#CAIRO — After a long journey from #Gaza, more than 100 American citizens and their families have entered #Egypt through the #RafahCrossing. Jonathan Webster, the #USEmbassy in Cairo's consul general, said some of those families are telling him they ran out of food and water during their journeys. #Israel
Waving white flags and holding their hands above their heads, #Palestinian families fled past tanks waiting to storm #GazaCity in the next stage of the war that the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin #Netanyahu, has said will give Israel “indefinite” control over the besieged territory.
#Israel’s military gave civilians inside the encircled city a four-hour window to leave on Tuesday.
#Philippines — Department of Foreign (DFA) on Tuesday announced Palestinian spouses of #Filipinos in #Gaza will be allowed to cross the border into #Egypt.
DFA is just waiting for a written approval from Ministry of Foreign Affairs in #Israel.
The group is accompanied by Philippine Embassy officials led by Ambassador Ezzedin H. Tago on the way to #Cairo, according to a report by #RaffyTima on #UnangBalita on Wednesday, citing a source.
Negotiations are continuing between #Israel and Palestinian group #Hamas, mediated by #Qatar in coordination with the #UnitedStates, that could see 10-15 Hamas-held captives released in exchange for a multiday pause in fighting, Hamas and Egyptian sources have told the Reuters and AFP news agencies. #RafahCrossing
#Belgium’s deputy prime minister has called on the Belgian government to adopt sanctions against Israel and investigate the bombings of #hospitals and refugee camps in #Gaza. #Israel
The #Israel-#Gaza war has sharply divided #Canada, with a growing number of residents calling for a ceasefire in the conflict that has claimed more than 11,000 lives.
“I know emotions are high, and people are scared. But attacking each other is not who we are as Canadians,” the prime minister said on Thursday.
Professor Zachary Abuza, an expert on South-east Asian security, warned of a “revitalisation of #TerrorNetworks, renewed terror attacks, #Radicalisation and fund-raising for militant groups” serving as “a catalyst for... disparate #jihadist groups in #SouthEastAsia that are seeking both a cause and charismatic leader to rally around”. #Israel#ASEAN
“Happy to hear the update that 56 more #Filipinos have left #Gaza amid the #Israel-#Hamas conflict, joining the 42 who had previously crossed. This brings the total to 98 out of the 137 originally in Gaza, now en route to #Cairo,” Marcos said on X. #RafahCrossing#Egypt
Incidents among the approximately 2,000 #antisemitic attacks reported in #Germany since 7 October have included the painting of #StarsOfDavid on Jewish homes and institutes and the spreading of antisemitic slogans.The resulting pessimism has prompted many organisers of events around this anniversary to adopt the slogan “‘Never Again’ is Now” #Kristallnacht#Israel
The lack of a synchronised collection system could mean that a full accounting of the violence would never be reached, and could hinder attempts at justice in international legal forums, the paper said, referencing by way of comparison the painstaking work undertaken by the Ukrainian prosecutor general’s office in documenting Russian #WarCrimes. #Russia#Ukraine
The organisers of the pro-Palestine march due to take place on #ArmisticeDay believe “hundreds of thousands” of people will turn out for what they say will be one of #Britain’s biggest days of mass protests after the row over whether the event would be banned.
The religious edict by the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) said #Muslims in the country must support the #Palestinians’ struggle against “Israeli aggression”, while also declaring that support for #Israel or its supporters is “#haram”, or against #IslamicLaw. #Fatwas have no legal force and are aimed at encouraging the devout against taking a certain course of action. #Indonesia
The 34 #Filipinos, who crossed into #Egypt from #Gaza through the #Rafah border bridge before flying to the #Philippines, were mostly spouses and dependents of Palestinian nationals, according to the DFA. #RafahCrossing
The Guardian's excellent live blog coverage here 👇The Metropolitan Police is doing a bangup job neutralizing hooligans - mostly hard right, white and looking for trouble. #Israel#Gaza
The #watermelon has long been a symbol of protest for #Palestinians, and as #SocialMedia users suspect platforms of censoring content about #Gaza, the corresponding emoji is being used in place of the Palestinian flag. Like the flag, the emoji is also red, green and black. #SocialMedia
The #WHO expressed “grave concern” for the safety of everyone trapped in al-Shifa by the fighting and said it had lost communications with its contacts there.
“As horrifying reports of the hospital facing repeated attacks continue to emerge, we assume our contacts joined tens of thousands of displaced people and are fleeing the area,” the organisation said on X
The prime minister, Élisabeth Borne, whose #Jewish father survived #Auschwitz but took his life when she was 11, said at the head of the procession that when it came to antisemitism, the nation “must let nothing pass”.
Nearly 1,250 #antisemitic acts have been recorded in France since the start of the conflict – nearly three times as many as in all of 2022. #Israel#Gaza
It is not only #Israelis who in recent weeks have arrived on #Cyprus.
Amid mounting fears of the conflagration spreading, western embassies in #Nicosia, the nation’s war-split capital, have also been on an emergency footing in anticipation of the strategic #Mediterranean island once again becoming an #EvacuationHub and nerve centre for the distribution of #HumanitarianAid. #Israel
Thousands of people have fled al-Shifa hospital in #GazaCity, but health officials said the remaining patients were dying due to energy shortages amid intense fighting between Israeli troops and Hamas militants.
