Tag Archives: Hamas

The Associated Press reports: Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday delivered some of the Biden administration’s strongest public criticism yet of Israel’s conduct of the war in Gaza, saying Israeli tactics have meant “a horrible loss of life of innocent civilians” but failed to neutralize Hamas leaders and fighters and could drive a lasting insurgency. In a pair of …

The Washington Post reports: President Biden said Wednesday that he would halt the shipment of U.S. offensive weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if the country moves ahead with a long-planned ground invasion of Rafah — the first time he has threatened to withhold U.S. military aid, and the most direct threat …

The Guardian reports: Hamas says it has accepted an Egyptian-Qatari cease-fire proposal to halt seven-month war with Israel. It issued a statement Monday saying its supreme leader, Ismail Haniyeh, had delivered the news in a phone call with Qatar’s prime minister and Egypt’s intelligence minister. The two Middle Eastern nations have been mediating months of talks between Israel and Hamas. …

“It happened on his watch. And I think it’s had a profound impact on him, despite everything. Because people said that shouldn’t have happened. They have the most sophisticated equipment. They had—everything was there to stop that. “And a lot of people knew about it, you know, thousands and thousands of people knew about it, but Israel didn’t know about …

Axios reports: U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said today at the World Economic Forum in Riyadh that Israel has given “a very generous” hostage deal proposal that could lead to a ceasefire in Gaza and urged Hamas to accept it soon. White House officials say they are extremely focused on getting a deal and that the war in Gaza …

The New York Times reports: Israeli officials increasingly believe that the International Criminal Court is preparing to issue arrest warrants for senior government officials on charges related to the conflict with Hamas, according to five Israeli and foreign officials. If the court proceeds, the Israeli officials could potentially be accused of preventing the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza …

CNN reports: The Israeli military believed they were targeting Hamas operatives when they attacked and killed seven food aid workers in Gaza on Monday, according to an internal inquest that led to the dismissal of two officers. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Friday that “those who approved the strike were convinced that they were targeting armed Hamas operatives,” calling …

Reuters reports: Pope Francis called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the release of all Israeli hostages in an Easter Sunday address that marked the most important day on the Christian calendar by deploring the suffering caused by wars. The pontiff presided over Mass in a packed and flower-bedecked St Peter’s Square, and then delivered his “Urbi et Orbi” …

The Guardian reports: For the first time the UN security council has voted for a call for a ceasefire in Gaza, after the US abstained, rather than using its veto as it has done on previous occasions. Russia and China have also previously vetoed texts. The resolution that passed was written by the 10 elected members to the council, and …

Reuters reports: U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris bluntly called out Israel on Sunday for not doing enough to ease a “humanitarian catastrophe” in Gaza as the Biden administration faces increasing pressure to rein in its close ally while it wages war with Hamas militants. Harris, speaking in front of the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, where state troopers beat …

CNN reports: The United States has vetoed a resolution at the United Nations calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, an anticipated move that comes amid growing international clamor for Israel to pause its offensive against Hamas.  The US had already signaled its intention to veto the Algerian resolution, but has grown increasingly critical of Israel’s conduct in Gaza and …

NBC News reports: The International Court of Justice has declined Israel’s request to throw out the genocide case brought against it by South Africa, saying that the allegations “appear to be capable of falling within the provisions of the” Genocide Convention of 1948. President Joan E. Donoghue noted that at this stage in the case, the ICJ does not have …

Axios reports: Israel has given Hamas a proposal through Qatari and Egyptian mediators that includes up to two months of a pause in the fighting as part of a multi-phase deal that would include the release of all remaining hostages held in Gaza, two Israeli officials said. While the proposal doesn’t include an agreement to end the war, it is …

Reuters reports: A group of relatives of Israelis held hostage by Palestinian gunmen in Gaza stormed a parliamentary committee session in Jerusalem on Monday, demanding that the lawmakers do more to try to free their loved ones. The action by about 20 people signaled growing domestic dissent in the fourth month of the Gaza war against Hamas. One woman held …

The New York Times reports: The Israeli military announced on Monday that it will begin withdrawing several thousand troops from Gaza at least temporarily, in what would be the most significant publicly announced pullback since the war began. The military cited a growing toll on the Israeli economy following nearly three months of wartime mobilization with little end in sight …

The Hill reports: Israel expects the war in Gaza will go on for “many more months,” Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of the General Staff Herzi Halevi said. “The war will continue for many more months, and we will operate in various ways – so that the achievement will be preserved over time,” Halevi said in a press conference Tuesday. …

The Associated Press reports: On Monday, the California-based tech giant released its “Year in Search,” a roundup of 2023’s top global queries, ranging from unforgettable pop culture moments (hello, Barbenheimer ), to the loss of beloved figures and tragic news carrying worldwide repercussions. The ongoing Israel-Hamas war topped news trends in 2023, per Google’s global data, followed by queries related …

The Hill reports: Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said Sunday that the United States approving additional aid to Israel is “irresponsible,” pointing to the thousands of civilians killed in Gaza amid Israel’s war against militant group Hamas. “Israel is losing the war in terms of how the world is looking at this situation,” Sanders said on CBS’s Face the Nation. “And …

Reuters reports: Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday told United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres that Israel must be held accountable in international courts for what he called war crimes it committed in Gaza, the Turkish presidency said. Israel has mounted an offensive by air and ground against Hamas militants in Gaza in which more than 15,000 people have been …

The Hill reports: The editor in chief of Israeli news outlet Haaretz blasted Elon Musk’s visit to Israel, calling the tech billionaire a “blatant antisemite and publisher of antisemitism” amid backlash over antisemitic content on X. “Blatant antisemite & publisher of antisemitism Elon Musk should be persona non grata in Israel,” Haaretz editor-in-chief Esther Solomon wrote in a post on …