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Free Malaysia Today
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Israeli army strikes Gaza after ‘basic' food aid pledge
Israel announced yesterday that its troops had begun extensive ground operations in the Gaza Strip. (AP pic) GAZA CITY : Israeli strikes killed at least 22 people in Gaza today, rescuers said, after Israel pledged to let a 'basic amount' of food into the territory to avert a hunger crisis. The announcement came hours after the military said it had begun 'extensive ground operations' in a newly intensified campaign in Gaza, and as Israel and Hamas engaged in indirect talks. Israel has come under mounting international pressure, including from key backer the US, to lift a total blockade on the Gaza Strip imposed more than two months ago. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said yesterday that at the military's recommendation, 'Israel will authorise the entry of a basic amount of food for the population to ensure that a hunger crisis does not develop in the Gaza Strip'. Such a crisis would jeopardise the army's new operation, it said, adding Israel would 'act to prevent Hamas from seizing this humanitarian aid'. On the ground, rescuers reported heavy strikes in and around the main southern city of Khan Younis, where civil defence agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal said 11 people were killed and several others wounded, along with one more killed in nearby Abasan. Strikes on other parts of the territory killed another 11 people, including three members of the same family. Israel said its blockade since March 2 was aimed at forcing concessions from the Palestinian resistance group, but UN agencies have warned of critical shortages of food, clean water, fuel and medicines. Last week US President Donald Trump acknowledged that 'a lot of people are starving', adding 'we're going to get that taken care of'. French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot called on Israel following the latest announcement, to allow the 'immediate, massive and unhampered' resumption of aid. In his inaugural mass, Pope Leo XIV called on the faithful not to forget 'our brothers and sisters who are suffering because of war. 'In Gaza, the surviving children, families and elderly are reduced to starvation,' he said. 'Extensive ground operations' The United Nations had warned of famine in Gaza before the aid blockade was imposed. (AP pic) Israel's military announced yesterday that troops had 'begun extensive ground operations throughout the northern and southern Gaza Strip', and were 'currently being deployed in key positions'. The ramped-up campaign, which Israel says aims to free hostages and defeat Hamas, started Saturday as the two sides entered indirect talks in Qatar on a deal. Netanyahu's office said negotiators Doha were 'working to exhaust every possibility for a deal – whether according to the Witkoff framework or as part of ending the fighting'. Steve Witkoff is the US Middle East envoy who has been involved in discussions. Netanyahu's statement said a deal 'would include the release of all the hostages, the exile of Hamas terrorists, and the disarmament of the Gaza Strip'. Since a two-month ceasefire collapsed in March as Israel resumed its offensive, negotiations mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the US have failed to make a breakthrough. Netanyahu has opposed ending the war without Hamas's total defeat, while Hamas has balked at handing over its weapons. A Hamas source familiar with the negotiations said the group was willing 'to release all Israeli hostages in one batch, provided that a comprehensive and permanent ceasefire agreement is reached', but Israel 'wants to release its prisoners in one batch or in two batches in exchange for a temporary truce'. 'No one left' AFPTV footage from Gaza yesterday showed people sifting through ruined shelters and rescuers treating the wounded. 'All my family members are gone. There is no one left,' said a distraught Warda al-Shaer. 'The children were killed as well as their parents. My mother died too, and my niece lost her eye.' Marwan al-Hams, director of field hospitals at Gaza's health ministry, told AFP that since Israel's aid blockade began, '57 children have died in Gaza as a result of famine', adding the number could rise as supplies ran out. AFP was unable to independently verify the figure. The United Nations had warned of the risk of famine in Gaza before the aid blockade was imposed. The health ministry also accused Israel yesterday of besieging the Indonesian Hospital in Beit Lahia, cutting off access and 'effectively forcing the hospital out of service', leaving the north without a functioning public hospital. Hamas's October 2023 attack that triggered the war resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. Hamas also took 251 hostages during the attack, 57 of whom remain in Gaza, including 34 the military says are dead. Gaza's health ministry said yesterday at least 3,193 people have been killed since Israel resumed strikes on March 18, taking the war's overall toll to 53,339.
Al Jazeera
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Gaza's Khan Younis latest focus of Israeli forced displacement, bombing
Israel's military has issued another forced displacement order to residents of Gaza's southern city of Khan Younis, threatening an 'unprecedented' assault after launching a wave of deadly strikes on the area and pressing a punishing new ground offensive. The displacement order, posted on X by the military's Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee on Monday, also applies to the nearby areas of Bani Suhaila and Abasan. It calls on Palestinians to move west towards al-Mawasi. 'From this moment, Khan Younis governorate will be considered a dangerous combat zone,' the post read. It comes a day after Israel's military issued a separate displacement order for areas of central Gaza, including the town of al-Qarara, as its expanded offensive continues. The new order also comes as Israeli forces continue to pound the blockaded enclave, where a famine is looming. At least 30 Israeli air strikes on Monday hammered the vastly destroyed territory from north to south, killing at least 60 people since dawn, according to Gaza's Ministry of Health. Previous forced evacuation orders throughout Israel's 19-month war have displaced the majority of Gaza's population multiple times. Many Palestinians have been bombarded again after fleeing to Israeli-designated 'safe zones', including al-Mawasi. Al Jazeera's Tareq Abu Azzoum, reporting from Deir el-Balah in central Gaza, said Monday's displacement order 'signals a potential full-scale attack' in Khan Younis. 'Many families are in a state of chaos. They are trying to get whatever they can from their properties and move to al-Mawasi, where the Israeli military has instructed them to go to,' Abu Azzoum said, adding that an attack targeting al-Mawasi earlier in the day had killed two people. 'The repeated issuance of evacuation orders has shattered any sense of safety for Palestinians,' Abu Azzoum said. Israeli forces carried out a massive operation earlier in the war that left much of Khan Younis in ruins. Al-Mawasi, where tens of thousands of people have fled, has also been repeatedly targeted by deadly Israeli strikes. Under the newly launched air and ground offensive, Israel said it plans to displace hundreds of thousands of Palestinians and secure limited aid distribution inside the territory – something that has been widely criticised by aid groups and the United Nations. In a video message on Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the military is to 'take control of the entire territory of the Gaza Strip'. He said a plan to let 'minimal' aid into Gaza is aimed at alleviating pressure from allies, who, he said, cannot tolerate 'images of … mass hunger'. It remains unclear when the aid will be allowed to enter the Palestinian territory, where two million Palestinians are 'starving', UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned. Israel has kept Gaza under a total blockade since early March, pushing the population there into famine as the healthcare system remains under Israeli attack and is quickly crumbling as its access to medical equipment, supplies and fuel has been cut off. Meanwhile, the al-Nasser Salah al-Din Brigades, the military wing of the Popular Resistance Committees, a Palestinian group in Gaza, has confirmed that one of its commanders, Ahmed Sarhan, was killed in Khan Younis. Sarhan was killed in an undercover operation backed by Israeli drones and jets early on Monday. The group said Israeli special forces tried to capture the commander, but he was killed in a shootout after he fought back.
