Page 96 - Israel-palestine

More than 20,000 Palestinians killed in Israel-Hamas war: Gaza officials

Health officials in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip say more than 20,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war between Israel and Hamas. The figure, amounting to nearly 1% of the territory's prewar population, is a new reflection of the staggering cost of the war, which in just over 10 weeks has displaced more than 80% of Gaza's people and devastated wide swaths of the tiny coastal enclave. Gaza's Health Ministry said Friday that it has documented 20,057 deaths in the fighting. It does not differentiate between combatant and civilian deaths. It has previously said that roughly two-thirds of the dead were women or minors.

Canada announces temporary visas for people in Gaza with Canadian relatives

People in the Gaza Strip who have Canadian relatives may apply for temporary visas to Canada, the country's immigration minister said Thursday. However, the federal government cannot guarantee safe passage out of the besieged Palestinian territory. Immigration Minister Marc Miller expects the program to be up and running by Jan. 9. Until now, the government has focused on getting 660 Canadians, permanent residents and their spouses and children out of Gaza. Miller said the government will start accepting applications for people with extended family connections to Canada, including parents, grandparents, siblings and grandchildren. He said people will be offered three-year visas if they meet eligibility and admissibility criteria. Miller said he's not sure how many people will be able to come to Canada under the program, but he expects the number will be in the hundreds. Miller said it's been difficult to get Canadians out of Gaza. We have limited ability, he said.

Israel established full 'operational control' over Gaza's Shejaiya: IDF

According to the IDF, dozens of tuneel shafts found in homes, schools, health clinics and weapons were destroyed

Over 0.57 mn people in Gaza are now 'starving' due to fallout from war: UN

A report released Thursday by the UN finds that more than half a million people in Gaza are starving because of not enough food entering the territory since the outbreak of war more than 10 weeks ago. It is a situation where pretty much everybody in Gaza is hungry," said World Food Programme chief economist Arif Husain. He warned that if the war between Israel and Hamas continues at the same levels and food deliveries are not restored that the population could face a full-fledged famine within the next six months. The report released Thursday by 23 UN and nongovernmental agencies found that the entire population in Gaza is in a food crisis, with 576,600 at catastrophic - or starvation - levels.

No discussion with Israel on Indian workers replacing Palestinian labourers

India on Thursday said it has not held any discussion with Israel on the possibility of Indian workers replacing Palestinian labourers in that country. Following a phone conversation between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu, an Israeli readout said the two leaders discussed "advancing the arrival of foreign workers from India to the State of Israel". "Let me clarify what we said in Parliament and what we said in Parliament stands," Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said at his weekly media briefing when asked about the issue. Bagchi also referred to a reply to a question on the matter from Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan in Parliament on December 14. "The government has not made any discussion with Israel regarding possible replacement of Palestinian labourers with Indian workers," Muraleedharan said in the Rajya Sabha. Bagchi said the minister's reply had clearly stated that "there have

Israel intensifies Gaza strikes, Hamas fires rockets amid truce talks

Fighting in the Gaza Strip escalated on Thursday with some of the most intense Israeli bombardment of the war and Hamas demonstrated its ability to rocket Tel Aviv

Brent hovers near $80 amid geopolitical tensions over Red Sea attacks

On Wednesday, Greece advised commercial vessels sailing in the Red Sea avoid Yemeni waters. Greek ship owners control about 20% of the world's commercial vessels in terms of carrying capacity

UNSC resolution on Gaza conflict hampered by issues important to US

The Security Council's adoption of a new UN resolution to spur desperately needed aid to Gaza has been bogged down by two issues important to the United States: a reference to a cessation of hostilities and putting the UN in charge of inspecting trucks to ensure they are actually carrying humanitarian goods. A vote on the Arab-sponsored resolution, first postponed from Monday, was pushed back again until Wednesday as council members continued intense negotiations to avoid another veto by the United States. We're still working through the modalities of the resolution, US National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said Tuesday afternoon when the vote was still set for 5 p.m. It's important for us that the rest of the world understand what's at stake here and what Hamas did on the 7th of October and how Israel has a right to defend itself against those threats. It was cancelled as the US asked for more time and is now scheduled to take place after an open council briefing follow

Israel keeps pounding Gaza, Yemen's Houthis vow more Red Sea attacks

The conflict has spread beyond Hamas-ruled Gaza, including into the Red Sea where Iran-aligned Houthi forces have been attacking vessels with missiles and drones

