Latest news with #MahmoudIssa
18 hours ago
- Politics
58 killed in intensified Israeli strikes in Gaza, ahead of another ceasefire push
Israeli strikes killed at least 58 people across Gaza on Monday, as residents in the enclave's north reported one of the heaviest bombardments in weeks. It comes as Israeli officials were due in Washington for a new ceasefire push by the Trump administration. A day after U.S. President Donald Trump urged an end to the 20-month-old war, a confidant of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was expected at the White House for talks on a Gaza ceasefire, Iran and possible wider regional diplomatic deals. But on the ground in the Palestinian enclave, there was no sign of fighting letting up. The Israeli military issued evacuation orders on Monday to residents in large districts in the northern Gaza Strip, forcing a new wave of displacement. Explosions never stopped; they bombed schools and homes. It felt like earthquakes, said Salah, 60, a father of five from Gaza City. In the news, we hear a ceasefire is near; on the ground, we see death and we hear explosions. Israeli tanks pushed into the eastern areas of Zeitoun suburb in Gaza City and shelled several areas in the north, while aircraft bombed at least four schools after ordering hundreds of families sheltering inside to leave, residents said. All of us have children, we're innocent. We were sleeping in our tents, Nisreen Abu Zaid, a 45-year-old mother of four, told CBC News freelance videographer Mohamed El Saife on Monday. A man places his head on the body of a Palestinian during a funeral at Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City on Monday. He was killed in an Israeli airstrike on a school on Sunday, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. (Mahmoud Issa/Reuters) Photo: (Mahmoud Issa/Reuters) Amani Salouha, 36, said her husband was killed last Wednesday in an earlier Israeli strike in Gaza City, leaving her as the sole caretaker of their three children. Now I'm taking care of the children [alone]. Where are we going to flee in the middle of the night? What is their fault in any of this? Salouha said At least 58 people were killed in Israeli strikes on Monday, Gaza health authorities said, including 10 people killed in Zeitoun and at least 13 killed southwest of Gaza City. Medics said most of the 13 were hit by gunfire, but residents also reported an airstrike. Twenty people, including a local journalist, were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a beachfront café in Gaza City, medics said. The Palestinian Journalist Syndicate said more than 220 journalists had been killed in Gaza since the war began in October 2023. The Israeli military claimed it struck militant targets in northern Gaza, including command and control centres, after taking steps to mitigate the risk of harming civilians, but it did not provide any evidence. The heavy bombardment followed new evacuation orders to vast areas in the north, where Israeli forces had operated before and left behind wide-scale destruction. The military ordered people there to head south, saying that it planned to fight Hamas militants operating in northern Gaza, including in the heart of Gaza City. Palestinians examine the damage left behind after an Israeli strike on Al-Falah School in Gaza City on Monday. (Mohamed El Saife/CBC) Photo: (Mohamed El Saife/CBC) Netanyahu's security cabinet to discuss next steps Israel's Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, a confidant of Netanyahu's, was expected on Monday at the White House for talks on Iran and Gaza, an Israeli official said. Dermer was expected to begin meetings with Trump administration officials on Tuesday, the source in Washington said. Alongside talks on Gaza ceasefire prospects, Dermer also plans to discuss Netanyahu's possible visit to the White House in coming weeks, according to the source familiar with the matter. In Israel, Netanyahu's security cabinet was expected to convene to discuss the next steps in Gaza. On Friday, Israel's military chief said the present ground operation was close to having achieved its goals. And on Sunday, Netanyahu said new opportunities had opened up for recovering the hostages, 20 of whom are believed to still be alive. WATCH | Hundreds killed near aid distribution sites in Gaza: Début du widget Widget. Passer le widget ? Fin du widget Widget. Retourner au début du widget ? Aid distribution in Gaza goes 'against every humanitarian principle,' UNICEF specialist says UNICEF's Rosalia Bollen says the way aid is being distributed in Gaza is 'unsafe' and 'unfair' and says it has killed hundreds in Gaza. 'Nobody should have to choose between dying of hunger or risk being shot at when you try to get some food,' says the agency's communication specialist. Palestinian and Egyptian sources with knowledge of the latest ceasefire efforts said that mediators Qatar and Egypt have stepped up their contacts with the two warring sides, but that no date has been set yet for a new round of truce talks. A Hamas official said that progress depends on Israel changing its position and agreeing to end the war and withdraw from Gaza. Israel says it can end the war only when Hamas is disarmed and dismantled. Hamas refuses to lay down its arms. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said Israel has agreed to a U.S.-proposed 60-day ceasefire and hostage deal, and put the onus on Hamas. Israel is serious in its will to reach a hostage deal and ceasefire in Gaza, Saar told reporters in Jerusalem. The war began when Hamas fighters stormed into Israel on Oct. 7 2023, killing 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and taking 251 hostages back to Gaza in a surprise attack that led to Israel's single deadliest day. Israel's subsequent military assault has killed more than 56,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, displacing almost the entire 2.3 million population and plunging the enclave into a humanitarian crisis. More than 80 per cent of the territory is now an Israeli-militarized zone or under displacement orders, according to the United Nations. Thomson Reuters with files from CBC News and Mohamed El Saife
Barnama
a day ago
- Politics
- Barnama
Qatar Says Seeking To Resume Gaza Ceasefire Talks, Reach Deal On Iran's Nuclear Programme
A Palestinian woman sits amidst the damage at an UNRWA school sheltering displaced people that was hit in an Israeli air strike on Sunday, in Gaza City, June 30, 2025. REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa ISTANBUL, June 30 (Bernama-Anadolu) -- Qatar said on Monday that it is seeking to resume negotiations between Israel and Hamas to reach a Gaza ceasefire, Anadolu Ajansi (AA) reported. Foreign Ministry spokesman Majid al-Ansari also said that Doha is working to reach a broader agreement on Iran's nuclear programme. 'There are no talks regarding a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip,' Ansari told a press conference in Doha. bootstrap slideshow 'Communications are underway to reach a formula to return to negotiations,' he added, without elaborating. 'We see positive language from Washington regarding reaching an agreement in Gaza, and there are serious intentions from them to push towards resuming negotiations on Gaza, but there are complications,' the spokesman said. On Sunday, Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman Badr Abdelatty said that Cairo is working on a new Gaza deal that includes a 60-day ceasefire in exchange for the release of some Israeli hostages and the rapid entry of humanitarian aid into the besieged enclave. Qatar 'continues to pressure through our partners to separate negotiations from the entry of aid into Gaza,' Ansari said. 'Israel's stubbornness prevents the entry of aid to Gaza. It is unacceptable to continue linking the humanitarian and military sides in Gaza.' Egypt, Qatar, and the US brokered on Jan 19 a three-phased ceasefire deal between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. The agreement was intended to ultimately bring an end to the Israeli genocidal war in Gaza.
Straits Times
a day ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
Israel steps up Gaza bombardment ahead of White House talks on ceasefire
Palestinians inspect the damage at an UNRWA school sheltering displaced people that was hit in an Israeli air strike on Sunday, in Gaza City, June 30, 2025. REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa A Palestinian woman sits amidst the damage at an UNRWA school sheltering displaced people that was hit in an Israeli air strike on Sunday, in Gaza City, June 30, 2025. REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa Palestinians inspect the damage at an UNRWA school sheltering displaced people that was hit in an Israeli air strike on Sunday, in Gaza City, June 30, 2025. REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa CAIRO/JERUSALEM - Palestinians in northern Gaza reported one of the worst nights of Israeli bombardment in weeks after the military issued mass evacuation orders on Monday, while Israeli officials were due in Washington for a new ceasefire push by the Trump administration. A day after U.S. President Donald Trump urged an end to the 20-month-old war, a confidant of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was expected at the White House for talks on a Gaza ceasefire, Iran, and possible wider regional diplomatic deals. But on the ground in the Palestinian enclave there was no sign of fighting letting up. "Explosions never stopped; they bombed schools and homes. It felt like earthquakes," said Salah, 60, a father of five children, from Gaza City. "In the news we hear a ceasefire is near, on the ground we see death and we hear explosions." Israeli tanks pushed into the eastern areas of Zeitoun suburb in Gaza City and shelled several areas in the north, while aircraft bombed at least four schools after ordering hundreds of families sheltering inside to leave, residents said. At least 25 people were killed in Israeli strikes on Monday, health authorities said, including 10 people killed in Zeitoun. