Page 84 - Israel-palestine

Harris to meet Israeli official in Washington despite Netanyahu's rebuke

Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday is hosting a member of Israel's wartime Cabinet who is visiting Washington in defiance of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Benny Gantz, a centrist political rival of Netanyahu, is sitting down with several senior Biden administration officials this week, including Harris, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Jake Sullivan, the White House national security adviser. President Joe Biden is at Camp David, the presidential retreat just outside Washington, until Tuesday. An official from Netanyahu's far-right Likud party said Gantz did not have approval from the prime minister for his meetings in Washington and that Netanyahu gave the Cabinet official a tough talk underscoring the widening crack within Israel's wartime leadership nearly six months into the Israel-Hamas war. In her meeting with Gantz, Harris plans to press for a temporary cease-fire deal that would allow for the release of several categories of hostages being held by ...

Kamala Harris calls for immediate ceasefire in Gaza for next six weeks

US Vice President Kamala Harris has called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza for at least the next six weeks, as she called on the Israeli government to "do more" to increase the flow of aid in the war-ravaged enclave. Harris made the ceasefire call on Sunday during a speech in Selma, Alabama, to commemorate the 59th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, the annual remembrance of the landmark civil rights movement. The threat Hamas poses to the people of Israel must be eliminated, and given the immense scale of suffering in Gaza, there must be an immediate ceasefire for at least the next six weeks, which is what is currently on the table, Harris, 59, said. This will get the hostages out and get a significant amount of aid. This would allow us to build something more enduring to ensure Israel is more secure and to respect the right of the Palestinian people to dignity, freedom, and self-determination, the Indian-American leader said amidst applause from the audience. Hamas claims it wants

Netanyahu rival's visit to US highlights cracks within Israel's leadership

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rebuked a top Cabinet minister arriving in Washington on Sunday for talks with US officials, according to an Israeli official, signalling widening cracks within the country's leadership nearly five months into its war with Hamas. The trip by Benny Gantz, a centrist political rival who joined Netanyahu's wartime Cabinet following Hamas' October 7 attack, comes as friction between the US and Netanyahu is rising over how to alleviate the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza and what the postwar plan for the enclave should look like. An official from Netanyahu's far-right Likud party said Gantz's trip was planned without authorization from the Israeli leader. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Netanyahu had a tough talk with Gantz and told him the country has just one prime minister. Gantz is scheduled to meet on Monday with US Vice President Kamala Harris and national security adviser Jake Sullivan and on Tuesday with Secretary of St

Israel opts out of Cairo discussions on Gaza ceasefire, hostage release

A Hamas delegation arrived in Cairo on Sunday, expressing hope that the discussions would lead to a cessation of hostilities

Israeli attendance unclear as Gaza talks look ready to stumble: Report

Progress toward a pause in fighting has been stalled for weeks as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu bristled at Hamas conditions he termed 'delusional'

Corporate-controlled media failed in reporting from Palestine: Vijayan

The corporate-controlled media has failed in delivering accurate news from war-torn Palestine and a similar influence can be witnessed in the Indian media as well, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Saturday. Inaugurating the three-day international media festival at the Kerala Media Academy here, Vijayan said at the global level, the policy of the media has greatly been to hide the atrocities of Israel. "This is a time when media freedom is facing challenges across the world and in India as well. The world was in shock to know that over a hundred journalists lost their lives in the Israeli attack on Palestine's Gaza. Not just journalists, but women and children are also being murdered mercilessly," Vijayan said. Palestine is a free country and Israel has made Gaza an open jail but the corporate media houses have managed to keep this fact from the rest of the world, the CM said. The Left leader said, "The corporate-controlled media has failed in delivering accurate news

Biden OKs military air drops of aid into Gaza after dozens die in tragedy

President Joe Biden said on Friday that the US will begin air-dropping humanitarian assistance into Gaza, a day after dozens of Palestinians were killed during a chaotic encounter with Israeli troops. The president announced the move after at least 115 Palestinians were killed and more than 750 others were injured, according to Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry, on Thursday when witnesses said nearby Israeli troops opened fire as huge crowds raced to pull goods off an aid convoy. Biden said the air drops will begin in the coming days. Israel said many of the dead were trampled in a stampede linked to the chaos and that its troops fired at some in the crowd who they believed moved toward them in a threatening way. Biden made the announcement while hosting Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni at the White house.

