tag

The Israeli military attacked the Gaza Strip for a fourth day on Friday, killing three people, Palestinian health authorities said, in another test of a fragile ceasefire agreement.Residents reported Israeli shelling and gunfire in northern Gaza on Friday, as Israel continued to bombard areas of the enclave despite saying that it remains committed to a ceasefire brokered by US President Donald Trump.The Israeli military did not immediately reply to a Reuters request for comment.Another Palestinian died of wounds sustained from previous Israeli shelling, the Palestinian WAFA news agency reported.The US-brokered ceasefire, which left thorny issues like the disarmament of Hamas and a timeline for Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip unresolved, has been tested by periodic outbreaks of violence since it came into place three weeks ago.Between Tuesday and Wednesday, Israel retaliated for the death of an Israeli soldier with bombardments that Gaza health authorities said killed 104 people.Gaza's health ministry said the Red Cross had delivered to it 30 bodies of Palestinians killed by Israel during the war, a day after Hamas handed over two bodies of hostages.Under the ceasefire accord, Hamas released all living hostages held in Gaza in return for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and wartime detainees, while Israel agreed to pull back its troops, halt its offensive and increase aid.Hamas also agreed to hand over the remains of all 28 dead hostages in exchange for 360 Palestinian fighters killed in the war. After Thursday's release, it had handed over 17 bodies, while 225 Palestinian bodies have so far been returned to Gaza.Hamas has said that it will take time to locate and retrieve the bodies of all the remaining hostages.Israel has accused Hamas of violating the truce by stalling in the handover.

Israel said it struck an arms dump in Gaza on Wednesday, hours after the deadliest night of bombing since the start of a US-brokered truce, warning it would continue to operate to take out perceived threats.The military announced it had carried out a precision strike on a site in the Beit Lahia area of northern Gaza where it said weapons were being stockpiled. Israeli troops, it said, would remain deployed in "accordance with the ceasefire agreement and will continue to operate to remove any immediate threat".Hamas-run Gaza's civil defence agency told AFP that one Palestinian was killed in the latest strike -- and that 104 -- including 46 children and 24 women -- had died in the previous night's bombardment.The Israeli military launched a wave of bombing after one of its soldiers was killed in Gaza on Tuesday. By mid-morning on Wednesday it said it had begun "renewed enforcement of the ceasefire".Hamas said its fighters had "no connection to the shooting incident in Rafah" and reaffirmed its commitment to the US-backed ceasefire.Both US President Donald Trump and regional mediator Qatar said they expected the ceasefire to hold, but inside Gaza displaced families were losing hope."We had just started to breathe again, trying to rebuild our lives, when the bombardment came back," said 31-year-old Khadija al-Husni, a displaced mother living with her children under canvas at a school in Al-Shati refugee camp."It's a crime. Either there is a truce or a war -- it can't be both. The children couldn't sleep; they thought the war was over."United Nations rights chief Volker Turk said the report of so many dead was appalling and urged all sides not to let peace "slip from our grasp", echoing calls from Britain, Germany and the European Union for the parties to recommit to the ceasefire.In the central city of Deir el-Balah, in a tent near Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, 40-year-old Jalal Abbas was close to despair and accused the Israelis of using false pretexts to resume their campaign."The problem is that Trump gives them cover to kill civilians because they mislead him with false information," he told AFP."We want an end to the war and the escalation. We're exhausted and on the verge of collapse."

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul on Wednesday expressed "deep concern" after the deadliest night of bombing in Gaza since a US-brokered truce went into effect earlier this month.Gaza's civil defence agency said the strikes had killed more than 100 people, including at least 35 children, a toll confirmed by an AFP tally of medical sources at five hospitals in Gaza."We appeal to Israel to exercise military restraint in order to prevent further suffering," Wadephul said in a ministry statement released ahead of a planned trip to the region.Israel carried out strikes on dozens of Hamas targets overnight to Wednesday following the death of a soldier.After the strikes, the Israeli military said it had begun "renewed enforcement of the ceasefire", though explosions could still be seen on an AFP live video feed of the Gaza skyline after the statement was issued.US President Donald Trump, who helped to broker the nearly three-week-old truce, had earlier said that nothing would be allowed to jeopardise it. But he also endorsed Israel's right to "hit back" if attacked.Wadephul also called on Hamas to "fulfil its part of the agreement... to lay down its arms and finally hand over all the remains of the deceased hostages."Following the agreement between Israel and Hamas on a ceasefire, there is hope for lasting peace, which we must continue to work towards," he added.Wadephul will first visit Jordan before heading to Lebanon and Bahrain, according to his ministry."During my trip to the Middle East, I intend to discuss with our partners where and how Germany can specifically accompany and support the next steps," he said.

