Page 124 - Israel-palestine

Israel claims 'hostile aircraft' entered country from Lebanon, alarms north

The Israeli military said Wednesday night that hostile aircraft had entered the country from Lebanon, setting sirens blaring across northern Israel as it urged citizens there to shelter. The military did not specify the kind of aircraft. But Lebanon's Iranian-backed Hezbollah and Palestinian militants are known to have drones and gliders. The news came after Hezbollah fired anti-tank missiles at an Israeli military position earlier Wednesday, claiming to have killed and wounded troops. The Israeli military confirmed the attack but did not comment on possible casualties. The Israeli army shelled the area in southern Lebanon where the attack was launched.

India launches 'Operation Ajay' for return of citizens from war-torn Israel

India is launching 'Operation Ajay' to facilitate the return from Israel of those Indians who wish to come back home, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar announced on Wednesday. The announcement comes as the military conflict between Hamas militants and Israel continued for the fifth day. "Launching #OperationAjay to facilitate the return from Israel of our citizens who wish to return," Jaishankar posted on X. "Special charter flights and other arrangements being put in place. Fully committed to the safety and well-being of our nationals abroad," he said.

Netanyahu, opposition agree to form wartime unity govt after Hamas attack

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a leading opposition figure on Wednesday created a war-time Cabinet to oversee the fight against Hamas militants after their stunning weekend attack. In the sealed-off Gaza Strip ruled by Hamas, Palestinians struggled to find safety as Israeli bombardment demolished entire neighbourhoods and the territory's only power plant ran out of fuel. The new war-time Cabinet will consist of Netanyahu, Benny Gantz a senior opposition figure and former defense minister and current Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, a statement released by Gantz said. The Cabinet will focus only on issues of the war. It appeared that the rest of Netanyahu's existing government partners, a collection of far-right and ultra-Orthodox parties, would remain in place to handle other issues. The unusual arrangement cobbles together a degree of unity after years of bitterly divisive politics, as the military appears increasingly likely to launch a ground offensive into Gaza.

Israel-Palestine conflict not likely to impact gem, jewellery sector: GJEPC

Rising tension between Israel and Palestine is not likely to have any adverse impact on the gem and jewellery industry's exports, GJEPC has said. India has witnessed substantial exports of gem and jewellery to Israel, amounting to USD 1,279.76 million in 2022-23, according to data by the Gem Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC). It is significant to note that Israel being a very important trading centre exports rough diamonds to the tune of USD 1,782.80 million, it added. "Israel primarily serves as a re-export market. While the ongoing situation in Israel is of grave concern to us, we express our solidarity with the Israeli diamond trade during this hour of crisis for their nation. It is too early to definitively assess the impact and we are keeping a strict watch on the situation. "We have not witnessed any disruption in the regular dealings and believe it is unlikely to significantly impact India's gem and jewellery trade with Israel. Nevertheless, we remain hopeful for a

MEA sets up 24-hour control room, helpline amid Israel-Palestine conflicts

The Ministry of External Affairs has asked Indian citizens to remain vigilant and reach out to its control room for any assistance in light of the ongoing developments in Israel and Palestine

Initial shipment of US weapons lands in Israel as Biden vows support

The first shipment of advanced US weapons and equipment have landed in Israel to boost the US ally in its war with Hamas, the Israel Ministry of Defence said on Wednesday. The video footage and images released by Israel's Ministry of Defence showed the landing of a cargo plane that delivered the initial shipment of equipment procured and brought to the country through a joint operation. The Ministry of Defence's Directorate of Production and Procurement, the US Procurement Mission, and the International Transportation Unit within the Israel Defence Ministry in the operation oversaw the mobilisation of the cargo plane, ensuring the direct transport of armaments from the US, Mayan Lazarovich from the Ministry of Defence Spokesperson's Office, said in a statement. Washington on Tuesday said it had already begun delivering critically needed munitions and military equipment to Israel, and the Pentagon was reviewing inventories to see what else could be sent quickly to boost its ally. A

Israel strikes neighbourhoods in Gaza Strip as war appears to escalate

Residents of the Gaza Strip scrambled to find safety Wednesday, as Israeli warplanes hammered neighbourhood after neighbourhood in the tiny coastal enclave, retaliating for the deadly weekend attack by Hamas militants. As Gazans crowded into UN schools and a shrinking number of safe neighbourhoods, humanitarian groups pleaded for the creation of corridors to get aid into Gaza, warning that hospitals overwhelmed with wounded people were running out of supplies. Israel has stopped entry of food, fuel and medicine into Gaza, and the sole remaining access from Egypt shut down Tuesday after airstrikes hit near the border crossing. The war, which has claimed at least 2,100 lives on both sides, is expected to escalate. Israel appears determined to crush Hamas' hold on Gaza, following an unprecedented attack in which militants gunned down civilians in their homes, on streets and at a mass outdoor music festival, while dragging men, women and children into captivity. Hamas and other milita

Gaza power authority warns that electricity will run out within hours

Gaza's power authority says its sole power plant will fun out of fuel within hours, leaving the territory without electricity after Israel cut off supplies. Israel said it would cut off all electricity to the territory after Hamas' bloody rampage over the weekend. All of Gaza's crossings are closed, making it impossible to bring in fuel for the power plant or the generators on which residents and hospitals have long relied. The power authority said Wednesday that the plant would shut down in the afternoon.

