Page 40 - Hamas

Turkey Prez supports Hamas, compares Netanyahu to Hitler

Turkish President Erdogan expressed strong support for Hamas, rejecting claims of it being a terror organization during a speech in Istanbul. Watch the video to know

Protest-vote movement over US' handling of Hamas war spreads across states

The protest-vote movement over President Joe Biden's handling of the Israel-Hamas war has spread to several states and raised more questions about whether a small but significant number of Democrats angry at Biden might abandon him in November. A week after 101,000 Michigan voters chose uncommitted on their ballots, so did roughly 263,000 voters in the five Super Tuesday states where similar ballot options were available. Minnesota, which had the most organized effort outside of Michigan, saw 1 in 5 Democratic voters mark the uncommitted option, a higher percentage than the 13% who voted uncommitted in Michigan. Organizers are watching the state of Washington's primary on Tuesday to see how many voters select uncommitted. And a Leave It Blank campaign has formed for Georgia's Tuesday primary that's intended to have the same effect, as is a uninstructed vote in Wisconsin's April 2 primary. Supporters of the protest argue anger over the war could endanger Biden's chances in swing stat

Effort to get aid to Gaza by sea halted as first ship still waits in Cyprus

A US Army vessel carrying equipment to build a temporary pier in Gaza was heading to the Mediterranean on Sunday, after US President Joe Biden announced plans to increase aid deliveries by sea to the besieged enclave where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are going hungry. The new push for aid came as the Muslim holy month of Ramadan was set to begin Monday in much of the world after officials in Saudi Arabia saw the crescent moon. Hopes for a new cease-fire by Ramadan faded days ago with negotiations apparently stalled. The opening of the sea corridor, along with airdrops by the US, Jordan and others, reflected growing alarm over Gaza's deadly humanitarian crisis and a new willingness to bypass Israeli control over land shipments. But aid officials say that air and sea deliveries can't make up for a shortage of land routes. Aid trucks entering Gaza daily are far below the 500 entering before the war. A ship belonging to Spanish aid group Open Arms and carrying 200 tons of food

Netanyahu hurting Israel by not preventing more deaths in Gaza: Biden

US President Joe Biden said Saturday that he believes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is hurting Israel more than helping Israel in how he is approaching its war against Hamas in Gaza. The US leader expressed support for Israel's right to pursue Hamas after the October 7 attack, but said of Netanyahu that he must pay more attention to the innocent lives being lost as a consequence of the actions taken. Biden has for months warned that Israel risks losing international support over mounting civilian casualties in Gaza, and the latest remarks in an interview with MSNBC's Jonathan Capehart pointed to the increasingly strained relationship between the two leaders. Biden said of the death toll in Gaza, it's contrary to what Israel stands for. And I think it's a big mistake. Biden said a potential Israeli invasion of the Gaza city of Rafah, where more than 1.3 million Palestinians are sheltering, is a red line for him, but said he would not cut off weapons like the Iron Dome ...

Hamas vows to press on with Gaza ceasefire talks as situation worsens

US President Joe Biden said on Tuesday it was in the hands of Hamas whether to accept a deal on the table for a ceasefire in exchange for the release of Israeli hostages

Palestinian death toll from Israel-Hamas war climbs to 30,717: Gaza

Gaza's Health Ministry says the Palestinian death toll from the Israel-Hamas war has climbed to 30,717. It said on Wednesday that 86 bodies were brought to local hospitals in the last 24 hours, in addition to 113 wounded people. The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government and maintains detailed casualty records. Its figures from previous wars have largely matched those of the United Nations, independent experts and even Israeli counts. The ministry does not differentiate between civilians and combatants in its tallies, but says women and children make up around two-thirds of those killed. It says the real toll is higher as there are bodies buried in the rubble from Israeli airstrikes and in areas that paramedics cannot access. It says over 72,000 people have been wounded in the war. Israel says it has killed over 10,000 Hamas fighters, without providing evidence. The war began after Hamas launched a surprise attack into Israel on October 7, in which Palestinian militants kil

Hostage crisis creates dilemma for Israel, bolsters Hamas' standing

Over the last five months, Israel has killed thousands of Hamas fighters, destroyed dozens of their tunnels and wreaked unprecedented destruction on the Gaza Strip. But it still faces a dilemma that was clear from the start of the war and will ultimately determine its outcome: It can either try to annihilate Hamas, which would mean almost certain death for the estimated 100 hostages still held in Gaza, or it can cut a deal that would allow the militants to claim a historic victory. Either outcome would be excruciating for Israelis. Either would likely seal an ignominious end for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's long political career. And either might be seen as acceptable by Hamas, which valorizes martyrdom. Netanyahu, at least in public, denies there is any such dilemma. He has vowed to destroy Hamas and recover all the hostages, either through rescue missions or cease-fire agreements, saying victory could come in a matter of weeks. As long as the war rages, he can avoid early

Reasonable grounds to believe Hamas committed sexual violence on Oct 7: UN

The U.N. envoy focusing on sexual violence in conflict said in a new report Monday that there are reasonable grounds to believe Hamas committed rape, sexualized torture, and other cruel and inhumane treatment of women during its surprise attack in southern Israel on Oct. 7. There are also reasonable grounds to believe that such violence may be ongoing, said Pramila Patten, who visited Israel and the West Bank from Jan. 29 to Feb. 14 with a nine-member team. In the report, she said the team found clear and convincing information that some hostages have been subjected to the same forms of conflict-related sexual violence including rape and sexualized torture. Patten's report said the team's visit was neither intended nor mandated to be investigative in nature. She said the team was not able to meet with any victims of sexual violence despite concerted efforts to encourage them to come forward. However, team members held 33 meetings with Israeli institutions and conducted interview wi

