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Tag: Israel Defense Forces

  • Staff departures at Gaza hospital raised “deep concern”

    Staff departures at Gaza hospital raised “deep concern”

    UK doctors at the only working hospital in central Gaza are worried about patients and staff because there is more fighting between Israel and Hamas nearby.

    Deborah Harrington, a doctor who helps pregnant women at al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah with the British charity Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP), said that because of the fighting, fewer staff have been able to work at the hospital for the past two weeks.

    She said that around 600 to 700 patients are still being treated at the hospital every day, and many displaced people are staying there or nearby.

    “Without enough healthcare staff, it will be a big disaster for people living in Middle Gaza,” said surgeon Nick Maynard to the BBC.

    When the BBC asked the Israel Defense Forces about the reports, they said that their forces are 1. 5km (09 miles) away and there is no activity in that area.

    Hospitals are specially safeguarded by international laws about humanitarian issues. Every military operation near hospitals needs to make sure that patients, doctors, and other people inside them are kept safe.

    On Sunday, MAP and the International Rescue Committee (IRC) said their staff had to leave and stop working because of the Israeli military activity near the al-Aqsa Hospital.

    Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the leader of the World Health Organization (WHO), said that they have heard worrying news about more fighting and people being told to leave near the important al-Aqsa hospital. The facility’s director made more than 600 patients and many health workers leave.

    He said that al-Aqsa is the most important hospital in Gaza’s Middle Area and it needs to stay open and safe to help save lives.

    “He said we can’t let it get worse. It would be wrong to do that when so many people are hurt and suffering. ”

    Mr Maynard, a senior surgeon who worked at al-Aqsa’s surgical unit in Gaza for two weeks, said he and his team were instructed to leave last Friday. He spoke to the BBC from Cairo airport.

    I was working on a bad injury from an explosion all day. At 3:00, I finished working and found out there was an attack on the special hospital unit. We were told to leave.

    Two more doctors said they were told about something that happened in the ICU. Later, they saw pictures of a bullet in the wall of the ICU building on social media, but they didn’t see the incident happen.

    The BBC couldn’t confirm the reports. When they were asked about the incident, the IDF said they did not know about an air strike related to that incident.

    Another doctor, James Smith, who works with MAP, is now at al-Aqsa. He told the BBC that he heard gunshots on several days.

    “He said that the sound could be heard from about 1km to 2km away and sometimes even in the hospital courtyard. ”

    The UN said that there was fighting near the hospital on Tuesday.

    The health ministry in Gaza, which is controlled by Hamas, said that 57 people had died and 65 had been injured and taken to al-Aqsa hospital in the last day. They didn’t give any more information.

    On Wednesday, the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) reported that six people were killed in an Israeli attack on an ambulance near Deir al-Balah. Four people from the PRCS team and two others in the ambulance were killed.

    The Palestinian news agency Wafa said that the attack happened near al-Aqsa hospital and a journalist was killed.

    The IDF said on Thursday that they checked the information given to them and found that they did not attack the area mentioned. The IDF follows the rules of international law and does everything it can to reduce harm to civilians.

    The BBC checked videos from social media that show smoke and gun noises. We couldn’t figure out who was shooting or where it was happening.

    Images on social media also showed papers dropped by the IDF, which told people in some neighborhoods that they were in a “dangerous combat zone” and asked them to leave quickly to stay safe. They did not cover the area right next to al-Aqsa hospital.

    The BBC asked some doctors about the leaflets, and they said they were told about them but hadn’t seen them.

    Sean Casey, a person from the WHO who helps in medical emergencies, went to al-Aqsa hospital last weekend. He said the hospital is very close to needing to be evacuated.

    The IDF said that they did not give a specific order to evacuate al-Aqsa.

    Harrington said that two nurses who worked at al-Aqsa’s emergency room were killed in the last two weeks because of the fighting. Another staff member, who had already been forced to leave her home, had her house bombed.

    Dr Smith stated that a lot of Palestinian healthcare workers feel that it’s not safe for them to return to the hospital.

    “Some people I’ve talked to haven’t returned since Friday for sure. ”

    He said that he and his colleagues are worried about the people still in the hospital.

    “Many patients at the hospital cannot move, including the elderly, people with disabilities, babies in the neonatal unit, and those recovering from surgery. Also, there are many people who have been displaced from their homes living near the hospital. ”

    A lot of really bad injuries

    Three UK doctors saw very bad injuries and difficult conditions in al-Aqsa hospital.

    Mr Maynard said in the surgical unit, we didn’t have water to wash our hands. “We had to use alcohol gel before doing the surgery. ”

    “We didn’t have any curtains to cover the patients in the operating rooms, so we had to use makeshift gowns to keep the patients clean and free from germs. ”

    “There were only a few medical tools and not many stitches for sewing,” he said.

    Dr Harrington remembered working in the emergency room. There were no beds, so we had to take care of patients on the dirty and cold floor.

    “At times, the patients were so far away that the oxygen tubing couldn’t reach them. ” We were inserting chest tubes in very unclean conditions, not giving patients any respect.

    She said that they often don’t have morphine or other medicine to relieve pain.

    “I can’t stop thinking about a child who came in really burned, their hands were clenching. ” Their head was dark like charcoal, but they were still alive and talking. “We didn’t have any morphine,” she said.

    “I can’t forget the memory and the smell of being treated on the floor. ”

    Dr Smith, a doctor who helps in emergencies, said that a lot of patients came in with very bad injuries like burns, losing body parts, and deep cuts from shrapnel.

    We saw people who had lost their limbs in accidents. I saw a one-year-old child who had two arms cut off and the other two were really hurt.

    The UN’s OCHA said that there were heavy Israeli attacks from the air, land, and sea in many parts of Gaza on Tuesday, especially in the Deir al-Balah southern Khan Younis areas.

    “The attacks in these areas are causing many people to die and get hurt, and it’s having very bad effects on tens of thousands of civilians. Many of them had already moved to southern Gaza for safety,” it cautioned.

    Israel is fighting in Gaza to get rid of Hamas and rescue people that they have taken.

    It says it tries to keep civilians safe and blames Hamas for hiding fighters among them.

    The war started when Hamas fighters from Gaza attacked southern Israel on 7 October. At least 1,300 people, mostly civilians, were killed and 240 were taken hostage.

    More than 23,350 people, mostly children and women, have been killed in Gaza in the past 13 weeks of fighting, as reported by the health ministry run by Hamas.

  • Ten ‘terrorists’ reportedly killed by IDF forces in Khan Younis

    Ten ‘terrorists’ reportedly killed by IDF forces in Khan Younis

    Now we have news from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

    The military said that its soldiers have killed 10 “terrorists” in Khan Younis who were getting ready to launch rockets towards Israel.

    It says that its soldiers, along with the Israeli Air Force, attacked 30 important places in the city in southern Gaza. This includes underground places, buildings used for terrorism, and places where weapons are stored.

    The IDF found and took down three more Hamas members in different situations in the area.

    In a farm area in the middle of Gaza Strip, the IDF found a tunnel entrance, lots of money and weapons.

    In central Gaza, soldiers told a fighter plane where to go, and it bombed a place where they keep long-range rockets.

  • Gaza must remain open to Palestinians – Blinken

    Gaza must remain open to Palestinians – Blinken

    The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the Palestinians in Gaza should not be forced to leave and should be able to go back home when it is safe.

    Mr Blinken criticized Israeli ministers who said Palestinians should move to another place.

    The US government person visited Qatar during his recent trip to the Middle East.

    He made these comments after hearing that as many as 70 people died at Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza.

    Video from Jabalia showed dead bodies on the ground of a collapsed building, most of them were women and children.

    A person from the Israel Defense Forces told the BBC that they attacked a military target and didn’t know how many people were hurt.

    They said the army is working to stop Hamas’ violent attacks. The army is also trying to reduce harm to civilians and follow the law.

    More than 60 people from Palestine were said to have also died in the last 24 hours in the southern city of Khan Younis.

    Jabalia camp has been hit many times since Israel started fighting against Hamas after Hamas gunmen attacked southern Israel on 7 October.

