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[VIDEOS/PICTURES] Bloodshed in the land of Palestine - 2023 Edition

These are the real terrorists which the people blindly ignore​

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UN agency says 800,000 ‘forced to flee’ Rafah since start of Israeli operation​

The head of the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees has said that 800,000 people had been “forced to flee” Gaza’s far-southern city of Rafah since Israel began military operations there this month

“Nearly half of the population of Rafah or 800,000 people are on the road having been forced to flee since the Israeli forces started the military operation in the area on 6 May,” UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini said in a post on social media site X.
Following the evacuation orders Gazans have fled to “the middle areas and Khan Younis including to destroyed buildings”, he said.

“Every time, they are forced to leave behind the few belongings they have … Every time, they have to start from scratch, all over again.”

Source: AFP
 

Fierce fighting rages in northern Gaza​

Invading Israeli forces battled Hamas freedom fighters in the narrow alleyways of Jabalia in northern Gaza on Friday in some of the fiercest engagements since they returned to the area a week ago, while in the south fighters attacked tanks massing around Rafah.

At least 35,303 Palestinians have now been killed, according to figures from the enclave's health ministry, while aid agencies have warned repeatedly of widespread hunger and dire shortages of fuel and medical supplies.

Residents said Israeli armour had thrust as far as the market at the heart of Jabalia, the largest of Gaza's eight historic refugee camps, and that bulldozers were demolishing homes and shops in the path of the advance.

"Tanks and planes are wiping out residential districts and markets, shops, restaurants, everything. It is all happening before the one-eyed world," Ayman Rajab, a resident of western Jabalia, said via a chat app.

Israel claimed its forces cleared Jabalia months earlier in Gaza, however, resistance fighters have continued to operate in the area and target invading forces.

In southern Gaza bordering Egypt, thick smoke rose over Rafah, where an escalating Israeli assault has sent hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fleeing from what was one of the few remaining places of refuge.

"People are terrified and they're trying to get away," Jens Laerke, UN humanitarian office spokesperson, said in Geneva, adding that most were following orders to move north towards the coast but that there were no safe routes or destinations.

As the fighting raged, the US military said trucks started moving aid ashore from a temporary pier, the first to reach the besieged enclave by sea in weeks.

The World Food Programme, which expects food, water, shelter and medical supplies to arrive through the floating dock, said the aid was transported to its warehouses in Deir Al Balah in central Gaza and told partners it was ready for distribution.

The United Nations earlier reiterated that truck convoys by land - disrupted this month by the assault on Rafah - were still the most efficient way of getting aid in.

"To stave off the horrors of famine, we must use the fastest and most obvious route to reach the people of Gaza – and for that, we need access by land now," deputy UN spokesperson Farhan Haq said.

Source: Reuters
 
Straight from Satan's Mouth. But our Hindutwa friends will spin this.
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he has told the United States that he opposes the establishment of a Palestinian state once the conflict in Gaza comes to an end.

In a news conference, a defiant Mr Netanyahu vowed to press on with the offensive in Gaza "until complete victory": the destruction of Hamas and return of the remaining Israeli hostages, adding that it could take "many more months".

With almost 25,000 Palestinians killed in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, and 85% of the Strip's population displaced, Israel is under intense pressure to rein in its offensive and engage in meaningful talks over a sustainable end to the war.

Israel's allies, including the US - and many of its foes - have urged a revival of the long-dormant "two-state solution", in which a future Palestinian state would sit side-by-side with an Israeli one.

www.bbc.co.uk

Netanyahu publicly rejects US push for Palestinian state - BBC News

The Israeli PM's rejection of Washington's efforts shows the growing disagreement between the two allies.
www.bbc.co.uk www.bbc.co.uk
 
aboveandbeyond said:
Straight from Satan's Mouth. But our Hindutwa friends will spin this.
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he has told the United States that he opposes the establishment of a Palestinian state once the conflict in Gaza comes to an end.

In a news conference, a defiant Mr Netanyahu vowed to press on with the offensive in Gaza "until complete victory": the destruction of Hamas and return of the remaining Israeli hostages, adding that it could take "many more months".

With almost 25,000 Palestinians killed in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, and 85% of the Strip's population displaced, Israel is under intense pressure to rein in its offensive and engage in meaningful talks over a sustainable end to the war.

Israel's allies, including the US - and many of its foes - have urged a revival of the long-dormant "two-state solution", in which a future Palestinian state would sit side-by-side with an Israeli one.

www.bbc.co.uk

Netanyahu publicly rejects US push for Palestinian state - BBC News

The Israeli PM's rejection of Washington's efforts shows the growing disagreement between the two allies.
www.bbc.co.uk www.bbc.co.uk
Click to expand...
BBC is reporting the death toll numbers told to them by Hamas. Very credible.

If Netanyahu is not in favor of 2 state solution, then he is obviously wrong and should be condemned.
 
Israel war cabinet minister vows to quit if there is no post-war plan for Gaza

Israeli war cabinet minister Benny Gantz has threatened to resign unless Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sets out a post-war plan for the Gaza Strip.

Mr Gantz set an 8 June deadline for a plan to achieve six "strategic goals", including the end of Hamas rule in Gaza and the establishment of a multinational civilian administration for the territory.

"If you put the national over personal, you will find in us partners in the struggle," he said. "But if you choose the path of fanatics and lead the entire nation to the abyss, we will be forced to quit the government."

Mr Netanyahu dismissed the comments as "washed-up words" that would mean "defeat for Israel".

The growing rift comes as fighting rages at both ends of the Gaza Strip, with Israeli forces operating in the southern city of Rafah and the northern town of Jabalia, one of Gaza’s historic refugee camps and an area the Israeli military previously said it had clear of Hamas fighters.

Mr Gantz was speaking just days after another war cabinet member, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, urged Mr Netanyahu to state publicly that Israel had no plans to take over civilian and military rule in Gaza.

Mr Gallant said he had raised the issue repeatedly for months but had received no response.

He and Mr Gantz say that maintaining military control in Gaza would increase Israel's security risks, while others, including far-right members of Mr Netanyahu's ruling coalition in the government, believe continued control is necessary in order to defeat Hamas.

In a televised address on Saturday, Mr Gantz told Mr Netanyahu that the "people of Israel are watching you".

"You must choose between Zionism and cynicism, between unity and factions, between responsibility and lawlessness, between victory and disaster," he said.

Also among the six strategic goals he set out were the return of all Israeli and foreign hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza and the return of displaced Palestinian civilians to northern Gaza by 1 September.

He also said Israel should continue to seek the normalisation of relations with Saudi Arabia as part of a "comprehensive process to create an alliance with the free world and the West against Iran and its allies".

Responding to the speech, Mr Netanyahu said that to meet Mr Gantz's demands would lead to "the end of the war and a defeat for Israel, the abandoning of most of the hostages, leaving Hamas intact and the establishment of a Palestinian state".

Israel's war cabinet was established after Hamas attacked Israeli communities near Gaza on 7 October, killing around 1,200 people and taking hostages.

Israel's military campaign against Hamas in Gaza has killed 35,386 people, the Hamas-run health ministry says.

The chief of staff of the country’s army, Herzi Halevi, has also privately pressed on Mr Netanyahu the need for a “day after” strategy, according to reports in Israeli media.

The return of the Israeli military to parts of northern Gaza, like Jabalia, that were previously declared clear of Hamas has raised doubts about the government’s strategy for eliminating the group.

Mr Halevi is said to have argued that, absent a diplomatic process to establish a governing body other than Hamas, the military will be forced to launch repeated campaigns to keep the group at bay.

Mr Gantz proposed an American, European, Arab, and Palestinian administration that could manage civilian affairs in Gaza while the foundations are laid for a future alternative government.

He added that Israel could maintain a degree of "security control" in the meantime.

In Jabalia the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said they fought battles with Palestinian armed groups. Palestinian medics said one of the Israeli strikes had killed 15 people.

Hamas said Israel's "brutal raids" on Jabalia had killed dozens of civilians and wounded hundreds more.

Late on Saturday Israel also issued new evacuation orders for parts of northern Gaza, saying armed groups had fired rockets towards its territory.

Last week, Israel began operations in the southern city of Rafah - to which civilians from elsewhere in Gaza had previously been told to evacuate - saying it needed to enter the city in order to target Hamas' last remaining strongholds.

On Saturday, it launched air strikes and raids on targets in the east of the city.

Philippe Lazzarini, the head of United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), said some 800,000 Palestinians had now left Rafah, seeking shelter in the shattered city of Khan Younis or along the coast.

"Since the war in Gaza began, Palestinians have been forced to flee multiple times in search of safety that they have never found," he said.

"When people move, they are exposed, without safe passage or protection. Every time, they are forced to leave behind the few belongings they have:  mattresses, tents, cooking utensils and basic supplies that they cannot carry or pay to transport.

"The claim that people in Gaza can move to 'safe' or 'humanitarian' zones is false. Each time, it puts the lives of civilians at serious risk."

President Biden's national security adviser Jake Sullivan is due in Israel on Sunday for talks with Mr Netanyahu and is expected to repeat the Biden administration's opposition to any full-scale Israeli assault on Rafah in the absence of plan to protect civilians.

Mr Sullivan has been holding talks with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Saudi state media said they discussed ways to boost aid supplies to Gaza and how to achieve Palestinian statehood.

BBC
 
US adviser Sullivan in Israel for ceasefire talks

US President Joe Biden's national security adviser is holding talks in Israel as part of a new push to secure a ceasefire deal in Gaza.

Jake Sullivan met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday afternoon.

His visit comes as Israeli forces continue military operations in Gaza, including in the southernmost city of Rafah.

Hundreds of thousands of people have evacuated the city following an order from Israeli forces.

Mr Sullivan is expected to push Israel to avoid a full-scale assault on the city of Rafah. The US has previously said that it would stop supplying some weapons if Israel launches a major ground offensive on the city.

However an Israeli official told Reuters news agency that Mr Netanyahu and his senior aides would try to reach an agreement with Mr Sullivan that a push into Rafah was needed.

On Sunday, the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Gaza said at least 20 people were killed and several wounded in a missile strike on Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza. Israel's army said it was checking the reports, and added that two soldiers were killed fighting in the south on Saturday.

Discussions have taken place in the past over a potential ceasefire to little avail.

Earlier this month, Hamas backed a proposal put forward by Egyptian and Qatari mediators. But Israel said the proposal agreed by Hamas was not the same one it had already accepted.

Israel also rejected a proposal for a "permanent" ceasefire and said releasing bodies, rather than hostages was not acceptable.

Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza to destroy Hamas in response to the group's attack on southern Israel last year, during which about 1,200 people were killed and 252 others were taken hostage.

More than 35,456 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.



BBC
 
Forging formal Israeli-Saudi relations as part of an emerging trilateral deal involving Washington would require a calming of the Gaza war and a discussion of prospects for Palestinian governance, the US envoy to Jerusalem said on Tuesday.

“There’s going to have to be some period of quiet, I think, in Gaza, and there’s going to have to be a conversation about how do you deal with the question of the future of Palestinian governance,” Ambassador Jack Lew said.

“My view is, that strategic benefit is worth taking the risk of getting into that conversation about. But that’s a decision that the government of Israel will have to make and the people of Israel will have to make,” he told a conference hosted by the Israel Democracy Institute (IDI) think-tank.

The United States on Monday described as “near final” a bilateral defence pact with Saudi Arabia. Once completed, it would be part of a broad deal presented to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to decide whether to make concessions to secure a normalisation of ties with Riyadh.

Netanyahu has long promoted such a diplomatic prize. But, seven months into Israeli aggression in the Gaza Strip, a ceasefire is elusive and he says it is premature to discuss day-after Palestinian rule.

Addressing the IDI event separately, Israeli President Isaac Herzog, whose role is largely ceremonial, argued that bilateral ties with Saudi Arabia would be a setback to Hamas.

“I very much hope that this possibility is being seriously considered, as the empire of evil sought on October 7 to destroy the chance for normalisation,” Herzog said.

“Our struggle, in the end, is not only a fight against Hamas. It is a wider, strategic, global and historic battle, and we must do everything to integrate into the grand vision of normalisation.”

Source: Business Recorder
 

Israeli forces raze parts of Gaza's Jabalia, hit Rafah with airstrikes​

May 21 (Reuters) - Israeli forces thrust deeper into Jabalia in northern Gaza on Tuesday, striking a hospital and destroying residential areas with tank and air bombardments, residents said, while Israeli airstrikes killed at least five people in Rafah in the south.

Simultaneous Israeli assaults on the northern and southern edges of the Gaza Strip this month have caused a new exodus of hundreds of thousands of people fleeing their homes, and sharply restricted the flow of aid, raising the risk of famine.

In Jabalia, a sprawling refugee camp built for displaced civilians 75 years ago, the Israeli army used bulldozers to clear shops and property near the local market, residents said, in a military operation that began almost two weeks ago.

Israel said it has returned to the camp, where it had claimed to have dismantled Hamas months ago, to prevent the militant group that controls Gaza from regrouping.

In a roundup of its activity over the past day, the Israeli military said it had dismantled "about 70 terror targets" throughout the Gaza Strip, including military compounds, weapon storage sites, missile launchers and observation posts.

Palestinian medics said Israeli missiles struck the emergency department of Jabalia's Kamal Adwan Hospital, prompting panicked staff to rush patients on hospital beds and stretchers to the rubble-strewn street outside.

"The first missile when it hit, it hit the entrance of the emergency department. We tried to enter, and then a second missile hit, and the third hit the building nearby," said Hussam Abu Safia, the head of hospital.

"We cannot go back inside to them ... The emergency department provides a service for children, the elderly and people inside the departments of the hospital."

Residents and medics said Israeli tanks were besieging another Jabalia hospital, Al-Awda Hospital, for the third day. In Geneva, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said northern Gaza's sick and wounded were running out of options.

"These are the only two functional hospitals remaining in northern Gaza," Tedros said. "Ensuring their ability to deliver health services is imperative."

More than 35,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war in Gaza, which is now in its eighth month, according to the Gaza health ministry. At least 10,000 others are missing and believed to be trapped under destroyed buildings, it says.

Israel is seeking to eradicate Hamas after militants from the group stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 and taking more than 250 hostages, by Israeli tallies.

The war has devastated the overcrowded coastal enclave, destroying houses, schools and hospitals and creating a dire humanitarian crisis.

Aid from a U.S.-built pier resumed moving into warehouses in Gaza on Tuesday using alternative routes, the Pentagon said. The distribution was halted for three days after crowds of needy residents intercepted trucks.

AIRSTRIKES
In the south, airstrikes killed three children in a house in Khan Younis and at least five people including three children in a home in Rafah, health officials said.

East of Khan Younis, residents said they were fleeing Khuzaa town after Israeli troops began an incursion on the eastern edge of the territory, bulldozing across the border fence.

"Bombing everywhere, people are leaving in panic. It was a surprising incursion," one resident from Khuzaa told Reuters by phone as he and his family were leaving.

Israel is pushing on with its operations in Rafah on Gaza's southern border with Egypt, where more than half of the territory's 2.3 million population had sought refuge after being displaced from areas further north.

UNRWA, the main United Nations agency in Gaza, estimated as of Monday that more 800,000 had fled since Israel began targeting the city in early May, despite international pleas for restraint over concern about civilian casualties.

On Tuesday, the agency said food distributions had been suspended in Rafah due to lack of supplies and insecurity.

Israel has pledged to continue with the Rafah assault to root out what it says are four remaining battalions of Hamas fighters holed up there. Tanks made incursions into the eastern Rafah suburbs of Jeneina, Al-Salam, and Brazil, according to residents.

