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Yahoo
6 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
At least 25 killed by Israeli gunfire as Netanyahu says he will 'allow' Palestinians to leave
Israel Palestinians TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — At least 25 people were killed by Israeli gunfire Wednesday while seeking aid, according to health officials and witnesses, as efforts to revive ceasefire talks resume and Israel's prime minister said it will 'allow' Palestinians to leave while scaling up the offensive in Gaza. efforts to revive ceasefire talks have resumed Staff at Nasser and Awda hospitals, which received the bodies, as well as witnesses said people were killed on their way to aid distribution sites and while awaiting convoys entering the strip. Israel did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that the right thing to do was 'allow' Gaza's population to leave as Israel prepares for the next stage of the war by seizing Gaza City and other Hamas strongholds. Netanyahu wants to realize U.S. President Donald Trump's vision of relocating much of Gaza's population through what Netanyahu refers to as 'voluntary migration.' 'Give them the opportunity to leave! First, from combat zones, and also from the Strip if they want," Netanyahu said in an interview with i24, an Israeli TV station. "We are not pushing them out but allowing them to leave." Israel and South Sudan are in talks about relocating Palestinians to the war-torn East African nation, The Associated Press reported Tuesday. The office of Israel's Deputy Foreign Minister, Sharren Haskel, said Wednesday that she was arriving in South Sudan for a series of meetings in the first visit by a senior government official to the country, but she did not plan to broach the subject of moving Palestinians. Ceasefire talks set to reopen Efforts to revive ceasefire talks have resumed after appearing to have broken down last month. Hamas and Egyptian officials were set to meet Wednesday to discuss efforts to stop the war, according to Hamas official Taher al-Nounou. Israel has no current plans to send its negotiating team to talks in Cairo, the prime minister's office said. Israel has said it will widen its military offensive against Hamas to the areas of Gaza that it does not yet control, where most of the territory's 2 million residents have sought refuge. Those plans have sparked international condemnation and criticism within Israel and could be intended to raise pressure on Hamas to reach a ceasefire. The militants still hold 50 hostages taken in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that sparked the war. Israel believes around 20 of them are alive. Netanyahu was asked by i24 News if the window had closed on a partial ceasefire deal and he responded that he wanted all of the hostages back, both alive and dead. Egyptian Foreign Ministry Badr Abdelatty told reporters that Cairo is still trying to advance an earlier proposal for an initial 60-day ceasefire, the release of some hostages and an influx of humanitarian aid before further talks on a lasting truce. Hamas has long called for a comprehensive deal but says it will only release the remaining hostages in return for the release of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel, a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. The militant group has refused to lay down its arms as Israel has demanded. Killed while seeking aid Among those killed while seeking aid Wednesday were 14 Palestinians in the Teina area approximately 3 kilometers away from a food distribution site run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, according to staff at Nasser hospital. Hashim Shamalah, who was trying to reach the sites, said Israeli troops fired toward them as people tried to get through. Many were shot and fell while fleeing, he said. Five other Palestinians were killed by Israeli gunfire while trying to reach another GHF distribution site in the Netzarim corridor area, according to Awda hospital and witnesses. The U.S. and Israel support GHF, an American contractor, as an alternative to the United Nations, which they say allows Hamas to siphon off aid. The U.N., which has delivered aid throughout Gaza for decades when conditions allow, denies the allegations. GHF said there were no incidents at or near its sites Wednesday. There are aid convoys from other groups that travel within 100 meters (328 feet) of GHF sites and draw large crowds attempting to loot them. An overwhelming majority of violent incidents over the past few weeks have been related to those other aid convoys, the organization said, noting it has provided more than 1 million meals to aid seekers. At least six other people were killed by Israeli fire waiting for aid trucks close to the Morag corridor, which separates parts of southern Gaza, Nasser hospital said. The U.N. and food security experts have warned starvation and malnutrition in Gaza are at the highest levels since the war began. U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric on Tuesday reported the warning from the World Food Program and said the Gaza Health Ministry told U.N. staff in Gaza that five people died over the previous 24 hours from malnutrition and starvation. Gaza's Health Ministry says 106 children have died of malnutrition-related causes during the war and 129 adults have died since late June when the ministry started to count deaths among this age group. The U.N. and its humanitarian partners are doing everything possible to bring aid into Gaza, Dujarric said, but still face significant delays and impediments from Israeli authorities who prevent the delivery of food and other essentials at the scale needed. Hamas-led militants abducted 251 people and killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in the 2023 attack. Most of the hostages have been released in ceasefires or other deals. Israel's air and ground offensive has since displaced most of Gaza's population, destroyed vast areas and pushed the territory toward famine. The offensive has killed more than 61,700 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not say how many were fighters or civilians but says around half were women and children. The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government and staffed by medical professionals. The U.N. and independent experts consider it the most reliable source on war casualties. Israel disputes its figures but has not provided its own. ___ Follow AP's war coverage at
