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Tag: Gaza City

  • Israel has destroyed more than 1,000 buildings in Gaza City: Civil Defence

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    Israel has completely destroyed more than 1,000 buildings in the Zeitoun and Sabra neighbourhoods of Gaza City since it started its invasion of the city on August 6, trapping hundreds under the rubble, the Palestinian Civil Defence says.

    The agency said in a statement on Sunday that ongoing shelling and blocked access routes are preventing many rescue and aid operations in the area.

    Emergency workers continue to receive numerous reports of missing people but are unable to respond, while hospitals are overwhelmed by the toll of the attacks, it added.

    “There are grave concerns about the continued incursion of Israeli forces into Gaza City, at a time when field crews lack the capacity to deal with the intensity of the ongoing Israeli attacks,” the Civil Defence said.

    “There is no safe area in the Gaza Strip, whether in the north or south, where shelling continues to target civilians in their homes, shelters, and even in their displacement camps.”

    Israeli tanks have been rolling into the Sabra neighbourhood as Israel moves to fully occupy Gaza City, forcing close to 1 million Palestinians there southwards.

    The Civil Defence’s assertion appears to confirm fears that Israel is planning to fully demolish Gaza City, as it did in Rafah, a campaign that rights advocates say could be aimed at removing all Palestinians from Gaza.

    At least three people, including a child, were among the latest victims killed in an attack on a residential apartment on al-Jalaa Street in Gaza City, according to a source in the enclave’s emergency and ambulance department.

    The area, where famine has been declared, has been under relentless Israeli bombardment over the last several weeks. Residents reported explosions echoing nonstop through the neighbourhoods, while several buildings were also blown up further north, in the ravaged Jabalia refugee camp.

    At least 51 people were killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza on Sunday, including 27 in Gaza City and 24 aid seekers, medical sources told Al Jazeera.

    Gaza’s Ministry of Health said eight more people died of Israeli-induced hunger as starvation in the enclave intensifies, raising deaths from malnutrition to 289 people, including 115 children, since the war began.

    Israeli forces have been routinely opening fire on hungry Palestinians as they attempt to secure meagre aid parcels at the controversial, Israeli and US-backed GHF sites.

    ‘Impossible’ to stay alive

    Commenting on the worsening humanitarian situation, Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), said that famine is the “last calamity” hitting Gaza, where people are experiencing “hell in all shapes”.

    “‘Never Again’ has deliberately become ‘again’. This will haunt us. Denial is the most obscene expression of dehumanisation,” Lazzarini wrote on X.

    He added that it was time for the Israeli government to allow aid organisations to provide assistance, and for foreign journalists to be allowed into the enclave.

    Gaza’s Ministry of Interior warned against Israeli plans to forcibly displace residents from Gaza City and the northern governorates, urging people against leaving their homes despite heavy bombardment.

    The ministry called on residents to remain in their communities, or if threatened, to move only to nearby areas rather than relocate to the south.

    “We urge citizens and displaced persons residing in Gaza City not to respond to the occupation’s threats and terrorism, and to refuse to be displaced and move to the remaining areas of the central and Khan Younis governorates,” it said.

    “There is no safe place in any of the governorates of the Gaza Strip, and the occupation commits the most heinous crimes daily, even bombing the tents of displaced persons in areas it falsely claims are humanitarian or safe.”

    Al Jazeera’s Hind Khoudary, reporting from Deir el-Balah, said Palestinians are nonetheless fleeing areas in Gaza City “under intensive Israeli air strikes and also attacks by quadcopters”.

    “We met a couple of these families, and they said that it was [nearly] impossible for them to stay alive as they were fleeing and quadcopters were opening fire on whatever was moving in that area,” Khoudary said.

    “Some Palestinians made it safely and were able to flee, but others were trapped in those areas and are unable to leave,” she added.

    Leading rights groups and UN experts have accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza.

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  • As Netanyahu decides between war and a deal, IDF prepares for Gaza City invasion

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    It is still far from clear when and if Netanyahu will finally give the order to move the operation forward on a large scale.

    It seems as if for weeks now, the world has been waiting for an imminent hostage exchange and ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas or an imminent invasion by the IDF of Gaza City (after multiple prior invasions).

    But neither has happened.

    So what is happening?

    First of all, the IDF has been attacking and clearing Hamas and Palestinian civilians from portions of northern Gaza bordering on Gaza City, such as Zeitun.

    The military first attacked and cleared Zeitun of Hamas terrorists in the fall of 2023 and has returned there multiple times since.

    What is different in Israel’s next Gaza takeover?

    What would be different this time – if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu eventually greenlights the invasion plans as leaked to the media – would be Israel taking control over Gaza City itself to try to hold it.

    People are seen outside the area of Al-Ahli hospital where hundreds of Palestinians were killed in a blast that Israeli and Palestinian officials blamed on each other, and where Palestinians who fled their homes were sheltering amid the ongoing conflict with Israel, in Gaza City, October 18, 2023 (credit: REUTERS/MOHAMMED AL-MASRI)

    The air force has also increased strikes against Hamas in recent weeks, whether in the Gaza City area or other areas.

    The IDF has been in touch with hospitals and other central civilian authorities in Gaza to prepare and coordinate a mass evacuation of around a million Gazan civilians from the area.

    According to Hamas’s Health Ministry, dozens of Gazans were killed over the weekend, though as usual the ministry does not distinguish between Hamas terrorists and innocent civilians.

    Still, recent percentages for the IDF have been likely the worst since the start of the war in the ratio of civilians to terrorists harmed.

    For much of the war, various military officials said off-record that a rate of 60% civilians harmed to 40% terrorists harmed seemed broadly accurate and would have put Israel in a good place compared to other countries that had to fight terrorists in urban areas with the systematic use of human shields.

    But this was at the stage when the IDF was sometimes killing thousands of Hamas terrorists per month or even per week.

    In contrast, in the last half year, the army has said it had killed just over 2,000 Hamas terrorists. This during a time in which the Hamas Health Ministry has alleged that there have been around 11,000 Gazans killed, which would be about an 85% to 15% civilian-to-terrorist ratio.

    On the flip side, Israel is hard at work setting up new tent areas and makeshift medical intake areas to handle the planned mass movement of Palestinian civilians out of Gaza City.

    The IDF has shown numerous examples of Hamas exaggerating or downright inventing non-existent mass civilian casualty incidents, but it has not tossed Hamas’s estimates completely out the window and has declined to provide its own estimated civilian casualty tally – something which it always did in prior conflicts in Gaza.

    Concurrently, tens of thousands of reservists have either already been called up for a new round of duty or will be in the first week of September.

    In this way, Israel so far has been punished globally for daring to move and potentially endanger a large number of Palestinian civilians again, punished domestically for calling up large numbers of reserves as the war wages on into the end of the second year, and receiving none of the concrete benefits of actually eliminating Hamas forces in any large number.

    Netanyahu did pocket a potentially significant benefit over a week ago when Hamas finally agreed to another temporary ceasefire for another partial hostage deal, something it had held off from agreeing to for months, until the Gaza City invasion began to look more real.

    But the prime minister – at press time – had not even seriously discussed accepting the deal, which he desperately wanted in July, such that there has been no bankable achievement to date.

    Meanwhile, there is no ongoing battle between two opposing groups: those Israeli officials who want to rush the invasion of Gaza City to gain some of the benefits of killing more Hamas terrorists and putting more direct pressure on Hamas’s few remaining surviving leaders, and those who want to draw out the pre-invasion phase for weeks or months to reduce any possibility of risk to Israeli soldiers, Israeli hostages, or Palestinian civilians.

    It is still far from clear when, and if, Netanyahu will finally give the order to move the operation forward in a large-scale manner and what benefits will arise from it, compared to the costs.

