Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that a “very sad mistake” had happened after an Israeli attack in southern Gaza caused a fire at a camp where Palestinians who had to leave their homes were staying. Local officials said at least 45 people died.
The error made the criticism towards Israel even stronger internationally because of its war with Hamas. Even its best friends are angry about innocent people dying. Israel says it follows the rules of world law even though it is being watched closely by the top courts. One of the courts recently told Israel to stop their attack in Rafah.
Israel’s army said it is looking into the deaths of civilians after hitting a Hamas base and killing two important fighters. The attack on Sunday night was one of the worst in the war. It increased the total number of Palestinian deaths to over 36,000. The Gaza Health Ministry counts all deaths, whether they are fighters or not.
“Netanyahu said on Monday that, despite trying very hard not to hurt innocent civilians, a terrible mistake happened last night. ” “We are looking into what happened and will figure out what happened because that is our rule. ”
Mohammed Abuassa quickly went to the neighborhood of Tel al-Sultan in the northwest and said that people were in very bad shape when rescuers found them.
“We saved kids who were really hurt. ” We removed both young and old people. He said the fire at the camp wasn’t real.
At least 45 people died, according to the Gaza Health Ministry and the Palestinian Red Crescent rescue service. The government said that at least 12 women, eight children, and three older adults were found dead, and three more bodies were burned so badly that they could not be identified.
In other news, Egypt’s army said that one of its soldiers was killed in a shooting in the Rafah area, but didn’t give more information. Israel and Egypt are talking to each other and looking into something together.
Rafah, the southern city on the border of Gaza and Egypt, had more than a million people living there. That’s about half of the population of Gaza, who had to leave their homes and move to Rafah. Many people have left because Israel entered the area earlier this month. Thousands and thousands of people are living in dirty and overcrowded tent camps in and around the city.
Netanyahu says Israel needs to defeat what he calls the last of Hamas’ soldiers in Rafah. The fighters shot many rockets from the city towards the busy central part of Israel on Sunday. This made the air raid alarms go off, but no one got hurt.
The attack on Rafah was strongly condemned, even by Israel’s biggest supporters.
The United States. National Security Council said that the pictures from the attack on Rafah are really sad.
Tag: Isreal
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Isreal’s Netanyahu admits missile strike in Rafah was a “tragic mistake”
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Israel may have violated international law using American weapons in Gaza – US suggests
The United States suggests that Israel might have employed American-provided weaponry, potentially violating international humanitarian law at times during the Gaza conflict.According to the State Department, it is deemed “reasonable to assess” that these arms were utilized in manners “inconsistent” with Israel’s obligations.
However, it acknowledged that the United States lacked comprehensive information in its evaluation and stated that shipments could persist.
The report, which experienced a delay, was submitted to Congress on Friday.
Ordered by the White House, the review examined the utilization of US-supplied arms by the country, alongside six others embroiled in conflicts, since the beginning of the previous year.
The report criticized certain Israeli operations in Gaza but refrained from explicitly stating that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) campaign had violated international law.
Israel faced an “extraordinary military challenge” combatting Hamas in Gaza, the report stated.
Furthermore, it mentioned that assurances from Israel regarding the lawful use of US weapons were considered “credible and reliable.”
The document also noted that because Hamas “uses civilian infrastructure for military purposes and civilians as human shields”, it was often “difficult to determine facts on the ground in an active war zone” of what are legitimate targets.
But it said that given Israel’s significant reliance on US-made weapons, they had probably been used “in instances inconsistent with its IHL [international humanitarian law] obligations or with established best practices for mitigating civilian harm”.
It added that “Israel has the knowledge, experience, and tools to implement best practices for mitigating civilian harm in its military operations”, but that “results on the ground, including high levels of civilian casualties, raise substantial questions as to whether the IDF is using them effectively in all cases”.
The report said the UN and humanitarian organisations had described Israeli efforts to mitigate civilian harm as “inconsistent, ineffective and inadequate”.
The state department found that Israel did not fully co-operate with US efforts to “maximise” humanitarian aid into Gaza in the initial months of the conflict. It said, however, that this situation had changed.
“We do not currently assess that the Israeli government is prohibiting or otherwise restricting the transport or delivery of US humanitarian assistance,” the report said.
