Page 18 - Palestine

Biden bats for hostage-for-truce deal; asks Israelis, Hamas to step up

President Joe Biden is looking past resistance from key Israeli officials as he presses Israel and Hamas to agree to a three-phase agreement that could immediately bring home dozens of Israeli hostages, free Palestinian prisoners and perhaps even lead to an endgame in the nearly eight-month-old Gaza war. Biden's big swing -- during a tough re-election battle -- could also demonstrate to a significant slice of his political base demoralised by his handling of the conflict that he's doing his part to end the war that has killed more than 36,000 Palestinians and left hundreds of thousands struggling to meet basic needs. White House officials on Monday said Biden's decision to make public what it describes as an Israeli proposal -- just one day after it was delivered to Hamas -- was driven by a desire to put Hamas on the spot. The move diverged from the US administration's position throughout the conflict to allow the Israelis to speak for themselves about hostage negotiations. "The ...

San Francisco police arrest 70 protesters for trespassing Israeli consulate

Police led protesters out of the building one by one and loaded them into police vehicles, their hands bound by zip ties

Highlights: India's FY24 fiscal deficit lower than full-year target, shows data

India GDP data release updates: Catch all the news updates on the release of India's Q4 GDP data here

'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

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

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

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

Gaza war: Israeli tanks push into heart of Rafah amid bombardment

Fire that killed 45 was caused by secondary blasts, says Israel military

Spain, Norway formally recognise Palestine as EU rift with Israel widens

Spain and Norway moved to formally recognise a Palestinian state with Ireland to follow suit on Tuesday in a coordinated effort by the three western European nations. Israel slammed the diplomatic move that will have no immediate impact on its grinding war in Gaza but adds to international pressure on Tel Aviv to soften its devastating response to last year's Hamas-led attack. Prime Minister Pedro Snchez said the Spanish Cabinet will recognise a Palestinian state at its Tuesday morning meeting. This is a historic decision that has a single goal, and that is to help Israelis and Palestinians achieve peace, Snchez, standing at the gates of the prime minister's palace in Madrid, said during a televised speech. Israel's Foreign Minister Israel Katz lashed out at Spain on X, saying Snchez's government was being complicit in inciting genocide against Jews and war crimes. Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said in a statement that for more than 30 years, Norway has been one of th

Netanyahu admits 'mistake' after Rafah strike kills dozens of Palestinians

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged Monday that a tragic mistake had been made after an Israeli strike in the southern Gaza city of Rafah set fire to a tent camp housing displaced Palestinians and killed at least 45 people, according to local officials. Israel has faced surging international criticism over its war with Hamas, with even some of its closest allies, particularly the United States, expressing outrage at civilian deaths. Israel insists it adheres to international law even as it faces scrutiny in the world's top courts, one of which last week demanded that it halt the offensive in Rafah. Israel's military had earlier said that it launched an investigation into civilian deaths after it struck a Hamas installation and killed two senior militants. Sunday night's attack, which appeared to be one of the war's deadliest, helped push the overall Palestinian death toll in the war above 36,000, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish .

Norway hands over papers for diplomatic recognition to Palestinian PM

Norway on Sunday handed over diplomatic papers to the Palestinian prime minister in the latest step toward recognising a Palestinian state, a largely symbolic move that has infuriated Israel. Ireland and Spain made a concerted pledge with Norway to recognise a Palestinian state, a historic move that increases Israel's isolation more than seven months into its grinding war against Hamas in Gaza. The handover of papers by Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide to the prime minister was made in Brussels, where Mohammad Mustafa is also meeting with foreign ministers of European Union nations and high-level EU officials on Monday to drum up support for the Palestinians. Norway itself is not part of the EU. The diplomatic move by the three nations was a welcome boost of support for Palestinian officials who have sought for decades to establish a statehood in east Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip territories Israel seized in the 1967 Mideast war and still controls. The ..

Sirens sound in Tel Aviv as Hamas says it fired rockets from Gaza

Rocket sirens sounded across central Israel, including in Tel Aviv, for the first time in months on Sunday and Hamas claimed to have fired a barrage of rockets from Gaza. The militants have continued to fire projectiles at communities around Gaza more than seven months into the war. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage from the latest barrage.

