Israeli strikes in Gaza kill 93 Palestinians, including several families, health officials say
One strike in the northern Shati refugee camp killed a 68-year-old Hamas member of the Palestinian legislature, as well as a man and a woman and their six children who were sheltering in the same building, according to officials from Shifa Hospital, where the casualties were taken.
One of the deadliest strikes hit a house in Gaza City's Tel al-Hawa district on Monday evening and killed 19 members of the family living inside, according to Shifa Hospital. The dead included eight women and six children. A strike on a tent housing displaced people in the same district killed a man and a woman and their two children.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military on the strikes.
Gaza's Health Ministry said in a daily report Tuesday afternoon that the bodies of 93 people killed by Israeli strikes had been brought to hospitals in Gaza over the past 24 hours, along with 278 wounded. It did not specify the total number of women and children among the dead.
The Hamas politician killed in a strike early Tuesday, Mohammed Faraj al-Ghoul, was a member of the bloc of representatives from the group that won seats in the Palestinian Legislative Council in the last election held among Palestinians, in 2006.
Hamas won a majority in the vote, but relations with the main Fatah faction that had long led the Palestinian Authority unraveled and ended with Hamas taking over the Gaza Strip in 2007. The legislative council has not formally convened since.
The Israeli military says it only targets militants and tries to avoid harming civilians. It blames civilian deaths on Hamas because the militants operate in densely populated areas. But daily, it hits homes and shelters where people are living without warning or explanation of the target.
The latest attacks came after U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held two days of talks last week that ended with no sign of a breakthrough in negotiations over a ceasefire and hostage release.
Israel has killed more than 58,400 Palestinians and wounded more than 139,000 others in its retaliation campaign since Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Just over half the dead are women and children, according to the ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and militants in its tally.
The ministry, part of the Hamas-run government, is led by medical professionals. Its count, based on daily reports from hospitals, is considered by the United Nations and other experts to be the most reliable.
Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas after its attack 20 month ago, in which militants stormed into southern Israel and killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians. They abducted 251 others, and the militants are still holding 50 hostages, less than half of them believed to be alive.
Israel's air and ground campaign has destroyed vast areas of Gaza and driven some 90% of the population from their homes. Aid groups say they have struggled to bring in food and other assistance because of Israeli military restrictions and the breakdown of law and order, and experts have warned of famine.
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Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Who are the Druze and why is Israel bombing Syria to protect them?
Syria has been wracked by a new wave of deadly sectarian violence that has placed the spotlight on the Druze minority at the center of rising tensions with Israel. Dozens of people were killed this week after clashes between government loyalists and Druze militias in the southern city of Suwayda, prompting Syrian forces to intervene. That, in turn, triggered renewed Israeli airstrikes, as Israel – citing a commitment to protect the Druze – expands its footprint in southern Syria. Here's what to know. What happened this week? Syria's military entered Suwayda, a stronghold for the Druze community in the country's south, on Tuesday after clashes broke out over the weekend between Druze forces and Bedouin tribes, reigniting fears of attacks against minorities. The clashes left at least 30 people dead and injured dozens more as of Tuesday. Islamist forces allied with the Syrian government joined the fight this week, heightening concern among the Druze and prompting a key community figure to call for international protection. Israel, which has vowed to protect the Druze in Syria, launched fresh strikes against Syrian government forces advancing towards Suwayda, and pledged to continue strikes to protect the group. The Syrian foreign ministry said several civilians and security force members were killed in the strikes, but did not provide specific figures. The ministry called the Israeli attacks 'a blatant violation of the sovereignty of the Syrian Arab Republic.' CNN has reached out to the Israel Defense Forces for comment regarding civilian deaths. Tom Barrack, the US envoy for Syria called the clashes 'worrisome on all sides, and we are attempting to come to a peaceful, inclusive outcome for Druze, Bedouin tribes, the Syrian government and Israeli forces,.' Meanwhile, Axios reporter and CNN analyst Barak Ravid said on X that the Trump administration has asked Israel to stop its strikes on Syrian forces in the south of the country, citing a US official he didn't identify. The official said Israel promised that it would cease the attacks on Tuesday evening, he said. But on Wednesday, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the military will intensify its attacks on government forces in Suwayda if they do not withdraw from the area. 'The Syrian regime must let the Druze in Suwayda go and withdraw its forces,' Katz said in a statement shared by his spokesperson. 