Page 81 - Israel-palestine

Strike on convoy of aid workers that killed them was a mistake: Israel army

Two basic mistakes, according to the Israeli military. First, an officer overlooked a message detailing the vehicles in the convoy. Second, a spotter saw something in one car possibly a bag that he thought was a weapon. Officials say the result was the series of Israeli drone strikes that killed seven aid workers on a dark Gaza road. The Israeli military has described the deadly strike on the World Central Kitchen convoy as a tragic error. Its explanation raises the question: If that's the case, how often has Israel made such mistakes in its 6-month-old offensive in Gaza? Rights groups and aid workers say Monday night's mistake was hardly an anomaly. They say the wider problem is not violations of the military's rules of engagement but the rules themselves. In Israel's drive to destroy Hamas after its October 7 attacks, the rights groups and aid workers say, the military seems to have given itself wide leeway to determine what is a target and how many civilian deaths it allows as

Death of aid workers in Gaza: EU allies may halt arms sale to Israel

The words coming from some of Israel's closest allies have been startling in their vehemence: appalled, outraged, no more excuses. The Israeli military's killing of seven aid workers in Gaza has triggered unprecedented criticism from European leaders, who are stepping up calls for a cease-fire and in some cases halting arms sales to Israel as the war's toll mounts. The attack on the World Central Kitchen convoy has sharpened the dilemma for European politicians, who are squeezed between support for an ally that suffered a terrible attack on October 7 and growing public pressure to stop a war over which they have little control. Nothing justifies such a tragedy, French Foreign Minister Sbastien Sjourn said after Monday's attack. UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he was appalled by the deaths of the aid workers, three of whom were British. Britain summoned the Israeli ambassador for a reprimand over the killings. So did Poland, which lost one of its citizens and whose foreign minist

Israel army dismisses 2 officers over drone strikes on aid workers in Gaza

The Israeli military said an internal probe found its forces had mistakenly believed they were "targeting armed Hamas operatives"

Biden urges Egypt, Qatar to press Hamas to come to agreement for hostages

US President Joe Biden on Friday wrote to the leaders of Egypt and Qatar, calling on them to press Hamas for hostage deal with Israel, according to a senior administration official, one day after Biden called on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to redouble efforts to reach a cease-fire in the six-month-old war in Gaza. The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the private letters, said Biden's national security adviser will meet Monday with family members of some of the estimated 100 hostages who are believed to still be in Gaza. The letters come as Biden has deployed CIA Director Bill Burns to Cairo for talks this weekend about the hostage crisis.

Israel dismisses 2 officers over deadly strikes on aid workers in Gaza

The Israeli military said Friday that it has dismissed two officers and reprimanded three others for their roles in drone strikes in Gaza that killed seven aid workers on a food-delivery mission, saying they had mishandled critical information and violated the army's rules of engagement. The findings of a retired general's investigation into the Monday killings marked an embarrassing admission by Israel, which faces growing accusations from key allies, including the US, of not doing enough to protect Gaza's civilians from its war with Hamas. The findings are likely to renew scepticism over the Israeli military's decision-making. Palestinians, aid groups and human rights organisations have repeatedly accused Israeli forces of firing recklessly at civilians throughout the conflict a charge Israel denies. It's a tragedy, the military's spokesman, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, told reporters. It's a serious event that we are responsible for and it shouldn't have happened and we will make su

US policy to change if Netanyahu fails to protect Gaza civilians: Biden

Washington is Israel's top weapons supplier and the Biden administration has mostly provided a diplomatic shield for it at the United Nations

Will reopen border crossing with hard-hit northern Gaza, says Israel

Israel on Friday said it is taking steps to increase the flow of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, including reopening a key border crossing into hard-hit northern Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office announced the plans, just hours after President Joe Biden told him that future US support for the war in Gaza depends on Israel taking more action to protect civilians and aid workers. The announcement did not elaborate on quantities or types of items to be let in. Still, despite their differences, the Biden administration has continued to provide Israel crucial military aid and diplomatic support for Israel's six-month war against Hamas. Israel faces growing international isolation after its forces killed seven aid workers helping deliver food in Gaza. The Palestinian death toll soared above 33,000 people on Thursday, with another 75,600 wounded, Gaza's Health Ministry said. The ministry doesn't differentiate between civilians and combatants in its tally, but .