At least 32 patients, including three premature babies, had died over the past three days. Life-saving equipment such as incubators cannot run without fuel to run generators. #Israel#Hamas
The #Israel-#Hamas war overshadowed the talks, which had been meant to showcase an upgrade in ties between Indonesia and the #UnitedStates ahead of Mr #Biden’s meeting with Chinese President #XiJinping this week.
#Israel’s military has said that it again will open a corridor for people to move south within the #GazaStrip from 9am (7am GMT) to 4pm (2pm), and will also pause hostilities for a limited period of time between 10am (8am GMT) and 2pm (noon GMT) “in the neighbourhoods of Al-Daraj and Al-Tuffah”. #HumanitarianCorridor
“They don’t have time any more, We will go to #Jerusalem where the people who have the power to decide sit, where the prime minister and the war cabinet sit, where all of the #Knesset is, and we will demand to meet with them. We will demand to hear why our families aren’t home yet. “ - Yuval Haran
The rally, organised by the Jewish Federations of North America and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, is expected to see 100,000 people at the event on the National Mall, according to a permit issued by the National Park Service.#US
In a statement to MPs on Tuesday, the Foreign Office minister, Andrew Mitchell, said: “It is not for ministers to seek to state where the #ICC has jurisdiction; that is for the chief prosecutor. The chief prosecutor has not been silent on this matter, and I am sure he will continue to express his views.” #Israel#WarCrimes#Gaza
#Hospitals are protected buildings under international #HumanitarianLaw. But allegations that Shifa is also being used for military purposes complicated the situation because that would also breach international law, UN officials have said.
Medical units used for acts harmful to the enemy, and which have ignored a warning to stop doing so, lose their special protection under international law.
I was surprised Hamas was willing to release so many (70) hostages in one go. Turns out 25 are Thais, they'll hold on to the ones belonging to nations seen as hostile or unsympathetic to their cause as long as possible. #Thailand#Israel
Speaking at the IISS Manama Summit in #Bahrain, Ayman Safadi said that Arab governments were in agreement that their troops would not enter the besieged coastal enclave to “come and clean the mess after #Israel,” adding “We’re not going to be seen as the enemy.”
#Qatar has been at the centre of mediation efforts to reach an agreement that would lead to the release of large numbers of hostages, starting with children and women. A humanitarian pause lasting as long as five days would be agreed to allow the transport of the hostages.
According to the officials, at around 1 p.m. Sunday local time, a helicopter hovered over the #GalaxyLeader, a Japanese-owned and Bahamian-flagged ship, and several armed individuals rappelled down to the deck. #Yemen#Houthis#Israel
#Japan’s top government spokesperson #says the country is appealing to #Yemen’s #Houthis who have captured a cargo ship in the southern #RedSea and is seeking the help of Saudi, Omani and Iranian authorities to work towards the swift release of the vessel and its crew.
The #UN secretary general, #AntónioGuterres, has said it is clear that the war in #Gaza has seen “a killing of civilians that is unparalleled and unprecedented in any conflict” since he began his role in 2017.
#Netanyahu will now be under domestic pressure to get the rest of the #hostages freed but faces growing political risks. Several far-right parties that are part of the ruling coalition on Tuesday evening opposed the proposed deal and called for the Israeli offensive in #Gaza to be intensified to secure better terms. Their statements prompted protests in Tel Aviv by hostages families.
Around 40 minutes into the truce it’s difficult to say whether it’s holding. The Israeli military (#IDF) said sirens warning of potential incoming rockets had sounded in two Israeli communities near #Gaza but there was no immediate confirmation that attacks had occurred or of any damage or casualties.
Hopes have risen that 23 #Thai nationals being held #hostage in #Gaza could return home after it was reported they are set to be released by #Hamas without conditions.The purported release is not related to the recent deal reached by #Israel and Hamas to hand over dozens of Israeli hostages as well as #Palestinians imprisoned by Israel,
At least seven tankers carrying #fuel and #CookingGas and around 200 trucks of humanitarian aid have entered the #GazaStrip from #Egypt as part of the deal agreed by #Israel and #Hamas, the Israeli military and the #RedCrescent said.
Some regard the #Houthi missiles and drones as symbolic displays of solidarity designed for a domestic Yemeni audience. However, international alarm grew on Sunday when in a sophisticated helicopter raid Houthi fighters hijacked the #GalaxyLeader. The 25-strong crew of the Japanese-managed ship, which includes 17 #Filipinos, had been on a journey from #Egypt to #India. #SaudiArabia
A dozen of the 26 #Thai nationals taken hostage by #Hamas in the 7 October attacks in #Israel have been released, #Thailand’s prime minister has said.
#SretthaThavisin said on X he had received confirmation of their release, and that Thai embassy officials were going to pick them up. “[We] will know more information in an hour,” he said on Friday evening.
Fifty hostages are expected to be released by Hamas during the four-day truce, however the 12 Thai hostages released earlier on Friday are part of a separate deal negotiated by Hamas with #Qatar and #Egypt, according to Reuters.