Scuffles erupt as protesters demand return of Israeli hostages held in Gaza

Scuffles between Israeli police and protesters erupted in Tel Aviv after thousands gathered to demonstrate against the government and demand that it bring back the hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza. Meanwhile, a small US military vessel and what appeared to be a strip of docking area washed up on a beach near the southern Israeli city of Ashdod, not far from the US-built pier on which the Israeli military said humanitarian aid is moving into the Palestinian territory. Also on Saturday, Israeli bombardments were reported in northern and central Gaza. Some protesters in Tel Aviv carried photos of the female soldiers who appeared in a video earlier in the week showing them soon after they were abducted during the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7 started the war between Israel and Hamas. Some held banners reading Stop the war and Help. They called on the government to reach a deal to release the dozens of hostages still in captivity. The protesters also called for the resignation

ICJ Gaza ruling: Why Israel fears another legal bombshell after ICC move

International Court of Justice to rule on Friday on South Africa's request to order Israel to implement ceasefire in Gaza

Can recognition by European nations bring Palestine closer to statehood?

"We're not going to allow the possibility of the two-state solution to be destroyed by force," said Pedro Sánchez, the Spanish prime minister

Two-state solution for Palestine should come through direct talks: Biden

Sullivan called Israel's decision to withhold funds from Palestinian authority 'wrong', noting that withholding funds destabilises the West Bank and undermines the search for security

Norway, Ireland and Spain recognise a Palestinian state in a historic move

Norway's prime minister says Norway is formally recognising Palestine as a state. Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said on Wednesday, There cannot be peace in the Middle East if there is no recognition. Gahr Store said the Scandinavian country will recognise a Palestinian state as of May 28. Several European Union countries have in the past weeks indicated that they plan to make the recognition, arguing a two-state solution is essential for lasting peace in the region. Norway which is not a member of the European Union but mirror its moves, has been an ardent supporter of a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine. The terror has been committed by Hamas and militant groups who are not supporters of a two-state solution and the state of Israel, the Norwegian government leader said.

Three more join the club: Which nations recognise Palestinian state so far?

Norway, Spain and Ireland have announced they will officially recognise Palestine as an independent state by May 28

Pro-Palestine protesters rally in rain in DC to mark painful past, present

Hundreds of protesters rallied within sight of the US Capitol, chanting pro-Palestinian slogans and voicing criticism of the Israeli and American governments as they marked a painful present the war in Gaza and past the exodus of some 700,000 Palestinians who fled or were forced from what is now Israel when the state was created in 1948. About 400 demonstrators braved steady rains to rally on the National Mall on the 76th anniversary of what is called the Nakba, the Arabic word for catastrophe. In January, thousands of pro-Palestinian activists had gathered in the nation's capital in one of the larger protests in recent memory. There were calls in support of Palestinian rights and an immediate end to Israeli military operations in Gaza. No peace on stolen land and End the killings, stop the crime/Israel out of Palestine, echoed through the crowd. Protesters also focused their anger on President Joe Biden, whom they accuse of feigning concern over the death toll in Gaza. Biden ..

Ultimatum raises pressure on Netanyahu to make postwar plans for Gaza

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is under mounting pressure from his own War Cabinet and his country's closest ally over postwar plans for Gaza, even as the war with Hamas shows no sign of ending. On Saturday, Benny Gantz, a member of the War Cabinet and Netanyahu's main political rival, said he would leave the government on June 8 if it did not formulate a new war plan including an international, Arab and Palestinian administration to handle civilian affairs in Gaza. Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, the third member of the Cabinet, has also called for a plan for Palestinian administration, and said in a speech this week that he wouldn't agree to Israel governing Gaza itself. The United States has meanwhile called for a revitalized Palestinian Authority to govern Gaza with assistance from Saudi Arabia and other Arab states ahead of eventual statehood. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan is expected to push those plans when he visits Israel on Sunday. So far, Netanyahu ha