One of the contributors to the report, David Satterfield, a former US ambassador to Turkey, told the BBC that the report was the first of its kind and that the US would continue to keep Israeli actions “under review”.
“This is a conflict quite unlike any that the world has seen,” he added. “We tried to take account of all those factors in coming up with a very frank, but also credible judgement.”
The report was finally released days after US President Joe Biden publicly threatened to withhold certain bombs and artillery shells from Israel if it went ahead with an assault on Rafah, the last stronghold of Hamas in Gaza that is packed with more than a million Palestinians.
Shortly before the report’s publication, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed President Biden’s warnings that the operation in Rafah would cross a “red line” and vowed that Israel would “stand alone” if necessary.
More than 80,000 people have fled Rafah since Monday, the UN says, with Israeli tanks reportedly massed close to built-up areas amid constant bombardment.
Israeli troops took control and closed the Rafah crossing with Egypt at the start of their operation, while the UN said it was too dangerous for its staff and lorries to reach the reopened Kerem Shalom crossing with Israel.
Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza to destroy Hamas in response to the group’s attack on southern Israel on 7 October, during which about 1,200 people were killed and 252 others were taken hostage. More than 34,900 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.
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Israel urges relief agencies to collaborate on evacuation efforts
Israel is urging UN relief agencies to collaborate with its initiatives to evacuate civilians from conflict zones, particularly in Rafah, ahead of an impending ground operation.
During a press briefing, government spokesperson Eylon Levy emphasized the importance of cooperation, stating, “Don’t say it can’t be done. Work with us to find a way.”
Rafah, situated on the border with Egypt, is perceived as the last sanctuary for Gazans seeking refuge from Israel’s military operations elsewhere in the Gaza Strip.
With an estimated 1.5 million people crowded in Rafah, concerns about the potential impact of an upcoming ground operation are widespread.
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Oil prices rise as Israel rejects ceasefire offer from Hamas”
Oil prices rose on Thursday following Israel’s rejection of a ceasefire offer from Hamas and a weaker dollar. Brent crude futures increased by 0.4% to $79.56 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures climbed 0.4% to $74.17 a barrel.
Tensions in the wider Middle East have kept the market unsettled since October, with little progress in resolving the Gaza conflict. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu turned down Hamas’ latest ceasefire proposal, but U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken indicated room for negotiation.
Meanwhile, a Palestinian Hamas delegation, led by senior official Khalil Al-Hayya, was set to hold ceasefire talks with Egypt and Qatar in Cairo.
A weaker dollar also supported oil prices, making crude more affordable for traders holding other currencies. The dollar index fell to 104.00 at 0730 GMT.
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Israeli air strike kills 70 in Al-Maghazi refugee camp – Hamas
At least 70 individuals were reported killed in an Israeli air strike on the Al-Maghazi refugee camp in central Gaza, as confirmed by Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry.
The death toll is expected to rise due to the significant number of families residing in the area. The Israeli military is investigating the reports of the strike.
Simultaneously, there are indications from Israeli and Arab media that Egypt, sharing a border with the Gaza Strip, has proposed a new ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
Numerous injured individuals, including children, were swiftly transported from Maghazi to Al-Aqsa Hospital, with distressing scenes of bloodied faces and body bags outside.
The health ministry stated that three houses were struck in the late Sunday attack, resulting in the destruction of a densely populated residential block.
A father said he had lost his daughter and grandchildren, adding that his family had fled from the north for safety in central Gaza.
“They lived on the third floor of one of the buildings,” he said. “The wall collapsed on them. My grandchildren, my daughter, her husband – all gone.
“We are all targeted. Civilians are targeted. There is no safe place. They told us to leave Gaza City – now we came to central Gaza to die.”
The Palestine Red Crescent Society says “intense” Israeli air strikes have led to the closure of main roads between Maghazi and two other refugee camps, Al-Bureij and Al-Nuseirat, “hindering the work of ambulances and rescue teams”.
In a statement to the BBC, the Israeli military said it had received “reports of an incident in the Maghazi camp”.
“Despite the challenges posed by Hamas terrorists operating within civilian areas in Gaza, the IDF [Israeli Defense Forces] is committed to international law including taking feasible steps to minimize harm to civilians,” it added.
