
Gaza ceasefire talks continue as Israel carries out fresh wave of strikes
Ceasefire talks
between Israel and
Hamas
have been continuing in Qatar for a second day as Israeli warplanes and artillery launched a fresh wave of strikes across
Gaza
, killing at least 103 people, according to health officials in the Palestinian territory.
The Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, signalled on Sunday that Israel was open to a deal with Hamas that would include 'ending the fighting' in Gaza, but laid out conditions that have been repeatedly refused by the militant Islamist organisation.
'Even at this very moment, the negotiation team in Doha is working to exhaust every possibility for a deal ... which would include the release of all the hostages, the exile of Hamas terrorists and the disarmament of the Gaza Strip,' his office said in a statement.
In Gaza, medical officials said they could not cope with the casualties from the most recent strikes.
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'Hospitals are overwhelmed with the growing number of casualties, many are children, several cases of amputations and the hospitals, which have been hit repeatedly by the occupation, are struggling with shortages of medical supplies,' Khalil al-Deqran, the territory's health ministry spokesperson, told Reuters.
In northern Gaza, a strike on Sunday on a home in the Jabaliya area killed nine people from a single family, according to the health ministry's emergency services. Another strike in Jabaliya, killed 10, including seven children and a woman, civil defence officials said.
At least 12 people were killed in three separate strikes in central Gaza, hospitals said. More than 48 people were killed in air strikes in and around the southern city of Khan Younis, some of which hit houses and tents sheltering displaced people, according to medics at Nasser hospital, which added that more than half of the dead were women and children.
There was no independent confirmation of the death tolls and the Israeli military had no immediate comment on the overnight strikes.
Israeli officials have described the fresh attacks as the beginning of a major new offensive, codenamed Operation Gideon's Chariots, which they say could lead to the seizure of swathes of Gaza and the displacement of much of the population to its south.
Israel's offensive in Gaza has killed more than 53,000 Palestinians, many of them women and children, according to the territory's Hamas-controlled health Ministry. Israel accuses Hamas of using civilians as human shields – a charge the group denies – and says it has attacked 'terrorist targets'.
Hamas took about 250 hostages during its October 2023 attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of about 1,200 people. Fifty-seven of the hostages are still held by Hamas, though most of these are thought to be dead.
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Israelis hail Eurovision second-place performance through prism of Gaza war
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The indirect talks in Qatar are reportedly focusing on securing a two-month truce, with Hamas freeing about half the 20 or so living hostages it is still holding.
In return, Israel would release hundreds of Palestinians from its jails and end the tight blockade it has placed on Gaza since early March. The US would offer strong guarantees to ensure talks about a permanent end to the war took place.
In March, Israel refused to engage in talks about a second phase of a fragile two-month ceasefire that could potentially have led to an end to the conflict and the release of remaining hostages. It then imposed a tight blockade on Gaza and relaunched its air offensive.
Mr Netanyahu has been repeatedly accused of prolonging the war for domestic political reasons – charges which he denies – and has frequently promised that Israel will continue to fight until Hamas is 'crushed'.
Hamas, which released an US-Israeli hostage last week as a goodwill gesture before Donald Trump travelled to the Middle East for a four-day visit, has previously insisted on a deal that definitively ends the war and leads to the withdrawal of Israel's forces. It has also refused to disarm or to accept the exile of its leaders.
Israel, which claims Hamas systematically loots aid to fund its military and other operations, has put forward a plan to distribute humanitarian assistance from a series of hubs in Gaza run by private contractors and protected by Israeli troops.
The US has backed the plan, which has been described as unworkable, dangerous and potentially unlawful by aid agencies because it could lead to the forced mass transfer of populations.
Food security experts have warned that any delay will cost lives, and that cases of acute malnutrition, particularly among young children, are soaring.
Some of the heaviest Israeli strikes earlier this week were aimed at Mohammed Sinwar, the current commander of Hamas in Gaza, who, Israeli officials said, was sheltering in tunnel systems under a hospital complex in Khan Younis. The Israeli defence minister, Israel Katz, reportedly suggested on Sunday that he had been killed.
