Page 84 - Israel

Hostage families seek ceasefire deal by Biden; Israel sets conditions

Families of Israeli hostages held by Hamas called for all parties to immediately accept a proposal detailed by US President Joe Biden to end the nearly 8-month-long war and bring their relatives home, but Israel's government said conditions for a cease-fire still must be met. Biden outlined a three-phase deal Friday proposed by Israel to Hamas, saying the militant group is no longer capable of carrying out another large-scale attack on Israel. He urged the Israelis and Hamas to come to an agreement to release some 100 remaining hostages, along with the bodies of around 30 more, for an extended cease-fire. Cease-fire talks ground to a halt last month after a major push by the US and other mediators to secure a deal in hopes of averting a full Israeli invasion of Gaza's southern city of Rafah. Israel says the Rafah operation is vital to uprooting Hamas fighters responsible for the October 7 attack on southern Israel that triggered the war. Israel on Friday confirmed its troops were .

What is Israeli firm STOIC and how it tried to disrupt Lok Sabha polls 2024

OpenAI, in a key report, revealed that an Israeli-based political campaign management firm STOIC tried to meddle with the ongoing Lok Sabha elections in India

Israel offered Hamas a three-step road map to an enduring ceasefire: Biden

US President Joe Biden on Friday announced that Israel has offered to Hamas, a three-step roadmap to enduring ceasefire in the region. Now after intensive diplomacy carried out by my team and my many conversations with leaders of Israel, Qatar, and Egypt and other Middle Eastern countries, Israel has offered a comprehensive new proposal. It's a road map to an enduring ceasefire and the release of all hostages, Biden told reporters at the White House. This proposal has been transmitted by Qatar to Hamas, he said, adding that this new proposal has three phases. The first phase that would last for six weeks includes a full and complete ceasefire, a withdrawal of Israeli forces from all the populated areas of Gaza, release of a number of hostages, including women, the elderly, the wounded, in exchange for release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. There are American hostages who would be released at this stage, and we want them home, he said, adding that Palestinian civilians would .

Hamas 'no longer capable' of carrying out another major attack: Biden

President Joe Biden said Friday that Hamas is no longer capable of carrying out another large-scale attack on Israel as he urged Israelis and Hamas to come to a deal to release remaining hostages for an extended cease-fire. Biden addressed the nearly 8-month-old Israel-Hamas war as the Israeli military confirmed on Friday that its forces are now operating in central parts of Rafah in its expanding offensive in the southern Gaza city. This is truly a decisive moment, Biden said as he spoke of a three-phase deal that Israeli officials have offered Hamas. Israel has made their proposal. Hamas says it wants a cease-fire. This deal is an opportunity to prove whether they really mean it. Israel launched its war in Gaza after Hamas' Oct. 7 attack in which militants stormed into southern Israel, killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted about 250. Israel says around 100 hostages are still captive in Gaza, along with the bodies of around 30 more. Cease-fire talks ground to a

Stalled attempts by Israeli firm to interfere in Lok Sabha polls: OpenAI

OpenAI, the creators of ChatGPT, has said it acted within 24 hours to disrupt deceptive uses of AI in covert operations focused on the Indian elections, leading to no significant audience increase. In a report on its website, OpenAI said STOIC, a political campaign management firm in Israel, generated some content on Indian elections alongside about the Gaza conflict. "In May, the network began generating comments that focused on India, criticized the ruling BJP party and praised the opposition Congress party," it said. "In May, we disrupted some activity focused on the Indian elections less than 24 hours after it began." OpenAI said it banned a cluster of accounts operated from Israel that were being used to generate and edit content for an influence operation that spanned X, Facebook, Instagram, websites, and YouTube. "This operation targeted audiences in Canada, the United States and Israel with content in English and Hebrew. In early May, it began targeting audiences in India wi

Police arrest 'many' at Israel-Hamas war protest at UC Santa Cruz

Police in riot gear surrounded arm-in-arm protesters Friday at the University of California, Santa Cruz, to remove an encampment and barricades where pro-Palestinian demonstrations have blocked the main entrance to the campus this week. Many people were arrested, the university said. Campus, local and state police swarmed the protesters, and video from local news stations showed officers telling people to leave, then taking away signs and part of a barricade. There appeared to be some pushing and shoving between police and protesters. Officers carried zip ties and appeared to detain a few people. For weeks, encampment participants were given repeated, clear direction to remove the encampment and cease blocking access to numerous campus resources and to the campus itself, Scott Hernandez-Jason, a spokesperson for the university, said in a statement Friday. They were notified that their actions were unlawful and unsafe. And this morning they were also given multiple warnings by law ..