The Israeli military said over the past day it had "identified a terrorist shooting mortar shells at IDF (Israeli Defence Forces) troops," though no injuries were reported. It said it had taken out the enemy with an airstrike and had located rockets and additional military equipment in the area.

Source: Reuters
 
Things are getting worse with each day and the response from the world leaders is very disappointing so far.
 
US signals support for possible ICC sanctions over Israel warrants

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has suggested he will work with lawmakers on potential sanctions against the International Criminal Court as its prosecutor seeks arrest warrants for senior Israeli officials.

Mr Blinken told a congressional hearing he was "committed" to taking action against the "profoundly wrong-headed decision".

His comments come amid a Republican push to impose sanctions on ICC officials, which may see a vote as soon as this week.

The United States is not a member of the court but has backed previous prosecutions, including the ICC's arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin over the war in Ukraine.

At a Tuesday hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, James Risch, its top Republican, asked whether Mr Blinken would support legislation to address the ICC "sticking its nose in the business of countries that have an independent, legitimate, democratic judicial system".

"We want to work with you on a bipartisan basis to find an appropriate response. I'm committed to doing that," the secretary of state said.

Mr Blinken said "there's no question we have to look at the appropriate steps to take to deal with, again, what is a profoundly wrong-headed decision".

The ICC's chief prosecutor Karim Khan announced on Monday that he had applied for arrest warrants against Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant.

Mr Khan is also seeking arrest warrants for three Hamas officials - Yahya Sinwar, its leader in Gaza, Mohammed Deif, the commander of its Qassam Brigades military wing, and Ismail Haniyeh, the head of its political bureau.


www.bbc.com

US hints at support for sanctions over ICC warrants on Israel

Top US diplomat Antony Blinken said he was "committed" to working with Congress to respond to the court.
www.bbc.com www.bbc.com
 
Israel’s communications minister has ordered that a camera and broadcasting equipment seized from The Associated Press (AP) news agency in southern Israel should be returned.

Israeli officials had on Tuesday confiscated the items from the US news organisation and accused it of violating a new media law by providing images to the Qatari-owned media network Al Jazeera.


Al Jazeera
 
Ireland, Spain and Norway poised to recognise Palestinian state

The European countries have argued that a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine is vital for peace in the Middle East.

Ireland, Spain and Norway are moving to formally recognise Palestine as a state, according to multiple sources.

European Union members Slovenia and Malta have also indicated in recent weeks that they may recognise Palestinian statehood, claiming it is vital to bring peace to the region.

The move is opposed by Israel, which has claimed it will "fuel instability" in the Middle East.

Three Irish government figures - premier Simon Harris, deputy premier Micheál Martin and minister Eamon Ryan - are due to hold a press conference on Wednesday morning.

Ireland's public broadcaster RTÉ and the Irish Times both report the decision will be revealed at the event, though the Irish government has not detailed the topic.

Dublin previously said a two-state solution would complement efforts to secure a lasting peace between Israel and Palestine.

Ireland's long anti-colonial history against the British and past spats with the Israeli intelligence service have made the country's leaders tougher on Israel than most European states, according to experts.

The Guardian reported on Wednesday that Spain's prime minister Pedro Sanchez, will also reveal a date for the formal recognition of Palestinian statehood.

He has been one of Europe's most outspoken leaders against Israel's offensive in Gaza, with Spain recently denying the stopover of any ship carrying arms to Israel at its ports.

The Norwegian government is also holding a press conference on the Middle East on Wednesday. Earlier Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said his nation “stands ready” to recognise Palestine.

The moves come against a backdrop of continued protests in support of the Palestinians in Gaza and mounting global condemnation of Israel's harsh military offensive.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) on Monday said it was seeking arrest warrants for Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and defence minister Yoav Gallant, as well as several Hamas leaders, for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Netanyahu and Israel's principal ally the US slammed the ICC move, with president Joe Biden calling it "outrageous".

Palestinian statehood has been recognised by 139 out of 193 United Nations (UN) member states to date.

On Tuesday, Israel's foreign ministry criticised the recognition, claiming on X it would "lead to more terrorism, instability in the region and jeopardize any prospects for peace."

"Don't be a pawn in the hands of Hamas," it added.

First proposed by the UN in 1947, the two-state solution envisions creating two separate nations: one for Jews (Israel) and one for Palestinians (Palestine). It would involve dividing the land, with each state having its own government. The goal is to allow both sides to live side by side peacefully and independently.

Israel's war in Gaza has killed more than 35,500 people - mostly women and children - according to Palestinian authorities.

The fighting began on 7 October after Hamas' surprise raid in southern Israel, which called 1,200 people. Again mostly civilians.

Around 125 hostages seized during the attack are still held by the militant Palestinian group.

SOURCE: https://www.euronews.com/2024/05/22/ireland-and-spain-poised-to-recognise-palestinian-state
 
BouncerGuy said:
Indeed, it is a historic day for the people of Palestine.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1793178574276428017
Click to expand...

Hamas says recognition of Palestinian state by 3 countries 'important step'​


Palestinian group Hamas on Wednesday welcomed a decision by Ireland, Norway and Spain to recognise a Palestinian state as an "important step" and urged other countries to follow suit.

"We consider this an important step towards affirming our right to our land," Hamas said in a statement, calling "on countries around the world to recognise our legitimate national rights".

www.khaleejtimes.com

Hamas says recognition of Palestinian state by 3 countries 'important step'

Palestinian group Hamas on Wednesday welcomed a decision by Ireland, Norway and Spain to recognise a Palestinian state as an "important step" and urged oth..
www.khaleejtimes.com
 
The International Centre of Justice for Palestinians, a UK-based legal group, submits complaint to Scotland Yard’s War Crimes Team accusing Israel of using "starvation as a weapon" and "willfully causing Palestinians great suffering."

Al Jazeera
 
US President Joe Biden believes a Palestinian state should be achieved through negotiations, not unilateral recognition, the White House says after Ireland, Spain and Norway said they would recognize a Palestinian state this month.

Al Arabiya
 
UN halts Rafah food distribution due to shortages and hostilities

Food distribution in the southern Gaza city of Rafah has been suspended due to a lack of supplies and insecurity, the UN says.

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees, Unrwa, warned its distribution centre and a World Food Programme warehouse were now inaccessible because of the ongoing Israeli military operation against Hamas in eastern Rafah.

At least 815,000 of the more than a million people taking refuge in Rafah have fled since the Israeli operation began two weeks ago.

Unrwa also said its health centres had not received any medical supplies in the past 10 days.

The news came as the US said it did not believe any of the aid that had entered northern Gaza through a newly-completed floating pier had been distributed to Palestinians by humanitarian organisations.

On Saturday, crowds of Palestinians desperate for food intercepted a number of WFP lorries transporting aid from the pier, which prompted the agency to suspend deliveries until new routes could be identified.

Israel launched a military campaign to destroy Hamas in response to the group's cross-border attack on southern Israel on 7 October, during which about 1,200 people were killed and 252 others were taken hostage.

More than 35,640 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.


www.bbc.com

UN halts Rafah food distribution due to shortages and hostilities

A UN agency says its stores are inaccessible because of an Israeli operation in the south Gaza city.
www.bbc.com www.bbc.com
 

Israeli minister accuses Ireland of 'rewarding terrorism'​


Israel's Minister of Foreign Affairs Israel Katz has taken to social media to criticise Ireland's decision to recognise the state of Palestine, writing to Taoiseach Simon Harris that "Hamas thanks you for your service".

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Mr Katz said: "Ireland, if your goal was to reward terrorism by declaring support for a Palestinian state, you've achieved it.

"Simon Harris TD, Hamas thanks you for your service."

The post includes a 19-second video which opens with a picture of the Irish tricolour and is soundtracked by Irish traditional music.

The footage - captioned "Hamas: Thanks Ireland" - shows footage of the Palestinian militant groups 7 October attack on Israel interspersed with Irish dancing.

Yesterday, Mr Harris announced that Ireland is formally recognising the state of Palestine.

Mr Harris, Tánaiste Micheál Martin and Green Party Leader Eamon Ryan addressed Ireland's intentions at a news conference at Government Buildings.

"This is an historic and important day for Ireland and for Palestine," the Taoiseach said.

"On 21 January 1919, Ireland asked the world to recognise our rights to be an independent state.

"Our message to the free nations of the world was a plea for international recognition of our independence, emphasising our distinct national identity, our historical struggle, and our rights to self-determination and justice.

"Today, we use the same language to support the recognition of Palestine as a state."

Spain and Norway also announced that they will recognise Palestinian statehood.

Formal recognition will be declared next Tuesday.

www.rte.ie

Israeli minister accuses Ireland of 'rewarding terrorism'

Israel's Minister of Foreign Affairs Israel Katz has taken to social media to criticise Ireland's decision to recognise the state of Palestine, writing to Taoiseach Simon Harris that 'Hamas thanks you for your service'.
www.rte.ie www.rte.ie
 
A time will come when these savages would pay for their atrocities

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Gaza health ministry says bombardment death toll at 35,800

The health ministry in Gaza said that at least 35,800 people have been killed in the territory during more than seven months of bombardmetn between Israel and Palestinian fighter, Al Jazeera reports.

The toll includes 91 deaths over the past 24 hours, a ministry statement said, adding that 80,011 people have been wounded in the Gaza Strip since the bombardment began on October 7

Source: Dawn News
 
Israeli forces push deeper into Gaza's north and south

Israeli forces killed at least 60 Palestinians in aerial and ground bombardments across the Gaza Strip on Thursday and battled in close combat with Hamas-led militants in areas of the southern city of Rafah, health officials and Hamas media said.

Israeli tanks advanced in Rafah's southeast, edged towards the city's western district of Yibna and continued to operate in three eastern suburbs, residents said.

"The occupation (Israeli forces) is trying to move further to the west, they are on the edge of Yibna, which is densely populated. They didn't invade it yet," one resident said, asking not to be named.

"We hear explosions and we see black smoke coming up from the areas where the army has invaded. It was another very difficult night," he told Reuters via a chat app.

Simultaneous Israeli assaults on the northern and southern edges of Gaza this month have caused a new exodus of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fleeing their homes, and have cut off the main access routes for aid, raising the risk of famine.



Reuters
 
Two thousand aid trucks stuck at Rafah border, aid group warns

Humanitarian assistance in Gaza has been “systematically paralysed” by restrictions imposed by the warring parties there, warns the Norwegian Refugee Council.

The organisation said 2,000 aid trucks were stuck on the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing, which has been closed since Israel’s military launched an operation against Hamas in the southern city of Rafah on 6 May.

Suze van Meegen, NRC’s head of operations for Gaza, said Palestinians were being “actively deprived” of much-needed shipments of medicine, tents, water tanks, sanitary products and other basics.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) says it has opened new crossings, paved roads and fixed water pipes to ease the suffering of Palestinians, and claims one million displaced people have evacuated from Rafah, ahead of the fighting.

Ms van Meegen said: “The city of Rafah is now comprised of three entirely different worlds: the east is an archetypal war zone, the middle is a ghost town, and the west is a congested mass of people living in deplorable conditions.”

She also claimed that some Palestinians had been displaced up to nine times since the conflict began in October.

“People have no choice but to put their faith in so-called ‘humanitarian safe zones’ designated by the forces that have killed their family members and destroyed their homes.”

Satellite images show how areas previously covered with tents and makeshift shelters have been cleared since Israel’s military operation in Rafah started. There is also growing evidence of destruction of buildings and infrastructure in the city.

IDF spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said forces were operating in a “targeted and precise” way to eradicate remaining Hamas battalions.

“Hamas terrorists are waging war while embedding themselves inside and under civilian areas in Rafah - because Hamas wants Gazan civilians to be caught in the crossfire. We don’t.”

Amos Harel, a defence journalist with the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, said forces were making significant progress in taking control of the city and the Philadelphi Corridor, a narrow strip of land that runs along the border with Egypt.

“By now they’ve covered more than half of the Philadelphi Corridor and they didn’t see any serious Hamas opposition in that area,” he said.

Harel also believes Israel has been given a green light by the US to continue its military advance further into Rafah, despite President Joe Biden having previously warned against going into “population centres”.

“It’s quite clear that the Americans are no longer trying to prevent Israel from occupying Rafah. So the Israelis may proceed carefully and not too quickly. But it’s less of a question of whether the Israelis are going to occupy Rafah. It’s quite clear that they are.”

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is expected to rule on Friday whether the IDF’s operations in Rafah should be halted.

South Africa submitted the request to the UN’s top court this month, as part of a case it filed in December that accused Israel of genocide against the Palestinians. Israel has accused South Africa of presenting biased and false claims.

An Israeli government spokesman said: "No power on Earth will stop Israel from protecting its citizens and going after Hamas in Gaza.”

There’s also been intense fighting in the north of Gaza, especially around Jabalia, where 27 patients and staff are refusing to leave the al-Awda hospital despite Israeli soldiers ordering them to evacuate.

Most of the occupants have been moved following four days of military action around the hospital, but the deputy director, Mohammed Salha, told the BBC: “I had a clear discussion with the Israeli officer and I said to him I will not evacuate the hospital. If you can’t provide ambulances, sorry, I will not evacuate.”

The BBC understands that 14 staff members remain, along with 11 patients and two parents of children who are patients.

Mr Salha added: “If we evacuate, these patients will be lost, they will not get the health services they need.”

He said there was only rainwater to drink and they were considering cutting meals to one per day to save food.

He also said the hospital’s source of power was running short.

“We are using a small generator a couple of hours a day to charge the batteries in the hospital.”

“We do not have any more clean water. The Israeli forces destroyed our filter system two months ago. We are completely dependent on companies and organisations delivering fresh water, but because of the siege they are not getting through.”

Eid Sabeh, the nursing director at the nearby Kamal Adwan hospital, said his was the only medical facility open to patients in the north Gaza governorate.

But he warned: “The health situation at the hospital is catastrophic, especially with the imminent depletion of medical supplies and the fuel needed to operate the generators.”

Mahmoud al-Sharif, who lives in Jabalia’s refugee camp, said the IDF was targeting civilian homes and had besieged the al-Awda hospital.

“The situation on the ground is dire, with the army besieging several areas in Jabalia and its camp, and we hear nothing but gunfire,” he added.

The IDF wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that its forces were attempting to “eliminate terrorists, and locate and destroy underground infrastructure”.

BBC
 

France’s Macron to host Arab foreign ministers for Gaza talks​


French President Emmanuel Macron will on Friday host the foreign ministers of four key Arab states for talks on the war in Gaza between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas, his office said.

Joined by his own top diplomat Stephane Sejourne, Macron will discuss the situation with Qatar’s Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, Egypt’s Sameh Shoukry, Ayman Safadi of Jordan and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan al-Saud, the Elysee said.

 
No sign Israel will change course after Gaza ruling

This was the outcome Israel sought to avoid: a demand to halt a military operation the government regards as essential for the defeat of Hamas and the return of hostages.

But there is no immediate indication that Israel will change course as a result of Friday's ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

Its tanks are pushing closer to the centre of Rafah and just as the decision was being read out, a series of air strikes sent a huge black cloud billowing over Rafah.

Some of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s hardline colleages have reacted with rage, accusing the court of antisemitism and siding with Hamas.

The government’s former spokesman, Eylon Levy, noted that the presiding judge, Nawaf Salam, was Lebanese and “couldn’t return home safely if he ruled the ‘wrong way’.”

