Syria accuses ISIS of suicide attack in Damascus church
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The National
17 minutes ago
- The National
Hamas fighters claim to have killed Israeli troops in Gaza ambush
Hamas fighters claimed to have killed and injured Israeli troops in a major attack on Wednesday in southern Gaza. Ezzedine Al Qassam Brigades, Hamas's armed wing, said one fighter blew himself up in Khan Younis, causing several casualties. The Israeli army said three soldiers were injured in an attack, but did not acknowledge any deaths. The Hamas fighters said they also raided a newly established Israeli site south-east of Khan Younis, and attacked several Merkava tanks with explosives. The attack, which appeared to be unusually large in scope, comes as Israel prepares to expand its campaign in Gaza and retake control of the strip. Defence Minister Israel Katz has approved plans to call up 60,000 reservists to wage a new offensive against Gaza city. In the south, the Israeli army said more than 15 militants firing guns and anti-tank missiles tried to 'infiltrate a fortified position' of its 90th battalion near Khan Younis. It said Israeli troops 'eliminated 10 armed terrorists in close-quarters combat', supported by air force strikes. It added that the incident was still continuing, and 'the troops continue to operate to locate and eliminate the terrorists'. 'As a result of the shots fired, a soldier in the 90th Battalion, Kfir Brigade, was severely injured, and two additional soldiers were lightly injured,' the Israeli army said. Hamas's armed wing said that its fighters attacked several houses where Israeli soldiers were holed up, using six anti-fortification and anti-personnel missiles and machinegun fire. 'A number of fighters stormed the houses and killed a number of Israeli soldiers inside with light weapons and hand grenades,' it said. The group said that its fighters also managed to snipe a Merkava 4 tank soldier, fatally wounding him. 'Our fighters pounded the positions surrounding the operation site with several mortar shells to cut off reinforcements,' it said. It added that one of the fighters blew himself up among the Israeli soldiers, killing or wounding them, and that the operation continued for several hours. Hamas has agreed to a ceasefire proposal put forward by mediators Egypt and Qatar. Israel has yet to formally respond to the plan. The framework proposes an initial 60-day truce, a staggered hostage release, the freeing of some Palestinian prisoners and provisions allowing for the entry of aid into Gaza. The war in Gaza began when Hamas-led fighters stormed into Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages on October 7, 2023. Israel's offensive has since killed more than 62,000 Palestinians, plunged Gaza into a humanitarian crisis, and displaced most of its population.
Khaleej Times
3 hours ago
- Khaleej Times
Man who 'attacked' Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta in police custody
Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta was reportedly attacked by a man during the weekly Jan Sunvai (public hearing) at her residence, several Indian media reports said. The man is said to have given the CM some papers during the public hearing and then allegedly attacked her. Delhi Police say that the accused has identified himself as Rajesh Khimji and says that he belongs to Rajkot, Gujarat. It is being verified whether his name and address are accurate. Delhi Police have taken him into custody at Civil lines station. It is being verified whether his name and address are accurate, ANI reported. The weekly Jan Sunvai event at the chief minister's residence allows citizens to present their grievances directly. Strongly condemning the incident, Delhi BJP President Virendraa Sachdeva said that Gupta's condition is stable now. Speaking to reporters, he said, 'During Jan Sunvai this morning, CM was speaking with the public like she always does. A man approached her, presented some paper and suddenly held her hand while trying to pull her towards him. During this, there was a little jostling... People nabbed him. Who is he, and all other details are being investigated by the Police... The CM is stable. Doctors have examined her."
The National
2 days ago
- The National
UK warns author Sally Rooney after pledge to fund banned Palestine Action
The UK government has warned the award-winning Irish author Sally Rooney that she would be committing a terrorist offence if she funds Palestine Action. Ms Rooney, who has twice had novels adapted into BBC dramas, said she would use the earnings of her work and her platform to 'go on supporting Palestine Action and direct action against genocide'. 'If this makes me a supporter of terror under UK law, so be it,' she wrote in The Irish Times, deliberately avoiding any legal risk if she published her support in a UK publication. Responding to Ms Rooney on Monday, No 10 Downing Street said 'support for a proscribed organisation is an offence under the Terrorism Act' and no one should be backing the group. Palestine Action was designated a terrorist organisation in July for a string of direct action protests against weapons manufacturers, an RAF airbase and universities, which caused millions of pounds worth of damage. But the move has caused outcry from campaigners who fear it ignores a long-standing tradition of direct action in the UK dating back to the Suffragettes and that it risks undermining terrorism laws. More than 700 people who came out in support of the group have since have been arrested, with dozens charged. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper defended her decision to proscribe the group on Sunday, accusing them of conducting 'an escalating campaign involving … criminal damage, intimidation, violence, weapons and serious injuries to individuals". Ms Rooney said she would have liked to publish her statement in a UK newspaper but that this would now be illegal under the law. Regarding her intention to use the royalties earned from UK publishers and the BBC to fund the group, she said: 'If the British state considers this 'terrorism', then perhaps it should investigate the shady organisations that continue to promote my work and fund my activities, such as [retailer] WH Smith and the BBC." The BBC has already faced backlash this year after it emerged that the child narrator of one of its Gaza documentaries was the son of a minister in Gaza's Hamas-led administration. Questions were raised at the time as to whether payments made to the son's family for his participation could have been used to fund Hamas. A BBC representative said of Ms Rooney's remarks: "Matters relating to proscribed organisations are for the relevant authorities." 'Selective enforcement' Palestine Action – whose co-founder Richard Barnard was a member of Extinction Rebellion – once represented a small minority of people campaigning for the Palestinian cause in the UK. But support for the group has grown exponentially since its proscription – with civil rights campaigners also joining the cause. More than 500 people were arrested for supporting the group in one day this month. Labour peer, Shami Chakrabarti, warned the government ban is at risk of becoming an 'I am Spartacus' moment, which could lead to more people taking to the streets to support the group. Ms Rooney claimed the recent arrests – which include Irish citizens in the UK – were a "selective enforcement of anti-terror law". She highlighted the activities of supporters of another proscribed organisation, the Ulster Volunteer Force, who had repainted a loyalist mural in north Belfast after it was damaged by a storm last year. 'No arrests were made on that basis, nor has the mural been taken down, though the UVF is a proscribed terrorist organisation responsible for the murders of hundreds of civilians," she said. 'Palestine Action, proscribed under the same law, is responsible for zero deaths and has never advocated the use of violence against any human being. Why then are its supporters arrested for wearing T-shirts, while murals celebrating loyalist death squads are left untouched?' Celebrity donations Ms Rooney is not the first high-profile donor to Palestine Action. James 'Fergie' Chambers, an American communist and heir to a multibillion-pound conglomerate, said in a 2023 interview that he was paying Palestine Action's legal fees. Ms Cooper has previously spoken of her suspicions that Palestine Action was receiving funding from Iran, a claim the group dismissed as a ' sham '. Palestine Action previously told The National its donations came from 'ordinary people' who support the movement. It does not publish the names of its major donors and still takes them in the form of cryptocurrency on its website. Mick Napier, the founder of Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign (which is not linked to the Palestine Solidarity Campaign), said he had seen a 'groundswell' of public support for the group since the proscription came into effect. He said his group was currently raising the funds to cover legal fees for people arrested for attending demonstrations in support of Palestine Action in recent weeks, and that donations ranged from £5 to £1,000 ($6.80 to ($1,355).
