Latest news with #IsraeliOffensive
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Three Israeli soldiers killed in combat in northern Gaza, army says
(Reuters) -Three Israeli soldiers have been killed in fighting in the northern Gaza Strip, the military said on Tuesday. The soldiers' deaths were announced hours after Hamas' armed wing said on Monday its fighters were engaging in "fierce clashes" with Israeli forces in the north of the territory. Israel began its offensive in Gaza after Hamas militants burst through the border from Israeli-blockaded Gaza, attacking Israelis in homes, cars and at an all-night music festival. Israel says 1,200 people were killed and 251 people taken as hostages into Gaza. An additional four were already held by Hamas. Israel's campaign has devastated much of Gaza, killing more than 54,000 Palestinians and destroying most buildings. Much of the population now lives in shelters in makeshift camps.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Israel's military chief orders expansion of Gaza offensive
Israeli Chief of General Staff Eyal Zamir has ordered the expansion of the ground offensive to additional areas of the Gaza Strip, the military said following a troop visit by the military chief in the south of the embattled coastal area. "We are in the midst of a powerful and relentless operation," Zamir said to soldiers. The offensive is to continue until "the return of all our hostages and the elimination of Hamas' governing capabilities and military wing," the statement further noted. Zamir said that the Palestinian Islamist organization is now losing control over the Gaza Strip. He did not provide details. Previously, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz stated that he had instructed the army to continue advancing in the Gaza Strip and to achieve all declared war objectives, "regardless of any negotiations." Hopes for a ceasefire in the Gaza conflict between Israel and Hamas have been dashed for the time being. Although Hamas agreed in its response to a proposal by US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff to a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of some hostages still held there, it set further conditions.
CNA
19-05-2025
- Health
- CNA
Israel will 'take control of all' of Gaza, Netanyahu says
GAZA/PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES: Israel said Monday (May 19) it will "take control" of the whole of Gaza, where aid entered for the first time in more than two months as rescuers reported dozens killed in a newly intensified offensive. With the Gaza Strip under a total Israeli blockade since March 2, the World Health Organization said the besieged territory's "two million people are starving". Israel, facing mounting criticism over the humanitarian crisis, has announced it would let limited aid into Gaza and said the first five trucks entered Monday, carrying supplies "including food for babies". UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said in a statement that nine trucks had been "cleared to enter... but it is a drop in the ocean of what is urgently needed". UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric, who was unable to confirm the exact number of trucks inside Gaza, said that "none of the aid has been picked up" at a designated zone as it was "already dark" and due to "security concerns, we cannot operate in those conditions". Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cited "practical and diplomatic reasons" for the resumption of aid, saying that "images of mass starvation" could harm the legitimacy of Israel's war effort. In southern Gaza, the Israeli military issued an evacuation call to Palestinians in and around Khan Yunis city ahead of what it described as an "unprecedented attack". The call came after the military announced it had begun "extensive ground operations" in an expanded offensive against Hamas militants, whose Oct 7, 2023 attack on Israel triggered the war. Gaza's civil defence agency said 52 people had been killed in Israeli attacks on Monday across the territory. Netanyahu, in a video posted on Telegram, said that "the fighting is intense and we are making progress." "We will take control of all the territory of the strip," the Israeli leader added. The UN's OHCHR rights office decried actions that are "in defiance of international law and tantamount to ethnic cleansing", citing the latest attacks, displacement, the "methodical destruction of entire neighbourhoods" and denial of humanitarian aid. Netanyahu on Monday said that Israel "will not give up. But in order to succeed, we must act in a way that cannot be stopped", justifying to his hardline supporters the decision to resume aid. FAMINE RISK Israel said its blockade was aimed at forcing concessions from Hamas, while UN agencies have warned of critical shortages of food, clean water, fuel and medicines. "Tonnes of food is blocked at the border, just minutes away", World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. "The risk of famine in Gaza is increasing with the deliberate withholding of humanitarian aid." Last week US President Donald Trump acknowledged that "a lot of people are starving", adding "we're going to get that taken care of". A group of 22 mostly European countries, including France and Germany, said in a joint statement on Monday that Gaza's population "faces starvation" and "must receive the aid they desperately need". Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir argued against any resumption of aid, saying on X that "our hostages receive no humanitarian aid". Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, also of the far right, defended the decision, stressing no supplies would be allowed to reach Hamas. "This will allow civilians to eat and our friends in the world to keep giving us diplomatic protection," he said. Israel's military said on Monday it had struck "160 terror targets" in Gaza over the past day. "LIKE APOCALYPSE" Khan Yunis resident Mohammed Sarhan told AFP that Gaza's main southern city "felt like the apocalypse" on Monday. "There was gunfire coming from every apartment, fire belts, F-16 warplanes and helicopters firing," he said. Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee earlier called on Gazans in the city and nearby areas to "immediately" leave the "dangerous combat zone". AFPTV footage showed a helicopter over the city, while at Nasser Hospital, a young boy in a tracksuit was being treated as two other boys, both barefoot and bleeding, sat on the floor. Further north in Deir el-Balah, Ayman Badwan mourned the loss of his brother in an attack. "We are exhausted and drained - we can't take it anymore," he told AFP. Hamas's October 2023 attack that triggered the war resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. Militants also took 251 hostages, 57 of whom remain in Gaza, including 34 the military says, are dead. Gaza's health ministry said Monday at least 3,340 people have been killed since Israel resumed strikes on March 18, taking the war's overall toll to 53,486. As negotiators met in Qatar in recent days, Netanyahu on Sunday signalled that Israel was open to a deal that would include "ending the fighting", with all hostages released, Hamas leaders exiled and Gaza disarmed.
