Page 9 - Hamas

Hamas claims killing 12 fighters, Israeli group says they were aid staff

A unit of the Hamas-run police force said it killed 12 members of an Israeli-backed militia after detaining them early Thursday in the Gaza Strip. Hours earlier, an Israel-supported aid group said Hamas attacked a bus carrying its Palestinian workers, killing at least five of them. The militia, led by Yasser Abu Shabab, said its fighters had attacked Hamas and killed five militants but made no mention of its own casualties. It also accused Hamas of detaining and killing aid workers. It was not immediately possible to verify the competing claims or confirm the identities of those killed. The Israeli military circulated the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation 's statement on its social media accounts but declined to provide its own account of what happened. Aid initiative already marred by controversy and violence The aid group's operations in Gaza have already been marred by controversy and violence since they began last month, with scores of people killed in near-daily shootings as crowds

Can Israel claim self-defence to justify Gaza war; here's what law says

Israel is a legitimate, recognised state in the global community and a member of the United Nations. Its right to self-defence will always remain intact when it faces attacks from its neighbours

IDF confirms body of Hamas leader Sinwar killed in air strike located

The announcement followed last week's confirmation that he had had been assasinated in a strike on the European hospital in Gaza, May 13, where Sinwar was hiding

Body of Thai hostage taken on Oct 7 recovered from Gaza, says Israel

Israel says it has retrieved the body of a Thai hostage kidnapped into Gaza on Oct 7, 2023. The Prime Minister's office said Saturday that the body of Thai citizen Nattapong Pinta was returned to Israel in a special military operation. Pinta was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz and killed in captivity near the start of the war, said the government. Thais were the largest group of foreigners held captive by Hamas militants. This comes two days after the bodies of two Israeli-American hostages were retrieved. Fifty-five hostages remain in Gaza, of whom Israel says more than half are dead. The defence minister said Saturday that Pinta's body was retrieved from the Rafah area. He had come to Israel from Thailand to work in agriculture. On Thursday, Israel retrieved the bodies of Judih Weinstein and Gad Haggai, both of whom had Israeli and US citizenship. This comes as Israel continues its operation in Gaza. At least 22 people were killed by Israeli strikes overnight Friday into Saturda

US slams ICC judges with sanctions over investigation into Israel

The Trump administration is slapping sanctions on four judges at the International Criminal Court over the tribunal's investigation into alleged war crimes by Israel in its war against Hamas in Gaza and in the West Bank. The State Department said Thursday that it would freeze any assets that the ICC judges, who come from Benin, Peru, Slovenia and Uganda, have in U.S. jurisdictions. The move is just the latest step that the administration has taken to punish the ICC and its officials for investigations undertaken against Israel and the United States. As ICC judges, these four individuals have actively engaged in the ICC's illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America or our close ally, Israel, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement. The ICC is politicized and falsely claims unfettered discretion to investigate, charge, and prosecute nationals of the United States and our allies, Rubio said. This dangerous assertion and abuse of power infringes upon the sovereignty a

UNGA set to push for two-state solution to Israeli-Palestinian conflict

The United Nations chief on Thursday urged world leaders and officials attending an upcoming UN conference on ending the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict to keep the two-state solution alive. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told reporters that the international community must not only support a solution where independent states of Palestine and Israel live side-by-side in peace but materialize the conditions to make it happen. France and Saudi Arabia are co-chairing the conference, which the U.N. General Assembly is holding from June 17 to June 20 in New York. French President Emmanuel Macron will attend and other leaders are expected, but Israel will not be there. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected the creation of a Palestinian state, a position that was overwhelmingly adopted by Israel's parliament in a vote last year. We won't be taking part in a conference that doesn't first urgently address the issue of condemning Hamas and returning all of the .