Scepticism and anticipation among Palestinians gathered near Ofer Prison | Charles Stratford (Reporting near Ofer prison, occupied West Bank)
[There are] hundreds if not thousands of people who have gathered on a hill overlooking the Ofer Prison in expectation of these 39 women and minors that are going to be – in theory – brought here by the Israelis on buses.
Pacheco was welcomed by senior representatives from the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, along with Philippine Ambassador to #Israel Junie Laylo.
Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo also thanked #Qatar, which served as the mediator for the ceasefire that allowed the release of hostages. #Philippines#GazaTruce
Exclusive: Vetoon Phoome, 33, was taken hostage on 7 October while he was in Israel working on a farm. His sister tells of her happiness at his release
The government on Saturday announced the release of Gelienor “Jimmy” Pacheco, one of the two Filipinos reported missing following the reescalation of the #Israel-#Palestine conflict on Oct. 7 that had since killed thousands.
“Jimmy is in high spirits and appears to be in good health,” the Philippine Embassy in Israel said of the 33-year-old caregiver who spent 49 days in captivity.
Thirteen #Israelis and four #Thai nationals were freed Saturday as part of a breakthrough deal between #Israel and #Hamas to pause fighting. As was expected under the agreement, a second-day release of 39 Palestinian prisoners held by Israeli authorities was implemented, a spokesperson for the Israel Prison Service said early Sunday, local time. #GazaTruce#Thailand
Among the more than 1,200 victims of the #Hamas attacks, Thais make up the largest group of foreign nationals. Most were workers on agricultural sites close to the perimeter fence that separates #Israel from #Gaza.
The violence has set off an exodus of foreign workers from Israel, with some 10,000 farmworkers estimated to have left since October 7, according to the Israeli government.
A deal to extend the current ceasefire between #Israel and #Hamas by two days has been agreed after a frantic dash by mediators with just over 12 hours remaining before hostilities in #Gaza were due to resume.
Hamas said it had agreed to the extension of the four-day truce by 48 hours after the intervention of #Qatar and #Egypt. #GazaTruce
A really fearless girl with an incredibly strong bond with her beloved dog.
On Tuesday, 17-year old #MiaLeimberg, who was abducted along with her mother, Gabriela, and family dog, #Bella, during the initial attack, was released by #Hamas as part of the fifth group of Israeli hostages. #GazaTruce#Israel#DogsOfMastodon
#PARIS: The French #HelicopterCarrier#Dixmude has docked in #Egypt and could start treating wounded children from #Gaza later this week, defence minister Sebastien Lecornu said on Tuesday, as Western powers look to ramp up efforts to aid the enclave.
Four #Thai workers were released late on Wednesday, bringing the total released to 23.
Another two were set free on Tuesday and taken to Shamir Medical Center, where they embraced one another on arrival. “We survived! We survived!” they cheered, and one was seen wiping away tears. #GazaTruce#Israel#Thailand
On Wednesday night, before the extension was announced, 10 #Israelis and four #Thais had been handed over to the #RedCross in #Gaza. The group included dual citizens with #US, #German and German nationality, Qatar said. The IDF said two hostages with Russian citizenship had crossed into #Egypt. Thirty Palestinian prisoners were later freed, including well-known activist #AhedTamimi.
At least 32 #Thais were abducted by #Hamas fighters when they attacked Israel on October 7, killing 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping about 240 others, according to Israeli authorities.At least 39 Thais were killed in the attack. #Israel#Thailand#TootSEA
"Up to a third of all structures in #Gaza are damaged:
#SatelliteAnalysis by researchers at the #CUNY Graduate Center and Oregon State University suggests that between 26% and 34% of all structures in the strip were damaged as of November 29. Comparatively, those figures were between 13% and 18% on November 5."
After two last-minute extensions, the seventh day of a #Qatari-mediated truce on Thursday saw the exchange of eight hostages and 30 #Palestinian prisoners as well as the arrival of more humanitarian aid into the shattered #GazaStrip. #GazaTruce
Multiple sources told the Guardian and +972/Local Call that when a strike was authorised on the private homes of individuals identified as #Hamas or #IslamicJihad operatives, target researchers knew in advance the number of civilians expected to be killed.
The country’s military dropped leaflets in parts of #KhanYounis, where #Israel believes #Hamas’s leadership is based, warning citizens to evacuate farther south to #Rafah, prompting humanitarian groups to say that #Palestinians risked being forced completely out of the territory.
#Israel and #Hamas have traded blame over the collapse of the truce, which lasted a week and was extended twice before mediators were unable to find a way for a third extension.
The Israeli military’s coming push into southern #Gaza is driven by the belief that intelligence gleaned from hundreds of militants captured during recent fighting in the north will allow them to find and kill leaders of #Hamas.
#Israel’s widening ground offensive in #Gaza since the end of a truce with #Hamas has heightened concerns for the 137 hostages who the Israeli military believes are still being held, with the families of hostages calling for an urgent meeting with Israel's Security Cabinet, saying time is “running out to save those still held by Hamas.”