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military, which says Palestinian militants embed among civilians. The militant groups deny this. The heavy bombardment followed new evacuation orders to vast areas in the north, where Israeli forces had operated before and left behind wide-scale destruction. The military ordered people there to head south, saying that it planned to fight Hamas militants operating in northern Gaza, including in the heart of Gaza City. NEXT STEPS A day after Trump called to "Make the deal in Gaza, get the hostages back", Israel's strategic affairs minister Ron Dermer, a confidant of Netanyahu's, was expected on Monday at the White House for talks on Iran and Gaza, an Israeli official said. In Israel, Netanyahu's security cabinet was expected to convene to discuss the next steps in Gaza. On Friday, Israel's military chief said the present ground operation was close to having achieved its goals, and on Sunday, Netanyahu said new opportunities had opened up for recovering the hostages, 20 of whom are believed to still be alive. Palestinian and Egyptian sources with knowledge of the latest ceasefire efforts said that mediators Qatar and Egypt have stepped up their contacts with the two warring sides, but that no date has been set yet for a new round of truce talks. A Hamas official said that progress depends on Israel changing its position and agreeing to end the war and withdraw from Gaza. Israel says it can end the war only when Hamas is disarmed and dismantled. Hamas refuses to lay down its arms. The war began when Hamas fighters stormed in to Israel on October 7 2023, killed 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and took 251 hostages back to Gaza in a surprise attack that led to Israel's single deadliest day. Israel's subsequent military assault has killed more than 56,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to the Gaza health ministry, has displaced almost the entire 2.3 million population and plunged the enclave into a humanitarian crisis. More than 80% of the territory is now an Israeli-militarized zone or under displacement orders, according to the United Nations. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
4 days ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
Israeli military orders war crime probe into Gaza shootings, paper says
FILE PHOTO: Mourners react during the funeral of Palestinians who were killed by Israeli fire while trying to receive aid in central Gaza Strip, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, at Al-Shifa hospital, in Gaza City, June 24, 2025. REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa/File Photo JERUSALEM - Israel's Military Advocate General has ordered an investigation into possible war crimes over allegations that Israeli forces deliberately fired at Palestinian civilians near Gaza aid distribution sites, Haaretz newspaper reported on Friday. Hundreds of Palestinians have been killed over the past month in the vicinity of areas where food was being handed out, local hospitals and officials have said. Haaretz, a left-leaning Israeli newspaper, quoted unnamed Israeli soldiers as saying they were told to fire at the crowds to keep them back and using unnecessary lethal force against people who appeared to pose no threat. The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for a comment from Reuters about the report. Haaretz quoted a military spokesperson as saying that the army was trying to minimise potential friction between the population and Israeli forces, adding that following reports of civilian harm, the army had conducted investigations and given new instructions to ground forces. Haaretz also quoted unnamed sources as saying that the army unit established to review incidents that may involve breaches of international law had been tasked with examining soldiers' actions near distribution locations over the past month. There is an acute shortage of food and other basic supplies after the nearly two-year-old military campaign by Israel against Hamas militants in Gaza that has reduced much of the enclave to rubble and displaced most of its two million inhabitants. Thousands of people gather around distribution centres desperately awaiting the next deliveries, but there have been near daily reports of shootings and killings on the approach routes. Medics said six people were killed by gunfire on Friday as they sought to get food in southern Gaza Strip. In all, more than 500 people have died near aid centres operated by the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) or in areas where U.N. food trucks were set to pass since late May, the Gaza health authorities have said. In response to questions about previous incidents, the Israel military often said troops had fired warning shots over the heads of people to get them to move. It has also said it is reviewing various cases. It has yet to publish its findings. The unnamed Israeli soldiers told Haaretz that military commanders had ordered troops to shoot at the crowds of Palestinians to disperse them and clear the area. During a closed-door meeting with senior Military Advocate General officials this week, legal representatives rejected Israel Defense Forces claims that the incidents were isolated cases, Haaretz reported. There has been widespread confusion about access to the aid, with the army imposing for a time a 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew on approach routes to GHF sites. But locals often have to set out well before dawn to have any chance of retrieving food. The Gaza war began when Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, killing nearly 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 others hostage into the enclave. In response, Israel launched a military campaign that has killed more than 56,000 Palestinians, the majority of them civilians, according to local health authorities in Gaza. The Gaza health ministry said on Friday that at least 72 people were killed and more than 170 wounded by Israeli fire across Gaza Strip in the past 24 hours. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Japan Today