The prospect of a massive new offensive, the recent strikes and the tight blockade imposed on Gaza in March by Israel have prompted a growing wave of international concern and anger.
The UN human rights chief, Volker Türk, on Friday said the bombing campaign aimed at bringing about a 'permanent demographic shift in Gaza' that was in 'defiance of international law' and was equivalent to ethnic cleansing.
His comments were also echoed by the UN secretary general, António Guterres, who called for a permanent ceasefire while speaking at an Arab League summit in Baghdad on Saturday. – Guardian
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RTÉ News
2 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Israeli strikes kill at least 35 in Gaza, say medics
Israeli military strikes have killed at least 35 Palestinians in Gaza, most of them at an aid site operated by the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation in central Gaza, local health officials said. Medical officials at Shifa and Al-Quds Hospitals said at least 25 people were killed as they approached the aid site near the former settlement of Netzarim, and dozens were wounded. Ten other people were killed in other Israeli military strikes in Khan Younis in the south of the enclave, they added. The Israeli military had no immediate comment. Yesterday, when Gaza health officials said 17 people were killed near another GHF aid site in Rafah in southern Gaza, the army said it fired warning shots to distance "suspects" who were approaching the troops and posed a threat. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said there had been "significant progress" in efforts to secure the release of the remaining hostages in Gaza, but that it was "too soon" to raise hopes that a deal would be reached. Despite efforts by the United States, Egypt, and Qatar to restore a ceasefire in Gaza, neither Israel nor Hamas has shown willingness to back down on core demands, with each side blaming the other for the failure to reach a deal. Two Hamas sources told Reuters they did not know about any new ceasefire offers. The war erupted after Hamas-led militants took 251 hostages and killed 1,200 people, most of them civilians, in a 7 October 2023, attack. Israel's military campaign has since killed nearly 55,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to health authorities in Gaza, and flattened much of the coastal enclave.


Irish Examiner
19 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Irish Medical Organisation joins calls for Government to help get aid to people in Gaza
The Irish Medical Organisation has joined the chorus of calls on the Irish Government to do all it can to help get aid to people in Gaza. Dr Anne Dee, president of the IMO, has written to Taoiseach Michéal Martin to express 'grave concern and fear' on behalf of her organisation at what is happening in Gaza. The IMO represents 5,000 doctors in Ireland. Dr Dee strongly criticised the actions of Israeli authorities: "We are seeing blatant contraventions of international humanitarian law by the state of Israel, and I urge the Irish government to do all in its power, nationally and through international organisations to end this horror and to ensure that Israel honours its obligations under international law.' She added: "We abhor the actions of Hamas and we call for the return of hostages and an immediate ceasefire. But what we are witnessing in Gaza at the moment is mass starvation arising from a deliberate blockade of aid through well-established partnerships, by the state of Israel." She criticised the introduction of Israeli-backed aid agencies 'where the most vulnerable, who are seeking assistance, either have been killed or are putting themselves at risk of being killed or injured as they try to feed themselves and their families". 'There is no functioning healthcare system in Gaza and many of our healthcare colleagues have died, along with their patients, as healthcare facilities have come under military attack," she said. This comes as a group of 50 Irish activists are about to join a global march to Rafah in support of the people of Palestine. From June 12 to 20 they will be at the Rafah border among thousands of people to demand an end to the genocide. Cork podcast producer, Bairbre Flood, will be part of the group heading to the Rafah border. "The governments of the world aren't doing anything and the Irish government isn't doing anything. I feel like, as citizens, we have to really step up now and do something to stop this genocide," she told the Irish Examiner. Ms Flood said there are concrete steps Ireland could take. "Why hasn't the Occupied Territories Bill been passed yet? The Central Bank still allowing the sale of Israeli bonds in Ireland, the issue of war planes stopping in Shannon. These are really concrete steps that Ireland could take. I know we have a brilliant reputation and the people are really pro-Palestine, but I just don't feel like it's being reflected in the government policy. "I feel like we should be putting more pressure on America," she said. On June 