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GMA Network
09-07-2025
- Politics
- GMA Network
Israeli operations in West Bank push wave of Palestinians from their homes
Palestinian Nasser Al-Furatawi stands inside his damaged shop after Israeli soldiers turned it into a military barrack, near Tulkarm camp, during the ongoing military operation, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, July 7, 2025. REUTERS/ Raneen Sawafta TULKARM, West Bank — Malik Lutfi contemplated which of his family's belongings to salvage in the few moments he was given while Israeli troops carried out home demolitions in the Tulkarm refugee camp where he grew up in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Now 51, the father of six has rented a small room in the nearby city of Tulkarm, but without access to his electronic repair shop in the cordoned-off camp, he has no income to meet the rent, sparking anxiety about his family's future. With bulldozers roaring outside, he said: "They kicked us out six months ago and we are still out. When you go back you try to bring anything you can, but in two hours with only our hands, you cannot bring many things." He said he knew many families in a worse situation even than his, pushed to living in crowded schools or on patches of farmland. "We are waiting for help," he said. Israeli operations are pushing tens of thousands of West Bank Palestinians like Lutfi out of their homes, says B'Tselem, the independent Israeli human rights information center for the occupied territories. Around 40,000 residents from the Tulkarm, Nur Shams and Jenin refugee camps have been displaced by the military operation this year, B'Tselem said. Israel says it is acting against flashpoints of militancy, including the northern cities of Tulkarm and Jenin. "This requires the demolition of buildings, allowing the forces to operate freely and move unhindered within the area," an Israeli military spokesperson said in a statement on Tuesday. "The decision to demolish these structures is based on operational necessity and was made only after considering alternative options," the statement said. Israeli demolitions have drawn widespread international criticism and coincide with heightened fears among Palestinians of an organized effort by Israel to formally annex the West Bank, the area seized by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war. Reuters witnesses this week saw bulldozers ploughing through buildings and wide, new roads lined by rubble that bulldozers had carved out by demolishing concrete homes. Residents piled chairs, blankets and cooking equipment onto trucks. Tulkarm's governor Abdullah Kamil said in recent weeks the destruction had intensified, with 106 homes and 104 other buildings in the nearby Tulkarm and Nur Shams camps destroyed. "What is happening in Tulkarm is an Israeli political decision, the issue has nothing to do with security," Kamil, the Palestinian governor, said. "There is nothing left in the camp, it has become a ghost camp." Israel's northern West Bank operation which began in January has been one of the biggest since the Second Intifada uprising by Palestinians more than 20 years ago, involving several brigades of troops earlier this year backed by drones, helicopters and, for the first time in decades, heavy battle tanks. Simmering situation As efforts ramp up in Washington and Qatar to secure a Gaza ceasefire deal, some international officials and rights groups say they are also worried about the simmering situation for Palestinians in the West Bank. "In the northern West Bank, Israel has begun replicating tactics and combat doctrines honed in its current offensive on Gaza," said Shai Parnes, public outreach director at B'Tselem. "This includes and deliberate destruction of homes and civilian infrastructure, and forced displacement of civilians from areas designated by the military as combat zones." Israeli hardliners inside and outside the government have called repeatedly for Israel to annex the West Bank, a kidney-shaped area around 100 kilometers (62 miles) long that Palestinians see as the core of a future independent state, along with Gaza and with East Jerusalem as its capital. Israeli government ministers deny that the West Bank operation has any wider purpose than battling militant groups. The Israeli military in its statement said it was following international law and targeting militancy. Kamil, the Palestinian governor, said displacement was putting pressure on a community already reeling economically, with thousands sheltering in mosques, schools and overcrowded homes with relatives. Returning for the first time in six months, Lutfi said he was shocked at the scale of damage. "Most people when they come back to look at their homes, they find them destroyed, the destruction that meets them is enormous: wide streets, destroyed infrastructure and electricity," he said. "If we want to rebuild, it will take a long time." — Reuters
Straits Times
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
'Ghost camp': Israeli operations in West Bank push wave of Palestinians from their homes
