Latest news with #civildefence
South China Morning Post
2 days ago
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Israeli forces kill 34 Palestinians in Gaza, 11 near aid points, rescuers say
Gaza's civil defence agency said Israeli forces killed 34 people on Monday, including 11 waiting for aid. A push for a ceasefire is building, one especially important for the war-ravaged Palestinian territory. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said a day earlier that his country's 'victory' over Iran had created 'opportunities', including for freeing hostages held by militants in Gaza. His comments raised hopes for a new ceasefire in the conflict that has created dire humanitarian conditions in Gaza. Key mediator Qatar said on Monday that 'momentum' had been created by the Iran-Israel ceasefire. 'We won't hold our breath for this to happen today and tomorrow, but we believe that the elements are in place to push forward towards restarting the talks,' foreign ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari told journalists. An Israeli strike kills 18 in Gaza as turmoil mounts over food distribution Meanwhile, on the ground, Gaza's civil defence agency said that 34 people had been killed by Israeli strikes or gunfire since midnight. Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal said that '11 people [were] killed near aid distribution points in the central and southern parts of the territory.' Eyewitnesses and local authorities have reported repeated killings of Palestinians near distribution centres over recent weeks. Samir Abu Jarbou, 28, said that he had gone with four relatives to pick up food aid in an area of central Gaza around midnight. 'Suddenly, the [Israeli] army opened fire, and drones started shooting. We ran away and got nothing,' he said. 'The situation is catastrophic. We are suffering from terrible hunger. My only wish is to succeed in getting a bag of flour to feed my seven siblings.' Palestinians inspect the rubble of the Al-Aimawi family's home, destroyed by Israeli airstrikes in Al-Zawaideh, Gaza Strip. The strikes on Tuesday, July 1 came a day after Israeli forces killed 11 Palestinians waiting for aid, according to the region's civil defence agency. Photo: AP Bassal said 23 people were killed in at least seven separate strikes across the territory, mainly in the north. When asked for comment, the Israeli military said it needed more information to look into the reports. Restrictions on media in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean reporters are unable to independently verify the full tolls and details provided by rescuers. Israel's military issued a fresh evacuation order on Monday for several areas in and around Gaza City. 'For your safety, immediately evacuate further westward and southward toward al-Mawasi,' the military's Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee posted on social media. Despite being declared a safe zone by Israel, al-Mawasi has been hit by repeated strikes. Israel launched its campaign in Gaza in response to Hamas's October 7, 2023, attack, which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to a tally based on Israeli official figures. Of the 251 hostages seized during the assault, 49 are still held in Gaza, including 27 that the Israeli military says are dead. Israel's retaliatory campaign has killed at least 56,531 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry. The United Nations considers these figures to be reliable.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Gaza rescuers say Israeli forces kill 23, including children
Gaza's civil defence agency said Israeli air strikes and gunfire killed 23 people in the war-ravaged Palestinian territory on Sunday, including at least three children. Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP that his services "transported 23 martyrs, including several children and women" killed in various locations around the Gaza Strip. The Israeli military told AFP it was not able to comment on the reported incidents but said it was fighting "to dismantle Hamas military capabilities" in a campaign launched to root out the Islamist militant group after its October 2023 attack on Israel. Bassal said two children were killed in an air strike on their home in Gaza City's Zeitun neighbourhood in the early morning, adding "the house was completely destroyed". A family member, Abdel Rahman Azzam, 45, told AFP he was at home when he "heard a huge explosion at my relative's house". "I rushed out in panic and saw the house destroyed and on fire," he added. "We evacuated more than 20 injured people, including two martyrs -- two children from the family. The screams of children and women were non-stop," Azzam said. "They bombed the house with a missile without any prior warning. This is a horrific crime. We sleep without knowing if we will wake up." Elsewhere, Bassal said a drone strike on a tent housing displaced people near the southern city of Khan Yunis killed five people, including a child, while four more people were killed by Israeli gunfire in Rafah, also in the south. Restrictions on media in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by rescuers. - Israeli soldier killed - The Israeli military said in a statement on Sunday that a 20-year-old soldier was killed "during combat in the northern Gaza Strip". The military had issued an evacuation order earlier in the day for parts of Gaza City and nearby areas in the territory's north. The military "will operate with intense force in