Latest news with #GAZA
Express Tribune
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Kanye West shares 'Free Gaza' post on social media
Kanye West, who now goes by Ye, has drawn widespread attention after tweeting 'FREE GAZA' from his official X (formerly Twitter) account, igniting intense reactions across social media. FREE GAZA 🇵🇸 — ye (@kanyewest) May 13, 2025 Supporters praised West for using his platform to spotlight the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, some saw it as a call for Palestinian liberation, others questioned the motive behind the post, given West's controversial public history. This tweet adds to a long list of provocative statements from West, whose social media presence has repeatedly made headlines — from political endorsements to inflammatory remarks that have drawn both support and backlash. His online activity often fuels polarising debate, and this latest post is no exception. As of now, West has not elaborated on the post. The tweet remains visible, continuing to generate conversation and speculation among followers and the broader public. Given his global celebrity and cultural influence, West's statements on sensitive geopolitical matters tend to carry weight far beyond the entertainment world — drawing in commentary from media, fans, and critics alike.
Al Jazeera
16-04-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
See video evidence of Israeli soldiers destroying Gaza
Despite a ceasefire agreed upon in January, Israeli forces have resumed bombing Gaza. On March 19, a day after the bombing resumed, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared the latest air strikes, which have killed hundreds of people, were "only the beginning." Eighteen months into Israel's genocidal war on Gaza, more than 51,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been confirmed killed. At least 10,000 more are missing, buried under the rubble and presumed dead. The Al Jazeera Investigative Unit's feature documentary GAZA exposes Israeli war crimes through the use of videos and photographs posted online by Israeli soldiers themselves. Here we present the database that lies behind that film, described by international law expert Rodney Dixon as 'a treasure trove you very seldom come across, … something which I think prosecutors will be licking their lips at."
Observer
12-02-2025
- Politics
- Observer
Concern mounts over Gaza truce as Israel calls up reservists
GAZA: Israel's military has called up reservists in preparation for a possible resumption of fighting in Gaza if Hamas fails to meet a Saturday deadline to release more Israeli captives and a nearly month-old ceasefire breaks down. Concern that the ceasefire will collapse is growing as fury mounts in Arab countries over President Donald Trump's plan for the United States to take over Gaza, resettle its Palestinian inhabitants and build an international beach resort. A Hamas official said Egypt and Qatar, which together with the United States mediated the ceasefire deal that went into force on January 19, had stepped up efforts to break the impasse and the Palestinian group's Gaza chief, Khalil Al Hayya, arrived in Cairo to discuss the ceasefire. Hamas agreed under the ceasefire deal to free three more captives on Saturday but said this week that it was suspending the handover over what it said were Israeli violations of the terms. Trump responded by saying all captives must be freed by noon on Saturday or he would "let hell break out". Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu then said on Tuesday that his country would resume "intense fighting" if Hamas did not meet the deadline, but did not say how many captives should be freed. Netanyahu said he had ordered the military to gather forces in and around Gaza, and the military announced it was deploying additional forces to Israel's south, including mobilising reservists. The standoff threatens to reignite a conflict that has devastated the Gaza Strip, internally displaced most of its people, caused shortages of food and running water, and pushed the Middle East to the brink of a wider regional war. Gazans expressed alarm that the ceasefire might collapse and urged Hamas and Israeli leaders to agree on an extension. "We had barely started believing that a truce would happen and that a solution was on the way, God willing," said Lotfy Abu Taha, a resident of Rafah in southern Gaza. "The people are suffering. The people are the victims." In a further sign of Arab anger over Trump's vision of Gaza, two Egyptian security sources said Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al Sisi would not go to Washington for talks if the agenda included Trump's plan to displace Palestinians. The date for such a visit has not been announced, and the Egyptian presidency and foreign ministry did not comment. Negotiators hope a second phase of ceasefire talks will secure agreement on releasing the remaining captives and a full Israeli troop withdrawal from Gaza. Palestinians fear a repeat of the "Nakba", or catastrophe, when nearly 800,000 people fled or were driven out of Palestine during the 1948 war that led to Israel's creation. SEE ALSO P6
Observer
10-02-2025
- Politics
- Observer
Gaza deal completes fifth hostage-prisoner swap
GAZA: Israel and Hamas completed their fifth hostage-prisoner swap under a fragile Gaza ceasefire deal on Saturday, with the frail, disoriented appearance of the three freed Israelis sparking dismay among their relatives. Out of the 183 inmates released by Israel in return, the Palestinian Prisoners' Club advocacy group said seven required hospitalisation, decrying "brutality" and mistreatment in jail. The fifth exchange since the truce took effect last month comes as negotiations are set to begin on the next phase of the ceasefire, which should pave the way for a permanent end to the war. Saturday's swap also follows remarks by President Donald Trump suggesting the United States should take over the Gaza Strip and clear out its inhabitants, sparking global outrage. Or Levy, Ohad Ben Ami and Eli Sharabi, who were all seized by Palestinians during October 7, 2023 attack that sparked the war, "crossed the border into Israeli territory" on Saturday, the Israeli military said. With their return, 73 out of 251 hostages taken during the attack now remain in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead. Jubilant crowds in Israel's commercial hub Tel Aviv cheered as they watched live footage of the three hostages, flanked by masked gunmen, brought on stage in Deir el-Balah before being handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross. The choreographed handover included statements from the three on stage, in which they stated support for finalising the next phases of the Israel-Hamas truce. The "disturbing images" from Gaza show that "we must get them all out", said the Hostages and Missing Families Forum campaign group. The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose dejected-looking portrait appeared on a banner at the Deir el-Balah handover site, said the images out of Gaza were "shocking". Meanwhile, in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah, seat of the Palestinian Authority, relatives and supporters gathered to welcome inmates released by Israel, embracing them and cheering as they stepped off the bus that brought them from nearby Ofer prison. More than 100 Palestinian prisoners freed from Israeli jails on Saturday under a ceasefire deal returned to the Gaza Strip, where they were greeted by cheering crowds, an AFP correspondent reported. The Palestinian Prisoners' Club advocacy group and the Palestinian Red Crescent said that seven of them had been admitted to hospital in the West Bank. "All the prisoners who were released today are in need of medical care... as a result of the brutality they were subjected" to in jail, said the advocacy group, which has long decried abuses of Palestinians in Israeli custody. Hamas in a statement accused Israel of "systematic assaults and mistreatment of our prisoners", calling it "part of the policy of... the slow killing of prisoners". Gaza militants have so far freed 21 hostages in exchange for hundreds of mostly Palestinian prisoners released from Israeli jails. Five Thai hostages freed last week from Gaza were discharged on Saturday from a hospital in central Israel, where they had been treated since their release and were headed back to their home country. The ceasefire, mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the United States, aims to secure the release of 12 more hostages during its first 42-day phase. Negotiations on the second stage of the ceasefire were set to begin on Monday, but there have been no details on the status of the talks. The Hostage and Missing Families Forum urged the Israeli government on Friday to stick with the truce, even as Trump's comments raised questions about the future of the deal. — AFP
