Page 124 - Israel

US has Israel's back, but has responsibility to protect civilians: Blinken

"Hamas deliberately uses civilians as human shields and puts weaponry underneath schools and hospitals making the task incredibly challenging but one has to rise to that responsibility," said Blinken

US President Biden calls for humanitarian 'pause' in Israel-Hamas war

President Joe Biden said he thought there should be a humanitarian pause in the Israel-Hamas war, after his campaign speech Wednesday evening was interrupted by a protester calling for a cease-fire. I think we need a pause, Biden said. The call was a subtle departure for Biden and top White House aides, who throughout the Mideast crisis have been steadfast in stating they will not dictate how the Israelis carry out their military operations in response to the October 7 attack by Hamas. But the president has faced intensifying pressure from human rights groups, fellow world leaders and even liberal members of his own Democratic Party, who say that the Israeli bombardment of Gaza is collective punishment and that it is time for a cease-fire. In his comments, Biden was exerting pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to give Palestinians at least a brief reprieve from the relentless military operation that's left thousands dead and mired the 141-square-mile strip in a ..

We share goal of preventing spread of conflict in West Asia: US official

India and the US share the goal of preventing the spread of the current conflict in the Middle East, a senior State Department official said on Thursday, underlining that this would be an important topic of discussion during the 2+2 ministerial meeting in New Delhi next week. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken along with Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin would be in New Delhi on November 10 for the 2+2 dialogue with their Indian counterparts External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. The two sides would discuss the Indo-Pacific region, Russia and Ukraine along with the bilateral issues. They will be travelling to India for the annual 2+2 Dialogue, in which they have extended discussions with their ministerial counterparts. The 2+2 Dialogue was created in 2018," Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Donald Lu told reporters hours before Blinken left for a five-nation Asia trip. "(The 2+2 dialogue) allows our two countries to have ...

Hopeful of India designating Hamas a terror organisation: Israel Ambassador

Israel is providing to India more information relating to Hamas and it is hopeful that New Delhi will designate the group as a terrorist organisation as done by around 40 nations, Israeli Ambassador Naor Gilon said on Thursday. In an exclusive interview to PTI, the envoy said India is supporting Israel the way it wanted and that the current "crisis" only proved how strong the ties between the two countries are. Delving into various aspects of the Hamas-Israel conflict, he said Tel Aviv is fine with New Delhi sending humanitarian aid to people of Gaza as it is in support of extending humanitarian assistance to those in need. The ambassador, at the same time, underlined Israel's expectation from India to designate Hamas as a terrorist organisation. "We are in a process of providing information and making it very organised," he said, exuding confidence that New Delhi will heed to Israel's request. "Israel is doing it all around the world and not only in India. Hamas is already design

Gaza war temporary setback for Haifa port regional expansion: Chairman

Adding further momentum, global leaders announced in September a multinational rail and ports deal linking the Middle East and South Asia on the sidelines of the G20 summit

9,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war: Gaza Health Ministry

The Health Ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza said on Thursday that more than 9,000 Palestinians have been killed since war broke out more than three weeks ago. Dr. Ashraf al-Qudra, a ministry spokesperson, said 9,061 people have been killed in Gaza, including 3,760 who are under 18. More than 1,400 people have been killed on the Israeli side, the vast majority civilians killed by Hamas in its bloody October 7 incursion into Israel. The Health Ministry is part of the Hamas-run government but includes doctors and veteran civil servants who are not affiliated with the group. Its tolls from previous wars have held up to UN scrutiny, independent investigations and even Israel's tallies. Israel's ground troops advanced toward Gaza City on Thursday, as the US and Arab countries intensified diplomatic efforts to ease the siege of the Hamas-ruled enclave and bring about at least a brief stop to the fighting to help civilians. President Joe Biden suggested a humanitarian pause the day before, as

