Israel Gaza strike kills Hamas spokesman
Hamas said an Israeli air strike on Thursday killed one of its spokesmen in Gaza the Israeli military accused of spreading "psychological terror" through social media.
The military said that "overnight, (the army and air force) conducted a strike in northern Gaza," killing Abdul Latif al-Qanou.
It called Qanou "one of Hamas' key inciters", who used social media "for propaganda purposes, psychological terror," and for "inciting terrorist activities" against Israel.
The military, which resumed its offensive in Gaza on March 18, added it would continue operations "to dismantle Hamas's governmental and military capabilities".
Hamas said earlier it mourned the loss of Qanou who was killed in what it called a "direct" strike on a tent he was in, in the Jabalia area of northern Gaza.
A fragile ceasefire that brought weeks of relative calm to Gaza ended on March 18 when Israel resumed its bombing campaign across the territory.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Express Tribune
4 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Israel seeks to 'exterminate Palestinians'
Activists, heading towards Gaza by land, wave the Palestinian and Tunisian flags as they arrive in Zawiyah, Libya. Photo: AFP An independent United Nations commission said on Tuesday that Israeli attacks on schools, religious and cultural sites in Gaza amount to war crimes and the crime against humanity of seeking to exterminate Palestinians. "In killing civilians sheltering in schools and religious sites, Israeli security forces committed the crime against humanity of extermination," the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory said in a report. 17 killed at Gaza aid site Israeli gunfire killed at least 17 Palestinians and wounded dozens as thousands of displaced people approached an aid distribution site run by a US-backed humanitarian group in central Gaza on Tuesday, local health authorities said. Medics said the casualties were rushed to two hospitals, the Al-Awda Hospital in Nuseirat camp in central Gaza, and the Al-Quds in Gaza City, in the north. Two killed in Nablus Nablus. At least two Palestinians were killed Tuesday as Israel launched a large-scale military operation in the occupied West Bank city of Nablus, the Palestinian health ministry and the Israeli army said. The military said troops opened fire and "eliminated" two Palestinians who had attempted to steal a soldier's weapon as the "counterterrorism operation" was underway in the old city of Nablus. Meanwhile, Israel deported campaigner Greta Thunberg on a flight to Sweden via France on Tuesday, after detaining her along with other activists aboard a Gaza-bound aid boat. Of the 12 activists on board the Madleen, which was carrying food and supplies for Gaza, four including Thunberg agreed to be deported, the rights group that legally represents some of them said in a statement.
Express Tribune
11 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Iran warns West, Israel over IAEA pressure ahead of new nuclear talks
Iran's 2015 accord with world powers—known formally as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)—imposed strict limits on uranium enrichment in exchange for sanctions relief. . PHOTO: PIXABAY Listen to article Iran has issued a stark warning to Western powers and Israel over what it calls an escalating campaign by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and its backers, ahead of a planned sixth round of nuclear talks with the United States. Behrouz Kamalvandi, deputy head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, said any further pressure from the West or the UN nuclear watchdog would provoke a 'proportionate' response. Speaking to Iranian state television late Monday, Kamalvandi stated that Iran may reduce its cooperation with the IAEA to basic levels. 'We have cooperated beyond our obligations. If that is not appreciated, we will scale back to normal cooperation,' he warned. Kamalvandi's remarks came as the IAEA Board of Governors opened a five-day session in Vienna, with Iran's nuclear programme at the centre of deliberations. The US, supported by France, Germany, and the UK—all signatories to the 2015 nuclear agreement—are backing a new censure resolution against Tehran for alleged non-compliance. Diplomats suggest the resolution could be the most serious in nearly two decades and may pave the way for a reactivation of the 2015 deal's 'snapback' mechanism, reinstating all UN sanctions lifted under the agreement. Iran's 2015 accord with world powers—known formally as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)—imposed strict limits on uranium enrichment in exchange for sanctions relief. The deal unravelled after former US President Donald Trump withdrew in 2018 and reimposed sweeping sanctions. Iran's nuclear authorities have long disputed the IAEA's findings, including the discovery of nuclear traces at undeclared sites, which Tehran blames on sabotage. Kamalvandi claimed on Monday that nuclear particles were planted, pointing to inspections at Turquzabad, a site near Tehran. 