Page 3 - Israel Iran Conflict

Israeli strike in Gaza kills 11 as Hamas accepts draft for ceasefire

An Israeli airstrike on a house in the Gaza Strip killed at least 11 Palestinians, health officials said on Tuesday. Earlier strikes in Gaza killed at least 18 people, including two women and four children, according to local health officials, who said one woman was pregnant and the baby died as well. The latest attacks came as Israel and Hamas appeared to be narrowing in on a ceasefire deal to end the 15-month war and release dozens of hostages. Two officials involved in the talks told AP that Hamas has accepted a draft agreement for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of dozens of hostages. An Israeli official said progress has been made but the details are being finalised. Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza began on October 7, 2023, when militants stormed into southern Israel and killed about 1,200 people and abducted around 250. A third of the 100 hostages still held in Gaza are believed to be dead. The Israel Hamas-war has killed more than 46,000 Palestinians in Gaz

India in unique position to talk to Russia-Ukraine, Israel-Iran: Jaishankar

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has underlined India's potential role in ending global conflicts, saying that it is one of the few countries that is in a position to hold talks with both Russia and Ukraine, and with Israel and Iran. Jaishankar, who is on a two-day visit to Spain, made these remarks during an interaction with the Indian community here on Monday in an apparent reference to the wars in Ukraine and in West Asia, where Israel is fighting Iran-backed Hamas. The minister said India is today seen as contributing to a global conversation that when the "world is looking at many, many challenges, different issues, we also come up with ideas and initiatives". There are very few countries today who are in a position to talk to Russia and to Ukraine, he said. He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi last year visited Russia twice and also went to Kyiv in Ukraine. India is one of the few countries which is in a position to talk to Israel and Iran as well and Prime Minister Mo

Gaza hostage-ceasefire deal 'closer than ever' as Trump pressures Netanyahu

Trump's Mideast envoy reportedly had a 'tense' meeting with Netanyahu, pressuring the Israeli PM to accept key compromises to secure a hostage deal ahead of the January 20 US presidential inauguration

US House passes bill to sanction ICC for Israeli PM, Gallant arrest warrant

The bill, titled the 'Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act,' passed with a vote of 243 to 140, signalling strong support for Israel

Israel denies reports Hamas forwarded list of 34 hostages for release

The denial comes amid ongoing negotiations between Hamas and Israel, mediated by Qatar, Egypt, and the US

Israel denies reports of Hamas sending list of hostages to be released

The statement of Israel's PM office came after it was reported by a UK-based news agency that Hamas had approved a list of 34 hostages that it would release in exchange for a ceasefire agreement

Hezbollah leader Nasrallah killed last year in war operations room: Aide

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli airstrike last year while inside the militant group's war operations room, according to new details Sunday disclosed by a senior Hezbollah official. A series of Israeli airstrikes flattened several buildings in Beirut's southern suburbs on September 27, 2023, killing Nasrallah. The Lebanese Health Ministry said six people died. According to news reports, Nasrallah and other senior officials were meeting underground. The assassination of Nasrallah, who had led Hezbollah for 32 years, turned months of low-level strikes between Israel and the militants into all-out war that battered much of southern and eastern Lebanon for two months until a US-brokered ceasefire took effect November 27. His Eminence (Hassan Nasrallah) used to lead the battle and war from this location, top Hezbollah security official Wafiq Safa told a news conference Sunday near near the site where Nasrallah was killed. He said Nasrallah died in the war ...

Fragile Israel-Hezbollah truce holding so far, despite violations

A fragile ceasefire between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah has held up for over a month, even as its terms seem unlikely to be met by the agreed-upon deadline. The deal struck on November 27 to halt the war required Hezbollah to immediately lay down its arms in southern Lebanon and gave Israel 60 days to withdraw its forces there and hand over control to the Lebanese army and UN peacekeepers. So far, Israel has withdrawn from just two of the dozens of towns it holds in southern Lebanon. And it has continued striking what it says are bases belonging to Hezbollah, which it accuses of attempting to launch rockets and move weapons before they can be confiscated and destroyed. Hezbollah, which was severely diminished during nearly 14 months of war, has threatened to resume fighting if Israel does not fully withdraw its forces by the 60-day deadline. Yet despite accusations from both sides about hundreds of ceasefire violations, the truce is likely to hold, analysts say

US plans $8 billion arms sale to Israel, maintains support to ally

The Biden administration says it is helping its ally defend against Iran-backed militant groups like Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen

Israel increasing grants to local authorities by hundreds of millions

And starting in 2025, 300 million Shekels ($81.52 million) will be added to the budget base

