Page 76 - Gaza

Need to eliminate Hamas once and for all, says Congressman Thanedar

Describing Hamas as a barbaric terrorist organisation, an Indian American Congressman has said there is a need to eliminate the terror outfit. The Palestinian militant group Hamas launched a barrage of rocket attacks in Southern Israel on October 7. The unprecedented assault triggered retaliatory strikes from the Israel Defense Forces. Hamas is not a militant organisation. Hamas is not a resistance movement. They are just barbaric terrorists. There's no other way to describe it, Shri Thanedar told a group of eminent Indian-Americans at the US Capitol Hill on Monday. This is a time where we just can't just push them. Because they will regroup and come back and do these atrocities once again. That's what they will do. So, we need at this stage to eliminate them; eliminate them from the face of this earth, he said at an event organised by HinduACTion here in support of Israel. We need to dismantle their military operations. We need to free the Palestinian people, the two million ...

Israel ramps up strikes on Gaza as US advises delaying ground war

Israel ramped up its airstrikes on Monday in Gaza, where the death toll was rising rapidly, and the United States advised Israel to delay an expected ground invasion to allow more time to negotiate the release of hostages taken by Hamas militants. A third small aid convoy from Egypt entered Gaza, where the population of 2.3 million has been running out of food, water and medicine under Israel's two-week seal. With Israel still barring entry of fuel, the UN said its distribution of aid would grind to a halt within days when it can no longer fuel its trucks. Gaza hospitals are struggling to keep generators running to power life-saving medical equipment and incubators for premature babies. Heavy airstrikes demolished buildings across Gaza, including in areas where Palestinians were told to seek refuge, killing hundreds and sending new waves of wounded into already packed hospitals, according to Palestinian officials and witnesses. After a strike in Gaza City, a woman with blood on her

Pentagon rushes defences, advisers to East as ground assault in Gaza looms

The Pentagon has sent military advisers, including a Marine Corps general versed in urban warfare, to Israel to aid in its war planning and is speeding multiple sophisticated air defence systems to the Middle East days ahead of an anticipated ground assault into Gaza. One of the officers leading the assistance is Marine Corps Lt. Gen. James Glynn, who previously helped lead special operations forces against the Islamic State and served in Fallujah, Iraq, during some of the most heated urban combat there, according to a US official who was not authorised to discuss Glynn's role and spoke on the condition of anonymity. Glynn will also be advising on how to mitigate civilian casualties in urban warfare, the official said. Israel is preparing a large-scale ground operation in an environment in which Hamas militants have had years to prepare tunnel networks and set traps throughout northern Gaza's dense urban blocks. Glynn and the other military officers who are advising Israel have ...

Must never lose sight of how essential the two-state solution is: Sunak

"We must never lose sight of how essential the two-state solution is. So we'll work together with our international partners to bring renewed energy and creativity to this effort," the UK PM said

Iron Sting: Israel's new weapon against Hamas explained

After the famous 'Iron Dome', Israel Defense Forces has now put 'Iron Sting' into operational use. IDF employed 'Iron Sting' against Hamas rocket launchers in Gaza. Watch the video to learn more.

Israeli warplanes strike targets as US seeks more time to free hostages

Here's what's happening in the latest Israel-Hamas war: US ADVISES ISRAEL THAT DELAY IN GROUND OFFENSIVE COULD ALLOW RELEASE OF MORE HOSTAGES Washington: The US has advised Israeli officials that a delay in a possible ground offensive in Gaza would allow more time for the US to work with its regional partners to release more hostages, according to a US official familiar with Biden administration's thinking on the matter. The official, who requested anonymity to discuss the private discussions, said it was unclear how much the argument will move the needle on Israeli thinking. The official noted that Qatar's help in mediating with Hamas was able to win the release of two captives, Judith and Natalie Raanan. The process that led to their release - just two of the more than the 222 people believed taken hostage in Israel in the Oct 7 attacks - started soon after the Hamas operation. The official said arranging for the release of the Raanans took longer to come together than folks real

Investors' wealth plunges Rs 7.5 trn amid escalating global tensions

The 30-share BSE Sensex plunged 825.74 points or 1.26 per cent to settle at 64,571.88 points. During the day, the index plummeted 894.94 points or 1.36 per cent to 64,502.68 points

