2 h. ago ‘A million people’ expected to flee as Israel prepares to seize Gaza City

Israel estimates that its imminent offensive on Gaza City would displace one million Palestinians, a senior military official said on Wednesday, as Gaza’s civil defence reported dozens killed across the territory. In Jerusalem, meanwhile, hundreds of Israeli protesters took to the streets to call for a truce and hostage release deal after nearly two years of war. Israel’s military has been building up its forces for the planned operation to seize Gaza City, the Palestinian territory’s largest...

Politics

20 h. ago UAE says Israeli annexation of West Bank ‘red line’ for Abu Dhabi

The United Arab Emirates warned Israel on Wednesday that any annexation of the West Bank would constitute a red line for Abu Dhabi that would severely undermine the spirit of the Abraham Accords that normalised relations between the two countries. “From the very beginning, we viewed the Accords as a way to enable our continued support for the Palestinian people and their legitimate aspiration for an independent state,” said Lana Nusseibeh, Assistant Minister for Political Affairs and Envoy of...

Politics

25 h. ago Satellite photos raise questions about Israel’s secretive nuclear programme

Construction work has intensified on a major new structure at a facility key to Israel’s long-suspected atomic weapons programme, according to satellite images analysed by experts. They say it could be a new reactor or a facility to assemble nuclear arms - but secrecy shrouding the programme makes it difficult to know for sure. The work at the Shimon Peres Negev Nuclear Research Centre near the city of Dimona will renew questions about Israel’s widely believed status as the Middle East’s only...

Politics

28 h. ago Trump tells China's Xi 'give my warmest regards to Putin and Kim as you conspire against US'

Trump tells China's Xi 'give my warmest regards to Putin and Kim as you conspire against US'  The Times of Israel

Politics

44 h. ago Thousands of reservists report for duty as Israel begins new Gaza offensive

Tens of thousands of reservists started to report for duty on Tuesday ahead of a new Israeli offensive in Gaza City, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants to speed up, despite warnings from senior ranks. Israeli Army Radio said that some 40,000 would report for duty on Tuesday for the Gaza City offensive, as the military prepares logistically for their intake. Israel’s security cabinet, chaired by Netanyahu, approved a plan last month to expand the campaign in Gaza with the aim of taking...

Politics

49 h. ago Belgium to recognise Palestinian state, adding to global pressure on Israel

Belgium will recognise a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly, Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot said on Tuesday, adding to international pressure on Israel after similar moves by Australia, Britain, Canada and France. Under mounting global criticism for its war in Gaza, Israel has been angered by the pledges to formally recognise a Palestinian state at a summit during this month’s UN event. Belgium will join the signatories of the New York Declaration, paving the way for a two-state...

Politics

62 h. ago ‘Gaza not for sale’: Hamas condemns Trump’s plan for US takeover

Hamas denounced on Monday a plan reportedly being considered by US President Donald Trump for the United States to take control of the devastated Gaza Strip and for its population to be relocated. Almost two years since Israel began its campaign in Gaza after Hamas militants’ October 7, 2023 attack, swathes of the Palestinian territory have been reduced to rubble and the vast majority of its population has been displaced at least once. The Washington Post reported on Sunday that the White House...

Politics

62 h. ago ‘Gaza not for sale’: Hamas denounces reported plan for US takeover

Hamas denounced on Monday a plan reportedly being considered by US President Donald Trump for the United States to take control of the devastated Gaza Strip and for its population to be relocated. Almost two years since Israel began its campaign in Gaza after Hamas militants’ October 7, 2023 attack, swathes of the Palestinian territory have been reduced to rubble and the vast majority of its population has been displaced at least once. The Washington Post reported on Sunday that the White House...

Politics

64 h. ago Gaza aid flotilla departs Barcelona again after storms delayed departure

A Gaza-bound flotilla carrying humanitarian aid and pro-Palestinian activists including environmental campaigner Greta Thunberg departed Barcelona again on Monday, several hours after winds forced it to return to the Spanish port, according to Agence France-Presse journalists at the scene. Around 20 vessels left the Spanish city on Sunday aiming to “open a humanitarian corridor and end the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people” amid the Israel-Gaza war, said the Global Sumud Flotilla –...

Events

64 h. ago Flotilla headed to Gaza leaves Barcelona for second time after storm delay

A flotilla carrying activists and humanitarian aid for Gaza left Barcelona’s port on Monday for a second time after the vessels were forced to return a day earlier because of bad weather. The Global Sumud Flotilla had departed on Sunday under much fanfare only to return a few hours later after a storm hit parts of Spain overnight. Facing winds of more than 56km/h (35mph), some of the smaller boats taking part in the mission would have been at risk, organisers said. It was not immediately clear...

