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New York Times
a day ago
- Politics
- New York Times
Wednesday Briefing: Israel Expands Gaza Offensive
Israeli strikes hit a W.H.O. facility in Gaza The World Health Organization accused Israel of attacking its site in central Gaza after the Israeli military expanded its operations in the city of Deir al-Balah, which until recently had been left relatively unscathed. Israel had spared Deir al-Balah because it believed that Hamas was holding Israeli and foreign hostages there, but that strategy appears to be changing. A W.H.O. staff residence was damaged by airstrikes on Monday, the agency said in a statement. Israeli forces also entered the building, handcuffed and stripped male employees and family members sheltering there, and held them at gunpoint. Women and children were forcibly evacuated, the agency said. An Israeli military official said that the strike took place after the staff was evacuated, and that Israeli forces had come under fire in the vicinity, leading them to respond. Context: Deir al-Balah had been an informal refuge for Palestinians escaping other parts of Gaza, and huge tent camps have sprung up in the city. The city also hosts warehouses for the U.N. as well as guesthouses for U.N. staff. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Irish Times
a day ago
- Politics
- Irish Times
Israeli military raids UN facility as it expands offensive in Gaza
The Israeli military has expanded its operations in a part of the central Gaza Strip that had remained relatively unscathed during the war with Hamas, raiding a UN facility and prompting panic among Palestinians who had sought refuge in the area. In the raid on the UN facility, a World Health Organisation (WHO) building in the city of Deir al-Balah, Israeli forces handcuffed and stripped male staff and family members and held them at gunpoint, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of the agency, said in a statement. Women and children were forcibly evacuated south in the raid, which took place on Monday, he added. The Israeli military said its forces had come under fire while operating in the area. It did not deny raiding the WHO facility but said that any 'suspects' had been treated 'in accordance with international law'. READ MORE Israeli troops have swept through much of Gaza, backed by extensive air strikes, during the 21 months of the war. But the city of Deir al-Balah had been left largely untouched, partly because Israeli officials said they believed hostages were being held there. On Sunday, the Israeli military ordered residents in parts of the city to leave or face life-threatening danger. Some Palestinians thought those warnings suggested that Israel was poised to launch a ground offensive in the city. The Israeli military launched strikes and ground operations around Deir al-Balah, but it was unclear how far the operations would expand. Israeli troops had not advanced into the densely populated city centre, but residents were already fleeing. Deir al-Balah has became an informal refuge for Palestinians fleeing other parts of Gaza, and huge tent camps have sprang up in the city. In the relative calm, a modicum of normalcy had survived. The city also hosts large warehouses for the United Nations as well as guest houses for the organisation's staff. [ Israel sends tanks into Gaza's Deir Al-Balah, where it believes hostages are Opens in new window ] Many Palestinians fled to the north of the city, seeking safety in areas that Israeli authorities had not declared potential combat zones. According to the United Nations, tens of thousands of people have been sheltering at dozens of displacement sites in the area. But there are few places left to flee to in Gaza. More than 85 per cent of the enclave is under direct Israeli military control or subject to Israeli evacuation orders, according to the United Nations. The rest of Gaza's nearly two million residents have been mostly hemmed into the shrinking parts that remain. More than 57,000 people, including thousands of children, have been killed in the Israeli campaign against Hamas in Gaza, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. For the families of Israeli hostages, the potential attack in the city has also fuelled renewed fears for the lives of their loved ones. About 50 of the 250 captives seized during the Hamas-led attacks on October 7th, 2023 remain in Gaza, though dozens of those are presumed dead by Israeli authorities. The Hostage and Missing Families Forum, an advocacy group, has demanded that the Israeli government explain how an attack in central Gaza would avoid putting captives' lives at risks. 'The people of Israel will not forgive anyone who knowingly endangered the hostages,' the forum said in a statement. Meanwhile, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) said on Tuesday that its aid stocks are completely depleted in Gaza, with some of its staff now starving, and the organisation accused Israel of paralysing its work. The council's comments echo those made earlier on Tuesday by the head of Unrwa, the Palestinian refugee agency, who said the agency's staff were fainting on the job from hunger and exhaustion. The NRC says that for the last 145 days, it has not been able to get hundreds of truckloads of tents, water, sanitation, food and education materials into Gaza. COGAT, the Israeli military aid co-ordination agency, and Israeli authorities did not immediately respond to a request for comment. It has denied accusations that it is preventing aid from reaching Gaza, and has accused Palestinian militant group Hamas of stealing food, which Hamas denies. 'Hundreds of truckloads have been sitting in warehouses or in Egypt or elsewhere, and costing our western European donors a lot of money, but they are blocked from coming in ... That's why we are so angry. Because our job is to help,' Jan Egeland, the secretary general of the council, said. . 'Israel is not yielding. They just want to paralyse our work,' he added. The NRC said its supplies of safe drinking water are also running out, due to dwindling supplies of fuel to run desalination plants. The water has reached 100,000 people in central and northern parts of Gaza in recent weeks. An Israeli official told Reuters there is about a half a million litres of fuel that the UN has been given approval to bring in. 'They're bringing in fuel and collecting, but they can bring in and they can collect more, and we are having discussions with them,' the official said. This article originally appeared in the New York Times
