Page 17 - Israel

At least 6 dead, 86 injured in Israeli strikes targeting Houthis in Yemen

Israeli airstrikes hit Yemen's capital on Sunday, days after Houthi rebels fired a missile toward Israel that its military described as the first cluster bomb the rebels had launched at it since 2023. The Iranian-backed Houthis said multiple areas across Sanaa were hit. The Houthi-run health ministry said at least two people were killed and 35 others were wounded. The rebels' Al-Masirah satellite television reported a strike on an oil company, and video on social media showed a fireball erupting there. Israel's military said it struck the Asar and Hizaz power plants, calling them a significant electricity supply facility for military activities, along with a military site where the presidential palace is located. Sanaa residents told The Associated Press they heard explosions close to a closed military academy and the presidential palace. They saw plumes of smoke near Sabeen Square, a central gathering place in the capital. The sounds of explosions were very strong, said Hussein .

Deal on the table: IDF chief urges Netanyahu to accept hostage swap

The IDF chief, while visiting Israel's Haifa Naval base, revealed that there is a hostage deal on the table for Netanyahu to consider

Israeli forces intensify strikes on Gaza outskirts, expand ops in north

Tens of thousands of reservists are expected to report for duty on September 2, with the large-scale operation anticipated to follow in the coming weeks

Israeli airstrikes hit Yemen's capital, targeting Iran-backed rebels

Israeli airstrikes hit Yemen's capital, Sanaa, early on Sunday, just days after the country's Iran-backed rebels fired cluster munitions toward Israel, according to a local media report. The rebel Houthi-run al-Masirah channel reported the strikes, the first to hit the rebel-held Sanaa since August 17, when Israel said targeted energy infrastructure it believed was used by the rebels. Israel has not confirmed Sunday's attack. The Iran-backed Houthis have launched missiles and drones toward Israel and targeted ships in the Red Sea for more than 22 months. They say they are carrying out the attacks in solidarity with the Palestinians amid the war in the Gaza Strip. They are usually intercepted before landing in Israel. An Israeli Air Force official, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with military regulations, said the projectile fired from Yemen towards Israel on Friday night marked a new threat. The missile was a cluster munition a projectile that is supposed to detonate

After Op Sindoor, India plans major procurement of Israeli Rampage missiles

Post Operation Sindoor in May, the IAF plans to order a large number of Israeli Rampage air-to-ground missiles, already used successfully in precise strikes on Pakistan

Israeli defence minister warns Gaza may face destruction over Hamas row

Israel's defence minister warned on Friday that Gaza City could be destroyed unless Hamas accepts Israel's terms, as the country prepares for an expanded offensive in the area. A day after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would authorise the military to seize Gaza City, Defence Minister Israel Katz warned that the enclave's largest city could turn into Rafah and Beit Hanoun, areas reduced to rubble earlier in the war. The gates of hell will soon open on the heads of Hamas' murderers and rapists in Gaza until they agree to Israel's conditions for ending the war, Katz wrote in a post on X. He restated Israel's cease-fire demands: the release of all hostages and Hamas' complete disarmament. Hamas has said it would release captives in exchange for ending the war, but rejects disarmament without the creation of a Palestinian state.

18 arrested as Microsoft staff protest Israel military tech ties review

Worker-led protests erupted at Microsoft headquarters this week as the tech company promises an urgent review of the Israeli military's use of its technology during the ongoing war in Gaza. A second day of protests at the Microsoft campus on Wednesday called for the tech giant to immediately cut its business ties with Israel. The police department began making arrests after Microsoft said the protesters were trespassing. We said, Please leave or you will be arrested,' and they chose not to leave so they were detained, said police spokesperson Jill Green. Microsoft late last week said it was tapping a law firm to investigate allegations reported by British newspaper The Guardian that the Israeli Defense Forces used Microsoft's Azure cloud computing platform to store phone call data obtained through the mass surveillance of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. Microsoft's standard terms of service prohibit this type of usage," the company said in a statement posted Friday, adding

