Page 67 - Gaza

Under shadow of war in Gaza, Bethlehem gearing up for a subdued Christmas

Bethlehem is gearing up for a subdued Christmas, without the festive lights and customary Christmas tree towering over Manger Square, after officials in Jesus' traditional birthplace decided to forego celebrations due to the Israel-Hamas war. The cancellation of Christmas festivities, which typically draw thousands of visitors, is a severe blow to the town's tourism-dependent economy. But joyous revelry is untenable at a time of immense suffering of Palestinians in Gaza, said Mayor Hana Haniyeh. The economy is crashing, Haniyeh told The Associated Press on Friday. But if we compare it with what's happening to our people and Gaza, it's nothing. More than 18,700 Palestinians have been killed and more than 50,000 wounded during Israel's blistering air and ground offensive against Gaza's Hamas rulers, according to health officials there, while some 85 per cent of the territory's 2.3 million residents have been displaced. The war was triggered by Hamas' deadly assault October 7 on south

Rising civilian death toll: US pushes Israel for Gaza strategy shift

Hospitals in Deir al-Balah, Khan Younis and Rafah reported a new influx of dead and wounded early on Friday including two children

Israeli president says 'two-state solution' not a solution: What is it?

The two-state solution means establishing two separate states for the people of two communities, i.e., Israel for the Jewish and Palestine for the Palestinian people

India votes in favour of UNGA resolution on immediate ceasefire in Gaza

India voted in favour of a UN General Assembly resolution demanding immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, a shift in New Delhi's stance about two months after it abstained on a text that had called for truce in the Israel-Hamas conflict. "India has voted in favour of the resolution just adopted by the General Assembly, India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ruchira Kamboj said after the vote on Tuesday. "We welcome the fact that the international community has been able to find a common ground to address the multiple challenges facing the region right now," she said. The 193-member UN General Assembly overwhelmingly adopted the draft resolution Protection of civilians and upholding legal and humanitarian obligations' at an emergency special session, with 153 nations voting in favour, 10 against and 23 abstentions. The resolution was adopted amid a round of applause in the General Assembly hall. Those voting against included Austria, Israel and the US while Germany, Hungary,

India votes in favour of UNGA draft resolution demanding ceasefire in Gaza

India voted in favour of a draft resolution in the UN General Assembly that demanded an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict as well as the unconditional release of all hostages. The 193-member UN General Assembly adopted the draft resolution, introduced by Egypt, at an Emergency Special Session here Tuesday. The resolution was adopted with 153 votes in favour, while 23 nations abstained and 10 voted against the text. The resolution, sponsored among others by Algeria, Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Palestine, demanded an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza and reiterated its demand that all parties comply with their obligations under international law, notably with regard to the protection of civilians." It also demanded the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, as well as ensuring humanitarian access. The resolution however did not name Hamas and the US proposed an amendment to the draft ...

Palestinians hope vote in UNGA will show wide support for a Gaza cease-fire

The Palestinians are hoping that a vote Tuesday in the UN General Assembly on a nonbinding resolution demanding an immediate humanitarian cease-fire will demonstrate widespread global support for ending the Israel-Hamas war, now in its third month. After the United States vetoed a resolution in the Security Council on Friday demanding a humanitarian cease-fire, Arab and Islamic nations called for an emergency session of the 193-member General Assembly on Tuesday afternoon to vote on a resolution making the same demand. Unlike Security Council resolutions, General Assembly resolutions are not legally binding. But as UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said Monday, the assembly's messages "are also very important" and reflect world opinion. Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian ambassador to the United Nations, told The Associated Press on Sunday that the defeated resolution in the Security Council was cosponsored by 103 countries, and he is hoping for more cosponsors and a high vote for the .

Battles rage across Gaza as Israel indicates it's willing to beat Hamas

Battles raged across Gaza on Sunday as Israel indicated it was prepared to fight for months or longer to defeat the territory's Hamas rulers, and a key mediator said willingness to discuss a cease-fire was fading. Israel faces international outrage after its military offensive, with diplomatic support and arms from close ally the United States, has killed thousands of Palestinian civilians. About 90% of Gaza's 2.3 million people have been displaced within the besieged territory, where UN agencies say there is no safe place to flee. The United States has lent vital support in recent days by vetoing a United Nations Security Council resolution to end the fighting and pushing through an emergency sale of over $100 million worth of tank ammunition to Israel. Russia backed the resolution. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin and expressed dissatisfaction with anti-Israel positions taken by Moscow's envoys at the U.N. and elsewhere,

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Israeli tanks reach centre of Khan Younis in new storm of southern Gaza

Meanwhile, Russia on Sunday called for an international monitoring mission to go to Gaza to assess the humanitarian situation

Heavy fighting across Gaza as Israel presses ahead with renewed US support

Heavy fighting raged overnight and into Sunday across Gaza, including in the devastated north, as Israel pressed ahead with its offensive after the US blocked the latest international push for a cease-fire and rushed more munitions to its close ally. Israel has faced rising international outrage and calls for a permanent cease-fire after the killing of thousands of Palestinian civilians. Nearly 85 per cent of Gaza's 2.3 million people have been displaced within the besieged territory, where UN agencies say there is no safe place to flee. The United States has lent vital support to the offensive once again in recent days, by vetoing United Nations Security Council efforts to end the fighting that enjoyed wide international support, and by pushing through an emergency sale of over USD 100 million worth of tank ammunition to Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked US President Joe Biden for the important ammunition for the continuation of the war, and for supporting

Hamas beat civilians, steals aid received from int'l organisations: IDF

IDF shared a video on X that showed people getting beaten by some individuals. In the video, some individuals also placed some material in the vehicle

What is UN Charter's Article 99 invoked amid Israel's military attacks?

