Page 25 - Palestine

Palestinians hope vote in UNGA will show wide support for a Gaza cease-fire

The Palestinians are hoping that a vote Tuesday in the UN General Assembly on a nonbinding resolution demanding an immediate humanitarian cease-fire will demonstrate widespread global support for ending the Israel-Hamas war, now in its third month. After the United States vetoed a resolution in the Security Council on Friday demanding a humanitarian cease-fire, Arab and Islamic nations called for an emergency session of the 193-member General Assembly on Tuesday afternoon to vote on a resolution making the same demand. Unlike Security Council resolutions, General Assembly resolutions are not legally binding. But as UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said Monday, the assembly's messages "are also very important" and reflect world opinion. Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian ambassador to the United Nations, told The Associated Press on Sunday that the defeated resolution in the Security Council was cosponsored by 103 countries, and he is hoping for more cosponsors and a high vote for the .

Must raise voices against injustice against Palestinians: Priyanka Gandhi

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra urged people on Monday to participate in a global strike demanding a ceasefire in Gaza to stop the "massacre" of the Palestinian people and called for raising voices against the "horrific injustice" being perpetrated against them. Palestinian activists and grassroots organisations have called for a global strike on Monday to demand an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. In a post on X, Gandhi said, "Participate in the global strike demanding a ceasefire in Gaza to stop the massacre of the Palestinian people and their children today, the 11th of December, 2023." "We must all raise our voices against the horrific injustice being perpetrated against them," the Congress general secretary said. Noting that the "merciless bombing" of Gaza continues with even more "savagery" than before the truce, Gandhi had said on Thursday it is the duty of India as a member of the international community to stand up for what is right and do all it can to ensure a ceasefir

Battles rage across Gaza as Israel indicates it's willing to beat Hamas

Battles raged across Gaza on Sunday as Israel indicated it was prepared to fight for months or longer to defeat the territory's Hamas rulers, and a key mediator said willingness to discuss a cease-fire was fading. Israel faces international outrage after its military offensive, with diplomatic support and arms from close ally the United States, has killed thousands of Palestinian civilians. About 90% of Gaza's 2.3 million people have been displaced within the besieged territory, where UN agencies say there is no safe place to flee. The United States has lent vital support in recent days by vetoing a United Nations Security Council resolution to end the fighting and pushing through an emergency sale of over $100 million worth of tank ammunition to Israel. Russia backed the resolution. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin and expressed dissatisfaction with anti-Israel positions taken by Moscow's envoys at the U.N. and elsewhere,

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Heavy fighting in south Gaza as Israel presses on with renewed US support

Heavy fighting raged overnight and into Sunday in the southern Gaza town of Khan Younis, as Israel pressed ahead with its offensive after the US blocked the latest international efforts to halt the fighting and rushed more munitions to its close ally. Israel has faced rising international outrage and calls for a cease-fire after the killing of thousands of Palestinian civilians and the displacement of nearly 85 per cent of Gaza's 2.3 million people within the besieged territory, where UN agencies say there is no safe place to flee. But the United States has lent vital support to the offensive once again in recent days, by vetoing United Nations Security Council efforts to end the fighting that enjoyed wide international support, and by pushing through an emergency sale of over USD 100 million worth of tank ammunition to Israel. The US has pledged unwavering support for Israel's goal of crushing Hamas' military and governing abilities in order to prevent any repeat of the October 7 .

Hamas beat civilians, steals aid received from int'l organisations: IDF

IDF shared a video on X that showed people getting beaten by some individuals. In the video, some individuals also placed some material in the vehicle

EAM speaks to Palestinian PM, reiterates India's long-standing position

During the telephonic conversation, Mohammad Shtayyeh expressed deep concern on the situation in Gaza and the West Bank. The two leaders agreed to remain in touch

Desperation grows among Palestinians trapped with little aid in warzone

Desperation grew Thursday among Palestinians largely cut off from supplies of food and water as Israeli forces engaged in fierce urban battles with Hamas militants. Strikes in the southern Gaza town of Rafah sowed fear in one of the last places where civilians could seek refuge. United Nations officials say there are no safe places in Gaza nearly a week after Israel widened its offensive into the southern half of the territory. Heavy fighting in and around the city of Khan Younis has displaced tens of thousands of people and cut most of Gaza off from aid deliveries. More than 80% of the territory's population has already fled their homes. Two months into the war, the grinding offensive has triggered renewed international alarm. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres used a rarely exercised power to warn the Security Council of an impending humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza and urged members to demand a cease-fire. Gutteres explicitly cited Article 99 of the UN Charter, which allows th

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Will operate in maximum force: Israel warns as truce with Hamas reaches end

Invoking the end of the truce on December 1, Hagari emphasised that the terror group chose war by rejecting the release of hostages and breaking the agreement

Israel orders mass evacuations as it widens offensive across Gaza Strip

The Israeli military says it has expanded its ground operation against the Hamas militant group to every part of the Gaza Strip. The army resumed its offensive Friday after a weeklong cease-fire expired. After focusing its ground operation on the northern part of Gaza in recent weeks, the military began carrying out airstrikes in southern Gaza as well. The vast majority of Gaza's population has fled to the south in search of safety. But late Sunday, Israeli military spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said ground troops were also pushing into the south. The Israeli army is continuing and expanding the ground operation against the Hamas presence in every part of the Gaza Strip, he said.

