Page 13 - Israel-palestine

Israel kills Hamas spokesperson as hospitals report dozens killed in Gaza

Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz announced Sunday that Abu Obeida, a spokesperson for Hamas' armed wing, was killed in Gaza over the weekend. Obeida's last statement was on Friday as Israel began the initial stages of a new offensive in Gaza City, declaring the area a combat zone. Hamas has not commented on Israel's claim.

Macron's decision to recognise Palestinian state in Sept angers Israel, US

French President Emmanuel Macron's decision to recognise a Palestinian state, prompting similar moves from other Western nations, angered Israel and its US ally by putting a two-state solution back at the heart of diplomatic efforts to end the devastating war in Gaza. In a letter to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week, Macron wrote that our determination to see the Palestinian people have their own state is rooted in our conviction that lasting peace is essential to the security of the state of Israel. France's diplomatic efforts stem from our outrage at the appalling humanitarian disaster in Gaza, for which there can be no justification, Macron added. Israel on Friday declared Gaza's largest city a combat zone as the death toll surpassed 63,000 Palestinians, according to the territory's Health Ministry, since the war started on October 7, 2023, with a Hamas-led attack on Israel. France, the UK, Canada, Australia and Malta have said they would formalize their pledge

Israel may halt or slow aid to northern Gaza as military offensive grows

Israel will soon halt or slow humanitarian aid into parts of northern Gaza as it expands its military offensive against Hamas, an official said Saturday, a day after Gaza City was declared a combat zone. The decision was likely to bring more condemnation of Israel's government as frustration grows in the country and abroad over dire conditions for both Palestinians and remaining hostages in Gaza after nearly 23 months of war. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media, told The Associated Press that Israel will stop airdrops over Gaza City in the coming days and reduce the number of aid trucks arriving as it prepares to evacuate hundreds of thousands of people south. Israel on Friday ended daytime pauses in fighting to allow aid delivery, describing Gaza City as a Hamas stronghold and alleging that a tunnel network remains in use. The United Nations and partners have said the pauses, airdrops and other recent measures fel

US revokes visas of Palestinian president, other officials ahead of UNGA

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has revoked the visas of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and 80 other officials ahead of next month's annual high-level meeting of the UN General Assembly, where the Palestinians previously have been represented. A State Department official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss visa issues that are normally confidential, disclosed Friday that Abbas and other officials from the Palestinian Authority were among those affected. The move is the latest in a series of steps the Trump administration has taken to target Palestinians with visa restrictions and comes as the Israeli military declared Gaza's largest city a combat zone. The State Department also suspended a program that had allowed injured Palestinian children from Gaza to come to the US for medical treatment after a social media outcry by some conservatives. The department said in a statement earlier that Rubio also ordered some new visa applications from Palestinian officials, ...

Israel declares Gaza's largest city combat zone, halts humanitarian pauses

Israel's military on Friday said it was suspending mid-day pauses to allow the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza City, calling it a a dangerous combat zone. The city was among the places that Israel paused fighting last month to allow food and aid supplies to enter from 10 am to 8 pm. The tactical pauses lasted applied to Gaza City, Deir al-Balah and Muwasi, three places where hundreds of thousands of displaced people are sheltering. The pivot comes as Israel prepares to broaden its offensive, mobilising tens of thousands of troops to seize Gaza City. Israel's military did not say whether they had notified residents or aid groups about the plans to resume daytime hostilities. Israel has said in the past that Gaza City is a Hamas stronghold, with a network of tunnels that remain in use by militants after several previous large-scale raids. The city also is home to some of the territory's critical infrastructure and health facilities. The United Nations said Thursday that the ...

Turkiye foreign minister says country's airspace closed to Israeli flights

Turkiye has closed its airspace to Israeli planes in protest at the war in Gaza, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Friday. We have completely cut off our trade with Israel. We do not allow Turkish ships to go to Israeli ports. We do not allow their planes to enter our airspace, he told a special parliamentary debate on Gaza in Ankara. Turkiye severed direct trade ties with Israel in May last year, demanding a permanent ceasefire and the immediate entry of humanitarian aid to Gaza. In 2023, the two countries carried out USD 7 billion in trade. Turkish media reported last week that a ban on maritime traffic linked to Israel had been imposed, although there was no official statement. According to reports, Israeli vessels were banned from docking in Turkiye, and Turkish-flagged ships were not allowed to enter Israeli ports. Ankara has been a harsh critic of Israeli attacks on Gaza, with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan repeatedly referring to Israel's actions as genocide and likening Pri

India calls killing of journalists in Gaza 'shocking, deeply regrettable'

Among the journalists killed were Al Jazeera's Mohammad Salama, Reuters cameraman Hussam al-Masri, and Mariam Abu Daqqa, a freelance journalist working for AP at the time

Microsoft to probe Israel tech use, condemns protest at Brad Smith's office

An employee group called 'No Azure for Apartheid' says that by selling software and AI tools to Israel's military, the company's Azure cloud service is profiting from the deaths of civilians

Fight against antisemitism must not be weaponised: Macron tells Netanyahu

The tensions come after Netanyahu, in mid-August, accused Macron of fuelling antisemitism in France by announcing that the country would recognise a Palestinian state during a UN meeting in September