Iran's navy launches country's first military drill since war with Israel

Iran launched its first military exercise since the end of its 12-day war with Israel, state television reported Thursday, with navy vessels launching missiles at targets at sea in the Gulf of Oman and the Indian Ocean. While such drills are routine in the Islamic Republic, the 'Sustainable Power 1404' exercise comes as authorities in Iran are trying to project strength in the wake of a war that saw Israel destroy air defence systems and bomb nuclear facilities and other sites. The state TV report said naval vessels would fire cruise missiles at targets and use drones over the open water. It did not immediately air any footage from the exercise. Iran's navy, estimated to have some 18,000 personnel, apparently avoided any major attack during the June war. The navy, based out of the port city of Bandar Abbas, patrols the Gulf of Oman, the Indian Ocean and the Caspian Sea, and broadly leaves the Persian Gulf and its narrow mouth, the Strait of Hormuz, to Iran's paramilitary Revolution

Israel plans new phase of Gaza operation as ceasefire talks continue

Israel is preparing to launch an expanded military operation in Gaza City, possibly in the coming days, even as negotiators scramble to bring Israel and Hamas to a ceasefire to end 22 months of fighting. The Israeli military said Wednesday that the country's defence minister has approved plans to begin a new phase of operations in some of Gaza's most densely populated areas, and that it would call up 60,000 reservists and lengthen the service of an additional 20,000 reservists currently serving. It comes as human rights groups warn that a humanitarian crisis could worsen in Gaza, where most residents have been displaced, vast neighbourhoods lie in ruins, and communities are facing the threat of famine. A military official, speaking on the condition of anonymity in line with military regulations, said that the military will be operating in parts of Gaza City where the Israeli military has not yet operated and where it believes Hamas is still active. The official said that Israeli ..

Netanyahu accuses Australia of betrayal for recognising Palestinian State

Ties began taking a turn for the worse last week when Australia announced it would join France, the UK and Canada in recognizing a Palestinian state at next month's United Nations summit

Syrian, Israeli delegations meet in Paris as US pushes for normalisation

Syria's foreign minister held a rare direct meeting with an Israeli delegation in Paris on Tuesday, talks that were brokered by the United States as part of a diplomatic push for Syria and Israel to normalise relations despite a recent surge in tensions between them. Syria's state-run SANA news agency said Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani met with Israeli officials to discuss de-escalating tensions and restoring a 1974 ceasefire agreement a deal that established a demilitarised separation zone between Israeli and Syrian forces and stationed a UN peacekeeping force to maintain calm. The statement gave no details on the outcome of the Paris meeting. But a senior Trump administration official, who was not authorised to comment publicly on the matter, confirmed the talks. The United States continues to support any efforts that will bring lasting stability and peace between Israel and its neighbours," the official told The Associated Press, adding that the backing follows President ...

Record 383 aid workers killed in global hotspots in 2024, half in Gaza: UN

A record 383 aid workers were killed in global hotspots in 2024, nearly half of them in Gaza during the war between Israel and Hamas, the UN humanitarian office said Tuesday on the annual day honouring the thousands of people who step into crises to help others. UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said the record number of killings must be a wake-up call to protect civilians caught in conflict and all those trying to help them. Attacks on this scale, with zero accountability, are a shameful indictment of international inaction and apathy, Fletcher said in a statement on World Humanitarian Day. As the humanitarian community, we demand again that those with power and influence act for humanity, protect civilians and aid workers and hold perpetrators to account. The Aid Worker Security Database, which has compiled reports since 1997, said the number of killings rose from 293 in 2023 to 383 in 2024, including over 180 in Gaza. Most of the aid workers killed were national staff servin