But for Mr Netanyahu’s critics, this is one more sign of Israel’s growing international isolation.

Israel will be dismayed that its arguments didn’t appear to influence the ICJ judges.

It says it’s gone to great lengths to ensure that civilians are out of harm’s way before sending troops into Rafah.

And it says it’s making sure that food and other vital supplies reach Gaza.

There are elements of truth to both of these arguments. More than 800,000 civilians have moved away from Rafah.

And while it’s true that very little aid has entered the southern Gaza Strip since the Rafah offensive began almost three weeks ago, Israel has allowed hundreds of trucks of commercial goods to enter, meaning that in parts of the territory, food is available (if not necessarily affordable).

Despite repeated warnings of famine, especially in the north, mass starvation has yet to manifest itself.
If anything, the situation in the north may have improved somewhat, thanks to the opening of additional crossing points.

But the court seemed unimpressed. A fresh wave of mass displacement, it argued, represented a significant new threat to the lives and wellbeing of the Palestinian population, which demanded fresh action.

South Africa argued that Rafah represented “the last line of defence” for the Gaza Strip. For Rafah to suffer the same fate as the territories other cities, it said, could lead to further irreparable damage to the entire Palestinian population.

This is what the court is trying to stop.

Israel says that is not the purpose of its operation in the south and looks set to press on.


BBC
 
Arab group eyes urgent new Gaza resolution before UN Security Council

Algeria has been working on a rough draft resolution for a couple of weeks now.

But I think there’s definitely more urgency after this ICJ ruling. That’s the sense we got from Palestinian UN envoy Riyad Mansour and others in the Arab group.

They want to put together – or update this draft resolution that’s been worked on – to really take in specifically the rulings by the ICJ and put that in a draft and get it in front of the UN Security Council, get it circulated for comments for a potential vote as soon as possible.

Source: Al Jazeera
 
Israel defiant after World Court ruling

Israeli ministers dismissed Friday's ruling by the International Court of Justice ordering Israel to cease its military operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, vowing to continue fighting to free its hostages and defeat Hamas.

Friday's ruling by the World Court was the latest in a series of steps in recent weeks that have deepened Israel's international isolation over its conduct of the war in Gaza, which has killed more than 35,000 Palestinians, according to local health authorities.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office rejected the allegations in the case brought by South Africa that Israel was carrying out genocide in Gaza as "false, outrageous and morally repugnant"

"Israel is acting based on its right to defend its territory and its citizens, consistent with its moral values and in compliance with international law," it said in a statement.

It said operations in Rafah would not be conducted in a way that "may inflict on the Palestinian civilian population in Gaza conditions of life that could bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part."

The war, triggered by the Hamas-led attack on communities around the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7 last year, has caused a widening gulf between Israel and much of the rest of the world and serious strains between Netanyahu's government and its closest allies, including the United States.

Rafah, close to the border with Egypt, had taken in more than one million Palestinians displaced from their homes by the Israeli ground assault until an evacuation order by the military earlier this month sent hundreds of thousands to seek refuge in camps in central Gaza.

Outside Israel, there has been shock at the harrowing television images of the suffering in the ruins of Gaza, where aid agencies, struggling to get enough emergency supplies in, report a growing humanitarian crisis.

For Israelis, the devastating attack by Hamas-led gunmen that killed some 1,200 people in the deadliest day in Israel's history, remains a traumatic scar, made worse by the fate of around 250 hostages seized and taken into Gaza.

"The fact that they're even having this conversation is quite ludicrous, to be honest," said 39 year-old Adi Levanon, who works in start up investments in Tel Aviv.

"I think that we have women, young women, we have men, we have elderly individuals that have been take hostage. It makes no sense for country that's trying to defend and protect its people to not get them back home," he said.

"CONTINUE FIGHTING"

However the immediate practical impact on Israeli policy is likely to be limited, beyond reinforcing a defiant national mood already stoked by the International Criminal Court prosecutor's decision to seek arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant.

Internal Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who heads a hardline nationalist religious party that is key to the stability of Netanyahu's coalition, dismissed the ruling.

"Our future doesn't depend on what the Gentiles say but rather what the Jews do," he said on social media platform X, quoting a celebrated remark by David Ben Gurion, Israel's first prime minister.

The case before the ICJ was brought by South Africa on the basis that by killing Palestinians in Gaza, causing them serious mental and bodily harm and creating conditions of life "calculated to bring about their physical destruction", Israel is committing genocide against them.

Israel calls the allegations outrageous, saying it does everything possible to protect civilians and accusing Hamas of deliberately using civilians as human shields, a charge denied by the Islamist group which has controlled Gaza since 2007.

By coincidence or not, shortly after the ruling in the Hague was read out, residents in Rafah, where the Israeli army has been carrying out probing attacks on the city's edges, reported a particularly heavy air strike.

Israeli forces have been massed at the city's edges for weeks ahead of a long announced operation to destroy the four remaining Hamas battalions the army says are based there.

However, heavy fighting has also continued in other areas of Gaza, notably in the northern area of Jabaliya, where the army said earlier it had recovered the bodies of three hostages killed on Oct. 7.

War cabinet minister Benny Gantz, who spoke with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, said Israel had set out on a "just and necessary campaign" following the Oct. 7 attack and said it would keep going, despite the ruling.

"The State of Israel is committed to continue fighting to return its hostages and promise the security of its citizens - wherever and whenever necessary - including in Rafah," he said in a statement.

REUTERS
 
Hamas official Osama Hamdan has said that there is no need for new negotiations with Israel, amid Israeli media reports that there is an intention to renew Gaza truce talks.

In a phone interview with Al Jazeera Arabic on Saturday, Hamdan said that the immediate requirement is for Israel to withdraw from the Gaza Strip and for all aggression to stop.

“We do not need new negotiations,” he said, adding that Hamas has already agreed to a ceasefire proposal that Israel has rejected.

“There is no guarantee that it [Israel] will accept new proposals to go to negotiations … If there are no serious guarantees, this means giving Israel more time to continue the aggression,” he added.

Earlier this month, Hamas approved a proposal for a ceasefire in the seven-month Gaza war put forward by mediators Qatar and Egypt although Israel said the proposal falls short of its demands.

On Saturday, according to Israeli media, officials involved in the negotiations said the Israeli government intended to renew talks for a Gaza captive release deal the in coming days, after a meeting with mediators in Paris.

According to the reports, Israeli intelligence chief David Barnea had agreed to a new framework for the stalled negotiations with mediators — CIA Director Bill Burns and Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.

The new offer was drafted by the Israeli negotiating team and contains possible solutions to points of disagreement in previous discussions. But defence ministry officials believe that even if Israel agrees to a temporary ceasefire, it will be able to return to war again when needed after months.

Hamas has insisted that it is not willing to accept only a temporary ceasefire, but that an end to the fighting has to be permanent.

Israel has insisted that the war will not end before its goals are met, including the total defeat of Hamas. However, Israel is coming under growing international pressure to stop and is increasingly isolated. Among recent blows for Israel are an International Court of Justice order for it to stop its Rafah offensive, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court seeking arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, and a decision by Ireland, Norway and Spain to recognise Palestine.

Rafah crossing
Meanwhile, Washington said top diplomat Antony Blinken had also spoken with Israeli war cabinet minister Benny Gantz about new efforts to achieve a ceasefire and reopen the border crossing in Gaza’s far-southern city of Rafah.

Al-Qahera News said Cairo was also continuing “its efforts to reactivate ceasefire negotiations and exchange prisoners and detainees”.

It added that Egypt was exerting “all kinds of pressure on Israel to urgently let in the aid and fuel” stranded at the Rafah crossing after its closure by Israel earlier this month.

But a Hamas official denied Israeli media reports that Gaza ceasefire talks would resume in Cairo on Tuesday.

“There is no date,” the unnamed Hamas official told the Reuters news agency when asked about the reports.

Talks aimed at reaching a hostage release and truce deal for Gaza ground to a halt this month after Israel launched a military operation in Rafah.

At least 35,903 people have been killed and 80,420 wounded in Israel’s war on Gaza since October 7.

The revised death toll in Israel from Hamas’s attack stands at 1,139, with dozens still held captive.

On Saturday, thousands of Israelis rallied in Tel Aviv to demand urgent government action to bring home captives held in Gaza, after the bodies of several were retrieved.

Another protest, calling for the resignation of Netanyahu and an early election, was also held nearby.

Despite the immense pressure, Netanyahu and his government have so far failed to strike a deal with Hamas, with many critics doubting their desire to reach a deal.

SOURCE: AL JAZEERA
 
Spanish defence minister says Gaza war is 'real genocide'

The Spanish defence minister said on Saturday that the conflict in Gaza is a "real genocide", as relations between Israel and Spain worsen following Madrid's decision to recognise a Palestinian state.

Reuters couldn't immediately reach Israeli officials for comment on Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath.

Israel has strongly rejected accusations made against it by South Africa at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) that it is committing a genocide against Palestinians, saying it is waging war on the Hamas militant group which attacked on Oct. 7.

The remark by Spanish Defence Minister Margarita Robles in an interview with TVE state television echoed a comment by Spanish Deputy Prime Minister Yolanda Diaz who earlier this week also described the Gaza conflict as a genocide.

"We cannot ignore what is happening in Gaza, which is a real genocide," Robles said in the interview, during which she also discussed the Russian invasion of Ukraine and conflicts in Africa.

She also said Madrid's recognition of Palestine was not a move against Israel, adding that it was designed to help "end violence in Gaza". "This is not against anyone, this is not against the Israeli state, this is not against the Israelis, who are people we respect," she said.

Israel's campaign in Gaza has killed nearly 36,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials, and destroyed much of the enclave. Israel launched the operation to try to eliminate Hamas after the Palestinian militant group's attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7 in which some 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 were taken hostage, according to Israeli tallies.

Spain, along with Ireland and Norway, declared this week it would recognise a Palestinian state on May 28, prompting an angry response from Israel, which said it amounted to a "reward for terrorism" and recalled its ambassadors from the three capitals.

Judges at the ICJ, the top U.N. court, on Friday ordered Israel to immediately halt its military assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah, in a landmark emergency ruling in the case brought by South Africa accusing Israel of genocide.

Spain's Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said on Saturday that Israel must obey the court's ruling.

"The International Court of Justice's precautionary measures, including the cessation of Israel's offensive in Rafah, are mandatory. We demand its application," he said in a post on social media site X.

South Africa has accused Israel of failing to uphold its obligations under the 1948 Genocide Convention.

Israel rejects the accusation, arguing it is acting to defend itself and fighting Hamas - designated as a terrorist organisation by the U.S. and other Western countries - after the Oct. 7 attack.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Wednesday that if more nations recognised the Palestinian state it would add to international pressure for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

REUTERS
 

Hamas armed wing says it launched 'big missile' attack on Tel Aviv​


Hamas armed wing al-Qassam Brigades said it launched a "big missile" attack on Tel Aviv on Sunday as the Israeli military sounded sirens in the central city warning of possible incoming rockets.

In a statement on its Telegram channel on Sunday, al-Qassam Brigades said the rockets were launched in response to what it called "Zionist massacres against civilians".

Hamas Al-Aqsa TV said the rockets were launched from the Gaza Strip.

Rocket sirens had not been heard in Tel Aviv for the past four months. The reason for the sirens was not immediately stated by the Israeli military.

Israeli emergency medical services said they had received no reports of casualties.

The attack signaled the Islamist faction was still able to fire long-range rockets despite more than seven months of devastating Israeli military offensive from the air and the ground.

 

EU hosts talks to strengthen Palestinian Authority for Gaza​


EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on Sunday hosted Palestinian prime minister Mohammed Mustafa for international talks on building up the Palestinian Authority to eventually take over Gaza rule from Hamas.

A "strong" Palestinian Authority is needed to bring peace in the Middle East, Borrell said just before going into the meeting with Mustafa.

The talks were being held as efforts were narrowing to try to find a Gaza truce and a hostage-release deal.

They also came just before Norway -- which was hosting the Brussels meeting -- was on Tuesday is to recognise the State of Palestine, along with Spain and Ireland, to Israel's fury.

While the United States is using its influence to halt the Gaza war, moves are starting to take place to try to establish conditions to make for lasting peace.

A key requisite for that is the removal of Hamas as Gaza's rulers. The only viable option diplomats have arrived at is to bolster Mustafa's Palestinian Authority, which controls the West Bank, so that it can take charge of Gaza.

The war in Gaza was triggered by Hamas's October 7 attack in Israel, in which 1,170 people were killed, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.

Militants also took 252 hostages, 121 of whom remain in Gaza, including 37 the army says are dead.

Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed at least 35,984 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry.

"A functional Palestinian Authority is in Israel's interest too, because in order to make peace, we need a strong Palestinian Authority, not a weaker one," Borrell said.

Mustafa said Sunday's meeting was "a very important opportunity" for the Palestinian Authority to outline its priorities and plans.

He said the "first priority" was to support Palestinians in Gaza, especially through a ceasefire, and then the "rebuilding the institutions of the Palestinian Authority" in that territory, which Hamas seized control of in 2007.

He also called on international partners to press Israel to release Palestinian Authority funds so "we will be ready to reform our institutions... and hopefully together sustain our efforts towards statehood and peace for the region".

The Brussels meeting, focused on international aid, was being chaired by Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide, under his country's key role in the 1993 Oslo Accords that established a series of arrangements between the Palestinians and Israel.

"We need to make sure that the Palestinian Authority... has to be able to survive to be strengthened, to improve its capacity to deliver services, to reform, and also to plan for a future return to Gaza," Barth Eide said.

Represented at the talks, alongside the EU, Norway and the Palestinian Authority, were Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Tunisia and the International Monetary Fund and the United Nations.

Australia, Britain, Canada and Japan also took part.

Before the talks, Mustafa held a separate news conference with Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albare to thank him for his country's announcement it was recognising Palestinian statehood.

The move by the three European nations addresses "the injustice that has been inflicted on the Palestinian people for decades," Mustafa said, adding: "We want to have every country in Europe to do the same."

Later Sunday, Mustafa was to have further talks with Borrell, Barth Eide and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan.

On Monday he will have another meeting in Brussels with the Spanish, Norwegian and Irish ministers. And on Wednesday he will be in Spain.

Israel has warned Spain, Norway and Ireland that ties with them will face "serious consequences" for their announced recognition of a Palestinian state.

A majority of UN member countries recognise Palestinian statehood. European countries are split on the issue.

Spain, Norway and Italy will join EU nations Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Sweden in recognising the State of Palestine.

uk.news.yahoo.com

EU hosts talks to strengthen Palestinian Authority for Gaza

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on Sunday hosted Palestinian prime minister Mohammed Mustafa for international talks on building up the Palestinian Authority to eventually take over Gaza rule from Hamas.Later Sunday, Mustafa was to have further talks with Borrell, Barth Eide and Saudi...
uk.news.yahoo.com uk.news.yahoo.com
 
Hamas launches rocket attack towards Tel Aviv area

Hamas says it has launched a "big" rocket attack at the Tel Aviv area in central Israel.

At least eight rockets were launched from the Rafah area in southern Gaza, the Israeli military said, adding that several were intercepted. No injuries were reported.

The attack - the first time in nearly four months that Hamas has attacked central Israel - comes as Israel carries out a military operation in Rafah, defying a ruling by the UN's top court.

It also took place ahead of further ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas, which are expected to resume next week.

With the attack, Hamas may be trying to show its strength ahead of the talks - or trying to derail them.
A degree of normality had returned to Tel Aviv - the economic centre of Israel - since it was last attacked in January.

