Current Final

Tag: Israel

  • Six-year-old Gaza girl found dead, family says, blaming Israel

    Six-year-old Gaza girl found dead, family says, blaming Israel

    Gaza Strip (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – A six-year-old Palestinian girl who went missing after the family’s car came under fire in war-ravaged Gaza was found dead Saturday, the health ministry and her relatives said, accusing Israel of killing her.

    The last time Hind Rajab had been seen was about two weeks ago when she was surrounded by dead relatives after becoming trapped in the vehicle as they tried to flee Gaza City as Israeli forces advanced.

    “Hind and everyone else in the car is martyred,” the girl’s grandfather, Baha Hamada told AFP.

    A number of family members made the grim discovery when they went to Gaza City’s Tel al-Hawa area looking for the car near a petrol station where it had last been spotted, he said.

    “They were able to reach the area because Israeli forces withdrew early at dawn today,” Hamada added.

    The health ministry in the Gaza Strip confirmed Hind’s death.

    “She was killed by (Israeli) occupation forces with all those who were with her in the car outside the petrol station in Tel al-Hawa,” the ministry said in a statement.

    Earlier this week, family members had said the group found their way in the path of Israeli tanks and were fired on as they tried to flee.

    Contacted by AFP, the Israeli military did not comment on the incident.

  • Talks for a possible ceasefire between Gaza and Israel underway

    Talks for a possible ceasefire between Gaza and Israel underway

    Under the latest development, Qatar’s Foreign Ministry has reportedly received “an initial positive confirmation from the Hamas side” on the “general framework” for a ceasefire in Gaza.

    According to Qatari officials, Hamas has responded positively to receiving a proposal to pause the military operations in Gaza. However, the final deal is “weeks” away.

    As of January 30, reported by Al Jazeera, Hamas is “studying” a three-phased truce proposal whereas some Israeli officials have warned to “collapse the coalition” if the deal is not in accordance with their wants.

    On the other hand, journalists on social media are claiming that Hamas officials have denied confirmation of any agreement pertaining to a truce.

  • Iran executes four men convicted of spying for Israel

    Iran executes four men convicted of spying for Israel

    Iran executed four men at dawn on Monday after they were convicted of collaborating with the country’s arch-foe Israel on a plan to sabotage an Iranian defense site, according to the judiciary.

    The four defendants, identified as Mohammad Faramarzi, Mohsen Mazloum, Wafa Azarbar, Pejman Fatehi, were arrested in July 2022 and accused of plotting to carry out out an operation against a Ministry of Defense centre in the central province of Isfahan, according to the judiciary’s Mizan Online website.

    “The death sentence of four members of a group affiliated with the Zionist spy organisation, who were arrested… for plotting a bombing operation in Isfahan, was carried out this morning,” Mizan Online reported.

    According to Iran, the men had been recruited by Mossad, Israel’s intelligence service, “about a year and a half before the operation”.

    They were sent to African countries for “training courses in the military centres” where Mossad officers were present, the judiciary added.

    The men were sentenced to death in September 2023.

    In August 2023, Iran claimed to have foiled a “very complex” Mossad-initiated project to “sabotage” its ballistic missile industry. A few months earlier, in February, Teheran accused Israel of being responsible for a drone attack on a military site in Isfahan.

    The two countries have been engaged in a shadow war for decades, with Iran regularly accusing Israel and its ally the United States of inciting unrest.

  • Israel alleges UN organisation involved in Oct 7 attack, funding suspended for agency

    Israel alleges UN organisation involved in Oct 7 attack, funding suspended for agency

    Australia and Canada have suspended their funding to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, after Israel accused several employees of involvement in October 7 attacks by Hamas.

    Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said on Saturday she was “deeply concerned” by the allegations against the agency, UNRWA.

    “We are speaking with partners and will temporarily pause disbursement of recent funding,” she wrote on social media platform X.

    “We welcome UNRWA’s immediate response, including terminating contracts and launching an investigation, as well as its recent announcement of a full investigation into allegations against the organization,” she added.

