Browsing: Palestine and Israel

Israel’s military launched airstrikes across Lebanon on Monday, unleashing explosions throughout the country and killing at least 31.
The attacks came as Israeli leaders appeared to be closing in on a negotiated ceasefire with the Hezbollah militant group.
Israeli strikes hit commercial and residential buildings in Beirut, as well as the port city of Tyre.
Military officials said they targeted areas known as Hezbollah strongholds.

The ICC has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and his former defence minister, Yoav Gallant. The ICC says both men – alongside a Hamas leader who was killed in July – bore “criminal responsibility” for crimes during the war between Israel and Hamas. The court accuses Israel of using starvation as a war tactic and for intentionally targeting civilians.

Netanyahu’s office described the warrants as “an antisemitic decision … equivalent to the modern Dreyfus trial”, referring to the 1894 trial of a French artillery captain of Jewish descent that has become one of the most prominent examples of antisemitism.

Israel launched overnight strikes in three areas north of Gaza which continued until this morning. At least 95 people were killed in less than 24 hours, local media reports. The overnight strikes killed at least 66 people in Beit Lahiya and injured dozens. In Sheikh Radian at least 22 people, including children, were killed in the air strikes and at least 7 people, including one child, were killed in Al-Mawasi.

The United Nations has raised alarm about dire humanitarian conditions in northern Gaza, where no significant aid has been delivered for 40 days due to an ongoing siege by Israeli forces. According to the UN, 65,000 to 75,000 people in areas like Beit Hanoun, Beit Lahia, and Jabalia face severe shortages of food and other essentials.

The UN Security Council is set to vote on Wednesday on a resolution demanding an “immediate, unconditional, and permanent ceasefire” in Gaza, along with the release of all hostages. However, the United States, a key ally of Israel, may block the draft, which has already drawn criticism from Israeli officials.  

At least 34 people, including many women and children, were killed in an Israeli air strike targeting a five-story residential building in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza, according to Gaza’s civil defence agency. Seven others were injured, and dozens are believed to remain trapped under the rubble.