'The (Israel Defense Forces) will continue to attack regime forces until they withdraw from the area – and will also soon raise the bar of responses against the regime if the message is not understood.' Later on Wednesday, Israel escalated its attacks, launching a wave of strikes targeting a Ministry of Defense building and an area near the presidential palace in Damascus. Who are the Druze? The Druze are an Arab sect of roughly one million people who primarily live in Syria, Lebanon and Israel. In southern Syria, where the Druze form a majority in the Suwayda province, the community was at times caught between the forces of the former Assad regime and extremist groups during Syria's ten-year civil war. Originating in Egypt in the 11th century, the group practices an offshoot of Islam which permits no converts – either to or from the religion – and no intermarriage. In Syria, the Druze community is concentrated around three main provinces close to the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights in the south of the country. More than 20,000 Druze live in the Golan Heights, a strategic plateau that Israel seized from Syria during the Six-Day War in 1967, before formally annexing it in 1981. Druze share the territory with around 25,000 Jewish settlers, spread across more than 30 settlements. Most of the Druze living in the Golan identify as Syrian and rejected an offer of Israeli citizenship when Israel seized the region. Those who refused were given Israeli residency cards but are not considered Israeli citizens. Hundreds of people from the Druze minority crossed over from the Golan Heights into Syria, the Israeli military said on Wednesday, apparently responding to pleas from Druze leaders to support their community. Why are Syrian forces clashing with them? After overthrowing longtime dictator Bashar al-Assad, Syria's new President Ahmed al-Sharaa pledged inclusion and vowed to protect all of Syria's diverse communities, but Sunni extremist forces loyal to him have continued to violently confront religious minorities. In March, hundreds of people were killed during a crackdown on the Alawite sect – to which Assad belonged – in the western city of Latakia, and in April, clashes between pro-government armed forces and Druze militias left at least 100 people dead. A key issue straining relations between Syria's new government and the Druze is disarmament of Druze militias and integration. Al-Sharaa, seeking to consolidate armed factions under a unified military, has been unable to secure agreements with the Druze, who firmly insist on retaining their weapons and independent militias. The Druze, some of whom opposed the authoritarian rule of Bashar al-Assad, remain cautious of al-Sharaa, an Islamist leader with a jihadist history. They have expressed concerns over the exclusion of some of their leaders from al-Sharaa's national dialogue processes and limited representation in the new government, which includes only one Druze minister. Later in the day, the Syrian government claimed a new ceasefire agreement was reached after a previous truce broke down within hours. They said that under the truce there will be a complete halt to military operations, a monitoring committee will be formed with the Druze leaders and members of the community will be leading security in the province. It remains to be seen if the new agreement will hold, or even come into force. A Druze spiritual leader representing one of the factions in Suwayda, Youssef Jarbou, confirmed an agreement was reached, but Hikmat Al Hijri – another prominent Druze figure – rejected the ceasefire, calling on his supporters to continue fighting. Why did Israel intervene? On Tuesday, the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel is 'committed to preventing harm to the Druze in Syria due to the deep brotherly alliance with our Druze citizens in Israel, and their familial and historical ties to the Druze in Syria.' Some 130,000 Israeli Druze live in the Carmel and Galilee in Israel's north. In contrast to other minority communities within Israel's borders, Druze men over 18 have been conscripted to the Israeli military since 1957 and often rise to positions of high rank, while many build careers in the police and security forces. The Israeli government had also unilaterally declared a demilitarization zone in Syria that 'prohibits the introduction of forces and weapons into southern Syria,' according to the Israeli Prime Minister's office. The Syrian government has rejected Israel's declaration of a demilitarized zone and has, along with the international community, repeatedly called on Israel to cease military actions that violate its sovereignty. Earlier on Tuesday, Al-Hijri called for international protection from 'all countries' to 'confront the barbaric campaign' by government and allied forces 'using all means possible.' 