Page 116 - Israel

Biden's allies in Senate demand that Israel limit civilian deaths in Gaza

As a cease-fire ticked down last week and Israel prepared to resume its round-the-clock airstrikes, Sen. Bernie Sanders and a robust group of Democratic senators had a message for their president: They were done asking nicely for Israel to do more to reduce civilian casualties in Gaza. Lawmakers warned President Joe Biden's national security team that planned U.S. aid to Israel must be met with assurances of concrete steps from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's hard-right government. The truth is that if asking nicely worked, we wouldn't be in the position we are today, Sanders of Vermont said in a floor speech. It was time for the United States to use its substantial leverage with its ally, Sanders said. And we all know what that leverage is, he said, adding, the blank-check approach must end. With Biden's request for a nearly $106 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel and other national security needs hanging in the balance, the senators' tougher line on Israel has ..

Israel-Hamas war: Israeli negotiators leave Qatar as truce talks break down

During a seven-day truce, 105 hostages were released, including 81 Israelis and 24 foreign nationals. In exchange, Israel freed 210 Palestinian prisoners -- all of whom were women or minors

Palestinian toll crosses 15,200, 70% of them women, children: Hamas

The Health Ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said the death toll has surpassed 15,200 and that 70 per cent of those killed were women and children. The figure was announced on Saturday by ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qidra, who did provide further details. The previous toll given by the ministry was more than 13,300 dead. Al-Qidra did not explain the sharp jump. However, the ministry had only been able to provide sporadic updates since November 11, amid problems with connectivity and major war-related disruptions in hospital operations. The ministry does not differentiate between civilians and combatants.

Israeli offensive moves south Gaza as truce ends, 200 Palestinians killed

Israel pounded targets in the crowded southern half of the Gaza Strip on Saturday and ordered more neighbourhoods designated for attack to evacuate, driving up the death toll even as the United States and others urged it to do more to protect Gaza civilians. At least 200 Palestinians have been killed since the fighting resumed on Friday morning following a weeklong truce with the territory's ruling militant group Hamas, according to the Health Ministry in Gaza. Separately, the ministry announced that the overall death toll in Gaza since the October 7 start of the Israel-Hamas war surpassed 15,200, a sharp jump from the previous count of more than 13,300. The ministry had stopped issuing daily updates of the overall toll on November 11, following war-related disruptions of connectivity and hospital operations. The ministry does not differentiate between civilians and combatants, but said on Saturday that 70 per cent of the dead were women and children. It said more than 40,000 people

New urgency hangs over Antony Blinken's trip as Israel-Hamas war resumes

Netanayhu, who had warned all along that the campaign would resume, was similarly unsparing in his description of Israel's goals

Israel Prez seeks India's help in release of hostages held captive by Hamas

Israel on Friday said President Isaac Herzog sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi's help in promoting ways to secure the release of the remaining hostages held by Hamas militants in Gaza. Israeli President Herzog held a meeting with Prime Minister Modi on the sidelines of the COP28 UN Climate Conference in Dubai. The (Indian) Prime Minister expressed to the President his strong condemnation of the massacre and acts of terrorism committed by Hamas, a communication from Herzog's spokesperson said. Herzog called upon all the world leaders to join hands in the humanitarian effort to return all the hostages home swiftly and safely. He appealed to the Prime Minister of India to do all he could to promote the issue, the communication added. The Ministry of External Affairs said the two leaders exchanged views on the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict in the region. "The Prime Minister expressed his condolences on the loss of lives in the October 7 terror attacks and welcomed the release of ...

Israeli fighter jets hit Hamas targets in Gaza Strip as war resumes

Israeli fighter jets hit Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip on Friday shortly after a weeklong truce expired, the military said, as the war resumed in full force. Airstrikes hit southern Gaza, including the community of Abassan east of the town of Khan Younis, the Interior Ministry in the Hamas-run territory said. Another strike hit a home northwest of Gaza City. Live footage from the Gaza Strip showed black smoke billowing from the territory. The Israeli military's announcement of the strikes came only 30 minutes after the cease-fire expired at 7 a.m. (0500 GMT) Friday. Earlier Friday, Israel accused Hamas of having violated the terms of the cease-fire, including by firing rockets toward Israel from Gaza. The halt in fighting began Nov. 24. It initially lasted for four days, and then was extended for several days with the help of Qatar and fellow mediator Egypt. During the week-long truce, Hamas and other militants in Gaza released more than 100 hostages, most of them Israelis, in

More Israeli hostages freed by Hamas as truce in Gaza lasts another day

Hamas began freeing Israeli hostages Thursday in exchange for the release of more Palestinian prisoners under a last-minute deal to extend their cease-fire in Gaza by another day. But any further renewal of the truce, now in its seventh day, could prove more daunting since Hamas is expected to set a higher price for many of the remaining hostages. Hamas freed two Israeli women Thursday afternoon, and in the evening six more hostages were handed over to the Red Cross in Gaza and were being brought to Israel, the Israeli military said. International pressure has mounted for the truce to continue as long as possible after weeks of Israeli bombardment and a ground campaign following Hamas' deadly Oct. 7 attack on Israel that triggered the war. Thousands of Palestinians in Gaza have been killed and more than three-quarters of the population of 2.3 million have been uprooted, leading to a humanitarian crisis. Israel has vowed to resume the fighting with the goal of dismantling Hamas onc

Israel and Hamas agree to extend truce, minutes before it was to expire

The truce has allowed much needed humanitarian aid into Gaza after much of the coastal territory of 2.3 million was reduced to wasteland in response to a deadly rampage by Hamas militants