Arab News
18-05-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Israeli forces have demolished 600 Palestinian houses in Jenin since January offensive
LONDON: Israeli forces have demolished nearly 600 Palestinian houses in the Jenin refugee camp, according to the town municipality, where Israel has been carrying out military operations for the past 118 days. On Sunday, forces intensified dredging and destruction operations in the Jenin refugee camp, causing significant damage to its water and electricity infrastructure and main roads, while continuing to block access to the area. The Jenin Municipality has documented the total destruction of 600 houses in the camp, while others were either partially damaged or have been abandoned by residents since Israel launched a major offensive in January. The neighborhoods of Al-Sharqi and Al-Hadaf sustained the heaviest damage — to shops, houses and infrastructure — the Wafa news agency reported. Also on Sunday, Israeli forces arrested Yasmeen Shaaban at her home in Al-Jalameh village, north of Jenin. Shaaban, who spent 21 months in prison, was released in November 2023 during the first temporary truce and captive-exchange arrangement between Israel and Hamas. The municipality reported that 22,000 people are displaced in Jenin as Israeli forces increase enforcement in the town and its refugee camp. The military operation has caused heavy losses to businesses in Jenin, leading to many shop closures and a decrease in shopper footfall from nearby villages, with an estimated loss of $300 million. Since Israel launched its offensive on January 21 in Jenin, at least 40 people have been killed, while hundreds have been arrested and injured.
The National
09-05-2025
- Politics
- The National
Emmanuel Macron's push for Palestinian statehood impeded by escalating Israeli aggression
French President Emmanuel Macron's hopes for a landmark global summit promoting recognition of Palestinian statehood are being tested by the intensifying Israeli offensive in Gaza. The French leader has seized the diplomatic potential of an upcoming conference in New York, co-hosted with Saudi Arabia, to both broaden recognition of Palestine and strengthen backing for the Arab League's Gaza reconstruction plan. French diplomats initially hoped for progress on Arab nations, particularly Saudi Arabia, establishing ties with Israel, but now they temper expectations, speaking only of efforts to secure 'signals' from the most obvious candidate among Arab states. France had also hoped G7 nations such as Canada or the UK would announce a co-ordinated position on recognising Palestine, but none have publicly committed to doing so. The summit preparations coincide with a deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza after Israel imposed a total blockade. On Monday, Israel launched a new military offensive to hold territory in the embattled enclave. Since the Hamas-led attacks on October 7, 2023, that killed about 1,200 Israelis, Israel's retaliatory campaign has killed more than 52,500 people in Gaza. In parallel, prospects for a Palestinian state appear increasingly bleak as Israeli ministers openly discuss the potential annexation of parts of the occupied West Bank. Those close to French diplomatic efforts warn the challenge Mr Macron has taken on is increasingly an uphill battle. 'It's a good thing that France is investing political capital in the crisis,' said Laure Foucher, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Strategic Research in Paris. 'But Macron is so focused on achieving a diplomatic coup that he is basing his initiative on several wrong assessments, ignoring the reality on the ground.' Ofer Bronchtein, a Franco-Israeli activist with Palestinian citizenship who advises the president, remains optimistic that the 'June initiative' can work if there is a ceasefire, a move towards the unimpeded flow of humanitarian aid and the release of Israeli hostages. France's partners need a rallying point, according to Mr Bronchtein. 'Macron talked about a collective effort by European countries that haven't yet recognised Palestine, by non-Europeans, by Americans, and by Arab and Muslim states. That's the collective effort.' The conference's mandate derives from a UN General Assembly resolution adopted in September that endorsed an advisory opinion published by the International Court of Justice in July on the illegality of the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories. It is designed to pull together divergent parts of the UN even as questions over its potential impact grow. 