Blast caused by gas leak injures 7 in Iranian city of Qom
Since the end of a 12-day air war last month between Iran and Israel, in which Israel and the United States attacked Iran's nuclear facilities, several gas explosions have occurred in Iran, and the authorities have not blamed Israel.
Qom Governor Akbar Behnamjoo was quoted by state media as saying: "The cause of the explosion in a residential building of Pardisan was not terrorism."
The director of Qom's fire department told the semi-official Fars news agency four residential units were damaged in the blast in the Pardisan neighbourhood.
"Initial assessments show that the cause of the incident was a gas leak, and follow-ups are continuing in this regard," the director said.
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The Independent
14 minutes ago
- The Independent
First Epstein files, now Trump finds himself in another rift with GOP — this time on Gaza
Senate Republicans and President Donald Trump are once again on opposing sides about a central tenet of Republican orthodoxy: This time, on Israel and Gaza. Earlier this week, Trump directly contradicted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Netanyahu refuted claims by multiple international groups saying that Gaza was at the point of starvation, calling it a ' bold-faced lie.' Trump responded during a joint press conference with U.K. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer when he finally acknowledged that there is ' real starvation ' in Gaza. Even Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, the far-right MAGA firebrand from Georgia, jumped in on it and called the war in Gaza a 'genocide,' using language that historically only progressives used to describe the war. And public opinion has largely shifted against Israel after the deadly Oct. 7, 2023 terror incursion into Israel where Hamas brutally raped and murdered 1,200 innocent people and took 251 hostages. With Joe Biden exiting the stage, Democrats are having their reckoning with the party's historic support for Israel. But many Republicans feigned ignorance. 'I haven't seen what the president said. So, was it today?' Sen. Jim Banks of Indiana, one of the more MAGA House members who got a promotion last year, responded when asked about Trump's comments by The Independent on Tuesday. The Senate remains one of the last true bastions of Republican orthodoxy on foreign policy, which is to say, support for a strong military and America having a prominent role as the enforcer of the global order. Support for Israel remains a core tenet of this style of support, both because of Christian conservatives' theology about the Holy Land and the critical strategic position of Israel in the Middle East. Republicans historically viewed Israel's placement in an area of the world rife with conflict as another asset for intelligence and security purposes. Trump represented a break from that, focusing more on 'America First' ideology wherein he adopted more isolationist rhetoric, though he still robustly backs Israel and assisted with its war with Iran. That might be why Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-NE), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told The Independent to contact his office. Sen. Todd Young, a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee and Marine Corps veteran, refused to answer questions. Despite the fact that Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) faces a MAGA primary challenge from Texas' wayward and scandal-ridden Attorney General Ken Paxton, read from the hymnal of the Bush Republicans. 'I think there's definitely a humanitarian crisis, but i think the blame is not Netanyahu, the blame is Hamas,' Cornyn told The Independent. When asked if that's what Trump meant, Cornyn said 'you'd have to ask him.' Despite the fact Trump relocated the US Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem in his first term and continues to support Israel militarily, he clearly views the American relationship with Israel in a far more transactional light than his Senate counterparts. During one point of Israel's war with Iran, Trump famously said ' they don't know what the f*** they're doing.' Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), the chairwoman of the Appropriations Committee, told The Independent there is 'clearly a humanitarian crisis there,' said people should remember that Hamas caused this. Democrats for their part sought to exploit Trump's remarks on Gaza. Unburdened from having to defend Joe Biden's record on Gaza, numerous Democrats pointed to Trump's record to raise the suffering in Gaza. 'What we can do is continue to call upon President Trump, who now has acknowledged that people are starving to death in Gaza, to call upon Prime Minister Netanyahu to let the UN a delivery system,' Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), told The Independent. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) joined Van Hollen's letter this weekend to cease funding for the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation and instead resume sending money to the United Nations for food distribution. But Sanders said Trump deserves no credit. 'Look at any newspaper in America today and you see pictures of starving children, this is not a brilliant observation,' he told The Independent. Last week on the Senate floor, Sen. Amy Klobuchar delivered a speech excoriating Netanyahu. This came weeks after she met with Netanyahu during his visit to Congress. But Klobuchar said her remarks were not an about-face. 'The reason I went was to raise the lack of humanitarian aid into Gaza and that they had to have more access points,' she told The Independent. 'I think it's getting worse and worse and I know they've let some aid in but it is not enough. This is a crisis, it's a humanitarian crisis, and people are starving.' Sen Angus King, an independent from Maine who caucus with the Democrats, went one step further. On Monday evening, he released a statement that he would not support any type of aid whatsoever to Israel as long as children starved. For an even-keeled moderate, it was a stunning remark. 'They've cut off water, off and on, and they've really and they've created a situation now where it's so desperate that people are I are going after the aid in a desperate kind of way, and they're, they're using armed troops in that situation,' he told The Independent. 'They have the power to fix it. If they fix it, I'm with them until they fix it. I'm out.' But Senate Republicans will likely attack any Democrat who signed Van Hollen's letter, specifically vulnerable Democratic senators, even as some of the Democrats are Jewish supporters of Israel. One in particular: Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA), who faces a tough re-election next year.
