[🇧🇩] Israel and Hamas war in Gaza-----Can Bangladesh be a peace broker?

[Saif]

Gaza battles flare as Israel slams arrest warrant bid for 'war crimes'

Israeli forces battled Hamas in Gaza on Tuesday after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu angrily dismissed a bid for an international arrest warrant against him on charges of war crimes in the Palestinian territory

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Gaza battles flare as Israel slams arrest warrant bid for 'war crimes'

Photo: AFP
Israeli forces battled Hamas in Gaza on Tuesday after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu angrily dismissed a bid for an international arrest warrant against him on charges of war crimes in the Palestinian territory.

US President Joe Biden backed Netanyahu in condemning as "outrageous" the bid by the International Criminal Court's prosecutor who also sought warrants against leaders of Palestinian militant group Hamas.

To read the rest of the news, please click on the link above.​

 

[Saif]

Norway, Ireland, Spain to recognise Palestinian state

Norway, Ireland and Spain announced on Wednesday that they will recognise a Palestinian state, prompting Israel to immediately recall its envoys

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Norway, Ireland, Spain to recognise Palestinian state
AFPOslo
Updated: 22 May 2024, 14: 39

Protesters hold a Palestinian flag as they gather outside the International Court of Justice (ICJ) as judges rule on emergency measures against Israel following accusations by South Africa that the Israeli military operation in Gaza is a state-led genocide, in The Hague, Netherlands, 26 January, 2024.Reuters file photo

Norway, Ireland and Spain announced on Wednesday that they will recognise a Palestinian state, prompting Israel to immediately recall its envoys.

Ireland's leader said his nation would recognise Palestine as a state but did not specify timing, while leaders of Norway and Spain said their nations would do so as of 28 May.

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store made the announcement in Oslo, Spain Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez in Madrid and Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris in Dublin.

Israel immediately announced it was recalling its envoys to Ireland and Norway for "urgent consultations".

"Today, I am sending a sharp message to Ireland and Norway: Israel will not go over this in silence," Foreign Minister Israel Katz said in a statement, adding that he planned to do the same with he Spanish ambassador.

To read the rest of the news, please click on the link above.​

 

[Saif]

North Gaza hospitals barely operational

North Gaza’s last two functioning hospitals, Al-Awda and Kamal Adwan, are barely operational, doctors and the World Health Organization said Tuesday with the Israel’s offensive in Gaza now in its eighth month.

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North Gaza hospitals barely operational
Say medics, WHO as Israeli forces fire on the facilities

North Gaza's last two functioning hospitals, Al-Awda and Kamal Adwan, are barely operational, doctors and the World Health Organization said Tuesday with the Israel's offensive in Gaza now in its eighth month.

Hospital officials said Israeli forces had fired on the facilities and that snipers had been deployed near one of them.

"Today marks the third day of the siege on Al-Awda Hospital in northern Gaza," the hospital's acting director Dr Mohammad Saleh told AFP.

He reported that Israeli forces had been "firing at the hospital buildings" and that "snipers" have taken up position in nearby houses.

To read the rest of the news, please click on the link above.​

 

[Saif]

What is the two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict?

The Gaza war has put renewed focus on a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, still seen by many countries as the path to peace even though the negotiating process has been moribund for a decade. More than seven months into the deadliest Israeli-Palestinian war yet, the US has sa

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

What is the two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict?
REUTERS
Published :
May 22, 2024 20:06
Updated :
May 22, 2024 20:06

An Israeli tank manoeuvres near the Israel-Gaza border, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Israel on January 24, 2024 — Reuters/File

The Gaza war has put renewed focus on a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, still seen by many countries as the path to peace even though the negotiating process has been moribund for a decade.

More than seven months into the deadliest Israeli-Palestinian war yet, the US has said there is no way to solve Israel's security issues and the challenge of rebuilding Gaza without steps towards a Palestinian state.

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[Saif]

Ship targeted by ‘missile’ attack off Yemen

A missile attack targeted a commercial vessel transiting southwest of Yemen’s port city of Hodeidah without causing any damage or casualties, maritime security firms said yesterday.

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Ship targeted by 'missile' attack off Yemen

A missile attack targeted a commercial vessel transiting southwest of Yemen's port city of Hodeidah without causing any damage or casualties, maritime security firms said yesterday.

