Israel's new ground offensive and Hamas's ceasefire ultimatum
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Khaleej Times
4 minutes ago
- Khaleej Times
Fears of escalation after Israel hits Houthi-held Yemen port
Israel pounded Yemen's Houthi-held port of Hodeida with air strikes on Monday for the second time in a month, stoking fears of escalation as it warned Yemen could face the same fate as Iran. Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen have come under repeated Israeli strikes since the Iran-backed rebels began launching missile and drone attacks on Israel, declaring they act in solidarity with Palestinians over the Gaza war. In its latest raids, Defence Minister Israel Katz said Israel struck "targets of the Houthi terror regime at the port of Hodeida" and aimed to prevent any attempt to restore infrastructure previously hit. The renewed strikes on Yemen are part of a year-long Israeli bombing campaign against the Houthis, but the latest threats have raised fears of a wider conflict in the poverty-stricken Arabian Peninsula country. "Yemen's fate will be the same as Tehran's," Katz said. His warning was a reference to the wave of suprise strikes Israel launched on Iran on June 13, targeting key military and nuclear facilities. During the 12-day war, the United States carried out its own attacks on Iran's nuclear programme on June 22, striking facilities at Fordo, Isfahan and Natanz. A Gulf official told AFP there were "serious concerns in Riyadh... that the Israeli strikes on the Houthis could turn into a large, sustained campaign to oust the movement's leaders". Any Israeli escalation could "plunge the region into utter chaos", said the official, requesting anonymity because he cannot brief the media. 'Heavy equipment' The Houthis' Al Masirah television reported "a series of Israeli air strikes on the Hodeida port". A Houthi security official, requesting anonymity to discuss sensitive matters, told AFP that "the bombing destroyed the port's dock, which had been rebuilt following previous strikes". On July 7, Israeli strikes hit Hodeida and two nearby locations on the coast, with targets including the Galaxy Leader cargo ship, captured in November 2023, which the Israelis said had been outfitted with a radar system to track shipping in the Red Sea. A Yemeni port employee in Hodeida said the strikes targeted "heavy equipment brought in for construction and repair work after Israeli airstrikes on July 7... and areas around the port and fishing boats". An Israeli military statement said that the targets included "engineering vehicles... fuel containers, naval vessels used for military activities" against Israel and "additional terror infrastructure used by the Houthi terrorist regime". It said the port had been used to transfer weapons from Iran, which were then used by the Houthi rebels against Israel. The statement added that Israel had identified efforts by the Iran-backed rebels to "re-establish terrorist infrastructure at the port". The Houthis recently resumed deadly attacks in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, targeting ships they accuse of having links to Israel.
Middle East Eye
an hour ago
- Middle East Eye
Israeli soldiers arrested in Belgium after war crimes complaint by rights groups
Belgian federal police have arrested two Israeli soldiers facing accusations of war crimes in Gaza following a complaint by two rights groups. A statement by the Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF) said the pair were in the country to attend a music festival and that legal proceedings were ongoing. "The suspects were identified and arrested with a clear show of force at the Tomorrowland festival in Boom," HRF said on Monday. "After being taken into custody, they were formally interrogated and released. The Belgian Federal Prosecutor's Office has confirmed that a criminal investigation is now underway." The complaint was filed last week by HRF and the Global Legal Action Network (Glan). New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters "This development is a significant step forward," the two groups said. "It signals that Belgium has recognised its jurisdiction under international law and is treating the allegations with the seriousness they deserve. "At a time when far too many governments remain silent, this action sends a clear message: credible evidence of international crimes must be met with legal response - not political indifference." More to follow
The National
2 hours ago
- The National
Israeli troops 'shot Gazans with hands raised' in worst aid massacre yet
Israeli troops have been accused of shooting Palestinians who approached a food bank with their hands up, in the bloodiest incident yet linked to aid deliveries to Gaza. One witness told The National that 'gunfire erupted from all directions' as thousands of people surrounded a convoy bringing flour into Gaza on Sunday. Officials in the strip said 93 people were killed. The witness, Musab Abu Omer, said his family and friends 'rushed out from our home' after hearing that lorries carrying flour had arrived as food supplies ran low during an Israeli blockade. 'We hadn't had white bread in more than 14 days. Imagine what it means to go that long without even basic food,' he said. When his relatives arrived, thousands of people were waiting, Mr Abu Omer said. But, as people approached the lorries, gunfire began and shells fell on the crowd, he said. He was shot in the leg and fell to the ground, unable to see his companions. Later, he learnt that four of the young men who had come with him, his cousin and three friends, all under 30, had been killed. 'They went out just to feed their families. This is what happened to them,' he said. 'The world has been watching us starve for months.' Israel disputed the death toll and said its troops fired warning shots to 'remove an immediate threat'. The World Food Programme said the convoy had entered through the Zikim crossing in northern Gaza after assurances from Israel that armed forces would not be present. Rami Abdo, director of the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor, described the incident as 'a deliberate act of murder.' According to his organisation's documentation, Israeli forces ordered civilians to approach with their hands raised in a clear gesture of surrender, then opened fire as they moved forward. 'This was not crossfire. This was a massacre,' Mr Abdo told The National. 'It reveals the true face of the occupation, a calculated attempt to eliminate a population through starvation, killing, and forced displacement.' Witnesses report that others are missing at the scene, their bodies inaccessible as the threat of gunfire remains in the area. The testimonies come as Israel widens its offensive in Gaza into the Deir Al Balah area. Hunger in Gaza Palestinian aid agency UNRWA reports that all residents of Gaza are now suffering from malnutrition, with widespread food insecurity and starvation. Ismail Al Thawabta, the director of the Government Media Office in Hamas -run Gaza, said the strip 'has entered dangerous levels of deliberate famine, with no intervention from the international community'. Since October 7, 2023, when the war began with Hamas's attack on Israel, dozens of children have died due to malnutrition, with a total of 620 people confirmed dead from starvation and lack of medicine, according to Gaza officials. 'In Gaza, food is no longer a right. It's a distant dream,' Mr Al Thawabta said. 'People search all day for something to eat and return empty-handed.' Omar Hijazi, a 33-year-old father of five, spoke about the daily struggle for survival. 'We can't even find a single loaf of bread in a day,' he said. 'People are collapsing in the streets. We're not talking about nutritious food any more, we're just trying not to die.' Like many others, Mr Hijazi said the war itself has faded into the background. 'We don't talk about bombs or martyrs. We talk about bread and hunger. Because hunger is killing us faster than anything else,' he told The National. Human rights organisations have accused Israel of inflicting conditions that amount to war crimes under international law, including deliberate starvation of civilians. Israel blames Hamas for the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Yet the international response remains paralysed, with little movement towards a ceasefire or emergency intervention. 'The entire world is watching the slaughter of Gaza and its killing through starvation and genocide, without moving a muscle or batting an eye, as if the people there are not human, and not covered by international agreements and conventions.' Mr Al Thawabta said.