    Around 1,200 people were killed, mostly civilians, and about 240 others were taken hostage during the Hamas attacks.

    More than 22,000 people, mostly women and children, have been killed in Gaza, as reported by the health ministry run by Hamas. At least 113 people have died in the past 24 hours from the Israeli bombing.

    “Palestinian people should be able to go back to their homes when it’s safe,” Mr. Blinken said on Sunday. “They can’t, they shouldn’t be forced to leave Gaza. ”

    Israel’s conservative Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich wants Palestinians to leave Gaza so that Israelis can move in and improve the area. He believes Israelis can make the desert fertile.

    National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, a far-right politician, recently suggested that people from Gaza should move to another place as a way to solve the crisis there.

    The Israeli government says that people from Gaza will be able to go back to their homes, but they haven’t said how or when it will happen.

    Meanwhile, things in Gaza keep getting worse. Health experts are saying that hospitals are no longer safe.

    Three global medical organizations said they are leaving the Al-Aqsa Hospital in central Gaza because Israel has told them to evacuate.

    A person from the United Nations who helps with emergencies said they are very worried about this situation.

    Gemma Connell said the hospital was very crowded and overwhelmed, and now it doesn’t have the help it needs to deal with more and more sick people.

    The boss of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said that the hospital had to make more than 600 patients and health workers leave.

    “Mr Tedros said on X, which used to be called Twitter, that we don’t know where they are right now. ”

    Mr Blinken went to the Middle East because things are getting more tense there. People are worried that the fighting in Gaza could get even worse and affect other areas nearby.

    Saleh al-Arouri, who was a leader of the group Hamas, was killed in an attack in southern Beirut. Two other leaders and four other members of Hamas were also killed. It is believed that Israel may be responsible for the attack.

    Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of a powerful group in Lebanon called Hezbollah, said that the killing of Arouri was a severe attack by Israel and that they will not get away with it.

    Hezbollah shot rockets into Israel on Saturday because they were upset about Arouri being killed.

    “This is a very tense time in the area. ” This is a problem that could get worse and cause more uncertainty and suffering, said Mr.

    Qatar’s PM Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani said that the killing of Arouri had made the situation more difficult.

    Mr Blinken also said that it was very sad that journalist Hamza al-Dahdouh, the oldest son of Al Jazeera’s Gaza bureau chief, was killed in a Israeli attack in southern Gaza.

    He said that too many innocent Palestinian people have died in the war.

    Mr Blinken went to Qatar after visiting Jordan, Turkey, and Greece. He went to Abu Dhabi on Sunday, and on Monday he is going to travel to Saudi Arabia.

  • Palestinian describes how Israeli army stripped and drove them away

    Palestinian describes how Israeli army stripped and drove them away

    A 22-year-old person from Palestine was taken by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in northern Gaza along with many others.

    Video confirmed by the media shows a bunch of men with just their underwear on, kneeling on the ground and being watched by Israeli soldiers.

    The man said he was made to sit on the street for a long time, with his hands cuffed and unable to see, before being taken away in a car.

    An Israeli leader said the soldiers were looking for members of Hamas.

    Mark Regev, who helps the Prime Minister of Israel, told the media they are trying to find the people who caused the massacre on October 7.

    The prisoners were moved in a truck from Beit Lahia in northern Gaza to a place that is not known. A young man said this, but he wanted to stay anonymous for his safety.

    After they got there, they were picked randomly to be asked questions about their connection to Hamas.

    The 22-year-old said that the place where he, his father, brother, and five cousins were taken was sandy. They were left almost naked but given a blanket at night.

    After he was asked some questions, he says he was brought to a different place and then told to go home. He got home around 1:40 in the morning.

    They let us go but kept my dad and oldest cousin. My dad works for UNRWA. “I don’t understand why they took him,” he said.

    “We walked without shoes on the road at night, and there were lots of rocks and glass on the ground. ”

    UNRWA helps Palestinian people who had to leave their homes.

    A photo of the men being taken away in a truck has been shared on social media and confirmed by the BBC.

    Mr Regev said that the Israeli soldiers were gathering people to find out who was responsible for the Hamas attacks in Israel.

    They were trying to figure out who the people in the photos of beheading and raping matched with, he said.

    Mr Regev said that some people might be UN workers, but he also said that being a UN worker doesn’t always mean they are not part of Hamas.

    He said that Hamas runs the workers’ union of UNRWA and that the group has members in many different organizations, which shouldn’t be surprising to anyone.

    Another Palestinian man named Mohammed Lubbad, who lives in Belgium, said on Instagram that his brother Ibrahim was taken by the police along with 10 other members of their family.

    Mr Lubbad said to the media that he had used video call on WhatsApp to talk to his brother two hours before he was taken away.

    “He said that Israeli soldiers had surrounded our house and the whole village of Beit Lahia. ” “Then, I watched the video that was shared on social media of the truck. ” I quickly saw my brother and also recognized some of our neighbors.

    Mr Lubbad said that all his family members were let go except for his two cousins, Ahmed Lubbad who is 35 years old and is a teacher and has four kids, and Ayman Lubbad who is a human rights activist and has three kids.

    He said his family were “ordinary people with no connection to the military. ”

    ‘Moved to Israel’

    One of the men who was captured, Diaa al-Kahlout, has not been let go, as per a co-worker. He works as a reporter for The New Arab, a news organization in London that covers the Arab world.

    Some people who were freed later said that the journalist was moved to Zikim military base in Israel, according to Lamis Andoni of The New Arab.

    Diaa al-Kahlout was treated very badly by his employer, Al-Araby al-Jadeed.

    “We don’t know what happened to him,” she said on BBC Radio 4’s PM show. The pictures and videos of these guys are really scary. I’m very surprised.

    She said that Mr al-Kahlout is very determined and always has a smile on his face, but like many people in Gaza, he feels trapped.

    Ms Andoni said she was talking to Israeli soldiers through the UN. She said that the IDF’s idea that the men were only potential suspects and that soldiers needed to look into the matter further was not a good response.

  • Khan Younis Hospital ‘overwhelmed’ by number of deaths

    Khan Younis Hospital ‘overwhelmed’ by number of deaths

    In the busy part of the Gaza Strip, there was a lot of bombing after the Israeli military told people to leave.

    A representative said that the military operations against Hamas in the south of the Palestinian territory will be just as strong as those in the north, which have caused a lot of damage.

    The US, which is Israel’s best friend,asked Israel to avoid hurting more innocent people. A hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis has too many injured people and is struggling to help them all.

    A person who works for the UN in Gaza says that Palestinians have very few places to go for safety. The UN thinks that 1. 8 million people from Gaza have been forced to leave their homes.

    People thought there might be another short break from fighting in Gaza, but it doesn’t seem likely now. Last week, a break from fighting only lasted for seven days before it ended.

    Israel will keep fighting until it reaches its goals, like taking out Hamas.

    A leader from Hamas said that they will only talk about swapping Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners if there is a long-term agreement to stop fighting.

  • IDF finishes preparing to transport hostages

    IDF finishes preparing to transport hostages

    The Israel Defense Forces are ready to receive hostages.

    On social media, the IDF says they have prepared several places for transfer, including medical help.

    The hostages will go to hospitals in Israel to see their families, after they get medical help and the reception.

    The IDF also shares pictures of getting ready, like a place for kids to play, bags of medical or other helpful things, and a military helicopter to transport the hostages.

  • IDF claims to have discovered and demolished 400 tunnel shafts in Gaza

    IDF claims to have discovered and demolished 400 tunnel shafts in Gaza

    The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said they found and destroyed about 400 Hamas tunnels since the fighting began on October 7th.

    It says that lots of the tunnels are under hospitals, schools, and homes where regular people live.

    The IDF showed videos and pictures of tunnels to prove their claims, but the BBC couldn’t confirm it on their own.

    Israel says that Hamas in Gaza is using civilians to protect themselves. Hamas says that this is not true.

    More update on this story soon…

  • Narratives of Israeli hostages kidnapped by Hamas

    Narratives of Israeli hostages kidnapped by Hamas

    Israeli forces let go four hostages and set one free. An Israeli soldier named Ori Megidish was rescued during a mission on the ground in Gaza on 29 October. Two women, Nurit Cooper and Yocheved Lifschitz, were released on Monday 24 October. On Friday 20 October, two American hostages – a mom and her daughter – were also let go.