Efforts to pause fighting gain steam as Israeli troops push toward Gaza

Israel's ground troops advanced toward Gaza City on Thursday, as the US and Arab countries intensified diplomatic efforts to ease the siege of the Hamas-ruled enclave and bring about at least a brief stop to the fighting to help civilians. President Joe Biden suggested a humanitarian pause on Wednesday, as hundreds of foreign passport holders and wounded Palestinians were allowed out of Gaza for the first time, exiting via Egypt's Rafah crossing. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected back in the region on Friday. Arab countries, including those allied with the US and at peace with Israel, have expressed mounting unease with the war. Jordan recalled its ambassador from Israel and told Israel's envoy to remain out of the country until there's a halt to the war and the humanitarian catastrophe it is causing. More than 3,600 Palestinian children have been killed in 25 days of fighting, as bombings have driven hundreds of thousands of people from their homes and food, water and

Democrats fear that Biden's Israel-Hamas stance could cost him reelection

Democrats in Michigan have warned the White House that President Joe Biden's handling of the Israel-Hamas conflict could cost him enough support within the Arab American community to sway the outcome of the 2024 election in a state he almost certainly can't afford to lose in his bid for reelection. The situation has prompted the White House to discuss ways to alleviate tensions with some of the state's prominent Democrats, including several who have been vocal critics of the president about the war. The message has been relayed. We've had calls with the White House. We've had calls with DNC officials, said Abraham Aiyash, the third-ranking Democrat in the state House of Representatives, referring to the Democratic National Committee. We've been clear in saying the humanity should matter, but if that is not a calculation that you're going to make in this moment, recognize that there will be electoral reverberations to this. Michigan was a critical component of the so-called blue wall

Blinken will enter diplomatic maelstrom over Gaza war on new Mideast trip

Just weeks after a frenzied trip to the Middle East, Secretary of State Antony Blinken is returning to the region with a somewhat more nuanced message than he offered in the immediate aftermath of Hamas' bloody October 7 attack on Israel and Israel's military response. As he did last month, Blinken will stress U.S. support for Israel and try to prevent a wider Mideast war as he visits Israel and Jordan starting on Friday. But Blinken's agenda this time is more crowded and more complex as the conflict intensifies and the Biden administration grapples with competing domestic and international interests and anger. He'll push for the evacuation of more foreigners from Gaza and more humanitarian aid for the territory. He'll press Israel to rein in violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank committed by Jewish settlers. And, he'll stress the importance of protecting civilians even though the administration has yet to offer any criticism of Israel for strikes that have killed

Israel criticises South American nations after they cut diplomatic ties

Israel criticized Bolivia, Chile and Colombia on Wednesday after the South American countries undertook a series of diplomatic moves to protest Israel's military operations against Hamas in Gaza. Other Latin American countries, including Argentina and Brazil, have also increased their criticism of the impact that Israel's military operations are having on civilians. Israel on Wednesday called on Colombia and Chile to explicitly condemn the Hamas terrorist organisation, which slaughtered and abducted babies, children, women and the elderly, according to a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The call came hours after Chile and Colombia both recalled their ambassadors to Israel on Tuesday evening amid criticism of the killing of civilians in Gaza. Israel expects Colombia and Chile to support the right of a democratic country to protect its citizens, and to call for the immediate release of all the abductees, and not align themselves with Venezuela and Iran in support of Hama

First group of civilian evacuees leave Gaza via Rafah border crossing

Under the deal reached between Egypt, Israel and Hamas, a number of foreign nationals and critically wounded people will be allowed to leave the besieged territory

Israel-Hamas war: Dozens killed in Jabalia camp; latest updates

Israeli airstrikes hit a densely populated refugee camp in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, killing dozens and a Hamas commander. Jabalia is the largest of the Gaza Strip’s refugee camps. Watch the video.