Times
15 minutes ago
- Times
Freed British hostage rebukes Keir Starmer over Palestine
A British-Israeli woman who was held captive by Hamas for 15 months has accused Sir Keir Starmer of 'moral failure' after he announced Britain will formally recognise a Palestinian state unless Israel ends the 'appalling' situation in Gaza. Emily Damari, 28, was shot in the hand and leg when she was seized from the Kfar Aza kibbutz during the October 7 attacks. She was held captive by Hamas in a cage in tunnels underneath Gaza for 471 days before she was released during a short-lived ceasefire in January. In a statement on social media, Damari criticised Starmer's announcement, claiming the move 'risks rewarding terror'. She said: 'Prime Minister Starmer is not standing on the right side of history. Had he been in power during World War II, would he have advocated recognition for Nazi control of occupied countries like Holland, France, or Poland? 'This is not diplomacy — it is a moral failure. Shame on you, Prime Minister!!!!!!' In a second post, Damari, a Tottenham Hotspur fan who has roots in south London, said the move did not 'advance peace' but 'risks rewarding terror' and sent a 'dangerous message: that violence earns legitimacy'. She said: 'By legitimising a state entity while Hamas still controls Gaza and continues its campaign of terror, the prime minister is not promoting a solution; he is prolonging the conflict. Recognition under these conditions emboldens extremists and undermines any hope for genuine peace. Shame on you.' • British hostage held by Hamas tells of Gaza tunnel horrors Her comments came after the Campaign Against Antisemitism described Starmer's decision as 'morally indefensible'. The Board of Deputies, the largest body representing British Jews, has asked the government to assure it that it will not recognise a Palestinian state until Hamas releases its Israeli hostages. The group claimed Starmer should take Palestinian statehood off the table if the hostages were not returned by September. A spokesman for the group said: 'This announcement sends the worst possible message: that mass murder, rape and hostage-taking are legitimate paths to diplomatic gain. This is not a step toward peace; it is a dangerous precedent. This is not about justice, peace or a negotiated two-state solution. 'Recognition of a Palestinian state should never be wielded as a political weapon. Doing so in the aftermath of an antisemitic pogrom is not only reckless, it is shameful.' The Board of Deputies held an emergency meeting on Tuesday night to discuss the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza and Starmer's announcement. After the meeting, Phil Rosenberg, its president, said that while the group had long supported a negotiated two-state solution that ensured a secure Israel alongside a viable Palestinian state, its primary concern was to 'avoid empowering or rewarding Hamas, or giving it incentives to continue evading a ceasefire'. He added: 'We are therefore seeking clarification that the UK government will not recognise a Palestinian state while Hamas fails to meet UK demands, including accepting a ceasefire and releasing the hostages. 'We will also continue to stress the responsibilities of the Palestinian Authority in relation to resolving the conflict, and the ongoing need to confront Iran and its proxies who remain implacably opposed to peace.' The Board of Deputies called for Israel to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, allowing for a 'rapid, uninhibited and sustained increase in aid through all available channels' and for food not to be used as a weapon of war. • Richard Spencer: Is Israel's aid U-turn making a difference in Gaza? On Tuesday, a UN-backed monitor said famine was 'now unfolding' in Gaza, as thousands of children were malnourished and hunger-related deaths were on the rise. António Guterres, the secretary-general of the UN, said a trickle of aid into Gaza must become an ocean and that 'Palestinians in Gaza are enduring a humanitarian catastrophe of epic proportions'. Rosenberg also reiterated his organisation's call for the hostages captured during the October 7 attacks, which killed more than 1,100 Israelis, to be returned.
