Page 63 - Hamas

Israel is fighting for its existence, ground operation in Gaza coming: PM

Israel is in the midst of a fight for its existence and preparations are underway for a ground incursion into Gaza, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said and added that "all Hamas members are dead men walking". In an address to the nation on Wednesday evening, he stressed that the two main goals of the war were "to eliminate Hamas by destroying its military and governance capabilities, and to do everything possible to get our captives home". Seeking national unity, the prime minister said that, "Israel is in the midst of a fight for our existence." "All Hamas members are dead men walking above and below ground, inside and outside Gaza," Netanyahu said. Together with Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, Minister Benny Gantz, the Security Cabinet, the Chief-of-Staff and heads of the security organisations, "we are working round the clock in order to achieve the aims of the war until victory, and doing so without political considerations," he said. The goals are "saving the nation, achiev

Biden condemns retaliatory attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians

President Joe Biden on Wednesday spoke out against retaliatory attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank in the aftermath of the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Israel. He also said he was redoubling his commitment to working on a two-state solution to end the decadeslong Israel-Palestinian conflict. Biden said the attacks by settlers amounted to "pouring gasoline" on the already burning fires in the Middle East since the Hamas attack. It has to stop, and it has to stop now, Biden said at the start of a news conference with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who was being honored with a state visit to Washington. Settler violence against Palestinians has intensified since the Hamas attack, and Palestinians have been killed by settlers, according to Palestinian authorities. Rights groups say settlers have torched cars and attacked several small Bedouin communities, forcing them to evacuate to other areas. The West Bank Protection Consortium, a coalition of

Israel agrees to delay Gaza invasion, America stations F16s in West Asia

Iran ordered recent attacks by allies in Yemen, Iraq, Lebanon, says Tel Aviv; airstrikes hit military sites in Syria

Israeli envoy urges India to designate Hamas a terrorist organisation

Gilon cited several countries that have designated Hamas as a terror group

A-I suspends Tel Aviv flights till Nov 2 amid escalating Israel-Hamas war

Air India has extended the suspension of its scheduled flights to Tel Aviv till November 2 amid the continuing tensions between Israel and militant group Hamas. The latest conflict has been triggered by the unprecedented attacks against Israel by Hamas militants from Gaza on October 7. Israel has launched a massive counter-offensive in Gaza to avenge the attacks. An Air India official on Wednesday said the scheduled flights to Tel Aviv have been suspended till November 2. The airline has not operated a scheduled flight to and from Tel Aviv since October 7. Normally, the full-service carrier operates five weekly flights to Tel Aviv from the national capital. The service is on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. During this month, the airline operated a few chartered flights to Tel Aviv from the national capital under the government's Operation Ajay to bring back Indians who wished to come back from Israel against the backdrop of the escalating conflict.

Man arrested in Germany over suspected plot to attack pro-Israel rally

A man with a previous conviction for membership in the Islamic State group has been arrested in Germany on suspicion that he may have agreed to attack a pro-Israel demonstration, prosecutors said on Wednesday. The 29-year-old, whose identity wasn't released in keeping with German privacy rules, was detained Tuesday at his apartment in the western city of Duisburg. Prosecutors in Duesseldorf said that a court on Wednesday ordered him kept in custody pending a possible indictment on suspicion of agreeing to commit murder and manslaughter. They said he is suspected of telling a chat partner in Syria in a sufficiently concrete manner" that he was prepared to commit an attack and that the possible target was a pro-Israel demonstration. Prosecutors said the Duesseldorf state court in 2017 gave the man a five-year sentence under juvenile law for membership in IS and other offenses, which he served.

Israel accuses UN chief Guterres of justifying Hamas terror attack

Israeli officials were outraged Wednesday over UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' comment that the deadly Hamas attack on southern Israel did not happen in a vacuum, calling it justification for terrorism. Foreign Minister Eli Cohen cancelled a scheduled meeting with Guterres while Yad Vashem, Israel's Holocaust memorial, said the UN chief failed the test. I will not meet with the UN secretary-general. After the October 7 massacre, there is no place for a balanced approach. Hamas must be erased off the face of the planet! Cohen posted Tuesday on social platform X, formerly known as Twitter. Israel's envoy to the UN Gilad Erdan called for his resignation, saying Israel must rethink its relations with the world body. We will refuse to grant visas to UN representatives. We have already refused to give one to Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Martin Griffiths, Erdan told Army Radio, accusing Guterres of justifying a slaughter. It's time to teach them a lesson. Israe

UN officials denied Israel visas as furore over Guterres' remarks escalates

"We have already refused a visa for Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Martin Griffiths," Erdan said. "The time has come to teach them a lesson"

Population can't be collateral damage in Israel-Gaza conflict: Irish Dy PM

The innocent population of Palestinians cannot be collateral damage as Israel pursues its right to go after Hamas, Ireland's Deputy Prime Minister has warned even as he admitted different strands of opinion within the European Union (EU) on the Israeli-Palestinian issue. In an interaction on the sidelines of the Global Ireland Summit in Dublin on Tuesday, Micheal Martin told reporters that Europe is united in condemning Hamas but any Israeli response has to be within the parameters of humanitarian law. Martin, also Ireland's Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Defence who has just returned to the Irish capital after a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg, called for an immediate pause in hostilities to allow humanitarian aid to flow into the region. I unreservedly condemn the attack by Hamas on Israel. Israel absolutely has the right to self-defence; to defend itself and its people in response to this heinous attack by Hamas, said Martin. The issue is how, what .