Israeli authorities are investigating claims by #US researchers that some #investors may have known in advance of a #Hamas plan to attack Israel on 7 October and used that information to profit from Israeli securities.#Israel#StockMarket
On Wednesday, a UN commission of inquiry investigating #WarCrimes on both sides of the #Israel-#Hamas conflict said it would focus on gathering evidence of #SexualViolence in the October 7 attacks.
Decrying a 'spiraling humanitarian nightmare,' UN Secretary-General #AntonioGuterres declared that nowhere in #Gaza was safe for civilians, hours before the #US vetoed a #SecurityCouncil resolution backed by the vast majority of its members. #Israel
Speaking at the #DohaForum in #Qatar, Guterres did not directly criticise the #US in his address but said the security council is “paralysed by geostrategic divisions”. He added world institutions “are weak and outdated, caught in a time warp reflecting a reality of 80 years ago”.
According to several reports, #DavidBarnea, the head of #Mossad, had wanted to travel to #Qatar but was blocked by the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin #Netanyahu, and other cabinet ministers.
The decision prompted demands from the families of hostages for an explanation, saying that they were “shocked” by it.
#US efforts to show it retains significant influence over the Israeli government were dealt a double blow yesterday when the Israeli defence minister said it would take months to complete the task of rooting out #Hamas, and a leaked US intelligence assessment revealed up to 45% of the 29,000 air-to-ground munitions that #Israel has dropped on #Gaza since 7 October have been unguided “dumb bombs”.
The protest, which followed another demonstration on Friday night, erupted after an official from the Israel Defense Forces revealed Saturday that the hostages “had a stick with a white cloth on it” before they were killed. #Israel#Gaza
"We have this exchange of fire between #Israel and #Hezbollah and the trend line is one of escalation. This is the most worrying thing about the situation, this trend of escalation. Nobody wants to have a full-scale war but we can get there anyway.” Orna Mizrahi, a former Israeli deputy national security adviser #Gaza#Hamas
Recent attacks by #Iran-aligned Yemeni #Houthi militant group on vessels forced leading shipping companies including Maersk to reroute around the #CapeOfGoodHope to avoid the #SuezCanal, the shortest shipping route between #Europe and #Asia. #Israel#Gaza
The ongoing bombardment of #Gaza by Israel’s military following #Hamas’ deadly October 7 attacks has sparked mass rallies in Malaysia and put domestic political pressure on Anwar.
The #Iran-backed #Houthis have repeatedly targeted vessels in the vital shipping lane with strikes they say are in support of #Palestinians in #Gaza, where #Israel is battling militant group #Hamas.
#WASHINGTON – A chemical tanker that was struck on Dec 23 off the coast of India was targeted “by a one-way attack drone fired from Iran”, the Pentagon said.The #DroneStrike occurred 200 nautical miles (370km) off the coast of #India, it added. No US Navy vessels were in the vicinity. #Israel#Gaza
A total of twenty countries have agreed to take part in the multi-national naval security coalition but some of those participants don't want to be named. Of those 20, only a fraction will supply actual ships or other major assets to help the cause. In addition, #Spain, #Italy, and #France have rejected the #US demand that their vessels fall under U.S. Navy command. #RedSea#Iran#Israel
"#Bethlehem is a message. It is not a city, it is a message of #peace to the whole world. From this sacred place we convey a message of peace…stop the war, stop the blood, the killing and the revenge,” said Father Ibrahim Faltas, a friar at the vigil.#Israel
Nearly three months after the start of the war between #Israel and #Hamas, the humanitarian situation in the #GazaStrip is catastrophic according to the #UnitedNations, with 85 percent of the population displaced. #PopeFrancis
Three stealth-guided missile destroyers were deployed “in various areas of the sea” to “maintain a deterrent presence” considering the “recent spate of attacks in the Arabian Sea”, the ministry said in a statement late on Monday. It was also using long-range maritime patrol aircraft for “domain awareness”, it said. #DroneStrikes
Paul, who until October worked on the US’s foreign arms transfers, said he was concerned by the expedited process as it could bypass the state department’s pre-transfer controls. “There’s no review of human rights, there’s no review of regional balance, there’s none of the conventional arms transfer policy review that would normally happen,” he said.
Edan Kleiman, who himself was wounded inside the #GazaStrip in the early 1990s, said he thinks Israeli authorities are not grasping the severity of the situation. He said the number of wounded is likely to stretch close to 20,000 once those diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder are included. #Israel#Gaza
#Cyprus, the closest #EU member state to the #MiddleEast, has offered to establish a humanitarian corridor to collect, inspect and store aid before shipping it to #Gaza, about 230 miles (370km) away.
“#Russia now has an interest in prolonging this conflict in the #MiddleEast,” said a senior European diplomat in #Moscow, speaking on conditions of anonymity. He said he feared an all-out #Israel-#Hezbollah war would further derail any help for #Ukraine.
US news outlet #Axios and Israeli website #Ynet, both citing unnamed Israeli officials, reported that Qatari mediators had told #Israel that #Hamas was prepared to resume talks on new hostage releases in exchange for a #ceasefire. #Qatar
Lana Nusseibeh, the envoy of the #UnitedArabEmirates, expressed the uneasiness of the Arab world that in the absence of “bold and perhaps uncomfortable decisions” to reverse the drift towards regional conflict, “the alternative is the hellscape of #Gaza expanded into the #WestBank, #Israel, #Lebanon, and other parts of the #MiddleEast”.
