Page 2 - Hamas

Gaza's freed hostages meet Pope Francis, push campaign to bring others home

A delegation of former hostages held by Hamas in Gaza and their relatives met Thursday with Pope Francis and expressed hope that the incoming and outgoing US administrations would work together to bring the remaining hostages home. The freed hostages included Yelena Troufanov, who was released last November but whose son Sasha remains in Gaza and appeared in a video released Wednesday by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group. You see in the picture how my child has changed over the course of this year, Yelena Troufanov told a news conference in Rome after the papal audience. I am very worried about his condition, I see that he is not in a good mental state and not in a good physical state. She and the other former hostages and relatives renewed their calls for a deal to bring the remaining hostages home, especially with winter approaching. They said they hoped the incoming Trump administration would work with the outgoing Biden administration to push the process forward. The war star

Israel kills 200 Hezbollah terrorists, destroys 140 launchers in a week

Targets included a launcher from which rockets were fired into the Western Galilee and central Israel on Tuesday and Wednesday

Qatar suspends mediation efforts on Gaza, Hamas office may have to leave

Qatar has suspended its key mediation efforts between Hamas and Israel, it said Saturday, after growing frustration with the lack of progress on a cease-fire deal for Gaza. It wasn't immediately clear whether the remaining Hamas leadership hosted by Qatar must leave, or where it would go. Hamas has good relations with Iran and Turkiye, and some of its leaders are now in Lebanon. However, Qatar is highly likely to return to mediation efforts if both sides show serious political willingness to reach a deal, according to an official with Egypt, the other key mediator. Qatar told Israel and Hamas it can't continue to mediate as long as there is a refusal to negotiate a deal in good faith and "as a consequence, the Hamas political office no longer serves its purpose in Qatar, a diplomatic source briefed on the matter said. Qatar told Hamas it will have to leave if it isn't ready to engage in serious negotiations, the source said. In Washington, a US official said the Biden administratio

'Serves no purpose': Why Qatar won't mediate between Israel and Hamas

Officials say Qatar has decided to suspend its key mediation efforts between Hamas and Israel. However, Qatar is highly likely to return to the efforts if both sides show serious political willingness to reach a deal on the war in Gaza, according to one official. A diplomatic source briefed on the matter said both Israel and Hamas, along with the United States, were informed after the decision was made. The source added that as a consequence, the Hamas political office no longer serves its purpose in Qatar. The announcement comes after growing frustration with the lack of progress on a cease-fire deal.

US elections: What Trump's win means for Israel-Hamas, Russia-Ukraine wars?

Donald Trump's return to the presidency introduces a shift in US foreign policy, favouring Israel's military objectives and proposing negotiation-focused approaches to the Ukraine conflict

Israel PM Netanyahu dismisses defence minister as wars rage, protests erupt

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday dismissed his popular defence minister, Yoav Gallant, in a surprise announcement that came as the country is embroiled in wars on multiple fronts across the region. The move sparked protests across the country. Netanyahu and Gallant have repeatedly been at odds over the war in Gaza. But Netanyahu had avoided firing his rival before taking the step as the world's attention was focused on the US presidential election. Netanyahu cited significant gaps and a crisis of trust between the men in his Tuesday evening announcement. In the midst of a war, more than ever, full trust is required between the prime minister and defence minister, Netanyahu said. Unfortunately, although in the first months of the campaign there was such trust and there was very fruitful work, during the last months this trust cracked between me and the defence minister. In the early days of the war, Israel's leadership presented a unified front as it responded to

Israeli strike kills 20 in north Gaza, where Palestinians are without food

An Israeli airstrike in northern Gaza killed at least 20 people, mostly women and children, Palestinian officials said Tuesday, as Palestinians fled Israel's assault. Some said they had hardly eaten, with aid cut off for weeks to the most isolated and heavily destroyed part of the territory. Israel has been waging an offensive in Gaza's northernmost end for weeks, saying it is targeting Hamas militants who regrouped in the area. The UN has said Israel hasn't allowed food and other supplies into the area north of Gaza City since the assault began, even as tens of thousands of people remain there. That has drawn rebukes from the Biden administration, which has warned that US laws might force it to curb military aid to Israel if more aid is not allowed in. The strike late Monday hit a home where several displaced families were sheltering in the town of Beit Lahiya, near the border with Israel, according to Hossam Abu Safiya, the director of the recently raided and barely functioning ..

Israeli airstrike kills 20 people in North Gaza, say Palestinian officials

Palestinian medical officials say an Israeli airstrike in the northern Gaza Strip has killed at least 20 people, mostly women and children. Hossam Abu Safiya, the director of a nearby hospital that received the casualties, said the strike late Monday hit a home in the town of Beit Lahiya where multiple families were sheltering. The dead included eight women and six children, according to a list provided by the Gaza Health Ministry's emergency service. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military. Israel has been waging a massive offensive in northern Gaza which was already the most isolated and heavily destroyed part of the territory for nearly a month. It has ordered the complete evacuation of Beit Lahiya, the nearby town of Beit Hanoun and the urban Jabaliya refugee camp, and has allowed almost no humanitarian aid into the area for over a month. Tens of thousands of people have fled to nearby Gaza City in the latest wave of displacement in the war, which began whe

