Tag: Gaza conflict

US president Joe Biden criticises Israeli PM Netanyahu’s approach to Gaza conflict, calls for ceasefire

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s approach to the war in Gaza is a “mistake,” US President Joe Biden said in an interview published on Tuesday, offering further criticism of Israel’s handling of the conflict.

“I think what he’s doing is a mistake. I don’t agree with his approach,” Biden said in comments to Univision, a US Spanish-language TV network.

Biden has also previously called Israel’s bombing in Gaza “indiscriminate” and its military actions “over the top.”

The White House said last week that the president, in a call with Netanyahu, threatened to make conditional US support for Israel’s offensive on it taking concrete steps to protect aid workers and civilians. That call followed an Israeli airstrike that killed seven staff of the aid group World Central Kitchen.

“What I’m calling for is for the Israelis to just call for a ceasefire, allow for the next six, eight weeks, total access to all food and medicine going into the country,” Biden said in Tuesday’s interview.

Israel’s military assault on Gaza has been the subject of mounting international criticism. Domestically, Biden has also faced months of protests from anti-war activists, Muslims and Arab Americans across the country, who have demanded a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and restrictions on US military assistance for Israel.

Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel killed 1,200 people, according to Israeli tallies. Israel’s subsequent military assault on Hamas-governed Gaza has killed over 33,000, according to the local health ministry, displaced nearly all of its 2.3 million population and led to genocide allegations that Israel denies. The coastal enclave also suffers widespread hunger.

Israel has received more US foreign aid than any other country since World War Two, although annual assistance has been dwarfed for two years by funding and military equipment sent to Ukraine since Russia’s 2022 invasion.

The United States has traditionally shielded Israel in the UN Security Council and vetoed three draft resolutions on the war in Gaza. It abstained last month when the Security Council demanded an immediate ceasefire.

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KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Watch | WHO shares inside view of Gaza’s largest hospital that is now an ’empty shell’

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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A World Health Organization (WHO) led mission has finally managed to access Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City amidst the ongoing crisis. This comes after multiple failed attempts since March 25, as reported by the United Nations health agency.

Al-Shifa Hospital, once the backbone of the health system in Gaza, now stands as an “empty shell”, with grim remnants of the recent siege, the WHO said.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, taking to X on April 6, expressed profound concern over the devastating state of the hospital. He reported that the team witnessed at least five dead bodies during their assessment.

The scene at Al-Shifa Hospital is one of utter devastation, he noted. He shared a video and some images of the destroyed hospital.

.@WHO and partners managed to reach Al-Shifa — once the backbone of the health system in #Gaza, which is now an empty shell with human graves after the latest siege. The team witnessed at least five dead bodies during the mission.

Most of the buildings in the hospital complex… pic.twitter.com/jSKVfZkR5f

— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) April 6, 2024

“Most of the buildings in the hospital complex are extensively destroyed and the majority of assets are damaged or reduced to ashes. Even restoring minimal functionality in the short term seems implausible,” his post read.

Ghebreyesus emphasised the urgent need for an in-depth assessment by a team of engineers to determine the safety of the remaining structures for future use.

He said the recent efforts by WHO and its partners to support the revival of basic services at Al-Shifa have now been nullified, leaving the population once again deprived of access to life-saving healthcare services.

It said this dire situation is exacerbated by a looming threat of famine, the spread of disease outbreaks, and the increasing number of trauma injuries.

In light of these challenges, WHO has issued an urgent plea for immediate action. The organisation has called for the protection of remaining health facilities in Gaza, as well as the safeguarding of health and humanitarian workers. Additionally, WHO has urged for the opening of additional land crossings to facilitate access into and across north Gaza, the establishment of a functional deconfliction mechanism, and unimpeded access to humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip.

WHO emphasised the necessity of a ceasefire to halt further devastation and loss of life.

Israeli forces had pulled out of Al-Shifa hospital on April 1 after a two-week military operation, during which they claimed to have engaged Palestinian “militants” within the hospital complex. This withdrawal paved the way for the WHO-led mission to finally access the site.

According to WHO reports, out of Gaza’s 36 main hospitals, only 10 remain even partially functional, underscoring the urgent need for immediate intervention to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe.

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Israel withdraws some troops from Gaza as war enters new phase

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Israel is withdrawing some forces from Gaza to shift to more targeted operations against Hamas, and is partially returning reservists to civilian life to help the economy as the war looks set to last well into the new year, an Israeli official said.

The official said toppling the Islamist faction remained an objective of the offensive in the Palestinian enclave, and that some of the five brigades withdrawn will prepare for a possible flare-up of a second front against Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Since launching the war in retaliation for the cross-border Hamas rampage of October 7, Israeli officials have said they would wage it in three main stages. The first was intense shelling to clear access routes for ground forces and encourage civilians to evacuate. The second was the invasion that began on October 27.