The vessel was "suspiciously approached" 68 nautical miles (125 kilometres) off Hodeidah, Ambrey said, without identifying the ship or the flag that it was flying.

"The vessel had undergone what she described as a 'missile attack' at the location," it added, noting that "no injuries or damages were reported".

The UK Maritime Trade Operations also reported an incident at the same location, with "a missile impacting the water in close proximity" to the ship.​

 

[Saif]

Impact of recognition of a Palestinian state

RECENTLY, calls for the western world to recognise a Palestinian state in its own right have been getting louder...

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Impact of recognition of a Palestinian state
24 May, 2024, 00:00

Members of the government and MPs applaud as Spain's prime minister delivers a speech to announce that Spain will recognise Palestine as a state on May 28, at the Congress of Deputies in Madrid on May 22. | — Agence France-Presse/Thomas Coex

Whether or not to recognise a Palestinian state is a decade-old debate. Advocates say the move would have legal and symbolic power, but critics argue it would not change the situation on the ground, writes Cathrin Schaer

RECENTLY, calls for the western world to recognise a Palestinian state in its own right have been getting louder.

Although Germany does not consider current Palestinian territories a unified state, a majority of countries at the United Nations do — 139 out of a total of 193. What's significant this time, though, is that recognition is apparently being reconsidered by the US, a country that has previously vetoed almost every attempt to recognise a Palestinian nation.

The UK also seems to be thinking about it even though, in the past, the country has been just as opposed to the move as the US.

'What we need to do is give the Palestinian people a horizon towards a better future, the future of having a state of their own', British foreign secretary David Cameron said in February.

Spain, Norway and Ireland today all committed to recognising a Palestinian state.

To read the rest of the news, please click on the link above.​

 

[Saif]

Israel launches deadly Gaza strikes, says ready for new truce talks

Israel launches deadly Gaza strikes, expresses readiness for truce talks with Hamas amid mounting international pressure for ceasefire and recognition of Palestinian statehood.

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Israel launches deadly Gaza strikes, says ready for new truce talks
AFP
Published: 24 May 2024, 08: 44

A Palestinian man walks on the rubble of a destroyed house in Nuseirat following Israeli bombardment overnight on 23 May, 2024, amid continuing battles between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza StripAFP

Israel launched devastating air strikes on Gaza Thursday, while also expressing readiness to resume stalled talks on a truce and hostage release deal with Hamas to pause the war raging since 7 October.

The Gaza Strip's civil defence agency said two pre-dawn air strikes had killed 26 people, including 15 children, in Gaza City.

Agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal said one strike hit a family house, killing 16 people, in the Al-Daraj area, and another killed 10 people inside a mosque compound.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.

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[Saif]

World reacts to ICJ order for Israel to halt Rafah assault

Israel was ordered by the World Court on Friday to halt its military assault on the city of Rafah during the Gaza war

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World reacts to ICJ order for Israel to halt Rafah assault

A protester draped in a Palestinian flag holds up a sign at a protest in support of Palestinians in Gaza outside the International Court of Justice (ICJ), on the day of a ruling on South Africa's request to order a halt to Israel's Rafah offensive in Gaza as part of a larger case brought before the Hague-based court by South Africa accusing Israel of genocide, in The Hague, Netherlands May 24, 2024. Photo: Reuters/Johanna Geron

Here are some reactions:

HAMAS OFFICIAL BASEM NAIM
"We welcome the decision by the World Court that calls on the Zionist occupation forces to end its military aggression on Rafah. We believe it is not enough since the occupation aggression across the Gaza Strip and especially in northern Gaza is just as brutal and dangerous.

"We call upon the UN Security Council to immediately implement this demand by the World Court into practical measures to compel the Zionist enemy to implement the decision.

"We welcome the court's request to allow investigation committees to reach the Gaza Strip to investigate acts of war of genocide against the Palestinian people and Hamas pledges to cooperate with investigation committees."

PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY SPOKESPERSON NABIL ABU RUDEINEH

"The presidency welcomes the decision issued by the International Court of Justice, which represents an international consensus on the demand to stop the all-out war on Gaza."

