Israeli strikes kill at least 20 in Gaza, health officials say
The expansion of Israel's ground invasion comes as Israel and Hamas have been considering terms for a ceasefire for Gaza that would pause the fighting and free at least some hostages.
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NBC News
16 minutes ago
- NBC News
Israel kills dozens in Gaza amid growing famine fueled by restricted aid flow
Israeli gunfire and airstrikes killed more than 50 Palestinians in Gaza on Saturday, including some who were waiting overnight for aid, according to local health officials, continuing a pattern that has drawn international criticism as the country's 'drip-feeding of aid' into the enclave continues to claim lives. Dr. Khalil Al-Daqran, a spokesperson for Gaza's Health Ministry, said at least 52 people were killed in Gaza so far this weekend, including those waiting in line for aid at the Zikim crossing with Israel, 'a number of starving children' and a group recovered in southern Khan Younis. In the Zikim area, at least a dozen were killed as they waited for aid trucks, according to The Associated Press. The Israel Defense Forces did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The latest killings near an aid distribution site come amid what many have described as Israel's 'drip-feeding of aid' into Gaza, a tactic that has contributed to more than 120 deaths from malnutrition and left a third of the population on the brink of starvation. The criticism is disputed by the Israeli military, which says it has allowed in an average of 70 trucks a day since May. But aid agencies say hundreds more trucks a day are necessary to feed Gaza's starving population. Five deaths due to malnutrition were recorded in Gaza in the last 24 hours, the Palestinian Health Ministry in the territory said on Saturday. At least 127 people, including 85 children, have died as a result of hunger in the enclave since Oct. 7, 2023, according to the ministry. Earlier this week, 25 countries, including Britain, Japan and a host of European nations, issued a joint statement insisting that the war in Gaza 'must end now.' The foreign ministers of the nations called the recent killings of Palestinians seeking aid 'horrific,' which Gaza's Health Ministry and the U.N. human rights office estimate to be over 800. The latest prior instance involved the killing of at least 67 people as they waited for U.N. aid trucks in northern Gaza on Sunday. Israel said its military had fired warning shots into the crowd to remove 'an immediate threat,' adding that casualty reports were inflated. The Israeli military, which controls the entry of all aid into the besieged enclave, blames the U.N. and other aid agencies for failing to distribute the supplies. U.N. spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told reporters this week that there was 'a lack of willingness' from Israel to allow them to distribute aid. Israel has accused Hamas of stealing U.S.-funded aid, citing that as a main rationale, along with the U.S., for proposing a new armed, private aid operation. But an investigation by the U.S. Agency for International Development found ' no reports alleging Hamas ' benefited from U.S.-funded supplies. In a statement, the IDF said USAID's report ignores 'clear and explicit evidence that Hamas exploits humanitarian aid to sustain its fighting capabilities,' and criticizes the military 'for routing decisions made specifically to protect humanitarian staff and shipments.' 'The USAID report represents a striking example of biased framing,' the IDF said. 'Instead of holding Hamas and other terror groups accountable for looting and obstructing aid from reaching the population, it assigns 'indirect responsibility' to Israel for the actions of armed militants and terror organizations.'
CNN
16 minutes ago
- CNN
Cambodia and Thailand agree to hold talks after days of cross-border fighting, says Trump
Asia Donald Trump National security FacebookTweetLink The leaders of Cambodia and Thailand have agreed to 'immediately meet and quickly work out a ceasefire' after days of cross-border violence, according to a social media post by US President Donald Trump on Saturday. In a series of earlier posts, Trump said he had spoken with both Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and acting prime minister of Thailand Phumtham Wechayachai in his efforts to restore peace. He also said he looks forward to concluding trade agreements with both nations, 'once peace is at hand.' 'Both Parties are looking for an immediate Ceasefire and Peace. They are also looking to get back to the 'Trading Table' with the United States, which we think is inappropriate to do until such time as the fighting STOPS,' Trump wrote. 'They have agreed to immediately meet and quickly work out a Ceasefire and, ultimately, PEACE!' A statement from Thailand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Wechayachai 'requested President Trump to convey to the Cambodian side that Thailand wants to convene a bilateral dialogue as soon as possible to bring forth measures and procedures for the ceasefire and the eventual peaceful resolution of the conflict.' Cambodia is yet to comment publicly on the possible ceasefire talks. Bangkok and Phnom Penh have been fighting over territory disputed since colonial power France drew the border between them more than a century ago. The renewed deadly conflict pits longtime US ally Thailand, with decades of experience, against Cambodia's relatively young armed force with close ties to China. Since fighting broke out on Thursday, more than a dozen people have been reported killed, dozens wounded, and more than 150,000 civilians evacuated. Clashes have continued into Saturday, according to officials on both sides.
