GAZA: A senior Hamas official said on Sunday that the Islamist group has not withdrawn from ceasefire talks with Israel after this weekend's deadly attacks in Gaza that Israel said had targeted the group's military leader Mohammed Deif.
But Izzat El-Reshiq, a member of the political office of Hamas, accused Israel of trying to derail efforts by Arab mediators and the United States to reach a ceasefire deal by stepping up its attacks in the enclave.
Saturday's strike in the Khan Younis area of Gaza, in which at least 90 Palestinians were killed, according to local health authorities, has put the ceasefire talks in doubt.
There had been increasingly hopeful signs in recent days that a deal could be reached to halt fighting and return hostages held in Gaza.
Two Egyptian security sources at ceasefire talks in Doha and Cairo said on Saturday that negotiations had been halted after three days of intense talks.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was expected to convene his close circle of ministers later on Sunday to discuss the talks.
The strike on Saturday which targeted Deif killed Rafa Salama, commander of Hamas' Khan Younis brigade, the Israeli military said on Sunday, but there was no confirmation about the fate of Deif.
"The strike in Khan Younis was a result of surgical intelligence," the head of the Shin Bet domestic security service said in a video released by the service from Rafah. He said 25 Hamas operatives who took part in the deadly Oct. 7 attack in southern Israel that triggered the war had been killed in the past week.
On Saturday, a senior Hamas official denied that Deif had been killed and the group said Israeli claims were aimed at justifying the attack.
Israel's military chief said on Sunday in a televised statement that Hamas was concealing the truth about Deif's fate, but stopped short of confirming whether he was alive or dead.
Israeli forces pressed ahead on Sunday with aerial and ground shelling of several areas across the Gaza Strip, home to 2.3 million people, most of whom have been displaced by the war.
A strike on a UN-run school in Nuseirat camp, one of Gaza's eight longstanding refugee camps, killed 15 Palestinians and wounded dozens more, Hamas media and health officials said.
The Israeli military said the site was used as a base for Hamas fighters to attack Israeli forces and said numerous steps were taken to limit the risk of harming civilians, including the use of precise munitions and intelligence.
Residents said two missiles targeted the upper floor of the school, not far from the camp's local market, usually busy with shoppers, where displaced families have also taken shelter nearby.
Earlier on Sunday, Israeli airstrikes on four houses in Gaza City killed at least 16 Palestinians and wounded dozens of others, medics said.
The Gaza health ministry said at least 38,584 Palestinians have been killed and 88,881 others injured in Israel's military offensive since Oct. 7.
It added that 141 Palestinians were killed by Israeli military strikes across the Gaza Strip in the past day, the biggest one-day death toll in many weeks.
Gaza's health ministry does not distinguish between combatants and non-combatants but officials say most of the dead throughout the war have been civilians.
Israel says it has lost 326 soldiers in Gaza and says at least a third of the Palestinian fatalities are fighters.
The war began after a Hamas-led attack inside Israel on Oct. 7, that killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and saw around 250 taken hostage to Gaza, according to Israeli authorities.
Hamas says it has not left ceasefire talks after Israeli attacks
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Hamas says it has not left ceasefire talks after Israeli attacks
- Militant group says leader Mohammed Deif is ‘fine’ after Israeli strike
- Said it was “ready to resume negotiations” when Israel’s government “demonstrates seriousness”
UN laments rising death toll in Gaza, says children ‘attacked by rodents and insects’ at night
- ‘Grim milestone’ of 40,000 Palestinians killed is ‘overwhelmingly’ the result of Israel’s failure to respect rules of war, says human rights chief
- UN officials warn that because so many victims could be buried under rubble, ‘this number may if anything be an undercount’
NEW YORK CITY: The UN’s high commissioner for human rights on Thursday lamented the loss of Palestinian lives in Gaza, after reports that the death toll in the conflict between Israel and Hamas has reached 40,000, most of them women and children.
This “unimaginable” toll, reported by the Gazan Health Ministry, is “overwhelmingly” the result of the failure of the Israeli Defense Forces to respect the rules of war, Volker Turk added.