The captain and crew deserve a big fat New Year bonus.
The #MaerskHangzhou was struck by a missile at around 1730 GMT on Dec 30 about 100km south-west of Al Hodeidah, #Yemen. Then a US warship shot down another two anti-ship ballistic missiles.
Later at around 0330 GMT on Dec 31, the same ship was attacked by #Houthi rebels in four small boats. #Israel#Iran
The warning comes after the #US military said four boats from #Houthi-controlled areas in #Yemen fired at the #MaerskHangzhou and came within metres of the vessel as US helicopters fired back. #Iran#Israel#Gaza
#Iran confirms deploying warship to #RedSea as tensions rise
Iranian state media confirmed #Tehran sent a warship to the Red Sea as the area rapidly militarises.
The #IRISAlborz , part of the 94th Naval Fleet of the Iranian army, travelled through the Bab al-Mandeb Strait near #Yemen to arrive at the Red Sea. #Israel#Houthi#Gaza
In 2020 #Iran's frigate warship, the #IRISAlborz, was upgraded with new indigenously developed combat systems including an improved fire control system (FCS) and an electronic warfare system (EWS).
It's almost certain the #Houthis asked for backup after #US combat helicopters sank three Houthi raider boats attacking the #MaerskHangzhou in the #RedSea. #Israel
Under the plan, originally proposed by #Nicosia last month, ships would travel to #Cyprus for security checks before heading 370 kilometers to #Gaza's coast in a route that would avoid Egyptian or Israeli borders.
Israel “will not boycott” proceedings launched by #SouthAfrica at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), Israel’s National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi has said, the Israeli news site Ynet is reporting.
TEL AVIV — Israel says five of its military brigades, including many reservists, will be withdrawing from the #GazaStrip this week in an effort to pace itself for an expected long-term conflict and to mitigate damage to Israel’s economy.
“I don’t think he has the ability [to respond]" , says Amit Segal, chief political analyst at #Israel’s Channel 12. “Prior to the war, his allies (far-right ministers, Itamar) Ben Gvir, and (Bezalel) Smotrich would have demanded him to do so and dragged him to do it. Now they can’t because it’s a war and after the war, I think it will be the least of his problems.”
Officials say four people were killed in the attack, including a “senior #Palestinian official”, Reuters reports, quoting two unnamed security sources. The Associated Press, citing #Hezbollah TV, named the person as “top #Hamas official #SalehArouri” #Israel#Lebanon
Witness reports spoke of two explosions 15 minutes apart in the south-central city of #Kerman tearing into the crowds that had gathered to mark the death of #Suleimani, once regarded as the most powerful figure in the Middle East, and responsible for extending Iranian influence in #Lebanon, #Syria and #Iraq.
Crack legal teams are being assembled, countries are issuing statements in support of #SouthAfrica, and #Israel has said it will defend itself in court, reversing a decades-old policy of boycotting the #UN’s top court and its 15 elected judges.
The first hearing in #TheHague is set for 11 and 12 January.
At least 84 people died when two blasts ripped through the crowd near #Suleimani’s tomb in the city of #Kerman, four years after he was killed by a US drone strike in #Baghdad. Suleimani had been a staunch enemy of IS, which resents the damage he did to its cause in #Iraq and #Syria. #ISIS#Israel
The ship sent a message on the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations portal, saying five to six unknown armed personnel had boarded on Thursday evening, the statement said.
Wow, if our own secretary of defense tried this stunt he'd be fired and out a job by morning 🙄
Under the plan, #Israel’s war in the territory would continue until it had secured the return of the #hostages taken on 7 October, dismantled #Hamas’s “military and governing capabilities” and removed any remaining military threats.
Gallant unveiled the plan to the press before submitting it to prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s war cabinet, #PostWarGaza
#Teheran - Iranian President #EbrahimRaisi joined mourners in #Kerman on Jan 5 for the funerals of the 89 people killed in twin blasts claimed by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (#ISIS) group, state media said. Despite the claim of responsibility by ISIS, Iranian officials have continued to suggest #Israel's and #US involvement. #KermanBombing
In a second nationally televised address within three days, #Nasrallah said that all of #Lebanon would be “exposed” if there was no response from his group to the killing of #SalehAlArouri, further heightening fears of a dangerous escalation in the conflict, even as #Israel warned its military was ready for any eventuality. #Hezbollah
About 90% of #children under the age of two are consuming two or fewer food groups, #UNICEF said in a statement on Friday.
Most families said their children are only getting grains – including bread – or milk, which would meet the definition of severe #FoodPoverty, it said. #Gaza#Israel
#SalehAlArouri’s assassination took place in the #Hezbollah stronghold of #Beirut’s southern suburbs, even as the group has attempted to pursue a policy of supporting #Hamas in #Gaza while stopping short of triggering its own major war with #Israel.
Friday’s comments by Hezbollah’s head, #HassanNasrallah, were, however, more forceful than those made earlier this week.
#India’s navy said its commandos have rescued all crew members from a Liberian-flagged merchant vessel after its attempted hijack in the #ArabianSea, and that it had not found any pirates on board.