With tanks and troops having now overrun much of the Gaza Strip, largely asserting control despite Palestinian gunmen continuing their ambushes from hidden tunnels and bunkers, the military is moving to the third stage, said the official, who could not be named in print given the sensitivity of the issue.

“This will take six months at least, and involve intense mopping-up missions against the terrorists. No one is talking about doves of peace being flown from Shajaia,” the official told Reuters, referring to a Gaza district ravaged by fighting.

In addition to the 1,200 people killed on October 7, Hamas took some 240 hostage. Israel is also determined to recover the 129 still held in Gaza. Qatari- and Egyptian-mediated truce efforts have raised the prospect of some of them being freed.

The shift appeared to correspond to pressure from Israel‘s top ally, the United States, to review tactics and do more to protect non-combatants.

Bolstering economy

Israel initially drafted 300,000 reservists – some 10% to 15% of its workforce – for what looks set to be its longest-ever war. Government sources have said between 200,000 and 250,000 reservists were still mobilised and absent from jobs or studies.

The official said two of the brigades being withdrawn were made up of reservists, and described the move as designed to “re-energise the Israeli economy”. Local media have reported that several military divisions were deployed throughout Gaza.

The official added that some of the troops pulled out of Gaza in the south would be prepared for rotation to the northern border with Lebanon, where Hezbollah has been exchanging fire with Israel in solidarity with the Palestinians.

Israel has warned that, if Hezbollah does not back down, a full-on Lebanon war looms. Both Hamas and Hezbollah are backed by Iran, whose militant allies in Syria, Iraq and Yemen have also been carrying out longer-range attacks against Israel.

“The situation on the Lebanese front will not be allowed to continue. This coming six-month period is a critical moment,” the official said, adding that Israel would convey a similar message to a US envoy conducting shuttle missions to Beirut.

In Gaza, the Israel-Hamas war has inflicted unprecedented devastation, with the health ministry reporting almost 22,000 fatalities, many of them civilian. Israel says it has killed more than 8,000 Palestinian fighters – suggesting that, by its own accounting, Hamas retains core personnel. Pre-war Israeli assessment were that the group had around 30,000 fighters.

The Israeli military announced on Saturday it was sending some reservists home as part of what top commander Lieutenant-General Herzi Halevi has deemed a “reconfiguration” of forces.

“From the first moments of this war, we said it would take long,” Halevi told troops on Tuesday. “Will we ultimately be able to say there are no more foes around the State of Israel? I think that is overly ambitious. But we will deliver a different security situation – safe and, as much as possible, stable too.”

Israel has listed 174 soldiers – many of them reservists – as killed in Gaza fighting and nine on the Lebanese border.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Canada offers temporary visas to Gaza residents with family ties

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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People in the Gaza Strip who have Canadian relatives may apply for temporary visas to Canada, the country’s immigration minister said Thursday. However, the federal government cannot guarantee safe passage out of the besieged Palestinian territory.

Immigration Minister Marc Miller expects the program to be up and running by Jan. 9. Until now, the government has focused on getting 660 Canadians, permanent residents and their spouses and children out of Gaza.

Miller said the government will start accepting applications for people with extended family connections to Canada, including parents, grandparents, siblings and grandchildren.

He said people will be offered three-year visas if they meet eligibility and admissibility criteria.

Miller said he’s not sure how many people will be able to come to Canada under the program, but he expects the number will be in the hundreds.

Miller said it’s been difficult to get Canadians out of Gaza. “We have limited ability,” he said.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

PM Narendra Modi discusses Israel-Hamas conflict with Benjamin Netanyahu

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a ‘productive’ conversation with his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday. He has shared concerns regarding the safety of maritime traffic.

“Had a productive exchange of views with PM Benjamin Netanyahu on the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, including shared concerns on the safety of maritime traffic. Highlighted India’s consistent stand in favour of an early restoration of peace & stability in the region with continued humanitarian assistance for the affected,” PM Modi tweeted.

Had a productive exchange of views with PM @netanyahu on the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, including shared concerns on the safety of maritime traffic. Highlighted India’s consistent stand in favour of early restoration of peace & stability in the region with continued…

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 19, 2023

Prime Minister Modi emphasised an early and peaceful resolution of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, including the release of all hostages, through “dialogue and diplomacy” as well as continued humanitarian assistance to the affected people, read a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office.

As per the PMO, PM Modi received a phone call from the Israeli prime minister.

Over the past few months, there have been growing concerns over the safety of maritime traffic in the region.

Last week, Yemen’s Houthi militants fired a missile hitting a commercial tanker in the Red Sea off the coast of Yemen triggering concerns.