Events

65 h. ago Gazans despair: ‘stay and die, or leave towards nowhere’, as Israel pushes deeper

Israel pushed tanks deeper into Gaza City and detonated explosives-laden vehicles in one suburb as air strikes killed at least 19 people on Monday, Palestinian officials and witnesses said. The reports came as the president of the world’s leading genocide scholars’ association said it had passed a resolution stating the legal criteria have been met to establish that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. There was no immediate response from Israel on the accounts of the Gaza City offensive or on...

Events

67 h. ago EU chief’s plane hit by suspected Russian GPS jamming over Bulgaria

A plane carrying EU chief Ursula von der Leyen was hit by GPS jamming as it readied to land in Bulgaria on Sunday, Brussels said on Monday, alleging Russia was thought to be behind the incident. The European Commission said Bulgarian authorities suspected the disruption “was due to blatant interference” from Moscow, but it was not clear if the chartered flight was deliberately targeted. “We can indeed confirm that there was GPS jamming,” Commission spokeswoman Arianna Podesta told a press...

Events

3 d. ago Flotilla leaves Barcelona in biggest attempt yet to break Israel’s Gaza blockade

A flotilla of ships departed from Barcelona to Gaza on Sunday with humanitarian aid and activists on board in the largest attempt yet to break the long Israeli blockade of the Palestinian territory by sea. This comes as Israel has stepped up its offensive on Gaza City, limiting the deliveries of food and basic supplies in the north of the Palestinian territory. Food experts warned earlier this month that the city was in famine and that half a million people across the strip were facing...

Politics

3 d. ago Flotilla leaves Barcelona in biggest attempt yet to break blockade of Gaza

A flotilla of ships departed from Barcelona to Gaza on Sunday with humanitarian aid and activists on board in the largest attempt yet to break the long Israeli blockade of the Palestinian territory by sea. This comes as Israel has stepped up its offensive on Gaza City, limiting the deliveries of food and basic supplies in the north of the Palestinian territory. Food experts warned earlier this month that the city was in famine and that half a million people across the strip were facing...

Politics

3 d. ago Israel says it killed longtime spokesman for Hamas’ armed wing

The Israeli military announced Sunday that it killed the longtime spokesperson for Hamas’ armed wing, as the country’s security cabinet met to discuss the expanding offensive in some of Gaza’s most populated areas. There were no plans to discuss negotiations for a ceasefire at the meeting, according to an official who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak with the media. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz identified the spokesperson as Abu Obeida, the nom de...

Events

3 d. ago Leaders of Iran, Turkey, Russia and India in China for summit hosted by Xi

Leaders of Iran, Turkey, Russia and India in China for summit hosted by Xi  The Times of Israel

Politics

4 d. ago Hamas confirms death of military chief, months after Israeli said it killed him

The Palestinian militant group Hamas confirmed on Saturday the death of its Gaza military chief Mohammed Sinwar, a few months after Israel said it killed him in a strike in May. Hamas did not provide details on Sinwar’s death but published pictures of him along with other group leaders, describing them as “martyrs”. Mohammad Sinwar was the younger brother of Yahya Sinwar, the Islamist faction’s chief, who co-masterminded the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, and whom Israel had killed in combat...

Events

4 d. ago Thousands protest against Israeli siege of Gaza near Venice Film Festival

Thousands of people protested on Saturday against Israel’s siege of Gaza on the sidelines of the Venice Film Festival, seeking to move the spotlight from movie drama to real-world trauma. Organised by left-wing political groups in northeast Italy, the demonstration began in the early evening a few kilometres from the festival where top Hollywood talent from George Clooney and Julia Roberts to Emma Stone have walked the red carpet in recent days. The protesters, whose numbers Agence France-Presse...

Politics

4 d. ago Gaza aid flotilla ‘should not have to exist’ says rights activist Greta Thunberg

Aid flotillas such as the one preparing to leave for Gaza would not be necessary if governments upheld international law, rights activist Greta Thunberg told Agence France-Presse on Saturday. “It should not have to be up to us,” said the 22-year-old Swedish campaigner, who will join the flotilla when it sets off from Barcelona on Sunday. “A mission like this should not have to exist,” she added. “It is the responsibility of countries, of our governments and elected officials to act to try to...

Politics

4 d. ago Yemen’s Houthi PM, other ministers killed in ‘treacherous’ Israeli strike

Yemen’s Houthi rebels on Saturday said their prime minister had been killed in an Israeli air strike, the most senior official known to have died in a series of attacks during the Gaza war. Ahmed Ghaleb Nasser Al-Rahawi, who was appointed last year, was killed along with other officials in the Israeli attack on Thursday, the Iran-backed Houthis said. Israel has been striking Houthi targets for months in response to missile attacks by the rebels, who claim solidarity with the Palestinians and...

Politics