But the air raid sirens which sounded in cities including Tel Aviv, Herzliya and Petah Tikva were another reminder of the threat Hamas poses to people across Israel.

Footage published by Israeli media appeared to show rocket damage to buildings in Herzlia and the central town of Kfar Saba.

The military wing of Hamas, the Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades, said the rocket attack was in response to "the massacre of civilians".

Hamas did not confirm the attack was launched from Rafah, where fighting has been reported near the Kuwaiti Hospital.

Palestinian media said that at least one person had been killed and several others injured in an Israeli air strike on a residential home in central Rafah.

BBC
 
Israeli airstrikes on Rafah reportedly kill 35 after Hamas launches rockets at Tel Aviv

Israeli airstrikes on Rafah have reportedly killed 35 people and injured dozens more after Hamas launched rocket attacks towards Tel Aviv for the first time in months.

The strike in the southern Gaza city hit tents for displaced people, according to Palestinian medics. Footage from the scene shows heavy destruction.

However the Israeli military said its aircraft struck a "Hamas compound" in Rafah in which "significant Hamas terrorists were operating".

The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza said at least 35 people have died, "most" of them women and children.

In a statement, Hamas condemned the attack on what it claimed was "an area crowded with hundreds of thousands of displaced people".

The strike took place in Tel Al Sultan neighbourhood of western Rafah, where thousands of people were taking shelter after many fled the eastern areas of the city where Israeli forces began a ground offensive over two weeks ago.

A spokesperson with the Palestinian Red Crescent Society said the death toll was likely to increase as search and rescue efforts continued.

The society said the location had been designated by Israel as a "humanitarian area" and that people remain trapped amid the destruction.

The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) said in its statement: "The strike was carried out against legitimate targets under international law, using through the use of precise munitions and on the basis of precise intelligence that indicated Hamas' use of the area.

"The IDF is aware of reports indicating that as a result of the strike and fire that was ignited several civilians in the area were harmed. The incident is under review."

On Friday, the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to halt its Rafah offensive, with Israel insisting it is key to its self-defence and goal of destroying Hamas entirely.


SKY News
 

Israel Orders Spain To Stop Consular Services For Palestinians From June 1​


Israel said Monday it had told Spain's consulate in Jerusalem to stop offering consular services to Palestinians from June 1, as a "punitive" measure for Madrid's recognition of a Palestinian state.

The foreign ministry said that Spain's consulate in Jerusalem is "authorised to provide consular services to residents of the consular district of Jerusalem only, and is not authorised to provide services or perform consular activity vis-a-vis residents of the Palestinian Authority".

The directive is effective from June 1, the ministry said in a statement.

Foreign Minister Israel Katz said in a separate statement that "today, I implemented preliminary punitive measures against the Spanish consulate in Jerusalem following the Spanish government's recognition of a Palestinian state".

"We will not put up with harming Israel's sovereignty and security."

"Whoever gives an award to Hamas and tries to establish a Palestinian terrorist state will not be in contact with the Palestinians," Katz said.

Spain is one of the European countries that has been most critical of Israel over the war in Gaza.

Last week, Spain, Ireland and Norway announced their decision to recognise the State of Palestine from Tuesday, May 28, drawing a strong rebuke from Israel.

On Sunday, Spain's Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares justified his government's decision to recognise a Palestinian state.

He said in Brussels that the recognition "is justice for the Palestinian people (and) the best guarantee of security for Israel".

On Sunday, the European Foreign policy chief Josep Borrell also hosted Palestinian prime minister Mohammed Mustafa for international talks on building up the Palestinian Authority of Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas to eventually take over Gaza rule from Hamas.

A "strong" Palestinian Authority is needed to bring peace in the Middle East, Borrell said just before going into the meeting with Mustafa.

On Saturday, Spain had also demanded that Israel comply with an order by the top UN court to immediately stop its bombardment and ground assault on the Gazan city of Rafah.

In a case brought by South Africa alleging the Israeli assault on Gaza amounts to "genocide", the International Court of Justice ordered Israel on Friday to "immediately halt" the ground and air offensive in Rafah.

www.barrons.com

Israel Orders Spain To Stop Consular Services For Palestinians From June 1

Israel said Monday it had told Spain's consulate in Jerusalem to stop offering consular services to Palestinians from June 1, as a "punitive" measure for Madrid's recognition of a Palestinian state.
www.barrons.com www.barrons.com
 
The evil shown by the IDF means there’s no going back.

Something will have to change now , either a huge regional & world war or a Palestinian state .
 

Countries condemn Israel’s bombardment of Rafah​


Egypt on Monday condemned what it called the “deliberate bombardment by Israeli forces of displaced peoples’ tents” in Rafah, in strikes which Gaza’s civil defense agency said killed at least 40 people.

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry issued a statement calling on Israel to “implement the measures ordered by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) concerning an immediate cessation of military operations” in Rafah.

The ministry condemned the strike as “a new flagrant violation of the provisions of international humanitarian law.”

It deplored the “tragic event” and denounced the “targeting of defenseless civilians” and “a systematic policy aimed at widening the scope of death and destruction in the Gaza Strip to make it uninhabitable.”

Jordan also expressed its condemnation, accusing Israel of committing “ongoing war crimes.”

Amman said the bombardment in Rafah “defies the rulings of the International Court of Justice and constitutes a severe violation of international law and international humanitarian law.”

The Palestinian presidency and Hamas have accused Israel of committing a “massacre” by targeting a center for displaced people near Rafah, in the far south of the Gaza Strip.

Israel’s army said it had killed two senior Hamas officials in an air strike on a compound in the city and said it was aware of reports that civilians had been harmed in the incident and that it was “under review.”

“The strike was carried out against legitimate targets under international law,” it said.

Separately, mediator nation Qatar said that Israel’s latest strikes could hinder talks towards a truce and hostage release deal.

The foreign ministry voiced “concern that the bombing will complicate ongoing mediation efforts and hinder reaching an agreement for an immediate and permanent ceasefire.”

Kuwait’s foreign ministry also decried the Israeli attack on the camp housing displaced Palestinians near Rafah, saying the it exposed Israel’s “blatant war crimes and unprecedented genocide to the whole world.”

It called for “immediate and firm intervention by the international community.”

 
Spain, Norway and Ireland recognise Palestinian state

Spain, Ireland and Norway have formally recognised a Palestinian state, in what they say is an attempt to refocus attention on efforts to find a political solution to the war in the Middle East.

They hope by acting together they will encourage other European countries to follow suit, in a diplomatic push that could help secure a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages held by Hamas.

The symbolic decision has provoked a furious row with Israel’s government which has accused all three countries of rewarding terrorism.

Israel has withdrawn its ambassadors from Ireland, Norway and Spain and formally reprimanded their envoys in Tel Aviv. All three were summoned to Israel’s foreign ministry last week to be shown footage of the 7 October attacks in front of the media.

The recognition of Palestine by the three countries also increases diplomatic pressure on Israel after two international courts called for an end to Israel Defense Forces (IDF) operations in southern Gaza and accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of war crimes.

Western countries have also stepped up sanctions on Israeli settlers in the occupied Palestinian territories.
The process of diplomatic recognition varies between countries, but normally involves a formal exchange of credentials with the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah.

Existing consulates or missions in the West Bank or East Jerusalem then become formal embassies, while representatives transform into full-blown ambassadors.

All three countries said they recognised a Palestinian state based on borders established before the war in 1967, with Jerusalem as the capital of both Israel and Palestine.

The Palestinian flag flew over Ireland’s parliament as TDs set aside four hours to debate the issue. Before the Cabinet where the formal decision would be made, the Taioseach (prime minister) Simon Harris said it was an “historic and important” move.

He said he hoped other European countries would follow the lead because they had to use every lever at their disposal to encourage a ceasefire.

Speaking to parliament as the measure was approved, Mr Harris said: "I hope it sends the Palestinian people a message of hope that in this, their darkest hour, Ireland stands with them.

"It is an expression of our view that Palestine holds and should be able to vindicate the full rights of the state, including self-determination, self-governance, territorial integrity and security, as well as recognising Palestine's own obligations under international law."

As Norway’s formal recognition came into effect, Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said it was "a special day for Norway-Palestine relations".


www.bbc.com

Gaza war: Spain, Ireland and Norway formally recognise Palestinian state

The three European nations aim to refocus attention on finding a political solution to the Gaza war.
www.bbc.com www.bbc.com
 

15 killed today in Rafah​

Israeli air raids and artillery shelling have killed at least 15 Palestinians since this morning, our colleagues on the ground are reporting.

In one video shared on social media, verified by Al Jazeera’s Sanad fact-checking agency, smoke can be seen rising from a blown-out residential unit in a Rafah building. Other footage seen by Al Jazeera shows Palestinians injured from quadcopter attacks in Rafah’s Tal as-Sultan area.

The continuing attacks have pushed more Palestinians in western Rafah to flee towards Khan Younis.

Al Jazeera
 

Scabies spreading among Palestinian prisoners​

Contagious skin diseases are rapidly spreading among Palestinians in Israeli jails, with dozens of cases seen recently by lawyers and released detainees, reports the Palestinian Prisoners Society.

The most prevalent of the diseases is scabies, it says, a highly contagious infestation caused by small ticks. Its spread is worsened by poor hygiene conditions, overcrowding and limited water in Israel’s jails, according to the group, specifically the facilities in Israel’s Negev desert and Megiddo.

The group claims Israel is leaving infected prisoners without treatment and even transferring them to other areas of the prison where the disease can spread, acts that it says amount to “medical crimes”.

Al Jazeera
 
No indication that Rafah crossing could open soon: Palestinian official

The Palestinian health minister says there has been no indication from Israel that the Rafah crossing, used to bring in essential humanitarian and medical supplies to the Gaza Strip, could be opened soon.

“Since it was closed, we have no indication that the Israelis would like it to be opened any time soon,” Majed Abu Ramadan told reporters on the sidelines of the World Health Assembly in Geneva.

Rafah was a major entry point for humanitarian relief before Israel seized control of the crossing from the Palestinian side earlier this month.

Al Jazeera
 

No matter what they do they can't hide their crimes, perverted savages​

====

Meta identifies deceptive content likely generated by AI praising Israeli handling of Gaza crisis​


Meta has said it has found “likely AI-generated” content used deceptively on its Facebook and Instagram platforms, including comments praising Israel’s handling of the military campaign in Gaza published below posts from global news organisations and US lawmakers, Reuters reports.

The social media company, in a quarterly security report, said the accounts posed as Jewish students, African Americans and other concerned citizens, targeting audiences in the United States and Canada. It attributed the campaign to Tel Aviv-based political marketing firm STOIC.\

Source: Reuters
 
Unless five eyes stop supporting Israel there will be no change, Israel is saying they plan to keep the assault going for seven more months, so even if they stop by 6th month,Five eyes will probably praise Israel for restraining.
 
Israel extends control of Gaza's entire land border

Israel's military has said it has taken control of the strategically important buffer zone along the Gaza-Egypt border known as the Philadelphi Corridor, meaning it now controls Gaza's entire land border.

A spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said about 20 tunnels used by Hamas to smuggle weapons into Gaza had been found within the zone.

Egyptian TV quoted sources denying this, and said Israel was trying to justify its military operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah.

The announcement comes during a period of heightened tensions with Egypt.

"In recent days, IDF troops established operational control on the Philadelphi Corridor, on the border between Egypt and Rafah," IDF spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said on Wednesday.

He described the corridor as a "lifeline" for Hamas, through which the group "regularly smuggled weapons into the Gaza Strip".

He said troops were "investigating.. and neutralizing" tunnels found in the area.

Mr Hagari later said in a briefing with reporters that he could not be sure that all of the tunnels crossed into Egypt, the New York Times reported.

The Philadelphi Corridor is a buffer zone, only about 100m (330ft) wide in parts, which runs along the Gaza side of the 13km (8-mile) border with Egypt. Gaza's only other land border is with Israel itself.

Egypt has previously said it had destroyed cross-border tunnels, making any weapons smuggling impossible.

And a "high-level" Egyptian source, quoted by Al-Qahera News, accused Israel of "using these allegations to justify continuing the operation on the Palestinian city of Rafah and prolonging the war for political purposes".

Israel has insisted that it must take Rafah to achieve victory in the war triggered by Hamas’s unprecedented attack on the country on 7 October, during which about 1,200 people were killed and 252 others were taken hostage.

At least 36,170 people have been killed across Gaza since the start of the conflict, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

Tensions between Egypt and Israel have heightened since Israeli forces took control of the Gazan side of the Rafah crossing point three weeks ago as part of their offensive against Hamas.

Earlier this week, an Egyptian soldier was killed in an incident involving Egyptian and Israeli troops in the border area near Rafah.

Egypt is a strong supporter of the Palestinians and has condemned Israel's military campaign in Gaza and the killing of thousands of civilians by Israel in the war.

Like Israel, Egypt has maintained a blockade on its border with Gaza since Hamas came to power in 2006. Hamas is an off-shoot of the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood organisation, which is banned as a terrorist group in Egypt.

Egypt has, however, kept channels open with Hamas and has been acting as a mediator in on-off indirect talks between Israel and the group to try to reach a ceasefire deal and release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.

BBC
 
Slovenia recognises Palestinian state following in footsteps of Spain, Ireland, Norway

Prime Minister Robert Golob has said the Slovenian government has approved a decision to recognise an independent Palestinian state, following in the steps of Spain, Ireland and Norway, Reuters reports.

“Today the government has decided to recognise Palestine as an independent and sovereign state,” he said at a news conference in Ljubljana.

The parliament of the European Union member country must also approve the government’s decision in the coming days.

The move is part of a wider effort by countries to coordinate pressure on Israel to end the conflict in Gaza.

Source: Reuters
 

Hamas leader says group will not be replaced​


Ismail Haniyeh, head of Hamas’s political bureau, has maintained that the group will keep its influence even after the war.
“Those who speak of ‘the day after’ must understand, the Palestinian people won’t have Hamas replaced,” Haniyeh said in a statement.

“Faced with the prices we paid,” he continued, “a national Palestinian plan must be promoted based on a unified leadership under the framework of the Palestinian Liberation Organization’s institutions which will rule both Gaza and the West Bank.”

Haniyeh also said Hamas has not altered its position on a potential captive-exchange deal, insisting it must come with a full ceasefire and Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.

Al Jazeera
 

Israel will ‘strictly enforce’ restrictions on Spain’s Jerusalem consulate​


Israel has doubled down on planned restrictions to Spain’s Jerusalem consulate, saying they will be “strictly enforced” due to Madrid’s recognition of Palestinian statehood.

Earlier today, Spain’s foreign minister said it had sent a note to Israel rejecting the restrictions, which include a halt to consular services to Palestinians, and requested they be reversed.

But Israel will go ahead with the policy and may totally shutter Spain’s consulate if it commits “violations”, Israeli FM Israel Katz said in a post on X.

“Any connection between the Spanish consulate in Jerusalem and individuals in the Palestinian Authority poses a threat to Israel’s national security and will be completely prohibited”, said Katz.

Al Jazeera
 
Biden unveils Israeli proposal to end Gaza war

US President Joe Biden has urged Hamas to accept a new Israeli proposal to end the conflict in Gaza, saying that "it's time for this war to end".

The three-part proposal would begin with a six-week ceasefire in which the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) would withdraw from populated areas of Gaza.

There would also be a "surge" of humanitarian aid, as well as an exchange of some hostages for Palestinian prisoners.

The deal would eventually lead to a permanent "cessation of hostilities" and a major reconstruction plan for Gaza.