In its statement, the PMO said Netanyahu briefed PM Modi on the recent developments in the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.

The PMO further said that PM Modi and the Israeli Prime Minister have agreed to remain in touch.

On October 7, Hamas launched a surprise attack on southern Israel from the Gaza Strip, killing around 1,200 people in the country. The militant group kidnapped more than 220 people, some of whom were later released during a brief ceasefire in the region.

The Israeli military retaliated by bombarding multiple targets in Gaza, followed by a large-scale ground invasion of Gaza.

Hamas-run authorities in Gaza have claimed that around 17,000 people have been killed in the region in the Israeli attacks.

According to PTI, India has strongly condemned the terror attack by Hamas and called for de-escalation of the situation and creating conditions for an early resumption of direct peace negotiations towards a two-state solution to the Palestine issue.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

US vetoes UNSC resolution calling for immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The US has vetoed a draft resolution on the Israel-Hamas conflict in the UN Security Council that would have demanded an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza and the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages taken by the Hamas militant group.

The 15-nation Council met on Friday to vote on the resolution tabled by the United Arab Emirates and backed by over 90 member states. The resolution got the backing of 13 Council members who voted in its favour while the United Kingdom abstained.

The voting on the resolution came after UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, in a rare move, had invoked Article 99 of the UN Charter to appeal to the Security Council for a humanitarian ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict and to avert a “humanitarian catastrophe, which he said has potentially irreversible implications for Palestinians and peace and security in the region.

Ahead of the vote, Guterres urged the Council to spare no effort to push for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, for the protection of civilians, and for the urgent delivery of lifesaving aid. In the Explanation of Vote, US Ambassador Robert Wood, Alternative Representative for Special Political Affairs, said it is incomprehensible why the resolution’s authors have declined to include language condemning Hamas’ horrific terrorist attack on Israel on October 7. He said that despite a rushed process and lack of appropriate consultation by the resolution’s authors, the United States engaged in good faith on the draft resolution.

We proposed language with an eye toward a constructive resolution that would have reinforced the life-saving diplomacy we have undertaken since October 7; increased opportunities for humanitarian aid to enter Gaza; encouraged the release of hostages and the resumption of humanitarian pauses; and laid a foundation for a durable peace, he said.

Wood said, unfortunately, nearly all of our recommendations were ignored. And the result of this rushed process was an imbalanced resolution that was divorced from reality, that would not move the needle forward, on the ground, in any concrete way. And so, we regretfully could not support it. UAE’s Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative Mohamed Abushahab expressed deep disappointment with the outcome of the vote.

Regrettably, and in the face of untold misery, this Council is unable to demand a humanitarian ceasefire, Abushahab said. Let me be clear. Against the backdrop of the Secretary-General’s grave warnings, the appeals by humanitarian actors, and the world’s public opinion this Council grows isolated. It appears untethered from its own founding document, the UAE envoy said.

He questioned what message the Council is sending Palestinians if we cannot unite behind a call to halt the relentless bombardment of Gaza? Indeed, what is the message we are sending civilians across the world who may find themselves in similar situations? UK’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Barbara Woodward said her country cannot vote in favour of a resolution which does not condemn the atrocities Hamas committed against innocent Israeli civilians on October 7.

Calling for a ceasefire ignores the fact that Hamas has committed acts of terror and is still holding civilians hostage, she said. Israel needs to be able to address the threat posed by Hamas and it needs to do so in a manner that abides by international humanitarian law so that such an attack can never be carried out again,” she said.

And so that we can work meaningfully towards a two-state solution, which delivers statehood for the Palestinians, security for Israel, and peace for people on both sides, she said That’s why we abstained on this resolution,” she added. Guterres said that he had written to the Council invoking Article 99 “because we are at a breaking point. There is a high risk of the total collapse of the humanitarian support system in Gaza, which would have devastating consequences.

We anticipate that it would result in a complete breakdown of public order and increased pressure for mass displacement into Egypt, he said. The UN chief voiced concern that the consequences could be devastating for the security of the entire region. We have already seen the spillover in the Occupied West Bank, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen. There is clearly, in my view, a serious risk of aggravating existing threats to the maintenance of international peace and security, Guterres said.

In his letter invoking Article 99, Guterres noted that more than 1,200 people were brutally killed, including 33 children, and thousands were injured in the abhorrent acts of terror by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups on October 7, which he has repeatedly condemned. Guterres voiced concern that civilians throughout Gaza face grave danger. Since the start of Israel’s military operation, more than 15,000 people have reportedly been killed, over 40 per cent of whom were children, he said.

