UN official says it could take 14 years to clear debris in Gaza
Geneva, Switzerland Reuters The vast amount of rubble including unexploded ordnance left by Israel’s devastating war in the Gaza Strip could take about 14 years to remove, a United Nations official said on Friday. Israel’s military campaign against Gaza’s ruling Palestinian Islamist group Hamas has reduced much of the narrow, coastal territory of 2.3 million […]
Gazans mourn baby who dies after rescue from dead mother’s womb
Rafah, Gaza Reuters Relatives gathered by a tiny sandy grave in Gaza on Friday, where they had buried a baby girl, who lived just a few days after doctors delivered her from the womb of her dying mother following an Israeli airstrike. The baby had been given the names Sabreen, after her dead mother, and […]
Egyptian delegation in Israel for talks on Gaza hostages
Jerusalem/Cairo, Egypt Reuters An Egyptian delegation met Israeli counterparts on Friday, looking for a way to restart talks to end the war in Gaza and return the remaining Israeli hostages, an official briefed on the meetings said. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Israel had no new proposals to make, although it […]
US, 17 other countries urge Hamas to release hostages, end Gaza crisis
Washington DC, US Reuters The United States and 17 other countries on Thursday issued an appeal for Hamas to release all of its hostages as a pathway to end the crisis in Gaza, but Hamas vowed not to relent to international pressure. “We call for the immediate release of all hostages held by Hamas in […]
Chef Jose Andres mourns World Central Kitchen workers killed in Gaza at Washington Cathedral
Washington DC, US Reuters Celebrity chef Jose Andres called seven aid workers killed by Israeli forces in Gaza “the best of humanity” on Thursday during a memorial service at the Washington National Cathedral that was attended by hundreds, and punctuated by grief and ongoing questions about the attack. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel […]
Israel intensifies airstrikes on Gaza’s Rafah before ground operation
Cairo, Reuters Reuters Israel stepped up airstrikes on Rafah overnight after saying it would evacuate civilians from the southern Gazan city and launch an all-out assault despite allies’ warnings this could cause mass casualties. Medics in the besieged Palestinian enclave reported five Israeli airstrikes on Rafah early on Thursday that hit at least three houses, […]
Eurovision Song Contest host Sweden braces for anti-Israel protests
Malmo, Sweden Reuters Sweden said it plans to host a dazzling Eurovision Song Contest, watched by 200 million people worldwide, but visitors face heightened security amid planned protests over Israel’s participation and a new geo-political backdrop since Sweden joined NATO. The contest, the world’s biggest of its kind, takes place in Malmo from 7th to […]
Israel says Rafah assault looms; massive Gaza airstrikes end weeks of relative calm
Cairo, Egypt/Jerusalem Reuters Israeli warplanes pounded the northern Gaza strip for a second day on Wednesday in a fierce assault that has shattered weeks of comparative calm, and Israel said it was moving forward with plans for an all-out assault on Rafah in the south. After an abrupt Israeli pullback at the start of this […]
Israel steps up strikes across Gaza, orders new evacuations in north
Reuters Israeli strikes intensified across Gaza on Tuesday in some of the heaviest shelling in weeks, residents said, and the army ordered fresh evacuations in the north of the enclave, warning civilians they were in a “dangerous combat zone”. Strikes by air and shelling from tanks on the ground were also reported in central and […]
Israel yet to show evidence UNRWA staff are members of terrorist groups, review finds
United Nations/Beirut, Lebanon Reuters Israel has yet to provide evidence for its accusations that hundreds of staff with the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) are members of terrorist groups, according to a review of the agency’s neutrality released on Monday that could prompt some donor countries to review funding freezes. The United Nations appointed […]