Blocked attempts from Israel-based firm to influence LS elections: OpenAI

Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar says it is a threat to democracy

Israel could have used smaller weapons to avoid deaths in Gaza, say experts

Defence experts who have reviewed debris images from an Israeli airstrike that ignited a deadly fire in a camp for displaced Palestinians questioned why Israel did not use smaller, more precise weapons when so many civilians were nearby. They said the bombs used were likely US-made. The strikes, targeting Hamas operatives, killed as many as 45 people sheltering in a temporary displacement camp near the southern Gaza city of Rafah on Sunday and have drawn international condemnation. Israel is investigating the attack but says that the Hamas targets were 1.7 kilometres away from a declared humanitarian zone and that its review ahead of the strike determined no expected harm to civilians. But displaced civilians were scattered throughout the area, and Israel had not ordered evacuations. So even if the tents that burned were not inside the marked humanitarian zone, the civilians there thought it was safe. Israel, which was attacked by Hamas on October 7, 2023, has not said how far the

Rafah strike: How India has responded to Israeli attack on refugee camps

MEA said that India is one of the first countries to recognise the state of Palestine in late 1980s

'All Eyes on Rafah' campaign irks Israel; 'Where were your eyes on Oct 7?'

'All Eyes on Rafah' campaign has gained massive traction, with numerous celebrities joining in to express solidarity with Palestine and condemn the deadly attack on Rafah camp in Gaza on May 26

China hosts Arab leaders at summit focused on trade, Israel-Hamas war

Chinese President Xi Jinping called for an international peace conference focused on the Israel-Hamas war and promised more humanitarian aid as he opened a summit with leaders of Arab states Thursday in Beijing. As war is raging causing tremendous suffering, justice can't be absent and the two-state solution can't be shaken, Xi said in a speech opening the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum. He called on Arab states to deepen cooperation in areas such as trade, clean energy, space exploration and health care. The summit attended by heads of state from Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Tunisia among others was set to focus on China's expanding trade ties and on security concerns related to the Israel-Hamas war. Beijing and the Arab states back the Palestinians in the conflict, where Israel is facing growing international condemnation after the strike in the southern Gaza city of Rafah in which at least 45 were killed over the weekend. The overall Palestinian death toll

Israeli official cautions war in Gaza may extend seven more months

Despite earlier considerations for a ceasefire-for-hostages deal with Hamas, the more hawkish faction of Israel's war cabinet advocated for proceeding with the Rafah offensive

US military-built pier in Gaza breaks apart: Here's all you need to know

A string of security, logistical and weather problems has battered the plan to deliver desperately needed humanitarian aid to Gaza through a US military-built pier. Broken apart by strong winds and heavy seas just over a week after it became operational, the project faces criticism that it hasn't lived up to its initial billing or its USD 320 million price tag. US officials say, however, that the steel causeway connected to the beach in Gaza and the floating pier are being repaired and reassembled at a port in southern Israel, then will be reinstalled and working again next week. While early Pentagon estimates suggested the pier could deliver up to 150 truckloads of aid a day when in full operation, that has yet to happen. Bad weather has hampered progress getting aid into Gaza from the pier, while the Israeli offensive in the southern city of Rafah has made it difficult, if not impossible at times, to get aid into the region by land routes. Aid groups have had mixed reactions bot

Israel's Knesset advances bill labelling UNRWA as 'terror organisation'

The bill's preliminary reading passed by a vote of 42-6

Explained: Why the 'All Eyes on Rafah' viral AI image is sweeping Instagram

As Israeli troops advance in an offensive on Rafah in the Gaza Strip, a campaign with the slogan 'All Eyes on Rafah' is gaining momentum

Israel says Gaza war likely to last another 7 months as tanks probe Rafah

The United States, Israel's closest ally, reiterated its opposition to a major Israeli ground offensive in Rafah on Tuesday while saying it did not believe such an operation was under way

Millions share 'All Eyes on Rafah' on social media: What does it mean?

Netizens have been showing their support for Palestinians reeling under Israeli strikes by posting the phrase ‘All Eyes on Rafah’ on social media. Watch the video to know more.

Nikki Haley signs Israeli artillery shells with 'Finish Them!' during visit

Former Republican presidential candidate and US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley advocates unwavering US support for Israel amid Gaza conflict

Algeria proposes UNSC resolution demanding Israel halt offensive in Rafah

Algeria is circulating a proposed UN Security Council resolution that would demand an immediate cease-fire in Gaza and order Israel to halt its military offensive in the southern city of Rafah immediately. The draft resolution, obtained on Wednesday evening by The Associated Press, also demands that the cease-fire be respected by all parties. It also calls for the immediate release of all hostages taken during Hamas' attack in southern Israel on October 7. Some diplomats said they hoped for a quick vote, even as early as Wednesday. It is our hope that it can be done as quickly as possible because life is in the balance, Chinese Ambassador Fu Cong told reporters. US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said: We're waiting to see it and then we'll react to it. The United States has vetoed multiple resolutions demanding a cease-fire in Gaza. The draft demands compliance with previous Security Council resolutions that call for the opening of all border crossings and humanitarian access

Hamas munitions caused fire in Rafah's displaced persons camp, says Israel

The Sunday night airstrike killed Hamas commanders Yassin Rabia and Khaled Nagar in a compound in the Rafah neighborhood of Tel Sultan