ISRAEL FINANCE MINISTER BEZALEL SMOTRICH

"Those who demand that the State of Israel stop the war, demand that it decree itself to cease to exist. We will not agree to that."

OPPOSITION LEADER YAIR LAPID

"The ICC arrest warrants are a complete moral failure, we cannot accept the outrageous comparison between Netanyahu and (Hamas leader) Sinwar, between the leaders of Israel and the leaders of Hamas.

"The fact that the court in the Hague did not make the connection in its ruling between the cessation of fighting in Rafah and the return of the hostages and Israel's right to defend itself against terrorism is a moral collapse and a moral disaster."

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[Saif]

World Court orders Israel to halt assault on Gaza’s Rafah

Judges at the top United Nations court ordered Israel on Friday to halt its military assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah. Reading out a ruling by the International Court of Justice or World Court, the body’s president Nawaf Salam said provisional measures ordered by the court in March

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

World Court orders Israel to halt assault on Gaza's Rafah
REUTERS
Published :
May 24, 2024 19:46
Updated :
May 24, 2024 19:46

Judge Nawaf Salam, president of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) presides over the International Court of Justice (ICJ), during a ruling on South Africa's request to order a halt to Israel's Rafah offensive in Gaza as part of a larger case brought before the Hague-based court by South Africa accusing Israel of genocide, in The Hague, Netherlands May 24, 2024. Photo : Reuters/Johanna Geron

Judges at the top United Nations court ordered Israel on Friday to halt its military assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah.

Reading out a ruling by the International Court of Justice or World Court, the body's president Nawaf Salam said provisional measures ordered by the court in March did not fully address the situation in the besieged Palestinian enclave now, and conditions had been met for a new emergency order.

"Israel must immediately halt its military offensive" in Rafah, he said.

The court backed a South African request to order Israel to halt its offensive in Rafah, a week after Pretoria called for the measure in a case accusing Israel of genocide.

Outside, a small group of pro-Palestinian demonstrators waved flags and played a rap on a boom box calling for a free Palestine.

Israel has repeatedly dismissed the case's accusations of genocide as baseless, arguing in court that its operations in Gaza are self-defence and targeted at Hamas militants who attacked Israel on Oct 7.

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[Deleted due to Error (Muji Iqbal)]

How can Bangladesh negotiate peace between Hamas and Israel?
It is United Nations Security Council which should do that.

 

[Saif]

Germany, Portugal say time not ripe to recognise Palestinian state

Germany and Portugal express reservations about recognizing a Palestinian state, citing lack of clarity on territory and unresolved issues, preferring a negotiated two-state solution.

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Germany, Portugal say time not ripe to recognise Palestinian state
AFPBerlin
Published: 24 May 2024, 21: 53

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (R) and Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro address a joint press conference after talks at the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany on 24 May, 2024AFP

The leaders of Germany and Portugal said Friday the time was not ripe to recognise a Palestinian state, after three other European nations announced plans to do so.

"We have no reason to recognise the Palestinian Authority as a separate state now," Chancellor Olaf Scholz told a press conference after talks with Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro.

"There is no clarity about the territory of the state and other questions related to it," he said.

"What we need is a negotiated solution between Israel and the Palestinians that amounts to a two-state solution... but we are still a long way from there," he said.

To read the rest of the news, please click on the link above.​

 

[Saif]

World Court's order on Rafah does not rule out entire offensive, Israel says

Israel considers that an order by the World Court to halt its military offensive on Rafah in southern Gaza allows room for some military action there, Israeli officials said

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World Court's order on Rafah does not rule out entire offensive, Israel says

Photo: AFP

Israel considers that an order by the World Court to halt its military offensive on Rafah in southern Gaza allows room for some military action there, Israeli officials said.

In an emergency ruling in South Africa's case accusing Israel of genocide, judges at the International Court of Justice ordered Israel on Friday to immediately halt its assault on Rafah, where Israel says it is rooting out Hamas fighters.

"What they are asking us, is not to commit genocide in Rafah. We did not commit genocide and we will not commit genocide," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's national security adviser, Tzachi Hanegbi, told Israel's N12 TV on Saturday.

Asked whether the Rafah offensive would continue, Hanegbi said: "According to international law, we have the right to defend ourselves and the evidence is that the court is not preventing us from continuing to defend ourselves."​

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[Saif]

An open letter on Gaza from Bangladesh

From Bangladesh and across the world, 126 Bangladeshi scholars, teachers and researchers condemn Israel's war in Gaza.

