
Deadly Dawn: Israeli Airstrike on Shelter Claims 16 People in Their Sleep
'At least 10 dead, including several women and children, as well as dozens of wounded, were transported following an Israeli airstrike on the Fatima Bint Asad school,' Civil Defense spokesperson Mahmud Bassal initially told AFP, with the death toll later rising to 16.
At least 15 displaced Palestinians were killed after the occupation bombed the Asmaa Bint Asad school in Jabalia town, north of Gaza. pic.twitter.com/yZeLUo5iEM
— Eye on Palestine (@EyeonPalestine) May 12, 2025
The attack came just hours after US President Donald Trump praised Hamas for its 'good faith gesture' in agreeing to release American-Israeli captive Edan Alexander, expressing hope for an end to the 'brutal conflict.'
Local reports indicate the school was bombed multiple times. In separate incidents, Israeli forces struck civilians in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood, bombed a house in the al-Nuseirat refugee camp, and demolished homes in eastern al-Tuffah neighborhood.
Gaza's Health Ministry reports over 52,000 Palestinians killed and 119,000 injured since October 7, 2023, with more than 2,720 deaths since March 18, when Israel broke a ceasefire agreement.
A father bids farewell to his little daughter who was killed in an Israeli air strike that targeted the tents of displaced people in Mawasi area in Khan Younis. pic.twitter.com/9CnpKwlTfd
— Eye on Palestine (@EyeonPalestine) May 11, 2025
Israel's genocidal attacks continue unabated despite calls from the UN Security Council for an immediate ceasefire and directives from the International Court of Justice urging measures to prevent genocide and alleviate the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza.
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L'Orient-Le Jour
2 hours ago
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Gaza civil defense says Israeli attacks kill 18
Gaza's civil defense agency said Israeli strikes and gunfire killed at least 18 Palestinians on Sunday, including seven people shot dead while waiting to collect food aid. Civil defense spokesperson Mahmoud Bassal told AFP that seven people were killed in an Israeli drone strike that hit a hospital courtyard in Gaza City, in the territory's north. Witnesses said the victims were members of a Hamas unit, which a source from the Palestinian militant group described as responsible for distributing aid and "fighting thieves." There was no comment from the Israeli military, which is preparing a broader offensive in Gaza City and has sent ground forces to the city's Zeitoun neighborhood in recent days. After more than 22 months of war, U.N.-backed experts have warned of widespread famine unfolding in Gaza, where Israel has drastically curtailed the amount of humanitarian aid it allows in and convoys have been repeatedly looted. Witnesses on Sunday reported Israeli air strikes across the Gaza Strip overnight and into the morning. Bassal said four people were killed in a strike that hit a tent sheltering displaced Palestinians in the southern area of Khan Younis. The civil defense spokesperson said Israel continues its intense bombardment of Gaza City's Zeitoun, where troops have carried out a ground operation for the past week. He said there were many casualties, but civil defense crews were facing "enormous difficulties reaching those trapped under the rubble" due to the ongoing violence and lack of equipment. Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties accessing swaths of the Palestinian territory mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by the civil defense agency or the Israeli military. Israel on Saturday hinted at an approaching call to push civilians from Gaza City ahead of the new offensive demanded by the security cabinet. A defence ministry statement said that "as part of the preparations to move the population from combat zones to the southern Gaza Strip for their protection, the supply of tents and shelter equipment to Gaza will resume." Hamas later slammed the move, saying the announcement was part of a "brutal assault to occupy Gaza City." On the ground on Sunday, Bassal said six people were killed by Israeli gunfire near an aid distribution point in the south. Another person was killed near an aid site in central Gaza, Bassal added, with a nearby hospital saying the body had been taken there. The war was triggered by Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. Israel's offensive has killed more than 61,897 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to figures from the Health Ministry in Gaza, which the United Nations considers reliable.


