Israel

May 9, 2024 5:43 PM

Israeli forces mass on Rafah’s outskirts as US warns a major assault could halt arms

Israeli forces massed tanks and opened fire close to built-up areas of Rafah on Thursday, residents said, after U.S. President Joe Biden vowed to withhold weapons from Israel if its forces launch a major invasion of the southern Gaza city. As ceasefire talks continued in Cairo, Palestinian militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad said their fighters struck Israeli forces on the eastern outskirts of Rafah, firing anti-tank rockets and mortars at Israeli positions. Residents and medics in Rafah...

NORTHERN GAZA, GAZA - JANUARY 07: A view of the Israel-Gaza border near the Erez border crossing on January 07, 2024 in Northern Gaza. As the IDF have pressed into Gaza as part of their campaign to defeat Hamas, they have highlighted the militant group's extensive tunnel network as emblematic of the way the group embeds itself and its military activity in civilian areas. (Photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images)

May 7, 2024 5:27 PM

Israel says it has taken control of Gaza side of Rafah Crossing amid truce talks

The Israeli military said on Tuesday it had taken operational control of the Palestinian side of Gaza's southern Rafah Crossing, which borders Egypt and has been pivotal for the delivery of aid and exit of injured people in the Gaza war. The military said forces were scanning the area in the morning after launching a ground and air operation in part of eastern Rafah on Monday night, amid diplomatic efforts abroad to achieve a new truce. The Gaza Crossings Authority said in a statement that I...

RAFAH, GAZA - MAY 06: A Palestinian man injured after an Israeli attack is being taken to a hospital for treatment in Rafah, Gaza on May 06, 2024. (Photo by Doaa Albaz/Anadolu via Getty Images)

May 6, 2024 11:23 AM

Israel attacks Rafah after Hamas claims responsibility for deadly rocket attack

Three Israeli soldiers were killed in a rocket attack claimed by Hamas armed wing, near the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah, where Palestinian health officials said at least 19 people were killed by Israeli fire on Sunday. Hamas's armed wing claimed responsibility on Sunday for an attack on the Kerem Shalom crossing into Gaza that Israel said killed three of its soldiers. Israel's military said 10 projectiles were launched from Rafah in southern Gaza towards the area of the crossing, which ...

May 6, 2024 10:26 AM

Israeli authorities raid Al Jazeera after shutdown order

Israeli authorities raided a Jerusalem hotel room used by Al Jazeera as its office after the government decided to shut down the Qatari-owned TV station's local operations on Sunday, an Israeli official and an Al Jazeera source told Reuters. Video circulated online showed plainclothes officers dismantling camera equipment in a hotel room, which the Al Jazeera source said was in East Jerusalem. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet shut down the network for as long as the war in Gaza cont...

May 3, 2024 1:49 PM

Turkey halts trade with Israel over Gaza crisis

Citing the escalating humanitarian situation in Gaza, Turkey has halted all exports and imports to and from Israel, the Turkish Ministry of Trade announced, as per Al Jazeera's report. "Export and import transactions related to Israel have been stopped, covering all products," the ministry said in a statement on Thursday. "Turkey will strictly and decisively implement these new measures until the Israeli Government allows an uninterrupted and sufficient flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza." The ...

May 2, 2024 12:25 PM

India reiterates support at UN for two-state solution to Israel-Palestinian conflict

India has reiterated its support at the United Nations for a two-state solution that allows Palestinians to live freely in an independent nation within secure borders, while also addressing Israel's legitimate security concerns. At the UNGA meeting on Wednesday, Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations, Ruchira Kamboj expressed hope that Palestine’s UN membership will be reconsidered and that it will receive widespread support. On April 18, the US used its veto power to ...

Colombian President Gustavo Petro is speaking during a press conference in Bogota, Colombia, on February 8, 2024, after a meeting with the United Nations Security Council regarding the advancements made on Colombia's 2016 peace process and the new ongoing process. (Photo by Sebastian Barros/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

May 2, 2024 10:37 AM

Colombia to break diplomatic relations with Israel, President Petro says

Colombian President Gustavo Petro said on Wednesday he will break diplomatic relations with Israel over its actions in Gaza. Petro has already heavily criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and requested to join South Africa's case accusing Israel of genocide at the International Court of Justice. "Here in front of you, the government of change, of the president of the republic announces that tomorrow we will break diplomatic relations with the state of Israel ... for hav...

April 30, 2024 3:43 PM

Why Yemen’s Houthi rebels have entered Israel-Hamas conflict?

The entry of Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels in the Israel-Hamas conflict, has added a new dimension to the ongoing hostilities in the Middle East. Despite their historical animosity towards Israel, the Houthis’ involvement has surprised many observers. The group, which has slogans like “Death to Israel,” has been targeting commercial vessels in the Red Sea, alleging connections to Israel. In response, the United States and the United Kingdom have launched retaliatory ...

April 29, 2024 4:21 PM

Blinken says ‘measurable progress’ on Gaza humanitarian situation

The United States has seen "measurable progress" in the humanitarian situation in Gaza over the past few weeks, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Monday (April 29), but urged Israel to do more. Speaking at the opening of a US-Gulf Cooperation Council meeting in Riyadh, Blinken said the most effective way to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza was to achieve a ceasefire. He also said Washington continued efforts to prevent the Gaza war from expanding. The country is the first...

April 24, 2024 4:52 PM

Israel gears up for Rafah civilian evacuation ahead of promised assault

Israel has procured tens of thousands of tents for Palestinian civilians it intends to evacuate from Rafah in the coming weeks ahead a promised assault on the city it sees as the last bastion of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Israeli sources said on Wednesday. Abutting the Egyptian border, Rafah's population has been swollen by more than a million Palestinians who fled the half-year-old Israeli offensive through the rest of Gaza. Their fate worries Western powers as well as Cairo, which has ruled ou...