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Netanyahu hints that Gaza ceasefire talks now focus on the release of all hostages at once
Israel Palestinians JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday hinted that ceasefire efforts in Gaza are now focused on a comprehensive deal that would release the remaining hostages all at once, rather than in phases. Arab officials told The Associated Press last week that mediators Egypt and Qatar were preparing a new framework for a deal that would include the release of all remaining hostages in one go in return for a lasting ceasefire and the withdrawal of Israeli forces. The long-running indirect talks appeared to break down last month. But a Hamas delegation arrived in Cairo for ceasefire talks on Tuesday, Egypt's state-run Qahera news channel reported, a sign that efforts have not been abandoned after 22 months of war. Israel has threatened to widen its military offensive against Hamas to the areas of Gaza that it does not yet control, and where most of the territory's 2 million residents have sought refuge. Those plans have sparked international condemnation and criticism within Israel, and could be intended to raise pressure on Hamas to reach a ceasefire. The militants still hold 50 hostages taken in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that sparked the war. Israel believes around 20 of them are alive. 'I want all of them' In an interview with Israel's i24 News network broadcast Tuesday, Netanyahu was asked if the window had closed on a partial ceasefire deal. Egyptian Foreign Ministry Badr Abdelatty told reporters that Cairo is still trying to advance an earlier proposal for an initial 60-day ceasefire, the release of some hostages and an influx of humanitarian aid before further talks on a lasting truce. 'I think it's behind us,' Netanyahu replied. 'We tried, we made all kinds of attempts, we went through a lot, but it turned out that they were just misleading us.' 'I want all of them,' he said of the hostages. 'The release of all the hostages, both alive and dead — that's the stage we're at.' He added, however, that Israel's demands haven't changed, and that the war will end only when all hostages are returned and Hamas has surrendered. He has said that even then, Israel will maintain open-ended security control over the territory. Hamas has long called for a comprehensive deal but says it will only release the remaining hostages in return for the release of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel, a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. The militant group has refused to lay down its arms, as Israel has demanded. UN warns about starvation, malnutrition The United Nations on Tuesday warned that starvation and malnutrition in Gaza are at the highest levels since the war began. U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric reported the warning from the World Food Program and said Gaza's Health Ministry told U.N. staff in Gaza that five people died over the last 24 hours from malnutrition and starvation. The ministry says 121 adults and 101 children have died of malnutrition-related causes during the war. 'Against this backdrop, humanitarian supplies entering Gaza remain far below the minimum required to meet people's immense needs,' Dujarric said. The U.N. and its humanitarian partners are doing everything possible to bring aid into Gaza, he said, but still face significant delays and impediments from Israeli authorities that prevent the delivery of food and other essentials at the scale needed. Hamas-led militants abducted 251 people and killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in that 2023 attack. Most of the hostages have been released in ceasefires or other deals. Israel's air and ground offensive has since displaced most of Gaza's population, destroyed vast areas and pushed the territory toward famine. It has killed more than 61,400 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not say how many were fighters or civilians but says around half were women and children. The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government and staffed by medical professionals. The U.N. and independent experts consider it the most reliable source on war casualties. Israel disputes its figures but has not provided its own. Israel says it struck militants disguised as aid workers In a separate development, the Israeli military said it recently struck a group of militants in Gaza who were disguised as aid workers and using a car with the logo of international charity World Central Kitchen. The army said it carried out an airstrike on the men after confirming with the charity that they were not affiliated with it and that the car did not belong to it. World Central Kitchen confirmed that the men and the vehicle were not affiliated with it. 'We strongly condemn anyone posing as World Central Kitchen or other humanitarians, as this endangers civilians and aid workers,' it said in a statement. The military shared video footage showing several men in yellow vests standing around a vehicle with the charity's logo on its roof. The military said five of the men were armed. The charity, founded in 2010, dispatches teams that can quickly provide meals on a mass scale in conflict zones and after natural disasters. In April, an Israeli strike killed seven World Central Kitchen workers in Gaza. Israel quickly admitted it had mistakenly killed the aid workers and launched an investigation. In November, an Israeli strike killed five people, including a World Central Kitchen worker who Israel said was part of the Hamas attack that sparked the war. The charity said at the time that it was unaware the employee had any connection to the attack. ___ Associated Press reporters Samy Magdy and Fay Abuelgasim in Cairo and Edith M. Lederer in New York contributed. ___ Follow AP's war coverage at
Yahoo
21-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
UN food agency says Israeli tanks and snipers opened fire on a crowd seeking aid in Gaza
