Page 46 - Hamas

Israel focuses assault on southern Gaza amid concern over wider war

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was heading for the Middle East, including a stop in Israel, to continue "diplomatic consultations", a U.S. official said

Strike kills 12 people in Southern Gaza area declared safe zone by Israel

An Israeli strike flattened a home on Thursday in an area of southern Gaza that the military had declared a safe zone as Israeli troops pressed their assault in the nearby city of Khan Younis. Palestinian hospital officials said the blast killed at least 12 people, almost all of them children. Israel's offensive has focused on Khan Younis, where the military said on Thursday it has uncovered tunnels used by Hamas and battled fighters from the militant group that attacked into southern Israel on October 7. Israel has vowed to continue its campaign in Gaza until Hamas is destroyed. Now an apparent Israeli strike that killed a top Hamas leader in Beirut has stirred fresh fears that the conflict could expand into other parts of the region. The killing of Sameh Arouri prompted warnings of retaliation from Hamas' ally, the Lebanese Hezbollah militia. But there was no immediate escalation in the daily exchanges of rocket fire and shells between Hezbollah and the Israeli military over the t

Airstrike in Baghdad kills Iran-backed militia leader, tensions escalate

An airstrike on the logistical support headquarters of an Iran-backed militia in central Baghdad on Thursday killed a high-ranking militia commander, militia officials said. Thursday's strike comes amid mounting regional tensions fuelled by Israel-Hamas war and fears that it could spill over into surrounding countries. The Popular Mobilization Force - a coalition of militias that is nominally under the control of the Iraqi military - announced in a statement that its deputy head of operations in Baghdad, Mushtaq Taleb al-Saidi, or Abu Taqwa, had been killed as a result of brutal American aggression. It was not immediately clear who had carried out the strike. Officials with the US military and embassy in Baghdad did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The strike killed two people and wounded five, according to two militia officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak publicly. One of the officials said al-Saidi was driving in

Mossad chief vows to hunt down Hamas members day after senior figure killed

The chief of Israel's Mossad intelligence service vowed on Wednesday that the agency would hunt down every Hamas member involved in the October 7 attack on Israel, no matter where they are. His pledge came a day after the deputy head of the Palestinian militant group was killed in a suspected Israeli strike in Beirut. Israel has refused to comment on reports it carried out the killing, but the remarks by David Barnea appeared to be the strongest indication yet it was behind the blast. He made a comparison to the aftermath of the slayings at the Munich Olympics in 1972, when Mossad agents tracked down and killed Palestinian militants involved in killing Israeli athletes. Israel was on high alert on Wednesday for an escalation with Lebanon's powerful Hezbollah militia after the strike in the Lebanese capital killed Saleh Arouri, the most senior Hamas member slain since the war in Gaza erupted nearly three months ago. The strike in Hezbollah's southern Beirut stronghold could cause the

Iran terrorist attack: Blasts near Qasem Soleimani's tomb kill over 100

Two explosions in quick succession near the grave of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani killed and injured hundreds of people. Watch the video for the latest updates

Mossad vows to hunt down Hamas members day after killing senior figure

The chief of Israel's Mossad intelligence service vowed on Wednesday that the agency would hunt down every Hamas member involved in the October 7 attack on Israel, no matter where they are. He made the pledge a day after the deputy head of the Palestinian militant group was killed in a suspected Israeli strike in Beirut. Israel has refused to comment on reports it carried out the killing, but the comments by David Barnea appeared to be the strongest indication yet it was behind the blast. He made a comparison to the aftermath of 1972 Munich Massacre, when Mossad agents tracked down and killed a string of Palestinian militants involved in abducting and killing Israeli athletes at that year's Olympic games. Israel was on high alert Wednesday for an escalation with Lebanon's powerful Hezbollah militia after the strike in the Lebanese capital killed Saleh Arouri, the most senior Hamas member slain since the war in Gaza erupted nearly three months ago. The implications of the killing fo

Denmark's Maersk continues to pause all cargo shipments through the Red Sea

The Houthi group, which controls parts of Yemen after years of war, in November started attacking international ships traversing the Red Sea, saying it was a response to Israel's assault on Gaza

