Page 24 - Israel

Macron's decision to recognise Palestinian state in Sept angers Israel, US

French President Emmanuel Macron's decision to recognise a Palestinian state, prompting similar moves from other Western nations, angered Israel and its US ally by putting a two-state solution back at the heart of diplomatic efforts to end the devastating war in Gaza. In a letter to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week, Macron wrote that our determination to see the Palestinian people have their own state is rooted in our conviction that lasting peace is essential to the security of the state of Israel. France's diplomatic efforts stem from our outrage at the appalling humanitarian disaster in Gaza, for which there can be no justification, Macron added. Israel on Friday declared Gaza's largest city a combat zone as the death toll surpassed 63,000 Palestinians, according to the territory's Health Ministry, since the war started on October 7, 2023, with a Hamas-led attack on Israel. France, the UK, Canada, Australia and Malta have said they would formalize their pledge

Israeli airstrike kills Houthi rebel prime minister in Yemen's Sanaa

An Israeli airstrike killed the prime minister of the Houthi rebel-controlled government in Yemen's capital Sanaa, the Houthis said Saturday. He was the most senior Houthi official killed in the Israeli-U.S. campaign against the Iranian-backed rebels. Ahmed al-Rahawi was killed in Thursday's strike in Sanaa along with a number of ministers, the rebels said in a statement. Other ministers and officials were wounded, the statement added without providing details. The premier was targeted along with other members of his Houthi-controlled government during a routine workshop held by the government to evaluate its activities and performance over the past year, the Houthi statement said. Thursday's strike took place as the rebel-owned television station was broadcasting a speech by Abdul Malik al-Houthi, the secretive leader of the rebel group, in which he was sharing updates on the latest Gaza developments and vowing retaliation against Israel. Senior Houthi officials used to gather to .

Israel may halt or slow aid to northern Gaza as military offensive grows

Israel will soon halt or slow humanitarian aid into parts of northern Gaza as it expands its military offensive against Hamas, an official said Saturday, a day after Gaza City was declared a combat zone. The decision was likely to bring more condemnation of Israel's government as frustration grows in the country and abroad over dire conditions for both Palestinians and remaining hostages in Gaza after nearly 23 months of war. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media, told The Associated Press that Israel will stop airdrops over Gaza City in the coming days and reduce the number of aid trucks arriving as it prepares to evacuate hundreds of thousands of people south. Israel on Friday ended daytime pauses in fighting to allow aid delivery, describing Gaza City as a Hamas stronghold and alleging that a tunnel network remains in use. The United Nations and partners have said the pauses, airdrops and other recent measures fel

US criticism of India over Ukraine 'deeply troubling', says Jewish group

American Jewish Committee defends India over Russian oil purchases, urging Washington to reset ties after Trump's tariffs and Peter Navarro's "Modi's war" remarks

Israel declares Gaza's largest city combat zone, halts humanitarian pauses

Israel's military on Friday said it was suspending mid-day pauses to allow the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza City, calling it a a dangerous combat zone. The city was among the places that Israel paused fighting last month to allow food and aid supplies to enter from 10 am to 8 pm. The tactical pauses lasted applied to Gaza City, Deir al-Balah and Muwasi, three places where hundreds of thousands of displaced people are sheltering. The pivot comes as Israel prepares to broaden its offensive, mobilising tens of thousands of troops to seize Gaza City. Israel's military did not say whether they had notified residents or aid groups about the plans to resume daytime hostilities. Israel has said in the past that Gaza City is a Hamas stronghold, with a network of tunnels that remain in use by militants after several previous large-scale raids. The city also is home to some of the territory's critical infrastructure and health facilities. The United Nations said Thursday that the ...

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Israeli drone strikes kill 8 Syrian soldiers in Damascus suburb of Kiswah

Israeli drone strikes on a southern suburb of the Syrian capital Damascus killed eight soldiers and wounded others, officials and a war monitor reported Wednesday. Syria's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that drone strikes Tuesday in the southern Damascus suburb of Kiswah killed eight soldiers. It called the attack a grave violation of international law and clear breach of (Syria's) sovereignty and territorial integrity. It also comes in the context of the repeated aggressive policies pursued by the Israeli occupation aimed at undermining security and stability in the region, the statement said. The Israeli military did not comment on the strikes. Late Wednesday evening, Syrian state news agency SANA reported more Israeli strikes and an airdrop commando raid in the area, the details of which are not known. SANA reported that the initial strikes on Tuesday had targeted soldiers who, while on patrol, discovered surveillance and eavesdropping devices." Ongoing strikes prevented

Microsoft to probe Israel tech use, condemns protest at Brad Smith's office

An employee group called 'No Azure for Apartheid' says that by selling software and AI tools to Israel's military, the company's Azure cloud service is profiting from the deaths of civilians

Fight against antisemitism must not be weaponised: Macron tells Netanyahu

The tensions come after Netanyahu, in mid-August, accused Macron of fuelling antisemitism in France by announcing that the country would recognise a Palestinian state during a UN meeting in September

Israeli lab grows human kidney that lasts 34 weeks in medical first

An Israeli hospital has created the first lab-grown kidney to survive 34 weeks, a milestone that could change future treatments for kidney diseases

AP freelancer among 4 journos killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza hospital

Israeli strikes on a hospital in southern Gaza killed four journalists on Monday, including a freelancer who worked for The Associated Press, according to health officials. Mariam Dagga, 33, a visual journalist, freelanced for the AP during the war, as well as other news outlets. The AP said in a statement that it was shocked and saddened to learn of Dagga's death, along with those of other journalists. Two missiles hit Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, medical officials said. In all, 19 people were killed, according to Zaher al-Waheidi, head of the Gaza Health Ministry's records department. The Israel-Hamas war has been one of the bloodiest conflicts for media workers, with at least 192 journalists killed in Gaza in the 22-month conflict, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. Comparatively, 18 journalists have been killed so far in Russia's war in Ukraine, according to the CPJ. Dagga, who has a 12-year-old son who was evacuated from Gaza earlier in the war, frequently .

Nikki Bhati dowry death case, RBI on US tariffs, Fitch affirms India’s rating at ‘BBB-’ & more top #newsinamin

RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra on Monday said the central bank will respond with policy measures if the 50% US tariffs, effective Wednesday, hurt India’s growth.

Israel could withdraw from Lebanon if Hezbollah is disarmed: Netanyahu

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he welcomed the Lebanese cabinet's momentous decision earlier this month to work towards the disarmament of Hezbollah by the end of 2025 and it could lead to Israel's troops withdrawing from the country. He said that if Lebanon takes the necessary steps to disarm Hezbollah, then Israel will respond with reciprocal measures, including a phased reduction of the Israeli military presence in southern Lebanon. Since the Israel-Hezbollah war ended in November with a US-brokered ceasefire, Hezbollah officials have said the group will not discuss its disarmament until Israel withdraws from five hills it controls inside Lebanon and stops almost daily airstrikes that have killed or wounded hundreds of people, most of them Hezbollah members. Beirut is under US pressure to disarm the group that recently fought a 14-month war with Israel and was left gravely weakened, with many of its political and military leaders dead.

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