“Today marks a grim milestone for the world,” he said. “On average, about 130 people have been killed every day in Gaza over the past 10 months.
“The scale of the Israeli military’s destruction of homes, hospitals, schools and places of worship is deeply shocking.”
UN spokesperson Farhan Haq said UN officials are aware “this number is an approximation” and “given the large number, and disturbing number, of people who remain unaccounted for, who may be trapped or dead under the rubble, this number may if anything be an undercount.”
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said on Thursday that grieving Palestinian families have no time to mourn their dead, as survivors face “death, pain, hunger and thirst on a daily basis.”
The hostilities and recurrent Israeli evacuation orders are driving a “seemingly endless cycle of displacement” that is making it difficult for people in Gaza to access the humanitarian assistance they need to survive.
A humanitarian team that was able to reach two sites in Khan Younis on Thursday and talk with displaced families found that in addition to shortages of food and high prices for what little is available, a lack of cleaning and hygiene products is causing cases of skin infections to spread, with children particularly badly affected.
Displaced families have to construct their own shelters “with whatever fabric, pieces of wood, cartons they find,” the team said. “Children are attacked by rodents and insects at night due to poor shelter conditions. And yet they might have to leave again and start it all over again.”
Turk said: “International humanitarian law is very clear on the paramount importance of the protection of civilians, and civilian property and infrastructure.”
His office has documented serious violations of these laws by both the Israeli military and armed Palestinian groups, including Hamas, he added.
“As the world reflects on and considers its inability to prevent this carnage, I urge all parties to agree to an immediate ceasefire, lay down their arms and stop the killing once and for all,” Turk said.
“The hostages must be released. Palestinians arbitrarily detained must be freed. Israel’s illegal occupation must end and the internationally agreed two-state solution must become a reality.”
French foreign minister in Beirut applauds Lebanon’s ‘self-restraint in difficult period’
- PM Mikati: ‘We must now practice silence, patience, and prayer’
- Incendiary phosphorous shells used on southern Lebanese towns
BEIRUT: France’s Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne on Thursday expressed appreciation for Lebanon’s “self-restraint in this difficult period” in the region.
Sejourne reiterated that France “supports Lebanon amid the concerning situation.”
He stressed that France was keen on extending UNIFIL’s mandate during the UN Security Council’s session at the end of this month for another 12 months.
Sejourne arrived in Beirut for a short visit to Lebanon that lasted several hours.
His trip to the region includes Egypt, Jordan, and Israel.
In his meeting with caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, Sejourne also said he hopes for continued non-escalation from Lebanon.
“We can only be silent, patient, and praying in this difficult period,” Mikati said following the meeting
Sejourne’s visit came a day after US mediator Amos Hochstein’s visit to Lebanon and a day before the expected visit of the Egyptian foreign minister to Beirut.
The visits are part of the intense efforts aiming to reach a diplomatic solution that would achieve a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and de-escalate the situation on the southern front between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
The French foreign minister also met with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri.
Following the meeting, he affirmed that his message “reiterates France’s support to Lebanon amid the concerning regional situation.”
He said: “What matters to us is working on de-escalating the situation. This message was addressed to Lebanese authorities and will also be addressed to other countries in the region, hoping things will calm down during these highly sensitive times.”
He added: “Our message is one of support, solidarity and responsibility. France will always support Lebanon in achieving peace in the region. Above all, a ceasefire in Gaza is an essential and indispensable element if we are to discuss peace in the region.”
According to his media office, Berri affirmed “Lebanon’s commitment to the rules of engagement and its right to self-defense against the Israeli aggression.”
Israel “targets civilians, media personalities and paramedics, in addition to using internationally forbidden weapons, including phosphorus bombs, to target agricultural fields and forests,” Berri said.
He emphasized Lebanon’s dedication to “the necessity to extend UNIFIL’s mandate in southern Lebanon for a new term under the French proposal and UN Resolution 1701.”
Sejourne also met with Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib.
