Page 81 - Gaza

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.

Palestinians stream south in Gaza as Israel urges a mass evacuation

Palestinians scrambled to flee northern Gaza on Saturday after the Israeli military ordered nearly half the population to evacuate south and carried out limited ground forays ahead of an expected land offensive a week after Hamas' bloody, wide-ranging attack into Israel. Israel renewed calls on social media and in leaflets dropped from the air for some 1 million Gaza residents to move south, while Hamas urged people to stay in their homes. The UN and aid groups have said such a rapid exodus would cause untold human suffering, with hospital patients and others unable to relocate. Families in cars, trucks and donkey carts packed with possessions crowded a main road heading away from Gaza City as Israeli airstrikes continued to hammer the 40-kilometre (25-mile) long territory, where supplies of food, fuel and drinking water were running low because of a complete Israeli siege. Egyptian officials said the southern Rafah crossing would open later Saturday for the first time in days to .

Blinken calls for civilian's protection as Israel prepares for Gaza assault

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on Saturday for protection for civilians in both the Gaza Strip and Israel as the Israeli military ordered half of the Palestinian territory's population to evacuate in advance of an expected ground assault. Blinken met his Saudi Arabian counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, in Riyadh as he began a third day of intense Middle East diplomacy aimed at preventing the Israel-Hamas war from expanding into a regional conflict and fuelling a humanitarian crisis. Both stressed the importance of minimising the harm to civilians as Israel prepared for an anticipated incursion against Hamas a week after the militant group's unprecedented attack in Israel. As Israel pursues its legitimate right, to defending its people and to trying to ensure that this never happens again, it is vitally important that all of us look out for civilians, and we're working together to do exactly that, Blinken said before heading to the United Arab Emirates for similar ..

Killed top Hamas commando who led assault on Israeli communities: IDF

"Ali Qadi led the inhumane, barbaric October 7 massacre of civilians in Israel. We just eliminated him. All Hamas terrorists will meet the same fate," the IDF wrote on 'X'

WHO plane carrying medical supplies for people of Gaza lands in Egypt

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus reiterated his call on Israel to reconsider its decision to evacuate 1.1 million people in Gaza

Head of Hamas's Air Force killed in airstrike: Israeli Defence Forces

The Israeli Air Force said that Murad Abu Murad "was largely responsible for directing terrorists during the massacre on Saturday"

WHO pleads for reversal of Gaza evacuation order to reduce suffering

The WHO has "joined the wider United Nations in appealing to Israel to immediately rescind orders for the evacuation of over 1 million people living north of Wadi Gaza," it said

Putin stresses Israel's right to defend itself but calls for free Palestine

Russia proceeds "from the postulate, a negotiated solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict has no alternatives," said Putin

PM's stand on Hamas-Israel conflict seems different from MEA: Sharad Pawar

Nationalist Congress Party president Sharad Pawar on Friday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi's statements on the Hamas-Israel war seemed to convey a different position from the one articulated by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). He did not believe that the Indian government had sided 100 per cent with Israel, the former defence minister told reporters. The external affairs ministry's statement has established that India has always supported the Palestine cause, and we will continue (to do so), but we are against any organisation which is involved in (terror) attacks. But the prime minister's statement is that we are totally....he gave assurance to the (Israel) prime minister that we are with them, the NCP chief said. The Israel-Palestine issue is "serious and sensitive", and views of Muslim countries like Afghanistan, United Arab Emirates and other nations cannot be ignored, he said. This is for the first time that the head of the state has taken one position and his minist

Weekend Bites: Another war, trouble in IT paradise, carmakers, 'those guys'

In which we munch over the week's platter of news and views

Israel puts 1.1 million in Gaza on evacuation notice, says report

Israel has said it will not lift its blockade until scores of hostages captured by Hamas are set free

It's time for peace, brotherhood; it's time to walk together: PM Modi

Amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said terrorism anywhere in the world and in any form is against humanity and asserted that it is time for peace and brotherhood and to move forward while walking together. He also said that conflicts and confrontations in any part of the world impact everyone and do not benefit anyone, as he called for the world to move forward with a human-centric approach. Addressing the inaugural session of the ninth G20 Parliamentary Speakers' Summit (P20) here, he also said that we have to remove obstacles in the way of global trust. Modi said this is the time for peace and brotherhood, and time to move forward together. His remarks came against the backdrop of a series of brazen attacks on Israeli towns by Hamas militants over the weekend which triggered fresh tensions in the region. Referring to the attack on Parliament House some 20 years ago, the prime minister said India has been facing cross-border terrorism

Endgame for Gaza? How Hamas weaponised Palestinians’ despair

Gaza, often termed an "open-air prison", is home to 2.3 million Palestinians, making it one of the world's most densely populated regions.

Israeli embassy staffer stabbed in China, admitted to hospital: Report

The attack on the Israeli embassy staffer has further strained relations between Israel and China

Israel's military issues unprecedented orders to evacuate Gaza City

Israel's military told some 1 million Palestinians living in Gaza on Friday to evacuate the north, according to the United Nations, an unprecedented order for almost half the population of the sealed-off territory ahead of an expected ground invasion against the ruling Hamas militant group. The UN warned that so many people fleeing en masse would be calamitous, and Hamas, which staged a shocking and brutal attack on Israel this week, dismissed it as a ploy and called on people to stay in their homes, adding to widespread panic. The evacuation order, which includes Gaza City, home to hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, sparked confusion among civilians and aid workers already running from Israeli airstrikes and contending with a total siege and a territory-wide power blackout. Forget about food, forget about electricity, forget about fuel. The only concern now is just if you'll make it, if you're going to live, said Nebal Farsakh, a spokeswoman for the Palestinian Red Crescent in

Israeli bombardment of Gaza killed 13 hostages, including foreigners: Hamas

Hamas says Israel's heavy bombardment of the Gaza Strip has killed 13 hostages, including foreigners, held by the group. Hamas' military wing said in a statement Friday that the 13 were killed in various locations over the past 24 hours. It did not give the nationality of the foreigners. There has been no confirmation from Israel.

Israel-Hamas war: Red Cross warns Gaza hospitals could turn into 'morgues'

Israel has cut off electricity and water supply to Gaza, and stopped the entry of food and fuel

Israel-Hamas war: Iran's warning, support from world leaders, and more

Israel, which has vowed to crush Hamas, is now preparing for a possible ground offensive

Operation Ajay begins: First group of 230 Indians from Tel Aviv heads home

An Air India B-787 plane departed from Delhi airport at 5 pm for the mission. The airline is scheduled to operate a total of seven flights till October 18 under 'Operation Ajay'

"Operation Ajay" launched to rescue Indians in Israel

India announced the launch "Operation Ajay" on October 11 to help Indians stuck in Israel to return home as fresh tension triggered in the region as Hamas militants made a series of brazen attacks