Crude oil futures slip as investors watch diplomatic moves in Gaza war

Brent crude futures fell 24 cents, or 0.26%, to $91.92 a barrel, as of 0837 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures were down 36 cents, or 0.41%, at $87.72 a barrel

Israeli warplanes strike targets ahead of expected ground offensive in Gaza

Israeli warplanes are striking targets across Gaza ahead of an expected ground offensive in the besieged Hamas-ruled territory. Fears of a widening war have grown as Israel struck targets in the occupied West Bank, Syria and Lebanon and traded fire with Lebanon's Hezbollah militant group. Two aid convoys arrived in the Gaza Strip over the weekend through the Rafah crossing from Egypt. Israel said the trucks carried food, water and medical supplies. Israel has not allowed in fuel, which is critically needed for water and sanitation systems and hospitals. The war, in its 17th day Monday, is the deadliest of five Gaza wars for both sides. The Palestinian Health Ministry said Sunday that at least 4,651 people have been killed and 14,254 wounded in the territory. In the occupied West Bank, 96 Palestinians have been killed and 1,650 wounded in violence and Israeli raids since Oct 7. More than 1,400 people in Israel have been killed, mostly civilians who died in the initial Hamas rampage .

Israel flag stickers pasted on Pune roads; police register 4 cases

Stickers with pictures of Israel flag have been found pasted on roads in some parts of Maharashtra's Pune city following which the police have registered four FIRs against a number of people, officials said on Monday. According to the police, some people allegedly pasted stickers of the Israel flag on roads in Kondhwa, Bhawani Peth, Nana Peth and Pune cantonment areas with the intention of disturbing social harmony and disrespect late Friday night, against the backdrop of the Hamas-Israel conflict. The cases have been registered under Indian Penal Code Section 153 (wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause a riot if rioting be committed if not committed) with Samarth, Khadak, Lashkar and Kondhwa police stations, the officials said. "Some people pasted Israel flag stickers on roads in the jurisdiction of Samarth and Khadak police stations. We have registered two offences against five people," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone I) Sandeep Singh Gill said. An offence was als

Aid convoy reaches Gaza as Israel attacks targets in Syria, West Bank

The second aid convoy destined for desperate Palestinian civilians reached Gaza on Sunday, as Israel widened its attacks to include targets in Syria and the occupied West Bank and the Israeli prime minister warned Lebanon's Hezbollah militant group that if it launches its own war, we will cripple it with a force it cannot even imagine. For days, Israel has been on the verge of launching a ground offensive in Gaza following Hamas' brutal October 7 rampage through a series of Israeli communities. Tanks and troops have been massed at the Gaza border, waiting for the command to cross. Israel's military spokesman, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, said the country had increased airstrikes across Gaza to hit targets that would reduce the risk to troops in the next stage of the war. Fears of a widening war grew as Israeli warplanes struck targets across Gaza, two airports in Syria and a mosque in the occupied West Bank allegedly used by militants. Israel has traded fire with Hezbollah militants si

Shrinking fuel supplies for Gaza's hospital put premature babies at risk

A premature baby squirms inside a glass incubator in the neonatal ward of al-Aqsa Hospital in the central Gaza Strip. He cries out as intravenous lines are connected to his tiny body. A ventilator helps him breathe as a catheter delivers medication and monitors flash his fragile vital signs. His life hinges on the constant flow of electricity, which is in danger of running out imminently unless the hospital can get more fuel for its generators. Once the generators stop, hospital director Iyad Abu Zahar fears that the babies in the ward, unable to breathe on their own, will perish. The responsibility on us is huge, he said. Doctors treating premature babies across Gaza are grappling with similar fears. At least 130 premature babies are at grave risk across six neonatal units, aid workers said. The dangerous fuel shortages are caused by the Israeli blockade of Gaza, which started along with airstrikes after Hamas militants attacked Israeli towns on October 7. At least 50,000 pregn

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Gaza's global challenge

India did well to reiterate its stand on Palestine

French intel points to Palestine rocket, not Israeli strike, for Gaza blast

An assessment by French military intelligence indicates the most likely cause of the deadly explosion at Gaza City's al-Ahli hospital was a Palestinian rocket that carried an explosive charge of about 5 kilograms (11 pounds) and possibly misfired, a senior French military official said Friday. Several rockets in the arsenal of the Palestinian militant group Hamas carry explosive charges of about that weight, including an Iranian-made rocket and another that is Palestinian-made, the intelligence official said. None of their intelligence pointed to an Israeli strike, the official said. The official spoke on condition of anonymity, but was cleared to discuss the assessment by President Emmanuel Macron in what was described as an attempt to be transparent about the French intelligence findings. The assessment was based on classified information, satellite imagery, intelligence shared by other countries and open-source information, the official said. The size of the blast crater in a ..