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An open letter on Gaza from Bangladesh

Nearly 40,000 Palestinians have been killed by the occupier in seven months, most of whom are women and children. FILE PHOTO: REUTERS

As we write this, Israel has embarked on the final phase of its genocidal war in Gaza, bombing Rafah where more than a million Palestinians have been driven by repeated evacuations from the rest of the Gaza Strip. Today, they have nowhere left to go.

Nearly 40,000 Palestinians have been killed by the occupier in seven months, most of whom are women and children. Hundreds of thousands more are injured. More than a million people have lost their homes, and the infrastructure of life has been obliterated by the occupation's indiscriminate bombing. Netanyahu's policy of forced starvation has created a famine in Gaza. International organisations are unable to carry out adequate relief operations in the face of Israeli bombings and Zionist mobs preventing the entry of aid trucks. Genocidal actions are being carried out in the West Bank as well. Entire villages have been literally burned down by Zionist settlers backed by soldiers, bulldozers, and tanks.

To read the rest of the news, please click on the link above.​

 

[Saif]

Macron discusses Gaza war with Arab ministers

France’s president, Qatar’s prime minister and the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan held talks Friday on the Gaza war and ways to set up a Palestinian state alongside Israel...

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Macron discusses Gaza war with Arab ministers
Agence France-Presse . Paris 25 May, 2024, 22:51

Emmanuel Macron

France's president, Qatar's prime minister and the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan held talks Friday on the Gaza war and ways to set up a Palestinian state alongside Israel, the French presidency said.

French president Emmanuel Macron organised the meeting amid growing international concerns over the Israel-Hamas war. It came a few hours after the UN's top court ordered Israel to halt its offensive in the Gaza city of Rafah.

Efforts to revive a 'two-state' solution to the wider Middle East conflict and humanitarian efforts for Gaza dominated the talks.

The five countries also discussed how to 'increase and deepen their cooperation' and 'the effective implementation of the two-state solution, the only effective way to guarantee the peace and security of the state of Israel and to respond to the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinians,' the statement added.

Macron and France's Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne were joined at the meeting by Qatar's Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani and foreign ministers Sameh Shoukry of Egypt, Ayman Safadi of Jordan and Faisal bin Farhan al-Saud of Saudi Arabia, the Elysee said.

To read the rest of the news, please click on the link above.​

 

[Saif]

Hamas claims to have taken Israeli soldier 'prisoner'

The Palestinian group targeted Israeli forces in a tunnel in the Jabalia camp and "all their members were killed

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Hamas claims to have taken Israeli soldier 'prisoner'
AFP Palestinian Territories
Published: 26 May 2024, 11: 27

A woman and boy walk with belongings past barbed-wire fences as they flee from Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on 11 May, 2024 amid the ongoing conflict in the Palestinian territory between Israel and Hamas.AFP

The armed wing of Hamas said it had taken "prisoner" at least one Israeli soldier in an ambush on Saturday in the Gaza Strip, a claim Israel denied.

The Palestinian group targeted Israeli forces in a tunnel in the Jabalia camp and "all their members were killed, wounded or taken prisoner," said Abu Obeida, spokesman for the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades.

Hamas also broadcast images of a soldier being dragged along the ground, presenting the soldier as a captured Israeli. The images could not be immediately authenticated by AFP.

In a statement on Telegram, the Israeli army said it "clarifies that there is no incident in which a soldier was abducted".

Israeli warplanes and artillery pounded Rafah on Saturday, as the government dismissed an order by the top UN court to halt its military offensive in the southern Gaza city.

At the same time, renewed international efforts were underway aimed at securing a ceasefire in the war sparked by Hamas's unprecedented 7 October attack on Israel.

To read the rest of the news, please click on the link above.​

 

[Saif]

Famine should be declared in Gaza Strip

At least 70 organisations are calling on relevant authorities and international institutions to officially declare a famine in the Gaza Strip, where there is a rapid spread of famine, according to the Geneva-based Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor yesterday.