12, she will be travelling to Cairo before getting onto a bus to Al-Arish. She will then march to the Rafah border. "We have about two nights camping in the desert, and then we should get to Rafah," she explained. She said one of the most important actions would be for "America to stop supplying the weapons" to the Israeli army. "The second most important thing that they need to do is open the border for all the humanitarian aid. There are thousands of trucks sitting with medicines and food and supplies for Palestinian people, and the Americans and the Israelis are blocking it from coming in. "Doctors and medics who've gone over there are coming back and telling us they're seeing children with gunshot wounds to the head, deliberately targeted by the Israeli and shot in the head. We're getting such a mountain of evidence, "I really feel like most people want this to stop. They want Palestine to be free and for the Israelis to leave Gaza," she said. Read More Deadly shooting by Israeli forces near Palestinian aid site in Gaza


Irish Times
2 days ago
- Irish Times
Gaza health ministry reports 14 dead after Israel-linked attack near aid site
Palestinians say Israeli forces and allied local gunmen fired toward a crowd heading to an Israeli and US supported food distribution centre in the Gaza Strip . Gaza's health ministry and local hospitals said 14 people were killed in the reported attack early on Monday. The gunmen appeared to be allied with the Israeli military, operating in close proximity to troops and retreating into an Israeli military zone in the southern city of Rafah after the crowd hurled stones at them, witnesses said. Israel recently acknowledged supporting local armed groups opposed to Hamas . READ MORE The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment. It was the latest in a number of shootings that have killed at least 127 people and wounded hundreds since the rollout of a new food distribution system, according to Gaza's health ministry, which is run by Hamas. Israel and the US say the new aid system is designed to circumvent Hamas, but it has been rejected by the UN and major aid groups. Experts have meanwhile warned that Israel's blockade and its ongoing military campaign have put Gaza at risk of famine . Palestinians say Israeli forces have repeatedly fired toward crowds heading to the food centres since they opened last month. [ From relief to horror: Gazans met with gunfire at aid sites Opens in new window ] In previous instances, the Israeli military has said it fired warning shots at people who approached its forces near the centres, which are in military zones off limits to independent media. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), the Israeli- and US-supported private contractor running the sites, says there has been no violence in or around the centres themselves. But the foundation repeatedly warns would-be food recipients that stepping off the road designated by the military for people to reach the centres represents 'a great danger'. It paused delivery at its three distribution sites last week to hold discussions with the military about improving safety on the routes. GHF closed the Rafah site on Monday due to the 'chaos of the crowds', according to a Facebook site associated with the group. Nasser Hospital said several men had been shot in the upper body, including some in the head. [ Tunnel underneath southern Gaza hospital reveals alleged death site of Hamas commander Opens in new window ] Zaher al-Waheidi, head of the health ministry's records department, said six people were killed and more than 99 wounded, some of them at another GHF centre in central Gaza. The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel on October 7th, 2023, killing 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251. They are still holding 55 hostages, more than half of them believed to be dead, after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals. Israel's military campaign has killed more than 54,900 Palestinians, according to the Gaza health ministry, which has said women and children make up most of the dead. It does not say how many of those killed were civilians or combatants. The war has destroyed vast areas of Gaza, displaced 90 per cent of the population and left the territory almost completely reliant on international aid. [ Almost all of Gaza's farmland rendered unusable as famine risk rises, finds UN report Opens in new window ] Hamas has said it will only release the remaining hostages in return for a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal. Israel says it will continue the war until all the captives are returned and Hamas is defeated or disarmed and sent into exile. Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu has said that even then, Israel will maintain open-ended control over Gaza and facilitate what he refers to as the voluntary emigration of much of its population to other countries – a plan rejected by most of the international community, including the Palestinians, who view it as a blueprint for their forcible expulsion. – AP