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  • Israeli strikes kill 33 in Gaza as famine announcement raises pressure

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    Israeli strikes and gunfire killed at least 33 Palestinians in Gaza on Saturday, including people sheltering in tents or seeking scarce food, local hospitals said as a famine in Gaza’s largest city sparks new pressure on Israel over its 22-month offensive.Israel’s defense minister has warned that Gaza City could be destroyed in a new military operation perhaps just days away, even as famine spreads there.Aid groups have long warned that the war, sparked by Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack, and months of Israeli restrictions on food and medical supplies entering Gaza are causing starvation.Israel has rejected the data-based famine declaration as “an outright lie.” Hamas recently agreed to the terms for a six-week ceasefire, but hopes for a ceasefire that could forestall the offensive are on hold as mediators await Israel’s next steps. Women and children struck and killed in tentsIsraeli strikes killed at least 17 people in southern Gaza, more than half of them women and children, according to morgue records and health officials at Nasser Hospital. The officials said the strikes targeted tents sheltering displaced people in Khan Younis.“Awad, why did you leave me?” a small boy asked his brother’s plastic-wrapped body.Another grieving relative, Hekmat Foujo, pleaded for a truce.“We want to rest,” Foujo said through her tears. ‘’Have some mercy on us.”In northern Gaza, Israeli gunfire killed at least five aid-seekers near the Zikim crossing with Israel, where U.N. and other agencies’ truck convoys enter the territory, health officials at the Sheikh Radwan field hospital told the AP.Six people were killed in attacks elsewhere, according to hospitals and the Palestinian Red Crescent.Israel’s military said it was not aware of a strike in Khan Younis at that location and was looking into the other incidents.Braving gunfire and crowds for foodMohamed Saada was among thousands of people who sought food from a delivery in the Zikim area on Saturday — and one of many who left empty-handed.“I came here to bring food for my children but couldn’t get anything, due to the huge numbers of people and the difficulty of the situation between the shootings and the trucks running over people,” he said.Some carried sacks of food like lentils and flour. Others carried the wounded, including on a wooden pallet. They navigated fetid puddles and the rubble of war as temperatures reached above 92 degrees Fahrenheit.Friday’s report by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification said Gaza City is gripped by famine that is likely to spread if fighting and restrictions on aid continue. It said nearly half a million people in Gaza — about one-fourth of the population — face catastrophic hunger.The rare pronouncement came after Israel imposed a 2 1/2-month total blockade on Gaza earlier this year, then resumed some access with a focus on a new U.S.-backed private aid supplier, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. Over 1,000 people have been killed near GHF distribution sites.In response to global outrage over images of emaciated children, Israel has also allowed airdrops and a new influx of aid by land, but the U.N. and others say it’s still far from enough.AP journalists have seen chaos on roads leading to aid deliveries, and there have been almost daily reports of Israeli troops firing toward aid-seekers. Israel’s military says it fires warning shots if people approach troops or pose a threat.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office asserts it has allowed enough aid to enter during the war. It also accuses Hamas of starving the Israeli hostages it holds.An increase in Israeli airstrikes this monthWith ground troops already active in strategic areas, the military operation in Gaza City could start within days in an area that has hundreds of thousands of civilians.Aid group Doctors without Borders, or MSF, said its clinics around Gaza City are seeing high numbers of patients as people flee. Caroline Willemen, MSF project coordinator in the city, noted a marked increase in airstrikes since early August.“Those who have not moved are wondering what they should do,” she told the AP. “People want to stay; they have been displaced endlessly before, but they also know that at some point, it will become very dangerous to remain.”Israel’s military has said troops are operating on the outskirts of Gaza City and in the city’s Zeitoun neighborhood. Israel says Gaza City is still a Hamas stronghold, with a network of militant tunnels.Ceasefire efforts await Israel’s responseMany Israelis fear the assault on Gaza City could doom the 20 hostages who are believed to have survived captivity since 2023. A further 30 are thought to be dead. Hundreds of thousands of Israelis protested a week ago for a deal to end the war and bring everyone home.Netanyahu said Thursday he had instructed officials to begin immediate negotiations to release hostages and end the war on Israel’s terms. It was unclear if Israel would return to talks mediated by the United States, Egypt and Qatar after Hamas said earlier this week it accepted a new proposal from Arab mediators.Hamas has said it will release hostages in exchange for ending the war, but rejects disarming without the creation of a Palestinian state.U.S. President Donald Trump has expressed frustration with Hamas’ stance, suggesting the militant group is less interested in making deals with few hostages left alive.“I actually think (the hostages are) safer in many ways if you went in and you really went in fast and you did it,” Trump told reporters Friday.Gaza’s Health Ministry said at least 62,622 Palestinians have been killed in the war, including missing people now confirmed dead by a special ministry judicial committee.The total number of malnutrition-related deaths rose by eight to 281, the ministry said.Israeli protest against far-right security ministerA small group of Israelis protested against the far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, as he walked to a synagogue in Kfar Malal, north of Tel Aviv. Videos showed the minister arguing with the protesters.“We don’t want him in our village. Our message is to bring back the hostages,” one of the protesters, Boaz Levinstein, told the AP.Ben-Gvir is a key partner in Netanyahu’s political coalition and a staunch opponent of reaching a deal with Hamas, which hostages’ families see as the only way to secure the release of loved ones. Magdy reported from Cairo. Sam Mednick in Jerusalem and Michelle Price in Washington contributed.

    KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip —

    Israeli strikes and gunfire killed at least 33 Palestinians in Gaza on Saturday, including people sheltering in tents or seeking scarce food, local hospitals said as a famine in Gaza’s largest city sparks new pressure on Israel over its 22-month offensive.

    Israel’s defense minister has warned that Gaza City could be destroyed in a new military operation perhaps just days away, even as famine spreads there.

    Aid groups have long warned that the war, sparked by Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack, and months of Israeli restrictions on food and medical supplies entering Gaza are causing starvation.

    Israel has rejected the data-based famine declaration as “an outright lie.”

    Hamas recently agreed to the terms for a six-week ceasefire, but hopes for a ceasefire that could forestall the offensive are on hold as mediators await Israel’s next steps.

    Women and children struck and killed in tents

    Israeli strikes killed at least 17 people in southern Gaza, more than half of them women and children, according to morgue records and health officials at Nasser Hospital. The officials said the strikes targeted tents sheltering displaced people in Khan Younis.

    “Awad, why did you leave me?” a small boy asked his brother’s plastic-wrapped body.

    Another grieving relative, Hekmat Foujo, pleaded for a truce.

    “We want to rest,” Foujo said through her tears. ‘’Have some mercy on us.”

    In northern Gaza, Israeli gunfire killed at least five aid-seekers near the Zikim crossing with Israel, where U.N. and other agencies’ truck convoys enter the territory, health officials at the Sheikh Radwan field hospital told the AP.

    Six people were killed in attacks elsewhere, according to hospitals and the Palestinian Red Crescent.

    Israel’s military said it was not aware of a strike in Khan Younis at that location and was looking into the other incidents.

    Braving gunfire and crowds for food

    Mohamed Saada was among thousands of people who sought food from a delivery in the Zikim area on Saturday — and one of many who left empty-handed.

    “I came here to bring food for my children but couldn’t get anything, due to the huge numbers of people and the difficulty of the situation between the shootings and the trucks running over people,” he said.

    Some carried sacks of food like lentils and flour. Others carried the wounded, including on a wooden pallet. They navigated fetid puddles and the rubble of war as temperatures reached above 92 degrees Fahrenheit.

    Friday’s report by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification said Gaza City is gripped by famine that is likely to spread if fighting and restrictions on aid continue. It said nearly half a million people in Gaza — about one-fourth of the population — face catastrophic hunger.

    The rare pronouncement came after Israel imposed a 2 1/2-month total blockade on Gaza earlier this year, then resumed some access with a focus on a new U.S.-backed private aid supplier, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. Over 1,000 people have been killed near GHF distribution sites.

    In response to global outrage over images of emaciated children, Israel has also allowed airdrops and a new influx of aid by land, but the U.N. and others say it’s still far from enough.

    AP journalists have seen chaos on roads leading to aid deliveries, and there have been almost daily reports of Israeli troops firing toward aid-seekers. Israel’s military says it fires warning shots if people approach troops or pose a threat.

    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office asserts it has allowed enough aid to enter during the war. It also accuses Hamas of starving the Israeli hostages it holds.

    An increase in Israeli airstrikes this month

    With ground troops already active in strategic areas, the military operation in Gaza City could start within days in an area that has hundreds of thousands of civilians.