According to statements by people he had met, US mediator Hochstein had warned the Lebanese officials during his visits on Wednesday against “the risks of a full-scale war.”
He added that “the current Doha negotiations are a final and precious opportunity that can be used to stop the war in southern Lebanon and the Gaza Strip.”
The region is still waiting for the Iranian response to Israel’s assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last month, in addition to Hezbollah’s response to the killing of its senior military commander Fouad Shukur, in Beirut’s southern suburbs hours before Haniyeh’s death.
Hezbollah said in a statement on Thursday that “it will unwaveringly continue to defend Lebanon and its people with courage and full strength, employing all its capabilities and surprises.”
In commemoration of what Hezbollah calls the “July 2006 War Victory,” the group reaffirmed “its commitment to resistance and its unwavering support for the Palestinian people.”
Hezbollah on Thursday targeted the Shamir settlement for the first time with Katyusha rockets.
The group said that the attack was in response to “the Israeli enemy’s hostilities against Jdeidet Marjayoun Wednesday night, which caused casualties.”
According to the updated toll of the Health Ministry’s emergency operations center, the unprecedented Israeli attack on the Jdeidet Marjayoun village “killed one person and severely injured another, who suffered a cardiac arrest.”
The center added that “upon the patient’s arrival to the hospital, he underwent a very critical surgery following the CPR performed by the medical staff.”
Around eight people — including a three-year-old boy — were also injured as a result of the attack.
The child underwent surgery in the Marjayoun Governmental Hospital.
He was subsequently transferred to the Saint George Hospital University Medical Center in Beirut due to his critical condition.
His father, whose condition was also critical, was transferred to the same hospital.
Three other people were moderately injured, while two women and a Syrian national were treated in the hospital.
Israeli artillery on Thursday targeted the town of Khiam with internationally banned phosphorus bombs, as well as the town of Qabrikha, resulting in the injury of two members of the Islamic Risala Scout Association in Khiam, as well as injuring a 10-year-old child in Qabrikha.
The Israeli shelling also reached the outskirts of the towns of Naqoura and Deir Mimas, which were targeted with incendiary shells.
Hezbollah, according to its statements on Thursday, “targeted the Ma’ayan Baruch site with artillery shells” and “a positioning point for Israeli soldiers at the Al-Malikiyah site.”
It also launched “an air attack with a squadron of assault drones on the Khirbet Ma'ar site, targeting the positions of enemy officers and soldiers.”
Hezbollah mourned two of its members: Mohammed Ali Jihad Badr Al-Din, aged 30, from the town of Harouf in southern Lebanon, and Hussein Yassin Sheito, aged 29, from the town of At Tiri in southern Lebanon.
The Israeli military, in anticipation of the visit of the US envoy Hochstein to Lebanon, used bunker-busting bombs for the first time in Kfarkela.
It also announced the crashing of an assault drone in an open area near Arab Al-Aramshe on the border with Lebanon without causing any injuries.
Israeli media reported that a settler was injured in Kiryat Shmona.
US criticizes Israel settlement on West Bank heritage site
- “Every single one of these new settlements would impede Palestinian economic development,” State Department spokesman Vedant Patel said
- “We find that to be inconsistent with international law”
WASHINGTON: The United States on Thursday condemned Israel’s approval of a settlement on a UNESCO World Heritage Site near Bethlehem, pointing to its harm to prospects for a Palestinian state.
Far-right minister Bezalel Smotrich announced the move on Wednesday, openly saying that Israel hoped to create new “facts on the ground” to prevent the creation of a Palestinian state.
“Every single one of these new settlements would impede Palestinian economic development and freedom of movement and undermine the feasibility of a two-state solution,” State Department spokesman Vedant Patel told reporters.
“We find that to be inconsistent with international law, and we certainly oppose the advancement of settlements in the West Bank,” he said.
The United States has stepped up criticism of Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir, far-right members of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government who oppose a plan by President Joe Biden aimed at ending the 10-month Gaza war.