The Guardian
19-05-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Israel targets Nasser hospital as Netanyahu vows to take control of all of Gaza
The IDF told residents living in southern Gaza's Khan Younis, Bani Suheila and Abasan to 'evacuate immediately' ahead of an 'unprecedented attack' on Monday. The IDF's Arabic spokesperson Avichay Adraee claimed the attack was targetting Hamas infrastructure and that the area would be considered a 'dangerous combat zone'. It comes a day after Israel allowed the entry of a 'basic quantity' of food into Gaza, after coming under international criticism over its 10-week blockade on food and humanitarian aid
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Israel strikes Gaza after 'basic' food aid pledge
Israeli strikes killed at least 22 people in Gaza on Monday, rescuers said, after Israel pledged to let a "basic amount" of food into the territory to avert a hunger crisis. The announcement came hours after the military said it had begun "extensive ground operations" in a newly intensified campaign in Gaza, and as Israel and Hamas engaged in indirect talks. Israel has come under mounting international pressure, including from key backer the United States, to lift a total blockade on the Gaza Strip imposed more than two months ago. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said Sunday that at the military's recommendation, "Israel will authorise the entry of a basic amount of food for the population to ensure that a hunger crisis does not develop in the Gaza Strip". Such a crisis would jeopardise the army's new operation, it said, adding Israel would "act to prevent Hamas from seizing this humanitarian aid". On the ground, rescuers reported heavy strikes in and around the main southern city of Khan Yunis, where civil defence agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal said 11 people were killed and several others wounded, along with one more killed in nearby Abasan. Strikes on other parts of the territory killed another 11 people, including three members of the same family. Israel said its blockade since March 2 was aimed at forcing concessions from the Palestinian militant group, but UN agencies have warned of critical shortages of food, clean water, fuel and medicines. Last week US President Donald Trump acknowledged that "a lot of people are starving", adding "we're going to get that taken care of". French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot called on Israel following the latest announcement, to allow the "immediate, massive and unhampered" resumption of aid. In his inaugural mass, Pope Leo XIV called on the faithful not to forget "our brothers and sisters who are suffering because of war. "In Gaza, the surviving children, families and elderly are reduced to starvation," he said. - 'Extensive ground operations' - Israel's military announced on Sunday that troops had "begun extensive ground operations throughout the northern and southern Gaza Strip", and were "currently being deployed in key positions". The ramped-up campaign, which Israel says aims to free hostages and defeat Hamas, started Saturday as the two sides entered indirect talks in Qatar on a deal. Netanyahu's office said negotiators Doha were "working to exhaust every possibility for a deal -- whether according to the Witkoff framework or as part of ending the fighting". Steve Witkoff is the US Middle East envoy who has been involved in discussions. Netanyahu's statement said a deal "would include the release of all the hostages, the exile of Hamas terrorists, and the disarmament of the Gaza Strip". Since a two-month ceasefire collapsed in March as Israel resumed its offensive, negotiations mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the United States have failed to make a breakthrough. Netanyahu has opposed ending the war without Hamas's total defeat, while Hamas has balked at handing over its weapons. A Hamas source familiar with the negotiations said the group was willing "to release all Israeli hostages in one batch, provided that a comprehensive and permanent ceasefire agreement is reached", but Israel "wants to release its prisoners in one batch or in two batches in exchange for a temporary truce". - 'No one left' - AFPTV footage from Gaza on Sunday showed people sifting through ruined shelters and rescuers treating the wounded. "All my family members are gone. There is no one left," said a distraught Warda al-Shaer. "The children were killed as well as their parents. My mother died too, and my niece lost her eye." Marwan al-Hams, director of field hospitals at Gaza's health ministry, told AFP that since Israel's aid blockade began, "57 children have died in Gaza as a result of famine", adding the number could rise as supplies ran out. AFP was unable to independently verify the figure. The United Nations had warned of the risk of famine in Gaza before the aid blockade was imposed. The health ministry also accused Israel Sunday of besieging the Indonesian Hospital in Beit Lahia, cutting off access and "effectively forcing the hospital out of service", leaving the north without a functioning public hospital. Hamas's October 2023 attack that triggered the war resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. Hamas also took 251 hostages during the attack, 57 of whom remain in Gaza, including 34 the military says are dead. Gaza's health ministry said Sunday at least 3,193 people have been killed since Israel resumed strikes on March 18, taking the war's overall toll to 53,339. bur-ser/dv
