Page 7 - Hamas

20 yrs since Israel's landmark Gaza withdrawal, conflict still continues

Twenty years ago, Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip, dismantling 21 Jewish settlements and pulling out its forces. The Friday anniversary of the start of the landmark disengagement comes as Israel is mired in a nearly two-year war with Hamas that has devastated the Palestinian territory and means it is likely to keep troops there long into the future. Israel's disengagement, which also included removing four settlements in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, was then-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's controversial attempt to jump-start negotiations with the Palestinians. But it bitterly divided Israeli society and led to the empowerment of Hamas, with implications that continue to reverberate today. The emotional images of Jews being ripped from their homes by Israeli soldiers galvanised Israel's far-right and settler movements. The anger helped them organise and increase their political influence, accounting in part for the rise of hard-line politicians like National Security Minister ...

War can end tomorrow if Hamas lays down arms, releases hostages: Netanyahu

Netanyahu told the international media that Hamas still has thousands of armed terrorists in Gaza and vows to repeat the October 7 massacre

Israel's plan to take over Gaza City stirs fears for civilians and hostages

Israel's decision to intensify its 22-month war with Hamas by taking over Gaza City has stirred fears for Palestinian civilians and Israeli hostages still held in Gaza, and renewed international pressure for an end to the conflict. Israel's air and ground war has killed tens of thousands of people in Gaza, displaced most of the population, destroyed vast areas and pushed the territory toward famine. The timing of another major ground operation is unclear. It will likely require mobilising thousands of troops and forcibly evacuating civilians, almost certainly worsening Gaza's humanitarian crisis. An official familiar with the plans to take over Gaza City said the operation would be gradual and that there is no start date. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters. The UN Security Council announced an emergency meeting on Israel's plans was rescheduled to 10 am EDT on Sunday after originally being scheduled to take place at 3 pm EDT on Saturday. The U

Israel's security cabinet approves plan to take full control of Gaza

Before Israel's Security Cabinet meeting on Gaza's future, Benjamin Netanyahu had hinted that Israel has no intention to govern the territory and would hand over control to friendly Arab nations

Israel plans to destroy Hamas and take over all of Gaza, says Netanyahu

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that to destroy Hamas Israel intends to take full control of the Gaza Strip and eventually transfer its administration to friendly Arab forces, as the Security Cabinet discussed a widening of its 22-month offensive. Asked in an interview with Fox News if Israel would take control of all of Gaza, Netanyahu replied: We intend to, in order to assure our security, remove Hamas there, enable the population to be free of Gaza. The Security Cabinet would still need to approve such a decision. We don't want to keep it. We want to have a security perimeter, Netanyahu said in the interview. We want to hand it over to Arab forces that will govern it properly without threatening us and giving Gazans a good life. An Israeli official had earlier said the Security Cabinet would hold a lengthy debate and approve an expanded military plan to conquer all or parts of Gaza not yet under Israeli control. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity ...

Israel won't annex Gaza, seeks end to war with Hamas, says Netanyahu

Israel doesn't want to annex or occupy Gaza and its sole aim is to destroy Hamas and hand over the strip to a transitory government, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday. The prime minister also said that Israel wants to take control of Gaza's security after ending the war as soon as possible. In an interaction with a group of visiting Indian journalists, Netanyahu said over two million tonnes of food were sent to Gaza, but the supplies were "interdicted". The Israeli prime minister's comments came amid increasing international criticism of his government over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, as an estimated 60,000 people were killed in the Israeli military offensive in the last 22 months. Israel launched the war in Gaza after Hamas' attack on October 7, 2023, killed about 1,200 people. Hamas also took 251 people as hostages. "Our plan is not to occupy or annex Gaza. Our goal is to destroy Hamas and get our hostages back, and then hand over Gaza to a transito

What to know as Israel considers Gaza reoccupation amid war escalation

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is considering ordering the full reoccupation of the Gaza Strip, according to Israeli media, a move that would draw fierce opposition internationally and within Israel. It would mark a stunning escalation of the nearly 22-month war in the territory that has already been largely destroyed and where experts say famine is unfolding. It would put the lives of countless Palestinians and about 20 living hostages at risk, and deepen Israel's already stark international isolation. It would also face fierce opposition within Israel: Families of the hostages would consider it a virtual death sentence, and much of the security establishment is also reportedly opposed to an open-ended occupation that would bog down and further strain the army after nearly two years of regional wars. The threat to reoccupy Gaza could be a negotiating tactic aimed at pressuring Hamas after talks mediated by the United States, Egypt and Qatar appeared to have broken down

Israel mulls full Gaza control despite military and public concerns

Some Israeli military leaders have expressed reservations, the official said, while the plan would likely face considerable opposition