The United Nations on Wednesday called the deaths in Israel's new military strikes on Gaza "appalling", as it urged all sides not to let peace "slip from our grasp".Israel said it had carried out strikes on dozens of Hamas targets following the death of a soldier, with the Gaza Strip experiencing its deadliest night of bombing since a US-brokered truce went into effect earlier in October.UN rights chief Volker Turk said the attacks had reportedly hit schools, homes and tents for internally displaced people within the Palestinian territory."Reports that over 100 Palestinians were killed overnight in a wave of Israeli airstrikes mainly on residential buildings, IDP tents and schools across the Gaza Strip, following the death of an Israeli soldier, are appalling," he said in a statement."The laws of war are very clear on the paramount importance of protecting civilians and civilian infrastructure."Turk said Israel must comply with its obligations under international humanitarian law, and would be accountable for any violations."It is distressing that these killings occurred just as the long-suffering population of Gaza started to feel there was hope that the unrelenting barrage of violence may be at an end," he said.Turk called for all parties in the conflict to act in good faith and implement the ceasefire, and urged other countries, particularly those with influence in the region, to do everything in their power to ensure compliance."The past two years have brought untold suffering and misery, and the near wholesale destruction of Gaza," he said."We must not allow this opportunity for peace and a path towards a more just and secure future to slip from our grasp."

Gaza's civil defence agency said a series of Israeli air strikes on Sunday killed at least 11 people across the territory, as Israel and Hamas traded blame for violating a ceasefire.Mahmud Bassal, a spokesman for the agency, which operates as a rescue service under Hamas authority, said six of the victims were killed when an Israeli strike targeted a "group of civilians" in northern Gaza.The Israeli military told AFP it was checking the reports of casualties.An army official earlier said Israel may carry out further strikes in Gaza after its forces targeted fighters following three attacks in the southern city of Rafah and the northern town of Beit Lahia.

The Gaza Center for Human Rights reported 129 Israeli attacks since the October 10 ceasefire, resulting in 34 Palestinian deaths and 122 injuries.In a statement issued Saturday, the Center said Israeli forces struck a civilian vehicle in Al-Zeitoun, killing 11 family members, including seven children and two women.It condemned the incident as a violation of international law and a continuation of what it described as Israel’s deadly policies against civilians.The Gaza Center for Human Rights said Israeli forces unnecessarily targeted a civilian vehicle, despite having surveillance tools to assess threats.It stressed that protecting civilians requires a complete end to hostilities and accountability through international law.Despite the ceasefire, Israeli forces continue airstrikes and gunfire against Palestinians returning to inspect their homes, while keeping the Rafah crossing closed.The truce between Hamas and Israel began last week, following troop withdrawals and the return of displaced residents, as part of the first phase of President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace initiative.

Russia and Ukraine have each claimed to have intercepted dozens of drones overnight, in the latest exchange of aerial attacks in the war that has now entered its fourth year. Russia's Ministry of Defence said on Monday that its air defence systems had downed 103 Ukrainian drones across several regions. The ministry stated that 40 of the unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) were destroyed over the annexed Crimean Peninsula, 26 over the Astrakhan region, and 19 over the Black Sea. Additional drones were reported intercepted over the Rostov region (14), the Sea of Azov (2), and one each over Belgorod and Kalmykia. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Air Force reported that its forces had shot down 69 out of 82 drones launched by Russia during an overnight assault targeting the country's north, east, and south. The type of drones used in the attacks was not specified by either side. Both nations have increasingly relied on drones for reconnaissance and long-range strikes, with drone warfare becoming a defining feature of the conflict. Since Russia's full-scale war in Ukraine began on Feb. 24, 2022, both sides have regularly issued claims of successful interceptions and repelled attacks. However, independent verification remains difficult due to the ongoing hostilities and limited access to frontline areas.

Ukraine launched a large barrage of drones for a second night in a row at Russia, which said Tuesday it had shot down 184 of the projectiles.The majority of the drones were intercepted over the border regions of Kursk and Belgorod, Russia's defence ministry said in a statement.On Monday Russia said it had intercepted 251 drones, one of Kyiv's largest retaliatory attacks that left two people dead.

The Israeli entity continued its attacks on villages and towns in southern Lebanon. Field sources reported that Israeli warplanes raided, around midnight, the outskirts of the towns of Beit Lev and Ramiya, causing severe damage to property and crops.Israeli army forces also fired incendiary bombs at the forests adjacent to the Blue Line, opposite the towns of Naqoura and Alma al-Shaab. Additionally, Israeli warplanes carried out more than one raid on the villages of the western and central sectors in Naqoura, Al-Mansouri and Mays Al-Jabal, which led to a number of deaths.Israeli forces continued, until Tuesday morning, to fire flares over the border villages adjacent to the Blue Line in the western and central sectors, reaching the outskirts of the city of Tyre, in conjunction with reconnaissance flights over the border villages in the Tyre district and the sea coast, up to the Litani River.The Israeli entity continues its escalation against the towns and villages of southern Lebanon, coinciding with its ongoing aggression on the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, which has resulted in the deaths and injuries of civilians and forced hundreds of families to flee their homes.

