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It may be time to revise an old political saying to “As Arizona goes, so goes the nation.” President Joe Biden won Arizona, a critical swing state on his path to victory in 2020, by only 10,457 votes…
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TJ L’Heureux
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Tag: Gaza crisis
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Live updates: Israel-Hamas war, US airstrikes in Middle East, Gaza crisis
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Hind Rajab PRCS Demands for answers are mounting over the fate of a 6-year-old Palestinian girl, Hind Rajab, who was trapped in a car with her dead relatives after it came under Israeli fire in Gaza more than a week ago.
Mystery also surrounds the whereabouts of two ambulance staff from the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS), who were dispatched to find her on January 29.
“We need to know what has happened to Hind and the PRCS ambulance team,” the society said in their latest statement on X early Tuesday.
“So many wonderful things can happen in a week, but for those waiting for news or for information a week is anguish. Each moment is marked by worry and sadness.”CNN gave the Israeli military details about the incident last Friday, including coordinates provided by the PRCS. In response, the Israel Defense Forces said it was “unfamiliar with the incident described.”
Hind was traveling in a car with her uncle, his wife and their four children, fleeing fighting in northern Gaza, when they came under Israeli fire, according to the PRCS.
Hind’s cousin, 15-year-old Layan Hamadeh, made a harrowing call for help to emergency services that was recorded by the PRCS and shared on social media.
In the clip, the teenager can be heard speaking to a paramedic, crying for help and describing a tank close by.
“They are shooting at us. The tank is right next to me. We’re in the car, the tank is right next to us,” Layan screams, as intense gunfire is heard in the background.
Layan then goes quiet, and the rounds of fire stop.
The paramedic on the phone tries to speak to her, repeatedly saying, “Hello? Hello?” but there is no response.
The PRCS believe that the six other people in the car with Hind, including Layan, were killed when the car was shot at.
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Live updates: US airstrikes in Middle East, Israel-Hamas war, Gaza crisis
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The US destroyed or damaged 84 out of 85 targets in its sweeping series of airstrikes on Friday in Syria and Iraq, according to two US defense officials, with no indications of Iranian casualties.
All but one of the 85 targets were “destroyed or functionally damaged,” the officials said, citing a preliminary battlefield damage assessment.
A complete post-strike analysis is still underway, but one official said there are no indications that members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps were killed as part of the operations.
President Joe Biden told reporters traveling with him to Nevada Sunday that the strikes are working to deter and disrupt militant groups’ operations in the region.
In response to a drone attack that killed three US service members and wounded scores more in Jordan last weekend, the US targeted facilities and weapons used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Iran-backed militias in Iraq and Syria.
It marked the first time the US has carried out strikes in both countries simultaneously. In Iraq, the US targeted al-Qaim and Akashat near the border with Syria. And in Syria, the US struck near al-Barum, Deir ez-Zur and al-Mayadin. The target list included command and control centers, intelligence centers, rockets, missile, drone storage facilities and more.
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Live updates: US airstrikes in Middle East, Israel-Hamas war, Gaza crisis
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The Iran-backed Houthi rebels say they “will meet escalation with escalation” after the US and UK struck at least 36 Houthi targets at several locations in Yemen on Saturday.
The strikes mark a second day of major US operations against Iran-linked militia groups in the Middle East.
Here’s what you need to know…
Saturday’s attack: The US and UK with the support of other countries “specifically targeted sites associated with the Houthis’ deeply buried weapons storage facilities, missile systems and launchers, air defense systems, and radars,” according to a joint statement. They said their “aim remains to de-escalate tensions and restore stability in the Red Sea,” where the Houthis have been attacking shipping.
Houthis vow to retaliate: In response to the strikes, Mohammed Al Bukhaiti, a member of the Houthi Political Council, wrote on X Saturday that the “American-British aggression against Yemen will not go unanswered,” adding that the Houthis’s “military operations against Israel will continue until the crimes of genocide in Gaza are stopped.”
Houthis had “repeated warnings”: On Sunday, British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said the strikes were carried out after “repeated warnings” were issued to the Houthis, whose attacks “must stop.” He added that their “reckless actions are putting innocent lives at risk, threatening the freedom of navigation and destabilising the region.”
