Latest news with #Israel
CNN
6 minutes ago
- Politics
- CNN
Israeli military rejects report that soldiers told to fire at Palestinians waiting for food, after repeated deadly incidents
The Israeli military has denied a new report that soldiers were ordered to fire at unarmed Palestinians waiting for humanitarian aid in Gaza, after hundreds of people were reported killed while approaching food distribution sites in recent weeks. On Friday, the daily Haaretz newspaper published an article alleging that Israeli soldiers in Gaza were instructed by their commanders to shoot at the crowds of Palestinians approaching aid sites, even as it was evident that the crowds posed no threat. One soldier who spoke anonymously with Haaretz described the approach routes to the aid sites as a 'killing field' where Israeli forces open fire even if there is no immediate threat. According to the article, Israeli forces recently began dispersing crowds with artillery shells, which resulted in a sharp rise in casualties. 'We strongly reject the accusation raised in the article — the IDF did not instruct the forces to deliberately shoot at civilians, including those approaching the distribution centers,' the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in response to the article. 'To be clear, IDF directives prohibit deliberate attacks on civilians.' Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz have also rejected the report as 'vicious lies designed to discredit the IDF – the most moral army in the world.' More than 500 Palestinians have been killed as they approached aid sites or trucks carrying aid since May 27, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. Palestinians have come under fire on a near daily basis as they approach the sites, health officials and emergency responders have said. In one such incident earlier this month, more than a dozen eyewitnesses, including those wounded in the attack, told CNN that Israeli troops shot at crowds in repeated volleys of gunfire. Weapons experts said the rate of gunfire heard in the footage, as well as images of bullets retrieved from victims, were consistent with machine guns used by the Israeli military. On multiple occasions, the IDF has acknowledged firing what it called 'warning shots' at Palestinians approaching military positions near aid distribution sites. It has also said that it is examining reports of casualties, but it has not publicly released any findings to date. According to Haaretz, the Military Advocate General has instructed the IDF General Staff's Fact-Finding Assessment Mechanism – which reviews incidents involving the potential violations of the laws of war – to investigate suspected war crimes near the aid sites. 'Any allegation of a deviation from the law or IDF directives will be thoroughly examined, and further action will be taken as necessary,' the IDF said on Friday. CNN has reached out to the IDF for additional comment. The Gaza aid sites where the deaths have occurred are run by the controversial Israel- and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which hands out pre-packaged boxes of food at a handful of locations in southern and central Gaza. The group's distribution was chaotic from the start one month ago, with crowds of desperate Palestinians rushing the sites the moment they open to take the available aid before it runs out, often within less than an hour. GHF was set up to replace the United Nations aid distribution mechanism, which Israel and the US have accused Hamas of looting. Hamas has rejected those claims, and humanitarian groups say most of the UN-distributed food aid reaches civilians. GHF coordinates with the Israeli military to designate specific routes for Palestinians traveling to their aid sites and has come under sharp criticism from aid experts. It has acknowledged some episodes of violence occurring outside of its immediate aid sites, but repeatedly described food distribution operations as having 'proceeded without incident.' In response to the Haaretz reporting, the organization said it was 'not aware' of the specific incidents described. Nevertheless, it added, 'these allegations are too grave to ignore and we therefore call on Israel to investigate them and transparently publish the results in a timely manner.' On Thursday, the US State Department announced that it is awarding $30 million to the organization, a sign of continued US support for GHF, which says it distributed 46 million meals in four weeks of operations.
Times
11 minutes ago
- Politics
- Times
Iranian distrust of the British runs deep
B ritain has not bombed Iran, nor called for regime change in Tehran, nor mobilised against the mullahs. Britain's stance on preventing Iran from gaining nuclear weapons has not changed. And yet there is deep anxiety in Whitehall and the intelligence services that the conflict between Iran and Israel will become our fight, and Iranian anger and hostility will now turn on Britain. It already has. That is because suspicion of the UK, as the 'hidden hand' behind every plot and confrontation, is deeply embedded in Iran's politics, language, rhetoric and self-image. Distrust and dislike of Britain is part of Iran's cultural DNA. From the Iranian point of view, Britain has been meddling in Iran ever since the Great Game of the early 19th century, when the rival empires of Britain and Russia tussled for control of Central Asia using bribery, proxy forces, political manipulation, competing spheres of influence and, from time to time, direct military intervention.