According to the health ministry, more than 20,000 people have been killed – mostly children and women – and 54,000 injured in Gaza since 7 October, when Hamas and other Palestinian groups attacked Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking about 240 hostages.
According to the Israeli military, over a dozen soldiers have lost their lives in Gaza since Friday, bringing the total number of casualties from the ground offensive that began on October 7 to 156.
Despite Saturday being one of the deadliest days, Mr. Netanyahu insisted that there was “no choice” but to continue the conflict.
The new ceasefire proposal by Egypt would be implemented in three parts:
- The first phase of the ceasefire would see a humanitarian pause of seven to ten days during which Hamas would release all civilian hostages in exchange for some Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails
- In the week-long second phase, Hamas would release all Israeli female soldiers in return for more prisoners and the exchange of corpses held since 7 October
- The third phase, which would last a month, would see the release of the remaining hostages and a number of Palestinian prisoners and Israel withdrawing from the Gaza Strip and suspension of all aerial activities.
Indirect negotiations would be held in Egypt with Qatari and US participation.
An Israeli source told Maariv newspaper that the Egyptian initiative could lead to negotiations. Hamas says it is studying the proposal.
Meanwhile, the Danish shipping giant, Maersk, says it is preparing to resume shipping operations through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
The announcement came after an international military operation, led by the US, was deployed to prevent the targeting of commercial ships by drones from areas of Yemen controlled by Houthi rebels. The Houthis have declared their support for Hamas and have said they would target any ship travelling to Israel.
Maersk and other shipping companies stopped sending ships through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal earlier this month as a result of drone attacks. US Central Command said two days ago that a US navy destroyer had shot down four drones in the Red Sea launched from Yemeni territory.
In another development, Pope Francis appealed for peace in the Middle East as he presided over a Christmas Eve Mass at Saint Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican.
Referring to the war between Israel and Hamas, the Pope said Jesus’s message of peace was being drowned out by the “futile logic of war” in the very land where he had been born.
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Hamas sets conditions for hostage release
A significant development has emerged from yesterday’s events, as highlighted in our previous update.
Hamas has declared that it will not consider any further hostage releases unless Israel commits to a complete halt in hostilities.
Following a truce agreement last month, Hamas released over 100 hostages. However, approximately 120 Israelis, abducted on October 7, are reportedly still held captive in Gaza.
Hamas issued a firm statement, asserting, “There is a Palestinian national decision that there will be no discussions regarding prisoners or exchange deals until there is a full cessation of aggression.”
The exact Palestinian factions to which this statement applies remain unclear, although Islamic Jihad, another active group in Gaza, is known to hold some Israeli hostages as well.
This development presents a challenging scenario for the Israeli government. While Israel’s strategy has been to exert military pressure on Hamas and conduct rescue operations, these efforts have only successfully liberated one hostage, Ori Megidish, to date.
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Israel advocates inclusion of women and unwell men in truce deal – Report
Intensive talks, facilitated by Qatar and Egypt, are reportedly in progress for a potential second truce in Gaza.
Israel is seeking the inclusion of women and unwell men in the agreement, with the possibility of releasing Palestinians imprisoned for serious offenses in exchange.
While Hamas has insisted on a permanent ceasefire for the release of hostages, Israel maintains that the conflict will only conclude when Hamas is removed from power.
Surprisingly, the Israeli president announced readiness for another humanitarian pause yesterday.
However yesterday, the Israeli president said his country was “ready for another humanitarian pause”.
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Questions raised as Israel admits violation of rules in Gaza conflict
Israeli officials have conceded a breach of “rules of engagement” after the killing of three hostages waving a white flag, a violation considered against the Laws of Armed Conflict.
The rules of engagement (ROE) are typically classified to maintain a strategic advantage. ROEs are meant to establish clear guidelines for armed forces personnel on when and under what circumstances the use of lethal force is legally justified.
The incident in Gaza underscores the challenging and dangerous nature of the conflict, prompting Israel’s Chief of Staff Lt Gen Halevi to personally remind troops not to shoot non-combatants, especially those surrendering with a white flag.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is expected to address these concerns during his visit to Israel.
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Defense Secretary in US arrives in Israel
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has touched down in Israel, aligning with heightened international pressure for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Austin is scheduled to engage in discussions with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
As reported by Reuters, a senior US defense official accompanying Austin mentioned that the talks would likely involve Israel’s planning for the transition to the next phase of the conflict.