Israel-Gaza war: Death toll up as conflict expands to bordering nations

Israel has reported attacks from other bordering nations as well as internal conflict between Israelis and Palestinians in neighbouring countries as death toll rises and supplied diminish in Gaza

We need to destroy Hamas, says Israeli Consul General to South India

Tammy Ben-Haim also emphasised that the Hamas' goal is to harm Jews and Israelis and said that the terror group uses the civilian buildings and schools for hiding their commanders and weaponry

Turkey ready for any kind of mediation: Erdogan on Israel-Hamas conflict

Erdogan said, "I would like to state that Turkey is ready for any kind of mediation, including prisoner exchanges, if the parties request it"

4 Andhra Pradesh women stranded in Israel are safe: APNRT society

The Andhra Pradesh Non-Resident Telugu Society (APNRTS), a government entity, said it was in touch with four woman migrants from the state, who are currently stranded in war-torn Israel. APNRTS chief executive P. Hemalatha Rani said they are currently in a safe place in Kiryat Onu in the country, which is waging a war against Palestinian armed group Hamas. APNRTS' 24/7 helpline is in continuous contact with the four women migrants from Andhra Pradesh, updating them with the latest information and instructions from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and the Embassy of India. Shared with them the advisory released by EOI, Israel, Rani told PTI on Tuesday. She noted that Telugu speaking people from the southern state are in safe places and following the instructions of the Israeli government. APNRTS is prepared for emergency repatriations of Telugu migrants from Andhra Pradesh in Israel if need arises. She said the NRT society is closely monitoring the international and local med

Israel-Hamas conflict may end up helping Russia in war against Ukraine

The conflict may, at the very least, work to distract US and European attention from the war in Ukraine, the people said, even while Russia has concerns about its escalation

Gaza will never go back to what it was: Israel moves to full offence

"They will regret this moment, Gaza will never go back to what it was," the Defence minister said

Israeli village near Gaza border lies in ruin, filled with bodies

On the road approaching this rural village, the bodies of militants lie scattered between the shells of burned-out cars. Walls and doors of what used to be neatly kept stucco homes are blasted wide open. As bags holding the bodies of slain residents await identification, the smell of death hangs thick in the hot afternoon air. This is the scene confronting Israel's military as it battles to beat back a sweeping assault launched by Hamas from the Gaza Strip, in fighting that has killed hundreds in this country left reeling and the adjoining Palestinian enclave under heavy Israeli bombardment. You see the babies, the mothers, the fathers in their bedrooms and how the terrorists killed, Maj. Gen. Itay Veruz, a 39-year veteran of the Israeli army who led forces that reclaimed the village from militants, said Tuesday as he stood amid the wreckage. It's not a battlefield. It's a massacre. The Israeli military led a group of journalists, including an Associated Press reporter, on a tour of

Putin blames US for Middle East crisis, advocates two-State solution

Putin also expressed concern about Washington's pressure on both sides, suggesting it was an attempt to impose "unilateral solutions" without considering the core interests of the Palestinian people

Palestinians scramble for safety as Israel pounds sealed-off Gaza Strip

Israeli warplanes hammered the Gaza Strip neighbourhood by neighbourhood Tuesday, reducing buildings to rubble and sending people scrambling to find safety in the tiny, sealed-off territory now suffering severe retaliation for the deadly weekend attack by Hamas militants. Humanitarian groups pleaded for the creation of corridors to get aid into Gaza and warned that hospitals overwhelmed with wounded people were running out of supplies. Israel has stopped entry of food, fuel and medicines into Gaza, and the sole remaining access from Egypt shut down Tuesday after airstrikes hit near the border crossing. The war, which has claimed at least 1,900 lives on both sides, is expected to escalate. The weekend attack that Hamas said was retribution for worsening conditions for Palestinians under Israeli occupation has inflamed Israel's determination to crush the group's hold in Gaza. New exchanges of fire over Israel's northern borders with militants in Lebanon and Syria on Tuesday pointed to

Israel responds to fire from Syria with artillery, mortar amid Hamas attack

The Israeli military said it is responding to fire from Syria with artillery and mortar shelling. The military said Tuesday that unidentified projectiles were fired from Syria and appeared to have fallen in an open area. The flare-up comes as Israel is striking in Gaza in response to a stunning attack by Hamas and as exchanges of fire with the Lebanese Hezbollah have continued. There was no immediate comment from Syria. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based opposition war monitor, said a Palestinian faction conducted the rocket attack from Syrian territory. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP's earlier story follows below. Israeli warplanes hammered the Gaza Strip neighbourhood by neighbourhood on Tuesday, reducing buildings to rubble and sending people scrambling to find safety in the tiny, sealed-off territory now suffering severe retaliation for the deadly weekend attack by Hamas militants. Humanitarian groups pleaded for the creation of corridors to get aid i

Israel Defence Forces confirms 3 soldiers killed in Lebanon border attack

Five additional Israeli troops were wounded in the attack, according to the IDF

No specific information on role of Iran in latest Hamas attack: White House

The White House said Tuesday that there is no specific information about the role of Iran in the latest terrorist attack against Israel by Hamas, but it is complicit in a broad sense for funding the military wing of the militant group. We have said since the beginning that Iran is complicit in this attack in a broad sense because they have provided the lion's share of the funding for the military wing of Hamas. They have provided training.They have provided capabilities. They have provided support and they have had engagement and contact with Hamas over years and years, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters Tuesday. All of that has played a role in contributing to what we have seen. Now, as to the question of whether Iran knew about this attack in advance or helped plan or direct this attack, we do not, as of this moment I'm standing here at the podium, have confirmation of that. We are talking to our Israeli counterparts on a daily basis about this question, he .