Israeli offensive moves south Gaza as truce ends, 200 Palestinians killed

Israel pounded targets in the crowded southern half of the Gaza Strip on Saturday and ordered more neighbourhoods designated for attack to evacuate, driving up the death toll even as the United States and others urged it to do more to protect Gaza civilians. At least 200 Palestinians have been killed since the fighting resumed on Friday morning following a weeklong truce with the territory's ruling militant group Hamas, according to the Health Ministry in Gaza. Separately, the ministry announced that the overall death toll in Gaza since the October 7 start of the Israel-Hamas war surpassed 15,200, a sharp jump from the previous count of more than 13,300. The ministry had stopped issuing daily updates of the overall toll on November 11, following war-related disruptions of connectivity and hospital operations. The ministry does not differentiate between civilians and combatants, but said on Saturday that 70 per cent of the dead were women and children. It said more than 40,000 people

Israel Prez seeks India's help in release of hostages held captive by Hamas

Israel on Friday said President Isaac Herzog sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi's help in promoting ways to secure the release of the remaining hostages held by Hamas militants in Gaza. Israeli President Herzog held a meeting with Prime Minister Modi on the sidelines of the COP28 UN Climate Conference in Dubai. The (Indian) Prime Minister expressed to the President his strong condemnation of the massacre and acts of terrorism committed by Hamas, a communication from Herzog's spokesperson said. Herzog called upon all the world leaders to join hands in the humanitarian effort to return all the hostages home swiftly and safely. He appealed to the Prime Minister of India to do all he could to promote the issue, the communication added. The Ministry of External Affairs said the two leaders exchanged views on the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict in the region. "The Prime Minister expressed his condolences on the loss of lives in the October 7 terror attacks and welcomed the release of ...

Palestinians say Israel is warning them to leave areas in southern Gaza

Residents say Israel has dropped leaflets over parts of southern Gaza, urging people to leave homes east of the town of Khan Younis. The leaflets also warned that Khan Younis was now a dangerous battle zone. The leaflets signaled that Israel was preparing to widen its offensive, which has so far focused largely on the northern part of the Gaza Strip. Hundreds of thousands of people fled northern Gaza earlier in the war, with many taking shelter in Khan Younis and other cities in the south.

Israeli fighter jets hit Hamas targets in Gaza Strip as war resumes

Israeli fighter jets hit Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip on Friday shortly after a weeklong truce expired, the military said, as the war resumed in full force. Airstrikes hit southern Gaza, including the community of Abassan east of the town of Khan Younis, the Interior Ministry in the Hamas-run territory said. Another strike hit a home northwest of Gaza City. Live footage from the Gaza Strip showed black smoke billowing from the territory. The Israeli military's announcement of the strikes came only 30 minutes after the cease-fire expired at 7 a.m. (0500 GMT) Friday. Earlier Friday, Israel accused Hamas of having violated the terms of the cease-fire, including by firing rockets toward Israel from Gaza. The halt in fighting began Nov. 24. It initially lasted for four days, and then was extended for several days with the help of Qatar and fellow mediator Egypt. During the week-long truce, Hamas and other militants in Gaza released more than 100 hostages, most of them Israelis, in

Gaza truce expires without word of extension, fresh clashes possible

A temporary truce in the Israel-Hamas war expired Friday morning, without immediate word from mediator Qatar on an extension, raising the possibility of renewed fighting. The truce expired at 7 a.m (0500 GMT) Friday. The halt in fighting began a week ago, on Nov. 24. It initially lasted for four days, and then was extended for several days with the help of Qatar and fellow mediator Egypt. During the week-long truce, Hamas and other militants in Gaza released more than 100 hostages, most of them Israelis, in return for 240 Palestinians freed from prisons in Israel. Virtually all of those freed were women and children. Reaching agreements on swaps appears to be growing harder as most women and children held in Gaza have already been released.

More Israeli hostages freed by Hamas as truce in Gaza lasts another day

Hamas began freeing Israeli hostages Thursday in exchange for the release of more Palestinian prisoners under a last-minute deal to extend their cease-fire in Gaza by another day. But any further renewal of the truce, now in its seventh day, could prove more daunting since Hamas is expected to set a higher price for many of the remaining hostages. Hamas freed two Israeli women Thursday afternoon, and in the evening six more hostages were handed over to the Red Cross in Gaza and were being brought to Israel, the Israeli military said. International pressure has mounted for the truce to continue as long as possible after weeks of Israeli bombardment and a ground campaign following Hamas' deadly Oct. 7 attack on Israel that triggered the war. Thousands of Palestinians in Gaza have been killed and more than three-quarters of the population of 2.3 million have been uprooted, leading to a humanitarian crisis. Israel has vowed to resume the fighting with the goal of dismantling Hamas onc

Israel-Hamas fail to agree for next hostage swap, truce set to expire

Doron Spielman, a spokesman for the Israeli military, said in a briefing on social media that no agreement had been reached regarding the next hostages to be released

Zero-tolerance approach to terrorism: Kamboj reaffirms ties with Palestine

Kamboj further condemned the deaths of civilians and emphasised that that is clearly unacceptable