Latest news with #DeirAlBalah
Yahoo
28 minutes ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Israeli forces push into parts of a Gaza city that the war had largely spared
Israeli ground troops for the first time on Monday pushed into areas of a central Gaza city where several aid groups are based, in what appeared to be the latest effort to carve up the Palestinian territory with military corridors. Deir al-Balah is the only Gaza city that has not seen major ground operations or suffered widespread devastation in 21 months of war, leading to speculation that the Hamas militant group holds large numbers of hostages there. The main group representing hostages' families said it was 'shocked and alarmed' by the incursion, which was confirmed by an Israeli military official, and demanded answers from Israeli leaders. Israel says the seizure of territory in Gaza is aimed at pressuring Hamas to release hostages, but it is a major point of contention in ongoing ceasefire talks. The UN food agency, meanwhile, accused Israeli forces of firing on a crowd of Palestinians seeking humanitarian aid over the weekend. Gaza's Health Ministry called it one of the deadliest attacks on aid-seekers in the war that has driven the territory to the brink of famine. In the latest sign of international frustration, the United Kingdom, France and 23 other Western-aligned countries issued a statement saying 'the war in Gaza must end now'. They harshly criticised Israel's restrictions on humanitarian aid and called for the release of the 50 hostages remaining in Gaza. Tens of thousands of people have sought refuge in Deir al-Balah during repeated waves of mass displacement in Gaza. Associated Press reporters heard explosions and saw smoke rising from parts of the city that were ordered evacuated on Sunday. The Israeli military official, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with regulations, said it was the first time ground troops had operated in the area. A man living in the evacuation zone, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution, said Israel dropped pamphlets at dawn ordering people to evacuate. Two hours later, tanks rolled into the area. He said his 62-year-old father, who had spent the night elsewhere, fled from house to house as Israeli forces moved in and saw them flattening structures with bulldozers and tanks. Both men managed to leave the evacuation zone. The military declined to say if it had ordered the evacuation of aid groups based in the city, saying only that it maintains continuous contact with them and facilitates their relocation when necessary. Israel has taken over large areas of Gaza and split the territory with corridors stretching from the border to the sea as it seeks to pressure Hamas to release more hostages. In response to the Deir al-Balah incursion, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum warned in its statement that 'the people of Israel will not forgive anyone who knowingly endangered the hostages — both the living and the deceased. No one will be able to claim they didn't know what was at stake'. Hamas-led militants abducted 251 people in the October 7, 2023, attack that triggered the war and killed around 1,200 people. Less than half of the 50 hostages still in Gaza are believed to be alive.
France 24
2 hours ago
- Politics
- France 24
Gaza: Israeli military expands ground operation into city of Deir al-Balah
Israeli tanks pushed into southern and eastern districts of the Gazan city of Deir al-Balah for the first time on Monday, an area where Israeli sources said the military believes hostages may be held. As FRANCE 24's Noga Tarnopolsky explains, it is difficult to collect information on this military operations, but more and more countries are condemning Israel over its war in Gaza. Video by: Noga TARNOPOLSKY
LBCI
2 hours ago
- Politics
- LBCI
Israel sends tanks into Gaza's Deir Al-Balah, raising new concerns for families of hostages
Israeli tanks pushed into southern and eastern areas of the Gazan city of Deir Al-Balah for the first time on Monday, an area where Israeli sources said the military believes some of the remaining hostages may be being held. Gaza medics said at least three Palestinians were killed and several were wounded in tank shelling that hit eight houses and three mosques in the area, and which came a day after the military ordered residents to leave, saying it planned to fight Hamas militants. The raid and bombardment pushed dozens of families who had remained to flee and head west towards the coastal area of Deir Al-Balah and nearby Khan Younis. In Khan Younis, earlier on Monday, an Israeli airstrike killed at least five people, including a man, his wife, and their two children, in a tent, medics said. There was no immediate Israeli comment on the Deir Al-Balah and Khan Younis incidents. Israel's military said it had not entered the districts of Deir Al-Balah subject to the evacuation order during the current conflict and that it was continuing "to operate with great force to destroy the enemy's capabilities and infrastructure in the area." Israeli sources have said the reason the army has so far stayed out is that they suspect Hamas might be holding hostages there. At least 20 of the remaining 50 hostages in captivity in Gaza are believed to be still alive. Families of the hostages expressed their concern for their relatives and demanded an explanation from the army of how it would protect them. Reuters
Arab News
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Arab News
WSJ editor sparks backlash over claim IDF gave Hamas ‘safe haven' in Gaza
LONDON: Elliot Kaufman, a member of The Wall Street Journal's editorial board, has drawn sharp criticism after suggesting that the Israeli military allowed Hamas to operate unimpeded in Gaza for nearly two years. The comment came in the wake of Israel's first evacuation notice issued to residents of Deir Al-Balah, in central Gaza, since the war began on Oct. 7, 2023. In a post on X, Kaufman wrote: 'For 21 months, Israel has essentially allowed Hamas a safe haven inside Gaza. That's no way to fight a war, but Israel believed hostages were held in this area, and minimizing risk to them has always taken priority.' The remarks were widely condemned for appearing to overlook the scale of destruction in Gaza, where over 70 percent of buildings have been damaged or destroyed, and humanitarian agencies warn of looming famine due to Israel's blockade of aid. The Palestinian death toll is nearing 60,000, about half of them women and children, according to Gaza health authorities, fueling global outrage over Israel's ongoing military campaign. 