these areas, and these military operations will intensify and expand... to destroy the capabilities of the terrorist organisations", military spokesman Avichay Adraee said in a statement on X. He told residents to "evacuate immediately" to the Al-Mawasi area on the southern coast. The civil defence agency later said an Israeli air strike hit a house in Gaza City, killing three people. AFP video footage filmed from southern Israel showed large plumes of smoke rising from northern Gaza. - House destroyed - A resident in the northern town of Jabalia, Ahmed Arar, 60, said his family's house was destroyed after they received a warning it would be bombed from a person identifying himself as an Israeli army officer. "About half an hour later, they bombed the house, and it was completely destroyed," he told AFP by telephone. He said the family had already evacuated the house several days ago due to repeated shelling and air strikes. Israel launched its campaign in Gaza in response to Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack, which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures. Israel's retaliatory campaign has killed at least 56,500 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry. The United Nations considers these figures to be reliable. After claiming victory in a 12-day war against Iran that ended with a ceasefire on Tuesday, the Israeli military said it would refocus on its offensive in Gaza, where Palestinian militants still hold Israeli hostages. str-crb/rlp/smw
Malay Mail
4 days ago
- Politics
- Malay Mail
Gaza rescuers say Israeli forces kill 14, including children
GAZA CITY, June 29 — Gaza's civil defence agency said Israeli air strikes and gunfire killed at least 14 people including three children in the war-stricken Palestinian territory today. Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP that 13 people died in air strikes at four locations around the Gaza Strip, and another from Israeli fire near an aid distribution centre. The Israeli military told AFP it was not able to comment on the reported incidents but said it was fighting 'to dismantle Hamas military capabilities' in a campaign launched in 2023 against the Islamist militant group whose attack on Israel triggered the war. Restrictions on media in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by rescuers. Bassal said two children were killed in an air strike on their home in Gaza City's Zeitun neighbourhood in the early morning, and 'the house was completely destroyed.' A member of the family, Abdel Rahman Azzam, 45, told AFP he was at home and 'heard a huge explosion at my relative's house'. 'I rushed out in panic and saw the house destroyed and on fire,' he added. 'We evacuated more than 20 injured people, including two martyrs—two children from the family. The screams of children and women were non-stop,' Azzam said. 'They bombed the house with a missile without any prior warning. This is a horrific crime. We sleep without knowing if we will wake up.' Elsewhere, Bassal said a drone strike on a tent housing displaced people near the southern city of Khan Yunis killed five people including a child. He said that other casualties included a young man killed 'by Israeli fire this morning while waiting for aid' near a humanitarian distribution centre in the southern city of Rafah. Gaza evacuation order The Israeli military issued an evacuation order on Sunday for parts of Gaza City and nearby areas in the territory's north, warning of imminent action there. The military 'will operate with intense force in these areas, and these military operations will intensify and expand... to destroy the capabilities of the terrorist organisations', military spokesman Avichay Adraee said in a statement posted on X. He told residents to 'evacuate immediately south' to Al-Mawasi area on the coast. Israel launched its offensive in October 2023 in response to the deadly Hamas attack, which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures. Israel's retaliatory military campaign has killed at least 56,412 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to Hamas-run territory's health ministry. The United Nations considers these figures to be reliable. After claiming victory in a 12-day war against Iran that ended with a ceasefire on Tuesday, the Israeli military said it would refocus on its offensive in Gaza, where Palestinian militants still hold Israeli hostages. – AFP
The National
23-06-2025
- Politics
- The National
Crater in the church and burnt bodies: survivors' harrowing testimonies of Damascus terrorist attack
The interior of Mar Elias Church in Dweila, a poor Christian neighbourhood of Damascus, lies in ruins. Religious icons have been knocked to the ground, a mix of blood and ash covers the floor, and prayer benches are shattered. At the entrance, a small but deep crater marks the site of a powerful explosion. Moments earlier, about 6.40pm, a suicide bomber detonated an explosive vest during Sunday Mass, after opening fire on worshippers gathered outside in the first major terrorist attack since the removal of Bashar Al Assad in December. The terrorist attack killed at least 20 people and wounded 52. Blood is everywhere, on the walls, on survivors' shirts, pooled on the ground, seeping down the steps leading to the church. Even the air is thick with its overwhelming smell. Chaos and panic gripped the area for hours after the attack, as ambulances rushed to the scene and civil defence teams searched for human remains inside the church. We brought five people to the hospital. They were burnt, completely burnt. The explosion was strong. It opened a crater in the church Nicolas Tadros, church bombing survivor Doctors at Mujtahed Hospital, Damascus's largest medical centre, told The National that ambulances brought in two bags of unidentified remains. Witnesses told The National at the scene of the blast that at least one suicide bomber opened fire outside the church before detonating an explosive vest inside, and that there was a second gunman who did not blow himself up. 