This visit comes as France advocates for an “immediate and durable truce” in Gaza, while the UK and Germany have urged a “sustainable ceasefire” in the region over the weekend.
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Photos: Gazans escape their homes over warning from Isreal
After receiving a warning from Israel to relocate south, new images are starting to surface showing residents of Gaza City packing up and leaving their houses.
Children are among those making their way to safety. The age of the majority of people in Gaza is under 18.
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Ghanaian residents in Israel not willing to return home despite war
A section of Ghanaian residents currently living in Israel have expressed their reluctance to return home, even amidst the escalating conflict between Ghana and Palestine.
Seth Cudjoe, a Ghanaian residing in Israel, conveyed in an interview on JoyNews’ The Pulse that pursuing repatriation would be his final resort. This decision is driven by the fact that he has a newborn child who requires utmost care and stability.
He further noted that the Ghanaian community within his vicinity shares a similar sentiment and is unwilling to leave unless there are no viable alternatives.
“I am not planning to come back to Ghana … I can’t also leave my wife and jump to Ghana and the Ghana community is not ready to leave unless the worst confronts us,” Mr. Cudjoe.
He mentioned that he maintains regular contact with officials from Ghana and consistently receives updates on how to stay out of harm’s way amidst the ongoing conflict.
“The Ghanaian community in Israel feels safer in Israel. With the help of the Embassy, they’ve communicated to us – given us instructions, basically what to do and what not to do. They’ve made us understand that if they don’t have anything to do outside, then no need to go out .. to be at a safer place.”
A deadly assault by Hamas militants in Southern Israel has reignited tensions between Israel and Palestine over the Gaza Strip. Reportedly, Hamas militants from Gaza infiltrated Southern Israel, targeting innocent Israeli civilians.
Israel has reported over 600 casualties and 100 abductions as a result of these attacks. In Gaza, at least 313 individuals have lost their lives due to retaliatory Israeli airstrikes, as confirmed by Palestinian authorities.
Despite these developments, the Israeli Mission in Ghana believes it is premature to initiate a hasty evacuation. They have committed to ensuring the safety of all individuals, including Ghanaian citizens residing in the affected region.
“Israel is ready to guard the safety of all the people in Israel.”
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Eritrean protesters scuffle violently in Israel
On Saturday, Tel Aviv witnessed a violent clash between supporters and opponents of the Eritrean government, resulting in numerous injuries and widespread destruction. This incident marked one of the most intense confrontations among African asylum seekers and migrants in the city’s recent history.
Among the casualties were 30 police officers and three demonstrators struck by police gunfire. Both sides, composed of Eritrean nationals, armed themselves with construction materials, pieces of metal, rocks, and even an axe, causing havoc in a neighborhood inhabited by many asylum seekers. Protesters vandalized shopfronts and police vehicles, leaving bloodstains on the sidewalks. In a distressing scene, a government supporter lay injured in a pool of blood within a children’s playground.
Israeli law enforcement, clad in riot gear, responded with tear gas, stun grenades, and live ammunition. Mounted officers tried to restore order as protesters breached barricades and hurled rocks at the police. Authorities clarified that live ammunition was used only when officers perceived a life-threatening situation.
Initially, both Eritrean government supporters and opponents had obtained permits for separate events on Saturday and had committed to maintaining distance between their gatherings.
By late Saturday afternoon, the clashes had subsided, but police continued to detain protesters, transporting them on buses for further processing. Notably, anti-government demonstrators wore sky-blue shirts featuring Eritrea’s 1952 flag, symbolizing their opposition to the country’s government. In contrast, government supporters donned purple shirts adorned with a map of Eritrea.
It’s crucial to recognize that Eritreans constitute the majority of the over 30,000 African asylum seekers residing in Israel. These clashes occurred simultaneously with Eritrean government supporters commemorating the 30th anniversary of their current leader’s rise to power near the Eritrean embassy in Tel Aviv, while opponents were allowed to hold a separate event.
Despite assurances that both sides would remain separated during their events, these commitments were eventually broken, according to Chaim Bublil, a Tel Aviv police commander. Eritrea’s notorious human rights record fuels the fears of asylum seekers in Israel and other countries who dread the prospect of returning to their homeland.