    Canada’s International Development Minister Ahmed Hussen on Friday announced that Ottawa had “temporarily paused any additional funding to UNRWA while it undertakes a thorough investigation into these allegations”.

    “Canada is taking these reports extremely seriously and is engaging closely with UNRWA and other donors on this issue,” he wrote on X.

    “Should the allegations prove to be accurate, Canada expects UNRWA to immediately act against those determined to have been involved in Hamas’s terrorist attacks.”

    The moves come after the United States halted its funding to UNRWA on Friday, saying the allegations were against 12 employees who “may have been involved” in the Hamas attack that triggered the war in Gaza.

    The United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees says it has opened an investigation into some employees Israel alleges were involved in the October 7 attacks, and that it has severed ties with those staff members.

    “The Israeli authorities have provided UNRWA with information about the alleged involvement of several UNRWA employees in the horrific attacks on Israel on October 7,” Philippe Lazzarini, commissioner-general of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), said on Friday.

    UN chief Antonio Guterres has pledged to conduct an “urgent and comprehensive independent review of UNRWA”.

    Established in 1949 following the first Arab-Israeli war, the agency provides services including schooling, primary healthcare and humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon.

    It is important to note that since the onset of the war on Gaza, Israeli authorities, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have accused it of fuelling anti-Israeli incitement – allegations it denies.

    UNRWA says it has provided aid to desperate people in Gaza and used its facilities to shelter those fleeing Israeli attacks.

    The agency’s shelters have also been repeatedly targeted by Israeli missiles during the war, despite pleas for safe passages to deliver humanitarian aid and assistance.

  • Saudi Says Israel Must Be Held ‘Accountable’, After UN Court Rules

    Saudi Says Israel Must Be Held ‘Accountable’, After UN Court Rules

    Saudi Arabia on Friday welcomed the UN top court’s decision on Israel’s genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, and called for the international community to “hold Israel accountable” for “violations” of international law.

    In a statement, the kingdom’s Foreign Ministry also called for “more measures” to reach a ceasefire in Gaza and provide protection for the Palestinian people.

  • International Court of Justice acknowledges Israeli genocide against Palestinians; does not call for ceasefire

    International Court of Justice acknowledges Israeli genocide against Palestinians; does not call for ceasefire

    The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has announced its first ruling on South Africa’s genocide case against Israel on Friday evening, calling on Israel to take urgent and effective measure to protect Palestinians, contain death toll and destruction, acknowledging that there is a risk of genocide in Gaza. However, it did not call for an immediate ceasefire.

    The hearing took place on Friday with 16 judges out of the court’s 17-member panel, present. Presiding Judge Joan Donoghue asserted that the court has the authority to rule over emergency measures in the case.

    The court noted that the charges against Israel fall under the provisions of the Genocide Convention, additionally acknowledging that Israeli military operations have killed as well as injured a large number Palestinians in Gaza, destroyed a number of homes and infrastructure, and resulted in the internal displacement of about 1.7 million people.

    It was further acknowledged that the Palestinians’ have the right to be protected from acts of genocide.

    The issue of “dehumanising language” used against Palestinians was also highlighted, particularly shedding light on statements by Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant ordering a “complete siege” of Gaza and apprising the soldiers that they are fighting against “human animals”.

    Social Media Reacts

  • Indian singer Lucky Ali wants a state for Palestinians

    Indian singer Lucky Ali wants a state for Palestinians

    As Israel continues with its genocide in Gaza and the West Bank, famous people worldwide are asking for an immediate stop to the fighting and for Palestine to be free. Indian singer Lucky Ali, who has supported Palestine since a long time, has spoken up for the establishment of a free state for Palestinians.

    In a video posted on Instagram and X, Lucky Ali can be seen speaking up for Palestine during a concert in Dubai. “There can only be one state, and I agree with Netanyahu on that. But it has to be Palestine,” he said.

