 7, 2023 attack that led to the Israel-Hamas ...

Israeli PM Netanyahu vows 'there will be no Hamas' in post-war Gaza

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday vowed there will be no Hamas in postwar Gaza. US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Israel had agreed on terms for a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza and urged Hamas to accept the deal before conditions worsen. The US leader has been increasing pressure on the Israeli government and Hamas to broker a ceasefire, and hostage agreement and bring about an end to the war. Hamas said in a brief statement Wednesday that it had received a proposal from the mediators and is holding talks with them to bridge gaps to return to the negotiating table to try to reach a ceasefire agreement.