    Aid group Doctors without Borders, or MSF, said its clinics around Gaza City are seeing high numbers of patients as people flee. Caroline Willemen, MSF project coordinator in the city, noted a marked increase in airstrikes since early August.

    “Those who have not moved are wondering what they should do,” she told the AP. “People want to stay; they have been displaced endlessly before, but they also know that at some point, it will become very dangerous to remain.”

    Israel’s military has said troops are operating on the outskirts of Gaza City and in the city’s Zeitoun neighborhood. Israel says Gaza City is still a Hamas stronghold, with a network of militant tunnels.

    Ceasefire efforts await Israel’s response

    Many Israelis fear the assault on Gaza City could doom the 20 hostages who are believed to have survived captivity since 2023. A further 30 are thought to be dead. Hundreds of thousands of Israelis protested a week ago for a deal to end the war and bring everyone home.

    Netanyahu said Thursday he had instructed officials to begin immediate negotiations to release hostages and end the war on Israel’s terms. It was unclear if Israel would return to talks mediated by the United States, Egypt and Qatar after Hamas said earlier this week it accepted a new proposal from Arab mediators.

    Hamas has said it will release hostages in exchange for ending the war, but rejects disarming without the creation of a Palestinian state.

    U.S. President Donald Trump has expressed frustration with Hamas’ stance, suggesting the militant group is less interested in making deals with few hostages left alive.

    “I actually think (the hostages are) safer in many ways if you went in and you really went in fast and you did it,” Trump told reporters Friday.

    Gaza’s Health Ministry said at least 62,622 Palestinians have been killed in the war, including missing people now confirmed dead by a special ministry judicial committee.

    The total number of malnutrition-related deaths rose by eight to 281, the ministry said.

    Israeli protest against far-right security minister

    A small group of Israelis protested against the far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, as he walked to a synagogue in Kfar Malal, north of Tel Aviv. Videos showed the minister arguing with the protesters.

    “We don’t want him in our village. Our message is to bring back the hostages,” one of the protesters, Boaz Levinstein, told the AP.

    Ben-Gvir is a key partner in Netanyahu’s political coalition and a staunch opponent of reaching a deal with Hamas, which hostages’ families see as the only way to secure the release of loved ones.

    Magdy reported from Cairo. Sam Mednick in Jerusalem and Michelle Price in Washington contributed.

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  • Israeli troops spotted in Gaza City, eyewitnesses say

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    Palestinian eyewitnesses have reported seeing Israeli soldiers in Gaza City, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved plans for the military to capture the metropolis home to 1 million.

    Troops were spotted in Gaza City’s Sabra neighbourhood, mainly near a building that used to house a school, according to the reports.

    When asked for comment, the Israeli military said it did not disclose information on the positions of its soldiers.

    Israel’s plans to occupy Gaza City, where famine was officially declared on Friday, have sparked fears of further suffering for the civilian population which has had to endure almost two years of war.

    Israel has said it plans to relocate the city’s roughly 1 million inhabitants ahead of the offensive, which was expected to begin in September at the earliest. However, Israeli soldiers have already advanced into the outskirts of the coastal city.

    Israeli ground troops have been previously deployed to Sabra during the war, which was triggered by the Hamas-led attacks on Israel in October 2023.

    A view of tents sheltering Palestinians displaced by the Israeli military offensive, in Gaza City. Omar Ashtawy/APA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa

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  • UN-backed report confirms famine in parts of Gaza for first time

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    Famine has been confirmed for the first time in an area of the embattled Gaza Strip, according to the international authority responsible for monitoring food security.

    In a report released on Friday, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) said it has “reasonable evidence” that famine has been occurring in Gaza Governorate, an administrative region which includes Gaza City, since August 15.

    “After 22 months of relentless conflict, over half a million people in the Gaza Strip are facing catastrophic conditions characterised by starvation, destitution and death,” the authority said.

    Some 132,000 children under the age of five are expected to suffer from acute malnutrition through June 2026 – double the IPC estimate from May – with 41,000 of them considered particularly vulnerable.

    The IPC also projected that famine will expand to two other central governorates, Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis, by the end of September.

    Famine is formally declared when three criteria are met: At least 20% of households face extreme food shortages, at least 30% of children suffer from acute malnutrition, and at least two adults or four children per 10,000 inhabitants die every day from hunger or from a combination of malnutrition and disease.

    “To prevent further loss of life and famine from spreading further, an immediate ceasefire and putting an end to the conflict is critical,” the IPC said.

    Israel rejects report as ‘biased’

    The Israeli Foreign Ministry rejected the IPC’s assessment, saying: “There is no famine in Gaza.”

    The Israeli authority responsible for affairs in the Palestinian Territories, COGAT, also categorically rejected the report, writing on X: “Previous reports and assessments by the IPC have repeatedly been proven inaccurate and do not reflect the reality on the ground.”

    COGAT accused the IPC of “deliberately” failing to take into account in the report “data that was provided to its authors in a meeting held prior to its publication,” though it did not specify the exact nature of the data.

    Head of COGAT, Ghassan Allian, said: “The IPC report is based on partial and unreliable sources, many of them affiliated with Hamas, and blatantly ignores the facts and the extensive humanitarian efforts led by the State of Israel and its international partners.”

    “Instead of providing a professional, neutral, and responsible assessment, the report adopts a biased approach riddled with severe methodological flaws, thereby undermining its credibility and the trust the international community is able to place in it,” he was quoted as saying.

    Israeli troops are currently advancing on Gaza City after the government approved plans to capture the metropolis of some 1 million in a bid to destroy the remainders of the Palestinian extremist group Hamas.

    The new offensive has sparked fears of further suffering for the civilian population, which has been largely lacking access to basic necessities including food since Israel imposed a near-total aid blockade on the territory earlier this year.

    Last month, Israel partially lifted its blockade, allowing limited amounts of aid to trickle into the Gaza Strip, though aid organizations have said the amount is nowhere nearly enough to prevent famine.

    Four famines around world in last 15 years

    The IPC initiative, founded in 2004, includes nearly two dozen UN and aid organizations. It classifies food security according to five levels, with famine at level five being the most severe.

    Until now, the entire Gaza Strip was classified as a level four “emergency.”

    Four famines have been confirmed by the IPC in the last 15 years: in Somalia in 2011, in South Sudan in 2017 and 2020, and most recently in Sudan in 2024.

    The World Health Organization noted that Friday’s classification marks the first time that famine has been declared in a Middle Eastern country.

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  • ‘Time to intensify efforts’: Hadash Party backs mass protest against Gaza starvation in Tel Aviv

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    Thousands of peace activists will stand together, participating in an anti-war, anti-hunger protest in Tel Aviv backed by the Hadash Arab party.

    The Hadash Party called for the broadest possible participation of the Arab public to take part in an upcoming protest on Saturday in Tel Aviv that will demonstrate against starvation in Gaza and the war.

    Hadash makes up one of the two Arab parties currently in the Knesset, in a joint list with Ta’al, known as Hadash-Ta’al.

    The protest was named “Stop the Starvation, Stop the War – Yes to Life and Peace.” It is expected to be an Arab-Jewish demonstration led by the High Follow-Up Committee for Arab Citizens of Israel, which is an extra-parliamentary organization dealing with matters concerning the Arab community.

    In a Thursday statement about the protest, Hadash slammed the recent actions of the current government, saying, “This is the time to intensify efforts and halt the deterioration.”

    The party’s statement began by criticizing Israel’s recent announcement of its Gaza City takeover plan.

    Activists attend a protest demanding an end to the war in Gaza, and against the humanitarian crises there, outside the US embassy in Tel Aviv, July 29, 2025. (credit: JAMAL AWAD/FLASH90)

    “The government of genocide intends to continue destroying all of Gaza City and the central cities and camps of the Strip,” Hadash said.

    “Already today, millions of refugees live in impossible conditions in tent cities, with the most vulnerable facing immediate danger of death. The planned invasion is expected to lead to an inevitable humanitarian disaster,” Hadash added.

    Thousands of Jewish and Arab activists will protest together in solidarity

    The party’s statement also addressed the situation in the West Bank, claiming that “ethnic cleansing is running unchecked.”

