Page 57 - Gaza

Israeli airstrikes kill 20 in Gaza, Rafah, say Palestinian officials

Six more people died in another air strike on a house in Al-Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza Strip, they added.

Deeply concerned about prospective Israeli operation in Rafah: Biden

US President Joe Biden has told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he is deeply concerned about the prospect of Israel conducting major military operations in Rafah on the lines of those in Gaza City and Khan Younis, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said. During his telephonic conversation with Biden on Monday, Netanyahu agreed to send an inter-agency team of Israeli officials to Washington to hold discussions on an alternative approach to target key Hamas elements in the southern Gaza city of Rafah and secure the Egypt-Gaza border without a major ground invasion, Sullivan said at his daily press conference on Monday. This was the first time in a month that the two leaders spoke on phone. Sullivan said Biden and Netanyahu spoke at length about Rafah. "The President explained why he is so deeply concerned about the prospect of Israel conducting major military operations in Rafah of the kind it conducted in Gaza City and Khan Younis," the NSA said. More than a

Famine imminent in Gaza as Israel launches another raid on hospital: UN

The UN food agency said Monday that famine is imminent in northern Gaza, where 70% of the remaining population is experiencing catastrophic hunger, and that a further escalation of the war could push around half of Gaza's total population to the brink of starvation. The alarming report came as Israel faces mounting pressure from even its closest allies to streamline the entry of aid into the Gaza Strip and open more crossings. The European Union's top diplomat said the impending famine was entirely man-made as "starvation is used as a weapon of war. Israeli forces meanwhile launched another raid on the Gaza Strip's largest hospital early Monday, saying Hamas militants had regrouped there and had fired on them from inside the compound, where Palestinian officials say tens of thousands of people have been sheltering. The military said it killed a Hamas commander who was armed and hiding inside the medical centre, and that one of its own soldiers was killed in the operation. The army

Israel launches raid on Gaza hospital, alleges presence of Hamas' militants

Israeli forces launched another raid on the Gaza Strip's largest hospital early Monday, saying Hamas militants had regrouped there and had fired on them from inside the compound, where Palestinian officials say tens of thousands of people were sheltering. The army last raided Shifa Hospital in November after claiming that Hamas maintained an elaborate command centre within and beneath the facility. The military revealed a tunnel leading to a bunker, as well as weapons it said were found inside the hospital, but the evidence fell short of the earlier claims, and critics accused the army of recklessly endangering the lives of civilians. People sheltering in the hospital said Israeli forces backed by tanks and artillery had surrounded the medical complex early Monday and that snipers were shooting at people inside. They said the army raided a number of buildings and detained dozens of people. We're trapped inside, said Abdel-Hady Sayed, who has been sheltering in the medical facility f

Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel to press on with Rafah assault plan

He later said after meeting German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Jerusalem that Israel would not leave civilians trapped in Rafah when its forces begin their assault

Gaza war, Red Sea attacks may push Yemen back into war, says UN envoy

The longer the war in Gaza goes on and Yemen's Houthi rebels keep attacking ships in the Red Sea the greater the risk that Yemen could be propelled back into war, the UN special envoy for the poorest Arab nation warned on Thursday. Hans Grundberg told the UN Security Council it has been impossible to shield his promising efforts to restore peace to Yemen because the reality is, what happens regionally impacts Yemen and what happens in Yemen can impact the region. Since November, the Iranian-backed Houthis have targeted ships in the Red Sea to demand a cease-fire in Israel's offensive in Gaza. It began after Gaza's Hamas rulers launched a surprise attack in southern Israel on October 7 that killed about 1,200 people and led to about 250 others being taken captive. Israel's ongoing military operation has killed more than 31,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza health ministry. The Houthi attacks targeting vessels since November, however, have increasingly had little or no connecti

