Latest news with #ChariotsofGideon
Saudi Gazette
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Saudi Gazette
Israel deploys nine additional brigades into Gaza as ground offensive expands
JERUSALEM — The Israeli military has deployed nine additional infantry and armored brigades into the Gaza Strip within the last 24 hours, signaling a further escalation in its ground offensive across the enclave, Israel's public broadcaster KAN reported Friday, citing unnamed military sources. The reinforcements are part of an expanded military operation approved earlier this month under what Israeli officials have termed the 'Chariots of Gideon' plan, a long-term campaign involving sustained ground combat and wide-scale displacement of Gaza's civilian population. According to KAN, the army's operations are currently focused on two main areas: northern Gaza and the southern city of Khan Younis. The military has warned residents in those areas to evacuate ahead of intensified aerial bombardments, though reports from humanitarian groups and residents indicate many displaced civilians continue to face attacks during their movement and in supposed safe zones. The Israeli army previously deployed Divisions 252, 143, and 36 to Gaza. In the last week, it added Divisions 98 and 162, with the latest deployment further bolstering ground forces already operating in the Strip. No official figures have been released regarding the number of troops involved. On May 4, Israel's Security Cabinet gave formal approval to expand the military campaign. The government subsequently began mobilizing tens of thousands of reservists and launched a coordinated ground assault on May 18 from multiple directions. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported Friday that more than 172,000 people in Gaza have been newly displaced in the past week alone, adding to the worsening humanitarian crisis. Israel has stated that its forces are working to evacuate civilians from designated combat zones, though aid agencies have warned of ongoing strikes on displaced populations. Since the start of the conflict in October 2023, more than 53,900 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza health authorities. The majority of those killed are reported to be women and children. Israel continues to face mounting international scrutiny over its military campaign. In November, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, citing alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Additionally, proceedings continue at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), where Israel is the subject of a genocide case brought forward by South Africa. The Israeli government has rejected international ceasefire calls and maintains that its operations are aimed at neutralizing threats from militant groups operating within Gaza. — Agencies
NBC News
19-05-2025
- Politics
- NBC News
The death toll keeps rising in Gaza as Netanyahu says Israel is 'moving toward full control'
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that his country's military was 'moving toward full control' of the Gaza Strip as its intensifying air strikes and ground operation there killed dozens more people overnight. Airstrikes had killed more than 300 people in the 72 hours to early Monday, the health authority in Hamas-run Gaza said. Children were among the dead after a wave of airstrikes in the southern city of Khan Younis that came even after Netanyahu said his forces would allow in limited amounts of food to avoid the risk of famine. The Israeli government announced plans Sunday that, if actioned, would end its 11-week aid blockade of Gaza and allow in 'basic' quantities of food. The prime minister doubled down Monday on his decision, responding on Telegram to critics from Israel's political right wing. 'There is a lot of criticism from the right this morning regarding the humanitarian issue — and that's understandable. But it's important to know the facts,' he said, adding that 'we must avoid a situation of famine, both in substance and in perception.' 'If there is famine,' he added, 'we will lose international support and won't be able to achieve victory.' That decision came even as Israel moved ahead with plans for a new ground offensive, dubbed 'Chariots of Gideon,' after Israel's Security Cabinet earlier this month unanimously approved plans to seize all of the Gaza Strip. It was in his statement Monday that Netanyahu said that "there is intensive and large-scale military activity in Gaza" and that the Israeli military was "moving toward full control of the entire Strip." In a statement Monday, the Hamas-run government of Gaza accused Israel of committing 'horrific crimes on a daily basis.' Israel says the operation is aimed at defeating Hamas and ensuring the return of the remaining hostages of the 250 taken captive during the Hamas-led terror attacks in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, during which around 1,200 people were killed. The ensuing war in Gaza has killed more than 53,000 people in the enclave, Palestinian health officials say. That death toll is still rising. Those killed in airstrikes added to what has become one of the deadliest weeks of the conflict since a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas collapsed in March. In a statement Monday, Hamas said that the Israeli military had launched 'hundreds of highly destructive shells, missiles, and bombs daily, targeting residential neighborhoods and densely populated civilian areas.' The Israel Defense Forces said Monday that it had struck 160 of what it called 'terror targets' in the past 24 hours. The attacks come as international aid groups have repeatedly warned in recent weeks of the risk of famine in Gaza after the Israeli government maintained a complete aid blockade since March 2. 'We're in a race against time to avoid famine,' the United Nations' World Food Programme said in an X post Sunday, in which it urged the international community to 'act urgently to get aid flowing again.' Those warnings have sparked alarm among even Israel's closest allies, with President Donald Trump telling reporters on Friday that 'a lot of people are starving' in Gaza. The United Nations said Monday 92% of homes in Gaza have already been destroyed or damaged in a post on X, adding that 'countless people have been displaced multiple times, and shelter is scarce.' In footage captured Sunday by NBC News' crew on the ground, Israeli missiles struck a cluster of tents sheltering displaced families in the Al-Mawasi area, west of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, killing at least 40 people and injuring dozens of others. 'I brought five charred bodies to Nasser Hospital, but many more are still by the tents—we couldn't reach them because of the flames,' Jaafar Ezzedine, a civil defense medic, told NBC News. Warda Waleed Al-Shaer, a displaced woman from Rafah, told NBC News that her brother, his wife and their children had been killed in the attacks. 'Why? What happened? How can I live with losing all of them at once?' she said. Following Israel's announcement to allow humanitarian assistance into Gaza, Reuters reported that aid trucks were seen lining up Monday in Egypt's northern Sinai city of Arish, apparently waiting to enter Gaza through its southern Rafah Crossing.
Daily News Egypt
18-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily News Egypt
Massacres, starvation: Gaza endures 225 days of war amid collapsing ceasefire talks
The Israeli occupation army's campaign in the besieged Gaza Strip entered its 225th consecutive day on Saturday, marked by relentless airstrikes, mounting civilian casualties, and an ever-deepening humanitarian catastrophe. Despite mounting international concern, ceasefire negotiations between Hamas and Israel in Doha—mediated by Qatar and Egypt—remain at a standstill. Gaza's Ministry of Health reported that at least 96 Palestinians were killed and over 140 injured since early Saturday, pushing the death toll since Israel resumed its offensive to more than 3,000. Since the start of the war on October 7, 2023, over 53,000 Palestinians have been killed and 121,000 wounded—figures that Palestinian and international observers increasingly describe as indicative of one of the most devastating modern genocides. Among the dead are five journalists killed in simultaneous Israeli airstrikes while on assignment. According to Hamas, the total number of media workers killed has reached 220. The movement condemned the targeting of journalists as an attempt to 'silence the truth,' urging international media organizations to stand in solidarity with Gaza's press corps. On the ground, the Israeli occupation forces launched a new military operation, 'Chariots of Gideon,' involving more than 670 airstrikes across the Strip. Ground incursions continue in Jabalia refugee camp in the north and in Khuza'a and Al-Fukhari near Khan Younis in the south, supported by heavy artillery and aerial bombardment. Palestinian sources say the intense shelling is being used to clear paths for advancing ground forces, as many civilians remain trapped beneath the rubble of destroyed homes, schools, and hospitals. The intensification of military operations coincides with deadlocked indirect negotiations in Doha. U.S. hostage envoy Adam Boehler acknowledged the talks are 'not going well' and described them as 'extremely volatile.' He stated that Washington has made it clear to Hamas that any ceasefire would depend on the release of hostages, adding that 'progress requires pressure and resolve.' Meanwhile, US Middle East envoy Stephen Witkoff sought to assure the international community that the Trump administration 'will not allow a humanitarian crisis in Gaza.' However, observers and humanitarian groups have criticized such statements as inconsistent with conditions on the ground—where aid convoys are routinely blocked, relief workers targeted, and hospitals bombed. UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini issued a stark warning, saying that 'Gaza is dying slowly.' He noted that humanitarian aid has been stuck at border crossings for over two months, with food and medical supplies nearing expiration. In a post on X, Lazzarini appealed for the immediate lifting of the blockade, stating, 'Let us do our job. There is no need to reinvent the wheel.' Amid growing concern, the U.S. Embassy in Libya denied an NBC News report alleging that the Trump administration was considering relocating one million Palestinians from Gaza to Libya. The embassy called the report 'not true,' though the network claimed discussions were held with unnamed Libyan figures. As the war drags on, global outrage continues to mount. Marking the 77th anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba, hundreds of thousands marched in major European cities—including London, Berlin, Amsterdam, and Athens—demanding an end to what demonstrators labeled a genocide and calling for a halt to Western military and political support for Israel. Protesters carried banners condemning war crimes and urging international prosecution of Israeli leaders, as calls intensify for sanctions and diplomatic isolation of the occupying power.
