Page 80 - Gaza

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

Biden considering trip to Israel in the coming days, but travel isn't final

President Joe Biden is considering a trip to Israel in the coming days but no travel has been finalised, a senior administration official said on Sunday. It would be a powerful symbol of sympathy and support following the brutal attack by Hamas. A trip would be a chance for Biden to personally affirm to the Israeli people the US is standing firm behind them. But it would come amid growing fears that a looming Israeli move into Gaza could spark a wider war with devastating humanitarian consequences. And Biden's presence could be seen as a provocative move by Hamas' chief sponsor, Iran, or potentially viewed as tone deaf by Arab nations as civilian casualties mount in Gaza. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has already been travelling around the Mideast this past week trying to prevent the war with Hamas from igniting a broader regional conflict. The official could not publicly discuss internal deliberations about the potential presidential travel and spoke to The Associated Press o

Blinken voices confidence in Gaza aid delivery, Rafah crossing to reopen

"We're putting in place with the United Nations, with Egypt, with Israel, with others, a mechanism by which to get the assistance in and to get it to people who need it," he said

USS 'Eisenhower' Carrier strike group headed to Israel amid Hamas attack

In a statement, Austin said this is being done "as part of our effort to deter hostile actions against Israel or any efforts towards widening this war following Hamas's attack on Israel"

US stands by Israel today, tomorrow, and every day, says Blinken amid war

Highlighting his brief interaction with Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his recent visit, Blinken told reporters there is a not of assistance "moving forward"

Israeli rabbis work around the clock to count the dead from Hamas attack

Rarely do rabbis spend the Sabbath counting bodies. But on Saturday, a week after Hamas militants blew easily past Israel's fortified security fence and gunned down hundreds of Israelis at music festivals, in their homes, in cars while trying to flee Israel's military rabbinate made an exception. At Shura military base in central Israel, bodies have been coming in faster than the rabbis can identify them. Hundreds of soldiers, women, and children in body bags line shelves of refrigerated trucks, awaiting examination. Identification teams gather on plastic stools opposite the trucks to take smoke breaks between shifts. They wear heavy gas masks the smell of death is overwhelming. Generally, Jewish law says that you cannot break the Sabbath for a dead person, said Rabbi Israel Weiss, who is helping lead the operation. The exception is when a family is in doubt, and the death is so crippling that it may risk the family's lives. Then, you must work on the Sabbath to identify the body

US shouldn't take in 'antisemitic' Palestinian refugees from Gaza: DeSantis

Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis said the United States should not take in any Palestinian refugees if they flee the Gaza Strip because they are all antisemitic" and he dismissed international entreaties for Israel to provide clean running water and utilities to the 2.3 million civilians in the territory. DeSantis' comments were a striking departure from the pubic stand taken by U.S. officials, including some of his fellow Republicans, who draw distinctions between the aims of the Palestinian people and those of Hamas. The militant group has ruled has Gaza since 2007 and launched an attack against Israel last weekend. DeSantis' endorsement of such tactics comes as he has advocated hard-line policies as a White House candidate. He suggested that not providing water or other services would persuade Hamas to release the hostages it has taken during its incursion. You have Israelis being held hostage, as well as Americans being held hostage, but I don't think they are unde

Israel army will soon enter Gaza to win, will attack everywhere: IDF chief

"We're going to do something big, important, To change the situation for a long, long time... This is a great mission, a great privilege. Do it with excellence," he added

Will intervene if Israel launches ground offensive: Iran foreign minister

The US has asked Qatar to relay a warning to Hezbollah not to open up a second front to the war in the country's north

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Gaza's civilians search for food as warnings of Israeli offensive mount

Gaza's 2.3 million civilians faced a deepening struggle for food, water and safety Sunday and braced for a looming invasion a week after Hamas militants launched a deadly assault on Israel. While hundreds of thousands sought to heed Israel's order to evacuate the north, others huddled at hospitals there. 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 2,329 Palestinians have been killed since the fighting erupted, making this the deadlest of the five Gaza wars for Palestinians. The death toll on Sunday surpassed that of the third war between Israel and Hamas, in the summer of 2014, when 2,251 Palestinians, including 1,462 civilians, were killed, according to UN figures

Palestinian deaths soar past 2,300, makes it deadliest of 5 wars for Gaza

The Gaza Health Ministry says 2,329 Palestinians have been killed since the latest fighting erupted, making this the deadliest of the five Gaza wars for Palestinians. The death toll on Sunday surpassed that of the third war between Israel and Hamas, in the summer of 2014, when 2,251 Palestinians, including 1,462 civilians, were killed, according to U.N. figures. That war lasted six weeks, and 74 people were killed on the Israeli side, including six civilians. The current war erupted a week ago when Hamas militants stormed into southern Israel in a shocking surprise attack. More than 1,300 Israelis have been killed in the initial, wide-ranging assault and in rocket attacks from Gaza. The overwhelming majority were civilians. For Israel, this is the deadliest war since the 1973 conflict with Egypt and Syria.

