Tag: Palestinians

Israel rescues four Gaza hostages seized at music festival

Palestinian Territories, June 8, 2024 (AFP) – Israel said its forces rescued four hostages alive from a Gaza refugee camp on Saturday, after an operation that militant group Hamas said left dozens of Palestinians dead and wounded. The four had been kidnapped by Hamas from the Nova music festival during the Islamists’ October 7 attacks that sparked war with Israel, the army said. Noa Argamani, 26, Almog Meir Jan, 22, Andrey Kozlov, 27, and Shlomi […]

Israel confirms more hostages dead as doubts grow over Gaza truce plan

RAFAH, Palestinian Territories, June 3, 2024 (AFP) – Israel on Monday announced the deaths of four captives held in Gaza amid growing doubts and international pressure over a plan for a ceasefire and hostage release deal outlined by US President Joe Biden. Biden on Friday presented what he labelled an Israeli three-phase plan that would end the bloody conflict, free all hostages and lead to the reconstruction of the devastated Palestinian territory without Hamas in […]

Forest fires blaze in north Israel after rockets launched from Lebanon

KIRYAT SHMONA, Israel, June 4, 2024 (AFP) – Israeli authorities were battling intense forest fires Tuesday in the north of the country that broke out shortly after rocket and drone strikes from neighbouring Lebanon, forcing the partial evacuation of one town. “Firefighting units, assisted by various entities, are working to extinguish the fires,” Israeli police said in a statement, adding that several homes in Kiryat Shmona had been evacuated. An AFP photographer in the northeastern […]

Israel govt spokesman says PM views Biden Gaza plan as ‘partial’

JERUSALEM, June 3, 2024 (AFP) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu views a plan outlined by US President Joe Biden for a truce in Gaza and hostage release deal as “partial”, a government spokesman said Monday. Biden on Friday presented what he labelled an Israeli three-phase plan that would eventually end the fighting, free all hostages held by Palestinian militants and lead to the reconstruction of the devastated Gaza Strip without Hamas in power. “The […]

‘Time for this war to end’: Biden pushes Israeli plan for Gaza truce

By Danny KEMP WASHINGTON, June 1, 2024 (AFP) – US President Joe Biden said Friday that Israel had offered a new roadmap towards a permanent peace in Gaza, urging Hamas to accept the surprise deal as it was “time for this war to end.” In his first major address outlining a solution to the conflict, Biden said the three-phase proposal starts with a six-week complete ceasefire that would see Israeli forces withdraw from all populated […]

Hamas armed wing says fired ‘large rocket barrage’ at Tel Aviv

GAZA STRIP, Palestinian Territories, May 26, 2024 (AFP) – The armed wing of Palestinian militant group Hamas said Sunday it had fired a “large rocket barrage” at Israel’s commercial hub of Tel Aviv, with the military reporting it had intercepted several. The Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades said in a post on Telegram that they had targeted Tel Aviv “with a large rocket barrage in response to the Zionist (Israeli) massacres against civilians”. Israel’s army said at […]

Rocket sirens blare in Tel Aviv for first time in months: AFP

TEL AVIV, May 26, 2024 (AFP) – Rocket sirens blared Sunday in Israel’s commercial hub of Tel Aviv for the first time in months, with at least three blasts reported across central Israel, AFP correspondents said. The Israeli military said sirens had been activated over central Israel as fighting raged in Gaza, including in the far-southern city of Rafah. This is a developing story…

US says Israel took into account its concerns over Rafah

WASHINGTON, May 21, 2024 (AFP) – Israel has taken US concerns into account as it wages military operations in the Gaza city of Rafah, which is packed with refugees, a senior United States official said Tuesday. “It’s fair to say, I think the Israelis have updated their plans. They’ve incorporated many of the concerns that we have expressed,” the official told reporters. “This is an ongoing discussion, ongoing conversation. It’s been constructive,” said the official, […]

US envoy touts ‘potential’ of Israel-Saudi deal in Netanyahu talks

WASHINGTON, May 19, 2024 (AFP) – US President Joe Biden’s national security advisor briefed Benjamin Netanyahu on the “potential” of a normalization deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia after holding talks in the region, the White House said Sunday. Jake Sullivan also called on the Israeli prime minister to link the military operation against Hamas in Gaza with a “political strategy” for the future of the Palestinian enclave, it said in a readout of the […]

Hamas accepts Gaza truce proposal, Israel urges Rafah evacuation

RAFAH, Palestinian Territories, May 6, 2024 (AFP) – Hamas on Monday said it accepts a proposal for a truce in the seven-month-old war in Gaza, as Israel renewed an order for Palestinians in Rafah to evacuate ahead of a long-threatened invasion of the city. The Hamas announcement brought cheering crowds onto the street amid tears of happiness, chants of “Allahu Akbar” (“God is greatest”) and celebratory shooting in the air. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s […]