IDF kills Hamas commander Ibrahim Biari, leader of Barbaric Oct 7 attack

He was also responsible for directing rocket fire at Israel and advancing numerous attacks against the IDF over the last two decades

Israel's name disappears from digital maps in China, says report

As the battle inside the tiny Hamas-ruled Palestinian territory intensified, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed international calls for a halt to the fighting

Israel's step by step offensive on Hamas risks extending war in Gaza

Five-day ongoing ground campaign to destroy the group that runs the Gaza Strip involves armed forces moving gradually into the Palestinian territory while backed up by tanks and artillery

Biden's Cabinet will push Congress to send aid to Israel and Ukraine

Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken will make the case Tuesday that the United States should immediately send aid to Israel and Ukraine, testifying at a Senate hearing as the administration's massive $105 billion emergency aid request for conflicts in those countries and others has already hit roadblocks in the divided Congress. President Joe Biden's Cabinet secretaries will be advocating for the foreign aid to a mostly friendly audience in the Senate, where majority Democrats and many Republicans support tying aid for the two countries together. But it faces much deeper problems in the Republican-led House, where new Speaker Mike Johnson has proposed cutting out the Ukraine aid and focusing on Israel alone, and cutting money for the Internal Revenue Service to pay for it. The drastically narrowed House proposal, which would cost more than $14 billion, faced immediate resistance among Senate Democrats -- and put pressure on Senate Republicans who ...

Cyprus prepares for potential migrant influx due to Israel-Hamas war

Cyprus is doubling the existing 1,153-person capacity of its main migrant reception camp as the island nation prepares for potentially a large influx of people if the crisis in neighbouring Israel and Gaza escalates, authorities said Monday. The Pournara reception camp on the outskirts of the capital Nicosia will see an increase in staffing to adequately provide needed care to new arrivals and expedite asylum application processing, Cypriot Interior Minister Constantinos Ioannou said in a statement. Authorities have evaluated different venues where migrants could be accommodated if arrivals exceed the capacity of the centre and would immediately ask the European Union to dispatch more personnel to help process asylum applications, the statement said. Nearly 200 migrants arrived in Cyprus aboard four separate boats on Saturday alone, likely setting sail from Lebanon which is 108 miles (174 km) from the country's eastern coastline - reported state broadcaster CyBC. Regular clashes

Israel pushes deeper into Gaza; Netanyahu rejects calls for cease-fire

Israeli ground forces pushed deeper into Gaza on Monday, advancing in tanks and other armoured vehicles on the territory's main city and freeing a soldier held captive by Hamas militants. The Israeli prime minister rejected calls for a cease-fire, even as airstrikes landed near hospitals where thousands of Palestinians are sheltering beside the wounded. The military said a female soldier captured during Hamas' brutal October 7 incursion was rescued in Gaza the first since the weekslong war began. It provided few details, but said in a statement that Pvt. Ori Megidish is doing well and had met with her family. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed her home, saying the achievement by Israel's security forces illustrates our commitment to free all the hostages. He also rejected calls for a cease-fire to facilitate the release of captives or end the war, which he has said will be long and difficult. Calls for a cease-fire are calls for Israel to surrender to Hamas, he told a pres

Putin claims that airport riots targeting Israelis were staged from Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday charged without offering evidence that Western spy agencies and their Ukrainian agents have helped engineer a riot in the southern region of Dagestan, where a mob stormed the airport after a flight from Israel landed there. More than 20 people were hurt none Israelis in clashes that Putin cast as part of US efforts to weaken Russia. Hundreds of angry men, some carrying banners with antisemitic slogans, rushed onto the tarmac of the airport in Makhachkala, the capital of the predominantly Muslim region, on Sunday night, looking for Israeli passengers on the flight from Tel Aviv. Police officers and civilians were injured and two of them were in critical condition, regional health authorities said. More than 80 people were detained in the unrest, according to police. Russia's Investigative Committee has opened a criminal probe on charges of organizing mass unrest. Russia has issued carefully calibrated criticism of both sides in the war ..

Reaction to Hamas attack leaves some Jews in Hollywood feeling unmoored

For the most part, people in the entertainment world could trust that they were on the same political page