Middle-East
94 Palestinians killed in Gaza, including 45 waiting for aid
At least 94 Palestinians were killed in Gaza overnight, including 45 people who were trying to access humanitarian aid, Gaza’s Health Ministry and hospitals said Thursday.
The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the strikes.
Among the dead, five people were killed near Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) sites — a new, U.S.-backed aid initiative supported by Israel — while 40 others died while waiting for aid at various locations across Gaza.
Human rights group Amnesty International accused Israel and the GHF of “militarizing” the aid system as part of a starvation tactic, amounting to genocide. Amnesty claims Israel has deliberately created life-threatening conditions for Palestinians, describing the aid process as a "booby trap for desperate, starving Palestinians."
Israel has rejected the allegations, calling them baseless propaganda, and is contesting genocide accusations at the International Court of Justice.
82 Palestinians killed in Gaza, including 38 people waiting for aid, authorities say
Deadly airstrikes also hit displaced persons’ shelters, killing 15 in the Muwasi area and 15 more at a Gaza City school.
Gaza’s death toll has surpassed 57,000 since the war began on October 7, 2023, with over half of the dead being women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
The casualties come as ceasefire talks continue, with U.S. President Trump announcing Israel’s agreement to a 60-day truce proposal, though Hamas’ demands have delayed progress.
The war erupted after Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostages.
Source: Agency
5 months ago
82 Palestinians killed in Gaza, including 38 people waiting for aid, authorities say
Airstrikes and shootings killed 82 Palestinians in Gaza overnight, including 38 who were trying to access desperately needed humanitarian aid, according to hospitals and the Gaza Health Ministry on Thursday.
The Israeli military has not provided an immediate response regarding the strikes.
Among the casualties, five people were killed near sites linked to the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation — a newly established, secretive American organization supported by Israel to provide food assistance to Gaza's population. Additionally, 33 people were killed while waiting for aid trucks at other locations across the Gaza Strip.
Dozens more were killed during airstrikes that struck the territory on Wednesday night and into Thursday morning. This includes 15 people who died in strikes targeting tents in the Muwasi zone, a large area where many displaced Palestinians have taken refuge, and a separate strike on a school in Gaza City being used as a shelter for displaced families.
Gaza hospital director killed in Israeli air strike, dozens dead across strip
The Health Ministry in Gaza reported that the overall death toll has now surpassed 57,000, including 223 individuals declared dead after being reported missing. The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and fighters in its count but says women and children make up over half of those killed.
These latest deaths come as Israel and Hamas move closer to potentially reaching a ceasefire agreement to end the 21-month-long war.
On Tuesday, President Donald Trump announced that Israel had agreed to a proposed 60-day ceasefire in Gaza and urged Hamas to accept the terms before conditions deteriorate further. However, Hamas’ response — stressing their demand for a complete end to the war — has cast doubt over whether the latest proposal will lead to an actual cessation of hostilities.
The Israeli military has placed blame on Hamas for civilian casualties, accusing the group of operating within densely populated areas. The military said it targeted Hamas fighters and rocket launchers in northern Gaza after rockets were fired at Israel on Wednesday.
The conflict began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostages.
The war has devastated Gaza, leaving much of the territory in ruins. Over 90% of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents have been displaced, many of them multiple times. The fighting has also triggered a severe humanitarian crisis, with hundreds of thousands facing hunger.
5 months ago
Gaza hospital director killed in Israeli air strike, dozens dead across strip
The director of Gaza’s Indonesian Hospital was killed along with several family members in an Israeli air strike on his home in the city of Gaza, the Hamas-run health ministry said.
The ministry represented, Dr Marwan Sultan, as a symbol of medical commitment and condemned his killing as a “heinous crime.”
Lubna al-Sultan, the daughter of Dr Marwan Sultan, said that an Israeli missile directly aimed his room. All the rooms remained intake except his. She further added that her father has no connections with any political party and his main focus was only on treating patients.
Meanwhile, at least five people were killed and others injured, including children, in a strike on the al-Mawasi "safe zone",one of several other attacks reported by news agencies.