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Famine should be declared in Gaza Strip
Say rights organisations as Israel using starvation as a 'weapon of war' against Palestinian people

A Palestinian man walks past a destroyed building in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip yesterday, amid the ongoing Israeli offensive in the Palestinian enclave. Israel prepared to allow around 200 aid trucks into Gaza through Kerem Shalom at the southeastern edge of the Palestinian enclave, bypassing the main Rafah crossing that has been blocked for weeks. Photo: AFP

At least 70 organisations are calling on relevant authorities and international institutions to officially declare a famine in the Gaza Strip, where there is a rapid spread of famine, according to the Geneva-based Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor yesterday.

It said that food insecurity is increasing across the enclave because of Israel's use of starvation as a "weapon of war" against the Palestinian people – something the organisations say is part of a genocide, a charge Israel has denied.

"The organisations stated that food security levels have significantly declined as a result of the Israeli army's ground operation in Rafah City, south of the Gaza Strip, which began on May 7 and was preceded the day before by blocking the entry of humanitarian aid trucks through the Rafah crossing" the statement read.

To read the rest of the news, please click on the link above.​

 

[Saif]

Israel not ‘akin’ to Hamas

International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor Karim Khan justified his decision to request arrest warrants for Israel’s prime minister and defence minister in an interview with a British newspaper published yesterday.

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Israel not 'akin' to Hamas
Says ICC prosecutor

International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor Karim Khan justified his decision to request arrest warrants for Israel's prime minister and defence minister in an interview with a British newspaper published yesterday.

Khan said on Monday that he was seeking warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant, as well as top Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar, Ismail Haniyeh and Mohamed Deif, on suspicions of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

His announcement sparked the ire of Israel and its allies the United States and United Kingdom, all of which criticised Khan for putting together Hamas and Israel, which has carried out a relentless military campaign in Gaza since October 7.

"It's a precarious moment internationally and if we don't hold on to the law, we have nothing to cling onto," Khan, who rarely speaks publicly, told the Sunday Times newspaper.

To read the rest of the news, please click on the link above.​

 

[Saif]

Norway hands over papers for diplomatic recognition to the Palestinian prime minister

Norway on Sunday handed over diplomatic papers to the Palestinian prime minister in the latest step toward recognising a Palestinian state, a largely symbolic move that has infuriated Israel. Ireland and Spain made a concerted pledge with Norway to recognise a Palestinian state, a historic move th

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

Norway hands over papers for diplomatic recognition to the Palestinian prime minister
Published :
May 26, 2024 19:53
Updated :
May 26, 2024 19:53

Norway on Sunday handed over diplomatic papers to the Palestinian prime minister in the latest step toward recognising a Palestinian state, a largely symbolic move that has infuriated Israel.

Ireland and Spain made a concerted pledge with Norway to recognise a Palestinian state, a historic move that increases Israel's isolation more than seven months into its grinding war against Hamas in Gaza, reports AP.

The handover of papers by Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide to the prime minister was made in Brussels, where Mohammad Mustafa is also meeting with foreign ministers of European Union nations and high-level EU officials on Monday to drum up support for the Palestinians. Norway itself is not part of the EU.

The diplomatic move by the three nations was a welcome boost of support for Palestinian officials who have sought for decades to establish a statehood in east Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip — territories Israel seized in the 1967 Mideast war and still controls.

"Recognition means a lot for us. It is the most important thing that anybody can do for the Palestinian people," said Mustafa. "It is a great deal for us."

The formal recognition by Norway, Spain and Ireland — which all have a record of friendly ties with both the Israelis and the Palestinians, while long advocating for a Palestinian state — is planned for Tuesday.

To read the rest of the news, please click on the link above.​

 

[Saif]

Netanyahu says Rafah strike a 'tragic accident', vows to defeat Hamas

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that a deadly strike that hit a displacement camp in Gaza's Rafah was a "tragic accident", which his government was investigating

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Netanyahu says Rafah strike a 'tragic accident', vows to defeat Hamas

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convenes the weekly cabinet meeting at the Defence Ministry in Tel Aviv, Israel, January 7, 2024. Photo: Reuters

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that a deadly strike that hit a displacement camp in Gaza's Rafah was a "tragic accident", which his government was investigating.

"In Rafah, we evacuated a million uninvolved residents and, despite our best efforts, a tragic accident happened yesterday," Netanyahu told parliament.