All of Israel’s settlements in the West Bank, occupied since 1967, are considered illegal under international law.
The Biden administration has repeatedly criticized the expansion of settlements, including before the Gaza war, although it has not taken direct retaliatory measures against its close ally.
The previous administration of Donald Trump broke with US precedent by saying that it did not see the settlements as illegal.
Iraq says announcement on date for end to US-led coalition mission postponed
- Iraq hosts 2,500 US troops and has Iran-backed militias linked to its security forces
CAIRO: Iraq said on Thursday that an announcement on the date for an end to the US-led coalition’s mission has been postponed due to the “latest developments,” the foreign ministry said in a statement without elaborating.
A rare ally of both the US and Iran, Iraq hosts 2,500 US troops and has Iran-backed militias linked to its security forces. It has witnessed escalating tit-for-tat attacks since the Israel war in Gaza erupted in October.
UN’s envoy for Yemen condemns Houthi clampdown on aid efforts and civil society
- Hans Grundberg urges militia to halt raids on offices of foreign organizations and free abducted employees
- Comments at Security Council meeting follow UK, US and EU condemnation of Houthi takeover of UN human rights office in Sanaa this week
AL-MUKALLA: The UN’s special envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, on Thursday criticized the Houthis for their assaults on human rights organizations and their treatment of aid workers in Yemen, and condemned the continuing assaults by the militia on international shipping in the Red Sea and other waters off the country’s coasts.
He told the UN Security Council that the Houthis have been cracking down on humanitarian workers and civil society groups in Yemen. He urged the militia to halt its raids on the offices of UN agencies and other foreign organizations, and to free workers and other individuals that have been imprisoned.
Grundberg called on the Houthis “to act responsibly and compassionately toward its fellow countrymen and women, and immediately and unconditionally release all UN, NGO (nongovernmental organization), civil society, diplomatic mission and private-sector employees, as well as members of religious minorities.”
He said that a Saudi-brokered deal between the Yemeni government and the Houthis had resulted in a significant deescalation of an economic battle between the warring sides that had threatened to plunge the country into renewed violence.
“Last month, with the support of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the parties were able to halt a dangerous cycle of escalation that was negatively impacting Yemen’s banking and transport sectors and threatened to ignite renewed military conflict,” Grundberg said.
UK, US and EU authorities have similarly denounced the Houthis for assaults on humanitarian efforts and civil society in the parts of Yemen the militia controls. They also denounced the group for seizing the offices of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in Sanaa this week, and demanded the release of all abducted Yemenis who work for foreign organizations, including UN agencies.
The UN said on Tuesday that the Houthis stormed its office in Sanaa and seized papers, vehicles and furniture as the militia intensified its crackdown on UN agencies, diplomatic missions and other international organizations.
In a message posted on social media platform X on Thursday, Hamish Falconer, the UK minister for the Middle East and North Africa, called on the Houthis to halt the harassment of workers from the UN and other organizations, and for the release of all abducted employees.
“We call on the Houthis to allow the UN and all NGOs to continue their critical work for the Yemeni people and to release all detained staff immediately,” Falconer said.
US State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel on Wednesday condemned the Houthis for the takeover of the UN office, accusing the militia of breaching international norms and derailing humanitarian efforts in the war-torn country.
He said the assaults on rights groups and aid organizations in Yemen, as well as attacks on shipping and threats to the Yemeni people and neighboring countries, obstruct peace efforts to end the war in the country.
“This is just one more step in an aggressive series of Houthi actions, including detentions of the UN, international organizations’ and diplomatic personnel working to help the Yemeni people,” Patel said.
“These actions will further obstruct the delivery of humanitarian assistance to Yemenis who have endured crisis conditions for far too long.”
The EU diplomatic mission in Yemen on Wednesday reiterated a plea from UN human rights chief Volker Turk for the Houthis to respect the status granted to the UN and its workers, leave the occupied office, and return seized documents and equipment.
“It is of fundamental importance to maintain the human rights monitoring and reporting capacity of the (office’s) field presence in Yemen,” the EU mission said.
