Page 66 - Gaza

J&K could become 'Gaza' without dialogue between India-Pakistan: Farooq

Invoking former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the National Conference President said while speaking to ANI, "Atal Bihari Vajpayee had said that we can change our friends but not our neighbours "

Israel to increase defence spending by at least $8 billion as war rages

The ministry, in a document presented to parliament on Monday, said the overall 2024 budget will probably have to total 562 billion shekels

Egypt floats plan to end Israel-Hamas war, create transitional govt

Egypt has put forward an ambitious, initial proposal to end the Israel-Hamas war with a cease-fire, a phased hostage release and the creation of a Palestinian government of experts who would administer the Gaza Strip and occupied West Bank, a senior Egyptian official and a European diplomat said on Monday. The proposal, worked out with the Gulf nation of Qatar, has been presented to Israel, Hamas, the United States and European governments but still appeared preliminary. It falls short of Israel's professed goal of outright crushing Hamas and would appear not to meet Israel's insistence on keeping military control over Gaza for an extended period after the war. Israel's War Cabinet, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, will meet later Monday discuss the hostage situation, among other topics, an Israeli official said, but would not say if they would discuss the Egyptian proposal. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to talk to the ...

Israeli airstrike in Syria kills another Iranian general; toll rises to 3

An Israeli airstrike Monday in a Damascus neighbourhood killed a high-ranking Iranian general, Iranian state media said. The killing of Razi Mousavi, a long-time adviser of the Iranian paramilitary Revolutionary Guard in Syria, comes as clashes along the Lebanon-Israel border between Hezbollah and Israel continue to intensify with fears of the Israel-Hamas war sparking a regional spillover with Iran-backed groups. The Israeli strikes killed two other generals earlier this month in Syria. Israel struck the Sayida Zeinab neighbourhood, located near a Shiite Muslim shrine, Iran's official news agency IRNA and Britain-based opposition war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. IRNA described Mousavi as a close companion of Gen. Qassim Soleimani, the head of Iran's elite Quds Force who was slain in a US drone strike in Iraq in January 2020. Neither the Israeli military nor Syrian state media immediately issued a statement about the attack. Though IRNA didn't provide other

Pope Francis appeals for end of Israeli strikes at Gaza on Christmas day

Pope Francis on Monday blasted the weapons industry and its instruments of death that fuel wars as he made a Christmas Day appeal for peace in the world and in particular between Israel and the Palestinians. Speaking from the loggia of St. Peter's Basilica to the throngs of people below, Francis said he grieved the abominable attack of Hamas against southern Israel on October 7 and called for the release of hostages. And he begged for an end to Israel's military campaign in Gaza and the appalling harvest of innocent civilians as he called for humanitarian aid to reach those in need. Francis devoted his Christmas Day blessing to a call for peace in the world, noting that the biblical story of the birth of Christ in Bethlehem sent a message of peace. But he said that Bethlehem is a place of sorrow and silence this year. Francis' annual Urbi et Orbi ("To the City and the World") speech typically offers a lament of all the misery facing the world, and this year's edition was no differe

Oct 7 revisited: When terror came knocking and Israeli intel was unaware

While most didn't know what had hit them, many, including those occupying top public offices in the country, had no clue how Hamas had breached the iron curtain of Israeli defence and intelligence

136 of our colleagues in Gaza killed in 75 days, says UN Chief Guterres

Guterres said that no one has ever seen such number of casualties of the UN staff in the history of the world organisation

Gaza death toll exceeds 20,000 as Israel expands ground war against Hamas

Israel's war to destroy Hamas has killed more than 20,000 Palestinians, health officials in Gaza said on Friday, as Israel expanded its offensive and ordered tens of thousands more people to leave their homes. The deaths amount to nearly 1 per cent of the territory's prewar population the latest indication of the 11-week-old conflict's staggering human toll. Israel's aerial and ground offensive has been one of the most devastating military campaigns in modern history, displacing nearly 85 per cent of Gaza's 2.3 million people and leveling wide swaths of the tiny coastal enclave. More than half a million people in Gaza a quarter of the population are starving, according to a report Thursday from the United Nations and other agencies. Israel declared war after Hamas's October 7 attack, in which militants from Gaza stormed into southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people and taking some 240 hostages. Israel has vowed to keep up the fight until Hamas is destroyed and removed from powe

Israel bombed areas in Southern Gaza it designated safe for civilians

During the first six weeks of the war in Gaza, Israel routinely used one of its biggest and most destructive bombs in areas it designated safe for civilians

Canada announces temporary visas for people in Gaza with Canadian relatives

People in the Gaza Strip who have Canadian relatives may apply for temporary visas to Canada, the country's immigration minister said Thursday. However, the federal government cannot guarantee safe passage out of the besieged Palestinian territory. Immigration Minister Marc Miller expects the program to be up and running by Jan. 9. Until now, the government has focused on getting 660 Canadians, permanent residents and their spouses and children out of Gaza. Miller said the government will start accepting applications for people with extended family connections to Canada, including parents, grandparents, siblings and grandchildren. He said people will be offered three-year visas if they meet eligibility and admissibility criteria. Miller said he's not sure how many people will be able to come to Canada under the program, but he expects the number will be in the hundreds. Miller said it's been difficult to get Canadians out of Gaza. We have limited ability, he said.

