Page 72 - Israel

Middle-east on edge after Israel's bombing of Lebanon to thwart attack

Israel's assault on Sunday morning was based, Israeli officials said, on intelligence that Hezbollah was about to fire thousands of missiles at northern Israel and drones at key intelligence center

One of Gaza's last working hospitals empties out as Israeli forces approach

One of Gaza's last functioning hospitals has been emptying out in recent days as Israel has ordered the evacuation of nearby areas and signalled a possible ground operation in a town that has been largely spared throughout the war, officials said Monday. The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah is the main hospital serving central Gaza. The military has not ordered its evacuation, but patients and people sheltering there fear that it may be engulfed in fighting or become the target of an Israeli raid. Israeli forces have invaded several hospitals over the course of the 10-month-old war, accusing Hamas of using them for military purposes, allegations denied by Palestinian health officials. Israeli evacuation orders now cover around 84 per cent of Gaza's territory, according to the United Nations, which estimates that around 90 per cent of Gaza's population of 2.3 million have been forced from their homes. Many have been displaced multiple times, fleeing with what they can carry

Economists suggest ending war to revive Israel's struggling economy

In Jerusalem's Old City, nearly all souvenir shops are closed. In Haifa's flea market, forlorn merchants polish their wares on empty streets. Airlines are canceling flights, businesses are failing and luxury hotels are half empty. Nearly 11 months into the war with Hamas, Israel's economy is struggling as the country's leaders grind ahead with an offensive in Gaza that shows no signs of ending and threatens to escalate into a wider conflict. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has tried to allay concerns by saying the economic damage is only temporary. But the bloodiest, most destructive war ever between Israel and Hamas has hurt thousands of small businesses and compromised international trust in an economy once thought of as an entrepreneurial dynamo. Some leading economists say a cease-fire is the best way to stop the damage. The economy right now is under huge uncertainty, and it's related to the security situation how long the war will go on, what the intensity will be and the .

With battered economy, infrastructure, can Lebanon afford war with Israel

The ferocious exchange of fire by Hezbollah and the Israeli military is raising fears of a regional war beyond the tense border. The risks for Lebanon are far greater than in 2006, when a monthlong war with Israel ended in a draw. Lebanon has struggled with years of political and economic crises that left it indebted, without a stable electricity supply, a proper banking system and with rampant poverty. And with Hezbollah's military power significantly greater, there are concerns that a new war would be far more destructive and prolonged. Can Lebanon afford any of it? Planning for a 2006 war repeat or worse Since Hezbollah and Israel began firing rockets and drones at each other a day after the start of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza on Oct. 7, the conflict has been mostly limited to border towns. But with the threat of a wider war, Lebanon has scrambled to equip hospitals with supplies and prepare public schools to open up to people seeking shelter. A rare Israeli airstrike in ..

Iran's foreign min vows retaliation against Israel over Haniyeh's death

Iran's foreign minister again has referenced his country's planned retaliation over the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran. Abbas Araghchi said late Sunday he made the remark in a conversation with Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani by telephone. Iran reaction to Israeli terrorist attack in Tehran is definitive, and will be measured & well calculated, Araghchi wrote on the social platform X. We do not fear escalation, yet do not seek it unlike Israel. Tajani said in a statement he called for restraint and to pursue a constructive approach, in order to stop the cycle of military actions in the region, which only risks bringing more suffering. It is important that Iran exercises moderation towards Hezbollah in order to avert an escalation on the Lebanese-Israeli border, where Italian soldiers of the UNIFIL contingent are operating, and towards the Houthis in order to avoid an increase in tensions in the Red Sea area, where Italy plays a leading role in the .