The subcontinent’s navy said on Friday that 21 crew members, including 15 Indians, were rescued from the #MVLilaNorfolk after they intercepted the vessel. #Israel
The #US learned that the terror group #IslamicState (IS) was behind Wednesday’s twin bomb attacks in Iran that killed dozens from “communications intercepts”, Reuters is reporting. #KermanBombing#Iran#Israel
The The US secretary of state, #AntonyBlinken, arrived in #Istanbul late on Friday for the first leg of a trip that includes visits to #Israel and #WestBank, along with five Arab states.
Blinken’s fourth crisis tour since the start of the Israel-Hamas war three months ago comes with fears mounting that the conflict will engulf swathes of the #MiddleEast.
Judging from the positive outcome of this meeting, I'm going to assume that the discussion on the other items on the table (ie. #F16's for #Turkey, #Sweden's #NATO membership) also went well. #Israel#Erdoğan
Under the #ICJ’s rules a state that does not have a judge of its nationality already on the bench can choose an ad hoc judge to sit in their case. #TheHague
Top officials in the #IsraelDefenseForces and Israeli government have reportedly been warned by a top legal expert that the #InternationalCourtOfJustice could issue an injunction requiring the country to halt its bombardment of #Gaza, following a motion filed by #SouthAfrica last week. #Israel
“The levels of #hunger are quite severe in #Gaza. From #Rafah to the north, it gets worse, the farther north you go. We’re making a concerted effort to try to import more food into Gaza and make sure it gets to people in need, including the 1.4 million people in the Rafah governorate." - Scott Anderson, UNRWA’s Gaza deputy director
#SouthAfrica’s lawsuit seeking a halt to the Israeli assault on #Gaza comes after years of deteriorating relations rooted in the #ANC’s decades-long support for the #PalestinianCause and the legacy of #Israel’s close military alliance with the #apartheid regime during some of the most oppressive years of white rule. #TheHague#ICJ
Why it matters: MBZ's refusal underscores the position of many Arab countries that have said they won't foot the bill to maintain the status quo in the #WestBank and #Gaza after the war.
"The notion that Arab countries will come in to rebuild and pay the bill for what's currently happening is wishful thinking," an Emirati official told Axios.
#Fixers with alleged links to Egyptian intelligence are making a fortune in ‘fees’ from people hoping to exit through the #RafahCrossing. #Egypt, a key regional player in negotiations on #Gaza, has long resisted opening the Rafah crossing, fearing that millions of people would flee into the neighbouring Sinai peninsula. #Israel
Expressing concern that the war between #Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group #Hamas in the #GazaStrip could spread in the wider #Middle East, he called for a “ceasefire on every front, including #Lebanon”.
A variety of metal tubes and components as well as shell casings were stacked in an overground workshop area, while in another area, long metal racks holding missiles could be seen, with an elevator leading down into the tunnel. #Gaza#Israel#Hamas.
#Jordan's army has stepped up a campaign against #DrugDealers after clashes last month with dozens of people suspected of links to pro-Iranian #militias, who were carrying large hauls over its border with #Syria along with weapons and explosives.
Jordan and its Western allies have blamed #Lebanon-based #Hezbollah and other pro-Iranian militia as being behind the surge in smuggling. #captagon#Assad#Israel
Just wanted to comment that #Jordan's air force and it's pilots have always been top notch (the late King Hussein was an avid pilot). Which was why Jordanian air fields were among #Israel's primary targets in the 1967 Six Day war.
My guess is that US & Israeli intel helped guide the airstrikes on #Syria' s #captagon drug warehouses.
Dr Ng said #Singapore is contributing to the coalition operation in the #RedSea – launched by the #US on Dec 19, 2023 – as it aligns with the three principles of maritime security cooperation that the Republic articulated at the Shangri-La Dialogue in 2005 when the #MalaccaStrait and #SingaporeStrait were threatened by #piracy and sea robbery. #Houthi#Israel
#Hezbollah said that it had targeted the “enemy’s northern command centre in the city of #Safed with several drones” in retaliation for the killing of Hezbollah field commander #WissamAlTawil in #Lebanon on Monday, as well as an attack on #Hamas’s deputy leader #SalehAlArouri in #Beirut last week.
“More children have died in #Gaza than in all other conflicts around the world this past year,” Abdullah said according to the speech which was carried on state media. “Of those who have survived, many have lost one or both parents — an entire generation of orphans.”
In three months, according to figures released last week by the International Organization for Migration, about 76,000 people have been driven from southern #Lebanon.
Local authorities in #Tyre, a pretty seaside city with ancient ruins, are registering between 200 and 300 newly displaced people each day. #Hezbollah#Israel#Gaza
US Secretary of State #AntonyBlinken urges Israel to support Palestinian leaders willing to live peacefully alongside Israelis and warned the daily toll in its war with #Hamas in #Gaza was far too high. #Israel
After months of all-out war to root out #Hamas' brutality has drawn #Israel into what looks like a no-win situation, a war in which it is trying to destroy the militant group but can't keep up the same pressure without backlash over the devastation it brings. #Gaza
A legal hearing into the war in #Gaza has opened in #TheHague, as the international court of justice (#ICJ) hears arguments alleging that #Israel is committing genocide of #Palestinians.