Israel rigged pagers, walkie-talkies to explodeBlasts killed dozens, wounded thousands including childrenVictims still undergoing surgeryUN called attack 'unacceptable'Zainab Mustarah once spent her days running an events planning firm in Beirut. But for the last year, she has been in and out of surgery to save the remnants of her right hand and both eyes, maimed when Israel detonated booby-trapped pagers in Lebanon.On September 17, 2024, thousands of pagers carried by members of Lebanese group Hezbollah exploded simultaneously, followed the next day by booby-trapped walkie-talkies.Thirty-nine people were killed and more than 3,400 wounded, including children and other civilians who were near the devices when they blew up but were not members of the group. Mustarah, now 27, was one of the wounded. She told Reuters she was working from home when the pager, which belonged to a relative, beeped as if receiving a message. It exploded without her touching it, leaving her conscious but with severe wounds to her face and hand.Her last year has been a flurry of 14 operations, including in Iran, with seven cosmetic reconstruction surgeries left to go. She lost the fingers on her right hand and 90% of her sight.“I can no longer continue with interior design because my vision is 10%. God willing, next year we will see which university majors will suit my wounds, so I can continue,” she said. The exploding pagers and walkie-talkies were the opening salvo of a devastating war between Israel and Hezbollah.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave the green light for the attacks, his spokesperson said two months later.A Reuters investigation found that Israel had concealed a small but potent charge of plastic explosive and a detonator into thousands of pagers procured by the group.They were carried by fighters, but also by members of Hezbollah’s social services branches and medical services.The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, said at the time that the explosions were “shocking, and their impact on civilians unacceptable.” He said simultaneously targeting thousands of people without knowing precisely who was in possession of the targeted devices, or where they were, “violates international human rights law and, to the extent applicable, international humanitarian law.”Mohammed Nasser al-Din, 34, was the director of the medical equipment and engineering department at Al-Rasoul Al-Aazam Hospital, a Hezbollah-affiliated facility, at the time of the pager blasts. He said he had a pager to be easily reached for any maintenance needs there.At the hospital on September 17 last year, he spoke by phone with his wife to check in on their son’s first day back at school.Moments later, his pager exploded.The blast cost him his left eye and left fingers and lodged shrapnel in his skull. He lay in a coma for two weeks and is still undergoing surgeries to his face.He woke to learn of the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in a barrage of Israeli strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs, a turning point for the group and its supporters.But Nasser al-Din did not shed a tear — until his son saw the state he was in. “The distress I felt was over how my son could accept that my condition was like this,” he said.Elias Jrade, a Lebanese member of parliament and eye surgeon who conducted dozens of operations on those affected, said that some of the cases would have to receive lifelong treatment.“There were children and women who would ask, what happened to us? And you can’t answer them,” he told Reuters.

"At this particular time and stage, the main focus and top priority is to maintain the sovereignty and security of our country Qatar and guarantee that such attacks by Israel never happen again," stressed Advisor to the Prime Minister and Official Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dr Majid bin Mohamed al Ansari.Speaking at the weekly media briefing of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday, he pointed out that Qatar will remain committed to the process of peace, mediation and arriving at peaceful settlements for the all the conflicts around the world and in particular Gaza and Palestinian issue. However, it is clear from the reckless action, the recent Israeli attacks on Doha and in particular on Hamas peace negotiators, that Israel does not want peace and is not serious about reaching a peace deal with Hamas. They even seem to be no longer caring about the wellbeing and safe return of the Israeli hostages.Regarding the current visit to Qatar by US Secretary of State Mark Rubio, Dr Al-Ansari stressed that the defence agreement and treaties between Qatar and the US has been a long term relationship and the recent events could only expedite such agreements and further enhance them. Yet, the relationship and defence relations has always been active and effective as the US President has described Qatar as a key and important ally and partnerIn the meantime, he noted that so long as Israel is persisting on targeting the peaceful negotiators and the mediator as well, there will be no validity for continuing the negotiations in such circumstances. This does not mean that Qatar will undermine its peaceful efforts for Gaza or other places of conflict around the world.Dr Al- Ansari Ansari further stressed the humanitarian efforts and humanitarian and basic medical aid is a continuous process for Qatar, as recently the due aid was delivered to Syria and Afghanistan in cooperation and coordination with the partners and friends.Regarding the outcome of the Emergency and Islamic Summit held in Doha on Monday, he confirmed that it sends to the world a strong message of solidarity and support with Qatar to maintain its sovereignty, condemning the irresponsible Israeli attacks on Doha, and demanding a strong international response against Israeli aggression.