Page 79 - Gaza

More than 1,000 Indians flown back from Israel: MoS Muraleedharan

Union Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan on Tuesday said between 1,000 and 1,200 Indians have been brought back to India by special flights so far. There are approximately 20,000 Indians in Israel, and all of them have been asked to register themselves with the Indian embassy so that it will be easy to know their locations in case they have to be evacuated, he said. Israel has got embroiled in a major conflict after militant group Hamas attacked it on October 7. "As per one estimation, there are approximately 20,000 Indians in Israel, and in the wake of the ongoing conflict, the Indian embassy there issued an advisory for them to remain cautious. We also told them to register themselves with the embassy. For those who want to come back, we have arranged special flights to repatriate them to India. Till Monday, five flights have carried 1,000 to 1,200 Indians. We are evacuating those whose living there is risky," the minister said. All those registering with the

IDF foils infiltration bid by terrorist cell from Lebanese territory

Taking to X, the Israel Defence Forces stated, "The IDF thwarted an attempted infiltration by a terrorist cell from Lebanese territory

Biden to travel to Israel on Oct 18 amid concern that conflict could expand

President Joe Biden will travel to Israel on Wednesday to show support for the US ally as concerns increase that the raging Israel-Hamas war could expand into a larger regional conflict. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced Biden's travel to Israel as the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip grows more dire and as Israel prepares for a possible ground attack on the 141-square-mile (365-square-kilometre) territory to root out Hamas militants responsible for what US and Israeli officials say was the most lethal assault against Jews since the Holocaust. Biden is looking to send the strongest message yet that the US is behind Israel. His Democratic administration has pledged military support, sending US carriers and aid to the region. Officials have said they would ask Congress for upward of USD 2 billion in additional aid for both Israel and Ukraine, which is fighting Russia's invasion. Blinken made the announcement early Tuesday after more than seven hours of talks with

With humanitarian aid blocked at Egyptian border, Gaza close to collapse

Truckloads of aid idled at Egypt's border with Gaza as residents and humanitarian groups pleaded Monday for water, food and fuel for dying generators, saying the tiny Palestinian territory sealed off by Israel after last week's rampage by Hamas was near total collapse. U.S. President Joe Biden planned to travel to Israel on Wednesday to signal White House support for the country and to Jordan to meet with Arab leaders. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced the trip early Tuesday in Tel Aviv during his second visit to Israel in less than a week amid fears that the fighting could expand into a broader regional conflict. In Gaza, hospitals were on the verge of losing electricity, threatening the lives of thousands of patients, and hundreds of thousands of Palestinians displaced from their homes searched for bread. Israel maintained punishing airstrikes across Gaza as a ground invasion loomed, while Hamas militants kept up a barrage of rocket attacks, and tensions mounted near

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Israel's US ambassador Herzog says reoccupation of Gaza is not a goal

He said a potential visit by President Joe Biden has not been finalised, but that it would send "a very strong message of support to Israel. And a deterrent message to Israel's enemies."

Joe Biden consults with world leaders on edge over Israel-Hamas war

President Joe Biden consulted with a trio of world leaders and his own national security team on Monday amid growing global concern about the humanitarian crisis unfolding in the Gaza Strip and fears that the Israel-Hamas war could metastasize into a broader regional conflict. Biden spoke over phone with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz about the fallout from Hamas militants' surprise attacks on Israel that left 1,400 dead and retaliatory strikes that have killed at least 2,778 Palestinians. Earlier Monday, Biden and Vice President Harris were briefed in the Oval Office by their national security team on the situation on the ground in Israel and Gaza. White House chief of staff Jeff Zients joined the briefing led by National security adviser Jake Sullivan, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines and Central Intelligence Agency Director Bill Burns, according to the White House. Biden had be

Head of Israel's ISA takes responsibility for failure to foil Hamas attack

The head of Israel's Internal Security Agency (ISA), Ronen Bar, took responsibility for failing to foil Hamas' brutal attack on October 7 in which more than 1,300 people died, but vowed to fight till the end for a decisive victory in the war. Bar, in his first comments following the surprise attack that has left everybody shell-shocked in Israel, said the ISA "failed to generate" a warning. "Despite a series of actions we carried out, unfortunately, last Saturday, we were unable to create a sufficient advance warning that would allow us to thwart the attack. As the one who heads the organisation, the responsibility for this is mine," Bar was quoted by the local media as saying on Monday. However, he emphasised that "there will be time for investigations. Now we are fighting". The intelligence officer noted that his organisation on the very day of the attack set up a special system, in cooperation with the Israel Defence Forces (IDF), to locate, identify, and concentrate efforts to

Israel suspends exports to Colombia over its prez's criticism of Gaza seige

Israel has suspended security exports to Colombia in an escalating diplomatic spat over online messages by Colombia's president comparing Israel's siege of Gaza to the actions of Nazi Germany. Colombian President Gustavo Petro has doubled down on his criticism of Israel and suggested that his country may need to suspend diplomatic relations with Israel, while his foreign minister has suggested Israel's ambassador should leave the country. In a statement published Sunday, Israel's foreign ministry said that Petro's recent statements on X, previously known as Twitter, inflame antisemitism" and "threaten the safety of the Jewish community in Colombia." The Israeli government said it called Colombia's ambassador to a meeting in which she was informed that defense cooperation between the countries would be suspended. Colombia currently has diplomatic relations with both Israel and the Palestinian Authority, and over the past two decades it has been one of Israel's closes partners in Lati