While the security firm Ambrey did not name the vessel, shipping tracking service TankerTrackers said the vessel was the #StNikolas, which in 2023 had been seized by the #US in a sanctions enforcement operation under a different name, #SuezRajan.
The tanker's AIS tracking system was turned off as it headed in the direction of the Iranian port of Bandar e-Jask. #Iran#US#Israel#ArabianSea
#Israel has shown “chilling” and “incontrovertible” intent to commit genocide in #Gaza, with full knowledge of how many civilians it is killing, the UN international court of justice in #TheHague has heard, at the opening of a case Israel has described as baseless. #ICC
Initial reports suggested that as many as a dozen sites in #Yemen had been targeted, aimed at military targets, using fighter jets and ship-launched Tomahawk #CruiseMissiles, suggesting a broad assault intended to quickly deter the #Houthis.
#SouthAfrica has filed a lawsuit with the #UN’s top court asking judges to impose emergency measures ordering #Israel to immediately halt the #Gaza offensive, alleging that Israel’s actions in the war there amount to #genocide. #TheHague#ICC
The ship loaded around 145,000 metric tonnes of oil in the #Iraqi port of #Basra and was heading to #Aliaga in western #Turkey via the #SuezCanal, Empire Navigation told Reuters. It said it had lost contact with the vessel, manned by a crew of 19 including 18 #Filipino nationals and one #Greek national. #StNikolas#Israel#Gaza
The #Houthis are an armed group from a sub-sect of #Yemen's #Shia Muslim minority, the #Zaidis. They take their name from the movement's founder, Hussein al Houthi.
Formally known as the Ansar Allah (Partisans of God), the group was formed in the 1990s to combat what they saw as the corruption of the then president, #AliAbdullahSaleh. #Iran#Israel
The numbers that capture the state of #Gaza after 100 days of war are staggering: Nearly 2 million displaced, thousands of homes destroyed and nearly 24,000 dead — 10,000 of them children.
Since the outbreak of war on Oct. 7, when the militant group #Hamas broke into southern #Israel and killed 1,200 people and kidnapped some 250 more, the toll of Israel's response on Gaza, which is governed by Hamas, has been catastrophic for the territory.
#Germany intends to send the F-124 Gessen frigate to the #RedSea on Feb. 1 as part of a new #EU mission (separate from the US-UK fleet) to protect maritime trade from attacks by Yemeni #Houthi rebels, German newspaper Welt reported on Jan. 14.
The frigate is equipped for radio reconnaissance, capable of simultaneously detecting 1,000 targets, armed with anti-aircraft missiles, and can deploy attack helicopters. #Israel#Gaza
The #UN agencies did not directly blame #Israel but said aid delivery was hindered by the opening of too few border crossings from Israel, a slow vetting process for trucks and goods going into #Gaza, and continuing fighting.
This is part of #EU's push to be more independent defense-wise instead of being mostly reliant on the #US. #France, in particular, has been wanting this to happen for the longest time.
EU member states gave initial backing on Tuesday (16 January) for the creation of a #NavalMission to protect ships from attacks by #Iran-backed Houthi terrorists in the #RedSea, according to several European diplomats. #Israel#Houthis
The strikes in #Pakistan came less than a day after Iranian missile strikes in #Syria and #Iraq, part of a string reprisals against #Tehran’s enemies in the wake of a double suicide bombing in the city of #Kerman on 3 January which killed more than 80 Iranians. #IslamicState (IS) claimed responsibility for that attack. #Balochistan#KermanBombing#Israel#Gaza
#Pakistan’s prime minister will hold an emergency security meeting on Friday with military and intelligence chiefs after trading deadly airstrikes with #Iran on militant targets this week, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP). #KermanBombing#Balochistan#Israel#Gaza
A senior #Houthi official has promised safe passage for Russian and Chinese vessels through the #RedSea, where the Iran-backed Yemeni militant group has been carrying out attacks on commercial ships in solidarity with #Palestinians in #Gaza. #Russia#China#Israel
Vessels loaded with foodstuffs are among those avoiding #Houthi attacks in the key waterway by sailing around #Africa, a longer and costlier route. But unlike #gas, #oil and #ConsumerGoods cargoes that have also been affected, lengthier shipping times risk making #PerishableFoods unsellable. #Yemen#Israel#Gaza
The #Cyprus government is facing growing criticism over British military bases on the island being used by #UK and #US forces to stage airstrikes on #Iran-backed #Houthi rebels in #Yemen.
The two installations, retained by the British after the country won independence in 1960 to end decades of colonial rule, operate as sovereign overseas territories beyond the reach of the republic. #RedSea#Israel#Gaza
#US bases in #Iraq and #Syria have also come under a spate of attacks in recent months. As it fired on #Pakistan, Iran also launched strikes on Iraqi and Syrian territory earlier this week.