UK govt notifies stricter, 'more precise' definition of extremism

The UK government on Thursday issued a new "more precise" definition of extremism in response to increased threats since the October 2023 Hamas terror attacks in Israel and to protect liberal democratic principles against extreme right-wing and Islamist extremists. Extremism in the UK is now defined as the promotion or advancement of an ideology based on violence, hatred or intolerance, that aims to: negate or destroy the fundamental rights and freedoms of others; or undermine, overturn or replace the UK's system of liberal parliamentary democracy and democratic rights; or intentionally create a permissive environment for others to achieve the results in the first two categories. The previous definition, introduced in 2011 under the government's Prevent strategy, defined extremism as "vocal or active opposition to fundamental British values, including democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of different faiths and belief". UK Levelling Up and

Ahead of anticipated offensive, Israel to direct Palestinians out of Rafah

The Israeli military said Wednesday it plans to direct a significant portion of the 1.4 million displaced Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip's southernmost town of Rafah toward humanitarian islands in the centre of the territory ahead of its planned offensive in the area. The fate of the people in Rafah has been a major area of concern of Israel's allies including the United States and humanitarian groups, worried an offensive in the region densely crowded with so many displaced people would be a catastrophe. Rafah is also Gaza's main entry point for desperately needed aid. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said a Rafah offensive is crucial to achieve Israel's stated aim of destroying Hamas following the militants' Oct 7 attack in which about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed and around 250 taken hostage and brought into Gaza. Israel's invasion of Gaza has killed more than 31,000, according to Gaza health officials, left much of the enclave in ruins and ...

Israel-Hamas conflict: Hezbollah fires 100+ rockets into Israel, tension escalates

The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah fired over 100 rockets into northern Israel on March 12. This heavy barrage raises fears of the Gaza Strip war spreading to a new front. Watch the video to know m

Highlights of the day: Netanyahu meets with Ajit Doval, updates him on war

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Biden warns Netanyahu not to attack Rafah as Ramadan festivities begin

The US hoped for a breakthrough before Islam's holy month, which began after sundown on Sunday

Oscars 2024: Poor Things, Da'Vine Joy Randloph win where Gaza protests rage

An election-year Academy Awards got underway Sunday with protests for Gaza raging outside the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, a few cutting remarks from host Jimmy Kimmel and an Oscar for Da'Vine Joy Randolph for her performance in The Holdovers. Kimmel, emceeing the ABC telecast for the fourth time, opened the 96th Academy Awards with an opening monologue that drew a few cold looks (from Robert Downey Jr., Sandra Hller and Messi, the dog from best-picture nominee Anatomy of a Fall). But Kimmel, emphasizing Hollywood as a union town following 2023's actor and writer strikes, drew a standing ovation for bringing out teamsters and behind-the-scenes workers who are now entering their own labor negotiations. Accepting the night's first award, an emotional Randolph was accompanied to the stage by her Holdovers co-star Paul Giamatti. For so long I've always wanted to be different, said Randolph. "And now I realize I just need to be myself." Though Randolph's win was widely expected, an up

Protests over Israel's war in Gaza snarl traffic outside Oscars in LA

Protests over over Israel's war in Gaza snarled traffic around the Academy Awards on Sunday, slowing stars' arrival at the red carpet and turning the Oscar spotlight toward the ongoing conflict. Scattered demonstrations were held in the vicinity around the Oscars on Sunday. Los Angeles police, which had expected protests, beefed up their already extensive presence. The Dolby Theatre and the red carpet leading into it are cordoned off for several blocks in every direction. But protesters carrying signs and chanting for ceasefire disrupted traffic near security checkpoints on Sunset Blvd. Some arrivals were slowed by as much as an hour. Some protesters shouted Shame! at those trying to reach the Oscars. Police in helmets and wielding batons declared an unlawful assembly and threatened arrest. Several attendees, including Billie Eilish and Finneas, best song nominees for What Was I Made For? from Barbie, wore pins for Gaza. Ava DuVernay and Ramy Youssef were also among those wearing ..