'One of them ran away, the other didn't. There were two gunmen,' Nicolas Tadros, a survivor, said a few moments after the attack at the scene. 'We brought five people to the hospital. They were burnt, completely burnt. The explosion was strong. It opened a crater in the church. The explosion … it wasn't normal. But may God be with us,' he added. Malatios Shtayeh, a priest who was at the Mass, said he first heard gunfire outside the church and had a different version of events. 'After the gunfire outside stopped, we started hearing gunfire inside the church about two minutes later,' he told The National. 'Then two people entered with explosive vests strapped to their chests, and blew themselves up.' Death toll rises The Ministry of Health told state media that at least 20 people were killed and 52 wounded in an updated toll. 'A suicide bomber affiliated with the terrorist group ISIS entered Mar Elias Church in the Dweila neighbourhood of the capital, Damascus, where he opened fire before detonating himself with an explosive vest,' state media reported. There was swift condemnation from outside Syria. The UAE's Ministry of Foreign Affairs offered condolences and expressed 'strong condemnation of these criminal acts', state news agency Wam reported. The UN's special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, expressed outrage at what he called a 'heinous crime'. Tom Barrack, a Syria envoy for US President Donald Trump, said 'these terrible acts of cowardice have no place in the new tapestry of integrated tolerance and inclusion that Syrians are weaving. The attack was the first of its kind in Syria in years and comes as Damascus is trying to win the support of minorities. As President Ahmad Al Shara tries to exert authority, his government has been carrying out anti-ISIS raids throughout the country since taking power. Still, many among minority groups have expressed distrust towards the new Syrian government, led by former members of the Islamist rebel group Hayat Tahrir Al Sham, due to its extremist roots. In a country fractured by 14 years of civil war and haunted by simmering sectarian tension, the church attack has ignited fear and anger in the Christian community. 'Our state didn't protect us' 'We've never been used to asking for protection from anyone. We've always lived under the protection of God. But we are citizens of this country, and it is the duty of the state to protect us. This is not a privilege the state grants us: it is its responsibility,' Father Shtayeh said. 'But unfortunately, in the face of these so-called individual acts, our state didn't protect us. It didn't protect our country,' he added. The anger was further fuelled as some suggestions at the scene that the attack may have been carried out by remnants of the Assad regime, who launched an insurgency in March. Damascus Governor Maher Marwan, speaking at the site of the blast, denounced 'remnants of the regime' and their 'destructive hand in the region'. 'It's an attack against Christian," said Bassem, an employee at the church. "You see it with your own eyes, it's an suicide attack, it's clear. Since the beginning we were afraid that this might happen." Many say they no longer feel safe. But they cannot afford to go anywhere else. Dweila is a marginalised neighbourhood in Damascus. 'I was born here in Dweila, I will never feel safe again, but where could I go?' asked Hanna Naqoula, waiting at the hospital for his 15-year-old son who was badly injured in the attack.
Yahoo
22-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Islamic State group behind deadly Damascus church attack, Syria's interior minister says
A suicide bomber who blew himself up at the Mar Elias Church on the outskirts of Damascus on Sunday was a member of the Islamic State group, Syria's interior minister said. Early reports from the country's civil defence said the attack killed at least 15 people. A member of the Islamic State group was behind a deadly suicide bombing in a church in Damascus, Syria's interior minister said. The country's civil defence said the attack had killed at least 15 people. "A suicide attacker affiliated with the Daesh (IS) terrorist group entered the Saint Elias church ... opened fire then blew himself up with an explosive belt," the ministry said in a statement. The Syrian civil defence said in a statement that the attack killed "more than 15 people and a number of wounded, according to a preliminary toll". The explosion in Dweil'a in the outskirts of Damascus took place as people were praying inside the church. Read morePost-Assad Syria: Sectarian divides and the struggle for unity The attack was the first of its kind in Syria in years, and comes as Damascus under its de facto Islamist rule is trying to win the support of minorities. (FRANCE 24 with AP and AFP) Read more on FRANCE 24 EnglishRead also:There is no accountability for atrocities against Syrian minorities, analyst saysPost-Assad Syria: Sectarian divides and the struggle for unity
