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Very complex situation, says EAM Jaishankar on Hamas-Israel conflict

As the Israel-Hamas conflict intensifies, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday described the situation as "very complex" even as he strongly justified India's recent decision to abstain on a UN General Assembly resolution calling for a humanitarian truce between the two sides. Jaishankar described the October 7 strikes on Israeli cities by Hamas as "terrorism" but at the same time asserted India's long-standing support for a negotiated two-state solution to the Palestine issue. "I clearly conclude that it is a very complex situation with a lot of possibilities which are not fully apparent -- possibilities not in a good way," he said at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit. Asked if the current crisis will impact initiatives under the I2U2 grouping and implementation of the ambitious India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) project, Jaishankar said it is too early to make any "definitive or even semi-definite conclusion". "Certainly unanticipated problems, ev

US does not want to see Israel-Hamas conflict expand into Lebanon: WH

Karine Jean-Pierre said that she is aware of Hezbollah leader's speech and added that the US will not engage in a war of words

Israel resists US pressure to pause the war to allow more aid to Gaza

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday pushed back against growing US pressure for a humanitarian pause in the nearly month-old war to protect civilians and allow more aid into Gaza, insisting there would be no temporary cease-fire until the roughly 240 hostages held by Hamas are released. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken made his third trip to Israel since the war began, reiterating American support for Israel's campaign to crush Hamas after its brutal Oct. 7 attack in southern Israel. He also echoed President Joe Biden's calls for a brief halt in the fighting to address a worsening humanitarian crisis. Alarm has grown over spiralling Palestinian deaths and deepening misery for civilians from weeks of Israeli bombardment and a widening ground assault that risks even greater casualties. Overwhelmed hospitals say they are nearing collapse, with medicine and fuel running low under the Israeli siege. About 1.5 million people in Gaza, or 70% of the population, have fled

Israel has right to defend, Palestine right to live: US Congressman Bera

Israel has the right to defend, and people of Palestine have a right to live, senior most Indian American Congressman Dr Ami Bera said Friday and called for a peaceful resolution of the conflict in the Middle East. While I firmly believe Israel has the right to exist and to defend itself, so do innocent Palestinians have a right to a life of peace and dignity, Bera said in a video message. I hope that one day Israelis and Palestinians can live side by side in peace. I don't know if that is an impossible dream. But I do know it will never be accomplished if innocent Israelis are murdered and innocent Palestinians are killed, he said. We need an immediate pause in order to get needed humanitarian aid, food, water, and medicine to struggling civilians. Then we need to find a different path forward, Bera said. Bera is a senior Member on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.

Average Gazan living on 2 pieces of bread a day, scarce water: UN official

The average Gazan is living on two pieces of Arabic bread made from flour the UN had stockpiled in the region, yet the main refrain now being heard in the street is Water, water, the Gaza director for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees said Friday. Thomas White, who said he travelled the length and breadth of Gaza in the last few weeks, described the place as a "scene of death and destruction. No place is safe now, he said, and people fear for their lives, their future and their ability to feed their families. The Palestinian refugee agency, known as UNRWA, is supporting about 89 bakeries across Gaza, aiming to get bread to 1.7 million people, White told diplomats from the UN's 193 member nations in a video briefing from Gaza. But, he said, now people are beyond looking for bread. It's looking for water. UN deputy Mideast coordinator Lynn Hastings, who is also the humanitarian coordinator for the Palestinian territories, said only one of three water supply lines from Israel is

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US Secretary of State Blinken lands in Israel to push for pause in war

Hamas decision was right, wise and courageous, said Hezbollah leader

Israeli PM Netanyahu rules out cease-fire until Hamas frees hostages

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ruled out a temporary cease-fire in the Gaza Strip, saying he will press ahead with a devastating military offensive until hostages held by the Hamas militant group are released. Netanyahu spoke Friday shortly after meeting US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who pressed Israel for a temporary pause in its offensive in order to improve humanitarian conditions in Gaza. Blinken also urged Israel to do more to protect civilians from its attacks. In a statement to reporters on Friday, Netanyahu said Israel is continuing with all of its power and refuses a temporary cease-fire that doesn't include a return of our hostages. Hamas kidnapped some 240 people in its bloody October 7 cross-border attack that triggered the Israel-Hamas war. The attack killed some 1,400 people, while over 9,000 people have been killed since Israel began striking Gaza the same day, according to Palestinian health officials.

