Gaza toll crosses 17,000 after 350 killed in a day

Gaza toll crosses 17,000 after 350 killed in a day

• UN efforts in Gaza can no longer be called ‘humanitarian operation’, says aid chief • Khan Yunis decimated by Israeli strikes • Hamas declares famine in aid-starved north GAZA STRIP: Heavy urban combat raged in and around Gaza’s biggest cities on Thursday as Israeli forces unleashed an aerial and ground blitz, leaving 350 dead […]

Gazans find no shelter as Khan Yunis comes under relentless shelling

Gazans find no shelter as Khan Yunis comes under relentless shelling

GAZA: The streets of Khan Yunis were empty on Wednesday morning as residents tried to take shelter from shelling and artillery fire, said reporters, while the dead and wounded continued to pour into the city’s hospitals. Residents said Israeli bombing intensified overnight, killing and wounding civilians in the north and east of Khan Yunis. Palestinian […]

Biden may attach conditions to US aid to Israel

Biden may attach conditions to US aid to Israel

• Adviser Sullivan believes prisoners release a testament to effectiveness of direct presidential diplomacy • Senator Bernie Sanders says ‘blank cheque approach’ by US must end WASHINGTON: In a significant shift of tone, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan hinted on Sunday at the possibility of President Joe Biden attaching conditions to US aid to […]

Palestinians rejoice as 39 walk free from Israeli prisons

Palestinians rejoice as 39 walk free from Israeli prisons

• 13 Israelis, 10 Thais and one Filipino among those released by Hamas on first day of truce • Israeli army withdraws from Al Shifa; WHO still worried for patients, health workers GAZA: After weeks of death and despair, there were celebrations in parts of Gaza as 39 Palestinians, who were freed from Israeli prisons […]

Frantic efforts behind closed doors led to truce deal

Frantic efforts behind closed doors led to truce deal

• Qatar asked ‘secret cell’ to handle negotiations carefully, says US official • Prisoners expected to be transported through Egypt WASHINGTON: A secret cell headed by the CIA and Mossad chiefs, and multiple contacts between US President Joe Biden and leaders of Israel, Qatar, and Egypt underpinned an “excruciating” five weeks resulting in the truce […]

Dozen killed as Israel hits Gaza’s last major hospital

Dozen killed as Israel hits Gaza’s last major hospital

• Death toll rises above 13,000 • Jordanian field hospital enters besieged enclave • 28 premature babies evacuated GAZA: Israeli tanks surrounded the Indonesian Hospital in Gaza as ground forces fired into the complex, killing at least 12 people, including patients, on Monday. Dozens more were wounded and around 700 people trapped inside the “besieged” […]

Prisoner deal ‘edges closer’ despite fierce fighting in Gaza

Prisoner deal ‘edges closer’ despite fierce fighting in Gaza

• ‘Minor’ challenges to agreement to free some prisoners, says Qatari PM • 31 premature babies evacuated from Al Shifa Hospital • Hamas fighters battle Israeli forces trying to push into Jabalia camp DOHA: Hamas fighters battled Israeli forces trying to push into Gaza’s largest refugee camp on Sunday, but despite the fighting, US, Qatari […]

UN debates reforms to end Security Council’s ‘paralysis’ during crises

UN debates reforms to end Security Council’s ‘paralysis’ during crises

UNITED NATIONS: The UN General Assembly has initiated discussions on Security Council reforms, with Pakistan asserting that the lack of consensus among permanent members hindered the council’s ability to address the Gaza conflict. General Assembly President Dennis Francis also echoed the urgency for reform, amid conflicts raging in Ukraine and Gaza. In the debate that […]

Street combat rages in Gaza as Biden rules out ceasefire

Street combat rages in Gaza as Biden rules out ceasefire

GAZA STRIP: Israeli troops and Hamas were locked in heavy, close-quarters fighting in Gaza City on Thursday, including a 10-hour battle that, Israel claimed, toppled a stronghold of the Palestinian fighters. Hamas fighters, armed with rocket-propelled grenade launchers and assault rifles, clashed with Israeli soldiers backed by armoured vehicles in the ruins of the besieged […]

China ‘ready’ to improve ties with US

China ‘ready’ to improve ties with US

SINGAPORE: Beijing is ready to hold talks with the United States at “all levels”, Chinese Vice President Han Zheng said on Wednesday, ahead of expected summit in San Francisco between leaders Xi Jinping and Joe Biden as they seek to stabilise tense ties by meeting in-person for just the second time in nearly three years. […]

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