Besides, at least 139 people were killed by Israeli military operations across Gaza in the 24 hours before midday on Wednesday, the health ministry said.
Trump says deal for ceasefire in Gaza is closer after Israel agrees on terms
The Israeli military, however, claimed that it had struck a “key terrorist” in Gaza city but was evaluating the claims of civilian fatality. It put blame on Hamas for using residential areas as shields while the IDF stated it regrets any harm to uninvolved civilians.
The Indonesian Hospital, which was once a major facility in northern Gaza providing crucial support to the victims and injured people, has been out of service following frequent Israeli air strikes.
Additionally, the UN also said that there are no running hospitals left in northern Gaza.
According to the health ministry, Israel's military offensive in Gaza has killed more than 57,000 people, including more than 15,000 children.
5 months ago
Trump says deal for ceasefire in Gaza is closer after Israel agrees on terms
US President Donald Trump has said Israel has agreed on terms for a new 60-day ceasefire with Hamas and that Washington would work with both sides during that time to try to end more than 20 months of war in Gaza.
Neither side has accepted the proposal announced Tuesday by Trump, who has admonished Hamas that if they do not buy into the offer, its prospects will get worse. It's not clear what conditions Israel agreed to.
According to AP, the efforts to reach a truce are unfolding in the wake of powerful Israeli and American strikes on nuclear sites in Iran, which has long supported Hamas, and just days before Trump is scheduled to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington.
Details of the proposed ceasefire are just beginning to emerge. But rather than being completely new, the potential deal seems to be a somewhat modified version of a framework proposed earlier this year by Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff.
Trump says Israel agrees to conditions for 60-day Gaza ceasefire
Trump said Tuesday in a social media post that Qatar and Egypt have been working on the details and would deliver a final proposal to Hamas.
An Egyptian official involved in the ceasefire talks told The Associated Press that the proposal calls for Hamas to release 10 more hostages during the two-month period — eight on the first day and two on the final day.
During that period, Israel would withdraw troops from some parts of Gaza and allow badly needed aid into the territory.
The war began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking roughly 250 hostages. The group is believed to still have some 50 hostages, with fewer than half of them thought to be alive.
5 months ago
Iran to suspend cooperation with UN nuclear watchdog IAEA
Iran’s president on Wednesday ordered the country to suspend its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency after American and Israeli airstrikes hit its most-important nuclear facilities, likely further limiting inspectors' ability to track Tehran's program that had been enriching uranium to near weapons-grade levels.
According to AP, the order by President Masoud Pezeshkian, however, included no timetables or details about what that suspension would entail. However, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi signalled in a CBS News interview that Tehran still would be willing to continue negotiations with the United States.
“I don’t think negotiations will restart as quickly as that,” Araghchi said, referring to Trump's comments that talks could start as early as this week. However, he added: “The doors of diplomacy will never slam shut.”
Iran has limited IAEA inspections in the past as a pressure tactic in negotiating with the West — though as of right now Tehran has denied that there's any immediate plans to resume talks with the United States that had been upended by the 12-day Iran-Israel war.
Iranian state television announced Pezeshkian's order, which followed a law passed by Iran’s parliament to suspend that cooperation. The bill already received the approval of Iran's constitutional watchdog, the Guardian Council, on Thursday, and likely the support of the country's Supreme National Security Council, which Pezeshkian chairs.
“The government is mandated to immediately suspend all cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency under the Treaty on the Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons and its related Safeguards Agreement,” state television quoted the bill as saying. "This suspension will remain in effect until certain conditions are met, including the guaranteed security of nuclear facilities and scientists.”
Iran took preparations to block Strait of Hormuz: Report
It wasn’t immediately clear what that would mean for the Vienna-based IAEA, the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog. The agency long has monitored Iran’s nuclear program and said that it was waiting for an official communication from Iran on what the suspension meant.
On the other hand, Iran's decision drew an immediate condemnation from Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar.
“Iran has just issued a scandalous announcement about suspending its cooperation with the IAEA,” he said in an X post. “This is a complete renunciation of all its international nuclear obligations and commitments.”
Saar urged European nations that were part of Iran's 2015 nuclear deal to implement its so-called snapback clause. That would reimpose all UN sanctions on it originally lifted by Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers, if one of its Western parties declares the Islamic Republic is out of compliance with it.
Israel is widely believed to be the only nuclear-armed state in the Middle East, and the IAEA doesn't have access to its weapons-related facilities.
5 months ago
Iran took preparations to block Strait of Hormuz: Report
Iran made preparations to potentially block the strategic Strait of Hormuz following Israel’s missile strike on June 13, according to a Reuters report citing two US officials.
The officials revealed that Iran's military loaded naval mines onto vessels operating in the Gulf shortly after the attack. Although the mines were not deployed, their presence indicates Tehran may have seriously considered closing the strait — a move that could have dramatically worsened regional tensions and disrupted global trade.
The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world's most vital shipping routes, with nearly 20% of global oil and gas supplies passing through. Any disruption there could cause energy prices to surge worldwide.
The report added that it remains unclear whether the mines are still onboard the Iranian vessels. The officials did not specify how the US obtained the intelligence, though such information is usually gathered through satellite surveillance, human intelligence, or both.
While Washington acknowledges the possibility that Iran’s actions were a strategic bluff to pressure the US, the officials noted Tehran may also have been preparing for real action if leaders decided to escalate.
5 months ago
Trump says Israel agrees to conditions for 60-day Gaza ceasefire
US President Donald Trump has announced that Israel has accepted the "necessary conditions" to finalise a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza. In a statement on Truth Social, Trump said all sides would work together to end the war during the proposed pause in fighting, though he did not elaborate on the specific terms.
"The Qataris and Egyptians have worked tirelessly to help achieve peace and will deliver the final proposal. I hope Hamas accepts it, because there won't be a better offer — only worse," Trump warned.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive following Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack, which killed around 1,200 people in Israel. Since then, the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza claims at least 56,647 people have died. It remains uncertain if Hamas will accept the proposed ceasefire terms.
Trump's remarks come ahead of his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu next week, where Trump has pledged to take a tough stance. He also expressed confidence that Netanyahu wants to end the conflict.
Meanwhile, Israeli Minister for Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer is in Washington for talks with US officials including Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Vice President JD Vance.
International charities, NGOs call for end to controversial Israeli-backed aid group in Gaza
Although international mediators have intensified efforts to secure a truce and hostage release, negotiations between Israel and Hamas have so far stalled. Israel insists the war will not end until Hamas is dismantled, while Hamas demands a permanent ceasefire and Israel's withdrawal from Gaza.
Roughly 50 Israeli hostages remain in Gaza, with at least 20 believed to be alive.
Trump’s announcement comes as Israel expands military operations in northern Gaza, where 20 Palestinians were reportedly killed in an airstrike on a Gaza City café on Monday.
The Israeli military also said it is reviewing reports that civilians were harmed while approaching aid centres run by the US- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). Over 170 NGOs have called for GHF’s closure, accusing Israeli forces of firing on Palestinians seeking aid — a claim Israel denies, insisting the group is vital to bypass Hamas's influence over aid.
74 killed in Gaza as Israeli strikes hit cafe, aid seekers shot
A previous ceasefire agreement collapsed in March after Israel launched renewed strikes, calling them preemptive actions against Hamas's military build-up. That deal, which began on January 19, included plans for a permanent ceasefire, prisoner exchanges, and Israeli troop withdrawal, but only the initial phase was implemented.
Source: BBC
5 months ago
Iran admits damage to nuclear sites, signals possible US talks after Israeli, American strikes
Iran on Tuesday acknowledged significant damage to several key nuclear sites following Israeli and US airstrikes, though Tehran left the door open for possible talks with Washington over its nuclear program.
