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Gaza civil defence says Israeli forces kill 11 people

Gaza civil defence says Israeli forces kill 11 people

RTÉ News​2 days ago
Gaza's civil defence agency said Israeli operations have killed 11 people in the Palestinian territory devastated by over 21 months of war.
Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal said the toll included four Palestinians killed in an air strike on the Al-Rimal neighbourhood of Gaza City in the territory's north.
One other person was killed "after Israeli forces opened fire on people waiting for humanitarian aid" northwest of Gaza City, the agency said.
Eyewitnesses said that several thousand people had gathered in the area to wait for aid.
One of them, Abu Samir Hamoudeh, 42, said the Israeli military opened fire "while the people were waiting to approach the distribution point", located near an Israeli military post in the Zikim area, northwest of Sudaniyah.
Another man was killed by a drone strike near the southern city of Khan Younis, while one was killed by artillery fire in the Al-Bureij camp in central Gaza, the civil defence said.
The Israeli military said it was looking into the matter.
In a separate statement, the military said it was continuing its operations in Gaza, adding that it killed members of a "terrorist cell" which it accused of planting an explosive device targeting soldiers.
It added that over the past day the air force had "struck over 100 terror targets throughout the Gaza Strip".
Mr Bassal also said that civil defence teams recovered the bodies of 12 people in the area of the Morag Corridor north of Rafah following Israeli bombardment the previous night.
The recovery operation was conducted in coordination with the UN humanitarian office (OCHA), he said, adding that the bodies were taken to Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis.
Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify tolls and details provided by the civil defence agency and other parties.
The Israeli campaign has killed 59,676 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.
Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza after a deadly attack by Palestinian militant group Hamas on 7 October 2023.
Hamas's October 2023 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
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Letters: War in Gaza is existential for Israel, we should have more nuanced discussion
Letters: War in Gaza is existential for Israel, we should have more nuanced discussion

Irish Independent

time40 minutes ago

  • Irish Independent

Letters: War in Gaza is existential for Israel, we should have more nuanced discussion

The editorial and one letter gave credence to Dr Nick Maynard who is on record as stating that, despite extensive evidence to the contrary, he has never seen Hamas operating in his hospital. He has accused the IDF of playing a game whereby it shoots different parts of kids' bodies on different days. How likely is that? One of the first questions we all should ask when listening to evidence is 'cui bono?' or who benefits? In 2014, Hamas released a video instructing journalists and witnesses how to report on events in Gaza. It states 'anyone killed or martyred is to be called a civilian from Gaza or Palestine... Don't forget to always add 'innocent civilian' or 'innocent citizen' in your description of those killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza' In his letter, the usually balanced Rob Sadlier sees similarities between Sarajevo and Gaza. Important differences are that Serbs, unlike Israel, were not attacked. 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‘They don't want to end this war' – Israeli soldiers turning their backs on Benjamin Netanyahu
‘They don't want to end this war' – Israeli soldiers turning their backs on Benjamin Netanyahu

Irish Independent

time40 minutes ago

  • Irish Independent

‘They don't want to end this war' – Israeli soldiers turning their backs on Benjamin Netanyahu

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UK prime minister and US president to discuss Gaza
UK prime minister and US president to discuss Gaza

RTÉ News​

time2 hours ago

  • RTÉ News​

UK prime minister and US president to discuss Gaza

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is expected to raise the prospect of reviving ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas when he meets US President Donald Trump in Scotland. The prime minister will travel to Ayrshire, where the US president is staying at his Turnberry golf resort, for wide-ranging discussions on trade and the Middle East as international concern grows over starvation in Gaza. The two leaders have built a rapport despite their differing political backgrounds, with Mr Trump praising Mr Starmer for doing a "very good job" in office ahead of their talks. But humanitarian conditions in Gaza and uncertainty over US import taxes on key British goods in America threaten to complicate their bilateral meeting. Peace talks in the Middle East came to a standstill last week after the US and Israel recalled negotiating teams from Qatar, with White House special envoy Steve Witkoff blaming Hamas for a "lack of desire" to reach an agreement. Since then, Israel has promised military pauses in three populated areas of Gaza to allow designated UN convoys of aid to reach desperate Palestinians. But the UK, which is joining efforts to airdrop aid into the enclave and evacuate children in need of medical assistance, said that access to supplies must be "urgently" widened. During discussions with Mr Trump, Downing Street said the prime minister will "welcome the president's administration working with partners in Qatar and Egypt to bring about a ceasefire in Gaza". "He will discuss further with him what more can be done to secure the ceasefire urgently, bring an end to the unspeakable suffering and starvation in Gaza and free the hostages who have been held so cruelly for so long," it said. The leaders will also talk "one-on-one about advancing implementation of the landmark Economic Prosperity Deal so that Brits and Americans can benefit from boosted trade links between their two countries", it added. The agreement signed at the G7 summit last month cut trade barriers on goods from both countries. But tariffs for the steel industry, which is of key economic importance to the UK, were left to stand at 25% rather than falling to zero as originally agreed. Concerns had previously been raised that the sector could face a levy of up to 50% - the US's global rate - unless a further agreement was made by 9 July, when Mr Trump said he would start implementing import taxes on America's trading partners. But that deadline has been and gone without any concrete update on the status of UK steel. Downing Street said both sides are working "at pace" to "go further to deliver benefits to working people on both sides of the Atlantic" and to give UK industry "the security it needs". The two leaders are also expected to discuss the war in Ukraine, which Number 10 said would include "applying pressure" on Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the invasion, before travelling on together for a private engagement in Aberdeen. It comes after Mr Trump announced he had agreed "the biggest deal ever made" between the US and the European Union after meeting Ursula von der Leyen for high-stakes talks at Turnberry yesterday. After a day playing golf, the US president met the president of the EU Commission to hammer out the broad terms of an agreement that will subject the bloc to 15% tariffs on most of its goods entering America. This is lower than a 30% levy previously threatened by the US president. The agreement will include "zero for zero" tariffs on a number of products including aircraft, some agricultural goods and certain chemicals, as well as EU purchases of US energy worth 750 billion dollars (€638bln) over three years. Speaking to journalists yesterday about his meeting with the prime minister, Mr Trump said: "We're meeting about a lot of things. We have our trade deal and it's been a great deal. "It's good for us. It's good for them and good for us. "I think the UK is very happy, they've been trying for 12 years to get it and they got it, and it's a great trade deal for both, works out very well." Mr Trump said he thinks discussions will feature "a lot about Israel". "They're very much involved in terms of wanting something to happen," he said. "He's doing a very good job, by the way," he added.

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