Speaking at the White House on Friday, Mr Biden said that the first phase of the proposed plan would include a "full and complete ceasefire", the withdrawal of IDF forces from populated areas and the exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners.

"This is truly a decisive moment," he said. "Hamas says it wants a ceasefire. This deal is an opportunity to prove whether they really mean it."

The ceasefire, he added, would allow more humanitarian aid to reach the beleaguered territory, with "600 trucks carrying aid into Gaza every single day."

The second phase would see all remaining living hostages returned, including male soldiers. The ceasefire would then become "the cessation of hostilities, permanently."

In his speech, Mr Biden acknowledged that negotiations between phase one and phase two would be difficult.

The third phase would see the final remains of any deceased Israeli hostages returned, as well as a "major reconstruction plan" with US and international assistance to rebuild homes, schools and hospitals.

In his remarks, Mr Biden acknowledged that some Israelis - including officials within Israel's government - would likely be opposed to the proposal.

"I've urged the leadership in Israel to stand behind this deal," he said. "Regardless of whatever [political] pressure comes.

The US president also directly addressed the Israeli people, telling them that "we can't lose this moment".

In a statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted that the war would not end until its goals were achieved, including the return of all hostages and the elimination of Hamas' military and governmental capabilities. He said the latest plan would allow Israel to maintain these principles.

The proposal has been transmitted to Hamas through mediators based in Qatar.

Faced with mounting civilian casualties in Gaza, President Biden has faced growing domestic criticism over the level of US support for Israel, and calls to do more to encourage the warring sides to negotiate.

Earlier this week, however, the White House said that it does not believe that Israeli operations in Rafah amount to a "major ground operation" that could cross a red line and trigger a possible change in US policy.

The statement came after an Israeli air strike and resulting fire killed at least 45 Palestinians on Sunday.


Yahoo News
 
Biden details Gaza truce proposal, Hamas responds positively

U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday laid out what he described as a three-phase Israeli proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza in return for the release of Israeli hostages, saying "it's time for this war to end" and winning a positive initial reaction from Hamas.

The first phase involves a six-week ceasefire when Israeli forces would withdraw from "all populated areas" of Gaza, some hostages - including the elderly and women - would be freed in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, Palestinian civilians could return to their homes in Gaza and 600 trucks a day would bring humanitarian aid into the devastated enclave.

In this phase, Hamas and Israel would negotiate a permanent ceasefire that Biden said would last "as long has Hamas lives up to its commitments." If negotiations took more than six weeks, the temporary ceasefire would extend while they continued.

In the second phase, Biden said there would be an exchange for all remaining living hostages, including male soldiers, Israeli forces would withdraw from Gaza and the permanent ceasefire would begin.

The third phase would include a major reconstruction plan for Gaza and the return of the "final remains" of hostages to their families.

"It's time for this war to end and for the day after to begin," said Biden, who is under election-year pressure to stop the Gaza conflict, now in its eighth month.

Hamas, which Biden said received the proposal from Qatar, released a statement reacting positively.

Hamas said it was ready to engage "positively and in a constructive manner" with any proposal based on a permanent ceasefire, withdrawal of Israeli forces, the reconstruction of Gaza, a return of those displaced, and a "genuine" prisoner swap deal if Israel "clearly announces commitment to such deal".

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said he had authorized his negotiating team to present the deal, "while insisting that the war will not end until all of its goals are achieved, including the return of all our hostages and the destruction of Hamas' military and governmental capabilities."

Separately, the Israeli military said its forces have ended operations in north Gaza's Jabalia area after days of intense fighting, while probing further into Rafah in south Gaza to target what they say is the last major Hamas redoubt.

The conflict began on Oct. 7 when gunmen led by the Islamist Palestinian group stormed into southern Israel on motorcycles, paragliders and four-wheel drive vehicles, killing 1200 people and abducting more than 250, according to Israeli tallies.

Israel then invaded the Gaza Strip in what Netanyahu has called an effort to destroy Hamas, the militant Palestinian group that seized control of the area from the Fatah Palestinian faction in a violent struggle in 2007.

Talks mediated by Egypt, Qatar and others to arrange a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas have repeatedly stalled, with each side blaming the other for the lack of progress.

AN INDEFINITE WAR

In his speech, Biden called on the Israeli leadership to resist pressure from those in Israel who were pushing for the war to go on "indefinitely," a group he said included some in the Israeli governing coalition.

"They want to occupy Gaza. They want to keep fighting for years and hostages are not a priority for them. Well, I've urged leadership in Israel to stand behind this deal, despite whatever pressure comes," he added.

He implored Israelis not to miss the chance for a ceasefire.

"As the only American president who has ever gone to Israel at a time of war, as someone who just sent the U.S. forces to directly defend Israel when it was attacked by Iran, I ask you to take a step back, think what will happen if this moment is lost," he said. "We can't lose this moment."

The Gaza war has put Biden in a political bind.

On the one hand, he has long been a staunch supporter of Israel and would like to ensure funding and support from the pro-Israel community in the United States in his Nov. 5 election rematch against Republican former President Donald Trump.

On the other, progressive elements of Biden's Democratic Party have grown increasingly angry at the president for the suffering the conflict has caused civilians in Gaza.

Palestinian health authorities estimate more than 36,280 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel attacked, and the United Nations says over a million people face "catastrophic" levels of hunger as famine takes hold in parts of the enclave.

Signaling a U.S. effort to build support for the proposal, the State Department said U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with his Jordanian, Saudi and Turkish counterparts.

Speaking to the Turkish foreign minister, "he emphasized that Hamas should accept the deal and that every country with a relationship with Hamas should press it to do so without delay,' the State Department said.

In a sign of support for Israel despite the partisan divide in the United States, leaders of the Democratic-led U.S. Senate and of the Republican-led House of Representatives on Friday invited Netanyahu to address a joint meeting of Congress.

The week has been dominated by the fallout from an Israeli air strike in Rafah on Sunday that killed 45 Palestinians.

"The Palestinian people have endured sheer hell in this war," Biden said on Friday. "We all saw the terrible images from the deadly fire in Rafah earlier this week."

REUTERS
 

No Gaza ceasefire until Israel war aims achieved, Netanyahu says​


Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted there will be no permanent ceasefire in Gaza until Hamas’s military and governing capabilities are destroyed and all hostages are released.

His statement comes after US President Joe Biden announced Israel had proposed a three-stage plan to Hamas aimed at reaching a permanent ceasefire.

A senior Hamas politician has told the BBC it "will go for this deal" if Israel does.

The negotiations come as fighting continues in Rafah, with reports of Israeli air strikes on Saturday in the city on Egypt's border with Gaza.

There is no guarantee that the public pressure by Mr Biden on both Israel and Hamas to accept the plan will result in a deal.
In statement on Saturday, Mr Netanyahu's office said Israel's "conditions for ending the war have not changed".

It listed these as "the destruction of Hamas military and governing capabilities, the freeing of all hostages and ensuring that Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel".

The statement added Israel would "continue to insist these conditions are met" before agreeing to a permanent ceasefire, emphasising that no deal could be signed before meeting them.

On Friday, Mr Biden described the plan as a comprehensive Israeli proposal that paved the way for a permanent ceasefire.
The first phase would include a full and complete ceasefire, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from populated areas and the exchange of some hostages for Palestinian prisoners.

This would then be followed by the return of all remaining living hostages, including male soldiers.

The final phase would see the remains of any deceased Israeli hostages returned, as well as a "major reconstruction plan" with US and international assistance to rebuild homes, schools and hospitals, Mr Biden said.

A total end to the conflict has been a key Hamas demand to engage in talks.

Following Mr Netanyahu's restating of his aims for the war, a spokesman for Hamas said it would back the plan if Israel did.

Basem Naim, a member of Hamas's political bureau based in Qatar, told the BBC World Service's Newshour programme that the organisation welcomed the plan, but the next step relied on Israel.

In response to Mr Netanyahu's statement, he noted Israel's aims might not have changed, but it also had not achieved them.

"If he tries to continue, he will not find anything except the readiness of the Palestinians - all Palestinians - to resist the occupation," Mr Naim said.

The proposal laid out by Mr Biden seems to give the opportunity for both Israel and Hamas to say that their demands had been met.

For Hamas, it explicitly paves the way for a permanent ceasefire, which has been a key demand of the group for any deal. It wants a guarantee that the Israeli military will not return to Gaza after the hostages are released, and the offer does just that.

This will, without a doubt, face opposition in Israel.

Mr Biden tried to address those concerns by saying that Hamas had been so degraded that it did not have the ability to
carry out another major attack on Israel.

He acknowledged, however, that not everyone in Israel would accept the deal, but urged the government to resist pressure.

Those who are likely to be against the plan include far-right members of Mr Netanyahu’s coalition, who have previously threatened to quit in case of any deal that would see the end of the war before the destruction of Hamas. This could lead to the end of the Netanyahu government.

But one of Israel's most influential opposition politicians, Yair Lapid, has promised to back Mr Netanyahu if he supports the ceasefire deal.

In a post on social media, Mr Lapid told the Israeli PM that he "has our safety net for a hostage deal" if far-right allies like national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and finance minister Bezalel Smotrich leave the government.

The statement from Mr Netanyahu's office seemed to be vague enough for him to be able to claim that his objectives had been achieved.

Interestingly, it did not talk about “total victory” - which he has repeatedly said was the aim of the Israeli military in Gaza.
This omission may allow Mr Netanyahu to reject criticism that the deal offers major concessions to Hamas.

Israel has ramped up attacks in the key city of Rafah in recent weeks, claiming operational control over the entire border with Egypt.

US, Israeli and Egyptian officials are due to meet in Cairo on Sunday to discuss reopening the Rafah crossing, according to Egyptian media reports.

Aid flows into Gaza have been restricted since the border was shut in early May, after Israeli forces seized control of it as part of their offensive to take control of Gaza's southern border.

More than 36,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the start of the conflict, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

The war began in October when Hamas gunmen launched an unprecedented attack on Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking 252 back to Gaza as hostages.

Source: BBC
 
Qatari PM hopes Gaza proposal will be received positively by parties to conflict

Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani has said that mediators hope all parties will deal positively with the principles of a Gaza ceasefire proposal that US President Joe Biden has laid out, Reuters reports.

Al Thani made the remarks during a phone call with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Qatar’s state news agency said.

Source: Al Jazeera
 
Israeli ministers threaten to quit over ceasefire plan

Two far-right Israeli ministers have threatened to quit and collapse the governing coalition if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agrees to a Gaza ceasefire proposal unveiled by US President Joe Biden on Friday.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said they were opposed to striking any deal before Hamas was destroyed.

But opposition leader Yair Lapid has pledged to back the government if Mr Netanyahu supported the plan.

The prime minister himself insisted there would be no permanent truce until Hamas's military and governing capabilities were destroyed and all hostages released.

Mr Biden's three-part proposal would begin with a six-week ceasefire in which the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) would withdraw from populated areas of Gaza. The deal would eventually lead to the release of all hostages, a permanent "cessation of hostilities" and a major reconstruction plan for Gaza.

But in a post on social media on Saturday, Mr Smotrich said he told Mr Netanyahu he would "not be part of a government that agrees to the proposed outline and ends the war without destroying Hamas and bringing back all the hostages".

Echoing his words, Mr Ben-Gvir said "the deal.. means the end of the war and the abandonment of the goal to destroy Hamas. This is a reckless deal, which constitutes a victory for terrorism and a security threat to the State of Israel".

He vowed to "dissolve the government" rather than agree to the proposal.

Mr Netanyahu's right-wing coalition holds a slim majority in parliament, relying on a host of factions, including Mr Ben-Gvir's Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) party - who hold six seats - and Mr Smotrich's Religious Zionism party - who hold seven seats - to maintain power.

But Yair Lapid, one of Israel's most influential opposition politicians, was quick to offer his backing to the embattled prime minister. His Yesh Atid (There is a future) party hold 24 seats.

He said Mr Netanyahu "has our safety net for a hostage deal if Ben-Gvir and Smotrich leave the government".

The row came as tens of thousands of people rallied in Tel Aviv, calling on the Israeli government to accept Mr Biden's proposed plan.

Many demonstrators also demanded Mr Netanyahu's resignation and some told reporters they feared the prime minister could torpedo the proposal.

A group campaigning to bring home Israeli hostages captured by Hamas has warned that such a move would endanger the lives of those held in Gaza.

Scuffles broke out between protesters and police, who used mounted officers and water cannon to disperse the crowds. Some demonstrators were reportedly detained.

Protests have become a fixture in Tel Aviv in recent months, as families of hostages and other anti-government campaigners have held rallies calling for a hostage deal - as well as for Mr Netanyahu to step down or call an election.

In a joint statement on Saturday, mediators from Egypt, Qatar and the US urged both Israel and Hamas to "finalise" Mr Biden's proposed deal.

Officials said that "as mediators in the ongoing discussions to secure a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages and detainees", they "call on both Hamas and Israel to finalise the agreement embodying the principles outlined by President Joe Biden".

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also offered his backing to the plan, telling reporters that his government could "flood Gaza with far more aid" if Hamas accepts the ceasefire plan.

Earlier, a senior Hamas politician told the BBC it "will go for this deal" if Israel does.

In a statement after Mr Biden unveiled the plan, Mr Netanyahu's office insisted Israel's "conditions for ending the war have not changed".

It listed these as "the destruction of Hamas military and governing capabilities, the freeing of all hostages and ensuring that Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel".

The statement added Israel would "continue to insist these conditions are met" before agreeing to a permanent ceasefire.

However, the comments seemed to be vague enough for Mr Netanyahu to be able to claim that his objectives had been achieved.

Mr Netanyahu's office did not mention “total victory” - which he has repeatedly highlighted as a key aim for the war in Gaza.

This omission may allow the prime minister to reject criticism that the deal offers major concessions to Hamas.

Elsewhere, fighting continued in Rafah on Saturday, with reports of Israeli air strikes on Gaza's southern city on Egypt's border.

Shelling and gunfire were also reported in Gaza City, in the north of the Palestinian territory.

More than 36,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the start of the conflict, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

The war began on 7 October 2023 when Hamas gunmen launched an unprecedented attack on Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking 252 back to Gaza as hostages.

BBC
 

Israel fights Hamas as mediators urge both to accept Gaza truce plan​


Since Biden spoke at the White House on Friday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted Israel will pursue the war raging since October 7 until it has destroyed Hamas and freed the captives.

Netanyahu, a hawkish political veteran leading a fragile right-wing coalition government, is under intense domestic pressure from two sides.

Protesters supporting the hostages, who rallied again in their tens of thousands in Tel Aviv on Saturday, are urging him to strike a truce deal -- but right-wing extremist allies are threatening to bring down the government if he does.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid has offered Netanyahu a lifeline by vowing to support the government if it strikes a deal to pause the war that has raged for almost eight months.

For now, fighting again rocked Gaza overnight and Sunday, with the military reporting more air strikes and ground combat, and Palestinian officials reporting yet more deaths.

Across Gaza, the military said it had struck "30 terror targets, including military infrastructure, weapons storage facilities and armed terrorist cells that posed a threat to IDF (army) ground troops".

Netanyahu said on Saturday that "Israel's conditions for ending the war have not changed: the destruction of Hamas's military and governing capabilities, the freeing of all hostages and ensuring that Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel"

Palestinian militant group Hamas, meanwhile, said it "views positively" what Biden on Friday described as the Israeli plan.

Mediators the United States, Qatar and Egypt on Saturday said they "call on both Hamas and Israel to finalise the agreement embodying the principles outlined by President Joe Biden".