Israel's encirclement of Gaza city tightens as top US diplomat arrives

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Israel on Friday to press for more humanitarian aid to be allowed into besieged Gaza, while Israeli troops tightened their encirclement of Gaza City, the focus of Israel's campaign to crush the enclave's ruling Hamas group. On the northern border with Lebanon, tensions continued to escalate ahead of a speech planned later Friday by Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, his first public comments since Hamas attacked Israel last month, stoking fears the conflict could become a regional one. On Thursday, Hezbollah, an ally of Hamas, attacked Israeli positions in the north with drones, mortar fire and suicide drones. The Israeli military said it retaliated with warplanes and helicopter gunships. Since the Gaza war began October 7, Hezbollah has been taking calculated steps to keep Israel's military busy on its border with Lebanon, but so far nothing of the extent to ignite an all-out war. More than 9,000 Palestinians have been killed in Ga

Over 8,000 rockets fired, 250,000 Israelis evacuate from their homes: IDF

In a post shared by the IDF on X, it stressed, "Israel is still under fire", adding that over 300 rockets are fired at Israel daily

Top US law firms ask Harvard, Yale to take clear stance on antisemitism

Antisemitic incidents have soared since the war began, and the conflict has bitterly divided dozens of campuses, including Harvard University, Stanford University and the University of Pennsylvania

US approves $14.5 bn aid for Israel as Biden vows to veto GOP approach

The House approved $14.5 billion in military aid Thursday for Israel, a muscular US response to the war with Hamas but also a partisan approach by new Speaker Mike Johnson that poses a direct challenge to Democrats and President Joe Biden. In a departure from norms, Johnson's package required that the emergency aid be offset with cuts in government spending elsewhere. That tack established the new House GOP's conservative leadership, but it also turned what would typically be a bipartisan vote into one dividing Democrats and Republicans. Biden has said he would veto the bill, which was approved on a largely party-line vote. Johnson, R-La, said the Republican package would provide Israel with the assistance needed to defend itself, free hostages held by Hamas and eradicate the militant Palestinian group, accomplishing "all of this while we also work to ensure responsible spending and reduce the size of the federal government." Democrats said that approach would only delay help for ..

US has Israel's back, but has responsibility to protect civilians: Blinken

"Hamas deliberately uses civilians as human shields and puts weaponry underneath schools and hospitals making the task incredibly challenging but one has to rise to that responsibility," said Blinken

US President Biden calls for humanitarian 'pause' in Israel-Hamas war

President Joe Biden said he thought there should be a humanitarian pause in the Israel-Hamas war, after his campaign speech Wednesday evening was interrupted by a protester calling for a cease-fire. I think we need a pause, Biden said. The call was a subtle departure for Biden and top White House aides, who throughout the Mideast crisis have been steadfast in stating they will not dictate how the Israelis carry out their military operations in response to the October 7 attack by Hamas. But the president has faced intensifying pressure from human rights groups, fellow world leaders and even liberal members of his own Democratic Party, who say that the Israeli bombardment of Gaza is collective punishment and that it is time for a cease-fire. In his comments, Biden was exerting pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to give Palestinians at least a brief reprieve from the relentless military operation that's left thousands dead and mired the 141-square-mile strip in a ..

