Terror group Hamas claims it is ready to release hostages in a bid to end the war in Gaza
HAMAS has said that it is ready to release hostages in a bid to end the war in Gaza.
The move by
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Hamas said it would release ten living hostages and 18 bodies in return for Israel's release of a number of
Hamas said: 'This proposal aims to achieve a permanent ceasefire, (Israeli) withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and ensure the flow of aid to our people and families.'
There was no immediate response from Israel to the statement.
But PM
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It comes as
It said the territory's entire population was at risk of famine.
Displaced
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Women and children were among those gathered in
Jens Laerke, of the UN's humanitarian agency, said it was the only area on the planet where 100 per cent of the population was at risk of famine.
He added: 'Gaza is the hungriest place on Earth.'
Death of Hamas chief Mohammad Sinwar could cause DECIMATED terror group to implode
1
Benjamin Netanyahu had last week told families of the hostages they had accepted US ceasefire proposals
Credit: AP
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The Journal
an hour ago
- The Journal
Irish activist arrested in West Bank faces deportation by Israeli authorities
AN IRISH PRO-PALESTINIAN activist is facing deportation from Israel this week after she was arrested by police in the occupied West Bank on Saturday. D Murphy, a 70-year-old woman originally from Cork, was detained by Israeli forces in the village of Khallet al-Dabaa in the Masafer Yatta region of southern Gaza. A court has since ordered her expulsion from the area. Murphy was arrested shortly after Israeli forces declared the village a 'closed military zone.' According to Palestinian sources, residents and international solidarity activists were forcibly removed from the area. Palestinians were forced to leave their structures by Israeli forces in the village of Khallet al-Dabaa. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo The International Solidarity Movement (ISM), a Palestinian-led organisation that supports nonviolent resistance in the West Bank and Gaza, said Murphy had been complying with Israeli orders to leave when she was harassed by Israeli settlers. Israeli police were called to the scene and arrested both Murphy and Swedish activist Susanne Björk, accusing them of entering a restricted military area. Both women appeared separately in court for deportation hearings on Sunday and have remained in custody since. Björk is due to be deported today, while Murphy has said she plans to challenge the court's deportation order later this week. She remains in jail. Speaking in a statement released after her arrest, Murphy said: 'When most governments around the world are ignoring the genocide in Gaza and the ethnic cleansing of the West Bank, ordinary people like me are answering the Palestinians' call to bear witness to these events carried out by the Zionist Israeli entity. It's not about politics – it's about justice and freedom for all people.' Her son, Dale Ryan, said his mother's only offence was 'observing crimes against Palestinian people.' 'D has always had a strong sense of justice, and I know she couldn't sit at home while her friends in Masafer Yatta and across Palestine were suffering,' he said. 'A piece of her heart is in Palestine. She needs to be there, doing what she can.' Ireland's Department of Foreign Affairs has confirmed it is aware of the case and is providing consular assistance. Advertisement 'It's a disaster' Mariam, a spokesperson for ISM, told The Journal that Israeli authorities appear to be targeting those who stand in solidarity with Palestinian communities. She stated that D Murphy 'was doing nothing' other than showing support and speaking to locals, who she said have been impacted by Israeli forces in recent weeks. 'Those who support Palestinians – like D – are being targeted along with the locals,' she said. 'It's a way to isolate Palestinian communities.' Her comments come just days after the Israeli government approved 22 new Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank – a move widely condemned by both international bodies and Israeli and Palestinian human rights groups. Israeli settlements in the West Bank are considered illegal under international law, specifically violating Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention. Mariam said that in May, Israeli forces demolished around 90% of the homes and infrastructure in Khallet al-Dabaa, including water tanks, toilets, animal shelters, solar panels, and power and water supplies. An Israeli excavator demolishes a Palestinian home in Khallet al-Dabaa. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo 'Three weeks after this devastating erasure, settlers entered the village, forced families out of their caves, brought livestock, and set up an outpost at the edge of the community,' she said. A number of Palestinians live in caves near the region surrounding Khallet al-Dabaa due to the destruction of their homes by the Israeli military, or lack of permits to build. According to ISM, settlers have continued to return daily to harass residents, in what Mariam describes as an effort to forcibly remove those still living on their land. 'It's a disaster,' she said. Need more information on what is happening in Israel and Palestine? Check out our FactCheck Knowledge Bank for essential reads and guides to navigating the news online. Visit Knowledge Bank Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Irish Examiner
an hour ago
- Irish Examiner
Israeli police detain Cork activist, 70, in the West Bank