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Israel responds to WHO accusations over attacks on Gaza facilities
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Generate Key Takeaways Israel's military on Tuesday responded to accusations by the World Health Organization (WHO) that its forces attacked the UN agency's facilities in central Gaza and detained staff members. The military said soldiers came under fire in the city of Deir al-Balah on Monday and returned fire in the direction the shots originated. However, the military did not specify whether the gunfire came from WHO premises in Deir al-Balah. The WHO said that a staff accommodation facility was attacked on Monday and that a central warehouse had been damaged in a separate incident on Sunday. According to a report by Israeli news outlet Ynet, citing a military spokesperson, the army is aware of claims that a residential complex housing WHO employees was struck. The report added that, according to the military, no agency staff were injured. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) publicly confirmed that several individuals were detained in Deir al-Balah on suspicion of "involvement in terrorism." It did not clarify whether those detained were WHO employees or their relatives, as the UN agency has claimed. Most of those detained were released following on-site questioning, the army said. The IDF did not comment on one individual who, according to the WHO, remains in custody. In a statement on Monday, WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said male WHO staff and their male relatives had been handcuffed, stripped, searched at gunpoint, and interrogated on site. Responding to the claim, the Israeli military stated on Tuesday: "At times during field questioning, it is necessary for individuals suspected of terrorist activity to temporarily remove parts of their clothing in order to ensure that they are not concealing explosive belts or other weapons." Suspects are treated in accordance with international law, the military added. Ghebreyesus also said that women and children related to WHO staff had been forced to flee on foot amid the fighting. The Israeli military said it had warned civilians to leave the area prior to its operation and had been in contact with international organizations operating there. The IDF advanced this week into the south-west of Deir al-Balah as part of its operations against Hamas and other militant groups. Palestinians mourn over dead bodies after they were brought to Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City after Israeli forces opened fire on civilians who were waiting for humanitarian aid near the Zikim area on the northern Gaza coastline. Omar Ashtawy/APA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
Al Arabiya
a day ago
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
WHO slams Israeli raid on Gaza staff compound as forces push into Deir al-Balah
In this episode of W News, presented by Jono Hayes, we report on the war in Gaza, as the World Health Organization issues a sharp rebuke of the Israeli military. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says Israeli troops stormed a staff residence, forcing women and children to evacuate and subjecting male staff to handcuffing, strip searches, and interrogation at gunpoint. The condemnation comes as Israel expands its ground operations in Deir al-Balah, following heavy shelling of the area in central Gaza. Guests: William Denselow – Correspondent Ahmed Bayram – NRC Middle East spokesperson Fabrizio Poli – Aviation analyst Patrick Fok – Correspondent
New York Times
a day ago
- Politics
- New York Times
Israel Expands Offensive in Gaza and Raids a W.H.O. Office
The Israeli military has expanded its operations in a part of central Gaza that had remained relatively unscathed during the war with Hamas, raiding a U.N. facility and prompting panic among Palestinians who had sought refuge in the area. In the raid on the U.N. facility, a World Health Organization building in the city of Deir al-Balah, Israeli forces handcuffed and stripped male staff and family members and held them at gunpoint, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of the agency, said in a statement. Women and children were forcibly evacuated south in the raid, which took place on Monday, he added. The Israeli military said that its forces had come under fire while operating in the area. It did not deny raiding the W.H.O. facility but said that any 'suspects' had been treated 'in accordance with international law.' Israeli troops have swept through much of Gaza backed by extensive airstrikes during the 21 months of the war. But the city of Deir al-Balah had been left largely untouched, partly because Israeli officials said they believed that hostages were being held there. On Sunday, the Israeli military ordered residents in parts of the city to leave or face life-threatening danger. Some Palestinians thought those warnings suggested that Israel was poised to launch a ground offensive in the city. The Israeli military launched strikes and ground operations around Deir al-Balah, but it was unclear how far the operations would expand. Israeli troops had not advanced into the densely populated city center, but residents were already fleeing. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