US intel says Hamas used Gaza hospital in campaign against Israel: Report

The US is confident that Palestinian militant groups used Gaza's largest hospital to hold at least a few hostages seized during their bloody Oct. 7 attack and to house command infrastructure, an American intelligence assessment declassified Tuesday and shared by a U.S. official found. The assessment offers the firmest U.S. support for Israeli claims about the Shifa hospital complex, which was raided by Israeli forces in November in an operation decried by global humanitarian organizations and some members of President Joe Biden' s party. Yet the information released doesn't fully back some of Israel's most significant allegations that the hospital served as the central node for activities by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. The U.S. official shared the assessment on the condition of anonymity. The U.S. Intelligence Community is confident in its judgment on this topic and has independently corroborated information on HAMAS and PIJ's use of the hospital complex for a variety of ...

Top Hamas official Saleh al-Arouri killed in Israeli drone strike in Beirut

An explosion in Beirut on Tuesday killed Saleh Arouri, a top official with the Palestinian militant group Hamas and three others, officials with Hamas and the Lebanese group Hezbollah said. Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said the blast killed four people and was carried out by an Israeli drone. Israeli officials declined to comment. If Israel is behind the attack it could mark a major escalation in the Middle East conflict. Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has vowed to retaliate against any Israeli targeting of Palestinian officials in Lebanon. Hamas official Bassem Naim confirmed to The Associated Press that Arouri was killed in the blast. A Hezbollah official speaking on condition of anonymity in line with regulations also said Arouri was killed. Arouri, one of the founders of Hamas' military wing, had headed the group's presence in the West Bank. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had threatened to kill him even before the Hamas-Israel war began on Octo

Israeli who fought Hamas for 2 months indicted for impersonating soldier

An Israeli man who never served in the military was charged with impersonating a soldier and stealing weapons after sneaking into an army unit and joining the fighting against Hamas. According to an indictment filed on Sunday, Roi Yifrach, 35, took advantage of the chaotic situation in the aftermath of Hamas' October 7 attack to join combat operations and steal large amounts of military gear, including weapons, munitions and sensitive communications equipment. Israeli media said he spent time fighting in Gaza and even appeared in a photo next to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during one of his visits to soldiers in the field. Yifrach went to southern Israel on October 7 and presented himself alternately as a combat soldier from elite anti-terrorism units, a bomb dispersal expert, and a member of the Shin Bet internal security service, the indictment said. Police arrested Yifrach on December 17 and found large amounts of weapons, grenades, magazines, walkie-talkies, a drone, ...

Israel pulling troops from Gaza in precursor to scaled-back offensive

The Israeli military confirmed on Monday that it was pulling thousands of troops out of the Gaza Strip, a step that could clear the way for a new long-term phase of lower-intensity fighting against the Hamas militant group. The confirmation of the planned troop drawdown came the same day that Israel's Supreme Court struck down a key component of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's contentious judicial overhaul plan. While the plan is not directly connected to the war effort, it was the source of deep divisions inside Israel and had threatened the military's readiness before the October 7 Hamas attack that triggered the ongoing war. Politicians warned against reigniting those divisions and harming the national unity that has prevailed throughout the Israel-Hamas war. Netanyahu has vowed to press ahead with the military offensive until Hamas is crushed and the more than 100 hostages still held by the militant group in Gaza are freed. But Israel has come under growing international .

Iranian warship Alborz enters Red Sea amid Houthi attacks on ships: Report

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis have been targeting vessels in the Red Sea since November to show their support for the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas in its war with Israel

Israel-Hamas war may impact future I2U2 project collaboration efforts

Touted as the West Asian Quad, I2U2 has agreed to identify bankable projects to increase joint investment in six critical areas: water, energy, transportation, space, health, and food security

Israel's court overturns key component of Netanyahu's judicial overhaul

Israel's Supreme Court on Monday struck down a key component of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's contentious judicial overhaul, a decision that threatens to reopen the fissures in Israeli society that preceded the country's ongoing war against Hamas. Those divisions were largely been put aside while the country focuses on the war, which was triggered by a bloody cross-border attack by Hamas. Monday's court decision could reignite those tensions, which sparked months of mass protests against the government and had rattled the cohesion of the powerful military. There was no immediate reaction from Netanyahu. In Monday's 8-7 majority decision, the court narrowly voted to overturn a law passed in July that prevents judges from overturning government decisions they deem unreasonable. Opponents had argued that Netanyahu's efforts to remove the standard of reasonability opens the door to corruption and improper appointments of unqualified cronies to important positions. The law was th