He added that "we are investigating the case and will draw the conclusions" after Gaza's health ministry reported 45 dead as the strike late Sunday sparked a fire that tore through a tent city for displaced Gazans.

The ministry in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip also said that 249 people were wounded.

Israel faced a wave of international condemnation on Monday over the Rafah strike, including from across the region as well from the European Union, France and the United Nations.

To read the rest of the news, please click on the link above.​

 

[Saif]

Gaza civil defence says 21 dead in new Israeli strike on Gaza camp

A civil defence official in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip said an Israeli strike on a displacement camp west of Rafah on Tuesday killed at least 21 people, days after a similar strike that sparked global outrage

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Gaza civil defence says 21 dead in new Israeli strike on Gaza camp

Smoke rises following Israeli strikes during an Israeli military operation in Rafah, as seen from Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, May 28, 2024.

A civil defence official in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip said an Israeli strike on a displacement camp west of Rafah on Tuesday killed at least 21 people, days after a similar strike that sparked global outrage.

Mohammad al-Mughayyir said they were killed in an "occupation strike targeting the tents of displaced people west of Rafah." Hamas said an Israeli strike had caused "dozens of martyrs and wounded" in the area.

It came as Israeli tanks penetrated the heart of Rafah, according to Palestinian officials, despite widespread condemnation over an air strike on a crowded camp in the southern Gaza city that killed 45 people two days earlier.

Israeli tanks were "stationed on the Al-Awda roundabout in the centre of the city of Rafah", one witness said.

A Palestinian security source said tanks were in central Rafah, where Israeli troops launched a controversial ground assault earlier this month.

"People are currently inside their homes because anyone who moves is being shot at by Israeli drones," one resident, Abdel Khatib, said.

With an emergency United Nations Security Council meeting at 1915 GMT due to discuss Sunday's strike on the displaced camp, the situation remains tense in Rafah.

In a statement issued hours before the meeting, Israel's military said the weapons used in Sunday's strike "could not" have caused the deadly blaze in the Rafah camp.

"Our munition alone could not have ignited a fire of this size," said military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari.

Sunday evening's strike, which medics said also wounded hundreds of civilians, drew worldwide condemnation.

To read the rest of the news, please click on the link above.​

 

[Saif]

Gaza matters and democracy is functional

THE Democracy Perception Index issued its 2024 report on May 8, revealing important and interesting shifts in global perceptions about democracy, geopolitics and international relations...

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Gaza matters and democracy is functional
Ramzy Baroud 28 May, 2024, 21:31

| Counter Punch/chuttersnap

THE Democracy Perception Index issued its 2024 report on May 8, revealing important and interesting shifts in global perceptions about democracy, geopolitics and international relations.

The conclusions in the report were based on the views of over 62 thousand respondents from 53 countries — roughly representing 75 per cent of the world's total population.

The survey was conducted between February 20th and April 15th, 2024, when the world was largely consumed by the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip.

It is important to note that the Index, though informative, is itself conceived in a biased context as it is the product of a global survey conducted by western-based companies and organizations.

In fact, the results of the Democracy Perception Index were published ahead of a scheduled 2024 Copenhagen Democracy Summit, whose speakers will include Hillary Clinton, US Republican senate leader Mitch McConnell and President of the European Council, Charles Michel.

The first speaker listed on the conference website is Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the founder and chairman of the Alliance of Democracies Foundation — which commissioned the Index.

All of this is reflected in the kind of questions which are being asked in the survey, placing greater emphasis on whether, for example, ties should be cut with Russia over Ukraine, and China over a war that is yet to take place in Taiwan.

These major shortcomings notwithstanding, the outcome of the research remains interesting and worthy of reflection.

To read the rest of the news, please click on the link above.​

 

[Saif]

Rafah on fire: Is the cult of the US and Israel above international law?

The world is now slowly opening its eyes to the genocide in Gaza, coming to terms with the need for Israel's accountability.

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Rafah on fire: Is the cult of the US and Israel above international law?

