Israeli strikes kill 60 in Gaza as Trump renews call for ‘freedom zone'
Israeli military strikes killed at least 60 people in Gaza on Thursday, Palestinian medics said, as Donald Trump continued his Middle East tour by repeating his promise to take over the area and 'make it a freedom zone.'
Most of the victims, including women and children, were killed in Khan Younis in southern Gaza in airstrikes that hit homes and tents.
The dead included local journalist Hassan Samour, who worked for the Hamas-run Aqsa radio station and was killed along with 11 family members when their home was struck, the medics said.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military, which has intensified its offensive in Gaza as it tries to eradicate Hamas in retaliation for the deadly attacks the Palestinian militant group carried out on Israel in 2023.
With most of the 2.3 million people in Gaza internally displaced, some residents of the tiny enclave say suffering is greater now than at the time of the 1948 Nakba.
'The truth is, we live in a constant state of violence and displacement,' said Ahmed Hamad, a Palestinian in Gaza City who has been displaced multiple times. 'Wherever we go, we face attacks. Death surrounds us everywhere."
Palestinian health officials say the Israeli attacks have escalated since Trump started a visit to the Gulf states of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates that many Palestinians had hoped he would use to push for a truce.
Little has come of new indirect ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas led by Trump's envoys and Qatar and Egyptian mediators in Doha.
No humanitarian assistance has been delivered to Gaza since March 2, and a global hunger monitor has warned that half a million people face starvation in Gaza.
In Abu Dhabi, the US president removed his shoes for a tour of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque.
'It's beautiful,' Trump said.
He sidestepped a reporter's question on whether Israel has been an obstacle to peace talks in Gaza.
Instead, Trump said 'we're working very hard on Gaza,' which he described as 'a territory of death and destruction for many years.'
He added: 'I'd be proud to have the United States have it, take it, make it a freedom zone, let some good things happen.'
Sheikh Zayed, founder of the UAE, is buried in the mosque's main courtyard.
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Reuters
26 minutes ago
- Reuters
Morning Bid: Oil pops, dollar drops
LONDON, June 12 (Reuters) - What matters in U.S. and global markets today I'm excited to announce that I'm now part of Reuters Open Interest (ROI), opens new tab, an essential new source for data-driven, expert commentary on market and economic trends. You can find ROI on the Reuters website, opens new tab, and you can follow us on LinkedIn, opens new tab and X., opens new tab Intro Not for the first time this year, markets are being hit by multiple crosscurrents. Today it's an oil price surge driven by Middle East tensions alongside surprisingly benign U.S. inflation readings. I discuss this and the rest of today's market news below. In today's column, I explore a surprising twist in the global dollar debate that could reshape how investors think about currency risk. I'll be off tomorrow so Morning Bid will take a day's holiday, but back to regular programming on Monday. Today's Market Minute * U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday U.S. personnel were being moved out of the Middle East because "it could be a dangerous place", adding that the United States would not allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon. * U.S. consumer prices increased less than expected in May as cheaper gasoline partially offset higher rents, but inflation is expected to accelerate in the coming months on the back of the Trump administration's import tariffs. *An Air India plane bound for London with 242 people on board crashed minutes after taking off from India's western city of Ahmedabad on Thursday, the airline and police said, and India's federal health minister said that "many people" were killed. * U.S. trade negotiations have transitioned from their tumultuous opening act into a new chapter: the Slow Grind. It may be less turbulent than this past spring's drama, but no less worrying for investors. * A proposed U.S. tax targeting foreign investors could hurt European energy giants that operate in America's booming oil and gas sector, undermining President Donald Trump's energy dominance agenda. Read the latest from ROI columnist Ron Bousso. Oil pops, dollar drops With investors trying to read the runes of this week's 'framework' trade agreement between the U.S. and China on Wednesday, worries surfaced about the state of play in the Middle East after the U.S. announced that it was moving personnel out of the region ahead of talks with Iran over the latter's nuclear-related activity. Crude oil prices promptly jumped 4% and hit their highest in two months before giving up some of those gains earlier today. European travel stocks and auto makers fell more than 2% on Thursday on the jitters. Gold , however, was only marginally higher, and the dollar (.DXY), opens new tab fell. While no specific reason was given for the U.S. personnel orders, the U.N. nuclear watchdog passed a resolution on Thursday formally declaring Iran in breach of its non-proliferation obligations for the first time in almost 20 years. Concern about Israeli threats to Iran's nuclear facilities inevitably ramped up. The prospect of higher energy prices at a time of tariff-related inflation concerns will certainly rankle. But so far at least, the Trump administration's import levies aren't putting much upward pressure on U.S. consumer prices, as May CPI came in below forecasts on Wednesday. Core annual producer price readings due out later today are expected to be steady. Despite this week's crude gains, year-on-year oil prices are still down more than 10%. And two-year U.S. 