    Israel has found the bodies of two hostages, Noa Marciano and Yehudit Weiss, near Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza.

    Hamas says it has kept the hostages safe in hidden places and tunnels in Gaza. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said that there are 20 children and between 10 to 20 people over the age of 60 who are being held as hostages.

    The IDF told some families that their loved ones are being held against their will. Other families think their relatives have been taken, but they are not sure.

    These are the stories of people who were taken captive from Israel on 7 October. The BBC has confirmed some of these stories, while others have been reported by credible sources.

    This list changes often because some people who were feared to be kidnapped have either been found dead or set free.
    Yagev Kirsht, who is Rimon’s husband, was also taken from their home in Kibbutz Nirim.

    Lena’s son Alexander Trupanov, his partner Sapir Cohen, 29, and his grandmother Irina Tati, 73, were taken from Kibbutz Nir Oz while they were spending the Sabbath together, according to a statement from Canada’s Raoul Wallenburg Center for Human Rights.

    Daniele Aloni, who is 44 years old, is in custody with her 5-year-old daughter Emilia. Also with them are Daniele’s sister Sharon Aloni Cunio, who is 34, her husband David Cunio, who is 33, and their three-year-old twin daughters Ema and Yuly. Moran told CNN that they were taken from Nir Oz. Sharon and Daniele’s brother Moran said this.

    Ariel Cunio, his girlfriend Arbel Yahud, and her brother Dolev were also believed to have been taken by force in the same attack at Nir Oz. Eitan Cunio, who is the brother of Ariel and David Cunio, escaped from Hamas. He told the Jewish Chronicle that Ariel’s last message said, “We are in a scary movie. ”

    77-year-old Ophelia Roitman asked for help when Hamas attacked Nir Oz. Her daughter said in a video that when they searched her house, they found other bodies. She is missing and believed to have been taken by someone.

    Shani Goren, 29, was taken from her home in Nir Oz and later her family saw her in a video posted by Hamas. She is the granddaughter of people from Uruguay. They are trying to get her released after she was taken. Uruguay has said they are working on it.

    Doron Steinbrecher, 30 years old, is a vet nurse. She was at her home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza when Hamas attacked, according to the Times of Israel. At 10:30 on October 7th, she sent a message to her friends saying “They’re here, they got me. ”

  • Israeli military: Maybe fire at another target caused school explosion

    Israeli military: Maybe fire at another target caused school explosion

    On Saturday, we shared news that the United Nations refugee agency, known as Unrwa, confirmed that a school it manages in the Jabalia refugee camp was hit.

    The school, which is being used as a place for people who are running away from fighting, was hit in two areas. One area had tents where people were living, and the other area was close to a wall where women were making bread. Juliette Touma, Unrwa’s director of communications, informed the BBC about this.

    She said that Unrwa doesn’t know why it happened, but the health ministry in Gaza, which is run by Hamas, said that it was an attack by Israelis that killed at least 15 people and injured 70 others.

    This morning, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) informed Reuters news agency that according to an initial investigation, they did not intend to target that place. However, it is possible that the explosion happened because the IDF was aiming at a different target.

    More update on this story soon…

  • Israeli forces rescue special operation to free soldier detained by Hamas – IDF says

    Israeli forces rescue special operation to free soldier detained by Hamas – IDF says

    An Israeli soldier who is a woman was kidnapped by Hamas. The Israel Defense Forces rescued her in a special joint operation, which is the first time they have successfully saved a hostage since Hamas went on a violent rampage on October 7.

    Ori Megidish was let go. But there was a mistake in the translation, according to IDF spokesperson Lt. Colonel Jonathan Conricus spoke to Anderson Cooper of CNN on Tuesday.

    Megidish was one of more than 200 people who were taken captive by Hamas. The Israeli army and security agency, with the help of the Shin Bet, carried out a mission to rescue Megidish and other hostages.

    Israel said it started ground operations and called it a “new phase of war. ” They sent special forces into northern Gaza based on intelligence to find and rescue a person.

    “He said it was a special operation aimed at getting her out. ”

    “They went inside for a job,” Conricus said, adding that he is glad with the result as Megidish is doing well both mentally and physically, and has been reunited with her family.

    Megidish has also told Israeli intelligence officers about her time being held captive and the information she shared could be helpful in the future, said Conricus.

    “We are fully determined to bring back all of our 238 hostages who are currently being held by Hamas in Gaza,” he said. However, he did not mention if there are any other operations planned to rescue the remaining hostages based on information about their location.

    The Israeli government is under pressure to free more people who are being held captive in Gaza. This comes after Hamas attacked Israel and many people were killed, mostly civilians.

    Last week, the Israeli Government Press Office announced that there are 135 hostages in Gaza. These hostages come from 25 different countries and include men, women, children, and elderly people, as well as soldiers.

    Hamas, a militant group in charge of Gaza, has released only four hostages. These hostages include two weak Israeli elderly women and an American mother and daughter. However, negotiations to free more captives are becoming difficult because Israel is expanding its ground operations into the trapped area.

    Qatar has played an important role in discussing and negotiating with Hamas. However, Majed Al-Ansari, the person who speaks for Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and gives advice to the Qatari prime minister, told CNN on Saturday that Israel’s increasing violence is making the situation much harder.

    Israel is saying that by increasing its ground attack, it is putting more pressure on Hamas. They believe that this could eventually help in the ongoing efforts to free the hostages.

    Conricus said that Hamas is using hostages to gain an advantage and is also engaging in psychological tactics.

    He said that Hamas is using their hostages to improve their combat situation and the situation on the ground.

    Conricus, who did not say there won’t be more rescue missions in the future, told CNN that Israeli forces on the ground are prepared for strong opposition and fighting in tunnels, dangerous traps, explosive devices, mines that target tanks, snipers, and other challenges. However, they have been making good progress so far.

    He said that the Israeli military is making big efforts in the fight on the ground to tell apart who is fighting and who is not. He also mentioned that they are taking their time and being careful.

  • Raid took many hours and Israel reported no casualties – Israel

    Raid took many hours and Israel reported no casualties – Israel

    We have shared news about the Israel Defense Forces‘ recent attack. Tanks have entered Gaza by breaking through the fence to prepare for the upcoming fighting.

    Earlier, Daniel Hagari, who speaks for someone or represents them, provided additional information to reporters and journalists. He said it took a few hours, and no one from the IDF got hurt.

    Hagari said that during the raid, we got rid of the terrorists, stopped threats, took apart explosives, and stopped surprise attacks.

    More update on this story soon…

  • Palestinian males trapped outside Gaza witness the atrocities their family go through

    Palestinian males trapped outside Gaza witness the atrocities their family go through

    The men in the wedding hall at the Dheisheh refugee camp in the West Bank spend a lot of time on their phones, smoking, and always checking for new updates on their news feeds. They seem very tired, and you can see that they have been through some terrible experiences in the past few days.

    These 180 people, who are all men, are refugees from Gaza. They are part of around 18,000 people who live in the area and have permission to work in Israel. They can go back and forth across the border. When the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) blocked all entry to Gaza after Hamas’ dangerous attack last Saturday, these men got trapped.

    There are people in Khan Younis, which is a town in southern Gaza, facing a serious refugee crisis. They have families but cannot leave the town.

    The Israeli military has been continuously attacking Gaza with airstrikes and artillery after Hamas fighters carried out a violent attack and fired many rockets, resulting in the deaths of at least 1,400 people. The scary group also took away about 150 more people last Saturday in their very shocking and violent attack.

    The Israeli military wants to destroy Hamas and make sure it can never attack again. But many civilians have been severely affected by the campaign. The health department in Gaza said that in the past eight days, 2,450 people have died. This is even higher than the number of deaths during the entire 2014 war, which lasted for 51 days.

    Ismail Abd Almagid’s wife and five kids, four girls and one boy, are in Gaza. Meanwhile, Ismail is staying in a refugee camp. He has videos of all of them saved on his phone. The picture shows a little girl named Misk eating a slice of mango. When he watches the video, tears start flowing down his cheeks.