Fire rages on following an Israeli strike on an area designated as a safe zone for displaced Palestinians in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, on May 26, 2024. PHOTO: REUTERS

On Tuesday, a new round of negotiations were reportedly set to start for a ceasefire to facilitate the exchange of detainees in Gaza. The talks were set to happen after a shocking, blood-soaked overnight attack by Israel in Rafah, where burnt bodies, including those of children, could be seen being pulled out by rescuers. In all the previous attempts made to reach temporary truces and a limited exchange of hostages and prisoners, there was a feverish race between the chances of success and failure. Benjamin Netanyahu has always been winning, and the mediators have been continuing the attempts without success.

But the horror in Rafah has sparked global outrage, as it should. The truth of Israel's cruelty is coming out day after day. UN Chief Antonio Guterres is set to hold an emergency meeting to discuss the strike that Netanyahu terms a "tragic mistake." When will this tyrant, Netanyahu, pay reparations for his lies that have killed thousands and thousands of innocents? The new attempt at a ceasefire will not be the last, but its failure will open new gates to continue the war, bleeding, destruction and funerals—not only for the Palestinians, but for Israel as well. The future is bleak and frightening.

On the optimistic side, the world is now slowly opening its eyes to the genocide in Gaza, coming to terms with the need for Israel's accountability, the need to recognise Palestinians' right to self-determination. All those who have unilaterally supported Israel are now shocked with the extent of its cruelty. After the strikes in Rafah, French President Emmannuel Macron said he was outraged. Germany, a staunch supporter of Israel, described the "images of charred bodies," as "unbearable."

Netanyahu and the US are becoming increasingly isolated. Prior to the Israeli airstrikes in Rafah, the US and Israel threatened anyone who attempted to end their megalomaniac killings of the Palestinians on Palestinian land.

To read the rest of the news, please click on the link above.​

 

[Saif]

Israeli airstrike on Rafah kills 12 Palestinians, Gaza medics say

Israeli forces killed at least 12 Palestinians in a dawn airstrike on Rafah in southern Gaza on Thursday and fighting raged in several other areas of the coastal enclave, Gaza medics said. Israel pressed on with its offensive on Rafah a day after saying its forces had taken control of a buffer zon

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

Israeli airstrike on Rafah kills 12 Palestinians, Gaza medics say
REUTERS
Published :
May 30, 2024 19:55
Updated :
May 30, 2024 19:55

Palestinians make their way as they inspect the damages after Israeli forces withdrew from a part of Jabalia refugee camp, following a raid, in the northern Gaza Strip, May 30, 2024. Photo : Reuters/Osama Abu

Israeli forces killed at least 12 Palestinians in a dawn airstrike on Rafah in southern Gaza on Thursday and fighting raged in several other areas of the coastal enclave, Gaza medics said.

Israel pressed on with its offensive on Rafah a day after saying its forces had taken control of a buffer zone along the nearby border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt, giving it effective authority over Gaza's entire land frontier.

It said the buffer zone's capture had cut off a route used by the Palestinian Islamist militant group Hamas to smuggle arms into Gaza during more than seven months of war, which has laid waste to much of the territory and raised fears of famine.

Gaza medical sources said the 12 Palestinians, whom it said were civilians, had been killed and an unspecified number of others wounded in an Israeli airstrike as they tried to recover the body of a civilian in the centre of Rafah.

Another Palestinian civilian was killed in an airstrike on Al-Shati refugee camp west of Gaza City in the north of the densely populated enclave, the medics said.

Israel reported clashes in southern, central and northern Gaza but did not immediately comment on the reported deaths in Rafah, where hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians took refuge earlier in the war.

Israel has kept up raids on Rafah despite an order by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the top UN court, to halt its attacks. Israeli forces say they are trying to root out Hamas fighters and rescue hostages being held there, and the ICJ also called for the release of hostages held in Gaza by Hamas.

More than 36,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's air and land war in Gaza, with 53 of those killed in the past 24 hours, the Hamas-run enclave's health ministry said.

Israel launched its offensive after Hamas fighters crossed from Gaza into southern Israel on Oct. 7 last year, killed 1,200 people and abducted more than 250, according to Israeli tallies.

The Israeli military said a soldier had been killed in fighting in northern Gaza, bringing to 292 Israel's combat losses since its first Gaza ground incursion on Oct. 20.