Six months into Gaza war, Israel's isolation grows with no end in sight

When Israel declared war against Hamas last October, it stood unified at home and enjoyed broad backing from around the world following an unprecedented attack by the Islamic militant group. Six months later, Israel finds itself in a far different place: bogged down in Gaza, divided domestically, isolated internationally and increasingly at odds with its closest ally. The risk of a broader regional war remains real. Despite Israel's fierce military onslaught, Hamas is still standing, if significantly weakened. The offensive has pushed Gaza into a humanitarian crisis, displacing more than 80% of the population and leaving over 1 million people on the brink of starvation. Yet Israel hasn't presented a postwar vision acceptable to its partners, and cease-fire talks remain at a standstill. Here are six takeaways from the first six months of war. BATTLEFIELD STALEMATE Israel declared war in response to Hamas' Oct. 7 cross-border attack, in which the militant group killed 1,200 people,

Joe Biden criticises Israel for death of 7 aid workers in Gaza airstrike

US President Joe Biden has criticised Israel, saying it has not "has not done enough" to protect civilians as he expressed "outrage" over the deadly strike that killed seven aid workers, including one American, in Gaza. Seven aid workers who were working for the World Central Kitchen, a charity delivering food to besieged Palestinians, were killed in the Israeli airstrike in Gaza on Tuesday. The victims comprised three British nationals, an Australian, a Polish national, an American-Canadian dual citizen and a Palestinian. In a statement on Tuesday, Biden said he is outraged and heartbroken by the tragic incident. They were providing food to hungry civilians in the middle of a war. They were brave and selfless. Their deaths are a tragedy. Israel has pledged to conduct a thorough investigation into why the aid workers' vehicles were hit by airstrikes. That investigation must be swift, it must bring accountability, and its findings must be made public, he said. Even more tragically,

Israel has to get Gaza war over 'fast' as it is 'losing the PR war': Trump

Former President Donald Trump offered a tough message to Israel in its war against Hamas on Thursday, urging the country to: Get it over with. In an interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt, Trump said that Israel is absolutely losing the PR war and called for a swift resolution to the bloodshed. Get it over with and let's get back to peace and stop killing people. And that's a very simple statement," Trump said. "They have to get it done. Get it over with and get it over with fast because we have to -- you have to get back to normalcy and peace. The presumptive GOP nominee, who has criticised President Joe Biden for being insufficiently supportive of Israel, also appeared to question the tactics of the Israeli military as the civilian death toll in Gaza continues to mount. Since Hamas militants attacked Israel on October 7, Israel's military has battered the territory, killing more than 30,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, and creating a humanitari

Highlights of the day: Earthquake of 5.3 magnitude hits Chamba region in Himachal Pradesh

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Palestinians seek April vote on UN membership, US says 'peace first'

The Palestinians want the Security Council to vote later this month on their revived request for full membership in the United Nations, despite the United States reiterating Wednesday that Israel and the Palestinians must first negotiate a peace agreement. Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian UN ambassador, said 140 countries recognise the state of Palestine, and we believe it is high time now for our state to become a full member at the United Nations. The Palestinians are making a fresh bid for UN membership as the war between Israel and Hamas that began Oct 7 nears its sixth month, putting the unresolved decades-old Palestinian-Israeli conflict in the spotlight after years on the back burner. During the Cold War between the former Soviet Union and the United States, Mansour said, countries were blocked from joining the UN, but they all eventually became members, including North Korea. The US doesn't recognise North Korea but didn't block its admission, he said, and asked why conditions

Gaza war has caused $18.5 billion in infrastructure damage, finds study

'The shock to Gaza's economy as a result of the ongoing conflict is one of the largest observed in recent economic history,' according to the report