The National
28 minutes ago
- Politics
- The National
UN chief says those seeking food in Gaza must not face 'death sentence'
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said on Friday that any operation that funnels desperate civilians seeking aid into militarised zones in Gaza is 'inherently unsafe', and that 'it is killing people'. While Mr Guterres did not identify any organisation, his comments were seemingly directed at the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, an entity backed by the US and Israel that has circumvented traditional aid distribution networks to the alarm of the UN and international NGOs. He added that UN-led humanitarian efforts are being ' strangled ', aid workers themselves are starving and Israel – as the occupying power – is required to enable aid deliveries throughout the Palestinian enclave. 'People are being killed simply trying to feed themselves and their families. The search for food must never be a death sentence,' Mr Guterres said. Gaza's 2.3 million people face widespread hunger, with many having been displaced several times by the conflict. His comments come after the head of the GHF, Johnnie Moore, said he had sent a letter to the UN chief asking for collaboration through its aid delivery model. In the letter, sent earlier this week, Mr Moore called on the UN to engage 'immediately and directly' with the GHF to deliver food without the use of 'intermediaries, but through a model that has already proven its capacity to reach those in need'. Israel eased a months-long blockade on Gaza last month, but it has allowed only a limited amount of humanitarian aid into the enclave by way of the UN and the GHF. The UN and aid agencies say the GHF is militarising aid, with the sites it has set up for distribution guarded by armed private security contractors. The US and Israel have accused Hamas and other groups of looting aid meant for desperate Palestinians. Despite the presence of the private security contractors, local authorities say that hundreds of people have been killed, most reportedly by Israeli fire, as they approached distribution sites or queued for aid. Israel and the GHF have dismissed reports of widespread violence as a 'disinformation campaign'. The US announced on Thursday that the State Department will allocate $30 million to the GHF's efforts in Gaza. The organisation says it has distributed almost 50 million meals in the enclave so far.
The Sun
29 minutes ago
- Politics
- The Sun
Trump claims he saved Ayatollah from ‘ugly death' by ordering Israeli jets to turn around midair and call off attack
DONALD Trump has claimed that he saved Iran's Supreme Leader from an "ugly death" by ordering Israeli jets to turn around mid-air during an attack. The President slammed the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei after he claimed Iran had won the war - following Trump's Operation Midnight hammer attack. 1 In the post, Trump raged: "Why would the so-called 'Supreme Leader,' Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, of the war torn Country of Iran, say so blatantly and foolishly that he won the War with Israel, when he knows his statement is a lie, it is not so." .
Times of Oman
33 minutes ago
- Politics
- Times of Oman
Khamenei warns of future retaliation, says Trump exaggerated US strikes
Tehran: Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei claimed that US President Donald Trump had "exaggerated" the impact of recent strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, while warning of further retaliation, The Times of Israel reported. In a televised address on Thursday, Khamenei made his first appearance in more than a week after reportedly going into hiding amid an Israeli air campaign that killed many of his top generals. He hailed Iran's "victory" in the 12-day war with Israel, claiming that Tel Aviv's offensive had "almost collapsed" following Iranian strikes. "The American president exaggerated events in unusual ways, and it turned out that he needed this exaggeration," Khamenei said, as quoted by The Times of Israel. "The United States has gained nothing from this war," he added, claiming American strikes "did nothing significant" to Iran's nuclear program. Khamenei described the Iranian missile attack on the Al-Udeid air base in Qatar, which houses US troops, as a "severe slap to the face of America" and warned that such actions could be repeated. He said, "Should any aggression occur, the enemy will definitely pay a heavy price. Surrender will never happen. Our nation is powerful." The Times of Israel reported that Khamenei accused the United States of intervening only to prevent Israel's complete collapse, saying, "It felt that if it did not intervene, the Zionist regime would be utterly destroyed." "I want to congratulate the great Iranian nation... for its victory over the fallacious Zionist regime," he said. The 86-year-old leader, appearing in front of a plain backdrop similar to a previous June 19 message, may still be in hiding. According to The Times of Israel, Israel's campaign, launched on June 13, involved a sweeping assault on top Iranian military leaders, nuclear scientists, uranium enrichment sites, and ballistic missile infrastructure. In response, Iran fired around 550 ballistic missiles and 1,000 drones at Israel, with most intercepted. Some impacted civilian areas, killing 28 and injuring thousands. The conflict concluded with a US-brokered ceasefire. However, both nations have claimed victory. Trump stated the US strikes had "obliterated" Iran's nuclear facilities, while CIA chief John Ratcliffe claimed key sites were destroyed and would take years to rebuild. Meanwhile, the Israeli military said the strikes had dealt a "significant" blow, though full assessment is pending.