To read the rest of the news, please click on the link above.​

 

[Saif]

Biden presents new Israel ceasefire plan, calls on Hamas to accept

US President Joe Biden on Friday said Israel had proposed a Gaza ceasefire in exchange for the release of hostages, and called on Hamas to agree to the new offer, saying it was the best way to end the conflict

www.thedailystar.net

Biden presents new Israel ceasefire plan, calls on Hamas to accept

US President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the Middle East in the State Dining room at the White House in Washington, US, May 31, 2024. Photo: Reuters/Evelyn Hockstein

US President Joe Biden on Friday said Israel had proposed a Gaza ceasefire in exchange for the release of hostages, and called on Hamas to agree to the new offer, saying it was the best way to end the conflict.

"It's time for this war to end and for the day after to begin," said Biden, who is under election-year pressure to stop the Gaza conflict, now in its eighth month.

Talks mediated by Egypt, Qatar and others to arrange a ceasefire between Israel and the militant Hamas movement in the Gaza war have repeatedly stalled, with both sides blaming the other for the lack of progress.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli prime minister's office or from Hamas on Biden's remarks.

The new proposal Biden laid out on Friday is made up of three phases; the first would be a ceasefire lasting for six weeks.

During this time, Israeli forces would withdraw from Gaza and hostages, including the elderly and women, would be exchanged for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. Palestinian civilians would return to Gaza, including northern Gaza, and 600 trucks would bring humanitarian aid into Gaza each day, Biden said.

In the second phase, Hamas and Israel would negotiate terms of a permanent end to hostilities. "The ceasefire will still continue as long as negotiations continue," the president said.

The third phase would include a major reconstruction plan for Gaza.

The proposal has been relayed to Hamas by Qatar, Biden said.

The president called on those in Israel who were pushing for "indefinite" war to change their minds.

"I know there are those in Israel who will not agree with this plan. And will call for the war to continue indefinitely. Some are even in the government coalition. They've made it clear. They want to occupy Gaza. They want to keep fighting for years and hostages are not a priority for them. Well, I've urged leadership in Israel to stand behind this deal, despite whatever pressure comes," Biden said.

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[Saif]

Gaza pounded after Biden pushes Israeli ceasefire plan

Israeli forces hammered Rafah in southern Gaza with tanks and artillery Saturday, hours after US President Joe Biden said Israel was offering a new roadmap toward...

www.newagebd.net

Gaza pounded after Biden pushes Israeli ceasefire plan
Agence France-Presse . Rafah 02 June, 2024, 01:11

Israeli forces hammered Rafah in southern Gaza with tanks and artillery Saturday, hours after US President Joe Biden said Israel was offering a new roadmap towards a full ceasefire.

Shortly after Biden's announcement, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted his country would still pursue the war until it had reached all its aims.

He reiterated that position on Saturday, saying that 'Israel's conditions for ending the war have not changed: the destruction of Hamas's military and governing capabilities, the freeing of all hostages and ensuring that Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel'.

Hamas, meanwhile, said it 'views positively' the Israeli plan laid out by Biden.

In his first major address outlining a possible end to the nearly eight-month war, the US president said Israel's three-stage offer would begin with a six-week phase that would see Israeli forces withdraw from all populated areas of Gaza.

It would also see the 'release of a number of hostages... in exchange for (the) release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners'.

Israel and the Palestinians would then negotiate for a lasting ceasefire—but the truce would continue so long as talks are ongoing, Biden said.

The US leader urged Hamas to accept the Israeli offer.

'It's time for this war to end, for the day after to begin,' he said.

US secretary of state Antony Blinken called his counterparts from Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey on Friday to press the deal.

UN chief Antonio Guterres 'strongly hopes' the latest development 'will lead to an agreement by the parties for lasting peace', his spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock said the offer 'provides a glimpse of hope and a possible path out of the war's deadlock', while EU chief Ursula von der Leyen welcomed a 'balanced and realistic' approach to end the bloodshed.

Saudi Arabia stressed its 'support for all efforts aimed at an immediate ceasefire' and the withdrawal of Israeli troops.

Indonesia, meanwhile, said it was ready to send 'significant peacekeeping forces' and medical personnel to Gaza if a ceasefire is agreed.

But Netanyahu took issue with Biden's presentation of what was on the table, insisting on Friday the transition from one stage to the next was 'conditional' and crafted to allow Israel to maintain its war aims.

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