UN leaders welcome aid's entry into Gaza but note it's far from enough

United Nations leaders and agencies have welcomed the entry of a humanitarian aid convoy into Gaza via the Rafah border crossing with Egypt but noted that it is only a small beginning, still far from enough and reiterated their appeal for an immediate ceasefire. A 20-truck convoy of the Egyptian Red Crescent entered Gaza with humanitarian supplies, the first since the conflict began following attacks by the Palestinian militant group Hamas on Israel on October 7. "I want to express my deep gratitude to Egypt in this regard. But the people of Gaza need a commitment for much, much more a continuous delivery of aid to Gaza at the scale that is needed," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Saturday. "We are working nonstop with all parties that are relevant to make it happen, he said in remarks at the Cairo Summit for Peace. Five UN agencies - UN Development Programme (UNDP), the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), the World Food Programme (WFP) and t

Israel to step up strikes on Gaza before ground offensive, says IDF

With an Israeli ground offensive in Gaza looming large, Israel has said it will step up its aerial strikes in the besieged Palestinian territory to create the best conditions for troops to move in. Indicating Israel's preparations for the second stage of its declared three-phase operation to change the security regime in Gaza, Israel Defence Forces (IDF) spokesperson Daniel Hagari said, We have to enter the next phase of the war in the best conditions, not according to what anyone tells us. From today, we are increasing the strikes and minimizing the danger, Hagari told reporters on Saturday, in a clear signal towards an imminent ground incursion. In another clear indicator that Israel was preparing for the second stage of its three-phase operation to change the security regime in Gaza, IDF's Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi told commanders of the elite Golani infantry brigade earlier on Saturday that they should expect surprises prepared by terror groups when they enter the Gaza Strip.

Hezbollah official says his group already 'is in heart' of Israel-Hamas war

A top official with Hezbollah vowed that Israel will pay a high price whenever it starts a ground offensive in the Gaza Strip and said Saturday that his militant group based in Lebanon already is in the heart of the battle. The comments by Hezbollah's deputy leader, Sheikh Naim Kassem, came as Israel shelled and made drone strikes in southern Lebanon and Hezbollah fired rockets and missiles toward Israel. Hezbollah said six of its fighters were killed Saturday, the highest daily toll since the violence began two weeks ago. For Hezbollah, heating up the Lebanon-Israel border has a clear purpose, Kassem said: We are trying to weaken the Israeli enemy and let them know that we are ready. Hamas officials have said that if Israel starts a ground offensive in Gaza, Hezbollah will join the fighting. Exchanges of fire along the Lebanon-Israel border have picked up in the two weeks since the attack by the Palestinian militant group Hamas that killed over 1,400 civilians and soldiers in ...

550 failed Palestinian rocket launches detected in Gaza, says Israel

The military also released footage of rocket barrages being launched from Gaza, in which several rockets could be seen crashing into the Strip

Pro-Palestinian protesters march in London as Israel-Hamas war roils world

Tens of thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched through a rainy London on Saturday to demand Israel stop its bombardment of Gaza, and similar calls were heard in cities around the world as the Israel-Hamas war entered its third week. On the day a trickle of aid entered Gaza, where more than 1 million people have left their homes because of the conflict, protesters gathered in at Marble Arch near London's Hyde Park before marching to the government district, Whitehall. Police estimated the crowd that wound its way through the city for three hours at up to 100,000. Waving Palestinian flags and chanting Stop bombing Gaza, participants called for an end to Israel's blockade and airstrikes launched in the wake of a brutal incursion into southern Israel by the Hamas militant group that controls Gaza. Authorities in Gaza say more than 4,300 people have been killed in the territory since the latest war began. More than 1,400 people have been killed in Israel, mostly civilians sl