Political solution “difficult”: The strikes in Yemen come a day after the US hit at least 85 targets associated with pro-Iranian militia groups in Iraq and Syria in response to a drone strike that killed three American soldiers in Jordan. Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said recent strikes by the US in the Middle East, and its decision to designate the Houthis as a terrorist organization, have “complicated the situation and made it more difficult to reach a political solution,” according to the state news agency, IRNA.
Palestinian death toll rises: Israeli attacks have killed at least 127 people and injured 178 others in Gaza over the past 24 hours, the Hamas-controlled Palestinian Ministry of Health in the strip said Sunday. It added that altogether 27,365 Palestinians had been killed and 66,630 injured in Gaza since October 7.
Biden not giving war “full backing”: Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir told the Wall Street Journal on Sunday that US President Joe Biden is not giving Israel his “full backing” in its war against Hamas. Benny Gantz, a former defense minister and a member of Israel’s war cabinet, called his comments “irresponsible” and urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “call (him) to order.”
Thousands protest in Israel: For the third weekend in a row, thousands of people took part in demonstrations in parts of Israel on Saturday to demand a change in government and the release of the remaining Israeli hostages in Gaza. Some say the government’s actions show that “its citizens are not at the top of its mind,” as anger over Netanyahu’s handling of the hostage crisis rises.
Thousands of Hezbollah targets hit: The Israeli Defense Forces says it has attacked more than 3,400 Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon and more than 50 in Syria since the war in Gaza broke out on October 7. Spokesperson Daniel Hagari said the aim is to stop Hezbollah’s “supply chain of ammunition and missiles” being smuggled from Iran to Syria and then to Lebanon.
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Live updates: Israel-Hamas war, Gaza crisis, UNRWA allegations
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Palestinians inspect a damaged house after an Israeli air strike on Rafah in southern Gaza on January 27. Abed Rahim Khatib/dpa/Reuters CNN filmed rare footage Saturday of Palestinian men detained by Israeli forces in Gaza and brought across the border to Israel — witnessing the men blindfolded and barefoot, with their hands bound behind their backs.
The Israel Defense Forces said the men are “suspected of terrorist activity and were arrested in Gaza and transferred to Israel for further interrogation.”
Meanwhile, a growing number of countries have temporarily suspended aid to the main United Nations relief agency in Gaza over allegations some staff members were involved in last October’s Hamas attacks, and the Palestine Red Crescent Society says hospitals in the southern part of the strip are “under siege.”
These are the biggest headlines from the war today:
More on the Palestinian detainees: Some of the men in the video appear physically exhausted, with their heads falling and swaying as they attempt to remain kneeling. They appear to be wearing only disposable white coveralls, despite the 10-degree Celsius temperature (50 degrees Fahrenheit). The IDF said the men filmed Saturday were about to be transferred to a “heated bus” when CNN filmed the scene, and maintained that detainees are treated in accordance with international law. A bus was waiting nearby, but CNN could not confirm when the men were put onto the bus. The Israeli military has detained hundreds – if not thousands – of Palestinian boys and men, and sometimes women, as its ground forces sweep through the enclave.
More countries pause UNRWA funding: Multiple nations have announced they are temporarily pausing their funding to the embattled UN agency in Gaza, in the wake of the allegations against its staff members. The Israel Defense Forces claimed UNRWA facilities were used for “terrorist purposes” in a statement on Saturday. The head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East urged the countries to reconsider suspending their funding, noting the accused employees have been fired, the highest investigative authority of the UN has already taken action and an independent review by external experts is forthcoming.
Situation deteriorating at Khan Younis hospitals: Nasser Hospital, the main medical center in the southern Gaza city, is running out of its supply of blood, anesthesia and other medications, the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health said Saturday. The city has been a flashpoint area in recent fighting between Israel and Hamas. Hospital facilities have been “under siege” as the Israeli military intensifies operations there over the past week, according to the Palestine Red Crescent Society.