Israel Palestinians DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — The U.N. food agency accused Israel of using tanks, snipers and other weapons to fire on a crowd of Palestinians seeking food aid, in what the territory's Health Ministry said was one of the deadliest days for aid-seekers in over 21 months of war. The World Food Program in a statement Sunday condemned the violence that erupted in northern Gaza as Palestinians tried to reach a convoy of trucks carrying food. The Health Ministry in Gaza said at least 80 people were killed in the incident. The Israeli military has said it fired warning shots 'to remove an immediate threat,' but has questioned the death toll reported by the Palestinians. The accusation by a major aid agency that has had generally good working relations with Israel builds on descriptions by witnesses and others, who also said Israel opened fire on the crowd. The bloodshed surrounding aid access highlights the increasingly precarious situation for people in Gaza who have been desperately seeking out food and other assistance, as the war that has roiled the region shows no signs of ending. Israel and Hamas are still engaged in ceasefire talks, but there appears to be no breakthrough and it's not clear whether any truce would bring the war to a lasting halt. As the talks proceed, the death toll in the war-ravaged territory has climbed to more than 59,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Its count doesn't distinguish between militants and civilians but the ministry says more than half of the dead are women and children. The ministry is part of the Hamas government, but the U.N. and other international organizations see it as the most reliable source of data on casualties. Israel has meanwhile widened its evacuation orders for the territory to include an area that has been somewhat less hard-hit than others, indicating a new battleground may be opening up and squeezing Palestinians into ever tinier stretches of Gaza. WFP condemns violence at food distribution points In northern Gaza on Sunday, the Health Ministry, witnesses and a U.N. official said Israeli forces opened fire toward crowds who tried to get food from a 25-truck convoy that had entered the hard-hit area. The WFP statement, which said the crowd surrounding its convoy 'came under fire from Israeli tanks, snipers and other gunfire,' backs up those claims. The statement did not specify a death toll, saying only the incident resulted in the loss of 'countless lives.' After Sunday's incident, a photographer cooperating with The Associated Press counted 31 bodies at Shifa Hospital in Gaza City and 20 others in the courtyard of Sheikh Radwan clinic. 'These people were simply trying to access food to feed themselves and their families on the brink of starvation,' it said, adding that the incident occurred despite assurances from Israeli authorities that aid delivery would improve. Part of those assurances, it said, was that armed forces would not be present nor engage along aid routes. 'Shootings near humanitarian missions, convoys and food distributions must stop immediately.' The Israeli military declined to comment on the WFP claims. Military spokesperson Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani posted on X Sunday that soldiers were told 'do not engage, do not shoot,' and shared a video of troops near a crowd of Palestinians gathering around a truck as one soldier yells repeatedly, ' Israel has not allowed international media to enter Gaza throughout the war, and the competing claims could not be independently verified. Sunday's incident comes as Palestinian access to aid in the territory has been greatly diminished, and seeking that aid has become perilous. A U.S.- and Israeli-backed aid system that has wrested some aid delivery from traditional providers like the U.N. has been wracked by violence and chaos as Palestinians heading toward its aid distribution sides have come under fire. The group, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, has said that the majority of the reported violence has not occurred at its sites. Violence rages on in Gaza Gaza health officials said Monday at least 13 people, including two women and five children, were killed in Israeli strikes since the previous night. At least two people were killed Monday morning when crowds of Palestinians waiting for aid trucks were shot at in the area of Netzarim corridor in central Gaza, according to Dr. Mohamed Abu Selmiyah, director of Shifa Hospital where the dead were taken. He said Israeli forces had opened fire. An Israeli strike overnight hit a tent in the Muwasi area of Khan Younis, killing at least five people, according to the Health Ministry. The dead include two parents, two of their children and a relative, it said. Other strikes hit tents in the Muwasi area and a residential building in Gaza City, according to health officials. The Israeli military had no immediate comment on the strikes. It blames Hamas for civilian casualties because the group operates from populated areas. Gaza's Health Ministry meanwhile said Israeli forces detained Dr. Marwan al-Hams, acting director of the strip's field hospitals and the ministry's spokesman. The Israeli military had no immediate comment. Hamas triggered the war when militants stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 others hostage. Fifty remain in Gaza, but fewer than half are thought to be alive. Israel again struck rebels in Yemen The fighting in Gaza has triggered conflicts elsewhere in region, including between Israel and the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, who have fired missiles and drones at Israel in what they say is in solidarity with Palestinians. The Israeli military said it struck the Hodeidah port in Yemen on Monday morning, saying that the Houthis were rebuilding the port infrastructure. Israel said the Houthis used the port to receive weapons from Iran and launch missiles towards Israel. The Israeli military said it targeted the parts of the port used by the Houthis and accused the Houthis of using civilian infrastructure for militant purposes. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said that the targets included areas of the port that Israel had destroyed in previous strikes. 'The Houthis will pay heavy prices for launching missiles towards the state of Israel,' Katz said. Israel last struck Hodeidah port two weeks ago. ___ Magdy reported from Cairo and Lidman from Jerusalem. ___ Follow AP's war coverage at Solve the daily Crossword