'Outraged, heartbroken': Biden blames Israel as strike kills 7 aid workers

Outraged over the killing of seven foreign nationals in an Israel strike, the White House has squarely blamed Israel and sternly asked it to stop casualties in its war against Hamas

Palestinians seek full UN membership again, US almost certain to block it

Supporters of the Palestinians' request for full membership in the United Nations asked the UN Security Council on Tuesday to revive their application for admission submitted in 2011. But the United States is again almost certain to block it. The supporters' letter to the council president included the names of 140 countries that have recognised a Palestinian state, including members of the 22-nation Arab Group at the United Nations, the 57-nation Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, and the 120-member Nonaligned Movement. The Palestinians are making a fresh bid for UN membership as the war between Israel and Hamas that began on Oct 7 nears its sixth month, and the unresolved decades-old Palestinian-Israeli conflict remains in the spotlight after years on the back burner. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas delivered the Palestinian Authority's application to become the 194th member of the United Nations to then Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Sept 23, 2011, before addressing world

Australia outraged by death of aid worker in Israeli airstrike, says PM

The strike killed citizens of Australia, Britain and Poland as well as Palestinians and a dual citizen of the US and Canada

World Central Kitchen suspends Gaza operations after 7 workers killed

WCK confirmed that seven of its workers were killed in an apparent Israeli airstrike on a convoy of trucks delivering food in Deir al-Balah in the early hours of Tuesday morning

US pushes alternatives to Rafah invasion against Hamas in talks with Israel

Top American and Israeli officials held virtual talks Monday as the US pushed alternatives to the ground assault against Hamas under consideration by Israelis in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, a move the US opposes on humanitarian grounds and that has frayed relations between the two allies. President Joe Biden and his administration have publicly and privately urged Israel for months to refrain from a large-scale incursion into Rafah without a credible plan to relocate and safeguard noncombatants. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted that Israeli forces, which are trying to eradicate Hamas after the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, must be able to enter the city to root out the group's remaining battalions. The more than two-and-a-half-hour meeting by secure video conference was described by both sides as constructive and productive, as Washington encourages the Israelis to avoid an all-out assault on the city, where an estimated four battalions of Hamas fighters are ...

Israeli strike on Iran's Syria consulate killed two generals, says Iran

An Israeli airstrike that demolished Iran's consulate in Syria killed two Iranian generals and five officers, according to Iranian officials. The strike appeared to signify an escalation of Israel's targeting of military officials from Iran, which supports militant groups fighting Israel in Gaza, and along its border with Lebanon. Since the war in Gaza began nearly six months ago, clashes have increased between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah militants based in Lebanon. Hamas, which rules Gaza and attacked Israel on Oct. 7, is also backed by Iran. Israel, which rarely acknowledges strikes against Iranian targets, said it had no comment on the latest attack in Syria, although a military spokesman blamed Iran for a drone attack early Monday against a naval base in southern Israel. Israel has grown increasingly impatient with the daily exchanges of fire with Hezbollah, which have escalated in recent days, and warned of the possibility of a full-fledged war. Iranian-backed Houthi rebel

Israeli strike destroys Iran's consular building in Damascus, kills several

An Israeli airstrike destroyed the consular section of Iran's embassy in Syria, killing a senior Iranian military adviser and several others, Syrian officials and state media said on Monday. The strike appears to signify an escalation of Israel's targeting of Iranian military officials and their allies in Syria, which have intensified since Hamas militants - who are supported by Iran - attacked Israel on October 7. Israel, which rarely acknowledges such strikes, said it had no comment. The attack killed Iranian military adviser Gen. Ali Reza Zahdi, who led the elite Quds Force in Lebanon and Syria until 2016, according to the Iranian Arabic-language state television channel Al-Alam and pan-Arab television station Al-Mayadeen, which has reporters in Syria. Iranian Ambassador Hossein Akbari condemned Israel and said as many as seven people were killed. First responders were still searching for bodies under the rubble. Akbari said two police officers who guard the building were ...