Biden said on Friday that Israel's three-stage offer would begin with a six-week initial phase that would see Israeli forces withdraw from all populated areas of the Gaza Strip.

It would see the "release of a number of hostages" in exchange for "hundreds of Palestinian prisoners" held in Israeli jails.

Israel and the Palestinians would then negotiate for a lasting ceasefire, with the truce to continue so long as talks are ongoing, Biden said.

"It's time for this war to end, for the day after to begin," he said.

Netanyahu took issue with Biden's presentation, insisting that according to the "exact outline proposed by Israel" the transition from one stage to the next was "conditional" and crafted to allow it to maintain its war aims.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, leaders of the two extreme-right parties in parliament, quickly warned they would leave the government if it endorsed the truce proposal.

Ben Gvir said on X his party would "dissolve the government", while Smotrich said: "We demand the continuation of the war until Hamas is destroyed and all hostages return."

Smotrich said he also opposed the return of displaced Gazans to the territory's north and the "wholesale release of terrorists" in a prisoner swap.

Lapid, a centrist former premier, however, said that the government "cannot ignore Biden's important speech" and should accept the proposed deal, vowing to back Netanyahu if his far-right coalition partners quit over it.

"I remind Netanyahu that he has our safety net for a hostage deal," Lapid said on social media site X.

Israel's President Isaac Herzog said on Sunday he had told Netanyahu "that I will give him and the government my full support for a deal which will see the release of the hostages".

"It is our inherent obligation to bring them home within the framework of a deal that preserves the security interests of the State of Israel," Herzog said in an address at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

The Gaza war was sparked by Hamas's unprecedented October 7 attack, which resulted in the deaths of 1,189 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.

Militants also took 252 hostages, 121 of whom remain in Gaza, including 37 the army says are dead.

Israel's retaliatory bombardments and ground offensive have killed at least 36,379 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry.

Heavy fighting has flared in far-southern Rafah, where Israel sent tanks and troops in early May, ignoring concerns for displaced civilians sheltering in the city.

Israeli Apache attack helicopters on Sunday opened fire on targets in central Rafah, a jet fired a missile at a house in the western Tel al-Sultan district and artillery shelling targeted the southern Brazil neighbourhood, witnesses said.

Elsewhere in Gaza, Israeli helicopters fired at targets in Gaza City's Zeitun and Sabra areas, and an air strike hit a house in the city's east, AFP reporters said.

Three people were killed including a woman and a child, when an air strike hit a family apartment in Gaza City's Daraj neighbourhood, a hospital medic said.

Artillery shelling also targeted areas of Deir al-Balah and the Bureij and Nuseirat camps, witnesses said.

Before the Rafah offensive began on May 7, the United Nations said up to 1.4 million people were sheltering there. Since then, one million have fled the area, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, has said.

Egyptian state-linked Al-Qahera News said Cairo will host a meeting with Israeli and US officials on Sunday to discuss reopening the Rafah crossing.

Israel's defence ministry body overseeing civilian affairs in the Palestinian territories, COGAT, also said that 764 Egyptian trucks had crossed into Gaza over the past week through Israel's Kerem Shalom crossing.

www.france24.com

Israel fights Hamas as mediators urge both to accept Gaza truce plan

Israel battled and bombarded Hamas in the Gaza Strip on Sunday as mediators called on both sides to agree to a truce and hostage release deal outlined by US President Joe Biden.
www.france24.com www.france24.com
 
Gaza ceasefire plan turns into deadly game of survival

For the leaders of both Hamas and Israel, ending the war in Gaza has become a deadly game of survival.

The terms on which the war finally ends could largely determine their political future and their grip on power. For Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, even his physical survival.

It’s partly why previous negotiations have failed. It’s also why the question of how to permanently end the fighting has been put off to the last stages of the plan outlined by US President Joe Biden on Friday.

That transition between talks on a limited hostage-for-prisoner deal to discussions about a permanent ceasefire would, Mr Biden acknowledged, be “difficult”.

But it’s also where the success or failure of this latest deal is likely to hinge.

The US says it has submitted a draft resolution to the UN Security Council supporting the ceasefire plan outlined by President Biden. The three-phase plan involves an end to the conflict, the release of the hostages and reconstruction of the Palestinian territory.

Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has strong domestic reasons for wanting to take this deal step by step.

Phase one, as outlined by Mr Biden, would see the release of dozens of hostages, both living and dead. That would be widely welcomed in a country where the failure to free all those held by Hamas is, for many, a glaring moral stain on Mr Netanyahu's management of the war.

But Hamas is unlikely to give up its most politically sensitive hostages – women, wounded, elderly – without some kind of guarantee that Israel won’t simply restart the war once they’re home.

Leaks, quoted by Israeli media on Monday morning, suggested that Benjamin Netanyahu has told parliamentary colleagues that Israel would be able to keep its options open.

That option, to resume fighting – until Hamas is “eliminated” – is, some believe, the least Mr Netanyahu’s far-right coalition partners will demand.

Without their support, he faces the prospect of early elections and the continuation of a corruption trial.

Mr Netanyahu needs to keep his long-term options open, to stand a chance of winning their support for any initial hostage deal. Hamas leaders, on the other hand, are likely to want permanent ceasefire guarantees upfront.

Previous deals have collapsed into this chasm. Bridging it now will depend on how much room for manoeuvre Mr Netanyahu has with his hard-right government allies to find alternatives to the “elimination” of Hamas – and how far Hamas leaders are prepared to consider them.

Mr Netanyahu talked over the weekend about the destruction of Hamas’s “military and governing capabilities” and ensuring that the group no longer posed a threat to Israel.

Few dispute that Hamas has suffered major losses to its military infrastructure – and even, some say, to its public support within Gaza and its control of the streets.

But there’s no sign that Israel has killed or captured its top leaders Yahya Sinwar and Mohammed Deif, and leaving them free in Gaza to celebrate the withdrawal of Israeli forces would spell political disaster for Israel’s embattled prime minister.

On Monday a US State Department spokesman said that although Hamas's capabilities had "steadily degraded" in recent months, it remained a threat and the US did not believe the group could be eliminated militarily.

Meanwhile the White House said Mr Biden had "confirmed Israel’s readiness to move forward with the terms that have now been offered to Hamas" and said the Palestinian group was now the only obstacle to a deal.

Separately, military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said the Israeli military would be able to ensure Israel's security in the event of any truce agreed by the government.

However Yanir Cozin, diplomatic correspondent with Israel’s military radio station, GLZ, believes that Mr Netanyahu won’t end the war until he can frame it as a success.

“A deal that leaves Hamas is a big failure,” he said. “Eight months on, when you haven’t achieved any of the war goals – not finishing Hamas, bringing all the hostages back, or securing the borders – then he doesn’t want to end the war. But he also understands that he cannot leave it until the next Israeli election in 2026.”

“If he can say, ‘We exiled Yahya Sinwar and Mohammed Deif, they’re not living in Gaza’ – and if the people living close to Gaza and the northern border can go back – I think he can keep his government together. But it’s a lot of ‘ifs’.”

Hamas is very unlikely to agree to the exile or surrender of its top figures. But there are clear splits emerging between Hamas leaders inside and outside Gaza.

Former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak, who has also served as defence minister, told Israeli radio on Monday that President Biden had announced the deal “after seeing that Netanyahu only moves ahead when he’s certain that Sinwar will refuse”.

“How do you think Sinwar will react when he tends to agree and then he’s told: but be quick, because we still have to kill you after you return all the hostages,” he said.

In the meantime, tens of thousands of Israelis displaced after the Hamas attacks on 7 October are watching their prime minister’s next move.

Among them is Yarin Sultan, a 31-year-old mother of three who ran from her home in Sderot on Gaza’s border the morning after the Hamas attacks. She says she won’t go home until Yahya Sinwar and Mohammed Deif are no longer free.

“This ceasefire will kill us,” she told the BBC. “We will free the hostages, but a few years from now you will be the next hostages, you will be the next people who get murdered, the women that are raped – all this will happen again.”

BBC
 

Hamas wants Israel to commit to permanent ceasefire, full withdrawal from Gaza​

CAIRO, June 4 (Reuters) - Hamas cannot agree to any deal unless Israel makes a "clear" commitment to a permanent ceasefire and a complete withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, a senior official from the Palestinian militant group said on Tuesday.

Qatar, which alongside the United States and Egypt has been mediating talks between Hamas and Israel, has also urged Israel to provide a clear position that has the backing of its entire government to reach a deal.

"We cannot agree to an agreement that doesn't secure, guarantee, and ensure a permanent ceasefire, a complete withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and completing a real serious swap deal accordingly," Osama Hamdan, a Hamas official, told a televised press conference.

A three-phase proposal presented by U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday involved in its first phase a six-week ceasefire when Israeli forces would withdraw from "all populated areas" of Gaza and some hostages - including the elderly and women - would be freed in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.

Under that plan, Hamas and Israel would negotiate in the same phase a permanent ceasefire that Biden said would last "as long as Hamas lives up to its commitments."

In the second phase, Biden said there would be an exchange for all remaining living hostages, including male soldiers, Israeli forces would withdraw from Gaza and the permanent ceasefire would begin.

Hamdan said: "Israel only wants one phase where it takes all its hostages, then it resumes its aggression and war on our people."

"We ask mediators to get a clear position from the Israeli occupation to commit to a permanent ceasefire and a complete withdrawal," he added.

Hamas has previously said it viewed the contents of the proposal positively.

The United States said on Sunday that if Hamas accepted the proposed plan it expected Israel to follow suit.

The third phase in the proposal would include a major reconstruction plan for the enclave, which has been devastated by eight months of war, and the return of the remains of dead hostages to their families.

Source: Reuters
 
Slovenia becomes latest European country to recognize Palestinian state

Slovenia has become the latest European country to formally recognize Palestinian statehood, after the country’s parliament approved the move with a majority vote on Tuesday.

The decision follows those of Spain, Ireland and Norway, who formally recognized Palestinian statehood in late May.

The growing momentum in Europe is likely to bolster the global Palestinian cause, but could further strain relations with Israel.

Most of the world already recognizes Palestinian statehood. More than 140 out of 193 member states of the United Nations have made their recognition official. But only some nations in the 27-member European Union are among them.

The vote passed with 52 votes in favor and zero against, Slovenia’s national broadcaster RTV Slovenija reported. The vote passed during an extraordinary parliament session after numerous procedural hurdles, according to the outlet.


CNN
 
Mass graves and body bags: al-Shifa hospital after Israel withdrew its forces

After Israeli forces pulled out of Gaza City’s vast al-Shifa hospital complex on 1 April, following their second raid there, stunned Palestinians who pored over the burnt-out ruins said it reeked of death.

During the past eight months of war, hospitals have come under repeated attack, with Israel claiming they are used as bases by Hamas; something the group denies.

But events at al-Shifa – once the biggest and best equipped medical facility in the Gaza Strip – have arguably been the most dramatic.

The two-week surprise raid, launched after Israel said Hamas had regrouped at the site, was described by the Israeli government as "precise and surgical".

Its spokesman, Avi Hyman, asserted that it had set "the gold standard of urban warfare". He said: “We took out over 200 terrorists. We apprehended over 900 terrorists with not a single civilian casualty.”

With decaying bodies sticking out of the sand piled up by combat bulldozers in the courtyards of al-Shifa, the claim that there had been no civilian casualties was immediately questioned.

In recent weeks, four mass graves have been uncovered at the site, with Palestinian search teams saying that several hundred bodies have been found.

We have worked with a journalist in Gaza to follow developments.

“We’ve extracted martyrs, many of whom are decomposed and completely unidentifiable,” a Palestinian Civil Defence worker, Rami Dababesh told us grimly on 8 May as he stood by a line of white plastic body bags at al-Shifa, wearing a face mask and full protective gear.

“We’ve found corpses of women, children and individuals without heads as well as torn body parts,” he added.

The Civil Defence lacks forensic equipment and expertise, but its teams have been using photos and videos to document the remains. A director, Dr Mohamed Mughir, told us there were suspicious finds; describing how “signs of field executions, binding marks, gunshot wounds to the head and torture marks on the limbs were observed on the bodies of some martyrs".

The UN Security Council has expressed “deep concern” at the discovery of mass graves at both al-Shifa and Nasser hospital in southern Gaza. Along with the US and the European Union, it has called for an independent investigation into possible war crimes.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) says that during its raids of the Gaza hospitals, its soldiers exhumed bodies that Palestinians had buried earlier as part of its search for the remains of some 250 hostages captured during the deadly Hamas attacks on Israel on 7 October.

It maintains bodies were examined respectfully and those not belonging to Israeli captives were returned to their place.

However, at least some of the corpses found recently at al-Shifa were those of patients who died during Israel’s latest military action. A paramedic involved in the search said some had IV catheters still attached.

On 15 April, the BBC met two men whose dead mothers were last seen being treated at the hospital. Their bodies had just been recovered from a mass grave.

“I came running here when they told me of the grave,” said Mohammed al-Khatib, who had spent days searching for his mother, Khawla. “By the grace of almighty God her body was found.”

Walid Fteima said his elderly mother, Lina Abu Leila, was being treated for malnutrition and severe dehydration when she died. Her body was decomposed, and he could only identify her from injuries she had from an Israeli bombing last year. “[She] had a toe amputated on each foot,” he explained.

After it began its operation at the hospital early on 18 March, the IDF ordered thousands of civilians sheltering there and living in the vicinity to leave and head south. However, it said the hospital could continue to function. By the end of two weeks, only some 140 patients and medics reportedly remained.

The WHO's Dr Rik Peeperkorn said those left behind at the hospital ended up in facilities that were "completely unfit for treatment"

The local WHO representative, Dr Rik Peeperkorn, says this group endured “horrific conditions”. After being repeatedly moved around the complex, he says, they “actually ended up in the human resources building which was completely unfit for treatment". Ultimately, he says, 20 patients died.

Several surviving patients – all wounded in previous Israeli strikes – told us they were given only tiny quantities of food such as canned tuna. They said there were severe shortages of drinking water and medication.

“The bombing surrounded us 24/7,” said Mohamed al-Nadeem who is half paralysed. “I am sick and unable to move. I was sleeping on the floor without blankets.”

“There were no dressings or painkillers,” said Rafif Doghmush, 15, whose foot has been amputated.

The IDF has told journalists that no staff or patients died as a “direct result” of its action, but that some may have died of “natural causes".

During its raid, it said it helped patients by moving them out of harm’s way and that medical supplies and devices as well as food, water, and a generator were brought to the hospital.

Grainy drone footage shared by the IDF after it launched its raid on 18 March showed Palestinian gunmen apparently shooting at soldiers from inside al-Shifa hospital. Later, the gunmen were said to have barricaded themselves in wards and corridors, opening fire and throwing explosives.

Three Israeli soldiers were confirmed to have been killed during the two-week long operation.

The IDF briefed journalists that its action at the hospital was taken based on “concrete intelligence” that Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad had taken over parts of the site, suggesting their operatives had been using it to access basic supplies as well as power and the internet.

While Hamas denied using al-Shifa as a base, its officials did not deny the presence of some members inside the complex, indicating that they may have been among displaced people sheltering there.

Israel has said that “over 200 terrorists” were killed in and around al-Shifa, as well as the hundreds detained, but has only given some names.

These include Faiq al-Mabhouh, described as head of operations in Hamas’ internal security service. The Hamas-run government’s media office said he was a police commander who had been co-ordinating aid deliveries to northern Gaza.

