Page 14 - Israel-palestine

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

Columbia to pay over $220 mn in deal with Trump to restore federal funding

Columbia University has reached a deal with the Trump administration to pay more than $220 million to the federal government to restore federal research money that was canceled in the name of combating antisemitism on campus, the university announced Wednesday. Under the agreement, the Ivy League school will pay the $200 million settlement over three years to the federal government, the university said. It will also pay $21 million to settle investigations brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. This agreement marks an important step forward after a period of sustained federal scrutiny and institutional uncertainty, acting University President Claire Shipman said. The administration pulled the funding, because of what it described as the university's failure to squelch antisemitism on campus during the Israel-Hamas war that began in October 2023. Columbia then agreed to a series of demands laid out by the Republican administration, including overhauling the ...

Columbia univ suspends, expels students over pro-Palestinian protests

Columbia University announced disciplinary action Tuesday against students who participated in a pro-Palestinian demonstration inside the Ivy League school's main library before final exams in May and an encampment during alumni weekend last year. A student activist group said nearly 80 students were told they have been suspended for one to three years or expelled. The sanctions issued by a university judicial board also include probation and degree revocations, Columbia said in a statement. The action comes as the Manhattan university is negotiating with President Donald Trump's administration to restore $400 million in federal funding it has withheld from the Ivy League school over its handling of student protests against the war in Gaza. The administration pulled the funding, canceling grants and contracts, in March because of what it described as the university's failure to squelch antisemitism on campus during the Israel-Hamas war that began in October 2023. Columbia has since

Trump 'caught off guard' by Israeli strikes in Syria, Gaza: White House

President Donald Trump was caught off guard by the recent Israeli strikes in Syria and on a Catholic church in Gaza, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Monday. Her comments were a rare suggestion of daylight between Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who have often been aligned on politics and foreign policy, particularly with the recent attacks on Iran's nuclear programme. However, Trump is pushing for an end to the war in Gaza and trying to support the new Syrian government as the country emerges from years of civil war, and Israeli military operations have threatened to complicate those initiatives. An Israeli attack last week hit the Gaza Strip's only Catholic church, killing three people and stirring outrage. In addition, Israel intervened during the latest outbreak of sectarian violence in Syria, even bombing the capital, Damascus. Leavitt told reporters that Trump has a good working relationship with Netanyahu but he was caught off guard by t

UK, Canada, 26 others urge Gaza ceasefire, condemn deaths, aid blockade

Twenty-eight countries including Britain, Japan and a host of European nations issued a joint statement Monday saying the war in Gaza must end now the latest sign of allies' sharpening language as Israel's isolation deepens. The foreign ministers of countries also including Australia and Canada said the suffering of civilians in Gaza has reached new depths." They condemned the drip feeding of aid and the inhumane killing of civilians, including children, seeking to meet their most basic needs of water and food." The statement described as horrifying the recent deaths of over 800 Palestinians who were seeking aid, according to the figures released by Gaza's Health Ministry and the UN human rights office. The Israeli government's aid delivery model is dangerous, fuels instability and deprives Gazans of human dignity, the countries said. The Israeli government's denial of essential humanitarian assistance to the civilian population is unacceptable. Israel must comply with its ...

Gaza's children have missed two years of school, truce won't undo damage

Two years ago, Sarah Qanan was a star high school student preparing for final exams and dreaming of becoming a doctor. Today, the 18-year-old lives in a sweltering tent in the Gaza Strip and says she is just trying to stay alive. She's part of a generation of Palestinians from grade school through university who have had virtually no access to education in the territory since the war began in October 2023. Classes were suspended that month and schools were transformed into crowded shelters as hundreds of thousands fled their homes at the start of Israel's campaign of retaliation after Hamas Oct 7, 2023, attack. The closure of schools has removed a key social outlet for young people as they grapple with war, hunger and displacement. For younger children, it has meant missing out on basic skills like reading and simple arithmetic. For older students, advanced subjects, graduation exams and college applications have all been put on hold. Even if negotiations lead to another ceasefire,

IDF kills Hamas commander, hits 75 terror targets in latest operation

The Israel Defence Forces on Sunday stated that they had killed Bashar Thabet, a commander in Hamas' Development and Projects Department within its weapons production headquater. Thabet was reportedly responsible for research and development in Hamas' weapons manufacturing apparatus.The IDF said that they located and dismantled terrorist infrastructure, terrorists and tunnel shafts. The Israeli Air Force (IAF) has also been involved, striking approximately 75 terror targets, including terrorists' military compounds and additional terrorists' infrastructure."Operational Update: IDF Activity in Gaza- Eliminated: Bashar Thabet, a commander in Hamas' Development and Projects Department within its weapons production HQ. He was responsible for research & development within Hamas' weapons manufacturing apparatus, which operates to restore and increase their weapons stockpile," the IDF said in a post on X."IDF troops located & dismantled terrorist infrastructure, terrorists and ...

