Page 2 - Gaza Border Clash

'Don't have evidence' of Israel committing genocide in Gaza: Lloyd Austin

Austin referred to the horrors carried out by Hamas on October 7 as a 'war crime' but refrained from calling them a genocide at the hearing on Tuesday

India abstains from UN Human Rights Council Resolution on Gaza ceasefire

India backs resolution affirming the rights of the Palestinian people to self-determination

Will reopen border crossing with hard-hit northern Gaza, says Israel

Israel on Friday said it is taking steps to increase the flow of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, including reopening a key border crossing into hard-hit northern Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office announced the plans, just hours after President Joe Biden told him that future US support for the war in Gaza depends on Israel taking more action to protect civilians and aid workers. The announcement did not elaborate on quantities or types of items to be let in. Still, despite their differences, the Biden administration has continued to provide Israel crucial military aid and diplomatic support for Israel's six-month war against Hamas. Israel faces growing international isolation after its forces killed seven aid workers helping deliver food in Gaza. The Palestinian death toll soared above 33,000 people on Thursday, with another 75,600 wounded, Gaza's Health Ministry said. The ministry doesn't differentiate between civilians and combatants in its tally, but .

US welcomes new Palestinian govt following its call for political reform

The United States has welcomed the formation of a new Palestinian autonomy government, signalling it is accepting the revised Cabinet lineup as a step toward Palestinian political reform. The Biden administration has called for revitalising the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority in hopes that it can also administer the Gaza Strip once the Israel-Hamas war ends. The war erupted nearly six months ago, triggered by an October 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel. In a statement late Friday, US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said the United States looks forward to working with the new group of ministers to deliver on credible reforms. A revitalised PA is essential to delivering results for the Palestinian people in both the West Bank and Gaza and establishing the conditions for stability in the broader region, Miller said. The Palestinian Authority administers parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank. It is headed by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who has not faced a

US sanctions online media site Gaza Now, its founder for supporting Hamas

The US on Wednesday imposed sanctions on online media site Gaza Now and its founder Mustafa Ayash for allegedly supporting Hamas. US Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control says that after the October 7 attack by Hamas against Israel the online entity began a fundraising effort in support of the militant organisation. Gaza Now's Arabic channel has more than 300,000 followers on social media channel X, formerly known as Twitter, and a large following on the encrypted chat platform Telegram. Included in the sanctions are firms Al-Qureshi Executives and Aakhirah Ltd., and their director Aozma Sultana, who are alleged to have partnered on multiple fundraising efforts alongside Gaza Now. The sanctions were imposed in collaboration with the UK's Office of Foreign Sanctions Implementation. Treasury Under Secretary Brian Nelson said in a statement that the US and its partners "will continue to leverage our tools to disrupt Hamas' ability to facilitate further attacks. A representati

Talks resume to bring Israeli delegation to US for discussion on Gaza war

Talks have restarted aimed at bringing top Israeli officials to Washington to discuss potential military operations in Gaza, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cancelled a planned visit this week because he was angry about the US vote on a UN cease-fire resolution, two US officials said on Wednesday. No date has been finalised for strategic affairs minister Ron Dermer and national security adviser Tzachi Hanegbi to come to Washington, the officials said. The officials were not authorised to speak publicly about the sensitive discussions and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. An Israeli official said the White House had reached out with the goal of setting a new meeting. The official was not authorized to talk to the media and spoke on condition of anonymity. Netanyahu's office said the prime minister did not authorise the departure of the delegation to Washington. The prime minister cancelled the trip this week after the UN vote to demand a cease-fire in .