Where hostage talks stand: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu challenged Qatar on Saturday, saying, “They position themselves as intermediaries. Well, let them prove it and help to bring the hostages back.” The prime minister was also asked about an alleged leaked audio recording that aired on Israeli television Tuesday, in which he appeared to criticize Qatar for not putting enough pressure on Hamas. “I’m not taking back even one word that I said,” he said on Saturday. “I will not give up a route of pressuring Hamas or whoever can affect Hamas to bring our hostages back.” Meanwhile, CIA Director Bill Burns is set to meet in the coming days with Israel and Egypt’s intelligence chiefs and the Qatari prime minister to discuss a hostage deal.
Houthi attack: A Marshall Islands-flagged commercial tanker was carrying a highly flammable liquid hydrogen mixture when it was struck by a Houthi missile in the Gulf of Aden on Friday, US Central Command said, sparking a fire that took a day to extinguish. Despite a series of US strikes against Houthi missiles, drones and radar sites, the Iran-backed rebel group has continued to attack international shipping lanes in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. The Houthis claim the attacks are in solidarity with the Palestinian people as a result of the war in Gaza — an argument the US has repeatedly rejected.
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Live updates: Israel-Hamas war rages, hostages talks, Gaza crisis
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As the Gaza war nears its fifth month, with more than 25,000 Palestinians — civilians and combatants — dead and Israel nowhere close to achieving its objective of destroying Hamas, no one seems to have come up with a concrete proposal that’s palatable to both parties to pause the conflict, let alone end it. But there are suggestions, however half-baked, from both sides, that show a willingness to talk.
Indeed, Qatar — the main go-between — says there are “serious discussions” with Israel and Hamas, and is receiving “constant replies” from both sides. They’re not “negotiations” yet, says the White House. But with indirect talks ongoing, we seem to be inching toward what Ofer Shelah, senior researcher with Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), describes as a “Zopa” — a zone of possible agreement.
On Monday, Axios reported Israel had proposed a two-month truce in exchange for the release of all the 100-plus hostages still held in Gaza. Later that day, CNN learned that Mossad chief David Barnea had suggested allowing Hamas leaders to go into exile as part of a broader ceasefire.
On Tuesday, The Wall Street Journal said Hamas was now open to releasing some of the hostages in exchange for a pause in the fighting. And Reuters reported that Israel and Hamas had agreed in principle to a one-month truce, during which abductees would be freed and Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails released.
Read more on how Israel and Hamas may be inching toward a deal to end the war.
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Live updates: Israel-Hamas war, Houthi strikes, Gaza crisis
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu heads the weekly cabinet meeting at the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv, Israel, on January 7. Ronen Zvulun/Pool/AFP/Getty Images Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed “nobody will stop us” from destroying Hamas as the war between Israel and the militant group reached its 100th day.
Netanyahu suggested that Israel would not comply with the International Court of Justice (ICJ), where Israel is accused of genocide and could be ordered to halt its offensive.
“Nobody will stop us – not The Hague, not the axis of evil and not anybody else,” he emphasized during a press briefing on Saturday, referring to Iran and its aligned groups across the Middle East.
Netanyahu said the genocide claims, brought by South Africa on Thursday, were a “hypocritical onslaught,” adding that it was “at the behest of those who came to perpetrate another Holocaust against the Jews”
This “is a moral low point in the history of nations,” Netanyahu said.
The prime minister also claimed several antisemitic items were found in Hamas tunnels in Gaza, including copies of Adolf Hitler’s “Mein Kampf.” In addition, Netanyahu said, “in a home in Gaza, they found a child’s tablet with a picture of Hitler as the screensaver.”
Netanyahu stated that while antisemitism is the same, the Jewish people are different and will fight “until the end.”
‘We need to close it’: Also during the press briefing, Netanyahu stressed that Israel can’t finish the war until they close the Philadelphi Corridor, a 14km strip of land that serves as the border between Egypt and Gaza. Such a move would give Israel complete control over Gaza.
Allowing the border with Egypt to remain out of Israel’s reach would put their war gains in jeopardy, Netanyahu said.
“We’ll destroy Hamas, we’ll demilitarize Gaza, and military equipment and other deadly weapons will continue to enter this southern opening, so of course we need to close it,” Netanyahu explained.
Egyptian foreign ministry spokesperson Ahmed Abu Zeid, meanwhile, said Egypt remains in full control of its borders in an interview with Egyptian television channel Sada Al-Balad on Saturday.
