Page 46 - Gaza

Israel to halt daytime fighting along route in southern Gaza for aid flow

Israel's military announced on Sunday that it would pause fighting during daytime hours along a route in southern Gaza to free up a backlog of humanitarian aid deliveries for desperate Palestinians enduring a humanitarian crisis sparked by the war, now in its ninth month. The tactical pause," which applies to about 12 kilometres of road in the Rafah area, falls far short of a complete cease-fire in the beleaguered territory that has been sought by the international community, including Israel's top ally, the United States. The limited halt in fighting could help address some of the overwhelming needs of Palestinians that have surged in recent weeks with Israel's incursion into Rafah. The army said the pause would begin at 8 am (0500 GMT) and last until 7 pm (1600 GMT). It said the pauses would be daily until further notice. The pause is aimed at allowing aid trucks to reach the nearby Israel-controlled Kerem Shalom crossing, the main entry point for aid, and travel safely to the Sa

8 Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza, only one identified by army till now

Israel's military said on Saturday that eight soldiers were killed in southern Gaza in the deadliest attack in months. Only one of the dead troops was identified by the army. No further information was immediately available. The deaths will likely fuel calls for a cease-fire and heighten Israeli public anger over ultra-Orthodox exemptions from the military.

Israel accused of killing own citizens in 'Hannibal Directive'. What is it?

Israeli forces allegedly applied the so-called 'Hannibal Directive' and killed at least 14 Israeli civilians during the October 7 Hamas attack, claims a recent UN-backed inquiry

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Oil prices set for best week in over 2 months on positive demand outlook

The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) stuck to a forecast for relatively strong growth in global oil demand for 2024 and Goldman Sachs projected solid US fuel demand this summer

Left vows to tie wages to inflation, lower retirement age in France

Political parties including the Socialists, Greens, Communists and hard-left Unbowed France (LFI) will form a 'Popular Front' in a bid to challenge the far-right's National Rally

Muslim pilgrims start Hajj against backdrop of destructive Israel-Hamas war

In sweltering temperatures, Muslim pilgrims in Mecca converged on a vast tent camp in the desert on Friday, officially opening the annual Hajj pilgrimage. Ahead of their trip, they circled the cube-shaped Kaaba in the Grand Mosque, Islam's holiest site. More than 1.5 million pilgrims from around the world have already amassed in and around Mecca for the Hajj, and the number was still growing as more pilgrims from inside Saudi Arabia joined. Saudi authorities expected the number of pilgrims to exceed 2 million this year. This year's Hajj came against the backdrop of the raging war in the Gaza Strip between Israel and Palestinian militants, which pushed the entire Middle East to the brink of a regional war between Israel and its allies on one side and Iran-backed militant groups on the other. Palestinians in the coastal enclave of Gaza were not able to travel to Mecca for Hajj this year because of the closure of the Rafah crossing in May when Israel extended its ground offensive to th

Israel, Hamas committed war crimes; Gaza truce plan in balance: UN

The war began on Oct. 7 when militants led by Hamas, the Islamist group ruling Gaza, killed 1,200 Israelis and took more than 250 hostage, according to Israeli tallies

Hezbollah fires rockets at Israel as cease-fire talks hang in balance

Lebanon's Hezbollah fired a massive barrage of rockets into northern Israel on Wednesday to avenge the killing of a top commander, further escalating regional tensions as the fate of an internationally-backed plan for a cease-fire in Gaza hung in the balance. The retaliatory attack came as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was in the region to push a cease-fire proposal with global support that has not been fully embraced by Israel or Hamas. The militant group submitted its first official response late Tuesday, requesting amendments to the deal. Hezbollah, an Iran-backed ally of Hamas, has traded fire with Israel nearly every day since the 8-month-long Israel-Hamas war began and says it will only stop if there is a truce in Gaza. That has raised fears of an even more devastating regional conflagration. Air raid sirens sounded across northern Israel, and the military said that about 160 projectiles were fired from southern Lebanon, making it one of the largest attacks since the ..

Report cites crimes by Israeli Army, Palestinian militants starting Oct 7

UN-backed human rights experts say in a report issued Wednesday that Israeli forces and Palestinian militants engaged in sexual and gender-based violence during the first months of the Israel-Hamas war. The independent experts, in a detailed chronicling of events that have mostly been reported in the media, said Israeli forces and Palestinian militants committed war crimes, while Israel was also said to have committed crimes against humanity. Israel, which has refused to cooperate with the body and accused it of bias, rejected the allegations. The report, which covered the time between the Oct 7 rampage and the end of last year, laid out a wide array of alleged rights violations and crimes by both sides during the conflict. It said Israeli forces had committed acts including forced starvation, murder or willful killing, collective punishment and intentional attacks on civilians, and that the military wings of Hamas and other armed Palestinian groups had performed deliberate killings

