Fate of Gaza ceasefire uncertain, Israel vows to continue Rafah operation
Updated: 11:55pm (AEST) Rafah, Gaza Strip/Cairo, Egypt/Jerusalem Reuters Palestinian militant group Hamas on Monday agreed to a Gaza ceasefire proposal from mediators, but Israel said the terms did not meet its demands and pressed ahead with strikes in Rafah while planning to continue negotiations on a deal. The developments in the seven-month-old war came as […]
Gaza truce hopes slim; Hamas officials leaving Cairo but returning on Tuesday
Cairo, Egypt/Doha, Qatar Reuters Prospects for a Gaza ceasefire appeared slim on Sunday as Hamas reiterated its demand for an end to the war in exchange for the freeing of hostages, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu flatly ruled that out. The two sides blamed each other for the impasse and the Hamas delegation said […]
Thousands of Israelis protest to demand hostage return
Tel Aviv, Israel Reuters Thousands of Israelis protested on Saturday, demanding Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accept a ceasefire agreement with the Islamist movement Hamas that would see the remaining Israeli hostages brought home from Gaza. At a rally in Tel Aviv that took place as Hamas officials were meeting Egyptian and Qatari mediators in Cairo, […]
Democratic lawmakers tell Biden evidence shows Israel is restricting Gaza aid
Washington DC, US Reuters Scores of lawmakers from US President Joe Biden’s Democratic Party told him on Friday that they believe there is sufficient evidence to show that Israel has violated US law by restricting humanitarian aid flows into war-stricken Gaza. A letter to Biden signed by 86 House of Representatives Democrats said Israel’s aid […]
UN agencies prepare for Rafah incursion, warn of “slaughter”, while Hamas, CIA director to hold truce talks in Cairo
Geneva. Switzerland Reuters An Israeli incursion in Rafah would put the lives of hundreds of thousands of Gazans at risk and be a huge blow to the aid operations of the entire enclave, the UN humanitarian office said on Friday, as the World Health Organization announced contingency plans for an incursion. Israel has repeatedly warned […]
US Catholic leaders, urging ceasefire, call on Biden to halt weapons shipments to Israel
United States RNS More than 200 US Catholic leaders, including a cardinal, an archbishop and numerous nuns, have put their names on a letter urging President Joe Biden to push for a ceasefire in Gaza, secure the release of Israeli hostages and halt the shipment of weapons to Israel. “We call on President Biden, a […]
Palestinian Embassy seeks temporary status for Gazans who entered Egypt during war
Cairo, Egypt Reuters The Palestinian Embassy in Egypt is seeking temporary residency permits for tens of thousands of people who have arrived from Gaza during the war between Israel and Hamas, which it says would ease conditions for them until the conflict is over. Diab al-Louh, the Palestinian ambassador in Cairo, said as many as […]
US calls out Israel and Hamas after Gaza aid shipment attacked, diverted
Washington DC, US Reuters The US on Thursday called on both Israel and Hamas to ensure that aid bound for civilians in Gaza is not disrupted, after a shipment from Jordan was attacked by Israeli settlers and subsequently diverted by Palestinian militants. Secretary of State Antony Blinken viewed the aid on Tuesday just before it […]
Blinken says US cannot support Rafah assault without humanitarian plan
Ashdod, Israel Reuters US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday he has still not seen a plan for Israel’s planned offensive on the southern Gaza city of Rafah that would protect civilians, repeating that Washington could not support such an assault. Blinken and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met in Jerusalem for two-and-a-half […]
Bakeries bring bread to north Gaza but hunger persists
Gaza/Doha, Qatar Reuters Asmaa al-Belbasi walks an hour to her nearest bakery each day to fetch bread for her children and other relatives in the north Gaza districts where aid agencies say famine still looms despite rising supplies. The route can be dangerous, along streets strewn with rubble from blown-up buildings that are impassable to […]