    Tala, the second oldest daughter of someone, got hurt in the war of 2014 while they were staying at their grandparents’ house. “He said, ‘Since she enjoys roller skates, I promised to bring them back when I return. ‘”

    Abd Almagid, who is 44 years old, said to CNN that he always tries to stay connected with his wife. However, it has been hard to communicate because Israel stopped the access to electricity, food, and water in Gaza.

    My kids want me to pray for them. He said that things are really tough there. “I want to return to Gaza immediately, even though there may be difficulties. Bring me to Gaza, I will go with you now. My life feels incomplete without my family. ”

    Currently, there are a lot of people moving from one place to another in Gaza. Many of them are going to a crowded area called Khan Younis.

    The Israeli military asked people who live in crowded areas in the north of Gaza, including Gaza City, to move to the southern part of the area. The United Nations said that the instruction, which would affect 1. 1 million people, would have extremely serious effects on people in need of help.

    The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) informed CNN on Sunday that they believe around 500,000 individuals have moved from northern Gaza to the southern area up until now.

    When Abd Almagid received permission to work in Israel in October of last year, it felt incredibly fortunate, like winning the lottery. The economy in Gaza, which is controlled by Hamas but cut off by Israel and Egypt, has been severely damaged, and almost half of the people do not have jobs, as reported by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics.

    I really wanted this permit because things are really bad in Gaza. The money situation and amount of money owed in the economy is very low. “There are no job opportunities,” he said, mentioning that he has been jobless since he finished school in 2004 when he received the permit.

    Israel started giving many permits to people from Gaza so they can go into Israel for work. Israel did this to try and stop Hamas from fighting with weapons.

    His wife, who studied English, also doesn’t have a job. He said he was going to Israel every second week to work at a bakery.

    Most of the men at the Dheisheh refugee camp are in a similar situation. They are the only ones in their families who have a job. The amount of money people earn in Israel is much higher than what they could earn in Gaza.

    Marwan Saqer, who is 55 years old, is the only person in his whole family who has a job. He is also the only one who has ever left Gaza.

    He was doing a job at a building site in Kafr Qassem, a town of Arab people close to Tel Aviv, when Hamas carried out an attack on Israel. He said that the Palestinian Authority asked him and other people from Gaza to go to the West Bank because their Israeli work permits were canceled.

    He said that the Dheisheh people welcomed them very warmly by giving them mattresses, blankets, and basic things they needed, and they also offered them comfort and friendship.

    The Dheisheh camp in Bethlehem was made in 1949. At that time, 3,000 Palestinians came to live there because they were forced to leave their homes or run away from villages near Jerusalem.

    The number of people living in the camp has increased to over 18,500. They now reside in an area that is one third of a square kilometer in size. This information is provided by the UN’s Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees.

    In the camp, the walls have pictures of its people who died in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which has been going on for many years. The custom began in the 1990s to honor and remember them and has continued until today.

    The camp is controlled by the Palestinians, but the Israeli army often comes in and captures people and does searches. People who live nearby told CNN that the Israeli military came on Sunday morning and arrested three individuals. 180 people from Gaza have already come to the camp. We expect more people to come in the next few days.

    While talking to CNN, Saqer’s phone kept ringing a few times because his son was calling him from Gaza. He answered the call, but it was cut off right away because the signal on the other end stopped working.

    We talk, but they only give me some of the truth. He said to CNN that they don’t want to make him more worried.

    These men feel very worried and sad because their wives and children are in a dangerous place called Gaza, while they are in a safer place called the refugee camp.

    It is hard. We all gather in one place and talk about how we feel. We all feel the same as fathers. We all understand and experience the pain that our children go through,” Saqer said.

    The room feels small and crowded, and everyone is feeling nervous. Arguments can happen quickly and easily over things like who gets to use power plugs.

    “Saqer said that there are individuals in our group who cry all night, staying awake. ” “We are physically present, but mentally our focus is on Gaza. ”

  • Diplomatic rescue efforts for ‘strangled’ Gaza ramping up as worries of regional confrontation grow

    Diplomatic rescue efforts for ‘strangled’ Gaza ramping up as worries of regional confrontation grow

    UN experts have said that Gaza is being heavily controlled and attacked by Israel. There are worries that this could lead to more violence and harm for the people trying to escape. This could also involve other countries getting involved in the conflict.

    Israel has promised to get rid of Hamas because of the very bad terrorist attacks they launched on October 7. Hamas is an extremist group that is in charge of a certain area. More than 1,400 people were killed and many were taken hostage during Hamas’ violent attack, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). US President Joe Biden has described it as the most terrible killing of Jewish people since the Holocaust.

    Countries are trying harder to create a pathway for sending much-needed supplies into Gaza. This is because the 2. 3 million people living there are running out of important things like clean water, food, fuel, and medicine. Aid agencies say this will lead to an extremely serious humanitarian disaster that has never been seen before.

    “Gaza is in a desperate situation, and it appears that people all around the world have forgotten their compassion,” said Philippe Lazzarini, who leads the UNRWA. He urgently called for essential assistance to be permitted into Gaza. We know that water is essential for life. Unfortunately, in Gaza, they are running out of water, which is causing a decline in their quality of life.

    Lazzarini said that for the past eight days, Gaza has not received any water, wheat, or fuel, and the people living there are very desperate.

    The Israeli Prime Minister‘s office said on Monday that there are no plans to open the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt. This is the only way people can enter Gaza that is not controlled by Israel.

    The Prime Minister’s office told CNN that currently, there is no agreement to stop fighting or provide help to the people in the Gaza Strip in exchange for foreigners leaving.

    Hospitals in Gaza are constantly being attacked by Israeli airstrikes. They may have to close soon because there is not enough fuel to power the generators that provide water and keep essential equipment like ventilators and incubators working, according to Marwan Jilani, the Director General of the Palestinian Red Crescent. He explained that there wouldn’t be any more fuel left by Monday or Tuesday.

    Hospitals in Gaza are about to collapse. They don’t have any painkillers left and many people are getting very dehydrated because they don’t have enough drinking water. This information comes from a medical group called Medecins sans Frontieres. Many aid agencies are saying that there is a risk of running out of fuel and essential items in just a few hours, rather than days.

    Around 50,000 pregnant women in Gaza, with 5,000 expecting to give birth soon, are facing a very difficult and dangerous situation. The UN Population Fund representative, Dominic Allen, warns that they are dealing with a “double nightmare. ” These women are at risk of giving birth in unclean conditions, which could lead to health problems, all while fearing the danger of bombs.

    Making the situation worse is the fact that many people are leaving their homes in northern Gaza and trying to go south through the damaged streets before an Israeli attack that the IDF said would have strong strikes and important ground actions.

    During just one week, more than 1 million people had to leave their homes because of a dangerous situation. Around 400,000 of these people are seeking refuge in UN schools and buildings, but there isn’t enough room to accommodate everyone who needs help.

    Israel’s President Isaac Herzog said that he witnessed awful things during the Hamas attack on Israeli homes and communities. He mentioned a booklet that he found, which explains how the militant group kidnaps and tortures people.

    The country that I belong to is going through a difficult time, it is hurting and suffering. My country is sad. “And we have to remove a very mean and cruel enemy, who shows no humanity, without any kindness,” he told CNN.

    For more than a week, Israeli bombings have caused the deaths of at least 2,670 people in Gaza. This includes many children, as reported by the Palestinian Health Ministry. They have accused the Israeli military of purposely attacking medical personnel and their families.

    More people have died in the last eight days in Gaza than during a longer conflict in 2014 between Gaza and Israel. Currently, it is believed that Hamas is keeping around 150 Israelis and people from other countries as hostages in the network of tunnels located under Gaza.

    Many people, including UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Pope Francis, and various nations and aid organizations, are urgently requesting the opening of safe routes for providing help to Gaza.

    The spokesperson for the UN Human Rights Office, Ravina Shamdasani, said that a lot of diplomatic efforts are currently happening. The Secretary-General and many member states are using their influence to try and achieve their goals.

    “If we can’t deliver this aid, there could be thousands of deaths,” Shamdasani said to CNN.

    Israeli President Herzog said on Sunday that he was having another meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to talk about creating a safe passage for humanitarian aid. However, any future plans regarding this route would require approval from the Israeli cabinet, the government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and the new national unity emergency government.

    The highest-ranking American diplomat has been traveling to Israel and nearby countries lately, having discussions with leaders from different regions.

    On Sunday, Blinken said that the Rafah border crossing will be open, and mentioned that the US is collaborating with the UN, Egypt, Israel, and other parties to organize aid efforts.

    China’s highest-ranking diplomat, Wang Yi, said that Israel went too far in defending itself. China’s envoy to the Middle East, Zhai Jun, plans to visit the region this week.

    Help and assistance has been accumulating on the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing, but it seems that the facility is not currently working. Egypt claims that airstrikes on the Gaza side have made the roads there unusable, and Jordan wants to be sure that aid convoys will not be attacked by Israeli warplanes.

    The Israeli ambassador to the United States, Michael Herzog, said that Israel is making a place in Gaza for lots of people to stay. However, the spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, Stéphane Dujarric, said he does not know if the UN is helping Israel make this place.

    We don’t know if water is currently entering southern Gaza.

    Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu’s office informed CNN on Sunday that water supply has been reinstated in southern Gaza. However, the director of the Water Authority in southern Gaza claimed that he was unsure if there was water available because the electricity needed to pump water was still not functioning.

    Colonel Jonathan Conricus said that Israeli forces have initiated airstrikes against Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip. This action was carried out in response to the launching of rockets by Palestinian militants from Gaza into Israeli territory. Rewrite: ColonelJonathan Conricus, an official from Israel, mentioned that they have started sending water to southern Gaza by increasing its supply. However, he admitted that they are not fully aware of the exact amount of water reaching the intended areas.

    A military expert says that Hamas is already failing in the second part of their plan.

    As Israel fights against Hamas, it also has to deal with the risk of a bigger fight in other areas. There are tensions with Lebanon’s strong Hezbollah group, which is supported by Iran, in the north. There are also potential conflicts in Syria.

    Western countries are worried about a big conflict in a specific area. The President of France advised the leader of Iran to not make the crisis in Gaza worse. The United States has been getting ready to defend itself in the Middle East, so that Iran doesn’t attack or make the fighting spread to other places near Israel.

    More US attack airplanes called A-10 Warthogs arrived in the Middle East on Sunday. They joined other fighter jets that were already there, along with two US carrier strike groups that were sent to the eastern Mediterranean Sea.

    In an interview with CBS Sunday, Jake Sullivan, the US National Security Adviser, said that although there is no new information suggesting any change in the level of threat from Iran, there is a possibility that the conflict could worsen.

    Sullivan mentioned that the decision to open a second front in the north, along with Iran’s involvement, is a dangerous risk that they have been aware of from the beginning.

    Sullivan said that the fights between Israel and Hezbollah at the border increase the chances of things getting worse. He also mentioned that there is a possibility that Iran might get involved directly, so we need to be ready for any situation.

    Iran has said that if Israel keeps attacking Gaza, there will be even bigger trouble.

  • More than four Israelis reported dead in gunfire in West Bank

    More than four Israelis reported dead in gunfire in West Bank

    Israeli officials and emergency services said Tuesday that gunfire in the West Bank town of Eli resulted in four fatalities and four injuries.

    According to CNN archives, it was the bloodiest attack on Israelis since January.

    According to a joint statement from the two agencies, one of the suspected gunmen was killed at the site by a bystander, while the other was slain by Israel Defence troops (IDF) and Israel Security Agency troops after they located the vehicle he was driving.

    The four wounded were taken to hospitals in Jerusalem or Petach Tikva, the Magen David Adom rescue service said.

    Hamas, the Palestinian militant movement, claimed the two gunmen as members, calling the attack “a natural response” to the Israeli raid on Jenin a day earlier that left six Palestinians dead.

    The shooting attack began in a restaurant near a gas station, where two gunmen shot dead three civilians, said Moti Bukchin, a spokesman for the Zaka rescue service.

    The gunmen then came out of the restaurant and fatally shot a civilian refueling his car at the gas stations, Bukchin said.

    Another civilian shot and neutralized one of the gunmen while the second fled, the Zaka spokesman said. Zaka is handling the bodies of the four dead, he said.

    Maj. Nir Dinar, an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson, said the terrorist who had been neutralized at the scene was dead.

    The four Israelis killed were named by their communities as Elisha Antman, 18, and Ofer Fierman, 63, both from Eli; Harel Masoud, 21, from Yad Binyamin;and Nahman Shmuel Morduf, 17, from Ahiya.

    Far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir went to the scene of the shooting and called for settlers to arm themselves.

    “I’m calling on the residence of Judea and Samaria to carry weapons,” he said, using the Biblical names that Israel officially uses to describe the West Bank. “They save lives…. We are sitting here like ducks in a barrel.”

    Ben Gvir called for Israel to be more aggressive in the West Bank: “Return to the targeted killings, pull down buildings, put up roadblocks, deport terrorists, and put into law the death penalty for terrorists.”

    Israeli Security Agency, known as Shin Bet, and IDF forces later “shot and neutralized” the second suspect, according to a joint statement from the two organizations.

    Shin Bet tracked a Toyota vehicle in which the suspect fled, the statement said.

    “During the arrest attempt, the suspect tried to escape from the vehicle, was shot and neutralized by the forces. No injuries to our forces,” the statement said.

    The statement said a weapon used in the attack was found in the car.

    Israeli troops had set up roadblocks in the area, the IDF said.

    Residents of Eli were told to stay in their homes while the search for the second gunman was ongoing.

    The chief IDF spokesperson, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, said in a statement that the IDF did not have intelligence information warning of the attack before it happened.

    Hamas later claimed the gunmen as members, and said they were acting in response to a huge firefight in Jenin on Monday.

    “We mourn the martyr Muhammad Shehadeh, and we affirm that the operation south of Nablus is a clear message to the criminal occupation government,” Hamas said in a statement referring to Israel.

    Hamas said Shehadeh was 26 and from the village of Urif, southwest of Nablus. The other gunman was named as Khaled Sabbah, 24, from Tubas in the West Bank.

    Videos from his home village showed a funeral procession and burial for him shortly after he was tracked down and killed by the IDF and Shin Bet.

    Photographs on social media suggested that the two were friends.

    The shooting “came as a natural response to the Jenin massacre yesterday,” the militant group said.

    Tuesday’s shooting is the deadliest attack on Israelis since January 27, CNN records show. Seven Israelis were killed in the January attack near a synagogue in the Neve Yaakov area of Jerusalem.

    Neve Yaakov is built on land which Israel captured in 1967, which makes it a settlement under international law. Israel unilaterally annexed it along with other parts of east Jerusalem in 1980, and considers it a neighborhood of Jerusalem.

    There are now fears of attacks by settlers against Palestinians in revenge for Tuesday’s shooting.

    The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Tuesday called for “urgent and genuine international intervention, particularly from the United States,” to prevent “escalating attacks.”

    It warned of a “planned explosion” by “extremist elements,” referring to Israeli settlers.

    The latest violence comes a day after an Israeli military raid in the city of Jenin killed six Palestinians, including three militants, and injured 90 others. Eight Israeli military personnel were injured in the incursion to arrest two wanted Palestinian suspects.

    While the Palestinian ministry released its statement, the US Ambassador to Israel, Tom Nides, condemned the killing of the four Israelis Tuesday.

    “I condemn in the strongest terms the senseless murder of four innocent Israelis today — my heart is with their grieving family members,” Nides said on his official Twitter account. “Deeply concerned about the civilian deaths and injuries that have occurred in the West Bank these past 48 hours, including that of minors. Praying for the families as they mourn the loss of loved ones, or tend to those injured.”

    Nides is married to CNN executive vice president of news Virginia Moseley.

    Late Monday, after the Jenin raid and before the shooting near Eli, a State Department spokesperson said the US “urges de-escalation between Israel and the Palestinians.”

