Page 49 - Hamas

Israel presses ahead in Gaza as errant killing of captives adds to concern

Israel pressed ahead with its Gaza offensive on Sunday after a series of shootings, including of three hostages who were shirtless and waving a white flag, raised questions about its conduct in a 10-week-old war that has brought unprecedented death and destruction to the coastal enclave. Gaza remained under a communications blackout for a fourth straight day the longest of several outages over the course of the war, which aid groups say complicate rescue efforts after bombings and make it even more difficult to monitor the war's toll on civilians. Israel could come under further pressure to scale back major combat operations when U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin visits this week. Washington has expressed growing unease with civilian casualties and the mass displacement of 1.9 million Palestinians nearly 85% of Gaza's population even as it has provided vital military and diplomatic support to its close ally. The air and ground war has flattened vast swathes of northern Gaza and

US presses Israel to shift from combat as Iranian-backed attacks escalate

The top two US military leaders are travelling to Tel Aviv to advise the Israeli government on how to transition from major combat operations against Hamas in Gaza to a more limited campaign and prevent a wider regional war. Their trip comes as Iranian-backed militants on Saturday launched a wave of attack drones against ships in the Red Sea and said they would continue until Israel's aggression ends. One of the American warships assigned to the Ford carrier strike group, the destroyer USS Carney, successfully engaged 14 one-way attack drones launched from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, US Central Command said in a statement. Britain reported that a Royal Navy destroyer downed another drone that was targeting commercial ships. It was the latest in a series of attacks threatening commercial and US Navy ships in the Red Sea that have escalated after Israel intensified its response to the Hamas' strike against Israel on October 7. Israel is stinging from the deadliest attack ever

3 hostages mistakenly killed by Israeli troops had been holding white flag

Three Israeli hostages who were mistakenly shot by Israeli troops in the Gaza Strip had been waving a white flag and were shirtless when they were killed, military officials said on Saturday, in Israel's first such acknowledgement of harming any hostages in its war against Hamas. Anger over the mistaken killings is likely to increase pressure on the Israeli government to renew Qatar-mediated negotiations with Hamas over swapping more of the remaining captives, which Israel says number 129, for Palestinians imprisoned in Israel. Israeli leaders have said the hostages' release can only be achieved through military pressure. A senior Hamas official, Osama Hamdan, reiterated on Saturday that there will be no further release of hostages before the war ends and Israel accepts Hamas conditions for an exchange. Hamdan, a member of the militant group's decision-making political bureau, said he had no information on unconfirmed reports of a meeting between Israeli and Qatari officials regardin

Under shadow of war in Gaza, Bethlehem gearing up for a subdued Christmas

Bethlehem is gearing up for a subdued Christmas, without the festive lights and customary Christmas tree towering over Manger Square, after officials in Jesus' traditional birthplace decided to forego celebrations due to the Israel-Hamas war. The cancellation of Christmas festivities, which typically draw thousands of visitors, is a severe blow to the town's tourism-dependent economy. But joyous revelry is untenable at a time of immense suffering of Palestinians in Gaza, said Mayor Hana Haniyeh. The economy is crashing, Haniyeh told The Associated Press on Friday. But if we compare it with what's happening to our people and Gaza, it's nothing. More than 18,700 Palestinians have been killed and more than 50,000 wounded during Israel's blistering air and ground offensive against Gaza's Hamas rulers, according to health officials there, while some 85 per cent of the territory's 2.3 million residents have been displaced. The war was triggered by Hamas' deadly assault October 7 on south

Communications blackout, spiralling hunger compound misery in Gaza Strip

A prolonged communications blackout that severed telephone and internet connections compounded the misery Saturday in the besieged Gaza Strip, where a United Nations agency said hunger levels had spiralled in recent days. Internet and telephone lines went down Thursday evening and were still inaccessible Saturday morning, according to internet access advocacy group NetBlocks.org, hampering aid deliveries and rescue efforts as Israel's war against Gaza's ruling militant group Hamas stretched into the 11th week. The internet blackout is ongoing, and based on our records it is the longest such incident in the over-two-month war, said Alp Toker, the group's director. The United Nations' humanitarian affairs department said communications with Gaza were severely disrupted due to damage to telecommunications lines in the south. The offensive, triggered by the unprecedented Oct 7 Hamas attack on Israel, has flattened much of northern Gaza and driven 85% of Gaza's population of 2.3 million

LIVE: PM Modi to interact with beneficiaries of Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra

Catch all the latest news updates from across the world

Israel-Hamas war: Top ten updates on Israel's offensive against Hamas

India was among the countries that voted in favour of the United Nations General Assembly resolution demanding an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza

Hamas war to last mths, says Israeli min as US envoy discusses timetable

Israel's defence minister said it will take months to destroy Hamas, predicting a drawn-out war even as his country and its top ally, the United States, face increasing international isolation and alarm over the devastation from the campaign in Gaza. Yoav Gallant's comments came as US national security adviser Jake Sullivan met with Israeli leaders to discuss a timetable for winding down major combat in Gaza. Israeli leaders repeated their determination to pursue the military assault until they crush the militant group for its Oct 7 attack. The exchange seemed to continue a dynamic the two allies have been locked in for weeks. President Joe Biden's administration has shown unease over Israel's failure to reduce civilian casualties and its plans for the future of Gaza, but the White House continues to offer wholehearted support for Israel with weapons shipments and diplomatic backing. I want them to be focused on how to save civilian lives, Biden said Thursday when asked if he wants

President Biden urges Israeli caution as leaders eye 'lower-intensity' war

Biden has delivered increasingly urgent appeals to Israel to exercise restraint in its Gaza offensive following Hamas's Oct. 7 attack