Intense negotiations at UN on Gaza aid resolution, trying to avoid US veto

UN Security Council members were in intense negotiations Tuesday on an Arab-sponsored resolution to spur desperately needed humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza during some kind of a halt in the fighting, trying to avoid another veto by the United States. US Deputy Ambassador Robert Wood told reporters Tuesday morning that negotiations were still underway. Ambassador Lana Nusseibeh of the United Arab Emirates, the Arab representative on the 15-member council, said she hoped the council could vote on a resolution early Tuesday afternoon. The council had scheduled a vote late Monday afternoon, but it was postponed to try to get the US to support the resolution or abstain. The US vetoed a Security Council resolution backed by almost all other council members and dozens of other nations demanding an immediate humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza. The 193-member General Assembly overwhelmingly approved a similar resolution on Dec 12 by a vote of 153-10, with 23 abstentions. The draft resoluti

PM Modi, Israel's Netanyahu hold talks on maritime security over Gaza war

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday held a "productive" conversation with his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu on the Israel-Hamas conflict including "shared concerns" over the safety of maritime traffic in the region. In the phone talks, Modi also highlighted India's consistent stand in favour of early restoration of peace and stability in the region with continued humanitarian assistance for the affected people. "Had a productive exchange of views with PM @netanyahu on the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, including shared concerns on the safety of maritime traffic," Modi posted on 'X'. "Highlighted India's consistent stand in favour of early restoration of peace & stability in the region with continued humanitarian assistance for the affected," he said. There have been concerns over the safety of maritime traffic in the region. A missile reportedly fired by Yemen's Houthi militants hit a commercial tanker in the Red Sea off the coast of Yemen last week triggering ...

Israel strikes south Gaza, raids hospital in north amid renewed US support

Israeli strikes killed at least 28 Palestinians in southern Gaza and troops raided one of the last functioning hospitals in the north as the country pressed ahead with its offensive against Hamas on Tuesday with renewed backing from the United States, despite rising international alarm. The offensive, launched in response to Hamas' October 7 attack into Israel, has killed nearly 20,000 Palestinians, displaced some 1.9 million, demolished much of northern Gaza and sparked attacks on US and Israeli targets across the region. Attacks on ships in the Red Sea by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels have led major shipping companies as well as the oil and gas giant BP to suspend trade through the vital waterway, prompting the US and its allies to launch a new mission to counter the threat. But after meeting with Israeli officials Monday, Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said he was not here to dictate timelines or terms." His remarks signalled that the US would continue shielding Israel fro

UNSC delays vote on resolution urging cessation of hostilities in Gaza

The UN Security Council delayed until Tuesday morning a vote on an Arab-sponsored resolution calling for a halt to hostilities in Gaza to allow for urgently needed aid deliveries to a massive number of civilians as members intensified negotiations to try to avoid another veto by the United States. The council said Monday's 5 p.m. EST vote would not take place, and diplomats said negotiations were taking place to get the United States, Israel's closest ally, to abstain or vote yes on the resolution. A key issue is how to implement and sustain a desperately needed aid operation. Human Rights Watch accused Israel earlier Monday of deliberately starving Gaza's population by blocking the delivery of water, food and fuel, a method of warfare that it described as a war crime. The United Nations' food agency reported on December 14 that 56 per cent of Gaza's households were experiencing severe levels of hunger, up from 38 per cent two weeks earlier. The draft on the table on Monday morning

US seeks to press Israel to wind down major combat operations in Gaza

US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin was expected to press Israel to wind down major combat operations in Gaza on a visit Monday, in the latest test of whether the US can leverage its unwavering support for the offensive to blunt its devastating impact on Palestinian civilians. France, the UK and Germany some of Israel's closest allies joined global calls for a cease-fire over the weekend, and Israeli protesters have demanded the government relaunch talks with Hamas on releasing more hostages after three were mistakenly killed by Israeli troops while waving a white flag. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted that Israel will keep fighting until it removes Hamas from power, crushes its still-formidable military capabilities and returns the dozens of hostages still held by the group after its Oct. 7 attack, which ignited the war. The US has vetoed calls for a cease-fire at the UN and rushed munitions to Israel while pressing it to take greater steps to avoid harming civilians.