Israel recovers bodies of 2 hostages, Netanyahu vows to bring all home

According to a joint statement by the Israeli military and Shin Bet, Weinstein-Haggai and Haggai were killed and taken into Gaza by members of the Mujahideen Brigades

Hamas seeks changes to Gaza ceasefire plan, US envoy calls it unacceptable

Hamas has responded to the latest US ceasefire proposal for Gaza while seeking amendments to it. A senior Hamas official tells The Associated Press that there some notes and amendments to some points, especially on the US guarantees, the timing of hostage release, the delivery of aid and the withdrawal of Israeli forces. The official spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the talks. A separate Hamas statement said the proposal aims for a permanent ceasefire, a comprehensive Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and an ensured flow of aid. It said 10 living hostages and the bodies of 18 others would be released in exchange for an agreed-upon number of Palestinian prisoners. Israeli officials have approved the US proposal for a temporary ceasefire in the nearly 20-month war. US President Donald Trump has said negotiators were nearing a deal.

Israel accepts US-backed Gaza truce plan, Hamas gives cool response

Israel has accepted a new US proposal for a temporary ceasefire with Hamas, the White House said Thursday. US President Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, expressed optimism earlier this week about brokering an agreement to halt the Israel-Hamas war and return more of the hostages captured in the attack that ignited it. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that Israel backed and supported the new proposal. Hamas officials gave the Israeli-approved draft a cool response, but said they wanted to study the proposal more closely before giving a formal answer. The Zionist response, in essence, means perpetuating the occupation and continuing the killing and famine, Bassem Naim, a top Hamas official, told The Associated Press. He said it does not respond to any of our people's demands, foremost among which is stopping the war and famine. Nonetheless, he said the group would study the proposal with all national responsibility. Hamas had previously said i

Who was Mohammad Sinwar? The Hamas commander killed in an Israeli strike | Israel-Gaza war

Mohammad Sinwar, one of the key figures in Hamas’ military leadership, has been killed in an Israeli strike, according to Israeli PM Netanyahu. What was his role, and why does his death matter?

Netanyahu confirms Israel forces killed Hamas leader Mohammed Sinwar

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel killed senior Hamas leader Mohammed Sinwar, apparently confirming his death in a recent airstrike in the Gaza Strip. Speaking before parliament, Netanyahu included Sinwar in a list of Hamas leaders killed in Israeli strikes. Mohammed is the brother of Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas leader and one of the masterminds of the October 7, 2023 attack, who was killed by Israeli forces last year.

Argentina's Prez Javier Milei to receive $1 mn Genesis Prize in Israel

Argentina's President Javier Milei is headed to Israel. Milei was awarded the $1 million Genesis Prize in January in recognition of his support of Israel. After he postponed a planned visit in March, he is now set to receive the prize in a ceremony at Israel's Knesset on June 11 and deliver a speech to the Israeli parliament. Organizers say Milei will donate the prize money to launch an initiative aimed at improving diplomatic relations between Israel and Latin American countries and fighting antisemitism in the region. Prize organizers say they recognized Milei for reversing Argentina's long history of anti-Israel votes at the United Nations, designating the Hamas and Hezbollah militant groups as terrorist organisations and reopening investigations into the bombings of Jewish and Israeli targets in Argentina in the 1990s. Milei also has pledged to move Argentina's embassy to Jerusalem joining a handful of countries, including the US, to recognise the contested city as Israel's .

Israeli strikes kill 46 in Gaza, with 31 in school-turned shelter: Medics

Israeli strikes killed at least 40 people in the Gaza Strip on Monday, including 25 in a school-turned-shelter that was struck as people slept, igniting their belongings, according to local health officials. The military said it targeted militants operating from the school. Israel renewed its offensive in March after ending a ceasefire with Hamas. It has vowed to seize control of Gaza and keep fighting until Hamas is destroyed or disarmed, and until it returns the remaining 58 hostages, a third of them believed to be alive, from the Oct 7, 2023 attack that ignited the war. The strike on the school in the Daraj neighbourhood of Gaza City also wounded more than 55 people, said Fahmy Awad, head of the ministry's emergency service. He said a father and his five children were among the dead. He said the school was hit three times while people slept, setting their belongings ablaze. Footage circulating online showed rescuers struggling to extinguish fires and recovering charred remains.