US will work towards 6-week immediate, sustained ceasefire in Gaza: Biden

Greeting the Muslim community across the world on the occasion of the holy month of Ramadan, US President Joe Biden on Sunday reiterated that the United States will continue working non-stop to establish an immediate and sustained ceasefire for at least six weeks as part of a deal that releases hostages. While we get more life-saving aid to Gaza, the United States will continue working non-stop to establish an immediate and sustained ceasefire for at least six weeks as part of a deal that releases hostages. And we will continue building toward a long-term future of stability, security, and peace. That includes a two-state solution to ensure Palestinians and Israelis share equal measures of freedom, dignity, security, and prosperity. That is the only path toward an enduring peace, Biden said. The United States will continue to lead international efforts to get more humanitarian assistance into Gaza by land, air, and sea, he said. Earlier this week, I directed our military to lead an

Pressure grows on Israel to open more aid routes into Gaza by land, sea

Efforts to get desperately needed humanitarian aid to war-wracked northern Gaza gained momentum Wednesday with the European Union increasing pressure for the creation of a sea route from Cyprus to Gaza and British Foreign Minister David Cameron saying that Israel's allies were losing patience. While aid groups say all of Gaza is mired in a humanitarian crisis, the situation in the largely isolated north stands out. Many of the estimated 300,000 people still living there have been reduced to eating animal fodder to survive. The U.N. says that one in six children under the age of 2 in the north suffers from acute malnutrition. Amid the global pressure to alleviate the crisis, two Israeli officials said Wednesday the government will begin allowing aid to move directly from its territory into northern Gaza and will also cooperate with the creation of the sea route from Cyprus. Israel would allow 20 to 30 aid trucks to enter northern Gaza from Israel on Friday, the start of more regular

Reasonable grounds to believe Hamas committed sexual violence on Oct 7: UN

The U.N. envoy focusing on sexual violence in conflict said in a new report Monday that there are reasonable grounds to believe Hamas committed rape, sexualized torture, and other cruel and inhumane treatment of women during its surprise attack in southern Israel on Oct. 7. There are also reasonable grounds to believe that such violence may be ongoing, said Pramila Patten, who visited Israel and the West Bank from Jan. 29 to Feb. 14 with a nine-member team. In the report, she said the team found clear and convincing information that some hostages have been subjected to the same forms of conflict-related sexual violence including rape and sexualized torture. Patten's report said the team's visit was neither intended nor mandated to be investigative in nature. She said the team was not able to meet with any victims of sexual violence despite concerted efforts to encourage them to come forward. However, team members held 33 meetings with Israeli institutions and conducted interview wi

Harris to meet Israeli official in Washington despite Netanyahu's rebuke

Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday is hosting a member of Israel's wartime Cabinet who is visiting Washington in defiance of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Benny Gantz, a centrist political rival of Netanyahu, is sitting down with several senior Biden administration officials this week, including Harris, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Jake Sullivan, the White House national security adviser. President Joe Biden is at Camp David, the presidential retreat just outside Washington, until Tuesday. An official from Netanyahu's far-right Likud party said Gantz did not have approval from the prime minister for his meetings in Washington and that Netanyahu gave the Cabinet official a tough talk underscoring the widening crack within Israel's wartime leadership nearly six months into the Israel-Hamas war. In her meeting with Gantz, Harris plans to press for a temporary cease-fire deal that would allow for the release of several categories of hostages being held by ...

Kamala Harris calls for immediate ceasefire in Gaza for next six weeks

US Vice President Kamala Harris has called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza for at least the next six weeks, as she called on the Israeli government to "do more" to increase the flow of aid in the war-ravaged enclave. Harris made the ceasefire call on Sunday during a speech in Selma, Alabama, to commemorate the 59th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, the annual remembrance of the landmark civil rights movement. The threat Hamas poses to the people of Israel must be eliminated, and given the immense scale of suffering in Gaza, there must be an immediate ceasefire for at least the next six weeks, which is what is currently on the table, Harris, 59, said. This will get the hostages out and get a significant amount of aid. This would allow us to build something more enduring to ensure Israel is more secure and to respect the right of the Palestinian people to dignity, freedom, and self-determination, the Indian-American leader said amidst applause from the audience. Hamas claims it wants

Highlights of the day: 400 farmer unions to be at 'Mahapanchayat' in Delhi

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Biden OKs military air drops of aid into Gaza after dozens die in tragedy

President Joe Biden said on Friday that the US will begin air-dropping humanitarian assistance into Gaza, a day after dozens of Palestinians were killed during a chaotic encounter with Israeli troops. The president announced the move after at least 115 Palestinians were killed and more than 750 others were injured, according to Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry, on Thursday when witnesses said nearby Israeli troops opened fire as huge crowds raced to pull goods off an aid convoy. Biden said the air drops will begin in the coming days. Israel said many of the dead were trampled in a stampede linked to the chaos and that its troops fired at some in the crowd who they believed moved toward them in a threatening way. Biden made the announcement while hosting Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni at the White house.