Suspected cyberattack paralyses the majority of gas stations across Iran

Nearly 70% of Iran's gas stations went out of service on Monday following possible sabotage a reference to cyberattacks, Iranian state TV reported. The report said a software problem caused the irregularity in the gas stations. It urged people not to rush to the stations that were still operational. Israeli media, including the Times of Israel, blamed the problem on an attack by a hacker group dubbed Gonjeshke Darande or predatory sparrow. State TV quoted a statement by the Oil Ministry as saying more than 30% of gas stations remain in service. The country has some 33,000 gas stations. In recent years, Iran has seen a series of cyberattacks on its filling stations, railway system and industries. Surveillance cameras in government buildings, including prisons, have also been hacked in the past. In 2022, the Gonjeshke Darande group hacked a major steel company in the southwest of the country. A cyberattack on Iran's fuel distribution system in 2021 paralyzed gas stations across the

Israel faces new calls for truce after killing of hostages draws scrutiny

Israel's government faced calls for a cease-fire from some of its closest European allies and from protesters at home on Sunday after a series of shootings, including of three hostages who waved a white flag, added to mounting concerns about its conduct in the 10-week-old war in Gaza. The protesters urge the government to renew hostage negotiations with Gaza's Hamas rulers, whom it has vowed to destroy. Israel could also face pressure to scale back major combat operations when US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin visits Monday. Washington is expressing growing unease with civilian casualties even while as it provides vital military and diplomatic support. The war has flattened large parts of northern Gaza, killed thousands of civilians and driven most of the population to the southern part of the besieged territory, where many are in crowded shelters and tent camps. Some 1.9 million Palestinians nearly 85 per cent of Gaza's population have fled their homes. They survive off a trickl

Over four km long tunnel discovered adjacent to Gaza border, claims Israel

The Israeli military said on Sunday it has discovered a large tunnel shaft in Gaza close to what was once a busy crossing into Israel, raising new questions about how Israeli surveillance missed such conspicuous preparations by Hamas for the militants' deadly October 7 assault. The entryway to the tunnel is just a few hundred metres from the heavily fortified Erez crossing and a nearby Israeli military base. The military said it stretches for over 4 kilometres, links up with a sprawling tunnel network across Gaza and is wide enough for cars to pass through. The army said on Sunday that the tunnel facilitated the transit of vehicles, militants, and supplies in preparation for the October 7 attack. That day, militants used a rocket-propelled grenade to break past the portion of wall close to the Erez crossing and stormed the base, killing at least three soldiers and kidnapping some back to Gaza, the army said. It was one of several places along the border wall where militants easily

Egypt's Suez canal authority monitoring tensions in Red Sea amid Israel war

Iran-aligned Houthis have launched attacks against vessels in the region in protest against Israel's bombardment and invasion of Gaza that has killed almost 19,000 Palestinians

Israel presses ahead in Gaza as errant killing of captives adds to concern

Israel pressed ahead with its Gaza offensive on Sunday after a series of shootings, including of three hostages who were shirtless and waving a white flag, raised questions about its conduct in a 10-week-old war that has brought unprecedented death and destruction to the coastal enclave. Gaza remained under a communications blackout for a fourth straight day the longest of several outages over the course of the war, which aid groups say complicate rescue efforts after bombings and make it even more difficult to monitor the war's toll on civilians. Israel could come under further pressure to scale back major combat operations when U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin visits this week. Washington has expressed growing unease with civilian casualties and the mass displacement of 1.9 million Palestinians nearly 85% of Gaza's population even as it has provided vital military and diplomatic support to its close ally. The air and ground war has flattened vast swathes of northern Gaza and

US presses Israel to shift from combat as Iranian-backed attacks escalate

The top two US military leaders are travelling to Tel Aviv to advise the Israeli government on how to transition from major combat operations against Hamas in Gaza to a more limited campaign and prevent a wider regional war. Their trip comes as Iranian-backed militants on Saturday launched a wave of attack drones against ships in the Red Sea and said they would continue until Israel's aggression ends. One of the American warships assigned to the Ford carrier strike group, the destroyer USS Carney, successfully engaged 14 one-way attack drones launched from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, US Central Command said in a statement. Britain reported that a Royal Navy destroyer downed another drone that was targeting commercial ships. It was the latest in a series of attacks threatening commercial and US Navy ships in the Red Sea that have escalated after Israel intensified its response to the Hamas' strike against Israel on October 7. Israel is stinging from the deadliest attack ever