60 h. ago At least 27 killed in Israeli bombing of shelter in Gaza City, rescuers say

Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians flee from southern city of Rafah in one of war’s biggest mass displacementsAn Israeli bombing of a school turned shelter in Gaza City has killed at least 27 people, rescuers said, and hundreds of thousands in the Rafah area are fleeing in one of the biggest mass displacements of the war amid Israel’s newly announced campaign to “divide up” the Gaza Strip.Three missiles hit Dar al-Arqam school in the al-Tuffah neighbourhood on Thursday afternoon, the civil defence agency spokesperson Mahmoud Bassal said, killing several children and wounding 100 people. Continue reading...

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63 h. ago Israel has chosen military occupation over a ceasefire in Gaza. Where does this end? | Sanam Vakil

The latest escalation and attempts to dismantle the Palestinian leadership are utterly at odds with peace negotiationsSanam Vakil is a senior research fellow in the Middle East and North Africa programme at Chatham HouseAgainst the pleas and protests of hostage families desperate to secure the release of their loved ones, the Israeli government is moving ahead with the military occupation of the Gaza Strip. On 2 April, the defence minister, Israel Katz, announced plans to seize large areas of Gaza with the aim of eliminating Hamas’s remaining infrastructure and establishing new security zones that will split Gaza in two. This escalation, which began in mid-March with intensified airstrikes, is intended to encourage a mass exodus of the local population, and has led to substantial civilian casualties. Despite the international outcry over more than 50,000 deaths, 110,000 civilian injuries and significant displacement of Palestinians, the Israeli government rationalises and justifies ...

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3 d. ago Israel announces intention to seize large areas of Gaza Strip in major escalation

Defence minister Israel Katz says seized land ‘will be added to the state of Israel’s security areas’Middle East crisis – live updatesIsrael’s defence minister has said the country intends to “seize large areas” of the Gaza Strip amid a major expansion of aerial and ground operations in the besieged Palestinian territory.Israel Katz said in a statement on Wednesday that “troops will move to clear areas of terrorists and infrastructure, and seize extensive territory that will be added to the state of Israel’s security areas”. Continue reading...

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4 d. ago Israel announces plan to seize ‘large areas’ in Gaza – latest updates

Defence minister Israel Katz says large areas of the territory will be seized and added to the security zones of IsraelAirstrikes continued on Gaza on Wednesday morning after the Israeli defense minister announced that Israel intended to expand its war. In a statement, Israel Katz said the offensive was “expanding to crush and clean the area of terrorists and terrorist infrastructure and capture large areas that will be added to the security zones of the state of Israel.”The move has been condemned by the Hostages Families Forum, who said it appeared that Benjamin Netanyahu’s government were making the return of 59 hostages still held in Gaza by Hamas “a secondary task” that had been “pushed to the bottom of the priority list.”I wish success to the IDF soldiers who are fighting bravely and powerfully in Gaza for the return of the kidnapped and the defeat of Hamas. The goal of Operation “Strength and Sword” is first and foremost to increase pressure for the release of all the hostage...

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1 week ago Five killed by Israeli shelling in southern Syria, officials say; US appears to confirm fresh Yemen strikes – Middle East crisis live

Israel shells province of Darra amid warning of escalation in region; US attacks Houthis in a bid to regain control of international shipping lanesIn a statement regarding the airstrike on Syria, the Israeli military said:IDF (army) troops identified several terrorists who opened fire toward them in southern Syria. The troops returned fire in response and the IAF (air force) struck the terrorists. Hits were identified. Continue reading...

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1 week ago US appears to confirm fresh strikes on Yemen; Israel issues fresh calls to evacuate northern Gaza – Middle East crisis live

US attacks target Houthis in a bid to regain control of international shipping lanes; IDF tells people to head towards ‘known shelters’ At least five people have been killed in Israeli shelling of the southern Syrian province of Daraa, local authorities said.In a post on Telegram, provincial authorities reported a provisional toll of “five people killed in the Israeli bombardment of the town of Kuwayya... west of Daraa”. Continue reading...