Government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani confirmed that Iran’s Fordo, Isfahan, and Natanz nuclear facilities were “seriously damaged” in the strikes, according to state news agency IRNA. Her remarks mark a rare public admission from Iranian authorities, as the scale of destruction from the 12-day conflict with Israel continues to emerge.
Despite the damage, Mohajerani suggested Tehran has not ruled out diplomacy with the United States.
“No date has been set for US talks, and it probably won’t be very soon, but no final decision has been made,” she told reporters.
The conflict, which erupted on June 13, saw Israeli fighter jets repeatedly strike Iran, including its ballistic missile stockpiles and upper ranks of the Revolutionary Guard. Israel claimed the attacks targeted nuclear facilities to prevent Tehran from developing atomic weapons — a claim Iran denies.
US intelligence and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have said Iran halted its organized nuclear weapons program in 2003. However, Tehran continues to enrich uranium up to 60%, just below the 90% weapons-grade threshold.
Israeli airstrike on Iran’s Evin Prison raises fears for political prisoners
Iran revises death toll, claims ‘victory’
Iranian officials also sharply increased the reported death toll from the conflict. Judiciary spokesperson Asghar Jahangir said 935 Iranians were killed, including 38 children and 102 women, according to IRNA.
Jahangir accused Israel of trying to destabilize Iran by assassinating military leaders and scientists, but insisted the country emerged victorious, echoing similar claims by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Independent groups have provided higher casualty estimates. The US-based Human Rights Activists group reported at least 1,190 deaths, including 436 civilians and 435 security personnel, with more than 4,400 others wounded.
Nuclear facility assessments underway
Meanwhile, satellite images indicate Iran is assessing the aftermath of the June 22 US strikes on its nuclear sites. Planet Labs imagery shows trucks, cranes, and excavation equipment at Fordo, a heavily fortified facility built under a mountain southwest of Tehran.
Images suggest Iranian officials may have taken steps to protect or remove sensitive materials before the attack, though Tehran has not provided full details. The IAEA has previously warned that its inspectors lost “continuity of knowledge” regarding Iran's nuclear activities, raising concerns about undisclosed materials or sites.
Iran says its Atomic Energy Organization is preparing to release a full damage report.
Internal divisions grow over possible US talks
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has also left the door open for dialogue with Washington, but the idea faces strong opposition from hard-liners within Iran.
Iran could resume uranium enrichment within months: IAEA
Hossein Shariatmadari, managing editor of Iran's hard-line Kayhan newspaper and a close ally of Khamenei, dismissed any suggestion of negotiations, saying, “Being a traitor or being foolish are two sides of the same coin.”
Kayhan has also sparked international condemnation for suggesting IAEA chief Rafael Mariano Grossi should face trial and execution if he visits Iran.
Source: Agency
5 months ago
International charities, NGOs call for end to controversial Israeli-backed aid group in Gaza
Dozens of international charities and non-governmental organizations, including Oxfam, Save the Children and Amnesty, called Tuesday for an Israeli and US-backed aid mechanism for Gaza to disband over repeated incidents of chaos and deadly violence against Palestinians heading toward its sites.
At least seven Palestinians were killed seeking aid in southern and central Gaza between late Monday and early Tuesday.
The deaths came after Israeli forces killed at least 74 people in Gaza earlier Monday with airstrikes that left 30 dead at a seaside cafe and gunfire that left 23 dead as Palestinians tried to get desperately needed food aid, witnesses and health officials said.
Next week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will travel to Washington to meeting US President Donald Trump and other administration officials. Netanyahu’s visit comes as Trump has signalled he is ready for Israel and Hamas to wind down the war in Gaza, which is likely to be a focus of their talks.
74 killed in Gaza as Israeli strikes hit cafe, aid seekers shot
The war has killed over 56,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants but says more than half of the dead were women and children.
The Hamas attack in October 2023 that sparked the war killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 251 others hostage. Some 50 hostages remain, many of them thought to be dead.
5 months ago
74 killed in Gaza as Israeli strikes hit cafe, aid seekers shot
At least 74 Palestinians were killed in Gaza on Monday, as Israeli airstrikes hit a crowded seaside cafe and troops opened fire on residents seeking food aid, according to witnesses and health officials.