'If Hamas is kept safe, then who are the tens of thousands they have been killing?' one user responded online. Pro-Palestinian group Writers Against the War in Gaza — which recently published a report criticizing The New York Times for alleged links between its senior staff and pro-Israel lobbying groups — said Kaufman's post reflects the WSJ's 'zero journalistic standards.' The group accused the outlet of allowing 'literal state stenography for Israel with no consequences.' Does the Wall Street Journal have zero journalistic standards anymore, or are Editorial Board members allowed to do literal state stenography for Israel with no consequences? — Writers Against the War on Gaza (@wawog_now) July 20, 2025 Kaufman has faced growing criticism over what some see as his consistent alignment with Israeli policy. Following Hamas' deadly Oct. 7 attack and Israel's subsequent military response, he has voiced support for the Israeli government's actions and denounced pro-Palestinian activism. Earlier in July, Kaufman sparked further backlash over an article promoting a so-called peace plan involving a Palestinian sheikh and a proposal to have Hebron break away from the Palestinian Authority, effectively sidestepping any future Palestinian statehood. Palestinian activist Issa Amro described the piece as a 'dangerous fabrication' and criticized Kaufman for 'shockingly poor journalism or deliberate misinformation.' Kan's Palestinian affairs correspondent Elior Levy dismissed it as nonsense. 'Words come cheap, and these recycled statements have led to nothing (in the past),' Levy wrote on X. 'I advise The Wall Street Journal to focus more on Wall Street and less on Hebron.' Over the weekend, the WSJ found itself at the centre of the news after US President Donald Trump sued media magnate Rupert Murdoch and the journal for at least $10 billion over publication of a bombshell article on his friendship with the infamous alleged sex trafficker of underage girls, Jeffrey Epstein.
CNA
3 hours ago
- Health
- CNA
Israel sends tanks into Gaza's Deir Al-Balah, raising concerns among hostages' families
CAIRO: Israeli tanks pushed into southern and eastern districts of the Gazan city of Deir al-Balah for the first time on Monday (Jul 21), an area where Israeli sources said the military believes some of the remaining hostages may be held. The area is packed with Palestinians displaced during more than 21 months of war in Gaza, hundreds of whom fled west or south after Israel issued an evacuation order, saying it sought to destroy Hamas capabilities and infrastructure. Tank shelling in the area hit houses and mosques, killing at least three Palestinians and wounding several others, local medics said. To the south in Khan Younis, an Israeli airstrike killed at least five people, including a husband and wife and their two children in a tent, medics said. In its daily update, Gaza's health ministry said at least 130 Palestinians had been killed and more than 1,000 wounded by Israeli gunfire and military strikes across the territory in the past 24 hours, one of the highest such totals in recent weeks. There was no immediate Israeli comment on the Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis incidents. Israeli sources have said the reason the army has so far stayed out of the Deir al-Balah districts is because they suspect Hamas might be holding hostages there. At least 20 of the remaining 50 hostages in captivity in Gaza are believed to be still alive. Families of the hostages have expressed concern for their relatives and demanded an explanation from the army of how it would protect them. Gaza health officials have meanwhile warned of potential "mass deaths" in the coming days due to worsening hunger, which has killed at least 19 people since Saturday, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry. HUNGER Health officials say hospitals have been running out of fuel, food aid, and medicine, risking a halt to vital operations. Health ministry spokesperson Khalil Al-Deqran said medical staff have been depending on one meal a day, and that hundreds of people flock to hospitals every day, suffering from fatigue and exhaustion because of hunger. In southern Gaza, the health ministry said an Israeli undercover unit had detained Marwan Al-Hams, head of Gaza's field hospitals, on Monday in a raid that killed a local journalist and wounded another outside a field medical facility run by the International Committee of the Red Cross. An ICRC spokesperson said the ICRC had admitted and treated patients injured in the incident but would not comment further on their status in order to protect their privacy. It said it was "very concerned about the safety and security" around the field hospital. The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Israel has raided and attacked hospitals across Gaza during the war, accusing Hamas of using them for military purposes, an accusation the group denies. Sending undercover forces to carry out arrests has been rare. The incursion into Deir al-Balah and escalating number of deaths appeared to be complicating the latest push for a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel in talks mediated by Qatar and Egypt, with US backing. A Hamas official told Reuters on Sunday that the militant group was angered over the mounting death toll and the hunger crisis, and that this could affect the talks on a 60-day truce and hostage deal. AID WAITING UNRWA, the UN refugee agency dedicated to Palestinians, said in a post on X on Monday that it was receiving desperate messages from Gaza warning of starvation, including from its own staff as food prices have increased 40-fold. "Meanwhile, just outside Gaza, stockpiled in warehouses UNRWA has enough food for the entire population for over three months. Lift the siege and let aid in safely and at scale," it said. On Sunday, the health ministry said at least 67 people were killed by Israeli fire as they waited for UN aid trucks to enter Gaza, after saying at least 36 aid seekers were killed a day earlier Israel's military said its troops had fired warning shots to remove what it said was "an immediate threat." It said initial findings suggested reported casualty figures were inflated. Israel's military also said it "views the transfer of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip as a matter of utmost importance, and works to enable and facilitate its entry in coordination with the international community". The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel on Oct 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages back to Gaza, according to Israeli tallies.