'breakeven' inflation rates in the inflation-protected Treasury market fell to their lowest of the year at 2.44%. Meanwhile, U.S. Treasury yields fell on a mix of soft inflation and robust demand at the 10-year auction on Wednesday. Some $22 billion of 30-year bonds are up for grabs later today, testing the recently shaky demand for long-duration debt. Federal Reserve expectations haven't shifted greatly, with two quarter-point interest rate cuts still priced by yearend. No move is expected before September, even though President Donald Trump once again called for an immediate full percentage point rate cut after the CPI report. The dollar remains under pressure however, raising more concern about the absence of its traditional 'safe haven' role at a time of rising geopolitical tensions. The dollar index (.DXY), opens new tab fell to its lowest level since April, with the euro surging above $1.15 to within a whisker of its best levels since 2021. Sterling was a standout loser against the euro, falling to its weakest against the single currency in a month after a surprisingly sharp drop in April UK GDP. Stocks were slightly shaken by the whole picture, with the S&P500 (.SPX), opens new tab ending in the red on the Middle East news on Wednesday and futures down almost half a percentage point ahead of Thursday's open. Chinese, Japanese and European bourses were all in the red on Thursday. Only South Korea's Kospi bucked the trend. The wider trade war picture remained uncertain despite the U.S.-China progress, with details still patchy as the negotiated deal in London awaited final approval. Trump on Wednesday said he was very happy with the trade deal, as it restored a fragile truce between the two biggest economies, claiming China agreed to free up rare earth supplies in exchange for the U.S. allowing Chinese students to attend U.S. colleges. But he also insisted: "We are getting a total of 55% tariffs, China is getting 10%." White House officials said the 55% represents the sum of a baseline 10% "reciprocal" tariff Trump has imposed on goods imported from nearly all U.S. trading partners, the 20% fentanyl-related tariffs, and pre-existing 25% levies on imports from China that were put in place during Trump's first term. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said the 55% rate on Chinese imports is fixed and unalterable. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the deal would not reduce U.S. export restrictions on high-end artificial intelligence chips. China on Thursday affirmed the trade deal, and a foreign ministry spokesperson said: "Now that a consensus has been reached, both sides should abide by it." But with less than four weeks to go before the expiration of the 90-day pause on U.S. tariffs worldwide, markets remain concerned about what will happen next month. Trump said on Wednesday he would be willing to extend a July 8 deadline for completing trade talks, but also said he did not believe that would be necessary, noting: "At a certain point, we're just going to send letters out ... saying, 'This is the deal. You can take it, or you can leave it.'" European Union talks, in particular, look unlikely to be concluded by then. Elsewhere, Boeing shares fell 6% pre-market after news that an Air India plane headed to London with 242 people on board crashed minutes after taking off from India's western city of Ahmedabad. Be sure to check out today's column, which looks at the weakening dollar and the debate about whether its decline is being driven by flight from U.S. assets at large or simply foreign investors hedging their dollar exposure. Chart of the day The UK may be seeing the downsides of publishing noisy monthly GDP readouts as opposed to quarterly updates. The April GDP report threw cold water on a relatively robust start to the year for the UK economy, showing a surprising 0.3% contraction during the month. However, it remains very unclear how much of the April loss will be durable through the second quarter. Either way, the data will put pressure on the Bank of England to step up monetary easing. Consequently, both sterling and UK government bond yields fell back after the GDP release. Today's events to watch * U.S. May producer price report (8:30 AM EDT), weekly jobless claims (8:30 AM EDT) * Federal Reserve issues Quarterly Financial Accounts of the United States (11:00 AM EDT) * U.S. Treasury auctions $22 billion of 30-year bonds * European Central Bank Vice President Luis de Guindos and ECB board member Isabel Schnabel both speak in Brussels * U.S. corporate earnings: Adobe Opinions expressed are those of the author. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, opens new tab, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias. Want to receive the Morning Bid in your inbox every weekday morning? Sign up for the newsletter here.