Hopeful of India designating Hamas a terror organisation: Israel Ambassador

Israel is providing to India more information relating to Hamas and it is hopeful that New Delhi will designate the group as a terrorist organisation as done by around 40 nations, Israeli Ambassador Naor Gilon said on Thursday. In an exclusive interview to PTI, the envoy said India is supporting Israel the way it wanted and that the current "crisis" only proved how strong the ties between the two countries are. Delving into various aspects of the Hamas-Israel conflict, he said Tel Aviv is fine with New Delhi sending humanitarian aid to people of Gaza as it is in support of extending humanitarian assistance to those in need. The ambassador, at the same time, underlined Israel's expectation from India to designate Hamas as a terrorist organisation. "We are in a process of providing information and making it very organised," he said, exuding confidence that New Delhi will heed to Israel's request. "Israel is doing it all around the world and not only in India. Hamas is already design

Efforts to pause fighting gain steam as Israeli troops push toward Gaza

Israel's ground troops advanced toward Gaza City on Thursday, as the US and Arab countries intensified diplomatic efforts to ease the siege of the Hamas-ruled enclave and bring about at least a brief stop to the fighting to help civilians. President Joe Biden suggested a humanitarian pause on Wednesday, as hundreds of foreign passport holders and wounded Palestinians were allowed out of Gaza for the first time, exiting via Egypt's Rafah crossing. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected back in the region on Friday. Arab countries, including those allied with the US and at peace with Israel, have expressed mounting unease with the war. Jordan recalled its ambassador from Israel and told Israel's envoy to remain out of the country until there's a halt to the war and the humanitarian catastrophe it is causing. More than 3,600 Palestinian children have been killed in 25 days of fighting, as bombings have driven hundreds of thousands of people from their homes and food, water and

Democrats fear that Biden's Israel-Hamas stance could cost him reelection

Democrats in Michigan have warned the White House that President Joe Biden's handling of the Israel-Hamas conflict could cost him enough support within the Arab American community to sway the outcome of the 2024 election in a state he almost certainly can't afford to lose in his bid for reelection. The situation has prompted the White House to discuss ways to alleviate tensions with some of the state's prominent Democrats, including several who have been vocal critics of the president about the war. The message has been relayed. We've had calls with the White House. We've had calls with DNC officials, said Abraham Aiyash, the third-ranking Democrat in the state House of Representatives, referring to the Democratic National Committee. We've been clear in saying the humanity should matter, but if that is not a calculation that you're going to make in this moment, recognize that there will be electoral reverberations to this. Michigan was a critical component of the so-called blue wall

Israel criticises South American nations after they cut diplomatic ties

Israel criticized Bolivia, Chile and Colombia on Wednesday after the South American countries undertook a series of diplomatic moves to protest Israel's military operations against Hamas in Gaza. Other Latin American countries, including Argentina and Brazil, have also increased their criticism of the impact that Israel's military operations are having on civilians. Israel on Wednesday called on Colombia and Chile to explicitly condemn the Hamas terrorist organisation, which slaughtered and abducted babies, children, women and the elderly, according to a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The call came hours after Chile and Colombia both recalled their ambassadors to Israel on Tuesday evening amid criticism of the killing of civilians in Gaza. Israel expects Colombia and Chile to support the right of a democratic country to protect its citizens, and to call for the immediate release of all the abductees, and not align themselves with Venezuela and Iran in support of Hama

First group of civilian evacuees leave Gaza via Rafah border crossing

Under the deal reached between Egypt, Israel and Hamas, a number of foreign nationals and critically wounded people will be allowed to leave the besieged territory

Cyprus to ship humanitarian aid directly to Gaza, UN personnel to pickup

Cyprus offered more detail Wednesday on its initiative to create a sea corridor for the steady flow of humanitarian assistance from Cyprus to Gaza, saying that aid-laden ships would sail directly to the enclave, where United Nations personnel would receive it for eventual distribution. Cyprus government spokesman Constantinos Letymbiotis said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saw the initiative in a positive light during a long telephone conversation Tuesday evening with Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides. Cyprus is still sketching out with fellow European Union member countries and Arab states the logistical details of its plan to ferry aid from its main port of Limassol to Gaza once conditions on the ground permit it. Ships would be vetted at the point of departure at the Limassol port to ensure that nothing would be transported that could be weaponised by Hamas to use against Israel. Gaza's humanitarian needs have escalated since the Israel-Hamas war erupted ..