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Palestinians remove belongings from their homes threatened with demolition, during the ongoing Israeli military operation in Tulkarm camp, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, July 2, 2025. REUTERS/Raneen Sawafta/File Photo TULKARM, West Bank - Malik Lutfi contemplated which of his family's belongings to salvage in the few moments he was given while Israeli troops carried out home demolitions in the Tulkarm refugee camp where he grew up in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Now 51, the father of six has rented a small room in the nearby city of Tulkarm, but without access to his electronic repair shop in the cordoned-off camp, he has no income to meet the rent, sparking anxiety about his family's future. With bulldozers roaring outside, he said: "They kicked us out six months ago and we are still out. When you go back you try to bring anything you can, but in two hours with only our hands, you cannot bring many things." He said he knew many families in a worse situation even than his, pushed to living in crowded schools or on patches of farmland. "We are waiting for help," he said. Israeli operations are pushing tens of thousands of West Bank Palestinians like Lutfi out of their homes, says B'Tselem, the independent Israeli human rights information centre for the occupied territories. Around 40,000 residents from the Tulkarm, Nur Shams and Jenin refugee camps have been displaced by the military operation this year, B'Tselem said. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. 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"The decision to demolish these structures is based on operational necessity and was made only after considering alternative options," the statement said. Israeli demolitions have drawn widespread international criticism and coincide with heightened fears among Palestinians of an organised effort by Israel to formally annex the West Bank, the area seized by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war. Reuters witnesses this week saw bulldozers ploughing through buildings and wide, new roads lined by rubble that bulldozers had carved out by demolishing concrete homes. Residents piled chairs, blankets and cooking equipment onto trucks. Tulkarm's governor Abdullah Kamil said in recent weeks the destruction had intensified, with 106 homes and 104 other buildings in the nearby Tulkarm and Nur Shams camps destroyed. "What is happening in Tulkarm is an Israeli political decision, the issue has nothing to do with security," Kamil, the Palestinian governor, said. "There is nothing left in the camp, it has become a ghost camp." Israel's northern West Bank operation which began in January has been one of the biggest since the Second Intifada uprising by Palestinians more than 20 years ago, involving several brigades of troops earlier this year backed by drones, helicopters and, for the first time in decades, heavy battle tanks. SIMMERING SITUATION As efforts ramp up in Washington and Qatar to secure a Gaza ceasefire deal, some international officials and rights groups say they are also worried about the simmering situation for Palestinians in the West Bank. "In the northern West Bank, Israel has begun replicating tactics and combat doctrines honed in its current offensive on Gaza," said Shai Parnes, public outreach director at B'Tselem. "This includes increased ... widespread and deliberate destruction of homes and civilian infrastructure, and forced displacement of civilians from areas designated by the military as combat zones." Israeli hardliners inside and outside the government have called repeatedly for Israel to annex the West Bank, a kidney-shaped area around 100 kilometres (62 miles) long that Palestinians see as the core of a future independent state, along with Gaza and with East Jerusalem as its capital. Israeli government ministers deny that the West Bank operation has any wider purpose than battling militant groups. The Israeli military in its statement said it was following international law and targeting militancy. Kamil, the Palestinian governor, said displacement was putting pressure on a community already reeling economically, with thousands sheltering in mosques, schools and overcrowded homes with relatives. Returning for the first time in six months, Lutfi said he was shocked at the scale of damage. "Most people when they come back to look at their homes, they find them destroyed, the destruction that meets them is enormous: wide streets, destroyed infrastructure and electricity," he said. "If we want to rebuild, it will take a long time." REUTERS
Straits Times
02-07-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Israeli Likud party ministers urge Netanyahu to annex West Bank