    “Violence over the last day has left many Palestinians killed and resulted in injuries among Palestinians and the IDF, including in Jenin,” the spokesperson told CNN. “We call on both sides to refrain from actions that escalate tensions.”

  • Israel’s military attacks Gaza in response to rocket fire

    Israel’s military attacks Gaza in response to rocket fire

    After militants in the Gaza Strip fired rockets at Israel late on Tuesday, following the passing of a well-known Palestinian hunger striker in an Israeli prison, Israel launched attacks on the Gaza Strip.

    Following an 87-day hunger strike, former Islamic Jihad spokesman Khader Adnan passed away on Tuesday while being held in Israeli custody.

    In response, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) fighter jets attacked a military post, a weapon storage facility, a training facility, and a weapon manufacturing site that belonged to Hamas, the militant organization that controls Gaza. The group also used the cement manufacturing facility to maintain its infrastructure. The IDF reported that dozens of rockets were fired from Gaza into the early hours of Wednesday.

    The Israeli military said 104 rockets were launched from Gaza, including 24 that were intercepted by Israel and 48 that fell in open areas. The IDF said it hit 16 targets in Gaza, saying “we attacked everything we wanted tonight.”

    Sirens sounded into the early hours of Wednesday morning in Israeli communities near the Gaza Strip and rockets could be heard and seen being launched from the coastal enclave, according to CNN’s team in Jerusalem and Gaza.

    “The strike was carried out in response to the rocket launches from the Gaza Strip into Israeli territory earlier today, this strike significantly harms the capabilities and prevents further weapon acquisition capabilities of the Hamas terrorist organization in the Gaza Strip,” the IDF said.

    On Wednesday morning, Islamic Jihad announced that “a round of confrontations” had ended with Israel, according to the militant group’s spokesperson Tariq Selmi.

    Israeli military spokesperson Richard Hecht said there was no official ceasefire with Hamas but “messages have been passed.”

    Earlier, the Israeli military said that after an assessment of the situation, “and following the directives of the Home Front Command, it was decided to return to the normal routine fully.”

    A man looks at a car damaged by a rocket from the Gaza Strip in the southern Israeli city of Sderot on May 2, 2023.

    A man looks at a car damaged by a rocket from the Gaza Strip in the southern Israeli city of Sderot on May 2, 2023.Ahmad Gharabli/AFP/Getty Images

    Adnan, 45, had been on hunger strike since his arrest on February 5 and was found dead in his cell on Tuesday, according to the Israeli Prison Service.

    Adnan had been detained at least 11 times since 2004 and his repeated arrests and prolonged hunger strikes had made him a symbol of Palestinian resistance to Israeli detention policies.

    His death sparked anger in the West Bank, with protests, a general strike and other Palestinian detainees staging a hunger strike.

    The IDF said the Israeli military would hold Hamas responsible for “all terror activities emanating from the Gaza Strip and it will face the consequences of the security.”

    On Wednesday, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said a 58-year-old Palestinian man was killed and five others injured in Gaza during the overnight hostilities.

    Earlier Tuesday in the Israeli city of Sderot, three people were wounded by shrapnel, with one man suffering serious injuries, emergency services said.

    Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh has been in touch with Egypt, Qatar and the UN about the strikes, according to a Hamas statement early Wednesday morning.

    “Haniyeh holds the occupation responsible for the consequences of continuing this brutal aggression,” the statement read.

    Adnan is at least the seventh Palestinian detainee to die on hunger strike in an Israeli prison since 1970, the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society told CNN.

    Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh accused Israel of carrying out a “deliberate assassination… by refusing his request to release him, neglecting him medically and keeping him in his cell despite the seriousness of his health condition.”

    Israel has not yet returned Adnan’s body to his family, his lawyer Jamil Al Khatib told CNN by phone. His family has requested that there should not be an autopsy and that the body be given to the family for burial, the lawyer added.

    Adnan’s widow pleaded for non-violence in the wake of his death.

    “Not a drop of blood was spilled during the prisoner’s previous hunger strikes, and today we say with the rise of the martyr and his accomplishment of what he wished for, we do not want a drop of blood to be spilled,” Randa Musa said, adding that it was too late for arms to help him.

  • Two Israeli settlers shot dead in a West Bank shooting day after 11 Palestinians were killed

    Two Israeli settlers shot dead in a West Bank shooting day after 11 Palestinians were killed

    Local settler leader Yossi Dagan described the Sunday shooting and deaths of two Israeli settlers in the West Bank as “an exceedingly dangerous terrorist attack.”
    Following the shooting, Israeli settlers attacked Palestinians in retaliation, resulting in at least one fatality and multiple injuries.

    The Israelis were shot at Huwara, south of Nablus, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, just days after a huge Israeli military assault into Nablus resulted in the deaths of at least 11 Palestinians while looking for wanted militants.

    The brothers Hillel Menachem Yaniv, 21, and Yagel Yaakov Yaniv, 19, were identified as the settlers killed on Sunday, according to the local settler council.

    “We embrace the family and will be with them as much as necessary,” the Shomron (Samaria) Regional Council said. They were from the settlement of Har Bracha, council leader Yossi Dagan said.

    Video from the scene showed that their car had crossed a median, and hit a vehicle going the other direction, suggesting they were shot while driving. 

    The two Israeli men were taken to a hospital after the attack, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said, but they later died, the Magen David Adom medical agency said. The IDF added that it was pursuing the attacker.

    Another local settler leader said he was present when the two were shot.

    “The shooting took place right behind me. It looked terrible – the shooting was from point blank range,” said Shai Alon, the head of Beit El council, adding that Israel needed to “go to war against those who wish us harm.”

    Hours after the incident, Israelis killed at least one Palestinian man and injured several others with stones or iron bars in and around Huwara, Palestinian medics and the Ministry of Health said Sunday night.

    Sameh Hamdallah Mahmoud Aqtash, 37, was shot in the abdomen and killed in the town of Za’tara, between Huwara and the Israeli settlement of Kfar Tapuach, the ministry said.

    In Huwara itself, at least one person was stabbed and another assaulted with an iron bar, the Palestinian Red Crescent said. The emergency service also reported its ambulances were attacked, and said Israeli military forces had prevented three ambulances from entering the town.

    The Palestinian Ministry of Health said a person had been treated for a minor injury from a metal rod in the face, and another had been treated for a skull fracture from being hit in the head with a stone.

    Two Palestinian firefighters said that about 50 settlers had stoned their fire engine, injuring them as they attempted to respond to a fire at a Palestinian house in Huwara, the official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported. The Red Crescent also said it had dealt with nearly 100 cases of smoke inhalation.

    Social media video which CNN geolocated to Huwara appeared to show several dozen Israeli settlers walking down a main street as at least three fires burned by the side of the road. Other photographs and videos circulating on social media appeared to show fires burning in the town.

    The Palestinian Authority Presidency accused the settlers of carrying out “terrorist acts… under the protection of the Israeli occupation forces, in Hawara, Burin, Einabus and other areas, which resulted in the injury of more than 100 Palestinians and the burning of shops, homes, cars and other public property.”

    Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid accused Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, the leader of the settler-based Religious Zionism party, of being responsible for the violence.

    Linking the events to deconfliction talks between Israel and the Palestinians in Jordan earlier in the day, Lapid tweeted: “Smotrich’s militias set out to burn Hawara in order to torpedo the summit in Aqaba of Netanyahu and [Defense Minister Yoav] Gallant. This government is dangerous to Israel’s security.”

    Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement asking Israelis not to engage in revenge attacks for the killing of Hillel and Yagel Yaniv earlier in the day.

    “I ask – even when the blood is boiling – not to take the law into one’s hands. I ask that the IDF and the security forces be allowed to carry out their work. I remind you that in recent weeks, they have targeted dozens of terrorists and thwarted dozens of attacks,” Netanyahu said.

    The IDF are sending reinforcements to the West Bank to “thwart terror attacks and prevent violent riots,” it said Sunday night.

    The “riots” – an apparent reference to the settlers carrying out revenge attacks against Palestinians – “are being handled by the IDF, Israeli Fire and Rescue Services, Israeli Border Police and additional security forces,” the IDF said.