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1 week ago Israel military issues further calls to evacuate northern Gaza as airstrikes continue – Middle East crisis live

Military tells people to head towards ‘known shelters’ despite the fact there is no guarantee of safety as 57 people killed in past 24 hoursAs we mentioned in the opening summary, Israel’s security cabinet has approved a suggestion by the country’s defence minister, Israel Katz, to set up a new administration within his department tasked with enabling Palestinians to “voluntarily” leave Gaza, their homelands.In a statement a couple of days ago, Katz’s office said the new directorate would work to:Prepare for and enable safe and controlled passage of Gaza residents for their voluntary departure to third countries, including securing their movement, establishing movement routes, checking pedestrians at designated crossings in the Gaza Strip, as well as coordinating the provision of infrastructure that will enable passage by land, sea and air to the destination countries.The ministry of foreign affairs and expatriates condemned in the strongest terms Israel’s announcement of the establ...

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2 w. ago Israel to attack Lebanon after first rocket strike since ceasefire declared

Rockets have been fired from Lebanon towards Israel this morning, sparking concerns the fragile ceasefire announced last November could soon end and resume hostilities in the area

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2 w. ago Israel to ‘seize more ground’ and warns Hamas it will annex parts of Gaza

Defence minister, Israel Katz, threatens to implement Trump’s plan to turn Gaza into resort if hostages not releasedMiddle East crisis – live updatesIsrael’s defence minister said on Friday he has instructed the military to “seize more ground” in Gaza and threatened to annex part of the territory unless Hamas releases the remaining hostages it holds.Israel Katz’s warning came as the army stepped up the renewed assault it launched on Tuesday, shattering the truce that had facilitated the release of more than two dozen hostages and brought relative calm since late January. Continue reading...

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2 w. ago Israel strikes that shattered ceasefire ‘just the beginning’, Netanyahu says, after deadliest 24 hours in Gaza since 2023 – as it happened

Benjamin Netanyahu says Israeli military will continue to fight until Hamas ‘no longer posed a threat’Commenting on the fresh strikes in Gaza, Sally Thomas, humanitarian manager at Caritas Australia, warned the strikes would impact distribution“In the first month of the ceasefire around 56 ,000 metric tons of food entered Gaza, more than double the amount in the month prior. Alongside this, humanitarians have been working to take care of an estimated 350,000 chronically ill people in Gaza, where there are just 108 ICY beds remaining, and a lack of necessities such as oxygen and vital medical equipment,” she said in a statement. Continue reading...

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2 w. ago Netanyahu warns Israel’s renewed Gaza offensive ‘is only the beginning’

Israeli PM says attacks will continue until Hamas is destroyed and hostages freed, as airstrikes kill hundredsMiddle East crisis – live updatesThe wave of deadly airstrikes that shattered the pause in hostilities in Gaza is “only the beginning”, Benjamin Netanyahu has warned, also promising that the new offensive would continue until Israel achieved all of its war aims – destroying Hamas and freeing all hostages held by the militant group.Any further ceasefire negotiations would take place “under fire”, the Israeli prime minister said in a televised address on Tuesday night, his first after Israel launched attacks that killed more than 400 people in the devastated Palestinian territory, in the bloodiest single day of violence since the first months of the war in 2023. Continue reading...

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2 w. ago Israel strikes that shattered ceasefire ‘just the beginning’, Netanyahu says, after deadliest 24 hours in Gaza since 2023 – live

Benjamin Netanyahu says Israeli military will continue to fight until Hamas ‘no longer posed a threat’Commenting on the fresh strikes in Gaza, Sally Thomas, humanitarian manager at Caritas Australia, warned the strikes would impact distribution“In the first month of the ceasefire around 56 ,000 metric tons of food entered Gaza, more than double the amount in the month prior. Alongside this, humanitarians have been working to take care of an estimated 350,000 chronically ill people in Gaza, where there are just 108 ICY beds remaining, and a lack of necessities such as oxygen and vital medical equipment,” she said in a statement. Continue reading...

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2 w. ago For Palestinians, this was never a ceasefire | Dalia Hartuqa

Even before this brutal attack, Israel has acted with impunity – safe in the knowledge that yet again, its allies will do nothingIn less than 24 hours, heavy Israeli bombardment on the Gaza Strip has killed more than 4oo Palestinians, according to Palestinian health authorities, marking the end of a ceasefire that was announced in name only between Hamas and Israel on 15 January and took effect four days later. Even after months of negotiations led by the US, Qatar and Egypt, those observing Palestinian-Israeli affairs knew the ceasefire never really meant Israel ceased its fire on the besieged coastal territory.Between 22 January and 11 March, at least 700 Palestinians were either killed by the Israeli military or their bodies were retrieved from areas medics could not previously access, according to ministry of health in Gaza as reported by United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. In the past two months, Israel has also reneged on the terms of the truce,...