    Hadash condemned the recent approval of the construction project in the West Bank, led by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, marking asignificant expansion in Ma’aleh Adumim in an area known as E1.

    “In the face of all this, the basic human duty that must be upheld against all forms of murderous fascism is our responsibility—never again! It is in our hands to stop the genocide and the right-wing government,” the party said.

    “It is our duty to strive for a future that ensures recognition of the Palestinian people’s rights, thereby creating a future of security and prosperity for both peoples. To this end, we must raise our voices for the immediate cessation of the war and the return of all hostages, prisoners, and displaced persons to their homes,” Hadash added.

    The protest is planned to set out from Dizengoff Square at 4:00 p.m., where it will then proceed to Habima Square.

    Hadash said thousands ofJewish and Arab participants, peace activists, and communities from across the country are expected to participate.

    In recent developments with Hadash, the party’s leader met with the heads of the other three central Arab parties, Ra’am, Ta’al, and Balad, last week.

    The four parties decided to move forward with negotiations to reestablish the Joint List bloc in the meeting.

    The Joint List bloc, once made up of the four parties, began to break apart ahead of the 2021 elections after Ra’am left the alliance. Then, in a dramatic last-minute split in 2022, Balad broke off from the two remaining factions and filed a separate list.

    MK Ahmad Tibi, head of Hadash-Ta’al, told The Jerusalem Post after the meeting that “the four Arab lists must run together on a joint slate,” due to “the challenges facing Arab society in Israel and the state as a whole.”

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  • Netanyahu says he’ll push ahead with Gaza City takeover and renewed ceasefire talks

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    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday he will give final approval for takeover of Gaza City while also restarting negotiations with Hamas aimed at returning all of Israel’s remaining hostages and ending the war on Israel’s terms.The wide-scale operation in Gaza City could start within days after Netanyahu grants final approval at a meeting with senior security officials. Hamas said earlier this week that it had agreed to a ceasefire proposal from Arab mediators, which, if accepted by Israel, could forestall the offensive.The Israeli military began calling medical officials and international organizations in the northern Gaza Strip to encourage them to evacuate to the south ahead of the expanded operation. The military plans to call up 60,000 reservists and extend the service of 20,000 more.Israeli strikes meanwhile killed at least 36 Palestinians across Gaza on Thursday, according to local hospitals. A renewed offensive could bring even more casualties and displacement to the territory, where the war has already killed tens of thousands and where experts have warned of imminent famine.Many Israelis fear it could also doom the remaining 20 or so living hostages taken by Hamas-led militants in the Oct. 7, 2023 attack that ignited the war.Gaza City operation could begin in daysIsraeli troops have already begun more limited operations in the city’s Zeitoun neighborhood and the built-up Jabaliya refugee camp, areas where they have carried out several previous major operations over the course of the war, only to see militants later regroup.The military says it plans to operate in areas where ground troops have not yet entered and where it says Hamas still has military and governing capabilities.So far, there has been little sign of Palestinians fleeing en masse, as they did when Israel carried out an earlier offensive in Gaza City in the opening weeks of the war. The military says it controls around 75% of Gaza and residents say nowhere in the territory feels safe.Hundreds gathered for a rare protest in Gaza City on Thursday against the war and Israel’s plans to support the mass relocation of Palestinians to other countries.Women and children held placards reading “Save Gaza” and “Stop the war, stop the savage attack, save us,” against a backdrop of destroyed buildings as Palestinian music played. Unlike in previous protests, there were no expressions of opposition to Hamas.”We want the war on Gaza to stop. We don’t want to migrate. Twenty-two months … it’s enough. Enough death. Enough destruction,” said Bisan Ghazal, a woman displaced from Gaza City.Protests in IsraelIn Israel, families of some of the 50 hostages still being held in Gaza gathered in Tel Aviv to condemn the expanded operation. Israel believes around 20 hostages are still alive.”Forty-two hostages were kidnapped alive and murdered in captivity due to military pressure and delay in signing a deal,” said Dalia Cusnir, whose brother-in-law, Eitan Horn, is still being held captive. Eitan’s brother, Iair Horn, was released during a ceasefire earlier this year.”Enough to sacrifice the hostages. Enough to sacrifice the soldiers, both regular and reservists. Enough to sacrifice the evacuees. Enough to sacrifice the younger generation in the country,” said Bar Goddard, the daughter of Meni Goddard, whose body is being held by Hamas.Additional protests are planned for Thursday night in Tel Aviv.Plans for widening the offensive have also sparked international outrage, with many of Israel’s closest Western allies — but not the United States — calling on it to end the war.”I must reiterate that it is vital to reach immediately a ceasefire in Gaza, and the unconditional release of all hostages to avoid the massive death and destruction that a military operation against Gaza City would inevitably cause,” United Nations chief António Guterres said at a conference in Japan.Dozens killed across GazaAt least 36 Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire across the Gaza Strip on Thursday, including 14 who were seeking humanitarian aid, according to local hospitals.The Israeli military said it killed several armed militants in the Morag Corridor, a military zone where people seeking aid have repeatedly come under fire in recent weeks, according to witnesses and health officials. Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza had earlier reported that six people were killed in that area while seeking aid on Thursday. It was not possible to reconcile the two accounts.The Media Freedom Coalition, which promotes press freedoms worldwide, called Thursday for Israel to allow independent, foreign news organizations access to Gaza. Aside from rare guided tours, Israel has barred international media from the war, which has killed at least 184 Palestinian journalists and media workers.”Journalists and media workers play an essential role in putting the spotlight on the devastating reality of war,” said a statement signed by 27 of the coalition’s member countries.Witnesses, health officials and the U.N. human rights office say Israeli forces have killed hundreds of people since May as they headed toward sites run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, an Israeli-backed American contractor, and in the chaos surrounding U.N. aid convoys, which are frequently attacked by looters and overrun by crowds.The Israeli military says it has only fired warning shots at people who approach its forces. GHF says there has been almost no violence at the sites themselves, and that its armed contractors have only used pepper spray and fired into the air on some occasions to prevent deadly crowding.Israeli strikes destroy evacuated tent campIsraeli airstrikes also destroyed a tent camp in Deir al-Balah, the only city in Gaza that has been relatively unscathed in the war and where many have sought refuge. Residents said the Israeli military warned them to flee shortly before the strikes set the camp ablaze, and there were no reports of casualties.Families, many with children, could later be seen sifting through the ashes for the belongings they had managed to take with them during earlier evacuations.Mohammad Kahlout, who had been displaced from northern Gaza, said they were given just five minutes to gather what they could and evacuate. “We are civilians, not terrorists. What did we do, and what did our children do, to be displaced again?”The Gaza Health Ministry said Thursday that at least 62,192 Palestinians have been killed in the war. Another two people have died from malnutrition-related causes, bringing the total number of such deaths to 271, including 112 children, the Health Ministry said.The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government and staffed by medical professionals. It does not say whether those killed by Israeli fire are civilians or combatants, but it says around half are women and children. The U.N. and many independent experts consider its figures to be the most reliable estimate of wartime casualties. Israel disputes its toll but has not provided its own.Hamas-led militants started the war when they attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251. Most of the hostages have been released in ceasefires or other deals. Hamas says it will only free the rest in exchange for a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal.___Abou Aljoud reported from Beirut and Lidman reported from Jerusalem. Mari Yamaguchi contributed from Tokyo.

    DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip —

    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday he will give final approval for takeover of Gaza City while also restarting negotiations with Hamas aimed at returning all of Israel’s remaining hostages and ending the war on Israel’s terms.

    The wide-scale operation in Gaza City could start within days after Netanyahu grants final approval at a meeting with senior security officials. Hamas said earlier this week that it had agreed to a ceasefire proposal from Arab mediators, which, if accepted by Israel, could forestall the offensive.

    The Israeli military began calling medical officials and international organizations in the northern Gaza Strip to encourage them to evacuate to the south ahead of the expanded operation. The military plans to call up 60,000 reservists and extend the service of 20,000 more.

    Israeli strikes meanwhile killed at least 36 Palestinians across Gaza on Thursday, according to local hospitals. A renewed offensive could bring even more casualties and displacement to the territory, where the war has already killed tens of thousands and where experts have warned of imminent famine.