Hezbollah's Nasrallah says attack on Israel completed after drone attack

Expectations of an escalation had risen since a missile strike in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights last month killed 12 youths

Anti-Israel hackers published extensive amount of classified data: Report

The leaks involve tens of thousands of sensitive documents and emails stolen from Israeli institutions, including the Justice Ministry, it reported

IDF strikes Hezbollah rocket launchers as Israel declares 48-hour emergency

Israel's Defence Minister, Yoav Gallant, declared an emergency. This comes as a "special situation in the home front," which enables the IDF Home Front Command to issue restrictions

Israelis stage airstrikes in Lebanon, Hezbollah responds with drone attack

Israel launched airstrikes inside Lebanon early Sunday that its military said targeted positions of the Shiite militia Hezbollah. In a statement, the Israeli military accused Hezbollah of preparing to file missiles and rockets toward Israeli territory. In a self-defense act to remove these threats, the (Israeli military) is striking terror targets in Lebanon, from which Hezbollah was planning to launch their attacks on Israeli civilians, Israeli military spokesman, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, said. Hagari warned Hezbollah would soon fire rockets, and possibly missiles and drones into Israel. Sirens sounded in northern Israel soon after the warning. Lebanese media reported strikes in the country's south without immediately providing more details. Social media footage showed what appeared to be strikes in southern Lebanon. Israel's Ben Gurion International Airport outside Tel Aviv began diverting incoming flights and delaying others due to takeoff Sunday after the Israeli airstrikes in

Israel declares emergency for next 48 hrs amid rising tensions with Lebanon

As tensions continue to rise, the Israeli public remains on high alert, bracing for the possibility of further incidents

Hamas sending delegation to Cairo for update on ceasefire negotiations

In a statement, Hamas spokesman Izzat Al-Rishq said the team, led by senior official Khalil Al-Hayya, is traveling "at the invitation of the mediators in Egypt and Qatar."

ICC prosecutor insists court can issue warrants against Israeli leaders

The International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor on Friday called on judges to "urgently" rule on his request for arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and others linked to the Israel-Hamas war, saying the court has jurisdiction. It is settled law that the Court has jurisdiction in this situation, Prosecutor Karim Khan wrote in a 49-page legal brief. Khan called on a panel of ICC pretrial judges to urgently render its decisions on the requests he filed in May for warrants for Netanyahu, his defence minister, Yoav Gallant and three leaders of Hamas, two of whom have since been killed. The brief filed by Khan came in response to legal arguments filed by dozens of countries, academics, victims' groups and rights groups either rejecting or supporting the court's power to issue arrest warrants in its investigation into the war in Gaza and the October 7 attacks by Hamas in Israel. In his May request for arrest warrants, Khan accused Netanyahu, Gallant and three

Israeli strikes kill at least 16 in Gaza, say Palestinian officials

The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital received the bodies, including the remains of a woman and three children, after strikes overnight and into Thursday. An Associated Press reporter at the hospital counted the bodies. A man held the body of a child wrapped in a white shroud as a woman next to him wept, saying: My love, my soul. The Israeli offensive launched in response to Hamas' October 7 attack has killed over 40,000 Palestinians in Gaza, according to the local Health Ministry, which does not say how many were militants or civilians. Hamas and other militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in the October 7 attack and abducted around 250. Around 110 hostages are still inside Gaza, a third of whom are believed to be dead. The Israeli military says it has killed over 17,000 fighters, without providing evidence. It blames civilian deaths on Hamas because the militants fight in dense, residential areas. The United States, Qatar and Egypt have spent months trying to broker a ...

Israel-Hamas war: Israeli strikes kill 10 in Gaza, say Palestine officials

Palestinian health officials say Israeli strikes have killed at least 10 people in the Gaza Strip. The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital received 10 bodies, including the remains of a woman and three children, after strikes overnight and into Thursday. An Associated Press reporter at the hospital counted the bodies. A man held the body of a child wrapped in a white shroud as a woman next to him wept, saying: My love, my soul. The Israeli offensive launched in response to Hamas' October 7 attack has killed over 40,000 Palestinians in Gaza, according to the local Health Ministry, which does not say how many were militants or civilians. Hamas and other militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in the October 7 attack and abducted around 250. Around 110 hostages are still inside Gaza, a third of whom are believed to be dead. The Israeli military says it has killed over 17,000 fighters, without providing evidence. It blames civilian deaths on Hamas because the militants fight in den

Israeli tanks push deeper into central, southern Gaza, as Biden urges peace

A phone call between Biden and Netanyahu late on Wednesday followed a whirlwind trip to the region by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken that ended on Tuesday without producing a breakthrough

American Airlines extends suspension of flights to Israel amid Gaza war

American Airlines is suspending flights to Israel through late March, extending a break in service that started in the early days of the war in Gaza. A spokesperson for the airline said Wednesday that customers with tickets for flights to Tel Aviv can rebook at no extra charge or cancel their trip and get a refund. The airline said flights to Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv will be suspended through March 29. The airline updated a travel advisory on its website over the weekend. We will continue to work closely with our partner airlines to assist customers travelling between Israel and European cities with service to the US, the spokesperson said. Delta Air Lines extended its suspension of Tel Aviv flights through September 30 from August 31. United Airlines has suspended service indefinitely. All three airlines stopped flying to Israel shortly after the October 7 Hamas attack that started the war. Many other international airlines did the same, although some later ..

Hezbollah launches more than 50 rockets on Israeli-annexed Golan Heights

Lebanon's Hezbollah has launched more than 50 rockets, hitting a number of private homes in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights. The attack on Wednesday came a day after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with fellow mediators Egypt and Qatar as he pressed ahead with the latest diplomatic mission to secure a cease-fire in the war in Gaza, even as Hamas and Israel signaled that challenges remain. Hamas in a new statement called the latest proposal presented to it a reversal of what it agreed to previously and accused the US of acquiescing to what it called new conditions from Israel. There was no immediate US response. First responders in Golan Heights said they treated a 30-year-old man who was moderately wounded with shrapnel injuries in Wednesday's attack. One house was engulfed in flames, and firefighters said they prevented a bigger tragedy by stopping a gas leak. Hezbollah said the attack was in response to an Israeli strike deep into Lebanon on Tuesday night that killed o

Israel-Hamas war: Hezbollah fires around 50 rockets, hitting Golan Heights

Lebanon's Hezbollah has launched more than 50 rockets, hitting a number of private homes in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights. The attack on Wednesday came a day after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with fellow mediators Egypt and Qatar as he pressed ahead with the latest diplomatic mission to secure a cease-fire in the war in Gaza, even as Hamas and Israel signaled that challenges remain. Hamas in a new statement called the latest proposal presented to it a reversal of what it agreed to previously and accused the US of acquiescing to what it called new conditions from Israel. There was no immediate US response. First responders in Golan Heights said they treated a 30-year-old man who was moderately wounded with shrapnel injuries in Wednesday's attack. One house was engulfed in flames, and fire fighters said they prevented a bigger tragedy by stopping a gas leak. Hezbollah said the attack was in response to an Israeli strike deep into Lebanon on Tuesday night that killed

Blinken ends Mideast visit without cease-fire, warning 'time is of essence'

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken ended his ninth visit to the Middle East since the war in Gaza began without securing a cease-fire deal, warning on Tuesday that time is of the essence even as Hamas and Israel signalled that challenges remain. After meetings in fellow mediating countries Egypt and Qatar, Blinken said that because Israel has accepted a proposal to bridge gaps with the militant group, the focus turns to doing everything possible to get Hamas on board and ensure both sides agree to key details on implementation. Our message is simple. It's clear and it's urgent," he told reporters before leaving Qatar. "We need to get a cease-fire and hostage agreement over the finish line, and we need to do it now. Time is of the essence. There has been added urgency to reach a deal after the recent targeted killings of militant leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah in Iran and Lebanon, both attributed to Israel, and vows of retaliation that have sparked fears of a wider regional war. F

Israeli military retrieves bodies of six hostages from Khan Younis in Gaza

The current war in Gaza began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas gunmen stormed into Israeli communities