Page 14 - Israel-palestine

Canada to recognise Palestinian state, risking split with US, Israel

Canadian PM Mark Carney cites Gaza crisis and eroded peace framework as Ottawa prepares to recognise Palestine at the UN, joining France and possibly the UK

Dozens killed while seeking food in Gaza as US envoy heads to Israel

At least 48 Palestinians were killed and dozens were wounded on Wednesday while waiting for food at a crossing in the Gaza Strip, according to a local hospital that received the casualties. The latest violence around aid distribution came as the US Mideast envoy was heading to Israel for talks. Israel's ongoing military offensive and blockade have led to the worst-case scenario of famine in the coastal territory of some 2 million Palestinians, according to the leading international authority on hunger crises. A breakdown of law and order has seen aid convoys overwhelmed by desperate crowds. US envoy Steve Witkoff, who has led the Trump administration's efforts to wind down the nearly 22-month war and release hostages taken in Hamas' Oct. 7 attack that sparked the fighting, will arrive in Israel on Thursday for talks on the situation in Gaza. Wooden carts ferry the wounded as survivors carry flour Shifa Hospital in Gaza City said the dead and wounded were among crowds massed at the

Trump says US, Israel to run more Gaza food centres, offers few details

President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the US will partner with Israel to run new food centres in Gaza to address the worsening humanitarian crisis there, but he and US officials offered few additional details about the plan or how it would differ from existing food distribution centres. Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One as he returned from a trip to Scotland that Israel would preside over the new food centres to make sure the distribution is proper. We're going to be dealing with Israel, and we think they can do a good job of it," Trump said. The opaque details come as the Trump administration is facing calls at home and abroad to do more to address the hunger crisis in Gaza. The U.S.'s close ally, Israel, is at the center of an international outcry as more images of emaciated children continue to emerge. That pressure comes after the U.S. pulled out of talks last week to try to broker a ceasefire in the 21-month Israel-Hamas war, accusing Hamas of acting in bad faith. B

India reiterates support at UN for two-state solution to Israel conflict

India told a high-level UN conference that global efforts must now focus on achieving a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict through "purposeful dialogue and diplomacy". It also said that one should not be content with paper solutions but strive to achieve practical ones. India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish said on Tuesday that deliberations during the preparation for the UN High-Level International Conference on The Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution' confirm that the international community continues to believe there is no substitute for a two-state solution. He said the conference offers an opportunity to reflect on the path traversed so far in the journey towards achieving peace through a two-state solution. Our efforts must now focus on how to bring about a two-state solution through purposeful dialogue and diplomacy, and bringing the parties to the conflict to

Gangs, merchants sell food aid in Gaza, where IDF shattered security

Since Israel's offensive led to a security breakdown in Gaza that has made it nearly impossible to safely deliver food to starving Palestinians, much of the limited aid entering is being hoarded by gangs and merchants and sold at exorbitant prices. A kilogram of flour has run as high as $60 in recent days, a kilogram of lentils up to $35. That is beyond the means of most residents in the territory, which experts say is at risk of famine and where people are largely reliant on savings 21 months into the Israel-Hamas war. Israel's decision this weekend to facilitate more aid deliveries under international pressure has lowered prices somewhat but has yet to be fully felt on the ground. Bags of flour in markets often bear U.N. logos, while other packaging has markings indicating it came from the Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation all originally handed out for free. It's impossible to know how much is being diverted, but neither group is able to track who receives its aid. I

Israel's leader claims no one in Gaza is starving; Data, witnesses disagree

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says no one in Gaza is starving: There is no policy of starvation in Gaza, and there is no starvation in Gaza. We enable humanitarian aid throughout the duration of the war to enter Gaza otherwise, there would be no Gazans. President Donald Trump on Monday said he disagrees with Netanyahu's claim of no starvation in Gaza, noting the images emerging of emaciated people: Those children look very hungry. After international pressure, Israel over the weekend announced humanitarian pauses, airdrops and other measures meant to allow more aid to Palestinians in Gaza. But people there say little or nothing has changed on the ground. The U.N. has described it as a one-week scale-up of aid, and Israel has not said how long these latest measures would last. "This aid, delivered in this way, is an insult to the Palestinian people, said Hasan Al-Zalaan, who was at the site of an airdrop as some fought over the supplies and crushed cans of chickpeas ...

Israeli fire kills dozens in Gaza, aid delivery remains chaotic: Officials

Israeli strikes or gunfire killed at least 78 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip on Monday, including a pregnant woman whose baby was delivered after her death but also died, local health officials said. Dozens were killed while seeking food, even as Israel moved to ease restrictions on the entry of aid. Under mounting pressure over the spiralling hunger crisis in Gaza, Israel said over the weekend that the military would pause operations in Gaza City, Deir al-Balah and Muwasi for 10 hours a day and designate secure routes for aid delivery. International airdrops of aid have also resumed. Aid agencies say the new measures are not enough to counter worsening starvation in the territory. Martin Penner, a spokesperson for the UN food agency, told The Associated Press that all 55 of its aid trucks that entered on Sunday were unloaded by crowds before reaching their destination. Another UN official said nothing on the ground has changed and no alternative routes were allowed. Israel sai

What to expect at UN meeting on Israel-Palestinian two-state solution?