Hamas agrees to ceasefire proposal in Gaza as Palestinian deaths exceed 62K

Hamas said Monday it has accepted a new proposal from Arab mediators for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip but Israel indicated its positions haven't changed, as Gaza's Health Ministry said the Palestinian death toll from 22 months of war has passed 62,000. US President Donald Trump appeared to cast doubt on the long-running negotiations that Washington has mediated as well. We will only see the return of the remaining hostages when Hamas is confronted and destroyed!!! The sooner this takes place, the better the chances of success will be, he posted on social media. Israel announced plans to reoccupy Gaza City and other heavily populated areas after ceasefire talks appeared to break down last month, raising the possibility of a worsening humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, which experts say is sliding into famine. Plans to expand the offensive, in part aimed at pressuring Hamas, have sparked international outrage and infuriated many Israelis who fear for the remaining hostages taken in th

Israel airdrops 161 food aid packages in Gaza with support from 9 countries

Also on Sunday, the Israeli military said tents and equipment to erect shelters will be provided to the Palestinians who have been displaced multiple times in 22 months of war

Israel's growing frustration over Gaza war sparks nationwide protests

Israeli police blasted crowds with water cannons and made dozens of arrests on Sunday as thousands of protesters demanding a deal to free hostages in Gaza aimed to shut down the country with a one-day strike that blocked roads and closed businesses. Groups representing families of hostages organised the demonstrations as frustration grows in Israel over plans for a new military offensive in some of Gaza's most populated areas, which many fear could further endanger the remaining hostages. Fifty hostages remain, and 20 of them are believed to still be alive. We don't win a war over the bodies of hostages," protesters chanted in one of the largest and fiercest protests in 22 months of war. Even some former Israeli army and intelligence chiefs now call for a deal to end the fighting. Protesters gathered at dozens of places including outside politicians' homes, military headquarters and on major highways. They blocked lanes and lit bonfires. Some restaurants and theaters closed in ...

Explained: What is Israel’s plan that could 'end' a Palestinian State?

Israel has announced plans to build more than 3,000 housing units in the highly contentious E1 area of the West Bank.

Best chapters of India-Israel partnership still lie ahead, says Netanyahu

Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday extended warm wishes on India's Independence Day calling for strengthening the flourishing ties and emphasising that the best chapters on bilateral ties still lie ahead. Sending his heartfelt greetings to President Droupadi Murmu and all the people of India, Herzog took to X to say: Your friendship with Israel in these difficult days strengthens us deeply. May the bond between our nations continue to flourish and may we soon see the safe return of all our hostages. Congratulating India and dear friend Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Independence Day, Netanyahu said Israel and India are two proud democracies, bound by history, innovation, and friendship. Our nations have achieved much together and the best chapters of our partnership still lie ahead, Netanyahu wrote in a message on X. Amir Ohana, who in 2023 became the first Speaker of the Israeli Knesset (Parliament) to visit India, also took to X posti

20 yrs since Israel's landmark Gaza withdrawal, conflict still continues

Twenty years ago, Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip, dismantling 21 Jewish settlements and pulling out its forces. The Friday anniversary of the start of the landmark disengagement comes as Israel is mired in a nearly two-year war with Hamas that has devastated the Palestinian territory and means it is likely to keep troops there long into the future. Israel's disengagement, which also included removing four settlements in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, was then-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's controversial attempt to jump-start negotiations with the Palestinians. But it bitterly divided Israeli society and led to the empowerment of Hamas, with implications that continue to reverberate today. The emotional images of Jews being ripped from their homes by Israeli soldiers galvanised Israel's far-right and settler movements. The anger helped them organise and increase their political influence, accounting in part for the rise of hard-line politicians like National Security Minister ...

Netanyahu lists 5 principles to end Gaza war, including security control

The five principles are: Hamas must be disarmed, all hostages - the living and the deceased - are to be returned

Israel set to expand settlements into West Bank to 'bury' Palestinian state

The West Bank-based administration of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas condemned the announcement