Let's remember people in Gaza facing most unjust assault: Priyanka Gandhi

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Sunday urged people to remember "our brothers and sisters" in Gaza and slammed "the so-called leaders of the world" for watching in silence and moving on "unperturbed in their quest for power and greed". In a post on X on new year's eve, the Congress general secretary said that while our children celebrate, the children of the people in Gaza are being "murdered mercilessly". "As we celebrate the beginning of a new year and wish each other that love, peace, laughter and goodness should fill our lives, let us remember our brothers and sisters in Gaza who are facing the most unjust and inhuman assault on their right to life, dignity and freedom," Priyanka Gandhi said. "While our children celebrate, their children are being murdered mercilessly. The so-called leaders of the world watch in silence and move on unperturbed in their quest for power and greed," she said. Yet there are millions of ordinary people who are raising their voices demanding

Maersk pauses Red Sea sailings after Houthi attack on container ship

The attack was the latest by Houthi militants in Yemen, who have been targeting vessels in The Red Sea to show their support for Palestinian Islamist group Hamas fighting Israel in Gaza

Gaza war will go on for 'many more months', says Netanyahu as he thanks US

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday that Israel's war on Hamas in Gaza will continue for "many more months", pushing back against persistent international ceasefire calls after mounting civilian deaths, hunger and mass displacement in the besieged enclave. Netanyahu thanked the Biden administration for its continued backing, including approval for a new emergency weapons sale, the second this month, and prevention of a UN Security Council resolution seeking an immediate cease-fire. Israel argues that ending the war now would mean victory for Hamas, a stance shared by the Biden administration, which at the same time urged Israel to do more to avoid harm to Palestinian civilians. In new fighting, Israeli warplanes struck the urban refugee camps of Nuseirat and Bureij in the center of the territory Saturday as ground forces pushed deeper into the southern city of Khan Younis. The Health Ministry in Gaza said Saturday that more than 21,600 Palestinians have been killed in ..

Israel hits camps in central Gaza day after Biden approves new arms sales

Israeli warplanes struck two urban refugee camps in central Gaza on Saturday, as the Biden administration approved a new emergency weapons sale to Israel despite persistent international cease-fire calls over mounting civilian deaths, hunger and mass displacement in the enclave. Israel says it is determined to pursue its unprecedented air and ground offensive until it has dismantled Hamas, a goal viewed by some as unattainable because of the militant group's deep roots in Palestinian society. The United States has shielded Israel diplomatically and has continued to supply weapons. Israel argues that ending the war now would mean victory for Hamas, a stance shared by the Biden administration which at the same time urged Israel to do more to avoid harm to Palestinian civilians. The war, triggered by the deadly Oct. 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel, has displaced some 85% of the Gaza Strip's 2.3 million residents, sending swells of people seeking shelter in Israeli-designated safe are

Thousands of Palestinians stream into Rafah as Israel expands its offensive

The Israeli-Hamas war has already driven around 85% of Gaza's 2.3 million people from their homes, levelling the northern part of the territory and heightening fears about a similar fate for the south as Israel's air and ground offensive widened Friday. Tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians have streamed into the town of Rafah in the southernmost end of Gaza in recent days, according to the United Nations, crowding into an already overwhelmed area of the embattled territory. More than 20,000 Palestinians, two-thirds of them women and children, have been killed since the start of the war, according to the Health Ministry in Hamas-run Gaza, which doesn't differentiate between civilians and combatants among the dead. About 1,200 people were killed after Hamas raided southern Israel on Oct 7, with around 240 people taken hostage. Currently: Israeli strikes across Gaza kill dozens of Palestinians, even in largely emptied north As Gaza war grinds on, tensions soar along Israel's

IDF uncovers Hamas' tunnels inside, around multiple hospitals within Gaza

The tunnel shafts, that the Hamas fighters used are dozens of metres deep and are linked by an underground network that runs beneath the hospital and into Gaza City