    Many Israelis fear it could also doom the remaining 20 or so living hostages taken by Hamas-led militants in the Oct. 7, 2023 attack that ignited the war.

    Gaza City operation could begin in days

    Israeli troops have already begun more limited operations in the city’s Zeitoun neighborhood and the built-up Jabaliya refugee camp, areas where they have carried out several previous major operations over the course of the war, only to see militants later regroup.

    The military says it plans to operate in areas where ground troops have not yet entered and where it says Hamas still has military and governing capabilities.

    So far, there has been little sign of Palestinians fleeing en masse, as they did when Israel carried out an earlier offensive in Gaza City in the opening weeks of the war. The military says it controls around 75% of Gaza and residents say nowhere in the territory feels safe.

    Hundreds gathered for a rare protest in Gaza City on Thursday against the war and Israel’s plans to support the mass relocation of Palestinians to other countries.

    Women and children held placards reading “Save Gaza” and “Stop the war, stop the savage attack, save us,” against a backdrop of destroyed buildings as Palestinian music played. Unlike in previous protests, there were no expressions of opposition to Hamas.

    “We want the war on Gaza to stop. We don’t want to migrate. Twenty-two months … it’s enough. Enough death. Enough destruction,” said Bisan Ghazal, a woman displaced from Gaza City.

    Protests in Israel

    In Israel, families of some of the 50 hostages still being held in Gaza gathered in Tel Aviv to condemn the expanded operation. Israel believes around 20 hostages are still alive.

    “Forty-two hostages were kidnapped alive and murdered in captivity due to military pressure and delay in signing a deal,” said Dalia Cusnir, whose brother-in-law, Eitan Horn, is still being held captive. Eitan’s brother, Iair Horn, was released during a ceasefire earlier this year.

    “Enough to sacrifice the hostages. Enough to sacrifice the soldiers, both regular and reservists. Enough to sacrifice the evacuees. Enough to sacrifice the younger generation in the country,” said Bar Goddard, the daughter of Meni Goddard, whose body is being held by Hamas.

    Additional protests are planned for Thursday night in Tel Aviv.

    Plans for widening the offensive have also sparked international outrage, with many of Israel’s closest Western allies — but not the United States — calling on it to end the war.

    “I must reiterate that it is vital to reach immediately a ceasefire in Gaza, and the unconditional release of all hostages to avoid the massive death and destruction that a military operation against Gaza City would inevitably cause,” United Nations chief António Guterres said at a conference in Japan.

    Dozens killed across Gaza

    At least 36 Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire across the Gaza Strip on Thursday, including 14 who were seeking humanitarian aid, according to local hospitals.

    The Israeli military said it killed several armed militants in the Morag Corridor, a military zone where people seeking aid have repeatedly come under fire in recent weeks, according to witnesses and health officials. Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza had earlier reported that six people were killed in that area while seeking aid on Thursday. It was not possible to reconcile the two accounts.

    The Media Freedom Coalition, which promotes press freedoms worldwide, called Thursday for Israel to allow independent, foreign news organizations access to Gaza. Aside from rare guided tours, Israel has barred international media from the war, which has killed at least 184 Palestinian journalists and media workers.

    “Journalists and media workers play an essential role in putting the spotlight on the devastating reality of war,” said a statement signed by 27 of the coalition’s member countries.

    Witnesses, health officials and the U.N. human rights office say Israeli forces have killed hundreds of people since May as they headed toward sites run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, an Israeli-backed American contractor, and in the chaos surrounding U.N. aid convoys, which are frequently attacked by looters and overrun by crowds.

    The Israeli military says it has only fired warning shots at people who approach its forces. GHF says there has been almost no violence at the sites themselves, and that its armed contractors have only used pepper spray and fired into the air on some occasions to prevent deadly crowding.

    Israeli strikes destroy evacuated tent camp

    Israeli airstrikes also destroyed a tent camp in Deir al-Balah, the only city in Gaza that has been relatively unscathed in the war and where many have sought refuge. Residents said the Israeli military warned them to flee shortly before the strikes set the camp ablaze, and there were no reports of casualties.

    Families, many with children, could later be seen sifting through the ashes for the belongings they had managed to take with them during earlier evacuations.

    Mohammad Kahlout, who had been displaced from northern Gaza, said they were given just five minutes to gather what they could and evacuate. “We are civilians, not terrorists. What did we do, and what did our children do, to be displaced again?”

    The Gaza Health Ministry said Thursday that at least 62,192 Palestinians have been killed in the war. Another two people have died from malnutrition-related causes, bringing the total number of such deaths to 271, including 112 children, the Health Ministry said.

    The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government and staffed by medical professionals. It does not say whether those killed by Israeli fire are civilians or combatants, but it says around half are women and children. The U.N. and many independent experts consider its figures to be the most reliable estimate of wartime casualties. Israel disputes its toll but has not provided its own.

    Hamas-led militants started the war when they attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251. Most of the hostages have been released in ceasefires or other deals. Hamas says it will only free the rest in exchange for a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal.

    ___

    Abou Aljoud reported from Beirut and Lidman reported from Jerusalem. Mari Yamaguchi contributed from Tokyo.

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  • Images from Gaza show Israeli soldiers detaining dozens of men stripped to underwear

    Images from Gaza show Israeli soldiers detaining dozens of men stripped to underwear

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    Images from Gaza circulating on social media Thursday showed a mass detention by the Israeli military of men who were made to strip to their underwear, kneel on the street, wear blindfolds, and pack into the cargo bed of a military vehicle.

    The exact circumstances and dates of the detentions are unclear, but some of the detainees’ identities were confirmed by colleagues or family members.

    At least some of the men are civilians with no known affiliation to militant groups, according to a conversation CNN had with one of their relatives and a statement by one of their employers, a news network.

    The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor posted an image of one detainment and said in a statement on its website Thursday that “the Israeli army detained and severely abused dozens of Palestinian civilians.”

    “Euro-Med Monitor received reports that Israeli forces launched random and arbitrary arrest campaigns against displaced people, including doctors, academics, journalists, and elderly men,” it said.

    The Israel Defense Forces has not responded to CNN’s request for comment on the images. CNN has geo-located some of the images to Beit Lahia, north of Gaza City.

    The Israeli media, without indicating a source, has portrayed the images as the surrender of Hamas members. A journalist asked IDF spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari about the images during a news conference on Thursday, saying, “We’ve seen images of many captives, Hamas terrorists, that the IDF arrested during the ground maneuvering.”

    Hagari said that, in fighting Hamas, “those left in the area gradually come out.”

    “We investigate and check who has ties to Hamas, and who does not,” he said. “We arrest them all and question them. We will continue dismantling each one of those strongholds until we are done.”

    The men can be seen in the cargo bed of a military vehicle.  - Obtained by CNN

    The men can be seen in the cargo bed of a military vehicle. – Obtained by CNN

    In a statement Thursday, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed said that one of its correspondents and several members of his family were among those detained as part of the incident portrayed in the images.

    “Today, Thursday, the Israeli occupation army arrested the journalist and the director of ‘The New Arab’ office in Gaza, our colleague Diaa Al-Kahlot, from Market Street in Beit Lahia, along with a group of his brothers, relatives, and other civilians,” Al-Araby Al-Jadeed wrote.

    “The occupation deliberately forced Gazans to take off their clothes, searched them, and humiliated them when they were arrested before taking them to an unknown destination, according to what the people there told us. Pictures and video clips spread showing soldiers arresting dozens of Gazans using criminal and humiliating method.”

    Hussam Kanafani, the Al-Araby Al-Jadeed editor-in-chief, said in the statement that Al-Kahlot and his family were still missing.

    “We will make every effort possible, in cooperation with international institutions and organizations concerned with the rights and freedom of journalists in the world, to determine the whereabouts of our colleague Diaa and release him as soon as possible,” Kanafani said.

    CNN spoke with a relative of other detained men, Hani al-Madhoun, from his home in the United States.

    “Israeli forces arrived on the street and called out all the men to come out, and they complied,” al-Madhoun told CNN. “This house was their place of refuge after our two homes were destroyed.”

    Al-Madhoun said he was in contact with his sister, who is in Gaza.

