Page 11 - Hamas

Israel launches ground op to retake part of key corridor in northern Gaza

Israel said Wednesday it launched a limited ground operation in northern Gaza to retake part of a corridor that bisects the territory, and the country's defence minister warned that the army plans to step up the attacks that shattered a two-month ceasefire "with an intensity that you have not seen. The military said it had retaken part of the Netzarim corridor, which bisects northern Gaza from the south and from where it had withdrawn as part of the ceasefire with Hamas that began in January. Defence Minister Israel Katz warned Palestinians in Gaza that the army would again order evacuations from combat zones soon, and that its attacks against Hamas would become more fierce if dozens of hostages held for more than 17 months weren't freed. As Israel continued its airstrikes on Gaza Wednesday, the United Nations said an international United Nations staffer was killed and five others were wounded in a strike Wednesday on a UN guesthouse in Gaza. Jorge Moreira da Silva, head of the UN

Netanyahu blames Hamas after Israeli strikes kill over 400 in Gaza

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on Gazans to stay out of harm's way and move to safer areas, blaming every civilian casualty on Hamas

US DOJ, FBI announce new task force to target Hamas over Oct 7 attack

The Justice Department on Monday announced the creation of a task force to investigate Hamas for its October 7, 2023, attack on Israel as well as potential civil rights violations and acts of antisemitism by anyone supporting the militant group. Agents and prosecutors participating in Joint Task Force October 7, or JTF 10-7, will investigate and look to bring charges against Hamas militants directly responsible for the rampage in southern Israel, the department said. "The barbaric Hamas terrorists will not win and there will be consequences, Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement announcing the task force. The attack killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and Hamas took 251 hostages. It touched off an Israeli counteroffensive that has destroyed vast areas of Gaza, displaced most of the population and killed over 48,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not say how many were combatants. The Biden administration's .

Hamas agrees to free US-Israeli hostage, bodies of 4 other dual nationals

Israel blocked the entry of aid trucks into Gaza on March 2 as a standoff over the truce escalated, with Hamas calling on Egyptian and Qatari mediators to intervene

Israel faces backlash for cutting power to Gaza ahead of ceasefire talks

Gaza ceasefire negotiations are expected to continue in Qatar with Hamas pushing for Phase II, while Israel wants to extend Phase 1

US Envoy claims Gaza ceasefire, hostage deal possible in coming weeks

Such a deal, he said, could allow Israel to repatriate all 59 remaining Gaza hostages, and "not just the Americans," he added, referring to a handful of US dual nationals

Israel cuts electricity supply to Gaza amid ongoing ceasefire tensions

Israel says it is cutting off its electricity supply to Gaza. The full effects of that are not immediately clear, but the territory's desalination plants receive power for producing drinking water. Sunday's announcement comes a week after Israel cut off all supplies of goods to the territory to over 2 million people. It has sought to press Hamas to accept an extension of the first phase of their ceasefire. That phase ended last weekend. Hamas has pressed to start negotiations on the ceasefire's more difficult second phase instead. Gaza has been largely devastated by the war, and generators and solar panels are used for some of the power supply.

Israeli authorities rescue 10 Indian workers in Palestinian village

The workers were stuck in A-Za'im for more than one month before the Population and Immigration Authority rescued them

Hamas rejects Trump's threat, insists on truce before freeing hostages

The Hamas militant group on Thursday brushed off President Donald Trump's latest threat and reiterated that it will only free the remaining Israeli hostages in exchange for a lasting ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. Hamas accused Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of trying to back out of the ceasefire agreement they reached in January. The agreement calls for negotiations over a second phase in which the hostages would be released in exchange for more Palestinian prisoners, a permanent ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. Hamas spokesman Abdel-Latif al-Qanoua said the best path to free the remaining Israeli hostages is through negotiations on that phase, which were supposed to begin in early February. Only limited preparatory talks have been held so far. On Wednesday, Trump issued what he said was a last warning to Hamas after meeting with eight former hostages. The White House, meanwhile, confirmed it had held unprecedented direct talks with the militant ...

'If you hold hostages, you are dead': Trump issues 'last warning' to Hamas

Donald Trump's statement comes after the White House confirmed that a US envoy was dispatched to Qatar for direct talks with Hamas

US holds secret talks with Hamas for release of US hostages in Gaza

US special envoy for hostage affairs Adam Boehler has been holding the direct talks with Hamas in recent weeks in Doha

Israel halts humanitarian aid to Gaza: What it means and what comes next

Israel halts aid to Gaza after the cease-fire phase ends, pressuring Hamas for a hostage deal. The move raises fears of worsening humanitarian crisis amid Ramadan

Israel slammed after it bars Gaza aid to pressure Hamas to accept ceasefire

Israel faced sharp criticism as it stopped the entry of all food and other supplies into Gaza and warned of additional consequences for Hamas if a fragile ceasefire isn't extended. Mediators Egypt and Qatar on Sunday accused Israel of violating humanitarian law by using starvation as a weapon. The ceasefire's first phase saw a surge in humanitarian aid after months of growing hunger. Hamas accused Israel of trying to derail the next phase Sunday hours after its first phase had ended and called Israel's decision to cut off aid a war crime and a blatant attack on a truce that took a year of negotiations before taking hold in January. In the second phase, Hamas could release dozens of remaining hostages in return for an Israeli pullout from Gaza and a lasting ceasefire. Negotiations on the second phase were meant to start a month ago but haven't begun. Israel said Sunday that a new US proposal calls for extending the ceasefire's first phase through Ramadan the Muslim holy month that

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Israel halts aid to Gaza, pressures Hamas to accept a ceasefire deal

Israel stopped the entry of all goods and supplies into the Gaza Strip on Sunday and warned of additional consequences if Hamas doesn't accept a new proposal to extend a fragile ceasefire. Hamas accused Israel of trying to derail the existing ceasefire agreement and said its decision to cut off aid was cheap extortion, a war crime and a blatant attack" on the truce, which took hold in January after more than a year of negotiations. Both sides stopped short of saying the ceasefire had ended. The first phase of the ceasefire, which included a surge in humanitarian assistance, expired on Saturday. The two sides have yet to negotiate the second phase, in which Hamas was to release dozens of remaining hostages in return for an Israeli pullout and a lasting ceasefire. An Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with regulations, said the decision to suspend aid was made in coordination with the Trump administration. There was no immediate comment from the United Stat

Israel stops entry of supplies into Gaza as 1st phase of ceasefire expires

Israel said that it supports a proposal to extend the first phase of the ceasefire through Ramadan and Passover, or April 20

Hamas rejects Israel's conditions for extension as Gaza ceasefire

Israel "is trying to reset the situation to zero by mixing the cards" and hasn't given a commitment to fully withdraw from Gaza, Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said

Israel-Hamas talks begin for next phase of Gaza ceasefire, says Egypt

Egypt says negotiations between Israel and Hamas on the next phase of the Gaza ceasefire have begun in Cairo. Officials from Israel, Qatar and the US on Thursday started intensive discussions on the second phase of the ceasefire, Egypts state information service said in a statement. The mediators are also discussing ways to enhance the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, as part of efforts to alleviate the suffering of the population and support stability in the region, it said. The launch of talks helps avert a collapse of the ceasefire, whose first phase is set to expire on Saturday. Under the deal, the ceasefire remains in effect while negotiations on the second phase are taking place.

Israel army admits Oct 7 failures, probe may add pressure on Netanyahu

An investigation by the Israeli military has determined that Hamas was able to carry out the deadliest attack in Israeli history on October 7, 2023, because the much more powerful Israeli army misjudged the militant group's intentions and underestimated its capabilities. The findings, released Thursday, could pressure Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to launch a widely demanded broader inquiry to examine the political decision-making that preceded the attack. Many Israelis believe the failures of October 7 extend beyond the military and blame Netanyahu for a failed policy of deterrence and containment in the years leading up to the attack. That approach included allowing Qatar to send suitcases of cash into Gaza and sidelining Hamas' rival, the internationally recognised Palestinian Authority. The prime minister has not taken responsibility, saying he will answer tough questions only after the war, which has been paused for nearly six weeks by a tenuous ceasefire. Despite public

Hamas urges talks on next phase of ceasefire after hostage-prisoner swap

Hamas said Thursday it was ready to negotiate the next phase of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, after a swap in which it handed over what it said were the remains of four hostages in exchange for the release of more than 600 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. It was the final such exchange the two sides agreed to as part of a truce that's set to end this weekend. Negotiations over a second phase, in which Hamas would release dozens of remaining hostages in exchange for more prisoners and a lasting ceasefire, have not yet begun. An Israeli group representing families of hostages said the remains of three of the four bodies have been identified. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said the bodies of Ohad Yahalomi, Itzhak Elgarat and Shlomo Mantzur have been returned to Israel. Mantzur, 85, was killed in the October 7, 2023, attack and his body was taken into Gaza. The other two were abducted alive and the circumstances surrounding their deaths were not known. Hamas said in a