'Inspectors knew exactly where to look. It's obvious those who contaminated the site also gave them the coordinates,' he said. The intelligence that led to the IAEA's scrutiny reportedly came from a 2018 Israeli raid in Tehran, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later publicised as a major intelligence coup. In a twist to the ongoing standoff, Iranian officials this week claimed to have acquired a 'treasure trove' of classified documents allegedly exposing details of Israel's secretive nuclear weapons programme. While no documents have yet been released, Iran's Supreme National Security Council said the information would bolster the country's deterrence capability and enable 'immediate retaliation' if Israel were to strike Iranian nuclear sites. 'Any Israeli aggression will be met with proportionate attacks on their hidden nuclear facilities,' the council stated. Senior Iranian military and intelligence officials have echoed this position, calling the documents a strategic asset amid rising regional tensions, particularly following recent setbacks for Iran's allies in Gaza, Syria, and Lebanon. Iran has also directed criticism at IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi, accusing him of political bias and alleging he is positioning himself for a future UN leadership role. Mohammad Eslami, Iran's top nuclear official, accused Grossi of acting on behalf of a 'few Western nations.' 'They give the orders, and he carries them out,' Eslami claimed. Grossi has denied the allegations, saying the IAEA is fulfilling its mandate to monitor nuclear activity impartially. Despite the sharp rhetoric, diplomatic channels remain active. The US and Iran are preparing for a sixth round of indirect negotiations, with the US delegation led by Trump envoy Steve Witkoff. Talks, mediated by Oman, are tentatively scheduled for Sunday, though Trump has stated Thursday as a possible start date. The talks have struggled to produce progress, primarily due to the unresolved dispute over uranium enrichment. Trump has recently shifted his stance from demanding Iran never develop a nuclear weapon to insisting on a complete halt to enrichment activities on Iranian soil. Tehran has consistently rejected this demand, asserting its sovereign right to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes, including energy production and medical applications. However, Iran said this week it would soon present a counterproposal to Washington. Meanwhile, Israeli intelligence chief David Barnea is expected to meet with Witkoff ahead of the next round of talks, underscoring the high stakes and multi-front diplomacy surrounding Iran's nuclear file.
Business Recorder
12 hours ago
- Business Recorder
US envoy says he does not think Palestinian state is US policy goal, Bloomberg reports
WASHINGTON: U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said he did not think that an independent Palestinian state remains a goal of U.S. foreign policy, according to an interview with Bloomberg News released on Tuesday. 'I don't think so,' Huckabee said when asked if a Palestinian state remains a goal of U.S. policy, Bloomberg reported. Asked whether Huckabee's remarks represented a change in U.S. policy, U.S. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce declined to comment, saying policy-making was a matter for President Donald Trump and the White House. 'I'm not going to characterize the ambassador's remarks. I'm not going to explain them or really comment on them at all. I think he certainly speaks for himself,' Bruce told a regular press briefing. The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Huckabee's remarks. US asking countries for 'voluntary' Palestinian relocation: Rubio Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas, is a staunch pro-Israel conservative picked by Trump to be his envoy to Israel. 'Unless there are some significant things that happen that change the culture, there's no room for it,' Huckabee was quoted as saying. Those probably won't happen 'in our lifetime,' he told the news agency. Trump, in his first term, was relatively tepid in his approach to a two-state solution, a longtime pillar of U.S. Middle East policy, and he has given little sign of where he stands on the issue in his second term. Huckabee suggested a piece of land could be carved out of a Muslim country rather than asking Israel to make room. 'Does it have to be in Judea and Samaria?' Huckabee said, using the biblical name the Israeli government favors for the West Bank, where some 3 million Palestinians live under occupation. An evangelical Christian, Huckabee has been a vocal supporter of Israel throughout his political career and a longtime defender of Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank. Trump has pursued strongly pro-Israel policies as president and his choice of Huckabee as ambassador signaled that they would continue.