L'Orient-Le Jour
5 hours ago
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Protests held across Israel calling for end to Gaza war, hostage deal
Demonstrators took to the streets across Israel on Sunday, calling for an end to the war in Gaza and a deal to release hostages still held by militants, as the military prepares a new offensive. The protests come more than a week after Israel's security cabinet approved plans to capture Gaza City, following 22 months of war that have created dire humanitarian conditions in the Palestinian territory. The war was triggered by the Palestinian militant group Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel, during which 251 people were taken hostage. 49 captives remain in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead. A huge Israeli flag covered with portraits of the remaining captives was unfurled in Tel Aviv's so-called Hostage Square – which has long been a focal point for protests throughout the war. Demonstrators also blocked several roads in the city, including the highway connecting Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, where demonstrators set tires on fire and caused traffic jams, according to local media footage. Protest organizers and the main campaign group representing the families of hostages also called for a general strike on Sunday – the first day of the week in Israel. In Jerusalem and in Tel Aviv, many businesses were shut. "I think it's time to end the war. It's time to release all of the hostages. And it's time to help Israel recover and move towards a more stable Middle East," said Doron Wilfand, a 54-year-old tour guide, at a rally in Jerusalem. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum campaign group said in a statement that protesters would "shut down the country today (Sunday) with one clear call: Bring back the 50 hostages, end the war." Their toll includes a soldier killed in a 2014 war whose remains are held by Hamas. The forum plans to set up a protest tent near the Gaza border, vowing to "escalate our struggle and do everything possible to bring back our beloved ones." "If we don't bring them back now – we will lose them forever." 'Stay strong' Recent videos released by Hamas and its ally Islamic Jihad showing two weak and emaciated captives have heightened concern for the fate of the hostages. Egypt said in recent days mediators were leading a renewed push to secure a 60-day truce that would include hostage release, after the last round of talks in Qatar had ended without a breakthrough. Viki Cohen, whose son Nimrod is held in Gaza, said in a post on X addressing him: "I hope you have access to the media somewhere in the tunnels, and that you will see how the people of Israel pause life today for you and for the hostages. Stay strong, just a little more." Speaking at a rally in Tel Aviv, Israeli President Issac Herzog said "we want them back as soon as possible," calling for international pressure on Hamas. Some Israeli government members who oppose any deal with Hamas slammed Sunday's demonstrations. Israel's far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich decried "a perverse and harmful campaign that plays into the hands of Hamas." He argued that public pressure to secure a deal effectively "buries the hostages in tunnels and seeks to push the State of Israel to surrender to its enemies and jeopardise its security and future." Culture Minister Miki Zohar, of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party, said on X that blocking roads and disrupting daily life "is a serious mistake and a reward to the enemy." Israeli police beefed up forces, saying no "public order disturbances" would be tolerated. Famine warning AFPTV footage showed protesters at a rally in Beeri, a kibbutz near the Gaza border that was one of the hardest-hit communities in the Hamas attack, and Israeli media reported protests in numerous locations across the country. The Israeli plans to expand the war into Gaza City and nearby refugee camps have sparked an international outcry as well as domestic opposition. U.N.-backed experts have warned of widespread famine unfolding in the territory, where Israel has drastically curtailed the amount of humanitarian aid it allows in. Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. Israel's offensive has killed more than 61,897 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to figures from the Health Ministry in Gaza, which the United Nations considers reliable.


L'Orient-Le Jour
5 hours ago
- L'Orient-Le Jour
After Israeli strikes near Sanaa, Houthis announce 'complete air blockade' of Israel
Creation of a 'coalition of residents of southern border villages,' requesting state aid for reconstruction and compensation for families Presenting itself as "neither affiliated nor opposed to any political party," a "coalition of residents of southern border villages," formed for the occasion, organized a press conference at 11 a.m. in Kfar Jouz (Nabatieh). "We reject all rumors about buffer zones being emptied of their inhabitants, because this land has owners who will not abandon it." Denouncing the fact that "tens of thousands of displaced people are still scattered across the country, some still sheltering in schools," and that the "return rate does not exceed 10 percent of the pre-war population," the "coalition" addressed fourteen demands to the Lebanese state "and to all parties concerned," including the reconstruction of destroyed areas, the payment of compensation to victims, medical care and free education, the withdrawal of deposits blocked in banks, and the payment of a monthly amount of at least $300 per family as a housing allowance. "We will knock on every door and carry out all possible and available forms of mobilization, in a democratic, legal, positive and peaceful manner," the