Biden, Qatari leader urge ceasefire, humanitarian aid after Gaza tragedy

The devastating chaos unfolded as Israeli troops opened fire on hungry Palestinian civilians gathered around food aid trucks, as reported by CNN

At least a quarter of Gaza's population one step from famine, says UN

At least one quarter of Gaza's population 576,000 people are one step away from famine and virtually the entire population desperately needs food resulting in aid trucks being shot at, looted and overwhelmed by hungry people, top UN officials said on Tuesday. The officials from the UN humanitarian office and the UN's food and agriculture organisations painted a dire picture of all 2.3 million people in Gaza facing crisis levels of food insecurity or worse, and civil order breaking down especially in the north where food and other humanitarian supplies are scarce. And as grim as the picture is today, UN humanitarian coordinator Ramesh Ramasingham told the UN Security Council that there is every possibility for further deterioration. He said that in addition to a quarter of Gaza's population close to famine, 1 in 6 children under the age of two in northern Gaza are suffering from acute malnutrition and wasting, where the body becomes emaciated. Carl Skau, deputy executive director

EAM S Jaishankar voices 'great concern' over situation in war-ravaged Gaza

Underling that the conflict in Gaza is of great concern, India on Monday said the humanitarian crisis arising from conflicts required a sustainable solution that gives immediate relief to those most affected. Addressing the 55th Session of the UN Human Rights Council, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that terrorism and hostage-taking are not acceptable and hoped that the conflict does not spread within or beyond the region. India strongly condemned the terror attack by Hamas on October 7 last year. At the same time, we must be clear that terrorism and hostage-taking are unacceptable, he said in his address via video link from New Delhi. He said that international humanitarian law must always be respected. It is vital that the conflict does not spread within or beyond the region, he said, adding that the efforts must also focus on seeking a two-state solution where Palestinian people can live within Israelis. Speaking at an interactive session at the Munich Security ...

Int'l community turning blind eye to 'genocide' in Gaza: Priyanka Gandhi

Priyanka also said that everyone will have to pay an "unimaginable price" for this if voices are not raised against it

48 people killed in Israeli airstrikes in Gaza amid calls for ceasefire

At least 48 people were killed in Israeli airstrikes in southern and central Gaza overnight, half of them women and children, the territory's health officials said. European diplomats stepped up calls for a cease-fire on Thursday, with alarm rising over the worsening humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip. Tensions were also rising in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, where three gunmen opened fire Thursday morning on the road near a checkpoint, killing one Israeli and wounding at least five, police said. Two of the attackers were killed and a third was found later and detained. Yoav Gallant, Israel's defence minister, said Thursday that Israel will expand the authority of its hostage negotiators, signalling a small sign of progress in ongoing international efforts to broker a cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas. But unless Hamas agrees to release the remaining Israeli hostages in Gaza, Israel will launch a ground offensive into the crowded southern city of Rafah during the .

Egypt setting up area at Gaza border for Palestinians to take shelter

One of the sources said Egypt was optimistic talks to clinch a ceasefire can avoid any such scenario, but is establishing the area at the border as a temporary and precautionary measure

West Bank settler population grew nearly 3%, Gaza war could give new push

The population of Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank grew nearly 3 per cent in 2023, according to a new report based on population statistics from the Israeli government. The report, released on Sunday by the pro-settler group WestBankJewishPopulationStats.com, found the settler population jumped to 517,407 as of December 31, from 502,991 a year earlier. The settler population has grown over 15 per cent in the last five years, the report said. Last year, it passed the half-million mark, a major threshold. This year's report predicted "accelerated growth" in the coming years, claiming the October 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel, which triggered the current war in Gaza, persuaded many Israelis who were formerly opposed to settlement-building on occupied land to change positions. "Serious cracks have indeed developed in the wall of opposition to Jewish settlement of the West Bank," it said. Israel captured the West Bank, east Jerusalem and Gaza Strip in the 1967 Mideast war