    He said that he recognized his cousin Aboud in one of the photographs and saw his brother Mahmood in a video. He said that Mahmoud is a shopkeeper and Aboud “is not involved in any activities; he helps his father in construction.”

    This is a developing story and will be updated.

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  • Israeli strike destroys prestige Qatar-funded Gaza complex

    Israeli strike destroys prestige Qatar-funded Gaza complex

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    At almost exactly the same time Israeli negotiators pulled out of deadlocked truce talks in Qatar on Saturday, Israeli jets sent a prestige Doha-funded housing development in the Gaza Strip up in smoke.

    Hamad City is named for the former emir of the Gulf petro-state, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, who laid the foundation stone on a visit 11 years ago.

    Inaugurated in 2016, it was still among the newest projects in the Gaza Strip, the housing complex in the city of Khan Yunis boasting an impressive mosque, shops and gardens.

    The first flats — more than 1,000 of them — were provided to Palestinians whose homes were destroyed in the war between Israel and Hamas two years earlier.

    On Saturday it happened again, a day after a Qatar-brokered pause in the current war between Israel and Hamas expired.

    First their phones pinged around noon with an “immediate” evacuation order SMS sent by the Israeli army, which says the system is aimed at minimising civilian casualties.

    Around an hour later, five Israeli air strikes rained down on the neighbourhood in the space of just two minutes.

    Bombs slammed into the pale apartment blocks one by one, reducing them largely to rubble and sending a huge pall of black smoke into the sky, as people fled and cries of ‘help!’ and ‘ambulance!’ rang out.

    “At least we got through it,” 26-year-old Nader Abu Warda told AFP, amazed he was still alive.

    – No phones –

    The Israeli military has divided the Gaza Strip into 2,300 “blocs” and is now sending SMS messages to residents telling them to leave before they launch the strikes which they say will “eliminate Hamas”.

    Around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, died in the Islamist movement’s October 7 assault on southern Israel and some 240 were taken hostage, according to Israeli authorities.

    The Hamas-led Gaza Strip government says Israel’s campaign has killed more than 15,000 people, also mostly civilians, since it was launched eight weeks ago.

    The United Nations humanitarian agency, OCHA, has highlighted that the warning messages do not indicate where the recipients should go.

    Ibrahim al-Jamal, a civil servant in his 40s, said he does not have any “internet, any electricity or even a radio to receive information” and that he has “never seen this map” setting out the different blocs.

    “Many people in Gaza have never heard of it and it wouldn’t matter anyway as the bombings are taking place everywhere,” he said.

    Humanitarian bodies say the most vulnerable in Gaza are the estimated 1.7 million displaced people.

    Many of them do not have access to phones and have to rely on warning leaflets dropped by planes, not visible from inside an apartment.

    – ‘Go where?’ –

    According to the Gaza Strip’s Civil Defence emergency and rescue organisation, in recent weeks “hundreds of displaced families” had been taking refuge in 3,000 apartments at Hamad City.

    Mohammed Foura, 21, already displaced once from Gaza City, told AFP that half an hour before the strike he had been warned by other residents to flee.

    They shouted “get out, get out”, he said, as families piled their belongings into cars or carried them away in enormous bundles.

    Nader Abu Warda fled Jabalia, near Gaza City, at the start of the war and no longer knows which way to go or what to do.

    He, his wife and three children had been staying in a friend’s apartment in the complex.

    “They told us ‘Gaza City is a war zone’, now it’s Khan Yunis,” he said. “Yesterday, they were saying ‘evacuate the east of Khan Yunis’. Today, they say ‘evacuate the west’,” he added, visibly exasperated.

    “Where are we going now, into the sea? Where are we going to put our children to bed?”

    yh-az/sbh/har/slb/dr

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  • CNN visited the exposed tunnel shaft near Al-Shifa Hospital. Here’s what we saw

    CNN visited the exposed tunnel shaft near Al-Shifa Hospital. Here’s what we saw

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    Even in the darkness, the utter devastation in northern Gaza is clear as day. The empty shells of buildings, illuminated by the last shreds of light, lurch out of the landscape on the dirt roads across the Gaza Strip. At night, the only signs of life are the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) vehicles that rumble the landscape, tightening the military’s grip on the northern sector.

    On Saturday night, we traveled with the IDF into Gaza to see the newly exposed tunnel shaft discovered at the compound of Al-Shifa Hospital, the enclave’s largest medical facility.

    After crossing the border fence at around 9:00 in the evening, our convoy of Humvees turned off its lights, relying on night vision goggles to traverse the Gaza Strip. We would spend the next six hours inside Gaza, much of that time spent getting back and forth from the tunnel shaft.

    Along our path, virtually every building bore the scars of wartime damage. Many structures were destroyed entirely, while others were hardly recognizable as anything more than twisted metal. If there was life here, it had long since departed. Residents had either moved south or been killed during six weeks of war.

    Soon after crossing the border into Gaza, the convoy of Humvees turned off its lights and traveled in darkness. - Oren Liebermann/CNN

    Soon after crossing the border into Gaza, the convoy of Humvees turned off its lights and traveled in darkness. – Oren Liebermann/CNN

    Our first stop was a location on the beach where the IDF had set up a staging area. From there, we moved into armored personnel carriers with several other reporters for the last kilometer to the hospital. The only view outside came through a night-vision screen. But even in black and white, the level of destruction was shocking.

    Inside Gaza City, the skeletal remains of apartment towers and high-rise buildings packed the otherwise vacant city streets. Even if we could speak to Palestinians while embedded with the IDF, there was no one around to talk to.

    CNN reported from inside Gaza under IDF media escort at all times. As a condition for journalists to join this embed, media outlets had to submit footage filmed in Gaza to the Israeli military for review and agreed not to reveal sensitive locations and soldiers’ identities. CNN retained editorial control over the final report.

    As we stepped out of the armored vehicle, we were enveloped by utter darkness. We were only allowed to use our red lights to navigate to a nearby building, where we waited until Israeli forces already on the ground secured the area. The tunnel shaft was very close by, but it was entirely exposed.

    The commander in charge of our group, Lt. Col. Tom said this tunnel is significantly larger than others he had seen before. “This is a big tunnel,” he said. “I have encountered tunnels — in 2014 in [Operation] Protective Edge, I was a company commander — and this tunnel is an order of magnitude bigger than a standard tunnel.”

    We had expected to hear fighting once we entered Gaza City itself. Instead, we heard almost complete silence. Only once during our roughly 45 minutes at the hospital did we hear the distant sound of small arms fire, and it was impossible to tell how far away it was in the midst of an urban environment. The rest of the time, the silence made the darkness feel even more oppressive.

    The only view of the destruction in Gaza was through a small night vision monitor in an armored personnel carrier. - Oren Liebermann/CNNThe only view of the destruction in Gaza was through a small night vision monitor in an armored personnel carrier. - Oren Liebermann/CNN

    The only view of the destruction in Gaza was through a small night vision monitor in an armored personnel carrier. – Oren Liebermann/CNN

    It was nearing midnight as we walked the last few feet to the exposed tunnel shaft. The IDF had promised “concrete evidence” that Hamas was using the hospital complex above ground as cover for what it called terror infrastructure underneath, including a command and control hub.

    Several days earlier, the IDF had released what it said was the first batch of evidence, which included weapons and ammunition they said they found inside the hospital itself. But the pictures were a far cry from proving that Hamas had a facility underneath, and a CNN investigation found that some of the guns had been moved around.

    The discovery of the tunnel shaft the next day was more compelling, showing an entrance to something underground. But even then, it was unclear what it was or how far down it went. This is what everyone has been trying to understand.

    Standing on the edge of the tunnel shaft, it was apparent that the structure itself was substantial. At the top, the remains of a ladder hung over the lip of the opening. In the center of the round shaft, a center pole looked like a hub for a spiral staircase. The shaft itself extended down farther than we could see, especially in the meager light of our headlamps.

    Video released by the IDF from inside the shaft showed what we could not see from the top of the opening. The video shows a spiral staircase leading down into a concrete tunnel. The IDF said the tunnel shaft extends downwards approximately 10 meters and the tunnel runs for 55 meters. At its end stands a metal door with a small window.