NBC News
28 minutes ago
- NBC News
Plane crashes near Indian airport and judge rules on Mahmoud Khalil detainment: Morning Rundown
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The Independent
30 minutes ago
- The Independent
Hamas says it killed 12 Israeli-backed fighters. Israeli-supported group says they were aid workers
A unit of Gaza 's Hamas-run police force said it killed 12 members of an Israeli-backed militia after detaining them early Thursday. Hours earlier, an Israel-supported aid group said Hamas attacked a bus carrying its Palestinian workers, killing at least eight of them. The militia, led by Yasser Abu Shabab, said its fighters had attacked Hamas and killed five militants but made no mention of its own casualties. It also accused Hamas of detaining and killing aid workers. It was not immediately possible to verify the competing claims or confirm the identities of those killed. The Israeli military circulated the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation 's statement on its social media accounts but declined to provide its own account of what happened. Separately, at least 13 people were killed and 170 wounded when Israeli forces fired toward a crowd of Palestinians near a GHF food distribution site in central Gaza, according to the al-Awda Hospital, which received the casualties. The military said it fired warning shots overnight at a gathering that posed a threat, hundreds of meters (yards) from the aid site. Internet and phone lines were meanwhile down across Gaza, according to telecom provider Paltel and the Palestinian telecoms authority. They said a key line was severed during an Israeli operation and that the military would not allow technicians into the area to repair it. The Israeli military said it was looking into the reports. Previous blackouts have deepened Gaza's isolation and made it difficult for people to call first responders after airstrikes. Aid initiative already marred by controversy and violence The aid group's operations in Gaza have already been marred by controversy and violence since they began last month, with scores of people killed in near-daily shootings as crowds headed toward the food distribution sites inside Israeli military zones. Witnesses have blamed the Israeli military, which has acknowledged firing only warning shots near people it said approached its forces in a suspicious manner. Earlier this week, witnesses also said Abu Shabab militiamen had opened fire on people en route to a GHF aid hub, killing and wounding many. The United Nations and major aid groups have rejected the Israeli and U.S.-backed initiative, accusing them of militarizing humanitarian aid at a time when experts say Gaza is at risk of famine because of Israel's blockade and renewed military campaign. Last week, Israel acknowledged it is supporting armed groups of Palestinians in what it says is a move to counter Hamas. Abu Shabab's militia, which calls itself the Popular Forces, says it is guarding the food distribution points set up by the Israeli- and U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation in southern Gaza. Aid workers say it has a long history of looting U.N. trucks. GHF has denied working with the Abu Shabab group. 'They were aid workers' The foundation said Hamas had attacked a bus carrying more than two dozen of its local Palestinian aid workers near the southern city of Khan Younis, killing at least eight and wounding others. It said it feared some had been taken hostage. 'We condemn this heinous and deliberate attack in the strongest possible terms,' it said. 'These were aid workers. Humanitarians. Fathers, brothers, sons, and friends, who were risking their lives everyday to help others.' Rev. Johnnie Moore, a Christian evangelical advisor to U.S. President Donald Trump who was recently appointed head of GHF, called the killings 'absolute evil' and lashed out at the U.N. and Western countries over what he said was their failure to condemn them. 'The principle of impartiality does not mean neutrality. There is good and evil in this world. What we are doing is good and what Hamas did to these Gazans is absolute evil,' he wrote on X. Israel and the United States say the new system is needed to prevent Hamas from siphoning off aid from the long-standing U.N.-run system, which is capable of delivering food, fuel and other humanitarian aid to all parts of Gaza. U.N. officials deny there has been any systematic diversion of aid by Hamas, but say they have struggled to deliver it because of Israeli restrictions and the breakdown of law and order in Gaza. U.N. officials say the new system is unable to meet mounting needs, and that it allows Israel to use aid as a weapon by controlling who has access to it and by essentially forcing people to relocate to the aid sites, most of which are in the southernmost city of Rafah, now a mostly uninhabited military zone. Some fear this could be part of an Israeli plan to coerce Palestinians into leaving Gaza. Hamas says it killed traitors Hamas has also rejected the new system and threatened to kill any Palestinians who cooperate with the Israeli military. The killings early Wednesday were carried out by the Hamas-run police's Sahm unit, which Hamas says it established to combat looting. The unit released video footage showing several dead men lying in the street, saying they were Abu Shabab fighters who had been detained and killed for collaborating with Israel. It was not possible to verify the images or the claims around them. Mohammed Abu Amin, a Khan Younis resident, said he was at the scene of the killings and that crowds were celebrating them, shouting 'God is greatest' and condemning those killed as traitors to the Palestinian cause and agents of Israel. Ghassan Duhine, who identifies himself as a major in the Palestinian Authority's security forces and deputy commander of the Abu Shabab group, posted a statement online saying they clashed with Sahm and killed five. He denied that the images shared by Sahm were of Abu Shabab fighters. The Palestinian Authority, led by rivals of Hamas and based in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, has denied any connection to the Abu Shabab group, but many of the militiamen identify themselves as PA officers. Mounting lawlessness as Israel steps up military campaign Israel renewed its offensive in March after ending a ceasefire with Hamas and imposed a complete ban on imports of food, fuel, medicine and other aid before easing the blockade in mid-May. The ongoing war and mounting desperation have plunged Gaza into chaos, with armed gangs looting aid convoys and selling the stolen food. The Hamas-run police force has largely gone underground as Israel has repeatedly targeted its forces. The military now controls more than half of the territory. The war began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 hostage. They are still holding 53 captives, less than half of them believed to be alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals. Israel's military campaign has killed over 55,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which has said women and children make up more than half of the dead. It does not say how many of those killed were civilians or combatants. Israel's offensive has flattened large areas of Gaza and driven around 90% of the population of roughly 2 million Palestinians from their homes. The territory is almost completely reliant on humanitarian aid because nearly all of its food production capabilities have been destroyed. ___ Chehayeb reported from Beirut. Associated Press writer Sam Mednick in Tel Aviv, Israel, contributed. ___