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Palestinians remove belongings from their homes threatened with demolition, during the ongoing Israeli military operation in Tulkarm camp, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, July 2, 2025. REUTERS/Raneen Sawafta Cabinet ministers in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party called on Wednesday for Israel to annex the Israeli-occupied West Bank before the Knesset recesses at the end of the month. They issued a petition ahead of Netanyahu's meeting next week with U.S. President Donald Trump, where discussions are expected to centre on a potential 60-day Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal with Hamas. The petition was signed by 15 cabinet ministers and Amir Ohana, speaker of the Knesset, Israel's parliament. There was no immediate response from the prime minister's office. Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, long a confidant of Netanyahu, did not sign the petition. He has been in Washington since Monday for talks on Iran and Gaza. "We ministers and members of Knesset call for applying Israeli sovereignty and law immediately on Judea and Samaria," they wrote, using the biblical names for the West Bank captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war. Their petition cited Israel's recent achievements against both Iran and Iran's allies and the opportunity afforded by the strategic partnership with the U.S. and support of Trump. It said the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel demonstrated that the concept of Jewish settlement blocs alongside the establishment of a Palestinian state poses an existential threat to Israel. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Singapore and Cambodia to expand collaboration in renewable energy, carbon markets and agri-trade World Trump announces Vietnam trade deal with 20% import tariff Singapore From camping to mentorship, Singapore Scouts mark 115th anniversary of the youth movement Singapore Ong Beng Seng's court hearing rescheduled one day before he was expected to plead guilty World Sean 'Diddy' Combs convicted on prostitution counts but cleared of more serious charges Singapore Teen, 17, to be charged with allegedly trespassing on MRT tracks Singapore Granddaughter of Hin Leong founder O.K. Lim fails to keep 3 insurance policies from creditors' reach Singapore Man on trial for raping drunken woman after offering to drive her and her friend home 'The task must be completed, the existential threat removed from within, and another massacre in the heart of the country must be prevented,' the petition stated. Most countries regard Jewish settlements in the West Bank, many of which cut off Palestinian communities from one another, as a violation of international law. With each advance of Israeli settlements and roads, the West Bank becomes more fractured, further undermining prospects for a contiguous land on which Palestinians could build a sovereign state long envisaged in Middle East peacemaking. Israel's pro-settler politicians have been emboldened by the return to the White House of Trump, who has proposed Palestinians leave Gaza, a suggestion widely condemned across the Middle East and beyond. REUTERS
GMA Network
26-06-2025
- Politics
- GMA Network
France says it intercepted drones targeting Israel prior to Iran ceasefire
A missile launched from Iran towards Israel is seen from Tubas, amid the Israel-Iran conflict, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, June 24, 2025. REUTERS/Raneen Sawafta PARIS — France's military took part in efforts to stop Iranian drones targeting Israel prior to this week's ceasefire, the country's defense minister Sebastien Lecornu said late on Wednesday. "I can confirm that the French army intercepted less than 10 drones in the last few days during the different military operations conducted by the Islamic Republic of Iran against Israel, either by ground-to-air systems or via our Rafale fighter jets," Lecornu said during a parliamentary debate on the situation in the Middle East. Lecornu said Iran had launched some 400 ballistic missiles and 1,000 drones towards Israel during the 12-day conflict. Israel started attacking Iran on June 13, saying it aimed to destroy its arch-enemy's nuclear capabilities. Its strikes wiped out a senior echelon of Iran's military command and killed several nuclear scientists. Iranian authorities said 610 people were killed and nearly 5,000 injured in the country. Tehran's retaliatory missiles killed at least 28 people in Israel and damaged hundreds of buildings, until a ceasefire came into effect on Tuesday. — Reuters
GMA Network
24-06-2025
- Politics
- GMA Network
Israel says 3 killed in Iran attack after Trump announced ceasefire
A missile launched from Iran towards Israel is seen from Tubas, amid the Israel-Iran conflict, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, June 24, 2025. REUTERS/Raneen Sawafta WASHINGTON/DOHA/ISTANBUL - Israel's military said Iran launched waves of missiles on Tuesday, with emergency services reporting three people killed, hours after US President Donald Trump announced a complete ceasefire between Israel and Iran to end a 12-day war. Witnesses said they heard explosions near Tel Aviv and Beersheba in southern Israel. Israel's military said six waves of missiles were launched by Iran and Israel's national ambulance service said three people were killed in Beersheba, the first reported deaths in Israel since Trump announced the ceasefire late on Monday. A senior White House official said Trump had brokered a ceasefire deal in a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel had agreed so long as