Violence against children in conflict reached extreme levels in 2023: UN

Violence against children caught in multiplying and escalating conflicts reached "extreme levels" in 2023, with an unprecedented number of killings and injuries in crises, from Israel and the Palestinian territories to Sudan, Myanmar and Ukraine, according to a new UN report. The annual report on Children in Armed Conflict, obtained on Tuesday by The Associated Press, reported "a shocking 21 per cent increase in grave violations" against children under the age of 18 in an array of conflicts, also citing Congo, Burkina Faso, Somalia and Syria. For the first time, the UN report put Israeli forces on its blacklist of countries that violate children's rights for the killing and maiming of children and attacking schools and hospitals. It also listed Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad militants for the first time as well for killing, injuring and abducting children. Hamas' October 7 surprise attack in southern Israel and Israel's massive military retaliation in Gaza have led to a 155 per

Hamas responds to Gaza cease-fire plan; US says it is evaluating reply

Hamas said Tuesday that it gave mediators its reply to the US-backed proposal for a cease-fire in Gaza, seeking some "amendments" on the deal. It appeared the reply was short of an outright acceptance that the United States has been pushing for but kept negotiations alive over an elusive halt to the eight-month war. The foreign ministries of Qatar and Egypt who have been key mediators alongside the United States confirmed that they had received Hamas' response and said mediators were studying it. "We're in receipt of this reply that Hamas delivered to Qatar and to Egypt, and we are evaluating it right now," White House national security spokesman John Kirby told reporters in Washington. Hamas spokesman Jihad Taha said the response included amendments that confirm the cease-fire, withdrawal, reconstruction and (prisoner) exchange. Taha did not elaborate. But while supporting the broad outlines of the deal, Hamas officials have expressed wariness over whether Israel would implement

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'Seeds of Summer', How Israel rescued 4 hostages from Gaza | Israel - Hamas war

4 hostages have been rescued by the Israeli military from central Gaza. These hostages were captured on October 7 when Hamas had launched an attack on southern Israel.

Brics expresses concern over unprecedented escalation of violence in Gaza

The BRICS nations on Monday expressed grave concern over the "unprecedented" escalation of violence in the Gaza Strip as a result of Israeli military operations and reaffirmed their support for Palestine's full membership in the United Nations. At a meeting in Russia's Nizhny Novgorod, the BRICS foreign ministers reiterated the grouping's unwavering commitment to the vision of a two-state solution to the Palestine issue based on international law. Secretary (Economic Relations) in the Ministry of External Affairs Dammu Ravi represented India at the crucial meeting. The BRICS comprises Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Ethiopia, Iran, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates. "The ministers expressed grave concern at the deterioration of the situation in the occupied Palestinian territory, in particular the unprecedented escalation of violence in the Gaza Strip as a result of the Israeli military operation that led to mass civilian displacement, death and casualties," a joint ..

Blinken pushes Israel on postwar Gaza plans as pressure mounts on Hamas

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged top Israeli officials on Monday to accept and implement a plan for postwar Gaza as he pushed for more international pressure on Hamas to agree to a cease-fire proposal newly endorsed by the UN Security Council. On his latest urgent mission to the Middle East his eighth since the Israel-Hamas war began in October Blinken met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant after talks in Cairo with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi to push the proposal, which faces new uncertainty following Israel's hostage rescue operation that killed many Palestinians and turmoil in Netanyahu's government. Blinken told Netanyahu that the United States and other world leaders will stand behind the comprehensive proposal outlined by President Biden that would lead to an immediate cease-fire in Gaza, the release of all hostages, and a significant and sustained increase in humanitarian assistance for distribution ...

UNSC approves US-drafted proposal supporting ceasefire in Gaza war

The resolution was notably adopted with 14 votes in favor, zero against, and one abstention by Russia, as the country chose not to exercise its veto power

Israeli Min Benny Gantz quits Netanyahu's cabinet over handling of Gaza war

Gantz's decision comes at a time when the war between Israel and Hamas is in its eighth month, and the situation in West Asia remains fragile

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Israel rescues 4 hostages from Hamas; is ceasefire deal now a prospect?

Israel's dramatic weekend rescue of four hostages from deep inside an urban area of the Gaza Strip came at a sensitive time in the 8-month-old war, as Israel and Hamas weigh a US proposal for a cease-fire and the release of the remaining captives. Both sides face renewed pressure to make a deal: The complex rescue is unlikely to be replicated on a scale needed to bring back scores of remaining hostages, and it was a powerful reminder for Israelis that there are still surviving captives held in harsh conditions. Hamas now has four fewer bargaining chips. But they could also dig in, as they repeatedly have over months of indirect negotiations mediated by the United States, Qatar and Egypt. Hamas is still insisting on an end to the war as part of any agreement, while Israel says it is still committed to destroying the militant group. Here is a look at the fallout from the operation and how it might affect cease-fire talks: ELATION, AND MOUNTING CALLS FOR A DEAL The rescue operation w