Crowds call for Trump's intervention to bring back hostages from Gaza

Protesters displayed banners urging Trump to strike another 'big, beautiful deal'

Iraq confirms drone attack 'findings' without naming who targeted its bases

Drones used to attack military bases in Iraq during the recent Israel-Iran war were manufactured outside Iraq but were launched inside its territory, according to the decisive findings of an investigation published on Friday. The report of an investigative committee formed under the directive of Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani did not identify who was behind the attacks that targeted radar and air defense systems last month. The attacks on several military bases, including some housing US troops, damaged radar systems at Camp Taji, north of Baghdad, and at Imam Ali Base in Dhi Qar province. Iraqi army spokesperson Sabah Al-Naaman said the investigation had reached decisive findings. He said the drones used were manufactured outside Iraq but were launched from locations inside Iraqi territory. All drones used in the attacks were of the same type, indicating that a single actor was behind the entire campaign, he said. Al-Naaman said the investigation had identified the entiti

Orthodox Party quits Israeli cabinet but throws Netanyahu a lifeline

A key governing partner of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday it is quitting the government, leaving him with a minority in parliament. The Shas ultra-Orthodox party said it was leaving over disagreements surrounding a proposed law meant to grant wide military draft exemptions to its constituents. A second ultra-Orthodox party quit earlier this week over the same issue.

Hostile Homelands: Azad Essa's book traces India-Israel ties before BJP era

The author, who is based in New York, notes that India's arms imports from Israel rose by 175 per cent between 2015 and 2019

Israel-backed aid organisation says 20 killed at distribution site in Gaza

An Israeli-backed American organisation that runs an aid programme in the Gaza Strip said Wednesday 20 Palestinians were killed near a distribution site. This comes as Israeli strikes killed 22 others, including 11 children, according to hospital officials. The Gaza Humanitarian Fund said 19 people were trampled in a stampede and one person was fatally stabbed in the violence near a distribution hub in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis. The group, which rarely acknowledges trouble at its distribution sites, accused Hamas of fomenting panic and spreading misinformation that led to the violence, though it provided no evidence to support the claim.

Netanyahu coalition rattled as ultra-Orthodox party plans exit over new law

An Israeli ultra-Orthodox party that has been a key governing partner of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said early Tuesday it was leaving the coalition government, threatening to destabilise the Israeli leader's rule at a pivotal time in the war in Gaza. United Torah Judaism's two factions said they were bolting the government over disagreements surrounding a bill that would codify broad military draft exemptions for their constituents, many of whom study Jewish texts instead of enlisting in the military. The issue has long divided Jewish Israelis, most of whom are required to enlist, a rift that has only widened since the war in Gaza began and demands on military manpower grew. The departure of a party that has long served as a kingmaker in Israeli politics doesn't immediately threaten Netanyahu's rule. But, once it comes into effect within 48 hours, it will leave the Israeli leader with a slim majority in a government that could now more heavily rely on the whims of two far-rig

BBC Gaza film narrated by Hamas official's son breached guidelines: Review

Britain's media regulator said Monday it will investigate a BBC documentary about children's lives in Gaza, after a review concluded that the narrator's father has Hamas links and the programme therefore breached editorial guidelines on accuracy. The broadcaster removed the programme, Gaza: How To Survive A Warzone, from its streaming service in February after it emerged that the 13-year-old narrator, Abdullah, is the son of Ayman Alyazouri, who has worked as Hamas's deputy minister of agriculture. Ofcom, the media regulator, said that it was launching an investigation under rules that state factual programmes must not materially mislead the audience. That came after a review by the broadcaster found that the independent production company that made the programme didn't share the background information regarding the narrator's father with the BBC. It said that the production company, Hoyo Films, bears most responsibility for the failure, though it didn't intentionally mislead the ..

Israeli strikes kill 31 in Gaza as UN agencies warn of fuel crisis

Israeli strikes across the Gaza Strip overnight killed at least 31 people, according to local hospitals, as UN agencies warned that critical fuel shortages put hospitals and other critical infrastructure at risk. The latest attacks came after US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held two days of talks last week that ended with no sign of a breakthrough in negotiations over a ceasefire and hostage release. Twelve people were killed by strikes in southern Gaza, including three who were waiting at an aid distribution point on Monday, according to Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, which received the bodies. Shifa Hospital in Gaza City also received 12 bodies, including three children and two women, after a series of strikes in the north, according to the hospital's director, Dr. Mohammed Abu Selmia. Al-Awda Hospital reported seven killed and 11 wounded in strikes in central Gaza. The Israeli military says it only targets militants and tries to avoid ...