Iran did not launch further attacks. "On the assumption that everything works as it should, which it will, I would like to congratulate both Countries, Israel and Iran, on having the Stamina, Courage, and Intelligence to end, what should be called, 'THE 12 DAY WAR'," Trump wrote on his Truth Social site. An Iranian official earlier confirmed that Tehran had agreed to a ceasefire, but the country's foreign minister said there would be no cessation of hostilities unless Israel stopped its attacks. Abbas Araqchi said early on Tuesday that if Israel stopped its "illegal aggression" against the Iranian people no later than 4 a.m. Tehran time (0030 GMT) on Tuesday, Iran had no intention of continuing its response afterwards. "The final decision on the cessation of our military operations will be made later," Araqchi added in a post on X. Trump appeared to suggest that Israel and Iran would have some time to complete any missions that are underway, at which point the ceasefire would begin in a staged process. Iran's semi-official SNN news agency reported on Tuesday that Tehran fired its last round of missiles before the ceasefire came into effect. Israel, joined by the United States on the weekend, has carried out attacks on Iran's nuclear facilities, after alleging Tehran was getting close to obtaining a nuclear weapon. Iran denies ever having a nuclear weapons program but Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has said that if it wanted to, world leaders "wouldn't be able to stop us". Israel, which is not a party to the international Non-Proliferation Treaty, is the only country in the Middle East believed to have nuclear weapons. Israel does not deny or confirm that. Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani secured Tehran's agreement during a call with Iranian officials, an official briefed on the negotiations told Reuters on Tuesday. US Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and US special envoy Steve Witkoff were in direct and indirect contact with the Iranians, a White House official said. Neither Iran's UN mission nor the Israeli embassy in Washington responded to separate requests for comment from Reuters. Hours earlier, three Israeli officials had signaled Israel was looking to wrap up its campaign in Iran soon and had passed the message on to the United States. Netanyahu had told government ministers whose discussions ended early on Tuesday not to speak publicly, Israel's Channel 12 television reported. Markets reacted favorably to the news. S&P 500 futures rose 0.4% late on Monday, suggesting traders expect the US stock market to open with gains on Tuesday. US crude futures fell in early Asian trading hours on Tuesday to their lowest level in more than a week after Trump said a ceasefire had been agreed, relieving worries of supply disruption in the region. End to the fighting? There did not appear to be calm yet in the region. The Israeli military issued two evacuation warnings in less than two hours to residents of areas in the Iranian capital Tehran, one late on Monday and one early on Tuesday. Israeli Army radio reported early on Tuesday that alarms were activated in the southern Golan Heights area due to fears of hostile aircraft intrusion. Earlier on Monday, Trump said he would encourage Israel to proceed towards peace after dismissing Iran's attack on an American air base that caused no injuries and thanking Tehran for the early notice of the strikes. He said Iran fired 14 missiles at the US air base, calling it "a very weak response, which we expected, and have very effectively countered." Iran's handling of the attack recalled earlier clashes with the United States and Israel, with Tehran seeking a balance between saving face with a military response but without provoking a cycle of escalation it can't afford. Iran's attack came after US bombers dropped 30,000-pound bunker-buster bombs on Iranian underground nuclear facilities at the weekend, joining Israel's air war. Much of Tehran's population of 10 million has fled after days of bombing. The Trump administration maintains that its aim was solely to destroy Iran's nuclear program, not to open a wider war. "Iran was very close to having a nuclear weapon," Vance said in an interview on Fox News' "Special Report with Bret Baier." "Now Iran is incapable of building a nuclear weapon with the equipment they have because we destroyed it," he added. Trump has cited intelligence reports that Iran was close to building a nuclear weapon, without elaborating. However, US intelligence agencies said earlier this year they assessed that Iran was not building a nuclear weapon and a source with access to US intelligence reports told Reuters last week that that assessment hadn't changed. In a social media post on Sunday, Trump spoke of toppling the hardline clerical rulers who have been Washington's principal foes in the Middle East since Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution. Israel, however, had made clear that its strikes on Evin prison - a notorious jail for housing political prisoners - and other targets in Tehran were intended to hit the Iranian ruling apparatus broadly, and its ability to sustain power. — Reuters