Others killed were identified as a senior Hamas commander, Raed Thabet, said to have been head of recruitment and supply acquisition, and Mahmoud Zakzouk, said to have been deputy commander of the Hamas rocket unit in Gaza City. Two other Hamas operatives were named as Fadi Dweik and Zakaria Najib, said to have been involved in organising attacks in the occupied West Bank.

In April, the IDF also released footage which it said was from the interrogation of Tarek Abu Shaluf, spokesman for the political wing of Islamic Jihad. It said he had been captured at al-Shifa.

Hamas and Islamic Jihad do not routinely confirm the names of low-level fighters killed by Israeli military action, making it very difficult to estimate how many were killed at the hospital and in the vicinity. It is likely that a number were among the dead found in mass graves.

Despite the Israeli claim that there was “not a single civilian casualty” from its raid, we have been given strong testimony that there were Palestinian civilians killed by heavy Israeli bombardment and intense shooting in the surrounding neighbourhood.

The Palestinian Civil Defence told us that hundreds of Palestinians were still reported to be missing following the raid in March.

There have repeatedly been conflicting narratives about what has happened in and around al-Shifa.

During its first controversial raid there, the Israeli military raised expectations that Israeli hostages might be found at the site. It also released a graphic depicting a vast underground tunnel network that it suggested was underneath the hospital, serving as a major Hamas command and control centre.

While the IDF said it retrieved the bodies of two Israeli hostages near to the hospital, it did not announce that it had found any within the complex. Security camera footage that was recovered did show that at least two foreign captives were taken there on 7 October.

The IDF showed what it said was a fortified 55-metre tunnel on the hospital grounds. This fell short of its initial claims about the extent of hidden tunnels, although later reporting suggested the passage – which was blown up – had actually been longer and was most likely connected to a wider network under Gaza City.

When it returned to the site in March, the IDF suggested its key discoveries were of a different nature, releasing pictures of cash, weapons, and ammunition it said it had found there along with Hamas documents.

Al-Shifa has been at the heart of a debate about whether Hamas uses medical sites as a cover. Israel has consistently claimed that the group hides its fighters and infrastructure behind the sick and wounded, which it suggests has rendered hospitals legitimate military targets.

Hamas denies misusing civilian sites and accuses Israel of violating international humanitarian law by targeting hospitals.

In April, when the UN called for “a clear, transparent and credible investigation” of mass graves in Gaza, its spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters that more journalists needed to be able to work safely in the territory to report on the facts. During the war, Israel and Egypt have denied free access to foreign media.

Mr Dujarric also said: “It’s important that all forensic evidence be well preserved.” So far, that is proving to be a challenge.

International forensic specialists have been unable to reach Gaza to investigate what happened at al-Shifa. That has left much of the focus locally on registering and identifying the dead where possible, and giving them proper burials.

The disturbance of the mass grave sites, experts say, will ultimately make it much harder to uncover the truth about them.

Meanwhile, although al-Shifa has been largely destroyed, there have been recent efforts to restart very limited medical services on site. These gained momentum as Israel targeted other health facilities which it said were being used by Hamas, particularly Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza.

In late May, in a hastily repaired room of the kidney dialysis unit at al-Shifa, the journalist working with us met four patients as they sat connected to steadily beeping machines. After so many deaths at the hospital, it is once again providing some life-saving treatment.

BBC
 

Lebanon arrests gunman following attack on US embassy in Beirut​


A gunman who fired on the embassy of the United States in Beirut has been arrested after he was injured in return fire.

The attack on the embassy on Wednesday morning was carried out by a Syrian national, according to the Lebanese military. The incident comes amid heightened tensions across the region as Israel continues its war in Gaza.

The assailant, who was wounded in a gunfight with soldiers, has been arrested and taken to hospital. The army said in a statement on X that the attacker was a Syrian national and that it was investigating the incident.

It offered no further details, but a photo being circulated on social media shows a bloodied man wearing a vest with “Islamic State” written on it in Arabic and the English initials “I” and “S”.

Reporting from outside the embassy, Al Jazeera’s Zeina Khodr noted the “heavy security presence”, with the Lebanese army not allowing people through to the compound.

The embassy, which sits in the city’s northern suburb of Awkar, said “small arms fire” had been reported at 8.34am (05.34 GMT) “in the vicinity of the entrance” to the building. It added that the embassy staff were “safe”.

Local media reported that the gunfight lasted almost half an hour. A member of the embassy’s security team was reportedly wounded, while the army was combing the area in search of any other possible attackers, according to a security source speaking to the Reuters news agency.

Lebanese security sources have suggested that the detained attacker may not have been acting alone, Khodr said. Authorities have suggested that up to four other gunmen were involved in the attack.

The embassy lies north of Beirut in a highly secured zone with multiple checkpoints along the route to the entrance. It moved there following a suicide attack in 1983 which killed 63 people.

Tension has been high in Lebanon since Israel’s war in Gaza started in October. Iran-linked armed group Hezbollah has been engaged in mutual attacks with Israel over the country’s southern border.

In September last year, a gunman opened fire at the US embassy, without causing casualties. The Lebanese police had then said the attacker was a delivery driver seeking revenge for his perceived humiliation by security personnel.

That shooting coincided with the anniversary of a deadly September 1984 car bombing outside the US embassy annexe in Beirut that killed at least 20 people, which the US blamed on Hezbollah.

In October last year, scores of protesters gathered outside the embassy to demonstrate in the early days of the Gaza war, and Lebanese security forces used tear gas and water cannon to repel them.

Iran-linked groups in Syria and Yemen have also maintained low-level conflict with Israeli forces.

“It’s too early to say [what were] the motives behind the attacks. There hasn’t been any claim of responsibility,” Khodr said.

“Ever since the war on Gaza happened in October, we’ve seen violent protests in this area, people trying to make their way to the embassy, people venting their anger towards the US administration,” the correspondent noted.

www.aljazeera.com

Lebanon arrests gunman following attack on US embassy in Beirut

The military says the assailant, injured in a gunfight, is a Syrian national.
www.aljazeera.com www.aljazeera.com
 
The Satanic madness never end until people stand against them
====
The Israeli military says it has taken “operational control” over eastern areas of Bureij refugee camp and the town of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, as dozens of Palestinians were reported killed

On Wednesday morning, the military said troops backed by air strikes had begun an operation against “terrorists and terrorist infrastructure above and below ground".

Residents reported intense bombardment and the charity Médecins Sans Frontières said at least 70 dead people - the majority women and children - had been brought to a local hospital since Tuesday.

It came as US, Egyptian and Qatari mediators meet in Doha and Cairo to discuss how to finalise a new ceasefire and hostage release deal.

The US said on Tuesday it was still waiting for a response from Hamas to what it described as an Israeli proposal outlined by US President Joe Biden last week.

Qatar said it had delivered the plan to Hamas representatives and noted that it was also still waiting for a clear position from the Israeli government.

Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh said on Wednesday the group would deal "seriously and positively" with a proposal based on an end to the war and a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.

Israel's prime minister has insisted he will not agree to a permanent ceasefire before Hamas is defeated and the hostages it is holding are released. And on Wednesday, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant declared that "all negotiations with Hamas will be conducted under fire".

Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza to destroy Hamas in response to the group's cross-border attack on southern Israel on 7 October, during which around 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

Source: BBC
 
Cricket Warrior said:
Slovenia becomes latest European country to recognize Palestinian state

Slovenia has become the latest European country to formally recognize Palestinian statehood, after the country’s parliament approved the move with a majority vote on Tuesday.

The decision follows those of Spain, Ireland and Norway, who formally recognized Palestinian statehood in late May.

The growing momentum in Europe is likely to bolster the global Palestinian cause, but could further strain relations with Israel.
Click to expand...

Good. More and more countries should get on board with this. Israel has gone completely insane and needs to be internationally isolated.
 
Even UN shelters are not safe from Barabris Israeli attacks.

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Israeli strike on UN shelter in Gaza kills at least 27

An Israeli air strike on a UN school packed with hundreds of displaced people in central Gaza has killed at least 27 people, local officials say.

The Israeli military said it carried out a strike on a UN school that housed a "Hamas compound".

Local journalists told the BBC that an Israeli warplane fired two missiles at classrooms on the top floor of the school in the Nuseirat refugee camp.

The Hamas media office has accused Israel of committing a "horrific massacre".

Ambulances and rescue teams have been rushing the wounded and dead to a nearby hospital.

Footage on social media showed destroyed classrooms and bodies wrapped in shrouds at a morgue.

"Enough war! We have been displaced dozens of times. They killed our children while they were sleeping," a woman injured in the attack screamed in one video.

Ismail al-Thawabta, director of the Hamas media office, rejected Israel's claims that the UN school had hidden a Hamas command post.

"The occupation uses ... false fabricated stories to justify the brutal crime it conducted against dozens of displaced people," he told Reuters news agency.

In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said jets had conducted a "precise strike on a Hamas compound embedded inside an Unrwa school in the area of Nuseirat".

It said it had killed Hamas and Islamic Jihad "terrorists" who took part in the 7 October attack on southern Israel, when around 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

At least 36,580 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.

The IDF said it had taken steps before the air strike to "reduce the risk of harming uninvolved civilians".

Earlier, the Israeli military said it had taken “operational control” over eastern areas of Bureij refugee camp and the town of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, as dozens of Palestinians were reported killed.

Residents reported intense bombardment and the charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said at least 70 bodies - the majority women and children - had been brought to a local hospital since Tuesday.

MSF said its medical team on the ground had described the situation at Deir al-Balah's al-Aqsa hospital - one of the only remaining functional health facilities in central Gaza - as "apocalyptic".

BBC
 

Diminished Hamas militants switch to insurgent tactics against Israeli troops in Gaza​


Hamas has seen about half its forces wiped out in eight months of war and is relying on hit-and-run insurgent tactics to frustrate Israel’s attempts to take control of Gaza, US and Israeli officials told Reuters.

The enclave’s ruling group has been reduced to between 9,000 and 12,000 fighters, according to three senior US officials familiar with battlefield developments, down from American estimates of 20,000-25,000 before the conflict.

By contrast, Israel says it has lost almost 300 troops in the Gaza campaign.

Hamas fighters are now largely avoiding sustained skirmishes with Israeli forces closing in on the southernmost city of Rafah, instead relying on ambushes and improvised bombs to hit targets often behind enemy lines, one of the officials said.

Several Gaza residents, including Wissam Ibrahim, said they too had observed a shift in tactics.

“In earlier months, Hamas fighters would intercept, engage and fire at Israeli troops as soon as they pushed into their territory,” Ibrahim told Reuters by phone. “But now, there is a notable shift in their mode of operations, they wait for them to deploy and then they start their ambushes and attacks.”

The US officials, who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive matters, said such tactics could sustain a Hamas insurgency for months to come, aided by weapons smuggled into Gaza via tunnels and others repurposed from unexploded ordnance or captured from Israeli forces.

This kind of protracted timeframe is echoed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s national security adviser who said last week the war could last until the end of 2024 at least.

A Hamas spokesperson didn’t respond to requests for comment on its battlefield strategy.

In a parallel propaganda drive, some of the group’s fighters are videotaping their ambushes of Israeli troops, before editing and posting them on Telegram and other social media apps.

Peter Lerner, a spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), told Reuters they were still some way from destroying Hamas, which he also said had lost roughly half of its fighting force.

Lerner said the military was adapting to the group’s shift in tactics and acknowledged Israel couldn’t eliminate every Hamas fighter or destroy every Hamas tunnel.

“There is never a goal to kill each and every last terrorist on the ground. That’s not a realistic goal,” he added. “Destroying Hamas as a governing authority is an achievable and attainable military objective,” he added.

Netanyahu and his government are under pressure from Washington to agree to a ceasefire plan to end the war, which began on Oct. 7 when Hamas fighters stormed into southern Israel, killing more than 1,200 people and seizing over 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

Israel’s subsequent ground-and-air campaign in Gaza has left the territory in ruins and killed more than 36,000 people, according to Palestinian health authorities. The United Nations says over a million people face “catastrophic” levels of hunger.

There are about between 7,000-8,000 Hamas fighters reportedly entrenched in Rafah, the last significant bastion of the group’s resistance, according to Israeli and US officials. Top leaders Yahya Sinwar, his brother Mohammed, and Sinwar’s second-in-command Mohammed Deif are still alive and believed to be hiding in tunnels with Israeli hostages, they said.

The Palestinian group has shown the ability to withdraw rapidly after attacks, take cover, regroup, and pop up again in areas that Israel had believed to be cleared of militants, a US administration official said.

Lerner, the IDF spokesperson, agreed Israel faced a protracted battle to overcome Hamas, which has ruled the Gaza Strip since 2006.

“There is no quick fix after 17 years of them building their capabilities,” he added.

Hamas has constructed a 500 km (310 miles) subterranean city of tunnels over the years. The labyrinth, dubbed the Gaza metro by the Israeli military, is roughly half the length of the New York subway system. Equipped with water, power and ventilation, it shelters Hamas leaders, command and control centers, and weapons and ammunition stores.

The Israeli military said last week that it had taken control of the entire Gaza-Egypt land border to prevent weapons smuggling. About 20 tunnels used by Hamas to carry arms into Gaza were found within the zone, it added.

Egypt’s State Information Service didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on Israel’s claims of arms-smuggling from the country. Egyptian officials have previously denied any such clandestine trade is taking place, saying they destroyed the tunnel networks leading to Gaza years ago.

The Gaza incursion is Israel’s longest and fiercest conflict since it invaded Lebanon to oust the Palestinian Liberation Organization in 1982.

Netanyahu has defied domestic and international calls to outline a post-war plan for the territory. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has warned that the absence of such a roadmap could trigger lawlessness in the enclave.

One Arab official told Reuters that criminal gangs had already emerged in Gaza amid the power vacuum, seizing food deliveries and conducting armed robberies.

The official and two other Arab government sources, who all requested anonymity to speak freely, said the IDF could face similar threats to those encountered by America in the city of Falluja in 2004-2006 following the US-led invasion of Iraq.

A broad insurgency in Falluja swelled the ranks first of al-Qaeda and then ISIS, miring Iraq in conflict and chaos from which it has yet to fully emerge two decades later.

Washington and its Arab allies have said they are working on a post-conflict plan for Gaza which involves a time-bound, irreversible path to Palestinian statehood.

When the plan, part of a “grand bargain” envisioned by the United States that aims to secure a normalizing of relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel, is complete, Washington aims to put it to Israel, the US officials said.

A United Arab Emirates official with direct knowledge of the discussions said a Palestinian invitation was needed for countries to assist Gaza in an emergency operation, as well as an end to hostilities, full Israeli disengagement, and clarity on Gaza’s legal status, including control of borders.

The emergency process could last a year and be potentially renewable for another year, according to the UAE official who said the aim to be to stabilize the enclave rather than rebuild it.

For reconstruction to begin, a more detailed roadmap towards a two-state solution was needed, he added, as well as serious and credible reform of the Palestinian Authority.

How the United States aims to overcome Netanyahu’s repeated rejection of a two-state solution, which Riyadh says is a condition to normalizing ties, is unclear.

David Schenker, a former US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, dismissed any suggestion of a clean IDF pullout from the Palestinian territory.

“Israel says it’s going to maintain security control which means that it’s going to constantly fly drones over Gaza and they’re not going to be limited if they see Hamas re-emerging, they’re going to go back,” said Schenker, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute US-based think-tank.

Gadi Eisenkot, a former Israeli military chief serving in Netanyahu’s war cabinet, has proposed an Egyptian-led international coalition as an alternative to Hamas rule in Gaza.