Gaza's limited water supply raises concerns as conflict intensifies

A lack of clean water in the Gaza Strip is raising major concerns for human health. Gaza is running out of water, and Gaza is running out of life, said Philippe Lazzarini, chief of the U.N. agency for Palestinians. Gaza normally gets its water supplies from a combination of sources, including a pipeline from Israel, desalination plants on the Mediterranean Sea and wells. Those supplies were slashed when Israel cut off water, along with the fuel and electricity that power water and sewage plants, in the wake of the Hamas attacks. The United Nations recognizes access to water as a human right, and on a basic level, the human body needs a constant supply of water to survive. Next to air, water is really the most important thing for maintenance of your health, said Dr. Tsion Firew, an emergency physician at Columbia University who has worked on water access in humanitarian settings. A report from the U.S. National Academies of Science and Medicine says men need to drink about 3.7 liter

US: Man kills 6-yr-old Muslim boy in Israeli-Hamas war motivated hate crime

A 71-year-old Illinois man accused of fatally stabbing a 6-year-old boy and seriously wounding a 32-year-old woman was charged with a hate crime Sunday. Police allege he singled out the victims because of their Islamic faith and as a response to the war between Israel and Hamas. In recent days, police in US cities and federal authorities have been on high alert for violence driven by antisemitic or Islamophobic sentiments. Jewish and Muslim groups have reported an increase of hateful and threatening rhetoric on social media. In the Chicago case, officers found the woman and boy late Saturday morning at a home in an unincorporated area of Plainfield Township, southwest of the city, the Will County Sheriff's Office said in a statement on social media. The boy was pronounced dead at a hospital. The woman had multiple stab wounds and was expected to survive, according to the statement. An autopsy on the child showed he had been stabbed dozens of times. "Detectives were able to determine

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Israel at war with Hamas, not with Palestinians: Israeli PMO spokesperson

Heinrich emphasised the resilience of Israeli families and the importance of taking action against Hamas, saying, "Their resilience is our strength

Israel-Gaza war: Nations call for peaceful resolution; latest updates here

As the conflict between Israel and Gaza enters day 10, devastating humanitarian consequences emerge

Palestinians scramble to find food, safety, water as Israeli invasion looms

More than a million people have fled their homes in the besieged Gaza Strip in the past week, ahead of expected Israel invasion that seeks to eliminate Hamas' leadership after its deadly attack. The enclave's food and water supplies are dwindling, and its hospitals are warning that they are on the verge of collapse. Israeli forces, supported by a growing deployment of US warships in the region and the call-up of some 360,000 reservists, positioned themselves along Gaza's border and drilled for what Israel said would be a broad campaign to dismantle the militant group. Israel said it has already struck dozens of military targets, including command centres and rocket launchers, and also killed Hamas commanders. Israeli officials have given no timetable for a ground incursion that aid groups warn could hasten a humanitarian crisis in the coastal Gaza enclave. A week of blistering airstrikes have demolished entire neighbourhoods but failed to stem militant rocket fire into Israel. Th

We are on 'verge of collapse', running out of body bags: Head of UN agency

The United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, which has the largest UN footprint in the Gaza Strip, has warned that it is on the verge of collapse and was even running out of body bags amidst the raging conflict between Israel and the Hamas militants. As I speak with you, Gaza is running out of water and electricity. In fact, Gaza is being strangled and it seems that the world right now has lost its humanity, United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said on the situation in the Gaza Strip on Sunday. Gaza is now even running out of body bags. Entire families are being ripped apart," he said. Addressing a press conference at UNRWA headquarters in East Jerusalem, Lazzarini said his colleagues in Gaza are no longer able to provide humanitarian assistance. The number of people seeking shelter in our schools and other UNRWA facilities in the South is absolutely overwhelming, and we do not have any

Release hostages, allow humanitarian aid: UN chief appeals to Hamas, Israel

To Israel, rapid and unimpeded access for humanitarian aid must be granted for humanitarian supplies and workers for the sake of the civilians in Gaza, Guterres said

Hamas' willingness to commit war crimes visible even from outer space: IDF

The IDF asserted that they will see to the removal of Hamas' terrorist infrastructure and weapon manufacturers in Gaza

Gaza hospitals overwhelmed with patients, low on supplies as invasion looms

Medics in Gaza warned on Sunday that thousands could die as hospitals packed with wounded people ran desperately low on fuel and basic supplies. Palestinians in the besieged coastal enclave struggled to find food, water and safety ahead of an expected Israeli ground offensive in the war sparked by Hamas' deadly attack. Israeli forces, supported by a growing deployment of US warships in the region, positioned themselves along Gaza's border and drilled for what Israel said would be a broad campaign to dismantle the militant group. A week of blistering airstrikes have demolished entire neighbourhoods but failed to stem militant rocket fire into Israel. The Gaza Health Ministry said 2,670 Palestinians have been killed and 9,600 wounded since the fighting erupted, more than in the 2014 Gaza war, which lasted over six weeks. That makes this the deadliest of the five Gaza wars for both sides. More than 1,400 Israelis were killed, the vast majority of them civilians, in Hamas' October 7 .

Haley slams Islamic countries for 'closing doors' for civilians from Gaza

Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley on Sunday slammed Islamic countries for not opening up their gates for civilians from Gaza who are seeking to flee their homes in the face of an imminent ground invasion by Israel. She also hit out at former US president Barack Obama and Joe Biden, the incumbent, over the Iranian nuclear deal and accused Tehran of strengthening Hamas and Hezbollah. "We should care about the Palestinian citizens, especially the innocent ones, because they didn't ask for this. But where are the Arab countries? Where are they? Where is Qatar? Where is Lebanon? Where is Jordan? Where is Egypt? Do you know we give Egypt over a billion dollars a year? Why aren't they opening the gates? Why aren't they taking the Palestinians?" Haley told CNN in an interview. "You know why? Because they know they can't vet them, and they don't want Hamas in their neighbourhood. So why would Israel want them in their neighbourhood? So let's be honest with what's going on. The Ar