Israel eying to take over 75% of Gaza in two months as war intensifies

The offensive is aimed at finally defeating Hamas, or forcing the exile of its leadership, and pressing the militant group to release the remaining hostages taken in Hamas' attack on Oct 7, 2023

US-German citizen arrested for attempted attack at US embassy in Tel Aviv

A dual US-German citizen has been arrested on charges that he travelled to Israel and attempted to firebomb the branch office of the US Embassy in Tel Aviv, officials said on Sunday. Federal prosecutors in New York said the man, Joseph Neumeyer, walked up to the embassy building on May 19 with a backpack containing Molotov cocktails but got into a confrontation with a guard and eventually ran away, dropping his backpack as the guard tried to grab him. Law enforcement then tracked Neumeyer down to a hotel a few blocks away from the embassy and arrested him, according to a criminal complaint filed in the Eastern District of New York. The attack took place against the backdrop of Israel's war in Gaza, now in its 19th month. Neumeyer, 28, who is originally from Colorado and has dual US and German citizenship, had travelled from the US to Canada in early February and then arrived in Israel in late April, according to court records. He had made a series of threatening social media posts

Israeli allies unleash strong rhetoric over Gaza but with limited action

Three allies of Israel used words like abhorrent and monstrous this week to describe the country's actions in Gaza. The leaders of Britain, France and Canada consistent defenders of Israel's right to strike back at Hamas after its October 2023 attack now express dismay at the high civilian death toll in Gaza and the monthslong blockade of supplies that has led to famine warnings. While their rhetoric is remarkably strong, it does not mean tough action will follow. What did France, Britain and Canada say? UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney called Israel's renewed Gaza offensive after a two-month ceasefire wholly disproportionate. They threatened to take concrete actions if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government doesn't halt the offensive and lift restrictions on humanitarian aid. They condemned as abhorrent some of the language used by members of the Israeli government suggesting the destruction of Gaz

UK, France, Canada warn Israel over military action; Netanyahu hits back

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, in a joint statement, slammed Netanyahu for Israel's expansion of its war

Released Israeli-American hostage finds joy in small things, say parents

For two days after Israeli-American soldier Edan Alexander was released from 19 months of captivity in Gaza, he couldn't eat anything. Despite periods of near starvation while being held by Hamas militants, Alexander just didn't have an appetite. Then, his mother, Yael Alexander, put a burger and fries in front of him, and her son dove in. It was one of many joyful moments his family has experienced since learning he would be freed. Hamas portrayed the release of Alexander, the last living American hostage in Gaza, as a gesture to President Donald Trump ahead of his Mideast tour last week, which the militants hoped would revive ceasefire talks. Instead, Israel launched a renewed offensive days later that families of the remaining hostages fear could put their loved ones in grave danger. Alexander's father was somewhat heartened by Israel's announcement Monday that some aid was going into Gaza for the first time in 2 1/2 months. That's the first step forward, so hopefully we'll see

Netanyahu to allow entry of aids into Gaza after pressure from allies

Meanwhile, a UN official states that 20 aid trucks, primarily carrying food, are expected to enter the Gaza Strip on Monday

Netanyahu acknowledges pressure from allies in decision to resume Gaza aid

Israel says it will allow 'basic' aid into Gaza after nearly 3 months of blockade

(Eds: Updates with details )





Deir al-Balah, May 18 (AP) Israel announced on Sunday it will allow a limited amount of humanitarian aid into Gaza after a nearly three-month blockade, days after global experts on food security warned of famine.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said a starvation crisis would jeopardize Israel's new military offensive in Gaza, and his Cabinet approved a decision to allow a basic amount of food into the territory of over 2 million people.

It was not immediately clear when aid would enter Gaza, or how. The Israeli military body in charge of overseeing aid did not comment. Israel has been trying to impose a new aid system, despite objections by aid workers. Netanyahu said Israel would work to ensure that aid does not reach militants.

Israel imposed the blockade starting March 2, c