Israelis protest for hostage deal as Gaza strikes kill 16 civilians

Protesters in Israel on Tuesday torched tires, blocked highways and clamoured for a ceasefire that would free hostages still in Gaza, as Israeli leaders pressed ahead with plans for an offensive which they argue is needed to crush Hamas. The disruption came as Palestinians in Gaza braced for the expanded offensive against a backdrop of displacement, destruction and parts of the territory plunging into famine. It also came a day after deadly strikes against Gaza's main hospital killed 20 people including medics and journalists, among them Mariam Dagga, a journalist who worked for The Associated Press. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to hold a security cabinet meeting later Tuesday, but it's unclear if he will discuss ceasefire efforts. He has said that Israel will launch an expanded offensive in Gaza City while simultaneously pursuing a ceasefire, though Israel has yet to send a negotiating team to discuss a proposal on the table. Netanyahu has said the offensive is th

Deal on the table: IDF chief urges Netanyahu to accept hostage swap

The IDF chief, while visiting Israel's Haifa Naval base, revealed that there is a hostage deal on the table for Netanyahu to consider

Israeli forces intensify strikes on Gaza outskirts, expand ops in north

Tens of thousands of reservists are expected to report for duty on September 2, with the large-scale operation anticipated to follow in the coming weeks

Israeli airstrikes hit Yemen's capital, targeting Iran-backed rebels

Israeli airstrikes hit Yemen's capital, Sanaa, early on Sunday, just days after the country's Iran-backed rebels fired cluster munitions toward Israel, according to a local media report. The rebel Houthi-run al-Masirah channel reported the strikes, the first to hit the rebel-held Sanaa since August 17, when Israel said targeted energy infrastructure it believed was used by the rebels. Israel has not confirmed Sunday's attack. The Iran-backed Houthis have launched missiles and drones toward Israel and targeted ships in the Red Sea for more than 22 months. They say they are carrying out the attacks in solidarity with the Palestinians amid the war in the Gaza Strip. They are usually intercepted before landing in Israel. An Israeli Air Force official, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with military regulations, said the projectile fired from Yemen towards Israel on Friday night marked a new threat. The missile was a cluster munition a projectile that is supposed to detonate

UN body declares first famine in Gaza as ceasefire demands rise

More than 640,000 people in the Palestinian territory will face "catastrophic levels of food insecurity" by the end of September

LIVE news updates: Air India Mumbai-Jodhpur flight aborts takeoff due to 'operational reasons'

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Israeli defence minister warns Gaza may face destruction over Hamas row

Israel's defence minister warned on Friday that Gaza City could be destroyed unless Hamas accepts Israel's terms, as the country prepares for an expanded offensive in the area. A day after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would authorise the military to seize Gaza City, Defence Minister Israel Katz warned that the enclave's largest city could turn into Rafah and Beit Hanoun, areas reduced to rubble earlier in the war. The gates of hell will soon open on the heads of Hamas' murderers and rapists in Gaza until they agree to Israel's conditions for ending the war, Katz wrote in a post on X. He restated Israel's cease-fire demands: the release of all hostages and Hamas' complete disarmament. Hamas has said it would release captives in exchange for ending the war, but rejects disarmament without the creation of a Palestinian state.

18 arrested as Microsoft staff protest Israel military tech ties review

Worker-led protests erupted at Microsoft headquarters this week as the tech company promises an urgent review of the Israeli military's use of its technology during the ongoing war in Gaza. A second day of protests at the Microsoft campus on Wednesday called for the tech giant to immediately cut its business ties with Israel. The police department began making arrests after Microsoft said the protesters were trespassing. We said, Please leave or you will be arrested,' and they chose not to leave so they were detained, said police spokesperson Jill Green. Microsoft late last week said it was tapping a law firm to investigate allegations reported by British newspaper The Guardian that the Israeli Defense Forces used Microsoft's Azure cloud computing platform to store phone call data obtained through the mass surveillance of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. Microsoft's standard terms of service prohibit this type of usage," the company said in a statement posted Friday, adding

Israel plans new phase of Gaza operation as ceasefire talks continue

Israel is preparing to launch an expanded military operation in Gaza City, possibly in the coming days, even as negotiators scramble to bring Israel and Hamas to a ceasefire to end 22 months of fighting. The Israeli military said Wednesday that the country's defence minister has approved plans to begin a new phase of operations in some of Gaza's most densely populated areas, and that it would call up 60,000 reservists and lengthen the service of an additional 20,000 reservists currently serving. It comes as human rights groups warn that a humanitarian crisis could worsen in Gaza, where most residents have been displaced, vast neighbourhoods lie in ruins, and communities are facing the threat of famine. A military official, speaking on the condition of anonymity in line with military regulations, said that the military will be operating in parts of Gaza City where the Israeli military has not yet operated and where it believes Hamas is still active. The official said that Israeli ..

Netanyahu accuses Australia of betrayal for recognising Palestinian State

Ties began taking a turn for the worse last week when Australia announced it would join France, the UK and Canada in recognizing a Palestinian state at next month's United Nations summit

Record 383 aid workers killed in global hotspots in 2024, half in Gaza: UN

A record 383 aid workers were killed in global hotspots in 2024, nearly half of them in Gaza during the war between Israel and Hamas, the UN humanitarian office said Tuesday on the annual day honouring the thousands of people who step into crises to help others. UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said the record number of killings must be a wake-up call to protect civilians caught in conflict and all those trying to help them. Attacks on this scale, with zero accountability, are a shameful indictment of international inaction and apathy, Fletcher said in a statement on World Humanitarian Day. As the humanitarian community, we demand again that those with power and influence act for humanity, protect civilians and aid workers and hold perpetrators to account. The Aid Worker Security Database, which has compiled reports since 1997, said the number of killings rose from 293 in 2023 to 383 in 2024, including over 180 in Gaza. Most of the aid workers killed were national staff servin