But despite strong condemnation from both Pakistan and Iran, neither side appears to have an appetite for escalation. #KermanBombing#Israel#Gaza
I have a really bad feeling about this, hope I'm wrong 🤞
The security source, part of a network of groups close to #Syria's government and its major ally #Iran, said the multi-storey building was used by Iranian advisers supporting President Bashar al-Assad's government, and that it was entirely flattened by "precision-targeted Israeli missiles". #Israel
The #RedSea attacks fit in with #Iran's strategy of expanding and mobilising its regional Shi'ite network of armed militias to project its influence and show its ability to threaten maritime security in the region and beyond.
They said #Tehran wanted to show that the #Gaza war could be too costly for the West if it drags on - and could have catastrophic consequences in the region as things escalate. #Israel#Yemen#Houthi
#Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (#IRGC) says four of its “military advisers” have been killed in an Israeli air strike on a residential building in #Syria’s capital, #Damascus. A well-informed source told Al Jazeera the target was an IRGC intelligence unit, adding that a senior IRGC intelligence official in Syria and his assistants were in the building. #Mazzeh#Israel
“We need a humanitarian ceasefire now, we can’t wait another 100 days,” the #UAE Ambassador to the United Nations, #LanaNusseibeh, said in an online interview from New York. “The risks are high, the war in #Gaza is very clearly an open wound and it’s destabilizing the region,” she said, adding that the US could play a critical role in easing the tensions. #Israel
DOHA/ #GAZA (Reuters) - #Israel pounded targets across the #GazaStrip on Saturday while its planes dropped leaflets on the southern area of #Rafah urging #Palestinians seeking refuge there to help locate hostages held by #Hamas, residents said.
"They are asking people's help because they are unable to get to their hostages because of the resistance," said Abu Ali, one north Gaza resident. "End the war, #Netanyahu, and get your people back," he told Reuters.
The number of targets is considerably lower than the 60 which were struck in the first air raids on #Yemen made by the two countries 10 days earlier.
The latest raid marks the eighth time the #US has conducted strikes on #Houthi targets this months and the second time that the UK has participated. #RedSea#Israel
About 20 relatives of people seized as captives by #Hamas in the 7 October attack disrupted a #Knesset finance committee meeting on Monday, chanting: “Release them now, now, now!”
“We used to send #Gaza 600 trucks a day. But for the past two to three days, we are not delivering more than 200 to 200 trucks (of aid) a day. How are these people (in Gaza) living?” he asked a gathering of military officers and state officials.
The ruling, if granted, would probably take the form of an order to Israel to announce a #ceasefire in #Gaza and allow more #UN#HumanitarianAid into the country.
The announcement of Pandor’s travel plans reflects a confidence in #Pretoria that their request is going to be met at least partially. #TheHague#SouthAfrica
Data suggests a marked increase in European customers' interest in Turkish products as Chinese goods are becoming more expensive and are facing delayed deliveries.#Turkey has road access to 58 countries' markets, a potential advantage considering the soaring transport costs from the #FarEast.
People are so desperate for food in #Gaza that they are grinding up #AnimalFeed to use as #flour, says a charity, warning that “#famine is looming across the territory”. #Israel
Friday’s ruling at the International Court of Justice (#ICJ) does not deal with the core accusation of the case – whether #genocide occurred – but will focus on the urgent intervention sought by #SouthAfrica. #TheHague#Israel
Granting #SouthAfrica’s application for special measures, the court did not have to find whether #Israel had committed #genocide, which will be determined at a later date, only that its acts were capable of falling within the #GenocideConvention and urgent preventative action was necessary. #TheHague#ICJ
Privately, #US defense officials have said that strikes alone are unlikely to deter the #Houthis, who both have survived a decade of war and, since their attacks on nearby waters, enjoyed an elevated status in a region angered by #Israel’s war in #Gaza.
Biden administration officials have said that Beijing is pressing the Iranians. #Iran#Yemen#RedSea
The meeting scheduled for Wednesday was called by #Algeria, whose Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it would give a “binding effect to the pronouncement of the International Court of Justice on the provisional measures imposed on the Israeli occupation”. #TheHague
"Unequal #justice is no justice at all. Nothing can be more destabilising than the lack of justice. That matters for #Gaza, it matters for #Ukraine, and it matters in conflict zones from #Ethiopia to #Myanmar." #Russia#TheHague
NEW YORK, USA – #UnitedNations Secretary-General #AntonioGuterres vowed on Sunday, January 28, to hold to account “any #UN employee involved in acts of terror” after allegations that some refugee agency staffers were involved in the October 7 #Hamas attacks on #Israel.
But Guterres implored governments to continue supporting the UN refugee agency for #Palestinians (#UNRWA) after multiple countries paused funding.
The spectre of a direct #US-#Iran military conflict drew closer on Sunday when the US president #JoeBiden announced three US servicemen have been killed and more than 34 injured following a drone attack on a US service base on the border of #Jordan and #Syria. #Israel#Gaza
Before the talks in #Paris, the Associated Press reported that #US negotiators including the #CIA director, #WilliamBurns, had provided a framework for negotiations focused on a two-month pause in fighting between Israeli forces and Hamas.
#US Ambassador to the #UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield welcomes a UN inquiry into the accusations against staff at the United Nations Relief and Works Agency(#UNRWA) for Palestine Refugees in the Near East and a planned agency review. Washington provides UNRWA with $300-400 million a year. #Israel#Gaza
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