statement said. 14:36 Beirut Time Protests to end Gaza war strengthen Hamas's position Demonstrations in Israel demanding an end to the war in the Gaza Strip and the negotiated release of hostages are strengthening Hamas's position, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. "Those who call today for an end to the war without a defeat for Hamas not only strengthen Hamas's position and delay the release of our hostages, but also guarantee that the horrors of Oct. 7 will happen again and again, and that we will have to fight a war without end," Netanyahu said at the weekly cabinet meeting. Thousands of people took to the streets in Israel on Sunday to demand a ceasefire agreement guaranteeing the release of hostages kidnapped during the Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023, on Israeli soil, which triggered the war. 18 Palestinians killed in Israeli bombings and gunfire The Civil Defense in Gaza said 18 people were killed and dozens were wounded Sunday in Israeli shelling and gunfire. Mahmoud Bassal, a spokesperson for the Civil Defense, told AFP that the dead included seven Palestinians killed at dawn by a drone strike in the courtyard of al-Maamadani Hospital in Gaza City, in the starving northern territory. According to witnesses, the victims were members of the Hamas-affiliated "Sahm Unit." This unit includes hundreds of security personnel and volunteers tasked with "providing aid and combating looters," according to Hamas sources. 13:25 Beirut Time 'For every person killed on Oct. 7, 50 Palestinians must die ... They need a Nakba from time to time,' says former Israeli military intelligence chief Aharon Haliva. In a series of undated recordings broadcast Friday evening by Israel's Channel 12 prime time network, former Israeli military intelligence chief Aharon Haliva, who resigned his post in April 2024, said that "the fact that there are already 50,000 dead in Gaza is necessary and required for future generations," Israeli media reported. "For everything that happened on Oct. 7, for every person killed on Oct. 7, 50 Palestinians must die," he said. "I don't say this out of revenge, but as a message to future generations." "They need a Nakba every now and then to feel the consequences. There is no alternative in this disturbed neighborhood," he added. 12:00 Beirut Time Israeli army announces bombing of Houthi 'energy site' The Israeli army announced this morning that it struck "an energy site" in the Sanaa region, used by Houthi rebels. The Israeli army "carried out this strike at a distance of some 2,000 kilometers from Israel, in the heart of Yemen, targeting an energy infrastructure site used by the terrorist Houthi regime," the army said in a statement. 12:00 Beirut Time Houthis announce 'complete air blockade' of Israel Shortly after the Israeli strike on Sanaa, the Houthi military spokesperson announced "the imposition of a complete air blockade of Israel," saying it was acting "in response to the intensification of operations in Gaza." "We will act to enforce this blockade by repeatedly targeting airports, particularly Lod Airport, known as Ben-Gurion," the spokesperson said, in comments reported by Al Jazeera. Following the threats, Israeli Channel 12 reported that Air Europa, Spain's third-largest airline, canceled all of its flights scheduled for Monday between Madrid and Tel Aviv. Protests in Israel demand the release of Gaza hostages Demonstrations have begun in several Israeli cities calling on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to end the war in the Gaza Strip and secure an agreement for the release of the hostages held there. A huge Israeli flag, adorned with portraits of the kidnapped, was unfurled in Tel Aviv's "Hostage Square," which has become iconic since the start of the war. Sunday's demonstration comes as Israel announced it was preparing to take control of Gaza City and neighboring refugee camps with the stated goal of defeating the Palestinian movement and freeing the hostages. This announcement has sparked fears among hostage families in Israel, who fear the operation could result in the deaths of their loved ones. US suspends humanitarian visas for Gazans The State Department announced yesterday that it was suspending medical visas for Palestinian refugees from the Gaza Strip pending an investigation, after a far-right influencer, who has Donald Trump's ear, denounced this humanitarian policy. "All visitor visas for individuals from Gaza are suspended while we conduct a full and thorough review of the process and procedures used in recent days to grant a small number of temporary medical and humanitarian visas," the State Department said on X. This announcement by the State Department, headed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, follows social media posts by Laura Loomer, a far-right journalist and influencer. She announced Friday that she complained to Republican congressmen about the arrival of Palestinians from Gaza to the United States who "work for pro-Hamas Islamic organizations ... affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood and funded by Qatar." 12:00 Beirut Time Sharaa meets Patriarch Yazigi In Syria, President Ahmad al-Sharaa met the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, John X Yazigi, in Damascus yesterday, the presidency reported on Telegram. The two men discussed the "role of the Church" in consolidating national unity in Syria and preserving civil peace. This meeting took place nearly two months after the attack on the Saint Elijah Greek Orthodox Church in Damascus on June 22, which left 25 dead and 63 injured. The attack was claimed a few days later by a mysterious Syrian jihadist group calling itself "Saraya Ansar al-Sunna" ("Brigade of Supporters of the Sunnis"). Syrian authorities blamed the Islamic State.