    On Sunday night, IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi visited the site where the Yaniv brothers were shot, the IDF said, and “ordered the area to be reinforced with additional forces to thwart terror attacks and prevent violent riots, while increasing and expanding the efforts to capture the terrorists.”

    No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack on the Israeli brothers, but Lion’s Den had vowed revenge after Wednesday’s raid in Nablus.

    Six of those who died there were members of the Palestinian militant group, which emerged in the city last year.

    “As big as the pain filling Nablus, the occupation will taste twice the pain,” the group said, referring to Israel. “They will know that the fighters of the honorable groups in Nablus will not take a step back.”

    Dagan, the head of the Samaria Regional Council, called after Sunday’s killings for Israel to break off ongoing security talks between Israel and the Palestinians brokered by Jordan, Egypt and the United States, saying: “I demand that the Prime Minister, the Minister of Defense and all the ministers return the delegation from the idle talks in Aqaba…. We need to launch an operation against terrorism!”

    Following the rare talks on Sunday, Israeli and Palestinian representatives “affirmed their commitment to all previous agreements between them, and to work towards a just and lasting peace,” they said in a joint statement.

    Jordanian, Egyptian, and US senior officials attended the summit in Aqaba following an invitation of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.

    The joint statement said both sides reaffirmed the necessity of committing to de-escalation on the ground and to prevent further violence.

    Israel and the Palestinian Authority confirmed their “joint readiness and commitment to immediately work to end unilateral measures for a period of 3-6 months. This includes an Israeli commitment to stop discussion of any new settlement units for 4 months and to stop authorization of any outposts for 6 months,” the statement read.

    The five parties agreed to convene again in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, in March.

    “Jordan, Egypt and the United States consider these understandings as major progress towards re-establishing and deepening relations between the two sides, and commit to assisting and facilitating as appropriate their implementation,” the statement said.

  • Israeli military labels settler attacks on Palestinians as “acts of terror

    Israeli military labels settler attacks on Palestinians as “acts of terror

    An IDF officer stated on Monday that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) views the attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians the day before as “acts of terror,” as emotions in the area rose following a violent weekend.

    Palestinian medical officials blamed Israeli settlers in the West Bank for at least one Palestinian man’s death, a Palestinian fire engine being stoned by a group of roughly 50 settlers, and several Palestinians being hurt by stones or metal bars.

    An unidentified 27-year-old male was declared dead on Monday, according to a statement from Hadassah Mt. Scopus hospital, as the violence raged throughout the day.

    He was shot in the West Bank on a highway between Jericho and the Dead Sea on Monday, according to Israel’s Magen David Adom (MDA) emergency service.

    The West Bank victim “was unconscious outside his car with gunshot wounds to his upper body,” when MDA paramedic Eden Cohen arrived to treat him, Cohen said in a statement released by the service.

    The attacks followed the fatal shooting of two Israeli brothers earlier on Sunday in the town of Huwara, south of Nablus in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, just days after a massive Israeli military raid into Nablus in search of wanted militants left at least 11 Palestinians dead.

    “Last night there was revenge activity done by people that live in the area. I wanted to say we see these actions as actions of a terror, these violent riots,” the IDF official said, asking not to be named due to the sensitivity of the situation. “It’s been a horrible night,” the official added.

    The official said the reason the IDF was sending three additional battalions to the area was to keep the Palestinians and Israelis apart.

    “More forces will de-escalate” the situation, the official said. “This morning we’ve sent in another Givati (reconnaissance) battalion – the Givati Special Forces battalion – into the area in addition to two Border Patrol companies, basically trying to de-escalate and keep the two sides apart.”

    Israel’s Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant vowed to arrest the individual or individuals who killed the settlers and called for calm while allowing military and security forces to work and apprehend the perpetrators.

    “It is neither legitimate nor possible to operate individually,” Gallant said Monday, while visiting the location where the incident took place. “We cannot allow a situation in which citizens take the law into their hands. I call on everyone to follow law and order and to trust the IDF and security forces everywhere, across the country.”

    The IDF detained eight people in connection with the attacks in Huwara, some of whom have since been released, Israel Police spokesman Dean Elsdunne told CNN Monday.

    Sameh Hamdallah Mahmoud Aqtash, 37, was shot in the abdomen and killed in the town of Za’tara, between Huwara and the Israeli settlement of Kfar Tapuach, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said Sunday night. In Huwara itself, at least one person was stabbed and another assaulted with an iron bar, the Palestinian Red Crescent said.

    The Israeli settlers who were killed earlier were named as brothers Hillel Menachem Yaniv, 21, and Yagel Yaakov Yaniv, 19, according to the local settler council.

    Video from the scene showed that their car had crossed a median, and hit a vehicle going the other direction, suggesting they were shot while driving. 

    Late Sunday, the IDF announced that the older brother, Hillel, was a serving soldier and expressed condolences in a statement.

    Following rare talks on Sunday brokered by Jordan, Egypt and the United States, Israeli and Palestinian representatives “affirmed their commitment to all previous agreements between them, and to work towards a just and lasting peace.”

    Israel and the Palestinian Authority confirmed their “joint readiness and commitment to immediately work to end unilateral measures for a period of 3-6 months. This includes an Israeli commitment to stop discussion of any new settlement units for 4 months and to stop authorization of any outposts for 6 months,” a joint statement read.

    However, in response to the announcement of a halt on settlement construction, far-right Religious Zionism party leader Bezalel Smotrich firmly rejected a pause, “even for one day.”

    In a post on Twitter, the Israeli finance minister appeared out of alignment with his government, writing: “There will not be a freeze on settlement building and development, not even for one day (this is under my authority). The IDF will continue to act to counter terrorism in all areas of Judea and Samaria without any limitations (we will reaffirm this in the cabinet). It’s very simple.”

    Also on Sunday, Israel’s cabinet approved a proposed law to impose the death penalty on “terrorists.” It is officially a private member’s bill sponsored by the far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, rather than government-backed legislation.

    The law would give courts the power to “impose the death penalty on those who have committed the crime of murder on nationalistic grounds against the citizens of Israel,” a statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Ben Gvir said.

    After a preliminary vote in the Knesset, or parliament, Israel’s political-security cabinet will next discuss the language in the bill, before it goes to the committee stage. If it passes the committee stage, it will require three Knesset readings to become law.

    There have been previous attempts to introduce the death penalty in 2016 and 2018, according to the Israel Democracy Institute, but they did not become law.

    In response to the moves, the Palestinian government on Monday condemned “in the strongest terms” the Israeli cabinet’s approval, according to a statement from the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

    “The death penalty violates the fundamental rights of the Palestinian people to life, non-discrimination, and self-determination. It is a cruel, barbaric, and inhumane bill rooted in Jewish supremacy and precisely aimed to deny the Palestinian people their right to exist and their humanity,” it said, while also calling on the international community to take “concrete actions to pressure Israel to rescind its bill.”

  • Two Israeli settlers shot and killed in the West Bank shooting incident

    Two Israeli settlers shot and killed in the West Bank shooting incident

    Local settler leader Yossi Dagan described the Sunday shooting and deaths of two Israeli settlers in the West Bank as “an exceedingly dangerous terrorist attack.”
    Following the shooting, Israeli settlers attacked Palestinians in retaliation, resulting in at least one fatality and multiple injuries.

    The Israelis were shot at Huwara, south of Nablus, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, just days after a huge Israeli military assault into Nablus resulted in the deaths of at least 11 Palestinians while looking for wanted militants.

    The brothers Hillel Menachem Yaniv, 21, and Yagel Yaakov Yaniv, 19, were identified as the settlers killed on Sunday, according to the local settler council.

    “We embrace the family and will be with them as much as necessary,” the Shomron (Samaria) Regional Council said. They were from the settlement of Har Bracha, council leader Yossi Dagan said.

    Video from the scene showed that their car had crossed a median, and hit a vehicle going the other direction, suggesting they were shot while driving. 

    The two Israeli men were taken to a hospital after the attack, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said, but they later died, the Magen David Adom medical agency said. The IDF added that it was pursuing the attacker.