Houthi attacks not impacting trade, prices substantially: Israeli ministry

The ministry said that, in the most extreme case, the jump in sea freight costs would contribute up to a 1 percentage point increase in the consumer price index (CPI) in the coming year

Netanyahu rival's visit to US highlights cracks within Israel's leadership

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rebuked a top Cabinet minister arriving in Washington on Sunday for talks with US officials, according to an Israeli official, signalling widening cracks within the country's leadership nearly five months into its war with Hamas. The trip by Benny Gantz, a centrist political rival who joined Netanyahu's wartime Cabinet following Hamas' October 7 attack, comes as friction between the US and Netanyahu is rising over how to alleviate the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza and what the postwar plan for the enclave should look like. An official from Netanyahu's far-right Likud party said Gantz's trip was planned without authorization from the Israeli leader. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Netanyahu had a tough talk with Gantz and told him the country has just one prime minister. Gantz is scheduled to meet on Monday with US Vice President Kamala Harris and national security adviser Jake Sullivan and on Tuesday with Secretary of St

Israel opts out of Cairo discussions on Gaza ceasefire, hostage release

A Hamas delegation arrived in Cairo on Sunday, expressing hope that the discussions would lead to a cessation of hostilities

Israeli attendance unclear as Gaza talks look ready to stumble: Report

Progress toward a pause in fighting has been stalled for weeks as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu bristled at Hamas conditions he termed 'delusional'

Israel agreed to framework for Gaza ceasefire, Hamas now must decide: US

Israel has essentially endorsed a framework of a proposed Gaza cease-fire and hostage release deal, and it is now up to Hamas to agree to it, a senior U.S. administration official said Saturday. The Israelis have more or less accepted the proposal, which includes the six-week cease-fire in Gaza as well as the release by Hamas of hostages considered to be vulnerable, which includes the sick, the wounded, the elderly and women, said the official. The Israelis have basically signed on to the elements of the arrangement, the official said. Right now, the ball is in the court of Hamas and we are continuing to push this as hard as we possibly can. The official briefed reporters on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss details of the ongoing cease-fire talks.

Gaza ceasefire talks to resume in Cairo on Sunday: Egyptian security

Biden said on Friday he hoped there would be a ceasefire deal between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas by the time of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which starts on March 10

Fresh ceasefire calls after Israel attacks Palestinians awaiting food

International leaders said the disaster reinforced the need for an immediate halt in fighting to alleviate the human suffering that has no parallel in recent memory

Israel-Hamas war: Over 100 Palestinians killed as Israeli troops open fire in Gaza

Israeli troops fired upon a large crowd of Palestinians attempting to retrieve food from an aid convoy in Gaza City, resulting in over 100 fatalities. Watch the video to know more.

Israel appropriates 650 acres of West Bank land near big settlement

The West Bank is among territories captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war and where Palestinians, with international support, seek statehood

Food aid reaches north Gaza for first time in weeks, say Israeli officials

Aid convoys carrying food reached northern Gaza this week, Israeli officials said on Wednesday, the first major delivery in a month to the devastated, isolated area, where the UN has warned of worsening starvation among hundreds of thousands of Palestinians amid Israel's offensive. The increasing alarm over hunger across Gaza has fuelled international calls for a cease-fire as the US, Egypt and Qatar work to secure a deal between Israel and Hamas for a pause in fighting and the release of some of the hostages seized by Hamas in its October 7 attack. Mediators hope to reach an agreement before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan starts around March 10. But so far, Israel and Hamas have remained far apart in public on their demands. Increasing the pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reach a deal, families of hostages on Wednesday launched a four-day march from southern Israel to Jerusalem to demand their loved ones be set free. Some of the around 100 hostages freed .

Israel, Hamas indicate no deal imminent after Biden's cease-fire claims

Israel and Hamas on Tuesday played down chances of an imminent breakthrough in talks for a cease-fire in Gaza, after U.S. President Joe Biden said Israel has agreed to pause its offensive during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan if a deal is reached to release some hostages. The president's remarks came on the eve of the Michigan primary, where he faces pressure from the state's large Arab American population over his staunch support for Israel's offensive. Biden said he had been briefed on the status of talks by his national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, but said his comments reflected his optimism for a deal, not that all the remaining hurdles had been overcome. In the wake of Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel, Israel's air, sea and ground campaign in Gaza has killed tens of thousands of people, obliterated large swaths of the urban landscape and displaced 80% of the battered enclave's population. Israel's seal on the territory, which allows in only a trickle of food and .

SL sets up fund to help Gaza children affected by Israel-Hamas conflict

The Sri Lankan government will contribute USD 1 million to a fund set up by it to help children in war-torn Gaza who are affected by the Israel-Hamas conflict, it was announced on Tuesday. All ministries and government institutions have been directed to forego Ifthar celebrations during the upcoming Muslim fasting month of Ramadan and to contribute to the Children of Gaza Fund, a press release issued by President Ranil Wickremesinghe's office said. The Sri Lankan Cabinet has approved the proposal by President Wickremesinghe to create the fund to help children caught in the war in Gaza, it said. Contributions by citizens are also encouraged for this purpose, it said. The government will also donate USD 1 million in aid for the affected children. The aid will be distributed through official UN agencies. Sri Lanka has called for a ceasefire in war-torn Gaza while advocating for a Palestine state. President Wickremesinghe has also highlighted the need to ensure the security of Israel.