Latest news with #Magdy
Los Angeles Times
4 days ago
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
Netanyahu says Israel has ‘activated' some Palestinian clans in the fight against Hamas
JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Israel has 'activated' some clans of Palestinians in Gaza in the fight against Hamas. His comments on social media were the first public acknowledgment of Israel's backing of armed Palestinian groups within Gaza, based around powerful families. Family militias often wield some control in corners of Gaza, and some of them have had clashes or tensions with Hamas in the past. Palestinians and aid workers have accused clans of carrying out criminal attacks and stealing aid from trucks. Several have come forward in recent weeks to publicly reject any ties to Israel or involvement in looting. The announcement by Netanyahu came hours after a political opponent criticized him for arming unofficial groups of Palestinians in Gaza. In a video posted to his X account, Netanyahu said the government made the move on the advice of 'security officials,' in order to save lives of Israeli soldiers. An Israeli official said that one group that Netanyahu was referring to was the so-called Popular Forces, led by Yasser Abu Shabab, a local clan leader in Rafah. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media. In recent weeks, the Abu Shabab group announced online that its fighters were helping protect supply shipments to the new, Israeli-backed distribution centers run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation in the Rafah area. The Abu Shabab family renounced Yasser over his connections with the Israeli military in a recent statement, saying he and anyone who joined his group 'are no longer linked' to the family. The war between Israel and Hamas erupted on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas-linked militants stormed into southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 others hostage. Israel responded with an offensive that has caused widespread damage, displaced nearly all of Gaza's 2.3 million people and caused a humanitarian crisis that has left the territory on the brink of famine. Gaza's Hamas-run Health Ministry says over 54,000 Palestinians have been killed, more than half of them women and children. The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its tally. Hamas is still holding 56 hostages. Around a third are believed to be alive, though many fear they are in grave danger the longer the war goes on. Thousands of Palestinians have been killed since Israel renewed its airstrikes and ground operations after ending a ceasefire in March. Frankel, Magdy and Mednick write for the Associated Press. Magdy reported from Cairo.
Winnipeg Free Press
01-06-2025
- Health
- Winnipeg Free Press
At least 21 Palestinians killed while heading to Gaza aid hub, hospital says
RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — At least 21 people were killed on Sunday as they went to receive aid from an Israeli-backed foundation in the Gaza Strip, according to a nearby hospital run by the Red Cross that received the bodies. Officials at the hospital said another 175 people were wounded, without saying who opened fire on them. An Associated Press reporter saw dozens of people being treated at the hospital. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation 's distribution of aid has been marred by chaos, and multiple witnesses have said Israeli troops fired on crowds near the delivery sites. Before Sunday, at least six people had been killed and more than 50 wounded according to local health officials. The foundation says the private security contractors guarding its sites did not fire on the crowds, while the Israeli military has acknowledged firing warning shots. The foundation did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In an earlier statement, it said it distributed 16 truckloads of aid early Sunday 'without incident.' It dismissed what it referred to as 'false reporting about deaths, mass injuries and chaos.' ___ Magdy reported from Cairo. ___ Follow AP's war coverage at
Los Angeles Times
29-05-2025
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
Israel accepts a U.S. proposal for a temporary Gaza ceasefire and Hamas gives a cool response
Israel has accepted a new U.S. proposal for a temporary ceasefire with Hamas, the White House said Thursday. President Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, expressed optimism earlier this week about brokering an agreement to halt the Israel-Hamas war and return more of the hostages captured in the attack that ignited it. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that Israel 'backed and supported' the new proposal. Hamas officials gave the Israeli-approved draft a cool response, but said they wanted to study the proposal more closely before giving a formal answer. 'The Zionist response, in essence, means perpetuating the occupation and continuing the killing and famine,' Bassem Naim, a top Hamas official, told the Associated Press. He said it 'does not respond to any of our people's demands, foremost among which is stopping the war and famine.' Nonetheless, he said the group would study the proposal 'with all national responsibility.' Hamas had previously said it had agreed with Witkoff on a 'general framework' of an agreement that would lead to a lasting ceasefire, a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, an influx of aid, and a transfer of power from the militant group to a politically independent committee of Palestinians. Magdy and Krauss write for the Associated Press. Magdy reported from Cairo. AP writers Fatma Khaled in Cairo and Aamer Madhani in Washington contributed reporting.
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Yahoo
Israeli strikes kill 40 in Gaza, including 25 in a school-turned shelter, medics say
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli strikes killed at least 40 people in the Gaza Strip on Monday, including 25 in a school-turned-shelter that was struck as people slept, igniting their belongings, according to local health officials. The military said it targeted militants operating from the school. Israel renewed its offensive in March after ending a ceasefire with Hamas. It has vowed to seize control of Gaza and keep fighting until Hamas is destroyed or disarmed, and until it returns the remaining 58 hostages, a third of them believed to be alive, from the Oct. 7, 2023 attack that ignited the war. The strike on the school in the Daraj neighborhood of Gaza City also wounded more than 55 people, said Fahmy Awad, head of the ministry's emergency service. He said a father and his five children were among the dead. He said the school was hit three times while people slept, setting their belongings ablaze. Footage circulating online showed rescuers struggling to extinguish fires and recovering charred remains. The military said it targeted a militant command and control center inside the school that Hamas and Islamic Jihad used to gather intelligence for attacks. Israel blames civilian deaths on Hamas because it operates in residential areas. A separate strike on a home killed 15 members of the same family, including five women and two children, according to Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, which received the bodies. Hamas-led militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted 251 people in the Oct. 7 attack. More than half the hostages have been returned in ceasefire agreements or other deals, eight have been rescued, and Israeli forces have recovered the remains of dozens more. Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed around 54,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. It says more than half the dead are women and children but does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count. ___ Magdy reported from Cairo. ___ Follow AP's war coverage at
Hamilton Spectator
26-05-2025
- Hamilton Spectator
Israeli strikes kill 40 in Gaza, including 25 in a school-turned shelter, medics say
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli strikes killed at least 40 people in the Gaza Strip on Monday, including 25 in a school-turned-shelter that was struck as people slept, igniting their belongings, according to local health officials. The military said it targeted militants operating from the school. Israel renewed its offensive in March after ending a ceasefire with Hamas. It has vowed to seize control of Gaza and keep fighting until Hamas is destroyed or disarmed, and until it returns the remaining 58 hostages, a third of them believed to be alive, from the Oct. 7, 2023 attack that ignited the war. The strike on the school in the Daraj neighborhood of Gaza City also wounded more than 55 people, said Fahmy Awad, head of the ministry's emergency service. He said a father and his five children were among the dead. He said the school was hit three times while people slept, setting their belongings ablaze. Footage circulating online showed rescuers struggling to extinguish fires and recovering charred remains. The military said it targeted a militant command and control center inside the school that Hamas and Islamic Jihad used to gather intelligence for attacks. Israel blames civilian deaths on Hamas because it operates in residential areas. A separate strike on a home killed 15 members of the same family, including five women and two children, according to Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, which received the bodies. Hamas-led militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted 251 people in the Oct. 7 attack. More than half the hostages have been returned in ceasefire agreements or other deals, eight have been rescued, and Israeli forces have recovered the remains of dozens more. Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed around 54,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. It says more than half the dead are women and children but does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count. ___ Magdy reported from Cairo. ___ Follow AP's war coverage at