    Another local settler leader said he was present when the two were shot.

    “The shooting took place right behind me. It looked terrible – the shooting was from point blank range,” said Shai Alon, the head of Beit El council, adding that Israel needed to “go to war against those who wish us harm.”

    Hours after the incident, Israelis killed at least one Palestinian man and injured several others with stones or iron bars in and around Huwara, Palestinian medics and the Ministry of Health said Sunday night.

    Sameh Hamdallah Mahmoud Aqtash, 37, was shot in the abdomen and killed in the town of Za’tara, between Huwara and the Israeli settlement of Kfar Tapuach, the ministry said.

    In Huwara itself, at least one person was stabbed and another assaulted with an iron bar, the Palestinian Red Crescent said. The emergency service also reported its ambulances were attacked, and said Israeli military forces had prevented three ambulances from entering the town.

    The Palestinian Ministry of Health said a person had been treated for a minor injury from a metal rod in the face, and another had been treated for a skull fracture from being hit in the head with a stone.

    Two Palestinian firefighters said that about 50 settlers had stoned their fire engine, injuring them as they attempted to respond to a fire at a Palestinian house in Huwara, the official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported. The Red Crescent also said it had dealt with nearly 100 cases of smoke inhalation.

    Social media video which CNN geolocated to Huwara appeared to show several dozen Israeli settlers walking down a main street as at least three fires burned by the side of the road. Other photographs and videos circulating on social media appeared to show fires burning in the town.

    The Palestinian Authority Presidency accused the settlers of carrying out “terrorist acts… under the protection of the Israeli occupation forces, in Hawara, Burin, Einabus and other areas, which resulted in the injury of more than 100 Palestinians and the burning of shops, homes, cars and other public property.”

    Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid accused Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, the leader of the settler-based Religious Zionism party, of being responsible for the violence.

    Linking the events to deconfliction talks between Israel and the Palestinians in Jordan earlier in the day, Lapid tweeted: “Smotrich’s militias set out to burn Hawara in order to torpedo the summit in Aqaba of Netanyahu and [Defense Minister Yoav] Gallant. This government is dangerous to Israel’s security.”

    Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement asking Israelis not to engage in revenge attacks for the killing of Hillel and Yagel Yaniv earlier in the day.

    “I ask – even when the blood is boiling – not to take the law into one’s hands. I ask that the IDF and the security forces be allowed to carry out their work. I remind you that in recent weeks, they have targeted dozens of terrorists and thwarted dozens of attacks,” Netanyahu said.

    The IDF are sending reinforcements to the West Bank to “thwart terror attacks and prevent violent riots,” it said Sunday night.

    The “riots” – an apparent reference to the settlers carrying out revenge attacks against Palestinians – “are being handled by the IDF, Israeli Fire and Rescue Services, Israeli Border Police and additional security forces,” the IDF said.

    On Sunday night, IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi visited the site where the Yaniv brothers were shot, the IDF said, and “ordered the area to be reinforced with additional forces to thwart terror attacks and prevent violent riots, while increasing and expanding the efforts to capture the terrorists.”

    No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack on the Israeli brothers, but Lion’s Den had vowed revenge after Wednesday’s raid in Nablus.

    Six of those who died there were members of the Palestinian militant group, which emerged in the city last year.

    “As big as the pain filling Nablus, the occupation will taste twice the pain,” the group said, referring to Israel. “They will know that the fighters of the honorable groups in Nablus will not take a step back.”

    Dagan, the head of the Samaria Regional Council, called after Sunday’s killings for Israel to break off ongoing security talks between Israel and the Palestinians brokered by Jordan, Egypt and the United States, saying: “I demand that the Prime Minister, the Minister of Defense and all the ministers return the delegation from the idle talks in Aqaba…. We need to launch an operation against terrorism!”

    Following the rare talks on Sunday, Israeli and Palestinian representatives “affirmed their commitment to all previous agreements between them, and to work towards a just and lasting peace,” they said in a joint statement.

    Jordanian, Egyptian, and US senior officials attended the summit in Aqaba following an invitation of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.

    The joint statement said both sides reaffirmed the necessity of committing to de-escalation on the ground and to prevent further violence.

    Israel and the Palestinian Authority confirmed their “joint readiness and commitment to immediately work to end unilateral measures for a period of 3-6 months. This includes an Israeli commitment to stop discussion of any new settlement units for 4 months and to stop authorization of any outposts for 6 months,” the statement read.

    The five parties agreed to convene again in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, in March.

    “Jordan, Egypt and the United States consider these understandings as major progress towards re-establishing and deepening relations between the two sides, and commit to assisting and facilitating as appropriate their implementation,” the statement said.

  • Israel unveils airstrikes on Gaza over rocket attacks

    Israel unveils airstrikes on Gaza over rocket attacks

    The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported that after a missile attack from the coastal enclave, Israel began airstrikes targeting alleged weapons production and storage facilities in Gaza.

    The IDF said in a statement that “fighter planes hit a weapons manufacturing plant” in central Gaza operated by Hamas, the Palestinian terrorist organisation in charge of Gaza.

    The statement stated that “concurrently, a military installation belonging to the Hamas Terrorist Organization in the northern Gaza Strip which was also employed as a naval weapons storage depot was targeted.”

    Earlier Thursday, the IDF said five rockets fired from Gaza toward Israeli territory, including the cities of Ashkelon and Sderot, were intercepted and another rocket fell in an open area.

    The airstrikes come after the deaths of at least 11 Palestinians in Nablus in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday, which occurred during a raid by the Israeli military that also left at least 500 injured, Palestinian officials said Thursday. One of the dead targeted in the Nablus raid was a Hamas member, and two were Islamic Jihad commanders, the two militant groups said earlier.

    “Our teams dealt with 488 injuries during the occupation forces’ invasion into Nablus, including 103 injuries of live bullets taken to hospitals in Nablus,” the Palestinian Red Crescent said. The other injuries included tear gas inhalation and shrapnel wounds, they said. The Palestinian Ministry of Health confirmed the numbers.

    The raid in Nablus lasted about four hours and, unusually, took place in broad daylight because the IDF said it had intelligence on where the suspects were. The IDF accused them of being responsible for the death of an Israeli soldier and of posing an imminent threat.

    Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Thursday that Israel would “settle accounts with those who attack Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers,” praising the previous day’s Israeli military raid into Nablus.

    Netanyahu said that raid targeted “three terrorists” who “shot and murdered Staff Sergeant Ido Baruch last October and they were about to carry out additional attacks against us.”

    “I would like to commend the ISA and IDF Intelligence for the precise intelligence,” that led to the raid, the Israeli prime minister said, referring to the Israeli Security Agency, the Shin Bet, and the Israel Defense Forces. He also thanked “the soldiers who acted with heroism and confidence under fire.”

    The United Nations special coordinator for the Middle East peace process said late Wednesday he was “appalled by the loss of civilian lives” in the raid.

    “I am deeply disturbed by the continuing cycle of violence,” Tor Wennesland said in a statement. “I urge all sides to refrain from steps that could further enflame an already volatile situation.”

    The occupied West Bank has been rocked by a series of lethal Israeli military raids in the past year, as tensions in Israel and the Palestinian territories remain sky-high in a region riven by bloodshed.

    An Israeli raid in the city of Jenin in January caused the deadliest day for Palestinians in the West Bank in over a year, according to CNN records, with at least 10 Palestinians killed on the day and one dying later of his wounds. One day later, at least seven civilians died in a shooting near a synagogue in Jerusalem – which Israel deemed one of its worst terror attacks in recent years.

    This comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu leads a cabinet that has been described as the most far right and religious in the country’s history.

    Netanyahu previously told CNN’s Jake Tapper that people can get “hung up” on peace negotiations with the Palestinians, saying he has opted for a different approach.

    As relations between Israeli forces and Palestinian militants boil over, CNN’s Hadas Gold said the scenes on Wednesday reflected those “not seen since the second intifada,” or uprising.

    “Even for the last year and a half or so here, that has been a very violent and deadly year, these numbers are some of the highest I’ve seen in my time here,” she added.