Hamas leader slams Israel’s ‘heinous massacres’

Palestinians evacuate a body from a site hit by an Israeli bombardment on Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Saturday, July 13, 2024. (AP)
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Palestinians evacuate a body from a site hit by an Israeli bombardment on Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Saturday, July 13, 2024. (AP)
Hamas leader slams Israel’s ‘heinous massacres’
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Medical personnel at the al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital prepare a young victim for burial after she was killed in an Israeli bombing in Deir el-Balah in the central Gaza Strip on July 13, 2024. (AFP)
Hamas leader slams Israel’s ‘heinous massacres’
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A Palestinian woman mourns by the body of a relative killed in an Israeli strike which hit a makeshift prayer hall at al-Shati refugee camp west of Gaza City on July 13, 2024 amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the militant Hamas group in Gaza. (AFP)
Hamas leader slams Israel’s ‘heinous massacres’
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Palestinians inspect the damage at a site hit by an Israeli bombardment on Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Saturday, July 13, 2024. (AP)
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Updated 14 July 2024
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Hamas leader slams Israel’s ‘heinous massacres’

Hamas leader slams Israel’s ‘heinous massacres’
  • Haniyeh denounced comments made by Netanyahu as well as “new conditions and points” in the ceasefire proposal that was first outlined by US President Joe Biden in May

GAZA CITY: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh on Saturday accused Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of seeking to block a ceasefire in the Gaza war with “heinous massacres” carried out by Israeli forces, a statement by the Palestinian militant group said.
The head of the political bureau of the group, which is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union and several other countries, called on international mediators to act following two attacks in Gaza that Palestinian officials said killed more than 100 people.
An Israeli strike on the Al Mawasi camp for displaced persons, which Israel said had targeted the Hamas military chief, left at least 90 dead and 300 wounded, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.




Hamas’ political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh. (AFP file photo)

The civil defense agency said at least 20 people were killed in a strike on a makeshift mosque at Al-Shati refugee camp in northern Gaza.
The Hamas statement said Haniyeh contacted officials in Qatar and Egypt, which are seeking to mediate in the war set off by the Hamas October 7 attacks, as well as Oman and Turkiye to discuss the “brutal massacres.”
He said Hamas had shown “a positive and responsible response” to new proposals for a ceasefire and prisoner exchange, but “the Israeli position taken by Netanyahu was to place obstacles that prevent reaching an agreement,” according to the Hamas statement.
Haniyeh also denounced comments made by Netanyahu as well as “new conditions and points” in the ceasefire proposal that was first outlined by US President Joe Biden in May.
“This is also linked to the heinous massacres committed by the occupation army today,” he was quoted as saying.
Haniyeh called on the mediators “to do what is necessary with the American administration and others to stop these massacres.” Qatar and Egypt have both condemned the Israeli strikes.
The statement said Haniyeh would hold more contacts.
Netanyahu has insisted that Israel will destroy Hamas and bring back all hostages taken during the October 7 attack.
Following talks this week, Netanyahu also introduced a new condition that Israel must retain control of territory on Gaza’s border with Egypt to stop arms smuggling to Hamas.
Netanyahu told a press conference on Saturday that Israel’s military pressure had forced Hamas to seek a ceasefire, and that Hamas had sought 29 changes to the ceasefire proposal.
“I am not moving a millimeter from the outline that President Biden’s gave his blessing to, but I am also not allowing Hamas to move a millimeter,” Netanyahu said.
 

 


Lebanon media says UN peacekeepers hurt in Israeli strike

Lebanon media says UN peacekeepers hurt in Israeli strike
Updated 5 sec ago
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Lebanon media says UN peacekeepers hurt in Israeli strike

Lebanon media says UN peacekeepers hurt in Israeli strike
  • National News Agency: ‘Enemy aircraft targeted a car in Sidon near the army checkpoint’
  • Vehicles from the UNIFIL peacekeeping force were in the ‘same lane’ during the raid
SIDON, Lebanon: UN peacekeepers in Lebanon were wounded on Thursday in an Israeli strike near their vehicle at the entrance to the southern city of Sidon, the official National News Agency said.
“Enemy aircraft targeted a car in Sidon near the army checkpoint,” NNA said, adding vehicles from the UNIFIL peacekeeping force were in the “same lane” during the raid, which led to injuries among its members who were receiving treatment at the scene.