An Israeli airstrike struck the Al-Baqa Cafe in Gaza City, killing at least 30 people and injuring dozens more, many critically, Fares Awad, head of the Health Ministry’s emergency and ambulance service in northern Gaza, confirmed.
Ali Abu Ateila, who was inside the cafe at the time, described the moment of the strike: “Without a warning, all of a sudden, a warplane hit the place, shaking it like an earthquake,” he said.
The cafe, one of the few remaining businesses still operating during the nearly 20-month-long war, was a gathering spot for residents seeking internet access and charging points for their phones. Videos circulating on social media showed bloodied bodies on the ground and the wounded being carried away wrapped in blankets.
Two other Israeli airstrikes on a street in Gaza City killed 15 people, Shifa Hospital reported. Another airstrike near the town of Zawaida killed six people, according to Al-Aqsa Hospital.
In separate incidents, Israeli forces shot and killed at least 11 Palestinians seeking food aid in southern Gaza, according to witnesses, hospital officials, and the Gaza Health Ministry.
Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis said it received the bodies of people shot while returning from an aid distribution site associated with the Israeli and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Fund (GHF). The shooting is part of a deadly pattern that has killed more than 500 Palestinians around the controversial aid program over the past month.
The latest shootings occurred approximately 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) from the GHF site in Khan Younis as Palestinians returned along the only accessible route. Many residents are forced to walk long distances to the GHF hubs, hoping to obtain desperately needed food supplies.
Nasser Hospital also reported one person killed near a GHF hub in the southern city of Rafah. Another person was killed while waiting for aid near the Netzarim corridor, which separates northern and southern Gaza, according to Al-Awda Hospital.
In a separate incident, 10 people were killed at a United Nations aid warehouse in northern Gaza, Gaza's Health Ministry confirmed.
Witnesses describe gunfire on civilians
Monzer Hisham Ismail, a witness to the Khan Younis shooting, said Israeli troops attacked crowds returning from the GHF hub. “We were targeted by (the Israeli) artillery,” he said.
Another witness, Yousef Mahmoud Mokheimar, who was walking with dozens of others, said Israeli troops in tanks and other vehicles approached rapidly. “They fired at us indiscriminately,” he said, adding that he was shot in the leg, while another man was shot trying to rescue him.
Mokheimar also said Israeli forces detained six people, including three children. “We don’t know whether they are still alive,” he added.
66 children die from malnutrition in Gaza as Israel’s siege tightens
The Israeli military said it is reviewing information about the incidents. It has previously stated that it fires warning shots at individuals who move suspiciously or approach troops, including those collecting aid.
Israel and the US have promoted the GHF as an alternative to the UN-coordinated aid system, which they accuse Hamas of exploiting. The UN denies systematic diversion of aid.
The Israeli military said new steps have been taken to improve organization at aid sites, including fencing, signage, and additional access routes.
Israel maintains that it targets militants and blames civilian casualties on Hamas, accusing the group of operating within civilian areas.
Strikes intensify in Gaza city
Israeli bombardments escalated across Gaza City and the nearby Jabaliya refugee camp, following widespread evacuation orders issued on Sunday and Monday for much of northern Gaza.
Palestinians described intense overnight attacks, calling them a "scorched earth" campaign. Mohamed Mahdy, a Gaza City resident who fled his damaged home Monday morning, said: “They destroy whatever left standing… the sound of bombing hasn’t stopped.”
Fares Awad of the emergency services said most of Gaza City and Jabaliya have become inaccessible to ambulances due to ongoing strikes, leaving many trapped under rubble.
The Israeli military said civilians were notified of the operations, which targeted Hamas military command and control centers.
The ongoing war has killed over 56,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and fighters. The ministry says more than half of those killed were women and children.
The conflict began with a Hamas attack on Israel in October 2023, which killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and led to 251 hostages being taken. Israel says about 50 hostages remain in captivity, many of them believed to be dead.
Source: AP
5 months ago