'It would be meaningless to hold a conference that is just about statements and has no impact on the Gaza war and violence in the West Bank,' said Yoav Shemer-Kunz, a professor of political science at Strasbourg University in France and Syracuse University in the US. Michel Duclos, a former French ambassador to the UN, wrote in a recent op-ed published by the think tank Institut Montaigne that: 'The challenge for France lies not only in the Israeli-Palestinian affair but also in its capacity to serve as a bridge between the West and the South.' There is an awareness in Paris that the real power broker is the US, which, under former president Joe Biden, had reportedly been negotiating a defence pact with Saudi Arabia in return for normalisation with Israel. During his visit to Riyadh next week, US President Donald Trump is expected to discuss a weapons package worth more than $100 billion. It remains unclear whether it will be linked to establishing diplomatic ties with the Israeli government. Despite the bleak context, some close to Mr Macron remain hopeful. 'I remain confident despite the tragic situation,' said Mr Bronchtein. As a permanent member of the UN Security Council that is deeply involved in the Middle East, France sees an opportunity to shape the longer-term peace process that emerges from the conflict. Mr Bronchtein, who has been advising Mr Macron since 2020 and says his role, though unpaid, has provided a direct channel to the president, has floated several ideas. One is a proposal to relocate some Gazans for three to five years to Egypt's Sinai Peninsula during a postwar reconstruction phase. Mr Bronchtein's blueprint rests on an idea repeatedly rejected by Egypt, but he believes a change of heart could be secured in exchange for debt relief for Cairo. Another part of his ideas rests on Gaza reconstruction financed with funds derived from taxes on oil and gas transactions. 'I haven't asked them [oil and gas producers] for their opinion. It's my idea,' said Mr Bronchtein, who also suggested taxing weapons sales in the Middle East. Asked how Mr Macron responded, Mr Bronchtein replied: 'He said he would study it.' A self-described 'atypical' figure, Mr Bronchtein said Mr Macron's diplomatic entourage dislike him because he has no diplomatic training. Critics say his ideas are detached from reality. 'It's pure fantasy to talk about temporary displacement,' Ms Foucher said. 'If Gazans are forced to leave, it will never be up to them to decide whether they can return or not. Palestinians will never have the freedom to decide who enters Gaza or the West Bank as long as they don't have a state.' Contacted by The National, both the Elysee Palace and the Foreign Ministry declined to comment on Mr Bronchtein's proposals. The issue of even short-term displacement is deeply contentious. For many Palestinians, it evokes historical trauma and raises fears of permanent expulsion – particularly amid past threats from Mr Trump and far-right Israeli officials to forcibly relocate Gaza's population of more than two million. Israel has a long history of blocking the return of Palestinians displaced by war. Cairo has consistently rejected reports that it would accept large numbers of displaced Gazans. In April, Egypt's State Information Service dismissed media claims it was considering hosting up to 500,000 people in northern Sinai, reiterating its 'absolute and final rejection of any attempt to displace Palestinians'. The Arab League's Gaza reconstruction plan, adopted in Cairo in March, made no mention of displacement. Mr Bronchtein's suggestions that Israel would not be required to formally recognise a Palestinian state, but under the French plan acknowledge the situation, could be a way forward. 'It's not a stupid idea,' he said. With Mr Netanyahu reliant on a hardline coalition staunchly opposed to a Palestinian state, Mr Bronchtein sees Israel's position as dependent on legislative elections next year. Mr Macron taking on more radical ideas cannot be ruled out. The President often makes foreign policy decisions unilaterally, sometimes blindsiding his own government. His April 9 announcement that France would recognise a Palestinian state in June surprised many at the Foreign Ministry, The National understands. Tensions within French diplomatic circles have simmered since November 2023, when a leaked memo from Middle East ambassadors revealed discontent over Mr Macron's perceived pro-Israel bias. Whether his upcoming peace initiative will reset France's approach – or further complicate it – remains to be seen.