Israel established full 'operational control' over Gaza's Shejaiya: IDF

According to the IDF, dozens of tuneel shafts found in homes, schools, health clinics and weapons were destroyed

Over 0.57 mn people in Gaza are now 'starving' due to fallout from war: UN

A report released Thursday by the UN finds that more than half a million people in Gaza are starving because of not enough food entering the territory since the outbreak of war more than 10 weeks ago. It is a situation where pretty much everybody in Gaza is hungry," said World Food Programme chief economist Arif Husain. He warned that if the war between Israel and Hamas continues at the same levels and food deliveries are not restored that the population could face a full-fledged famine within the next six months. The report released Thursday by 23 UN and nongovernmental agencies found that the entire population in Gaza is in a food crisis, with 576,600 at catastrophic - or starvation - levels.

UNSC again delays vote on Gaza aid resolution amid talks to avoid US veto

The U.N. Security Council on Wednesday again delayed a vote on a new resolution about desperately needed aid to Gaza until the following day as the Biden administration struggles to change key wording in high-level negotiations seeking to avoid a U.S. veto. The United States seeks to change the text's references to a cessation of hostilities in the Israel-Hamas war, and the part about putting the United Nations in charge of inspecting trucks to ensure they are actually carrying humanitarian goods, which Israel opposes. Ambassador Lana Nusseibeh of the United Arab Emirates, which sponsored the Arab-backed resolution, said very high-level discussions are taking place to try to reach agreement on a text that can be adopted. Everyone wants to see a resolution that has impact and that is implementable on the ground, she told reporters after the 15 council members held closed consultations. We believe today, giving a little bit of space for additional diplomacy, could yield positive ...

Top leader has arrived in Cairo for talks on the war in Gaza, says Hamas

Hamas says its top leader, Ismail Haniyeh, has arrived in Cairo for talks on the war in Gaza. Egypt, along with Qatar where Haniyeh is believed to be based have both played a key role as mediators between the militant group and Israel since the war that began with Hamas' October 7 attack. Hamas said Haniyeh would discuss the war with Egyptian officials after having arrived Wednesday in Cairo, but did not provide details. Negotiations were underway on another cease-fire and the release of more hostages held by the militant group, but the two sides were believed to be far from an agreement.

UNSC resolution on Gaza conflict hampered by issues important to US

The Security Council's adoption of a new UN resolution to spur desperately needed aid to Gaza has been bogged down by two issues important to the United States: a reference to a cessation of hostilities and putting the UN in charge of inspecting trucks to ensure they are actually carrying humanitarian goods. A vote on the Arab-sponsored resolution, first postponed from Monday, was pushed back again until Wednesday as council members continued intense negotiations to avoid another veto by the United States. We're still working through the modalities of the resolution, US National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said Tuesday afternoon when the vote was still set for 5 p.m. It's important for us that the rest of the world understand what's at stake here and what Hamas did on the 7th of October and how Israel has a right to defend itself against those threats. It was cancelled as the US asked for more time and is now scheduled to take place after an open council briefing follow

UNSC vote on Gaza humanitarian resolution delayed again to avoid US veto

UN Security Council members were in intense negotiations on Tuesday on an Arab-sponsored resolution to spur desperately needed humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza during some kind of a halt in the fighting, trying to avoid another veto by the United States. A vote on the resolution, first postponed from Monday, was pushed back again until Wednesday. We're still working through the modalities of the resolution, US National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said on Tuesday afternoon when the vote was still set for 5 p.m. "It's important for us that the rest of the world understand what's at stake here and what Hamas did on the 7th of October and how Israel has a right to defend itself against those threats. The vote was later cancelled as the United States asked for more time. Talks were continuing in an effort to get the Biden administration to abstain or vote in favour of the resolution. The draft resolution on the table Monday morning called for an urgent and sustainable .

Israel keeps pounding Gaza, Yemen's Houthis vow more Red Sea attacks

The conflict has spread beyond Hamas-ruled Gaza, including into the Red Sea where Iran-aligned Houthi forces have been attacking vessels with missiles and drones

Israel finds tunnel by Gaza border, raises questions about prewar intel

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 that it stretches for more than four kilometers (2 miles), 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 ..

Israel presses ahead in Gaza as errant killing of captives adds to concern

Israel pressed ahead with its Gaza offensive on Sunday after a series of shootings, including of three hostages who were shirtless and waving a white flag, raised questions about its conduct in a 10-week-old war that has brought unprecedented death and destruction to the coastal enclave. Gaza remained under a communications blackout for a fourth straight day the longest of several outages over the course of the war, which aid groups say complicate rescue efforts after bombings and make it even more difficult to monitor the war's toll on civilians. Israel could come under further pressure to scale back major combat operations when U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin visits this week. Washington has expressed growing unease with civilian casualties and the mass displacement of 1.9 million Palestinians nearly 85% of Gaza's population even as it has provided vital military and diplomatic support to its close ally. The air and ground war has flattened vast swathes of northern Gaza and

3 hostages mistakenly killed by Israeli troops had been holding white flag

Three Israeli hostages who were mistakenly shot by Israeli troops in the Gaza Strip had been waving a white flag and were shirtless when they were killed, military officials said on Saturday, in Israel's first such acknowledgement of harming any hostages in its war against Hamas. Anger over the mistaken killings is likely to increase pressure on the Israeli government to renew Qatar-mediated negotiations with Hamas over swapping more of the remaining captives, which Israel says number 129, for Palestinians imprisoned in Israel. Israeli leaders have said the hostages' release can only be achieved through military pressure. A senior Hamas official, Osama Hamdan, reiterated on Saturday that there will be no further release of hostages before the war ends and Israel accepts Hamas conditions for an exchange. Hamdan, a member of the militant group's decision-making political bureau, said he had no information on unconfirmed reports of a meeting between Israeli and Qatari officials regardin