For 70 years Israel has been an occupier: Owaisi on the Israel-Hamas war

Amid its ongoing counter-offensive against Hamas, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) had asked residents of the Northern Gaza Strip to relocate to the southern part of the enclave

IDF hints at starting of ground offensive, says war not against people

IDF, however, clearly stated that its war was against terror group Hamas and not against the people of Gaza

Families trudge through Gaza, trying to flee north before Israel's invasion

Some fled home with suitcases jammed with clothes and heirlooms and photographs. Some left with stacks of foam mattresses tied to car roofs. They took buses and vans and cars and carts pulled by donkeys. Many walked. Many had nothing with them but exhausted family members trudging through streets littered with rubble. All of them were trying to get to safety. We left the house without food, without water and without clothes, said Mohammad Hillis, sitting at a wooden school desk scarred by generations of students in a makeshift refugee camp in central Gaza. We left without taking anything with us. He said about 150 people lived in his building in their northern Gaza town. All left after clouds of Israeli leaflets began dropping from the sky, warning civilians to flee the north within 24 hours. Evacuate south for your own safety and the safety of your families and distance yourself from Hamas terrorists who are using you as human shields, an Israeli statement said. It warned that ...

LIVE: Third flight of 'Operation Ajay' has departed from Tel Aviv to Delhi

Catch all the latest updates LIVE from across the globe here

Israel-Hamas clash: Preparing for attack from air, sea, land, says IDF

IDF statement says it is readying to "expand the offensive" by implementing "wide range of offensive operational plans" which it says include "joint and coordinated attack from the air, sea and land."

Operation Ajay: Third flight carrying 197 Indians fly out from Israel

The third batch of 197 Indian nationals wanting to leave Israel amidst the Israel-Hamas conflict left for home on a special flight on Saturday. The special flights are part of 'Operation Ajay' launched on October 12 to facilitate the return of those Indian nationals who wish to return home following the brazen attacks on Israeli towns by Hamas militants from Gaza on October 7. "#OperationAjay moves forward. 197 more passengers are coming back to India," External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar posted on X. The Indian Embassy in Tel Aviv has announced that two special flights will operate from Ben Gurion airport on Saturday. The first flight left around 5:40 pm local time. The second flight is scheduled at 11:00 pm local time and can carry 330 passengers. The third batch of 197 Indian nationals left for home around 5.40 pm local time (8.10 pm IST). The Embassy has been working round the clock to facilitate all our citizens in Israel who wish to leave. We have reached out to students

Israel-Hamas clash: Violence fuels growing tensions in occupied West Bank

While the world is focused on the war in Gaza, tensions have risen in the occupied West Bank, where 54 Palestinians were killed over the past week in clashes with Israeli troops, arrest raids and attacks by Jewish settlers. U.N. monitors said it was the deadliest week for Palestinians in the territory since at least 2005. Since Hamas' deadly mass incursion into southern Israel, in which militants killed over 1,300 people and captured around 150, Israeli forces have held the West Bank under a tight grip, closing crossings into the territory and checkpoints between cities, measures they say are aimed at preventing attacks. Friday was a particularly deadly day, with 16 Palestinians killed in different incidents in the West Bank. The military says it has arrested 220 people in raids across the West Bank, including 130 Hamas operatives, since last weekend's attack. Hamas militants are present in the West Bank, but largely operate underground because of Israel's tight grip on the ...

Pact reached to allow foreigners to leave Gaza amid Palestinian evacuation

Egypt, Israel and the United States have agreed to allow foreigners in Gaza to pass through the Rafah border crossing into Egypt, a senior Egyptian official says. The official said Saturday that Israel has agreed to refrain from striking areas the foreigners would pass through on their way out of the besieged Palestinian territory. He said Qatar also was involved in the negotiations and the participants received also approval from the Palestinian militant groups, Hamas and Islamic Jihad. A second official at the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing point said they received instructions to reopen it on Saturday afternoon for foreigners coming from Gaza. The first official said negotiations were still underway to allow the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza through the crossing point. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to brief media. Israel has ordered a mass evacuation of Palestinians from the northern Gaza Strip.