Yahoo
23 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump says Hamas will be ‘hunted down' as Gaza ceasefire talks wane
Washington, DC – United States President Donald Trump has suggested that Hamas is refusing to agree to a Gaza truce because it fears what comes after all the Israeli captives are released. Trump's comments at the White House on Friday appear to suggest that the US and Israel are not ready to guarantee a lasting end to the war but rather a short-term truce to get Israeli captives out of Gaza. 'We're down to the final hostages, and they know what happens after you get the final hostages,' the US president told reporters. 'And basically because of that, they really didn't want to make a deal.' Trump blamed the Palestinian group solely for the apparent collapse of the ceasefire talks, saying the group is going to be 'hunted down'. 'Hamas didn't really want to make a deal. I think they want to die, and it's very, very bad,' he said. On Thursday, Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff said Washington was cutting short its involvement in the negotiations, accusing Hamas of showing 'a lack of desire to reach a ceasefire'. Israel also said it withdrew its negotiators from Qatar, where the ceasefire talks were taking expressed bewilderment at the US position, saying it had made 'a sincere commitment to the success of the mediators' efforts' to reach a deal. The group also said the mediators — Qatar and Egypt — welcomed its 'constructive and positive' position. Talks have been ongoing for months to secure a 60-day truce that would see the release of 10 Israeli captives and a pause in the Israeli bombardment of Palestinians in Gaza. Hamas has insisted that it is seeking a permanent ceasefire. Witkoff previously said the truce 'will lead to a lasting peace in Gaza'. However, Israeli officials repeatedly described plans to return to the fighting and remove all Palestinians from Gaza after the captives are released. In fact, Israeli Minister of Defence Israel Katz has said that the country would use the truce to move hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to an internment camp in southern Gaza, in preparation for their removal from the territory altogether. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said during a visit to Washington, DC, earlier this month that Israel 'still has to finish the job in Gaza' despite the ceasefire talks. In February, Trump called for depopulating Gaza and turning the territory into a 'Riviera of the Middle East' — a proposal that legal experts say would amount to ethnic cleansing, a crime against has systematically flattened large parts of Gaza, using bombardment, explosives and bulldozers in what advocates say is an effort to make the territory unliveable. Netanyahu has argued, however, that the departure of Palestinians would be 'voluntary'. But human rights experts warned that people do not actually have a choice when they are under the threat of bombardment and starvation. On Thursday, Trump suggested that Gaza is set to experience more violence, saying Israel is 'going to have to fight'. 'They're going to have to clean it up. You're going to have to get rid of it,' he said. Trump dismisses French recognition of Palestine The US president's comments come as deadly hunger continues to spread in Gaza due to an Israeli blockade impeding the flow of aid and other essential supplies into the territory. The Israeli-imposed starvation in Gaza has garnered international condemnation, even from close allies of the US and Israel. On Thursday, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney slammed the denial of humanitarian aid to Gaza as a 'violation of international law'. French President Emmanuel Macron also said his country will recognise Palestine as a state at the United Nations General Assembly in September. Before leaving for the United Kingdom on Friday, Trump dismissed his French counterpart's statement, saying it 'doesn't carry any weight'. 'Here's the good news: What he says doesn't matter,' Trump said. 'It's not going to change anything.'