Denmark & Germany arrest terror suspects including suspected Hamas members

Denmark and Germany announced on Thursday arrests of several terror suspects, including alleged Hamas members suspected of plotting attacks on Jews and Jewish institutions in Europe over the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. The announcements were issued separately and it was unclear how the arrests were connected and if they were the result of coordinated actions, or even possibly one operation spanning the continent. Danish police said three people were arrested across Denmark while a fourth person was detained in the Netherlands on suspicion of plotting to carry out an act of terror. Officials in Copenhagen did not provide any details beyond saying the arrests had threads abroad and were related to criminal gangs, singling out the banned, predominantly immigrant gang Loyal to Familia that had long been behind feuds, violence, robberies, extortion and drug sales in the Danish capital. However, Flemming Drejer, the operative head of Denmark's Security and Intelligence Service, cryptically

LIVE: Delhi police produce four accused before court seeking 15-day custody

Catch all the latest updates LIVE from across the world

India votes in favour of UNGA resolution on immediate ceasefire in Gaza

India voted in favour of a UN General Assembly resolution demanding immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, a shift in New Delhi's stance about two months after it abstained on a text that had called for truce in the Israel-Hamas conflict. "India has voted in favour of the resolution just adopted by the General Assembly, India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ruchira Kamboj said after the vote on Tuesday. "We welcome the fact that the international community has been able to find a common ground to address the multiple challenges facing the region right now," she said. The 193-member UN General Assembly overwhelmingly adopted the draft resolution Protection of civilians and upholding legal and humanitarian obligations' at an emergency special session, with 153 nations voting in favour, 10 against and 23 abstentions. The resolution was adopted amid a round of applause in the General Assembly hall. Those voting against included Austria, Israel and the US while Germany, Hungary,

India votes in favour of UNGA draft resolution demanding ceasefire in Gaza

India voted in favour of a draft resolution in the UN General Assembly that demanded an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict as well as the unconditional release of all hostages. The 193-member UN General Assembly adopted the draft resolution, introduced by Egypt, at an Emergency Special Session here Tuesday. The resolution was adopted with 153 votes in favour, while 23 nations abstained and 10 voted against the text. The resolution, sponsored among others by Algeria, Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Palestine, demanded an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza and reiterated its demand that all parties comply with their obligations under international law, notably with regard to the protection of civilians." It also demanded the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, as well as ensuring humanitarian access. The resolution however did not name Hamas and the US proposed an amendment to the draft ...

Israel-Hamas war latest updates: UN votes for Israel Gaza ceasefire, India supports

More than two months after Hamas attacked southern Israel, death and destruction have devastated the region between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea.

Israel-Hamas war: Seven Israeli soldiers killed in ambush in Gaza city

At least seven Israeli soldiers were killed in an ambush in Gaza City, Israeli media reported Wednesday, as the army continued to meet heavy resistance in an offensive against Hamas that has drawn international outrage and rare US criticism over the killing of thousands of civilians. President Joe Biden's administration has repeatedly called on Israel to take greater measures to spare Palestinians civilians, even as it has blocked international calls for a cease-fire and rushed military aid to its close ally. Israel has rejected US suggestions for a postwar plan that would revive the long-dormant peace process with the Palestinians. The air and ground offensive has resulted in the deaths of over 18,400 Palestinians, mostly civilians, since the Oct 7 attack by Hamas that triggered the war. Nearly 85% of Gaza's population of 2.3 million have been forced to flee their homes, and much of northern Gaza resembles a moonscape. Israeli ground troops are still locked in heavy combat with ...

Zara yanks ads that some found reminiscent of Israel's war on Hamas in Gaza

The Spanish fashion brand Zara has pulled advertising images that to some appeared to reference Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza. The images for a line of jackets included what the company called unfinished sculptures in a sculptor's studio. But some online critics said one image of a model holding a wrapped-up mannequin resembled someone holding a corpse. Other photos included a mannequin with missing limbs and a figure wrapped in fabric or plastic on the floor, according to news reports. The company apologised in a statement posted on Instagram on Tuesday and said the campaign was conceived in July and photographed in September. Hamas attacked Israeli civilians on October 7, prompting Israel's subsequent invasion of Gaza. Zara said the campaign was created with the sole purpose of showcasing craftmade garments in an artistic context. While acknowledging the offence critics took to the images, the company said these people saw in them something far from what was intended when t

Palestinian Embassy counsellor thanks India for support, showing solidarity

India's position regarding the Palestine issue has been "longstanding and consistent," Ministry of External Affairs Arindam Bagchi said in a press briefing on October 12

Joe Biden to meet with families of Americans taken hostage by Hamas

President Joe Biden on Wednesday will hold his first in-person meeting with the families of Americans taken hostage by Hamas during its brutal attack on Israel on Oct. 7, two White House officials said. It was not immediately clear how many families would be attending the White House meeting in person, or via videoconference. Biden has previously met with some family members virtually and spoken to others on the phone, officials said. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss Biden's schedule. We're not going to stop until every hostage is returned home," Biden told donors in Washington on Friday, saying the U.S. commitment to Israel is unshakable. Seven Americans remain unaccounted for after Hamas' surprise air, sea and land incursion into Israeli towns, where the group killed about 1,200 Israelis mostly civilians and took more than 240 people hostage. Four Americans were released as part of a U.S.-negotiated cease-fire in Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza tha

Israel pounds Gaza as hunger spreads, disease risk grows: Report

Residents said the shelling of Rafah, where the Israeli army this month ordered people to head for their safety, was some of the heaviest in days

The Myanmar puzzle

India must rethink its traditional position