Highlights: PM Modi condemns attack on Hindu temple in Brampton, asks Canada to uphold rule of law

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Netanyahu visits Lebanon border, vows to push Hezbollah beyond Litani River

Netanyahu's visit to the Lebanese border included an assessment with the commanders regarding the operational picture

Israel kills Hezbollah's top commander, captures official in separate ops

Sharing a post on X, the IDF wrote, 'Commander of the Hezbollah Nasser Unit's Missiles and Rockets Array, Jaafar Khader Faour, was eliminated in the area of Jouaiyya in southern Lebanon'

Israeli forces capture senior Hezbollah operative in north Lebanon

An Israeli military official said Saturday that Israeli naval forces captured a senior Hezbollah operative in north Lebanon. The operation took place in the northern Lebanese town of Batroun, the official said without providing the name of the person they detained. Earlier on Saturday, Lebanese authorities said it was investigating whether Israel was behind the capture of a Lebanese sea captain who was taken away by a group of armed men who had landed on the coast of Batroun on Friday. The operative has been transferred to Israeli territory and is currently being investigated, the official said.

Indian embassy in constant touch with diaspora in Israel, says MEA

The Ministry of External Affairs expressed its concern on the recent developments in West Asia after precision strike of Israel on Iran's military sites

Lebanese ship captain snatched by armed men, officials probe link to Israel

A Lebanese ship captain was taken away by a group of armed men who landed on a coast north of Beirut, authorities said Saturday, adding they were investigating whether Israel was involved. Two Lebanese military officials confirmed to the Associated Press that a naval force landed in Batroun, about 30 kilometres north of Beirut, and abducted a Lebanese citizen. Neither gave the man's identity or said whether he was thought to have links to Lebanon's Hezbollah group. They did not confirm whether the armed men were an Israeli force. Speaking to Lebanon's Al-Jadeed TV, Minister of Public Works and Transport Ali Hamie declined to go into details or answer questions about whether it was thought to be an Israeli operation. Three Lebanese judicial officials told AP the incident occurred at dawn Friday, adding that the captain might have links with Hezbollah. The officials said an investigation is looking into the man is linked to Hezbollah or working for an Israeli spy agency and an Israeli

UAE to provide subsidised bread to Gazans under 'Chivalrous Knight 3' op

The continuous relief initiatives and campaigns implemented by the UAE aim to support displaced Palestinian families

Singapore urges all parties to reach ceasefire in Gaza, release hostages

Singapore has urged all parties in the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict to reach a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza and immediately release of all hostages unconditionally. Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan also expressed Singapore's "deep concern" over the Israeli Parliament's recent legislation that bans UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA from operating in Israel and occupied East Jerusalem. The law was passed on October 28. The concern is how it "will hamper or hinder the essential work of UN agencies in providing relief to the people in Gaza and beyond", he said. "Singapore commends the work of Unicef, UNRWA and the other UN agencies for the essential role they provided and continue to provide for life-saving support in Gaza," he said, ahead of a ceremony that saw local charity Rahmatan Lil Alamin Foundation (RLAF) handing over SGD700,000 to UN children's agency Unicef. "We urge all parties to adhere to international law, including that we respect and protect the individual

Israel Defence Forces announces elimination of Hamas' political chief

According to IDF, Kassab played a crucial role in overseeing connections between Hamas and other terrorist organisations

Apocalyptic situation unfolding in North Gaza amid ongoing attacks: UN

Amid the ongoing crisis in the Middle East, the United Nations on Friday said that the "situation unfolding in North Gaza is apocalyptic" and said that the area continues to reel under the continuous attacks and is being denied basic aid and life-saving supplies.Sharing a post on X, the UN wrote, "The situation unfolding in North Gaza is apocalyptic.""UN & civil society leaders urge Israel to cease its assault on Gaza and on the humanitarians trying to help. They reiterate their call to everyone fighting to protect civilians," the post added.UN's Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) further urged parties engaged in conflict in Gaza to protect civilians and called on Israel to stop its attack on Gaza and on the humanitarians trying to help the residents of Gaza.Created by the United Nations General Assembly in 1991, the IASC is the longest-standing and highest-level humanitarian coordination forum of the United Nations system.In a statement, the IASC said, "We the leaders of 15

News updates: Rohit Bal, one of India's biggest fashion designers, dies as 63

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Israeli strikes kill 25 persons in central Gaza, 13 people in Lebanon

The death toll from Israeli strikes in the central Gaza Strip rose to 25, including five children, as more bodies were recovered, while officials said that 13 people were killed in airstrikes in Lebanon on Friday. Sixteen people had initially been reported killed in two strikes on Thursday on the Gaza Strip's central Nuseirat refugee camp, but officials from the Al-Aqsa hospital said bodies continued to be brought in. Overall, the hospital said they had received 21 dead from the strikes, including some transferred from the Awda hospital, where they had been brought the day before. One of the strikes killed an 18-month-old and his 10-year-old sister the children's mother was missing as of Friday while the father was killed by an Israeli airstrike four months ago, the family told The Associated Press at Aqsa hospital. Strikes on a motorcycle in Zuwaida and on a house in Deir al-Balah on Friday killed four more people, the hospital officials said, bringing the overall toll to 25. Th