Netanyahu undergoes prostate removal amid crises on multiple fronts

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is having his prostate removed on Sunday, his office said, a procedure that comes as he manages multiple crises at once, including the ongoing war in Gaza and his own trial for alleged corruption. Netanyahu, 75, is among a cohort of older world leaders, including US President Joe Biden, 82, and President-elect Donald Trump, 78, whose health and physical fitness are under deep scrutiny both at home and abroad because of their advanced age and the effect that could have on their leadership. Netanyahu, who has had a string of health issues in recent years, has gone to great lengths to bolster a public image of himself as a fully healthy, energetic leader. During his trial this month he boasted about working 18-hour days, even if those long hours are accompanied by a cigar. But as Israel's longest-serving leader, such a grueling workload over a total of 17 years in power could also take a toll on his well-being. The procedure has already had a .

Israeli army forcibly removes staff, patients from Gaza hospital: Officials

Israeli troops stormed one of the last hospitals operating in northern Gaza on Friday, forcing many staff and patients outside to strip in winter weather, the territory's health ministry said. The army denied claims it had entered or set fire to the complex and accused Hamas of using the facility for cover. Kamal Adwan Hospital has been hit multiple times over the past three months by Israeli troops waging an offensive against Hamas fighters in surrounding neighbourhoods, according to staff. The ministry said a strike on the hospital a day earlier killed five medical staff. Israel's military said it was conducting operations against Hamas infrastructure and militants in the area and had ordered people out of the hospital, but said it had not entered the complex as of Friday night. It repeated claims that Hamas militants operate inside Kamal Adwan but provided no evidence. Hospital officials have denied that. The Health Ministry said troops forced medical personnel and patients to ..

Israel seized 85K Hezbollah weapons in Southern Lebanon operations

"The weapons confiscated were used by Hezbollah and were intended to harm the citizens of the State of Israel, IDF said

Israel's admission of killing Haniyeh justifies Oct 1 attack: Iranian envoy

Hamas leader Hanieyh's killing came hours after top Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr was killed in an Israeli air attack on the southern suburbs of Lebanon's capital, Beirut, on July 31

Foreign investments in Israel rise to $11.8 billion in first half of 2024

In 2023, the US was the leading source country for investments in Israel with $24 billion followed by France with $3.7 billion, India with $1.2 billion and the UK with $1.1 billion

Iran denies allegations of using kids to hit Israeli targets in Europe

Esmaeil Baghaei, spokesman for Iran said the allegations, are "absurd, shameful and immoral," adding that Iran "never had a proxy" nor needed one

Israel war, Budget, Fed rate cut: Top events that shaped markets in 2024

Stock market in 2024 so far: One of the most pivotal events impacting investor sentiment was the outcome of the 2024 General Elections

Israel's airstrikes on Gaza kill at least 20, say Palestinian medics

Palestinian medics say Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip have killed at least 20 people. One of the strikes overnight and into Monday hit a tent camp in the Muwasi area, an Israel-declared humanitarian zone, killing eight people, including two children. That's according to the Nasser Hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis, which received the bodies. Hospital records show another six killed in a strike on people securing an aid convoy and another two killed in a strike on a car in Muwasi. One person was killed in a separate strike in the area. The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the central city of Deir al-Balah said three bodies arrived after an airstrike on a school-turned-shelter in the built-up Nuseirat refugee camp. The Israeli military says it only strikes militants, accusing them of hiding among civilians. It said late Sunday that it had targeted a Hamas militant in the humanitarian zone. The war began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on Oct 7, 2023, ..

Iran hires locals, including minors to attack Israeli targets in Europe

Britain's MI5 has also issued warnings of an increase in Iran-linked attacks. But the Nordic countries are particularly vulnerable

Families of hostages face uncertainty despite hopes for Gaza ceasefire

Ilana Gritzewsky is fighting a battle against time to save her boyfriend from Hamas captivity. While there appears to be progress toward a deal to free the remaining captives in phases, Matan Zangauker would likely not be released in the first stage since he is a young man. Gritzewsky is terrified a deal could break down or he could die in captivity before he's freed. Gritzewsky knows first-hand the perils facing her boyfriend, who turned 25 on Wednesday. She was kidnapped and held hostage for 55 days before being released during the only previous ceasefire deal a year ago. All the hostages need to get out, said Gritzewsky. If we don't release all of the hostages all the hostages in captivity they will be dead. Many relatives of people held in Gaza find no reprieve in reports that negotiations toward a deal are progressing. The renewed ceasefire talks are just the latest twist in what's been more than 14 months of anguish, despair and uncertainty about their loved ones' fates. ..