Hezbollah does not pin ceasefire hopes on any US administration, lawmaker says

Hezbollah does not pin ceasefire hopes on any US administration, lawmaker says
Updated 19 min 17 sec ago
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Hezbollah does not pin ceasefire hopes on any US administration, lawmaker says

Hezbollah does not pin ceasefire hopes on any US administration, lawmaker says

BEIRUT: Hezbollah welcomes any effort to stop the war in Lebanon but does not pin its hopes for a ceasefire on any particular US administration, Hezbollah lawmaker Ibrahim Al-Moussawi said on Thursday, when asked about Donald Trump’s election victory.


France sees ‘window’ to end Gaza, Lebanon wars after Trump win

France sees ‘window’ to end Gaza, Lebanon wars after Trump win
Updated 37 min 18 sec ago
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France sees ‘window’ to end Gaza, Lebanon wars after Trump win

France sees ‘window’ to end Gaza, Lebanon wars after Trump win

JERUSALEM: French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said Thursday in Jerusalem he saw prospects for ending Israel’s wars in Gaza and Lebanon after Donald Trump was elected US president.
“I believe a window has opened for putting an end to the tragedy in which Israelis, Palestinians and the entire region have been immersed since October 7” last year, Barrot told reporters in Jerusalem.
Speaking alongside outgoing Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz, Barrot cited Trump’s “wish to see the end of the Middle East’s endless wars” as well as Israel’s recent “tactical successes.”
Barrot said he hoped a “diplomatic solution” would emerge “in the coming weeks.”
“Force alone will not be enough to guarantee Israel’s security,” he said, adding that “military success could not be a substitute for a political perspective.”
“It is time to move toward a deal that would allow for the liberation of all hostages, a ceasefire and the mass entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza, and to prepare for the day after.”
Barrot said “Israel has the right to defend itself” but pointed to “colonization,” “humanitarian aid restrictions” and “the continuation of air strikes in north Gaza” as risk factors for Israel’s security.
Barrot is expected to speak with Palestinian Authority president Mahmud Abbas and his prime minister, Muhammad Mustafa


Israel signs $5.2 billion deal to acquire 25 F-15 fighter jets from Boeing

Israel signs $5.2 billion deal to acquire 25 F-15 fighter jets from Boeing
Updated 57 min 56 sec ago
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Israel signs $5.2 billion deal to acquire 25 F-15 fighter jets from Boeing

Israel signs $5.2 billion deal to acquire 25 F-15 fighter jets from Boeing
  • The $5.2 billion agreement was part of a broader package of US aid
  • Delivery of the new F-15IA aircraft will begin in 2031

JERUSALEM: The Israeli defense ministry said on Thursday it had signed an agreement to acquire 25 next generation F-15 fighter jets from Boeing Co.
It said the $5.2 billion agreement was part of a broader package of US aid approved by the US administration and Congress earlier this year and included an option for 25 additional aircraft.
Delivery of the new F-15IA aircraft will begin in 2031, with 4-6 aircraft to be supplied annually, it said.
The aircraft will be equipped with weapons systems integrated with existing Israeli weapons as well as having increased range and payloads.
“These advantages will enable the Israeli Air Force to maintain its strategic superiority in addressing current and future challenges in the Middle East,” the ministry said in a statement.
“This F-15 squadron, alongside the third F-35 squadron procured earlier this year, represents a historic enhancement of our air power and strategic reach — capabilities that proved crucial during the current war,” the director general of the defense ministry, Eyal Zamir, said in the statement.
Zamir said that the government has secured procurement agreements worth nearly $40 billion since the onset of the war in Gaza that began Oct. 7, 2023.
“While focusing on immediate needs for advanced weaponry and ammunition at unprecedented levels, we’re simultaneously investing in long-term strategic capabilities,” he said.
For Boeing, the F-15 agreement is the second major deal this year. In August, flag carrier El Al Israel Airlines, signed a deal with Boeing for the purchase of up to 31 737 MAX aircraft worth as much as $2.5 billion, beating out rival Airbus.
Ido Nehushtan, president of Boeing Israel, said the company’s relationship dates back to Israel’s establishment and “will continue working with the US and Israeli governments to deliver the advanced F-15IA aircraft through standard military procurement channels.”


Erdogan phones Trump to discuss cooperation

Erdogan phones Trump to discuss cooperation
Updated 07 November 2024
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Erdogan phones Trump to discuss cooperation

Erdogan phones Trump to discuss cooperation

ISTANBUL: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has spoken by phone with US president-elect Donald Trump to discuss cooperation between the two countries, the presidency said on Thursday.
Erdogan “congratulated Trump on his election victory” and “expressed his desire to develop cooperation between Turkiye and the United States in the period ahead,” it said in a statement.
Erdogan was twice hosted at the White House by Trump during his first term, but has never been received there by current President Joe Biden.