UN director at Human Rights Watch Louis Charbonneau said that once again the US used its veto to prevent the Security Council from making some of the calls the US itself has been demanding of Israel and Palestinian armed groups, including compliance with international humanitarian law, protection of civilians, and releasing all civilians held hostage. provide Israel with weapons and diplomatic cover as it commits atrocities, including collectively punishing the Palestinian civilian population in Gaza, the US risks complicity in war crimes, Charbonneau said.

Last month, the UN Security Council finally overcame deadlock and adopted a resolution in the Israel-Hamas conflict when it called for urgent humanitarian pauses and corridors throughout Gaza to allow unhindered humanitarian access in the strip. The adoption of the Malta-drafted resolution last month came after four failed attempts in the Council to take action on allowing humanitarian access in the Israel-Hamas conflict that broke out after the militant group attacked Israel on October 7.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Israel, Hamas extend Gaza truce as 11 more hostages freed

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Israel and Hamas agreed Monday to extend a cease-fire in their devastating war until Thursday morning, as 11 more freed hostages arrived in Israel.

The current halt, which began Friday after intense negotiations brokered by Qatar, with the help of Egypt and the US — was originally due to end Tuesday. It was the first since the conflict erupted in early October when Hamas attacked Israel, which retaliated by bombing Gaza and reducing much of it to rubble.

The two sides will pause fighting for an additional two days, Qatar’s foreign ministry said on X, while Hamas said in a statement that a deal was reached to “extend the temporary humanitarian ceasefire for an additional two days, under the same conditions as the previous ceasefire.” The White House confirmed the agreement.

On Monday, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement that “the government of Israel warmly welcomes our 11 abducted citizens who returned today to Israel.” A Qatari spokesman said the 11 hostages were being freed from Gaza in exchange for Israel’s release of 33 Palestinians. With many Israelis holding dual citizenship, the Qatari government said the hostages freed included three French citizens, two Germans and six Argentinians.

John Kirby, spokesman for the US National Security Council, said earlier on CNN that “we do not believe that there are Americans in this group coming out today.”

The extended cease-fire is expected to sustain the daily ratio of hostages and prisoners released by both sides, which has been aiming for one hostage from Gaza in exchange for three Palestinians held in Israeli prisons.

Israel has so far allowed more aid into Gaza and was set to release about 150 Palestinians from jail. Hamas, designated a terrorist group by the US and European Union, has so far freed more than 50 hostages, including foreigners.

The new extension of the accord was announced after Israel came under increasing pressure to agree to an extension. President Joe Biden has said he wanted to prolong the pause in the war, which has killed thousands of people and inflamed tensions in the Middle East and beyond.

Kirby said in a briefing that the White House welcomed the announcement of the truce extension, adding that Biden spoke with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday about the situation.

Despite disputes and delays, the truce has held for three exchanges of hostages through Sunday, totaling 58 people, including non-Israelis. Those freed by Hamas on Sunday included a four-year-old girl — a US-Israeli dual national — whose parents were killed in the group’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel.

The war started when Hamas militants swarmed into southern Israeli communities from Gaza, killing about 1,200 people and abducting 240. More than 15,000 have died in Gaza amid air strikes and a later ground assault by Israel.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

US attack submarine enters Persian Gulf in message to Iran

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The Pentagon deployed the nuclear-powered USS Florida attack submarine to the Persian Gulf region as the US makes a show of force as a deterrent to Iran, according to US defense officials.

The Florida’s arrival was confirmed by the officials after the US Central Command posted on X, formerly Twitter, about an “Ohio-class” submarine in the region without specifying whether it was of the type that carries nuclear-armed ballistic missiles.

The Florida, though nuclear powered, doesn’t carry nuclear weapons. It is one of four US Navy submarines converted from carrying sea-launched nuclear missiles to Tomahawk land-attack weapons and commandos.

The Florida’s arrival intensifies the Defense Departments’ efforts to dissuade Iran from carrying out what it says are proxy attacks on Israel, or more attacks on American forces in Iraq and Syria.

The Florida can carry as many as 154 Tomahawk missiles or as many as 66 Navy SEAL commandos, who can clandestinely leave the vessel through forward bow compartments.

Its deployment to the Persian Gulf is at least its second this year. The Navy in April released a photograph of the Florida cruising through the Suez Canal en route to the Red Sea after a Mediterranean deployment.

Two US carrier strike groups — the USS Gerald R. Ford and Dwight D. Eisenhower — are in the eastern Mediterranean, and last week conducted joint operations including missile defenses and operating each other’s aircraft off their decks.

Separately, the Navy’s Fifth Fleet in the Persian Gulf announced last week that it conducted in late October its first-ever launch of a weapon from one of the unmanned drones in its Task Force 59, which now patrols the gulf via remote control.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow