Tag: Israel

  • ‘We are close to reaching a deal on a truce’, claims Hamas

    ‘We are close to reaching a deal on a truce’, claims Hamas

    In a significant development in Israel’s ongoing attacks on Gaza that has killed over 13,000 people, Hamas has reportedly claimed a possible ceasefire might be achieved today.

    Israel has not yet confirmed the deal which is said to be mediated by Qatar.

    According to Al Jazeera, Hamas official Izzat al-Rishq said the agreement will include a ceasefire, supply of aid into Gaza and shifting the injured to other countries for treatment.

    The deal is also said to include exchange of captives in efforts to release Palestinian women and children in Israeli prisons.

    Al-Rishq adds that the talks have been going on for weeks but PM Netanyahu “was stalling”, further stating that all the brigades in the Palestinian resistance approved of the deal.

    Previously, on Sunday, the Qatari PM said a deal to free some of the captives in return for a temporary ceasefire hinged on “minor” practical issues

    On the contrary, Israel’s Channel 12 reported the country’s war cabinet had discussed on Sunday that it is eager to negotiate on the hostages and wants to send a message to Qatar that it is ready to reach a deal.

    Israeli captives under Hamas

    Israel claims at least 237 people were taken hostage by Hamas during the October 7 attacks.

    Among the hostages are nationals from more than 40 countries including at least 20 Thai farm workers and allegedly 33 children.

    Hamas has released four hostages – two Israeli citizens and two US citizens, while one was recovered during an operation in Gaza.

    Israel also claims that the bodies of two female hostages were recovered near the Al-Shifa Hospital complex.

    Palestinians captives under Israel

    About 5,200 Palestinians are held in Israeli prisons before October 7 attacks.

    Since the attacks, Israel has arrested at least 2,960 more Palestinians during raids across the occupied West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem.

    These include at least 95 women and 37 journalists.

    Most of the people being held under laws and military orders that allow detention without trial or charge.

    Rights and monitoring groups report that at least 145 of them are reportedly children.

    While other reports claim that currently more than 200 children are held in Israeli prisons, including 26 on administrative detention.

  • Cardi B announces she’s dropping support for Biden for funding wars in Ukraine, Israel

    Cardi B announces she’s dropping support for Biden for funding wars in Ukraine, Israel

    Grammy winning rapper Cardi B has announced that she is no longer endorsing Democrat President Joe Biden for the 2024 elections, citing him funding wars in Ukraine and Palestine, leading to cuts in local budgets. Speaking on a live stream with her 169 million followers, the ‘Bodak Yellow’ rapper criticised the President for initiating budget cuts in library spending and sanitation, while sending massive aid packages to Ukraine and Israel.

    “I don’t give a f*** the résumé they send,” Cardi responded. “I’m not endorsing no presidents no more.”

    “Joe Biden is talking about, ‘Yeah, we can fund two wars.’ Motherfucker’s talking about, ‘We don’t got it, but we got it, we’re the greatest nation.’ No the fuck we’re not. We’re going through some shit right now. We are really, really, really f****d right now.”

    Cardi criticised the budget cut she said will worsen the sanitation in New York City “In New York, there is a $120m budget cut that’s going to affect schools, public libraries and the police department. And a $5m budget cut in sanitation … We are gonna be drowning in … rats.”

    Cardi had previously endorsed Joe Biden in the 2020 elections as a strong candidate against Republican president Donald Trump.

    Previously, the ‘WAP’ rapper went viral for shutting down an Israeli supporter who claimed Cardi was pro-Israel because she followed her TikTok account. To which the rapper responded ‘I DON’T LIKE YOU’ and unfollowed her.

    Cardi B’s criticism follows a fall in Biden’s support among American voters, with the latest poll by NBC showing the Democrat’s public approval has sank to 40 per cent now. Among the voters aged between 18-34, 70 per cent said they did not approve of Biden’s handling of the genocide of Gaza.

  • 29 premature babies evacuated from Gaza arrive in Egypt: media

    29 premature babies evacuated from Gaza arrive in Egypt: media

    AFP – Cairo, Egypt: Twenty-nine premature babies arrived in Egypt on Monday, Egyptian media said, after they were evacuated from Gaza’s largest hospital which has become a focal point of Israel’s war with Hamas.

    The infants were evacuated Sunday from the Al-Shifa hospital, which the World Health Organization has described as a “death zone” as Israel seeks to uncover what it says are Hamas bases in tunnels underneath the facility.

    An initial 31 babies were reported evacuated from Al-Shifa to another Gaza clinic and it was not immediately clear why only 29 arrived in Egypt.

  • Al Shifa hospital forcefully evacuated within hours on Israeli orders

    After days of attacking Al Shifa hospital in Gaza and raiding it room by room, the Israeli military has now forcefully evacuated premises on Saturday.

    The hospital’s Director, Mohammed Abu Salmiya, told Al Jazeera that the hospital is now “completely deserted” while the few patients and victims left are lying in corridors.

    He added that those in dire conditions, including newborns and kidney patients, “will die imminently if they are not evacuated,” further stating that Israeli soldiers “are in total control” and that the remaining medical staff “cannot move freely”.

    Earlier today,the Israeli military had ordered everyone — including doctors, patients and displaced people — to evacuate in an hour.

    This, as reported by Al Jazeera, created a sense of panic as it is impossible to flee Al Shifa in such a brief period. A Palestinian health official said that evacuees were “ordered at 9am [7:00 GMT] to leave while waving a white handkerchiefs and walk in a single-file line.”

    Medical staff and others present at Al Shifa revealed that there are patients who cannot be abandoned, including those who cannot walk.

    Munir al-Barsh, director-general of Gaza’s Health Ministry reported that about “450 patients were evacuated, while about 120 patients were left behind with five doctors, including the director and a few nurses, because they were immobile.”

    Additionally, a list of critical patients has been given to the Red Cross so they can be taken to Egypt for treatment.

    Adnan al-Barsh, head of orthopaedics at al-Shifa Hospital, stated that Israeli snipers are in and around the hospital compound, saying that “We were adamant on not leaving without our patients … we were forced to leave at gunpoint.”

    The Israeli army denied issuing the evacuation order, however, all officials and other people at Al Shifa have described the total opposite of Israeli claims.

  • Norway’s Parliament asks govt to be prepared for recognizing ‘independent’ Palestine

    Norway’s Parliament asks govt to be prepared for recognizing ‘independent’ Palestine

    Eight out of the ten parties represented in Norway’s parliament voted for the recognition of an independent Palestinian state in future.
    The proposition was propounded by the ruling coalition-to counter the resolution by smaller parties-calling for an immediate recognition of a Palestinian state.

    The resolution stated that the parliament “asks the government to be ready to recognize Palestine as an independent state when recognition could have a positive impact on the peace process, without making a final peace accord a condition.”

    The resolution has gained the ire of Israel as the process of evacuation of 60 Norwegian nationals from Gaza has been stopped as per reports.

    In Europe, Iceland, Sweden, Poland, Czech Republic, and Romania recognize the statehood of Palestine.

    Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has also ensured his parliament that the process of recognizing Palestinian’s right to statehood will be sped up.

    Belgium has also begun the process of recognizing the right.

    Irish opposition leader Mary Lou McDonald has reiterated the call for a ceasefire, asserting that “Palestinian people have a right to their homeland.”

  • Elon Musk’s attempt to silence pro-Palestine voices

    Elon Musk’s attempt to silence pro-Palestine voices

    In another controversial post on X (formerly Twitter), Elon Musk wrote that calls for genocide like ‘from the river to the sea’ will result in suspension i.e. X users who use the terms “decolonization”, “from the river to the sea” and other “similar euphemisms” that “necessarily imply genocide” will be suspended from the platform.

    This was followed criticism from pro-Palestinian users who asserted that such a policy restricts their free speech after which he posted again, stating that “anyone advocating the genocide of “*any*” group” would be suspended from X.

    Alluding to the River Jordan and the Mediterranean Sea, “From the river to the sea” is a pro-Palestine slogan used by Palestinian supporters who voice for the freedom of the occupied land. And now that the slogan is under scrutiny, it has been pointed out that labelling it as anti-semitic is a way to criminalise and silence pro-Palestinian narrative and curtail their free speech because following the events of October 7 when Hamas attacked Israel, Israel intensified attacks on Gaza that have killed more than 11,000 people which then resulted in increased criticism of Israel around the world.

    Elon Musk has claimed to be a “free speech absolutist” and that he bought Twitter (now X) to create a space where “a wide range of beliefs can be debated in a healthy manner.”

  • From north to south, now south to where? Palestinians warned to flee southern Gaza

    From north to south, now south to where? Palestinians warned to flee southern Gaza

    In a recent development, on Thursday, Israeli forces reportedly dropped flyers on some areas of Khan Younis, the largest city in south Gaza, warning the residents to clear the region since Israel is likely to increase attacks in southern Gaza as well.

    Previously, Israeli military bombed northern Gaza relentlessly and are also conducting ground operations.

    Khuzaa, Abassan, Bani Suhaila and Al Qarara in eastern Khan Younis, had a population of 100,000 “in peacetime” and is currently accommodating tens of thousands more who fled from the north.

    “For your safety, you need to evacuate your places of residence immediately and head to known shelters,” the leaflets said. “Anyone near terrorists or their facilities puts their life at risk, and every house used by terrorists will be targeted.”

    Already, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in the besieged Gaza strip with a population of 2.3 million, have fled south as north has been under heavy Israeli attacks.

    It has also been claimed that people in eastern Khan Younis are unsure where they can flee because Israel has also been attacking the south where Palestinians were previously directed to move for their protection.

    “We have been absolutely clear that at the current moment, we do not consider any part of Gaza to be safe,” UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said on Thursday.

  • Israel raids Gaza’s al-Shifa Hospital: Day two

    Israel raids Gaza’s al-Shifa Hospital: Day two

    Al Jazeera reports that a building for specialised surgeries at al-Shifa Hopital in Gaza has been fully wrecked from the inside while Israeli forces bombed a warehouse containing medicine and medical equipment inside the hospital.

    Reportedly the Israeli military “literally tore it apart – all the partitions, walls between the rooms, and all the medical equipment inside the building have been completely destroyed”, writes Al Jazeera.

    It has also been revealed that 200 people were “blindfolded and interrogated and taken to unknown areas; their fate is unknown.”

    Witnesses present inside the hospital informed Al Jazeera that Israeli soldiers stripped 30 people, leading them to the courtyard of the hospital.

    Al-Shifa hospital was surrounded by Israeli armed forces for the past few days, and is now being raided by Israeli soldiers.

    Israeli bulldozers have also fully knocked down the southern entrance to al-Shifa Hospital and all vehicles in its courtyard.

    Yesterday, BBC spoke to a journalist inside Al Shifa hospital who said that Israeli soldiers are checking through all the areas and interrogating people.

    Al Jazeera also reported that the Israeli military has stormed into the hospital’s main buildings “under the cover of heavy gunfire and tank shells”. They are reportedly inside the emergency department, the specialised surgeries department and the maternity ward.

  • Canada’s Trudeau tells Israel to end ‘killing of women, of children, of babies’

    Canada’s Trudeau tells Israel to end ‘killing of women, of children, of babies’

    Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has called for Israel to “stop killing of women, of children, of babies” in the besieged Gaza Strip. However, he did not mention the word ceasefire.

    Trudeau has received flak for his silence on civilian deaths at the hands of Israeli forces. In a video that emerged from a public meeting at Vancouver, Trudeau can be seen surrounded by protestors chanting, “Ceasefire Now”.

    In other videos, it can be seen that people were calling him out for his lack of conscience as protestors were shouting about him “having blood on his hand”

    In a conference in the western province of British Columbia Prime Minister Trudeau said, “The world is witnessing this killing of women, of children, of babies. This has to stop.” He further made his tone harder and said, “I urge the government of Israel to exercise maximum restraint, The world is watching, on TV, on social media – we’re hearing the testimonies of doctors, family members, survivors, kids who have lost their parents.”

    The statement has gained him the ire of Israel’s Netanyahu who addressed Trudeau in a post on X, “It is not Israel that is deliberately targeting civilians but Hamas that beheaded, burned and massacred civilians in the worst horrors perpetrated on Jews since the Holocaust, the forces of civilization must back Israel in defeating Hamas barbarism.”

    While Trudeau has maintained that Israel has the right to defend itself, Trudeau’s statement is seen as a major shift in the country’s stance, even though a complacent one. “The price of justice cannot be the continued suffering of all Palestinian civilians,” Trudeau said on Tuesday. “All wars have rules. All innocent life has equal worth. Israeli and Palestinian.”

    Last week, Trudeau called for a significant humanitarian pause in the conflict to allow for the release of all hostages and the delivery of enough aid to address civilian needs in Gaza.

    After France’s Macron, he has become the second leader from the West to call out Israel as a major shift of stance.

  • Israeli soldiers going door to door in Shifa Hospital for patient interrogation 

    Israeli soldiers going door to door in Shifa Hospital for patient interrogation 

    Al Shifa hospital in Gaza, which was surrounded by Israeli armed forces for the past few days, is now being raided by Israeli soldiers.

    BBC spoke to a journalist inside Al Shifa hospital who has told that Israeli soldiers are checking through all the areas and interrogating people.

    Al Jazeera also reported that the Israeli military has stormed into the hospital’s main buildings “under the cover of heavy gunfire and tank shells”. They are reportedly inside the emergency department, the specialised surgeries department and the maternity ward.

    Israeli soldiers are doing search operations “room by room, corridor by corridor, interrogating doctors and medical staff individually.”

    Israel is basing and justifying their operation on the claims that al-Shifa Hospital is being used by Hamas, however, this has not been proven with any evidence as yet.

    The Israeli army has also set up electronic checkpoints at multiple doors of the main buildings of the hospital and they are calling people inside including medical team, patients, the injured — to “officially” interrogate everyone in the premises.

    Gaza’s health ministry has reported that there are about 2,500 people inside the hospital at the moment. Apart from medical teams and patients, there are 600 wounded people and 36 neonates as well as displaced people seeking shelter.