The UN General Assembly is bringing high-level officials together this week to promote a two-state solution to the decades-old Israel-Palestinian conflict that would place their peoples side by side, living in peace in independent nations. Israel and its close ally the United States are boycotting the two-day meeting, which starts Monday and will be co-chaired by the foreign ministers of France and Saudi Arabia. Israel's right-wing government opposes a two-state solution, and the United States has called the meeting counterproductive to its efforts to end the war in Gaza. France and Saudi Arabia want the meeting to put a spotlight on the two-state solution, which they view as the only viable road map to peace, and to start addressing the steps to get there. The meeting was postponed from late June and downgraded from a four-day meeting of world leaders amid surging tensions in the Middle East, including Israel's 12-day war against Iran and the war in Gaza. It was absolutely necessa

Israel begins pause in fighting in 3 Gaza areas as hunger concerns mount

The military said it would begin a daily "tactical pause" in Gaza City, Deir al-Balah and Muwasi, three areas of the territory with large populations

Israel intercepts Gaza-bound ship carrying activists, humanitarian aid

The Israeli military has intercepted a Gaza-bound aid ship seeking to break the Israeli blockade of the Palestinian territory, detaining 21 international activists and journalists and seizing all cargo, including baby formula, food and medicine, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition said Sunday. The coalition that operates the vessel Handala said the Israeli military violently intercepted the ship in international waters about 40 nautical miles from Gaza, cutting the cameras and communication, just before midnight Saturday. All cargo was non-military, civilian and intended for direct distribution to a population facing deliberate starvation and medical collapse under Israel's illegal blockade," the group said in a statement. The Israeli military had no immediate comment. Israel's Foreign Ministry posted on X early Sunday that the Navy stopped the vessel and was bringing it to shore. It was the second ship operated by the coalition that Israel has prevented in recent months from delivering

Israeli pause in fighting in Gaza begins as concerns over hunger mount

Israel's military announced that airdrops of aid would begin Saturday night in Gaza, and humanitarian corridors will be established for United Nations convoys, after increasing accounts of starvation-related deaths. The statement late Saturday followed months of experts' warnings of famine amid Israeli restrictions on aid. International criticism, including by close allies, has grown as several hundred Palestinians have been killed in recent weeks while trying to reach food distribution sites. The military statement did not say where the airdrops or humanitarian corridors would be. It also said the military is prepared to implement humanitarian pauses in densely populated areas. Israel's foreign ministry said late Saturday the humanitarian pauses would start Sunday in civilian centres along with humanitarian corridors. The military emphasizes that combat operations have not ceased in Gaza against Hamas, and it asserted there is no starvation in the territory, where most of the ...

Israeli strikes kill at least 53 in Gaza as many were seeking food aid

Israeli airstrikes and gunshots killed at least 53 people in Gaza overnight and into Saturday, most of them shot dead while seeking aid, according to Palestinian health officials and the local ambulance service, as starvation deaths continued. Deadly Israeli gunfire was reported twice within hours close to the Zikim crossing with Israel in the north. In the first incident, at least a dozen people waiting for aid trucks were killed, said staff at Shifa hospital, where bodies were taken. Israel's military said it fired warning shots to distance a crowd in response to an immediate threat" and it was not aware of any casualties. A witness, Sherif Abu Aisha, said people started running when they saw a light that they thought was from aid trucks, but as they got close, they realised it was Israel's tanks. That's when the army started firing, he told The Associated Press. He said his uncle was among those killed. We went because there is no food ... and nothing was distributed, he said. O

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 slams French Prez Macron's decision to recognise Palestinian state at UN

Macron shared a letter to Mahmoud Abbas on X, confirming France's plan to recognise Palestine at the UNGA and rally support from other nations for the move

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

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

India calls for ceasefire in Gaza, says pauses not enough to ease crisis

Voicing concern over the persisting humanitarian crisis in Gaza, India asserted that a ceasefire must be put in place, emphasising that intermittent pauses in hostilities are "not enough" to address the scale of challenges facing the region's people. Today's meeting takes place against the backdrop of a persisting humanitarian crisis in Gaza," said India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish, addressing an open debate in the UN Security Council on Wednesday. "Intermittent pauses in hostilities are not enough to address the scale of humanitarian challenges confronting the people, who grapple daily with acute shortages of food and fuel, inadequate medical services and lack of access to education, Harish said at the open debate on the 'Situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question'. Underlining that the way ahead is clear, and highlighting India's consistent position in this regard, Harish said the ongoing human suffering must not be ...

Aid groups warn of starvation in Gaza as Israeli strikes kill 29: Officials

More than 100 charity and human rights groups said Wednesday that Israel's blockade and ongoing military offensive are pushing Palestinians in the Gaza Strip toward starvation, as Israeli strikes killed another 29 people overnight, according to local health officials. Meanwhile, the Trump administration's Mideast envoy, Steve Witkoff, was set to meet with a senior Israeli official about ceasefire talks, a sign that lower-level negotiations that have dragged on for weeks could be approaching a breakthrough. Experts say Gaza is at risk of famine because of Israel's blockade and the offensive launched in response to Hamas' October 7, 2023, attack. The head of the World Health Organization said Gaza is witnessing a deadly surge in malnutrition and related diseases, and that a large proportion of its roughly 2 million people are starving. Israel says it allows enough aid into the territory and faults delivery efforts by U.N. agencies, which say they are hindered by Israeli restrictions a