    “We need to demolish the underground facility that we found,” said IDF spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari. “I think the leadership of Hamas is in great pressure because we found this facility, and we are now going to demolish it. It’s going to take us time. We’re going to do it safely, but we’re going to do it.”

    It is arguably the most compelling evidence thus far that the IDF has offered that there may be a network of tunnels below the hospital. It does not establish without a doubt that there is a command center under Gaza’s largest hospital, but it is clear that there is a tunnel down below. Seeing what connects to that tunnel is absolutely critical.

    For Israel, the stakes could not be higher. Israel has publicly asserted for weeks, if not years, that Hamas has built terror infrastructure below the hospital. The ability to continue to prosecute the war in the face of mounting international criticism depends to a large extent on Israel being able to prove this point.

    Hamas has repeatedly denied that there is a network of tunnels below Shifa hospital. Health officials who have spoken with CNN have said the same, insisting it is only a medical facility.

    As is so rarely the case in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, this answer truly is black and white. Either there is an underground series of tunnels below the hospital. Or there is not.

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  • L.A. city employee evacuated after being trapped in Gaza, Mayor Bass’ office says

    L.A. city employee evacuated after being trapped in Gaza, Mayor Bass’ office says

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    A Los Angeles city employee who was trapped in Gaza for weeks has been safely evacuated from the besieged territory, according to the mayor’s office.

    “Our office has been working to get him to safety and I have been in regular contact with his son. I am relieved to announce today that the employee is now safe in a neighboring country and out of the war zone,” Mayor Karen Bass said Thursday afternoon in a statement.

    The city employee is Simi Valley resident Sohail Biary, according to a person with knowledge of the situation who was not authorized to speak publicly.

    Hundreds of Palestinians with foreign passports have been allowed to leave Gaza since Wednesday after weeks of attention on their plight, according to the Associated Press.

    The isolated Palestinian territory has faced a worsening humanitarian crisis amid brutal Israeli airstrikes. More than 9,000 people in Gaza have been killed, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry. The war began on Oct. 7, ignited by Hamas’ devastating attacks inside Israel that killed more than 1,400.

    Biary’s son, Khalid Biary, spoke to the Ventura County Star last week about his father’s situation, telling the paper that the 53-year-old man had traveled to his hometown of Gaza City to visit his parents before war broke out in the region. Biary works as a district supervisor for the city’s General Services Department and has four children, according to the Star.

    “He came here with nothing and started a life here,” Khalid Biary told the Star of his father, saying the elder Biary had sought asylum in the U.S. 30 years ago and settled in Simi Valley. Khalid Biary did not immediately respond to an interview request from The Times.

    With borders closed and his father trapped in an increasingly desperate situation, Khalid Biary had reached out to the U.S. State Department for help and was told to direct his father to the Egyptian border, according to the Star. Sohail Biary waited for hours at the Egyptian border with his American passport but was turned back three times, according to the Star.

    “I can’t explain the feeling of not knowing whether my dad is alive or not,” Khalid Biary told the paper before his father’s evacuation, describing how his father was facing worsening bombings, constant power outages and difficulty finding food. This was Sohail Biary’s first visit to see his parents and other relatives in 15 years, according to KABC-TV.

    In her statement Thursday, Bass thanked President Biden; the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs director, Tom Perez; California Sen. Alex Padilla; and Rep. Julia Brownley (D-Westlake Village) for “working with us to arrive at today’s result.”

    “We look forward to welcoming our colleague home,” Bass said.

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  • Israeli Forces Battle Hamas Around Gaza City, As Military Says 800,000 Have Fled South

    Israeli Forces Battle Hamas Around Gaza City, As Military Says 800,000 Have Fled South

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    DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli troops battled Hamas militants and attacked underground compounds on Tuesday with a focus on northern Gaza, from which an estimated 800,000 Palestinians have fled south despite continued Israeli bombardment across the besieged enclave.

    Buoyed by the first successful rescue of a captive held by Hamas, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected calls for a cease-fire and again vowed to crush Hamas’ ability to govern Gaza or threaten Israel following its bloody Oct. 7 rampage, which ignited the war.

    More than half the territory’s 2.3 million Palestinians have fled their homes, with hundreds of thousands sheltering in packed U.N.-run schools-turned-shelters or in hospitals alongside thousands of wounded patients. Israeli strikes have hit closer to several northern hospitals in recent days, alarming medics.

    The U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, known as UNRWA, says nearly 672,000 Palestinians are sheltering in its schools and other facilities — four times their capacity. Thousands of people broke into its aid warehouses over the weekend to take food, as supplies of basic goods have dwindled because of the Israeli siege.

    Palestinians look for survivors after an Israeli strike in Rafah, Gaza Strip, on Oct. 31, 2023.

    There has been no central electricity in Gaza for weeks, and Israel has barred the entry of fuel needed to power emergency generators for hospitals and homes.

    UNRWA head Philippe Lazzarini accused Israel of “collective punishment” of the Palestinians, and of forcing their displacement from northern Gaza to the south, where they are still not safe.

    The agency, which hundreds of thousands of people in Gaza rely on for basic services even in normal times, says 64 of its staff have been killed since the start of the war, including a man killed alongside his wife and eight children in a strike late Monday.

    “This is the highest number ever of U.N. aid workers killed in any conflict around the world in such a short time,” spokesperson Juliette Touma told The Associated Press. “UNRWA will never be the same without these colleagues.”

    The war has also threatened to ignite even heavier fighting on other fronts. Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group have traded fire on a daily basis along the border, and Israel and the U.S. have struck targets in Syria linked to Iran, which supports Hamas, Hezbollah and other armed groups in the region.

    The military said it shot down a drone outside Israeli airspace on Tuesday near the Red Sea city of Eilat, without providing further details. Earlier this month, a U.S. Navy destroyer in the Red Sea intercepted three cruise missiles and several drones launched toward Israel by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.

    In the occupied West Bank, where Israeli-Palestinian violence has also surged, the army demolished the family home of Saleh al-Arouri, a senior Hamas official exiled over a decade ago. Ali Kaseeb, head of the local council in the village of Aroura, said the home had been vacant for 15 years.

    Jonathan Conricus, an Israeli military spokesman, said ground operations in Gaza are focused on the north, including Gaza City, which he said was the “center of gravity of Hamas.”

    “But we also continue to strike in other parts of Gaza. We are hunting their commanders, we are attacking their infrastructure, and whenever there is an important target that is related to Hamas, we strike it,” he said.

    The military said it struck some 300 militant targets over the past day, including compounds inside tunnels, and that troops had engaged in several battles with Palestinian militants armed with antitank missiles and machine guns.

    Hamas released its own video showing what it said was a battle in northern Gaza on Sunday. A fighter wearing a GoPro-style camera emerged from a tunnel with a rocket-propelled grenade launcher and ran across sand dunes and shrubs with other militants amid the clatter of gunfire.

    It was not possible to independently confirm the reports.

    Larger ground operations have been launched both north and east of Gaza City, which before the war was home to over 650,000 people.

    Video footage released by the military showed soldiers walking across an open area as heavy gunfire echoes in the background and setting up a position in the ruins of a heavily damaged building.

    Conricus said some 800,000 people have heeded the Israeli military’s orders to flee from the northern part of the strip to the south. But tens of thousands of people remain in and around Gaza City, and casualties are expected to mount on both sides as the battle moves into dense, residential neighborhoods.

    The window to flee south may be closing, as Israeli forces reached Gaza’s main north-south highway this week. Video circulating Monday showed a tank opening fire on a car that had approached a sand berm but was turning around. Gaza’s Health Ministry said three people were killed.

    Zaki Abdel-Hay, a Palestinian man living a few minutes’ walk from the road south of Gaza City, said people are afraid to use it. “People are very scared. The Israeli tanks are still close,” he said over the phone, adding that “constant artillery fire” could be heard near the road.

    In a news conference late Monday, Netanyahu rejected calls for a cease-fire to facilitate the release of captives or end the war, which he has said will be long and difficult. “Calls for a cease-fire are calls for Israel to surrender to Hamas,” he told a news conference. “That will not happen.”

    Netanyahu, who faces mounting anger over Israel’s failure to prevent the worst surprise attack on the country in a half century, also said he had no plans to resign.