Reuters
15 minutes ago
- Reuters
Israeli minister hints at annexing parts of Gaza
JERUSALEM/CAIRO, July 30 (Reuters) - Israel could threaten to annex parts of Gaza to increase pressure on the militant group Hamas, an Israeli minister said on Wednesday, an idea that would deal a blow to Palestinian hopes of statehood on land Israeli now occupies. The comment by security cabinet member Zeev Elkin came a day after Britain said it would recognise a Palestinian state in September unless Israel takes steps to relieve suffering in Gaza and reaches a ceasefire in the war with Hamas. France, which said last week it will recognise a Palestinian state in September, and Saudi Arabia issued a declaration on Tuesday, also backed by Egypt, Qatar and the Arab League, outlining steps toward implementing a two-state solution. As part of an end to the Gaza war, they said Hamas "must end its rule in Gaza and hand over its weapons to the Palestinian Authority". Israel has denounced moves to recognise a Palestinian state as rewarding Hamas for its October 2023 attack that precipitated the war. Accusing Hamas of trying to drag out ceasefire talks to gain Israeli concessions, Elkin told public broadcaster Kan that Israel may give the group an ultimatum to reach a deal before further expanding its military actions. "The most painful thing for our enemy is losing lands," he said. "A clarification to Hamas that the moment they play games with us they will lose land that they will never get back would be a significant pressure tool." Mediation efforts aimed at reaching a deal that would secure a 60-day ceasefire and the release of remaining hostages held by Hamas ground to a halt last week, with the sides trading blame for the impasse. Israel is facing mounting international pressure over the situation in Gaza, where a global hunger monitor has warned that a worst-case scenario of famine is unfolding. The Gaza health ministry reported seven more hunger-related deaths on Wednesday, including a two-year-old girl with an existing health condition. Families of Israeli hostages still held in Gaza appealed for no recognition of a Palestinian state to come before their loved ones are returned. "Such recognition is not a step toward peace, but rather a clear violation of international law and a dangerous moral and political failure that legitimises horrific war crimes," the Hostages Family Forum said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday said Britain's decision "rewards Hamas' monstrous terrorism". Israel made similar comments last week after France's announcement. Two Hamas officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the demand for the group to hand its weapons to the PA, which now has limited control of parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Hamas has previously rejected calls to disarm, while Israel has ruled out letting the PA run Gaza. Netanyahu said this month he wanted peace with Palestinians but described any future independent state as a potential platform to destroy Israel, so control of security must remain with Israel. His cabinet includes far-right figures who openly demand the annexation of all Palestinian land. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said on Tuesday that reestablishing Jewish settlements in Gaza was "closer than ever", calling Gaza "an inseparable part of the Land of Israel". A two-year-old girl being treated for a build-up of brain fluid died overnight of hunger, her father told Reuters on Wednesday. "Mekkah, my little daughter, died of malnutrition and the lack of medication," Salah al-Gharably said by phone from Deir Al-Balah. "Doctors said the baby has to be fed a certain type of there is no milk," he said. "She starved. We stood helpless." The deaths from starvation and malnutrition overnight raised the toll from such causes to 154, including at least 89 children, since the war's start, most in recent weeks. On Sunday the Israeli military announced steps to ease the supply of food into Gaza, including daily pauses in military operations in some areas and corridors for aid. The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said the United Nations and its partners had been able to bring more food into Gaza in the first two days of pauses, but the volume was "still far from enough". "Most aid is still being offloaded by crowds before reaching where it is supposed to go. But market monitoring shows prices for basic goods are starting to drop – which could point to better operating conditions if aid flows further increase," it said in an update. The war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked communities in southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people and taking another 251 hostage, according to Israeli tallies. Since then, Israel's offensive in the Gaza Strip has killed more than 60,000 people and laid waste to much of the territory, the Gaza health ministry says.