    The crowd in the video cheered and clapped when Lucky Ali spoke up. “We can all live together, but the state has to be Palestine,” the Indian singer said.

  • Gaza activists urge voters to write ‘ceasefire’ on US primary ballots

    Gaza activists urge voters to write ‘ceasefire’ on US primary ballots

    Peace activists are urging US voters considering candidates for November’s presidential election to instead write “ceasefire” on their ballots in protest over Joe Biden’s handling of the Israeli attacks on Gaza.

    “Vote Ceasefire” — a coalition of local anti-war groups — says the effort allows Americans to give voice to their anger at the Democratic president over the mounting toll of civilian deaths in Gaza as Israel responds to the October 7 Hamas attacks.

    Voters in New Hampshire will pick their preferred candidate in either the Democratic or Republican nominating contests on Tuesday but the push is aimed at progressives wishing to put the White House on notice.

    “For the last three months, as the world has watched the war in Gaza continue to worsen, the Biden administration has refused all demands to call for a ceasefire and to end US support for Israel,” the campaign posted on X, formerly Twitter.

    “So we’re taking our fight to the place Democrats care about the most — the polls. While Joe Biden will almost certainly win the Democratic nomination later this year, he must know that the road to get there will be long and hard if he refuses to listen to his constituents.”

    “Vote Ceasefire” organizers have not indicated what kind of turnout would constitute a success for the campaign and it is unclear how much affect it will have.

    Biden himself is not on the ballot and is largely ignoring the contest, after New Hampshire officials clashed with the national party over scheduling.

    A separate campaign is urging supporters to write Biden’s name on the ballot in exactly the same manner that “Vote Ceasefire” is promoting.

    The outcome will not affect the nomination process in any case, as the Democratic National Committee has declared the New Hampshire primary illegitimate.

    Biden is expected to win the nomination comfortably.

    “I’m doing this as over 80 percent of Democratic voters are in favor of a ceasefire for Gaza and are opposed to the continuing slaughter of civilian men, women and children in Palestine, with the United States-supplied weapons,” campaign volunteer and former Democratic state representative Chris Balch said in a video posted to X.

    But self-help author Marianne Williamson, who is on the Democratic ballot, said the “Vote Ceasefire” campaign was doing nothing to help the citizens of Gaza.

    “A way to actually help create a ceasefire would be to vote for a candidate who has called for one from the very beginning,” she posted in response to the campaign’s social media statements.

  • Israeli War Minister tells Netanyahu to ‘stop lying’

    Israeli War Minister tells Netanyahu to ‘stop lying’

    A member of the Israeli war cabinet, Gadi Eisenkot, has told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a meeting to “stop lying” to himself.

    The Times of Israel has reported that while addressing the cabinet, Eisenkot stated, “We have to stop lying to ourselves, to show courage, and to lead to a large deal which will bring home the hostages. Your time is running out, and each day that passes endangers their lives.”


    The minister’s son and nephew were both killed fighting in Gaza, leading him to believe that Israel’s leaders are lying to themselves.

    Gadi Eisenkot with his deceased son.

    However, Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant dismissed the criticism, reiterating their belief that only added military pressure will lead to such a deal.

  • Hamas says many hostages likely killed, blames Israel

    Hamas says many hostages likely killed, blames Israel

    Many of the hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip are likely to have been killed, a spokesman for the group said Sunday, blaming the Israeli leadership for their fate.

    “The fate of many of the enemy’s hostages and detainees has become unknown in recent weeks and the rest have all entered the tunnel of the unknown due to the Zionist aggression,” Abu Obeida said in a televised statement.

    “Most likely, many of them were killed recently, the rest are in great danger every hour and the enemy’s leadership and army bear full responsibility.”
    Abu Obeida said the group’s allies from the “axis of resistance” had informed Hamas they would “expand their attacks” against Israeli troops in the coming days.

    “After 100 days of battle… this is the enemy’s leadership, gulping down pain and wading through the mud of failure and setback,” he said.