    The death toll among Palestinians passed 8,300, mostly women and children, the Gaza Health Ministry said Monday. The figure is without precedent in decades of Israeli-Palestinian violence.

    Over 1,400 people have died on the Israeli side, mainly civilians killed during Hamas’ initial attack, also an unprecedented figure. Palestinian militants have continued firing rockets into Israel.

    An Israeli army tracked medical vehicle moves along a road near the northern town of Kiryat Shmona close to the border with Lebanon on Oct. 31, 2023, amid increasing cross-border tensions between Hezbollah and Israel as fighting continues in the south with Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip.
    An Israeli army tracked medical vehicle moves along a road near the northern town of Kiryat Shmona close to the border with Lebanon on Oct. 31, 2023, amid increasing cross-border tensions between Hezbollah and Israel as fighting continues in the south with Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip.

    JALAA MAREY via Getty Images

    The military said Monday that special forces rescued one of the estimated 240 captives seized by Palestinian militants during the wide-ranging assault. It said Pvt. Ori Megidish, 19, was “doing well” and had been reunited with her family.

    Hamas has released four hostages, and has said it would let the others go in return for thousands of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, which has dismissed the offer. Hamas released a short video Monday showing three other female captives.

    Gaza’s humanitarian crisis, meanwhile, continues to worsen.

    The World Health Organization said two hospitals have been damaged and an ambulance destroyed in Gaza over the last two days. It said all 13 hospitals operating in the north have received Israeli evacuation orders in recent days. Medics have refused such orders, saying it would be a death sentence for patients on life support.

    Israel says it targets Hamas fighters and infrastructure and that the militants operate among civilians, putting them in danger.

    Israel has allowed more than 150 trucks loaded with food and medicine to enter Gaza from Egypt over the past several days, but aid workers say it’s not enough to meet rapidly growing needs.

    Israel says it has reopened two main water lines in Gaza, but the U.N. office for humanitarian affairs said one of them had stopped working after operating for two weeks and that the other one was in need of repairs.

    Magdy reported from Cairo. Associated Press writer Kareem Chehayeb in Beirut contributed.

    Full AP coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war.

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  • Games For Gaza Fundraising Bundle Surpasses First Goal In Hours

    Games For Gaza Fundraising Bundle Surpasses First Goal In Hours

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    Games For Gaza, an itch.io fundraiser for Medical Aid For Palestinians (MAP) that features 256 items ranging from games, stories, soundtracks, game assets, and more, reached its first, $10,000 goal within hours of its October 27 launch.

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    Itch.io is known for its fundraising bundles—in 2020 it sold both a $5 bundle for racial justice and anothe to help recoup funds for developers after GDC 2020 was canceled. Just this past summer, it offered 300 games/visual novels/art packs for $60, the proceeds of which went to the LGBTQIA+ creators of said content. So, it’s not surprising that itch.io would offer a $10 bundle to help support UK-based MAP, an organization that offers essential health care for Palestininans.

    What is surprising, however, is how fast the bundle reached and surpassed its $10,000 goal. It was released on October 27 at around 11 a.m. EST, and by 3:15 p.m. EST bundle sales had raised more than $17,000. All of that money will go to Medical Aid For Palestinians.

    “MAP is also committed to bearing witness to the injustices caused by occupation, displacement and conflict. We speak out in the UK and internationally, and ensure Palestinian voices are heard at the highest levels, to press for the political and social barriers to Palestinian health and dignity to be addressed,” the official MAP website reads.

    Read More: Kids Are Attending Pro-Palestinian Protests In This Popular Game

    Games For Gaza was created in response to the increase in regional violence that has taken place in Palestine after Hamas, an Islamic political and military organization governing the Gaza strip (home to over 2 million Palestinians who were displaced there), attacked Israel on October 7, killing nearly 1,500 people. Since October 7, Palestine (specifically the Gaza Strrip) has been facing a nearly endless onslaught of bombings courtesy of the Israeli Defense Forces. At the time of writing, the Palestinian death toll has reportedly surpassed 7,000.

    The Games For Gaza bundle includes Arcade Spirits; a romantic comedy narrative game; Muddledash, a four-person co-op octopus racing game; You Are A Wizard, a “game where you’re a dang ol’ wizard;” two-player game In The Air Tonight; and over 200 more TTRPGs, RPGs, soundtracks, journaling games, interactive novels, and more. It’s all just $10—and for an undeniably good cause. The bundle’s organizer, a game designer named Esther, shared a post on X that read, “My one request for folks supporting this bundle, either monetarily or by boosting it, is that you also find other ways to act up for Palestine. Call your representatives and urge them to call for an end to the occupation. Learn about Palestine. Support Palestinian organizers.”

    Reached by Kotaku, Esther commented:

    I’m honestly thrilled that the goal got met so fast; I had high hopes for us to surpass the initial goal, but one can never be totally sure of what will happen. I am so deeply grateful to everyone who contributed their games and to everyone who has bought the bundle thus far. I hope we can raise much more for Medical Aid For Palestinians, and that we can all take actions in addition to supporting this bundle to be in solidarity with the people of Palestine.

    Correction 10/27/2023 4:10 p.m. ET: The story originally published with the wrong headline and an erroneous goal figure.

    Update 10/27/2023 4:15 p.m. ET: Added comment from organizer.

     

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    Alyssa Mercante

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  • U.S. Warns A Gaza Ceasefire Would Only Benefit Humanity

    U.S. Warns A Gaza Ceasefire Would Only Benefit Humanity

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    WASHINGTON—Explaining why the United States would not call on Israel to end its continuous airstrikes on Palestinian civilians, the White House warned Wednesday that a ceasefire in Gaza would only serve to benefit humanity. “We know there are voices across the world calling for a ceasefire, but what everyone needs to understand is that the only people who stand to gain from halting the bombing campaign are people who deeply value human life,” President Biden said in an Oval Office address, adding that if Israel was not given time to collectively punish all 2.3 million people who live in Gaza, it would be a great victory for anyone who believes civilians are entitled to basic dignity and security for themselves and their families. “We cannot allow that happen. These humanitarian concerns may be valid, but right now, a pause in hostilities would advance the interests of no one but innocent Palestinians, the many U.S. citizens living in Gaza, and the more than 200 Israelis who were violently abducted by Hamas and are currently being held in unknown locations. That’s not what America stands for.” Biden later extended the argument to explain why the United States spent billions on military aid for Israel while it spent mere millions on humanitarian aid for Gaza.

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  • Devolver Digital Just Set A Precedent More Studios Should Follow

    Devolver Digital Just Set A Precedent More Studios Should Follow

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    Image: Devolver Digital

    Occasionally, in times of crisis, gaming studios and publishers have worked to raise funds for people in dire need of humanitarian aid. Last year, for instance, Cyberpunk 2077 developer CD Projekt Red contributed to a fund for victims of the war in Ukraine, and Fortnite publisher Epic Games funneled the proceeds of all purchases made in the popular battle royale for a two-week period to humanitarian relief for the region as well. Now, Cult of the Lamb publisher Devolver Digital is donating funds to aid Palestinians affected by Israel’s attacks on Gaza, and it is encouraging others to follow suit.

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    On October 18, Devolver Digital announced that it was supporting relief efforts in Gaza on its official Twitter account, saying:

    We’ve donated to United Nations Relief and Works Agency who are providing humanitarian aid to Palestinian families, we ask you to consider donating if you’re able.

    While much of the gaming industry has thus far remained silent on recent events in Israel and Palestine, Game Developer notes that the organization Work with Indies has pledged to donate 100 percent of its October revenue to relief organizations like Palestine Children’s Relief Fund and World Food Program. Meanwhile, Oak Grove Games founder Esther Wallace is working on an itch.io-based Games For Gaza bundle benefitting Medical Aid For Palestinians.

    As protests and rallies in support of Palestinians continue around the world, many others are also raising money for relief efforts. Political commentator and occasional gamer Hasan “Hasanabi” Piker and his Twitch community have raised over a million dollars to help Palestinians in less than a week. Hopefully, other companies will follow Devolver Digital in issuing their own call to action.

       

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    Isaiah Colbert

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