In a closed-door briefing last week to the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, he emphasized the complex nature of anti-militancy warfare.

“This is a religious, nationalistic, social, and military struggle with no knock-out blow but rather protracted warfare that will last many years,” he said.

 
US urges Israel to be transparent over Gaza school strike

The US has told Israel it must be fully "transparent" over an air strike that reportedly killed at least 35 people at a central Gaza school packed with displaced people on Thursday morning.

Local journalists told the BBC a warplane had fired two missiles at classrooms on the top floor of the school in the Nuseirat urban refugee camp.

The Israeli military said it had conducted a "precise" strike on a "Hamas compound" in the school, but Gaza’s Hamas-run government media office denied the claim.

The US called on Israel to identify publicly the Hamas fighters it said it had killed - just as the Israeli military gave the names of nine of them.

Israel frequently identifies militants it targets in air strikes but it is rare for the US to urge it to do so.

The Israelis “told us there were 20 to 30 militants they were targeting [and] they’re going to release the names of those they believe they’ve killed, those militants”, US state department spokesperson Matthew Miller said.

“That is what they have said they would provide. We expect them to do that, as well as any other details that would shed light on this incident."

In a near-simultaneous news briefing, Israeli army spokesperson Daniel Hagari gave the names of nine Hamas and Islamic Jihad fighters he said had been killed in the strike. He said more would be identified after work to “verify the information”.

In Washington, Mr Miller said the US has seen reports that 14 children were killed in the strike.

"If that is accurate that 14 children were killed, those aren’t terrorists," he said.

"And so the government of Israel has said they are going to release more information about this strike... We expect them to be fully transparent in making that information public.”

The latest deaths come just a week after 45 people were killed in an Israeli strike in the Gazan city of Rafah.

The latest strike, local journalists and residents say, happened in the early hours of Thursday at al-Sardi school, which is in a south-eastern area of the densely populated, decades-old camp, where the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, Unrwa, provides services.

Videos shared on social media showed the destruction of several classrooms in one of the school's buildings, as well as bodies wrapped in white shrouds and blankets.

Dead and wounded people were rushed to the al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Hospital, in the nearby town of Deir al-Balah, which has been overwhelmed since the Israeli military began a new ground operation against Hamas in central Gaza this week.

The BBC is working to verify the details of the strike in Nuseirat camp. Reports on the exact number of dead have varied.

Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry said 40 people had been killed, including 14 children and nine women, and 74 others had been injured.

Unrwa's commissioner-general, Philippe Lazzarini, said at least 35 people had been killed and many more had been injured. The agency’s director of communications, Juliette Touma, told the BBC the figures were coming from Unrwa "colleagues on the ground".

Witnesses described a scene of devastation following the strike.

“I was asleep when the incident occurred,” Udai Abu Elias, a man who was living at the school, told BBC Arabic.

"Suddenly we heard a loud explosion and shattered glass and debris from the building fell on us. Smoke filled the air and I couldn't see anything. I didn't expect to make it out alive. I heard someone calling for survivors to come out from under the rubble. I struggled to see as I stumbled over the bodies of the martyrs.”

Unrwa said 6,000 displaced people had been sheltering in the school complex at the time. Many schools and other UN facilities have been used as shelters by the 1.7 million people who have fled their homes during the war, which has lasted almost eight months.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres condemned the strike through a spokesperson, saying that UN premises must be "inviolable" and protected by "all parties" during conflicts.

In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said jets had conducted a "precise strike on a Hamas compound embedded inside" the school. An annotated aerial photograph highlighted classrooms on two upper floors of the building, which the IDF said were the “locations of the terrorists”.

US officials have continued to lobby for what President Joe Biden called an Israeli ceasefire proposal.

The three-part plan would begin with a six-week ceasefire in which the Israeli military would withdraw from populated areas of Gaza. There would also be a "surge" of humanitarian aid, as well as an exchange of some hostages for Palestinian prisoners.

The deal would eventually lead to a permanent "cessation of hostilities" and a major reconstruction plan for Gaza. Germany, France and Britain re-affirmed their support for the deal in a joint statement with the US on Thursday and called for "an enduring end to the crisis".

CIA Director William Burns met mediators from Egypt and Qatar in Doha on Thursday to discuss the plans, but senior Cairo officials told the Reuters news agency that there had been no sign of a breakthrough on the deal.

At least 36,470 people have been killed in Gaza in almost eight months of fighting, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

Hamas killed about 1,200 people and took 251 others hostage during its 7 October attacks on southern Israel.

BBC
 

Katz: Adding Israel to children’s rights violators list ‘will have consequences for Israel’s relations with UN’​


Foreign Minister Israel Katz says a decision to add Israel’s military to a global list of offenders who have committed violations against children “will have consequences for Israel’s relations with the UN.”

Israel and Hamas have been added to the United Nations’ so-called “list of shame,” which is attached to an annual report submitted by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’s office that documents rights violations against children in armed conflict.

This is the first time that Israel and Hamas have been included on this list, joining the ranks of Russia, the Islamic State, al-Qaeda, Boko Haram, Afghanistan, Iraq, Myanmar, Somalia, Yemen and Syria.

The allegations against Israel mean that it is believed to be the first democratic country included on the list.

www.timesofisrael.com

Katz: Adding Israel to children’s rights violators list ‘will have consequences for Israel’s relations with UN’

* * *
www.timesofisrael.com www.timesofisrael.com
 

UN chief to call out Israel for violations against children​

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has added Israel's military to a global list of offenders who have committed violations against children, said Israel's U.N. envoy Gilad Erdan, describing the decision as "shameful."

Erdan said he was officially notified of the decision on Friday. The global list is included in a report on children and armed conflict that is due to be submitted to the U.N. Security Council on June 14.

Israel's Foreign Minister Israel Katz said the decision would impact the country's relations with the United Nations.

Erdan said he was notified by Guterres' chief of staff and posted a video on social media of him responding to the decision during their phone call.

"I am utterly shocked and disgusted by this shameful decision of the Secretary-General," said Erdan. "Israel's army is the most moral army in the world, so this immoral decision will only aid the terrorists and reward Hamas."

Guterres spokesperson Stephane Dujarric declined to comment.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement that the U.N. had "added itself to the black list of history when it joined those who support the Hamas murderers."

Guterres' annual report to the 15-member Security Council on children and armed conflict covers the killing, maiming, sexual abuse, abduction or recruitment of children, denial of aid access and targeting of schools and hospitals.

Source: Reuters
 
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Israel rescues four Nova music festival hostages from central Gaza, military says​


Four Israeli hostages taken by Hamas from the Nova music festival have been rescued alive from the central Gaza strip, the Israeli military said.

Noa Argamani, 25, Almog Meir Jan, 21, Andri Kozlov, 27, and Shlomi Ziv, 40, were all recovered on Saturday as part of a “complex” daytime operation.

They are in good medical condition and have been transferred to the ‘Sheba’ Tel-HaShomer Medical Center for further medical examinations, the Israeli military said.

Israel says more than 130 hostages remain, with about a quarter of those believed dead, and divisions are deepening in the country over how to bring them home.

The rescue comes as international pressure mounts on Israel to limit civilian bloodshed in its war in Gaza, which reached its eighth month on Friday.

Seeking a breakthrough in the apparently stalled ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas, US secretary of state Antony Blinken will return to the Middle East next week.

Israel’s offensive has killed at least 36,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza‘s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between fighters and civilians in its figures.

Saturday’s operation is the largest recovery of living hostages since the war erupted, bringing the total of rescued captives to seven.

Two men were rescued in February when troops stormed a heavily guarded apartment in a densely packed town, and a woman was rescued in the aftermath of October’s attack.

Israeli troops have so far recovered at least 16 bodies of hostages from Gaza, according to the government.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing growing pressure to end the fighting in Gaza, with many Israelis urging him to embrace a deal announced last month by US President Joe Biden, but far-right allies are threatening to collapse his government if he does.

Ms Argamani, has been one of the most widely recognised hostages since she was abducted from a music festival.

The video of her abduction was among the first to surface, with images of her horrified face widely shared as she was held between two men on a motorcycle.

Her mother Liora has stage four brain cancer and in April released a video pleading to see her daughter before she dies.

www.independent.co.uk

Israel rescues four Nova music festival hostages from central Gaza, military says

Four hostages who were kidnapped from the Nova music festival on 7 October were rescued on Saturday
www.independent.co.uk www.independent.co.uk
 
Four hostages rescued in Gaza as hospitals say scores killed in Israeli strikes

Four hostages kidnapped by Hamas have been reunited with their families, after being rescued in a raid that Palestinian officials say killed scores of people.

Noa Argamani, 26, Almog Meir Jan, 22, Andrei Kozlov, 27, and Shlomi Ziv, 41, were freed on Saturday, eight months since being kidnapped from the Nova music festival on 7 October.

Israeli forces, backed by air strikes, fought intense gun battles with Hamas in the Nuseirat area, in what the Israel Defense Forces called a "high-risk, complex mission".

Palestinian officials say women and children were among those killed in the military assault.

Two hospitals in Gaza, al-Aqsa hospital and al-Awda hospital, said they had counted 70 bodies between them, while Hamas's government media office said at least 210 people had been killed in Israeli strikes in and around the al-Nuseirat refugee camp.

Israel estimated there were fewer than 100 casualties, IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari said.

Images from the area show intense bombardment, and hospitals there said they were overwhelmed with casualties, including children, and that they were unable to treat everyone. Other photos show people mourning the dead.

'Precise intelligence'

The rare rescue of hostages - a joint operation conducted by the IDF, Israel Security Agency and Israel Police - comes eight months into war with Hamas in Gaza.

IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari said the mission was based on "precise" intelligence and the hostages were freed from two separate buildings in Nuseirat.

Israeli forces came under fire during the operation, he said. One special forces officer was wounded in the Gaza hostage rescue and later died in hospital, Israeli police said.

The IDF said the released hostages were all in good health, and they were later pictured embracing family members at a medical centre near Tel Aviv.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Israeli forces for operating "creatively and bravely".

"We will not let up until we complete the mission and return home all the hostages - both those alive and dead," he added.

Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said special forces operated "under heavy fire" when rescuing the four hostages.

"This is one of the most heroic and extraordinary operations I have witnessed over the course of 47 years serving in Israel’s defence establishment," Mr Gallant said.

The US also provided intelligence support to Israel in the raid, according to the BBC's partner CBS News which cited two American officials.

They added that US forces did not take part in the operation and the temporary pier in Gaza - which has now resumed aid deliveries after being damaged by heavy seas - was not used in the operation.

Miss Argamani, a Chinese-born Israeli citizen, was kidnapped from the Nova festival and harrowing video footage from 7 October showed the 26-year-old being taken away on the back of a motorbike screaming, "Don't kill me!"

Fresh video of her being reunited with her father, smiling and embracing him on board a vehicle, was broadcast soon after news of the rescue operation on Saturday.

Mr Kozlov, a Russian who moved to Israel in 2022, and Mr Ziv had both been working as security guards at the festival when they were kidnapped.

Mr Jan had been due to start a job at a large tech company the day after he was kidnapped.

The Hostages Families Forum Headquarters, a group representing the families of the hostages, described the rescue as “a miraculous triumph” and thanked the IDF for the “heroic operation”.

The group added: “The Israeli government must remember its commitment to bring back all 120 hostages still held by Hamas — the living for rehabilitation, the murdered for burial.”

While there was jubilation in Israel, images and video showed death, injury and destruction in the area, including around the al-Nuseirat refugee camp.

According to BBC Verify, it appeared that Israeli strikes took place across several locations in central Gaza, but Nuseirat - the location of the IDF operation to release four hostages - seems to have been hit hardest.

One video from the al-Aqsa hospital shows numerous people with injuries laying on the floor, while other videos showed a frequent stream of new patients being driven in by car and ambulance and carried into the building.

The Hamas government media office said at least 400 were wounded in the densely-populated area.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has called for an emergency United Nations Security Council session to discuss what he has called "the bloody massacre that was carried out by the Israeli forces" in and around the al-Nuseirat refugee camp.

The European Union's high representative for foreign affairs, Josep Borrell said on X: "Reports from Gaza of another massacre of civilians are appalling.

"We condemn this in the strongest terms. The bloodbath must end immediately."

Gantz's expected resignation postponed

The rescue of hostages comes amid efforts for a ceasefire and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas.

Mr Netanyahu has been urged to reach an agreement but faces opposition from far-right allies who say military action is the only way to bring the hostages back.

Saturday’s operation is the most successful rescue of hostages by the Israeli military in this war – and could change the calculation of a prime minister who is under increasing pressure.

Israeli war cabinet minister Benny Gantz cancelled a news conference which had been scheduled for Saturday.

It comes amid speculation Mr Gantz would quit having previously threatened to resign from the war cabinet if Mr Netanyahu did not approve a post-war plan for Gaza by 8 June.

World leaders, including US President Joe Biden, France's Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz have welcomed the news of the hostage rescue.

In response to the military offensive in Nuseirat, Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh said Israel could not force its choices on the group.

He said the group would not agree to a ceasefire deal unless it achieved security for Palestinians.

During its 7 October attacks in southern Israel Hamas killed about 1,200 people and took some 251 people.

Some 116 remain in the Palestinian territory, including 41 the army says are dead.

A deal agreed in November saw Hamas release 105 hostages in return for a week-long ceasefire and some 240 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.

On Saturday, the Hamas-run health ministry said the death toll in Gaza is now 36,801 people.

BBC
 

Gaza’s death toll surpasses 37,000​

Israeli attacks in Gaza have killed 283 people and injured 814 in the past 24 hours alone, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

The vast majority of those casualties – 274 killed and 698 injured – were caused by Israel’s operation in Nuseirat, the ministry said. Israeli forces claimed to have freed four captives during the operation.

The latest casualties bring Gaza’s total death toll since October 7 to 37,084 killed and 84,494 injured, according to the ministry.

Source: Al Jazeera
 
Why doesn't Hamas just release the hostages and save their people from certain massacre? But then again, they wouldn't have done what they did on 7th October last year if they truly cared about their people.
 
Hitman said:
Why doesn't Hamas just release the hostages and save their people from certain massacre? But then again, they wouldn't have done what they did on 7th October last year if they truly cared about their people.
Click to expand...

Another very biased and ignorant post. On one hand you occasionally sympathise with the palastanians, then reality kicks in with complete ignorance.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
aboveandbeyond said:
Another very biased and ignorant post. On one hand you occasionally sympathise with the palastanians, then reality kicks in with complete ignorance.
Click to expand...
Israel is a merciless monster. Hamas invited trouble. There is still time, they should just release the hostages.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Hitman said:
Israel is a merciless monster. Hamas invited trouble. There is still time, they should just release the hostages.
Click to expand...

Once again, have some common sense. The pro israeli hypocrisy is based on October the 7th, yet they have been massacering palastanians for decades.

And what about the thousands of Palastanian hostages in israeli cells for decades.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
aboveandbeyond said:
Once again, have some common sense. The pro israeli hypocrisy is based on October the 7th, yet they have been massacering palastanians for decades.

And what about the thousands of Palastanian hostages in israeli cells for decades.
Click to expand...
So what do you suggest Israel should have done after what Hamas did on 7th October last year?
 
Hitman said:
So what do you suggest Israel should have done after what Hamas did on 7th October last year?
Click to expand...

Hand over the palastanian hostages in return for their own.

But the facts are, it's nothing to do with the hostages, its about Israel further occupying ilegal settlements.
 
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