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2 w. ago ‘A nightmare come true’: Palestinians flee again after Israel’s attacks on Gaza

Thousands displaced once more as wave of airstrikes ends ceasefire, killing hundreds and raising new fears about aidMiddle East crisis – live updatesThousands of Palestinians were on the move in Gaza on Tuesday, after a wave of Israeli airstrikes signalled the end of almost two months of calm in the devastated territory. Many were newly bereaved, and most had been displaced many times.Like others in Gaza, Ghaitam, a 19-year-old from a village near the southern city of Khan Younis, said he was woken at about 2am by the sounds of warplanes, explosions and screaming. “It was a nightmare that came true,” he said. Continue reading...

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2 w. ago Israel breaks Gaza ceasefire after renewed IDF strikes kill more than 320 Palestinians – Middle East crisis live

Benjamin Netanyahu says operation carried out to ‘achieve war objectives’ as Hamas labels strikes a ‘blatant violation of humanitarian conventions’Deaths reported in Gaza as Israeli military conducts ‘extensive strikes’ despite ceasefireCommenting on the fresh strikes in Gaza, Sally Thomas, humanitarian manager at Caritas Australia, warned the strikes would impact distribution“In the first month of the ceasefire around 56 ,000 metric tons of food entered Gaza, more than double the amount in the month prior. Alongside this, humanitarians have been working to take care of an estimated 350,000 chronically ill people in Gaza, where there are just 108 ICY beds remaining, and a lack of necessities such as oxygen and vital medical equipment,” she said in a statement. Continue reading...

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2 w. ago BBC Breakfast halted minutes into show as Sally Nugent announces 'breaking news'

BBC Breakfast was interrupted on Tuesday as Sally Nugent announced that Israel airstrikes had killed more than 200 Palestinians across Gaza overnight

Politics

2 w. ago Gaza ceasefire shattered as more than 320 Palestinians reported killed by renewed Israeli strikes – Middle East crisis live

Benjamin Netanyahu says operation carried out to ‘achieve war objectives’ as Hamas labels strikes a ‘blatant violation of humanitarian conventions’Deaths reported in Gaza as Israeli military conducts ‘extensive strikes’ despite ceasefireCommenting on the fresh strikes in Gaza, Sally Thomas, humanitarian manager at Caritas Australia, warned the strikes would impact distribution“In the first month of the ceasefire around 56 ,000 metric tons of food entered Gaza, more than double the amount in the month prior. Alongside this, humanitarians have been working to take care of an estimated 350,000 chronically ill people in Gaza, where there are just 108 ICY beds remaining, and a lack of necessities such as oxygen and vital medical equipment,” she said in a statement. Continue reading...

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2 w. ago BBC Breakfast's Sally Nugent halts live show to deliver 'breaking news' announcement

BBC Breakfast was interrupted on Tuesday as Sally Nugent shared an important update from the Gaza Strip

Politics

2 w. ago Deaths reported in Gaza as Israeli military conducts ‘extensive strikes’ despite ceasefire

Benjamin Netanyahu’s office blames Hamas’s refusal to release hostages for IDF strikes that are reported to have killed at least 30 peopleIsrael’s military said it was conducting “extensive strikes on terror targets” in Gaza early on Tuesday, with officials there reporting at least 30 deaths in the most intense airstrikes since the 19 January ceasefire began.An unnamed senior Hamas official told Reuters that Israel was “unilaterally” ending the ceasefire. Continue reading...

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2 w. ago Tens of thousands attend rallies in Yemen after deadly US airstrikes – Middle East crisis live

Huge demonstrations in Houthi-controlled areas come as more than 50 people die in strikes responding to Red Sea attacksMore than 200 people, including women and children, have been killed in Syria in incidents involving war remnants in the three months since the fall of the Assad regime, as bomb disposal experts warn that “no area in Syria is safe”.The number of casualties has risen as approximately 1.2 million people return to their former homes and lands after being displaced by the country’s brutal civil war.The US and Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen are both vowing escalation after the US launched a wave of deadly airstrikes on Saturday with the stated aim of deterring the rebel group from attacking Red Sea shipping. Updating an earlier death toll, Houthi health ministry spokesperson Anis al-Asbahi said 53 people had been killed including “five children and two women”, and that 98 people had been injured.Iran will respond to US president Donald Trump’s invitation to talks after pro...

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