“Egypt fully controls its borders and controls it completely, and these issues are subject to legal and security agreements between the countries involved, so any talk on this matter is generally subject to scrutiny and is responded to with declared positions,” Abu Zeid said.
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Live updates: Israel-Hamas war, Gaza crisis, Blinken’s Middle East visit
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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with foreign ministers from Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Qatar, as well as the Secretary of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization November 4, in Amman, Jordan. Jonathan Ernst/Reuters US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is on a multinational trip Saturday after visiting Israel for the third time since the October 7 Hamas attack.
Meanwhile, a US official told CNN that Hamas is blocking foreign nationals from leaving Gaza after an Israeli airstrike on an ambulance near a hospital Friday.
Here are some of the latest headlines:
Blinken meets with Arab leaders: The top US diplomat has reiterated his country’s rejection of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, instead calling once again for “humanitarian pauses” to get aid into Gaza. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said his government opposes any temporary ceasefire in Gaza unless Hamas frees all the hostages it holds, adding that it would continue to block fuel from entering the enclave.
Blinken met with foreign ministers from Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Qatar, as well as the Secretary of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization. The Egyptian and Jordanian leaders made remarks after the meetings strongly condemning Israel’s offensive. Blinken, who acknowledged differences with Arab leaders on their approaches to the conflict, will also travel to Turkey.
Hamas stopping foreigners from leaving, official says: Hamas is blocking foreign nationals from departing Gaza until Israel guarantees that ambulances from the Palestinian enclave can reach the Rafah crossing to Egypt, a US official familiar with situation told CNN Saturday.
The demand comes after Israel admitted on Friday that it attacked an ambulance outside Gaza City’s Al-Shifa Hospital, the largest medical facility in the enclave. The vehicle had been in a convoy headed for Rafah, which is the only remaining option for getting in and out of Gaza during Israel’s siege of the territory. Israel claimed the ambulance was being used by Hamas fighters, which the Hamas-controlled health ministry in Gaza has rejected.
More than 700 foreign nationals were expected to leave Gaza through the Rafah crossing Saturday, according to an official source on the Egyptian side of the crossing.
CNN reported Friday that initial efforts to secure safe passage for foreign nationals in Gaza were stymied in part by Hamas including its own members on a list of wounded Palestinians designated to pass through the Rafah crossing, according to a senior US official.
UN chief on Israel’s ambulance attack: United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said in a statement he was “horrified” by the strike, while calling for a ceasefire and release of hostages.
Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Gilad Erdan accused Guterres of rushing to comment “without even bothering to ask” about the context of the strike. “You completely ignore the fact that Hamas intentionally exploits ambulances for terror,” Erdan wrote on Saturday in post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Strikes near hospital and school shelter: Israeli airstrikes have damaged a building located in front of the emergency entrance of Al-Quds Hospital in Gaza City, injuring 21 people, the Palestine Red Crescent Society said Saturday.
A UN-run school serving as a shelter in a refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip was also struck Saturday, according to the main UN agency assisting Palestinian refugees in Gaza.
Humanitarian situation: The number of people who have fled from north of Wadi Gaza to the southern part of the enclave is estimated to be 800,000 “to perhaps a million,” the US special envoy for Middle East humanitarian issues, David Satterfield, said Saturday. There has been no new fuel into Gaza since the war began, he said.
The US is looking at the prospect of establishing field hospitals in south Gaza, Satterfield said, and Israel is engaging with countries about putting hospital ships offshore of Gaza.
IDF says Hamas fired on safe route: The Israeli military accused Hamas of using an announcement telling Gaza residents to move safely south as an opportunity to fire on soldiers from the Israel Defense Forces.
The IDF had called on Gaza residents via its Arabic account on X, formerly known as Twitter, to use the main Salah-al-Din Road to move south for a three-hour period from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. local time. It’s unclear how many Gaza residents had access to internet to see the message.
Turkey latest to recall ambassador: Turkey has recalled its ambassador to Israel for “consultations” due to the “unfolding humanitarian tragedy in Gaza” and continuing Israeli airstrikes, the Turkish foreign ministry said in a statement Saturday. Several other countries, including Honduras, Colombia, Chile, and Bahrain, have also withdrawn their ambassadors.
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