An Irish woman has been detained by Israel in the West Bank, according to an activist group. Máire ní Mhurchú, known as D Murphy, (aged 70) was detained by Israeli police on Saturday in Masafer Yatta in the occupied West Bank, according to the International Solidarity Movement, the Palestinian anti-occupation group which the Irish woman has been volunteering with since May. Originally from Douglas in Cork but living in Swansea, Wales, Murphy was arrested alongside Swedish activist, Susanne Björk (aged 48), in Khalet al-Daba'a, a small Palestinian village which was largely demolished by Israeli forces in early May. After Israeli soldiers ordered the activists to leave, the female activists were reportedly stopped while leaving the village by Israeli settlers serving as reservists with the military. The Israeli police were called and subsequently detained Murphy and Björk for being in a closed military zone. The 120-person community at Khalet al-Daba'a is one of a dozen Palestinian hamlets in Masafer Yatta located inside an area which the Israeli authorities designated as a military firing zone in the 1980s. After a long legal battle, Israel's Supreme Court approved the eviction of 1,000 residents from the villages in the occupied West Bank in 2022. Amnesty International says ongoing settler attacks and demolitions place communities in Masafer Yatta at risk of forcible transfer. International law prohibits both the expropriation of occupied land for purposes that do not benefit the people living there, and their forcible transfer. According to the International Solidarity Movement, Björk is now due to be deported while Murphy is fighting a deportation order while detained at Ben Gurion Airport and facing possible jail time. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has been contacted for comment. Murphy is a founding member of Swansea Palestine Community Link and was previously detained in Israel in 2011 when she travelled to the Jewish state with the Welsh pro-Palestine group. Ireland's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed it is aware of the case and is providing consular assistance and, as per protocol, does not comment on the details of individual cases. Murphy's son, Dale Ryan, said: 'As far as I can see her only crime was observing crimes against Palestinian people. D has always had a strong sense of justice and I know she could not sit at home while she knew her friends in Masafer Yatta and all of Palestine were suffering unnecessarily. "I am very proud of my mother for sticking up for the basic human rights of her friends and trying to raise awareness of the injustices the Palestinian people are experiencing." In 2024, the far-right Israeli security minister Itamar Ben Gvir established a special task force within Israel's West Bank police unit to target left-wing activists in the West Bank including foreign nationals and supporters of the Boycott, Sanctions and Divestment (BDS) movement. According to the Israeli outlet Haaretz, at least 16 foreign activists working with Palestinians in the West Bank have been detained and deported from Israel since October 2023. Activists often accompany Palestinian shepherds and farmers who are at risk of forced displacement, as well as violence from the IDF and local settlers while they work. In 2024, the UN recorded 4,250 Palestinians who were displaced, 1,760 structures which were destroyed, and about 1,400 violent incidents involving Israeli settlers across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Read More Climate activist Greta Thunberg joins aid ship sailing to Gaza
RTÉ News
an hour ago
- RTÉ News
Irish woman faces deportation after arrest in West Bank
A 70-year-old Irish woman has been arrested in the occupied West Bank and is currently detained in Israel fighting a deportation order. Deirdre 'D' Murphy is originally from Douglas in Cork but is now based in Swansea in Wales. She is volunteering with the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), an activist group helping Palestinian residents in the occupied West Bank. ISM said Ms Murphy was arrested in the village of Khalet Al-Daba'a in Masafer Yatta in the southern part of the occupied West Bank. A spokesperson for ISM said Ms Murphy and another Swedish volunteer, 48-year-old Susanne Björk, were ordered to leave the village by the Israeli military on Saturday, 31 May. She said as they were complying with the order they were arrested by Israeli settlers, who were wearing military uniform as they are reservists, who then called police and detained Ms Murphy and Ms Björk. They were interrogated in a local police station accused of being in a military zone, as parts of Masafer Yatta have been designated by Israeli authorities a closed military zone since the 1980s. ISM said that 90% of the homes in Khalet Al-Daba'a have been demolished and residents are living in tents and caves. The two activists were ordered to appear at a deportation hearing at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv yesterday where they were issued with deportation orders. Ms Björk was deported this morning but Ms Murphy is fighting the deportation order and is currently still in a detention center at Ben Gurion Airport. ISM said she will be transported to another facility to await a court hearing. Ms Murphy's son, Dale Ryan, also based in Swansea, told RTÉ News that his mother has been there for five weeks but has been volunteering in the West Bank for 20 years and considers many families in the area as friends. "She has been in good shape for her age, but I am worried about her health as conditions are difficult," he said. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it is aware of the case and is providing consular assistance.