'We are facing a complete war of extermination,' Al-Hijri said in a video statement. A statement issued by other Druze leaders however welcomed the Syrian government intervention in Suwayda and called on the state to assert its authority. It also called for armed groups in the city to hand over weapons to government forces and for a dialogue to begin with Damascus. Could Israel strike a deal with a country it keeps bombing? Since the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024, Israel has both seized more territory in Syria and repeatedly launched strikes on the country, with the stated aim of preventing the reconstruction of military capabilities and rooting out militancy that could threaten its security. The Israeli attacks have continued despite its closest ally, the United States, pushing for Israel to normalize relations with Syria now that it is under the control of a new government. The US has been trying to steer countries in the region towards a different path and envisions Syria signing onto the Abraham Accords – a series of agreements normalizing relations between Israel and several Arab countries. A senior administration official told CNN last month that it is 'to Syria's benefit to lean towards Israel.' In May, US President Donald Trump held a meeting with Sharaa in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It was the first high-level US-Syria meeting for decades. Trump announced the lifting of US sanctions against Syria just before the meeting, a move celebrated in Syria and seen as a step towards reintegrating the country into the international community. Israel has indicated its inclination to expand those agreements. After its deadly conflict with Iran, Netanyahu said the Israeli 'victory' paved a way for the 'dramatic expansion of the peace agreements' adding that Israel is 'working on this vigorously.' Israel has held direct and indirect talks with the new Syrian government, an indication of shifting dynamics between the former foes since the fall of the Assad regime. But Israel's repeated attacks on Syrian territory and its expanded military presence in the country have the potential to complicate those ambitions. In May, al-Sharaa said the indirect talks with Israel were meant to bring an end to the attacks. But that hasn't happened. Netanyahu has previously referred to the new Damascus government as an 'extremist Islamic regime' and a threat to the state of Israel. In May, an Israeli official told CNN that the prime minister had asked Trump not to remove sanctions on Syria, saying he feared it would lead to a repeat of the events of October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants attacked Israel. Israel's strikes on Syria also complicate al-Sharaa's efforts to consolidate authority over the country and promote a potential normalization deal as a victory for Syria's sovereignty and its people. This story has been updated with additional developments.
Bloomberg
an hour ago
- Bloomberg
Israel Has Its Best Chance for Peace in 25 Years
Twenty-five years ago this week, I was at Camp David as President Bill Clinton's lead Middle East negotiator. We sought to resolve the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians and to produce peace between two national movements competing for the same space. In July 2000, we were optimistic about ending the conflict. Over the preceding seven years, since the beginning of the Oslo process — which provided mutual recognition between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization and called for the creation of a Palestinian Authority (PA) to negotiate peace with Israel — we had produced four partial agreements: the Gaza-Jericho Agreement, the Interim Agreement, the Hebron Protocol and the Wye River Memorandum.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
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Significant progress in hostage talks following further Israeli flexibility, sources tell 'Post'
A meeting was held between the Israeli delegation and the Qatari and Egyptian delegations on Wednesday, in which Israel presented new maps that included additional Israeli concessions. Israel has effectively conceded control over the Morag Corridor, based on the maps it presented to hostage negotiation mediators, two sources familiar with the details told The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday. US President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, said that negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza were going well. Earlier, a meeting was held between the Israeli delegation and the Qatari and Egyptian delegations, during which Israel presented new maps reflecting additional flexibility on its part. A source involved in the negotiations told the Post: 'The focus now is no longer on the Morag Corridor; it's on the Israeli presence in the Rafah area. That's where the discussions are currently centered.' According to the source, the mediators are optimistic (not for the first time) and believe the new maps significantly advance the chances of reaching a deal soon. A senior diplomatic official told reporters that a hostage deal – which would involve the release of 10 hostages, the return of the bodies of 18 others, along with a 60-day truce – is 'attainable.' 'We, as a government, are interested in a framework for a hostage release,' the official said. 'There are differing political opinions in Israel, but the government is committed to a hostage deal, and that's the line the prime minister is leading. I believe a deal is achievable. It's not simple. Negotiating with Hamas is neither easy nor quick, and I can't give a timeline, but it is within reach.' According to the official, Hamas's agreement to the Witkoff framework demonstrates a shift in its position. 'This is the result of intense military pressure, strong American involvement, and Washington's desire to achieve a deal. Because of that interest – and the US-Qatar relationship – Qatar is now engaging at a different level.' Internal disagreements within Israel's cabinets, possible concessions The official also revealed internal disagreements within the Israeli cabinet over the concessions involved in the deal: 'There were cabinet members who said, 'Don't give up any territory we took during Operation Gideon's Chariots.' I told them: 'Then just say you don't want a deal.'' The official stressed that there is no commitment to ending the war, and that the ceasefire would be temporary, lasting 60 days, during which negotiations for a permanent ceasefire would take place.