Israeli forces kill over 20 people seeking food in Gaza, say witnesses

Israeli forces killed at least 23 Palestinians seeking food on Sunday in the Gaza Strip, according to hospital officials and witnesses, who described facing gunfire as hungry crowds surged around aid sites as the malnutrition-related death toll surged. Desperation has gripped the Palestinian territory of more than 2 million, which experts have warned is at risk of famine because of Israel's blockade and nearly two-year offensive. Yousef Abed, among the crowds en route to a distribution point, described coming under what he called indiscriminate fire, looking around and seeing at least three people bleeding on the ground. I couldn't stop and help them because of the bullets, he said. Southern Gaza's Nasser Hospital said they had received bodies from near multiple distribution sites, including eight from Teina, about three km away from a distribution site in Khan Younis, which is operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a private US and Israeli-backed contractor that took over a

Hamas denies disarmament claim, calls US envoy's Gaza visit a 'staged show'

Hamas issued a statement in response to remarks allegedly made by Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, during a meeting with families of Israeli captives held in Gaza

Hamas deputy commander Salah al-Din Za'ara eliminated in Gaza strike

Za'ara previously served as the commander of the battalion's combat support company and was responsible for directing and promoting numerous terror operations

Statehood for Palestine? The legal test, the war, and the global shift

Global calls for Palestinian statehood rise, but legal, political, and diplomatic roadblocks remain complex and contested

If I weren't around, India would be fighting Pakistan, claims Trump

US President Donald Trump on Monday claimed, yet again, that if he had not intervened in time with a threat of stopping all trade negotiations, India and Pakistan would have been at war. Addressing the media in Scotland, along with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer ahead of their official talks, Trump took credit for stepping in to prevent six major wars around the world, including between India and Pakistan. He was responding to a question about pushing Israel towards ending the conflict in Gaza just hours after ceasefire talks with Hamas collapsed. We have many ceasefires going on If I weren't around, you would have six major wars going on India would be fighting with Pakistan, Trump said while addressing the media from his Turnberry golf resort in South Ayrshire, Scotland. We have many hotspots that were at war. I think a very big one was India and Pakistan because you are talking about two nuclear nations. That was a very big one, said Trump, who is on a private visit to ...

Houthis pledge to step up shipping attacks to pressure Israel on Gaza

The Houthis, who took control of Yemen's capital Sanaa in 2014, have been striking Israel and commercial vessels in the Red Sea after Israel's war with Hamas, which rules Gaza, began in October 2023

Trump asks Israel to 'finish the job' as he feels Hamas obstructs Gaza deal

Trump blames Hamas for failed ceasefire, backs Israel's tougher stance against the Palestinian group

Netanyahu, Trump appear to abandon Gaza ceasefire negotiations with Hamas

Netanyahu said Israel was now mulling "alternative" options to achieve its goals of bringing its hostages home from Gaza and ending Hamas rule in the enclave

Netanyahu says Israel exploring new options amid stalled Hamas talks

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Friday his government was considering alternative options to ceasefire talks with Hamas after Israel and the US recalled their negotiating teams, throwing the future of the negotiations into further uncertainty. Netanyahu's statement came as a Hamas official said negotiations were expected to resume next week and portrayed the recall of the Israeli and American delegations as a pressure tactic. The teams left Qatar on Thursday as President Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, said Hamas' latest response to proposals for a deal showed a lack of desire to reach a truce. Witkoff said the US will look at alternative options," without elaborating. In a statement released by his office, Netanyahu echoed Witkoff, saying, "Hamas is the obstacle to a hostage release deal. Together with our US allies, we are now considering alternative options to bring our hostages home, end Hamas's terror rule, and secure lasting peace for Israel and ou

US ends Gaza ceasefire talks early, accuses Hamas of lacking 'good faith'

The United States is cutting short Gaza ceasefire talks and bringing its negotiating team home from Qatar for consultations after the latest response from Hamas shows a lack of desire to reach a ceasefire in Gaza, President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff said Thursday. While the mediators have made a great effort, Hamas does not appear to be coordinated or acting in good faith," Witkoff said in a statement. We will now consider alternative options to bring the hostages home and try to create a more stable environment for the people of Gaza. It was unclear what alternative options" the U.S. was considering. The White House had no immediate comment. At a news briefing Thursday, State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott did not offer details on what the alternative options the U.S. is considering. When pressed for clarity on whether and how the U.S. would proceed, Pigott did not offer clarity and said, This is a very dynamic situation. He said there's never been a questi

Gaza faces worst hunger crisis yet as truce talks stall over aid access

The crisis is spiraling as Israel and Hamas mull a truce and comes two weeks after the European Union announced an agreement with Israel to increase the flow of food to Gaza

Response of ceasefire proposal handed to mediators with new demands: Hamas

An Israeli official told The Jerusalem Post that Hamas has yet to deliver an official response to the proposal submitted a week ago and is now raising new demands on issues previously resolved