5 days ago
- Politics
- Japan Today
Israel halts aid into northern Gaza; clans deny Hamas is stealing it
A Palestinian inspects the site of an Israeli airstrike on a house that was hit on Wednesday, in Gaza City, June 26, 2025. REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa By Nidal al-Mughrabi and Alexander Cornwell Israel has stopped aid from entering northern Gaza but is still allowing it to enter from the south, two officials said on Thursday after images circulated of masked men on aid trucks who clan leaders said were protecting aid, not Hamas stealing it. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a joint statement with Defense Minister Israel Katz, said late on Wednesday that he had ordered the military to present a plan within two days to prevent Hamas from taking control of aid. They cited new unspecified information indicating that Hamas was seizing aid intended for civilians in northern Gaza. A video circulating on Wednesday showed dozens of masked men, some armed with rifles but most carrying sticks, riding on aid trucks. Israeli government spokesperson David Mencer told reporters that aid was continuing to enter from the south but did not specify whether any supplies were entering in the north. The U.S.- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which operates aid distribution sites in southern and central Gaza, said on X that it was the only humanitarian organization permitted on Thursday to distribute food in Gaza. A spokesperson said the foundation was exempt from a two-day suspension of humanitarian aid deliveries into the territory. The Israeli prime minister's office and the defense ministry did not respond to Reuters' requests for comment. The Higher Commission for Tribal Affairs, which represents influential clans in Gaza, said that trucks had been protected as part of an aid security process managed "solely through tribal efforts". The commission said that no Palestinian faction, a reference to Hamas, had taken part in the process. Hamas, the militant group that has ruled Gaza for more than two decades but now controls only parts of the territory after nearly two years of war with Israel, denied any involvement. Throughout the war, numerous clans, civil society groups and factions - including Hamas' secular political rival Fatah - have stepped in to help provide security for the aid convoys. Clans made up of extended families connected through blood and marriage have long been a fundamental part of Gazan society. ACUTE SHORTAGE Amjad al-Shawa, director of an umbrella body for Palestinian non-governmental organisations, said the aid protected by clans on Wednesday was being distributed to vulnerable families. There is an acute shortage of food and other basic supplies after the nearly two-year military campaign by Israel that has displaced most of Gaza's two million inhabitants. Aid trucks and warehouses storing supplies have often been looted, frequently by desperate and starving Palestinians. Israel accuses Hamas of stealing aid for its own fighters or to sell to finance its operations, an accusation Hamas denies. "The clans came ... to form a stance to prevent the aggressors and the thieves from stealing the food that belongs to our people," Abu Salman Al Moghani, a representative of Gazan clans, said, referring to Wednesday's operation. The Wednesday video was shared on X by former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, who claimed that Hamas had taken control of aid allowed into Gaza by the Israeli government. Bennett is widely seen as the most viable challenger to Netanyahu at the next election. Netanyahu has also faced pressure from within his right-wing coalition, with some hardline members threatening to quit over ceasefire negotiations and the delivery of humanitarian aid. The war began when Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, killing nearly 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 others hostage into Gaza. In response, Israel launched a military campaign that has killed more than 56,000 Palestinians, the majority of them civilians, according to local health authorities in Gaza. At least 118 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since Wednesday, local health authorities said, including some shot near an aid distribution point, the latest in a series of such incidents. Twenty hostages remain in captivity in Gaza, while Hamas is also holding the bodies of 30 who have died. © Thomson Reuters 2025.