Russia maneuvers carefully over Israel war; seeks to expand global clout

Russia has issued carefully calibrated criticism of both sides in the war between Israel and Hamas. But the conflict also is giving Moscow bold new opportunities - to advance its role as a global power broker and challenge Western efforts to isolate it over Ukraine. While Moscow lacks leverage to mediate a settlement in the Middle East, it could try to play on some perceived credibility problems with the West's response to the crisis. It also expects the Israel-Hamas war to distract attention from the fighting in Ukraine and erode support for Kyiv. There are risks for Moscow, however. It could damage its relationship with Israel, which until now has kept it from sending weapons to Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin has condemned the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas militants on towns in southern Israel. At the same time, he warned Israel against blockading the Gaza Strip, likening it to Nazi Germany's siege of Leningrad during World War II. He has cast the war as a failure of U.S. ..

Hamas holds over half million litre of fuel in Gaza amid power crisis: IDF

Hamas had decried a power outage at the Indonesian Hospital in northern Gaza as a "crime against humanity"

US Prez Biden, Saudi Crown Prince MBS discuss Israel-Hamas war escalation

The two also affirmed the importance of working towards a sustainable peace between Israelis and Palestinians as soon as the crisis subsides

Civilian casualties in Israel-Palestine conflict serious concern: India

India has voiced deep concern over the deteriorating security situation and large-scale loss of civilian life in the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict, urging the parties to work towards creating conditions necessary for peace and restarting direct negotiations through de-escalation and ending violence. The remarks by India's Deputy Permanent Representative at the UN, Ambassador R Ravindra, came on Tuesday at the Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East. India is deeply concerned at the deteriorating security situation and large-scale loss of civilian lives in the ongoing conflict. The mounting humanitarian crisis is equally alarming, Ravindra said. He said the escalation of hostilities in the region has only exacerbated the dire humanitarian situation and has once again underscored the fragile nature of the ceasefire. Civilian casualties in the ongoing conflict are a matter of serious and continuing concern. All parties must protect civilians, especially women

IDF strikes Syria after rocket attack, conducts airstrike on gunmen

A day ago, the IDF said two rockets were launched from Syria at northern Israel, setting off alarms in the Golan Heights communities of Neot Golan, Bnei Yehuda and Givat Yoav

Will treat Pak's Kashmir reference at UNSC with contempt it deserves: India

India has said it will treat a reference by Pakistan to Kashmir during a Security Council meeting on the Israel-Gaza situation with the contempt it deserves and will not dignify it with a response. The remarks by India's Deputy Permanent Representative at the UN, Ambassador R Ravindra, came on Tuesday after Pakistan's UN envoy Munir Akram made reference to Kashmir at the Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East. Before I end, there was a remark of habitual nature by one delegation referring to Union Territories that are integral and inalienable parts of my country, Ravindra said. I would treat these remarks with contempt they deserve and not dignify them with a response in the interest of time, Ravindra said. Earlier, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told the Security Council meeting that all acts of terrorism are unlawful and unjustifiable, whether they are carried out by Lashkar-e-Taiba, the Pakistan-based terror outfit, or by Hamas, targeting people in ..

Sent 38 tons of humanitarian goods to Palestinian people: India at UNSC

"The escalation of our utilities in the region has only exacerbated the dire humanitarian situation," he said, adding, "It has once again underscored the fragile nature of the ceasefire"

Amid war with Hamas, Czech and Austrian leaders to visit Israel today

"The aim of the talks will be support for Israel, including coordination in the context of the European Council, which meets this week," the Czech spokesperson said

China breaks silence on Israel-Hamas war, supports 'two-state solution'

Condemning the atrocities on civilians on both sides, she said her country was opposed to any violation of international law

Israelis can make their own decisions: Biden on ground invasion of Gaza

Amidst reports of an imminent ground invasion of Gaza by Israel, President Joe Biden has said that Israel can make its own decisions, as the US firmly backs its ally while urging caution. The latest conflict was triggered by unprecedented attacks against Israel by Hamas militants on October 7, killing more than 1,400 people. Israel has launched a massive counter-offensive against the Islamic militant group that has ruled Gaza since 2007. Biden made the comment on Tuesday in response to a question while posing for a picture with the visiting Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. Are you urging Israel to delay its ground invasion? Biden was asked, to which he replied, The Israelis can make their own decisions. Last week, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant laid out the Jewish nation's plan to change the security regime" in Gaza-- implying Hamas' removal-- and said the plan was designed in three stages. Gallant said that the Israeli Defence Forces (IFD) was in the plan's firs

Israel vows again to destroy Hamas, rejecting calls for cease-fire in Gaza

Israel vowed again to destroy Hamas, rejecting calls from the UN chief, the Palestinians and many countries at a high-level UN meeting on Tuesday for a cease-fire and declaring that the war in Gaza is not only its war but the war of the free world. Israel's Foreign Minister Eli Cohen also dismissed calls for proportionality in the country's response to Hamas' surprise attacks on Israel on October 7 that killed 1,400 people and has since led to more than 5,700 Palestinian deaths in Gaza according to its Health Ministry. Tell me, what is a proportionate response for killing of babies, for rape (of) women and burn them, for beheading a child? Cohen asked. How can you agree to a cease-fire with someone who swore to kill and destroy your own existence? He told the UN Security Council that the proportionate response to the October 7 massacre is a total destruction to the last one of the Hamas, calling the extremist group the new Nazis. He stressed: It is not only Israel's right to destroy