The United Arab Emirates, the Arab representative on the council, posted on X that the country has circulated a short draft resolution acting on Guterres' letter under Article 99

Have rescued 1309 Indians from Israel since start of Gaza war: Jaishankar

Gaza war: The UN Security Council will vote on Friday to urge an immediate ceasefire in Gaza

Priyanka slams bombing of Gaza, says India must stand with what's right

Noting that the "merciless bombing" of Gaza continues with even more "savagery" than before the truce, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra Thursday said it is India's duty as a member of the international community to stand up for what is right and do all it can to ensure a ceasefire at the earliest. In a post on X, the Congress general secretary said India has always stood up for what is just and supported the Palestinian people from the beginning of their long struggle for freedom. "The merciless bombing of Gaza continues with even more savagery than before the truce. Food supplies are scarce, medical facilities have been destroyed and basic amenities have been shut down," she said. An entire nation is being wiped out, Priyanka Gandhi asserted while claiming that 16,000 innocent civilians have been killed, including almost 10,000 children, more than 60 journalists and hundreds of medical workers. "These are people with dreams and hopes just like the rest of us. They are being .

In rare move, UN Chief Guterres invokes Article 99 amid Israel-Gaza war

According to the report, Guterres delivered a letter to the Security Council President, Jose De La Gasca

Humanitarian conditions in Gaza worsen as Israel widens its offensive

The United Nations said 1.87 million people - more than 80% of Gaza's population -- have been driven from their homes since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, triggered by the deadly Oct 7 Hamas assault on southern Israel. The UN also says that all telecom services have been shut down due to cuts in the main fibre routes. On Wednesday, the United Nations chief urged the UN Security Council to use its clout to avert a humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. Here's what's happening in the war: ARAB NATIONS FINE-TUNING PROPOSED UNSC RESOLUTION CALLING FOR CEASEFIRE IN ISRAELI-GAZA WAR. United Nations: Arab nations at the United Nations are fine-tuning a proposed UN Security Council resolution calling for a cease-fire in the two-month Israeli-Gaza war. Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian UN ambassador, said Wednesday that it's essential that the UN's most powerful body demand a halt to the conflict following the resumption of bloodshed in Gaza after the end of a weeklong humanitarian truce on De

Israeli military 'regrets' casualties in attack that harmed Lebanese troops

In a rare apology, Israeli Defence Forces on Wednesday expressed regret at an inadvertent attack in which a Lebanese soldier was killed while it targeted a Hezbollah-linked post and said the incident is under review. Clashes at Israel's northern border with Lebanon have intensified with regular exchanges of fire since the war broke out in Gaza between Hamas militants and Israel on October 7. Israeli forces have mainly responded to attacks from the Shia faction Hezbollah, backed by Iran, which has claimed that it was unaware of the October 7 attack, calling its origin and execution local in nature. In addresses to supporters, the faction's leader Hasan Nasrallah has distanced his organisation and its Iranian masters from any responsibility in the October 7 incident but expressed support for Hamas raising fears of a possible wider conflagration in the region. Israel has issued stern warnings but taken every possible step to keep the escalation at its northern border in check. It has

Fighting across Gaza halts aid delivery, leaves people with few safe places

Israeli forces battled Hamas militants across Gaza on Wednesday after expanding their ground offensive to its second-largest city, further shrinking the area where Palestinians can seek safety and halting the distribution of vital aid across most of the territory. The assault on the south threatens further mass displacement within the besieged coastal enclave, where the U.N. says some 1.87 million people over 80 per cent of the population have already fled their homes. Much of the north, including large parts of Gaza City, has been completely destroyed, and Palestinians fear the rest of Gaza could suffer a similar fate as Israel tries to dismantle Hamas, which has deep roots in the territory it has ruled for 16 years. Israel says it can no longer accept a Hamas military presence in Gaza after the October 7 attack that triggered the war, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel will maintain open-ended security control over the territory, something opposed by the Unite

Israel rebuffs mounting pressures to halt Gaza war as forces move south

"Hamas is trying to tear us down and instead we are taking them apart," Netanyahu said, adding that Israeli forces had killed half of Hamas's battalion commanders

Israeli forces should retain control of Gaza for disarmament: PM Netanyahu

Meanwhile, the Israeli military encircled the city of Khan Younis in southern Gaza, the Israel Defense Forces' chief of the general staff said, CNN reported