April 8, 2024 10:57 AM

Israel reduces troops in south Gaza, Egypt to host new talks

 Israel said on Sunday it had withdrawn more soldiers from southern Gaza, leaving just one brigade, as it and Hamas sent teams to Egypt for fresh talks on a potential ceasefire in the six-month conflict. Israel has been reducing numbers in Gaza since the start of the year to relieve reservists and is under growing pressure from its ally Washington to improve the humanitarian situation, especially after last week's killing of seven aid workers. The military spokesperson did not give details ...

April 6, 2024 5:30 PM

UN chief voices concern over reports of Israel using AI to identify targets in Gaza

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday voiced concern over reports of the Israeli military using artificial intelligence (AI) in its bombing in Gaza during his address from UN Headquarters in New York to the media after six months of Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Mentioning Sunday will mark six months of the conflict, Guterres first said Israel has brought death and destruction to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. "More than half the population, over a million people, are facing catastr...

April 5, 2024 3:28 PM

UN rights body demands Israel be held accountable for possible war crimes

The United Nations Human Rights Council on Friday adopted a resolution calling for Israel to be held accountable for possible war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip, although Israel dismissed it as a "distorted text". Twenty-eight countries voted in favour, 13 abstained and six opposed the resolution, including the United States and Germany. The adoption prompted several representatives to the Council to cheer and clap. The resolution stressed "the need to ensure accountabili...

April 5, 2024 3:24 PM

Israel approves reopening of Erez crossing into Gaza, use of Ashdod port for aid

Israel said it approved the reopening of the Erez crossing into northern Gaza and the temporary use of Ashdod port in southern Israel, following U.S. demands to increase humanitarian aid supplies into Gaza. During a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday night, U.S. President Joe Biden demanded "specific, concrete" steps to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, saying conditions could be placed on U.S. aid if Israel did not respond. The growing pressure on Israel ...

September 16, 2024 3:25 PM

Biden threatens change in US policy if Netanyahu fails to protect Gaza civilians

President Joe Biden threatened on Thursday to condition support for Israel's offensive in Gaza on it taking concrete steps to protect aid workers and civilians, seeking for the first time to leverage U.S. aid to influence Israeli military behavior. Biden's warning, relayed in a call with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday, followed a deadly Israeli attack on World Central Kitchen aid workers that spurred new calls from Biden's fellow Democrats to place conditions on U.S. aid to Israe...

April 5, 2024 9:49 AM

India expresses concern over air strike on Iranian embassy in Syria, asks Israel to ensure safety of Indians

India has expressed concern over the Israeli attack on Iran's embassy complex in Syria's capital Damascus on April 1. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in the weekly press conference on Thursday that India is angry over the deteriorating security situation in West Asia. This may increase violence and instability in the area. All concerned parties must follow international rules and regulations. Several commanders of Iran's Revolutionary Guard were killed in the recent attack. C...

April 4, 2024 9:48 PM

“First batch of Indians have gone to Israel; India urged Israeli authorities to take their safety seriously”: MEA

Randhir Jaiswal, the official spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs, announced that the initial group of individuals has departed for Israel under the government-to-government (G2G) pact. He emphasized that the Indian government has urged Israeli authorities to prioritize their safety. Earlier this year, efforts to enlist over 10,000 Indian construction workers in Israel commenced at Maharshi Dayanand University in Rohtak, Haryana. During Thursday's weekly press briefing, MEA Spoke...

April 3, 2024 12:01 PM

At UN, US warns Iran not to target it over Syria strike

The United States warned Iran on Tuesday (April 2) not to retaliate against it for an attack on Iran's embassy compound in Syria, telling the U.N. Security Council it had no prior warning of the strike that Tehran has blamed on Washington's ally Israel. The strike on Monday - that Iran said killed two of its generals and five military advisers - marked one of the most significant attacks yet on Iranian interests in Syria, where Israel has stepped up a long-running campaign against Iran. "We wi...

April 2, 2024 3:26 PM

Spain’s PM urges Israel to clarify circumstances of airstrike on aid workers

Israel must clarify the circumstances surrounding the deaths of seven people working for Spanish-American celebrity chef Jose Andres' World Central Kitchen in an Israeli airstrike in central Gaza, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Tuesday. "I hope and demand that the Israeli government clarifies as soon as possible the circumstances of this brutal attack that has taken the lives of seven aid workers who were doing nothing more than helping," Sanchez said after visiting the Jabal el-H...

September 16, 2024 5:04 PM

Palestinian death toll in Gaza exceeds 32,800:ministry

The Palestinian death toll in the Gaza Strip had risen to 32,845, the Hamas-run Health Ministry said in a press statement on Monday. The Israeli army killed at least 63 Palestinians during the past 24 hours, bringing the total death toll to 32,845 and injuries to 75,392 since the Palestine-Israel conflict broke out on Oct 7, 2023, according to the ministry. On Monday, the Israeli military released a statement saying that in the past two weeks, its troops conducted targeted military operations ...