Highlights: Bengaluru cafe blast case booked under UAPA, others by police

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Fresh ceasefire calls after Israel attacks Palestinians awaiting food

International leaders said the disaster reinforced the need for an immediate halt in fighting to alleviate the human suffering that has no parallel in recent memory

Deeply shocked, says India on killing of over 100 in northern Gaza

India on Friday said it is "deeply shocked" at the loss of lives in northern Gaza during the delivery of humanitarian aid, a day after more than 100 people were killed and over 700 injured in an incident. In a strongly-worded statement, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said such loss of civilian lives and the larger humanitarian situation in Gaza continues to be a cause for "extreme concern". "We are deeply shocked at the loss of lives in northern Gaza yesterday during delivery of humanitarian assistance," the MEA said. "Such loss of civilian lives and the larger humanitarian situation in Gaza continues to be a cause for extreme concern," it added. India also called for safe and timely delivery of humanitarian aid and assistance to the people of Gaza. "We reiterate our call for safe and timely delivery of humanitarian aid and assistance," the MEA said. There was no reference to Israel in the statement. More than 100 people were killed and over 700 injured when Israeli troo

US conducts 2 strikes against 6 anti-ship cruise missiles in Red Sea

The strikes come amid heightened tensions in the region, where Houthi fighters have carried out attacks on commercial and military shipping since November

Biden, Qatari leader urge ceasefire, humanitarian aid after Gaza tragedy

The devastating chaos unfolded as Israeli troops opened fire on hungry Palestinian civilians gathered around food aid trucks, as reported by CNN

Highlights of the day: Govt hikes windfall tax on petroleum crude

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Israel appropriates 650 acres of West Bank land near big settlement

The West Bank is among territories captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war and where Palestinians, with international support, seek statehood

Highlights of the day: No breakthrough on agri, fisheries subsidies at WTO

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Gaza war latest updates: No signs of a ceasefire, say Israel, Hamas

Israel, Hamas indicate no deal imminent after Biden's cease-fire claims. Watch the video to know the latest updates

At least a quarter of Gaza's population one step from famine, says UN

At least one quarter of Gaza's population 576,000 people are one step away from famine and virtually the entire population desperately needs food resulting in aid trucks being shot at, looted and overwhelmed by hungry people, top UN officials said on Tuesday. The officials from the UN humanitarian office and the UN's food and agriculture organisations painted a dire picture of all 2.3 million people in Gaza facing crisis levels of food insecurity or worse, and civil order breaking down especially in the north where food and other humanitarian supplies are scarce. And as grim as the picture is today, UN humanitarian coordinator Ramesh Ramasingham told the UN Security Council that there is every possibility for further deterioration. He said that in addition to a quarter of Gaza's population close to famine, 1 in 6 children under the age of two in northern Gaza are suffering from acute malnutrition and wasting, where the body becomes emaciated. Carl Skau, deputy executive director

Israel will halt Gaza war during Ramadan if hostage deal is fixed: Biden

United States President Joe Biden said Israel would be willing to halt its war on Hamas in Gaza during the upcoming Muslim fasting month of Ramadan if a deal is reached to release some of the hostages held by the militants. Negotiators from the US, Egypt and Qatar are working on a framework deal under which Hamas would free some of the dozens of hostages it holds, in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners and a six-week halt in fighting. During the temporary pause, negotiations would continue over the release of the remaining hostages. If a deal is reached in the coming days, this timeline would also include Ramadan, which starts around March 10. Biden's comments in an interview taped Monday for NBC's Late Night With Seth Meyers were the most detailed yet about a possible halt in fighting during the holy month a time of heightened religious observance and dawn-to-dusk fasting. Ramadan's coming up and there has been an agreement by the Israelis that they would not engag

EAM S Jaishankar voices 'great concern' over situation in war-ravaged Gaza

Underling that the conflict in Gaza is of great concern, India on Monday said the humanitarian crisis arising from conflicts required a sustainable solution that gives immediate relief to those most affected. Addressing the 55th Session of the UN Human Rights Council, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that terrorism and hostage-taking are not acceptable and hoped that the conflict does not spread within or beyond the region. India strongly condemned the terror attack by Hamas on October 7 last year. At the same time, we must be clear that terrorism and hostage-taking are unacceptable, he said in his address via video link from New Delhi. He said that international humanitarian law must always be respected. It is vital that the conflict does not spread within or beyond the region, he said, adding that the efforts must also focus on seeking a two-state solution where Palestinian people can live within Israelis. Speaking at an interactive session at the Munich Security ...

Palestinian PM submits govt's resignation in a bid to usher reforms

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh says his government is resigning, in a move that could open the door to US-backed reforms in the Palestinian Authority. President Mahmoud Abbas must still decide whether he accepts Shtayyeh and his government's resignation, tendered Monday. But the move signals a willingness by the Western-backed Palestinian leadership to accept shake-up that might usher in reforms seen as necessary to revitalize the Palestinian Authority. The US wants a reformed Palestinian Authority to govern Gaza once the war is over. But many obstacles remain to making that vision a reality.