Netanyahu hurting Israel by not preventing more deaths in Gaza: Biden

US President Joe Biden said Saturday that he believes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is hurting Israel more than helping Israel in how he is approaching its war against Hamas in Gaza. The US leader expressed support for Israel's right to pursue Hamas after the October 7 attack, but said of Netanyahu that he must pay more attention to the innocent lives being lost as a consequence of the actions taken. Biden has for months warned that Israel risks losing international support over mounting civilian casualties in Gaza, and the latest remarks in an interview with MSNBC's Jonathan Capehart pointed to the increasingly strained relationship between the two leaders. Biden said of the death toll in Gaza, it's contrary to what Israel stands for. And I think it's a big mistake. Biden said a potential Israeli invasion of the Gaza city of Rafah, where more than 1.3 million Palestinians are sheltering, is a red line for him, but said he would not cut off weapons like the Iron Dome ...

'Singapore will do everything to extend help to those affected in Gaza'

Singapore's Home Affairs and Law Minister K Shanmugam said on Saturday that his country would do whatever best possible to extend help to those affected in Gaza amidst the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. Speaking at Soka Kindergarten in Tampines on the east coast of the prosperous city-state, where volunteers had gathered to pack supplies for children in Gaza, Shanmugam said that the continued efforts to those affected in Gaza showed who exactly Singapore is as a society, the Channel News Asia reported. "The continued efforts to raise funds and send aid to Gaza are a demonstration of who we are as a society, coming together across different religious groups to try and help," said Shanmugam. Interfaith non-profit group Humanity Matters organised the event, ahead of a possible ceasefire in Gaza. The group aimed to assemble 5,000 comfort packs, each comprising a backpack, an inflatable pillow, vitamin gummies, snack treats, a water bottle, a stress ball and a stuffed toy, according to the .

After months of warnings of famine in Gaza, children succumb to starvation

After months of warnings over the risk of famine in Gaza under Israel's bombardment, offensives and siege, children are starting to die. Hunger is most acute in northern Gaza, which has been isolated by Israeli forces and has suffered long cutoffs of food supply deliveries. At least 20 people have died from malnutrition and dehydration at the north's Kamal Adwan and Shifa hospitals, according to the Health Ministry. Most of the dead are children including ones as old as 15 as well as a 72-year-old man. Particularly vulnerable children are also beginning to succumb in the south, where access to aid is more regular. At the Emirati Hospital in Rafah, 16 premature babies have died of malnutrition-related causes over the past five weeks, one of the senior doctors told The Associated Press. The child deaths we feared are here, Adele Khodr, UNICEF's Middle East chief, said in a statement earlier this week. Malnutrition is generally slow to bring death, striking children and the elderly

Biden to announce aid port on Gaza's coast as cease-fire talks stall

President Joe Biden will announce Thursday that he is directing the U.S. military to help set up a temporary port off the Gaza coast to establish a sea route for food and other direly needed aid for Palestinian civilians trapped in the Israel-Hamas war, senior U.S. administration officials said. The announcement signals further deepening U.S. involvement in the war and the escalating conflicts and tensions in the region. The move also shows the Biden administration resorting to a highly unusual workaround to deliver aid to Gaza's 2.3 million civilians, in the face of restrictions that U.S. ally Israel has placed on overland aid deliveries. Meanwhile, hopes for reaching a cease-fire before the upcoming Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which starts in the coming days, stalled Thursday when Hamas said its delegation had left Cairo, where talks were being held. The outline for the cease-fire would have including a wide infusion of aid into Gaza. A widening humanitarian crisis across Gaza .

Highlights of the day: Sweden joins Nato, completes its accession process

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S Africa asks ICJ to impose emergency measures on Israel over Gaza 'famine'

The health officials in Gaza reported that over 30,000 people have died in the strip during the five-month conflict

Hamas vows to press on with Gaza ceasefire talks as situation worsens

US President Joe Biden said on Tuesday it was in the hands of Hamas whether to accept a deal on the table for a ceasefire in exchange for the release of Israeli hostages