DEIR AL-BALAH, GAZA STRIP: Thousands of Palestinian families fled Wednesday from the brunt of Israel’s expanding ground offensive into Gaza’s few remaining, overcrowded refuges, as the military launched heavy strikes across the center and south of the territory, killing dozens, Palestinian health officials said.On foot or riding donkey carts loaded with belongings, a stream of … Read more
Gaza’s deadliest ever war cast a pall of gloom over Bethlehem on Christmas Eve Sunday, as the death toll spiralled and Israel shifted its efforts against Hamas to the besieged territory’s south. The health ministry in the Hamas-run Strip said an Israeli strike late Sunday killed at least 70 people in Al-Maghazi refugee camp, in … Read more
TEL AVIV: The Berkleys live on a quiet street in Karnei Shomron, Samaria where almost every second house is undergoing necessary renovations. The homes, built in the 1980s when the town was first established, need weatherproofing, plumbing and basic upgrading.Before the current Hamas war, Palestinian Arabs flooded the neighbourhood each morning–building, pouring concrete, laying stone … Read more
At least 66% of jobs have been lost in Gaza since the Israel-Hamas conflict erupted in October, the International Labour (ILO) said on Wednesday, warning that employment losses could continue to increase in the enclave. The losses amount to a total of 192,000 jobs in the small Palestinian territory, the ILO said in its second … Read more
The Security Council’s adoption of a new U.N. resolution to spur desperately needed aid to Gaza has been bogged down by two issues important to the United States: a reference to a cessation of hostilities and putting the U.N. in charge of inspecting trucks to ensure they are actually carrying humanitarian goods. A vote on … Read more
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reiterated Israel’s aim of achieving “total victory” against Hamas, stating that the war is not just Israel’s but also the US’s, as it is also a battle against the “Iranian axis.” He said that the Iranian axis of terror is threatening to close the maritime strait of Bab el-Mandeb … Read more
GAZA STRIP, PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES: Israel faced another round of global pressure on Tuesday for a ceasefire in Gaza with a new UN vote and fresh Western diplomatic efforts, although the United States vowed to continue arming its ally.The UN Security Council was set to convene Tuesday to weigh a call for a ceasefire in the … Read more
RAFAH, GAZA STRIP: A prolonged communications blackout that severed telephone and internet connections compounded the misery Saturday in the besieged Gaza Strip, where a United Nations agency said hunger levels had spiraled in recent days.Internet and telephone lines went down Thursday evening and were still inaccessible Saturday morning, according to internet access advocacy group NetBlocks.org, … Read more
For the besieged residents of Gaza who have so far survived Israel’s bombs and bullets, a silent, invisible killer is now stalking them: disease. A lack of food, clean water and shelter have worn down hundreds of thousands of traumatised people and, with a health system on its knees, it’s inevitable epidemics will rip through … Read more
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said the Israeli forces have encircled the last strongholds of Hamas in Jabaliya and Shejaiya. and added that hundreds of Hamas operatives have surrendered to Israeli troops in recent days. The IDF said that some of the operatives were arrested while they were hiding in civilian buildings, including schools and … Read more