Israel-Hamas fail to agree for next hostage swap, truce set to expire

Doron Spielman, a spokesman for the Israeli military, said in a briefing on social media that no agreement had been reached regarding the next hostages to be released

Last release of hostages in Gaza begins as mediators aim to extend truce

International mediators worked to extend the truce in Gaza, encouraging Hamas militants to keep freeing hostages in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners and further relief from Israel's air and ground offensive. The cease-fire will otherwise end within a day. Two Russian-Israeli women freed by Hamas entered Israel Wednesday evening, the military said. The release was expected to be followed by the swap of 10 more hostages in Gaza for 30 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. Israel has welcomed the release of dozens of hostages in recent days and says it will maintain the truce if Hamas keeps freeing captives. Still, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu underscored on Wednesday that Israel will resume its campaign to eliminate Hamas, which has ruled Gaza for 16 years and orchestrated the deadly attack on Israel that triggered the war "After this phase of returning our abductees is exhausted, will Israel return to fighting? So my answer is an unequivocal yes," he said. "Ther

Israel-Hamas war: Mediators look to extend truce in Gaza on its final day

International mediators worked on Wednesday to extend the truce in Gaza, hoping the territory's Hamas rulers will keep freeing hostages in return for the release of Palestinian prisoners and further respite from Israel's air and ground offensive. It will otherwise expire within a day. Israel has welcomed the release of dozens of hostages in recent days and says it will maintain the truce if Hamas keeps freeing captives. But its other major goal the annihilation of the armed group that has ruled Gaza for 16 years could be slipping out of reach. Weeks of heavy aerial bombardment and a ground invasion have demolished vast swathes of northern Gaza and killed thousands of Palestinians. But it seems to have had little effect on Hamas' rule, evidenced by its ability to conduct complex negotiations, enforce the cease-fire among other armed groups, and orchestrate the smooth release of hostages. Hamas' leader in Gaza, Yehya Sinwar, and other commanders have likely relocated to the south, .

India supports resolution demanding Israel's withdrawal from Syrian Golan

India has voted in favour of a draft resolution in the UN General Assembly that expressed deep concern over Israel not withdrawing from the Syrian Golan. The Syrian Golan is a region in southwest Syria that was occupied by Israeli forces on June 5, 1967. The 193-member UN General Assembly voted on the draft resolution The Syrian Golan' under agenda item The situation in the Middle East' on Tuesday. The resolution, introduced by Egypt, was adopted by a recorded vote with 91 in favour, eight against and 62 abstentions. Apart from India, those voting in favour of the resolution included Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Malaysia, Maldives, Nepal, Russia, South Africa, Sri Lanka and the United Arab Emirates. Australia, Canada, Israel, the UK and the US voted against it. The resolution said it is deeply concerned that Israel has not withdrawn from the Syrian Golan, which has been under occupation since 1967, contrary to the relevant Security Council and General Assembly resolutions. The ...

Gaza truce: Hamas and Israel exchange more hostages for prisoners on day 5

Hamas released 12 hostages and Israel released 30 Palestinian prisoners on Tuesday, the fifth day of a fragile cease-fire that has enabled humanitarian aid to flow into Gaza and that mediators hope to extend even as Israel pledges to resume the war. Israel said 10 of its citizens and two Thai nationals freed by Hamas returned to Israel. Soon after, Israel released the Palestinian prisoners. The truce is due to end after one more exchange Wednesday night. CIA director William Burns and David Barnea, who heads Israel's Mossad intelligence agency, were in Qatar, a key mediator with Hamas, to discuss extending the cease-fire and releasing more hostages, a diplomat said on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the talks. A US official confirmed Burns was in Qatar, speaking anonymously because the director's travel plans are not publicised for security reasons. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is set to visit the region this week, also with an eye to extending the ...

Any campaign in south Gaza must avoid civilian displacement: US to Israel

The Biden administration has told Israel that it must work to avoid "significant further displacement" of Palestinian civilians in southern Gaza if it renews its ground campaign aimed at eradicating the Hamas militant group, senior US officials said. The Democratic administration, seeking to avoid more large-scale civilian casualties or mass displacement like that seen before the current temporary pause in the fighting, underscored to the Israelis that they must operate with far greater precision in southern Gaza than they did in the north, the officials said, briefing reporters on condition of anonymity under ground rules set by the White House. Amid mounting international and domestic pressure about the rising Palestinian death toll, the White House has begun to put greater pressure on Israel that the manner of the coming campaign must be "carefully thought through", according to one of the officials. The Israelis have been receptive when administration officials have raised these

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Israel and Hamas trade blame amid truce violation claims, says report

Israel, US spy chiefs meet Qatar PM; Blinken to visit the region this week

Blinken will return to Israel as US hopes to see extensions of cease-fire

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will return this week to the Middle East as the US hopes to find a way to extend a cease-fire in Gaza and get more hostages released, the State Department said. It will be his third trip to the region since Israel's war with Hamas began last month. Blinken will travel to Israel and the West Bank after attending Ukraine-focused meetings on Tuesday and Wednesday in Brussels and Skopje, North Macedonia, where foreign ministers from NATO and the Organisation for Peace and Security in Europe are gathering. Israel has agreed to pauses in its military operations in exchange for the gradual release of hostages taken by Hamas during its October 7 attacks on Israel. The agreement had been due to expire Monday but was extended for an additional two days, meaning the extension will be expiring just as Blinken is arriving in Israel. White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Monday the US hopes to see the pause extended further, but it is

Hamas releases 11 Israeli hostages on fourth day of truce, confirms IDF

Moreover, the 11 Israeli hostages released from Gaza were identified from five families

Truce between Israel and Hamas extended by two days: Qatar official

Israel offering a day's pause in fighting for every 10 additional hostages released by Hamas