Battles rage around Rafah after US halts some weapons to Israel
Cairo, Egypt/Washington DC, US/Rafah, Gaza Strip Reuters Hamas battled Israeli troops on the outskirts of the Gaza Strip’s crowded southern city of Rafah on Wednesday and Washington said it had held up a shipment of powerful bombs to Israel to prevent Palestinian civilian casualties. The United States, which aims to stave off a full Israeli […]
US believes Hamas, Israel can break Gaza ceasefire impasse; Israeli forces cut Rafah aid route
Rafah, Gaza Strip/Cairo, Egypt Reuters The US said negotiations on a Gaza ceasefire should be able to close the gaps between Israel and Hamas while Israeli forces seized the main border crossing in Rafah on Tuesday, closing a vital route for aid. Hamas official Osama Hamdan, speaking to reporters in Beirut, warned that if Israel’s […]
Protesting UK students show solidarity with US peers as Belgian and Dutch students join Gaza protest wave
Oxford, UK Reuters British students set up pro-Palestinian protest encampments on Oxford and Cambridge universities’ historic campuses on a cloudy spring Monday, in a show of solidarity with their American peers. By early morning, students had erected dozens of brightly coloured tents on the lawns outside the relatively dull, yellow, 19th-century neo-Gothic Oxford University Museum […]
A $US400 million boost in federal funds for security at US places of worship
New York City, US AP A $US400 million increase in federal funding is available for security in US places of worship, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced on the weekend. The boost in money comes as concerns rise over threats against Jewish and Muslim communities, fuelled in part by the Israel-Hamas war. Senate Majority Leader Chuck […]
The yearly memorial march at the former death camp at Auschwitz overshadowed by the Israel-Hamas war
Oswiecim, Poland AP Holocaust survivors and survivors of the 7th October attack on Israel were among thousands who took part Monday in the March of the Living, a yearly memorial march at the site of Auschwitz that honours the six million Jews killed by Nazi Germany and celebrates the state of Israel. This year, the […]
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 […]
Israeli authorities raid Al Jazeera after shutdown order
Jerusalem/Doha, Qatar Reuters Israeli authorities raided a Jerusalem hotel room used by Al Jazeera as its office after the government decided to shut down the Qatari-owned TV station’s local operations on Sunday, an Israeli official and an Al Jazeera source told Reuters. Video circulated online showed plainclothes officers dismantling camera equipment in a hotel room, […]
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, […]
Amid protests and police raids, US schools try to keep the peace at graduation
Reuters Ahead of the University of Michigan’s commencement on Saturday, the school has trained staff volunteers in how to mitigate disruptions: a change from the usual duties of guiding guests around campus and showing them to their seats. Everyone facilitating the University of Illinois’ commencement the following weekend will have undergone similar special training. At […]