US tells Israel to distinguish between Hamas and Gaza civilians

US tells Israel to distinguish between Hamas and Gaza civilians
1 / 2
A Palestinian woman hangs laundry washed using sea water due to the lack of fresh water and electricity, along the beach in Deir el-Balah in the southern Gaza Strip on October 29, 2023, amid another invasion by Israeli forces. (AFP)
US tells Israel to distinguish between Hamas and Gaza civilians
2 / 2
Israeli army tanks and bulldozers are seen crossing the border into Gaza on October 29, 2023 amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. (AFP)
Short Url
Updated 30 October 2023
Follow

US tells Israel to distinguish between Hamas and Gaza civilians

US tells Israel to distinguish between Hamas and Gaza civilians
  • Biden discusses protection of civilian lives in phone call with Egyptian president
  • Hamas preventing civilians from leaving Gaza, US national security adviser says

WASHINGTON: Israel must protect innocent Gaza residents by distinguishing between Hamas militants and civilians, the White House warned Sunday as President Joe Biden promised a significant increase in aid to the Palestinian territory.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have been urged to avoid civilian casualties in Gaza. Health officials in that Hamas-run territory say more than 8,000 people — half of them children — have already died in three weeks of air strikes conducted in retaliation for the deadly Hamas attacks into Israel on October 7.
Biden discussed protection of civilian lives in a phone call Sunday with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, in which the two leaders “committed to the significant acceleration and increase of assistance flowing into Gaza beginning today and then continuously,” according to a readout from the White House.
The call came as the Biden administration emphasized the need to protect civilian lives amid the ongoing conflict.
“The IDF, the Israeli government, should be taking every possible means available to them to distinguish between Hamas — terrorists, who are legitimate military targets — and civilians, who are not,” US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said on CNN talk show “State of the Union.”
Biden delivered a message to Netanyahu himself Sunday when the two spoke on a call to discuss developments in Gaza.
During the conversation, Biden “underscored the need to immediately and significantly increase the flow of humanitarian assistance to meet the needs of civilians in Gaza,” according to a readout of the conversation from the White House.
“The president reiterated that Israel has every right and responsibility to defend its citizens from terrorism and underscored the need to do so in a manner consistent with international humanitarian law that prioritizes the protection of civilians,” the readout said.
But Sullivan emphasized on CNN that “we do believe that thousands of Palestinian civilians have been killed in this bombardment, and every single one of those deaths is a tragedy.”
Speaking on ABC’s “This Week” as he made a round of Sunday talk shows, Sullivan added that Hamas, a “brutal terrorist organization,” is “hiding behind the civilian population.”
Hamas has been using civilians as “human shields” and putting rockets and other “terrorist infrastructure” in civilian areas, he said.
“But it doesn’t lessen their (Israel’s) responsibility under international humanitarian law and the laws of war to do all in their power to protect the civilian population.”
The national security adviser also said that US officials are working to help secure the release of more than 220 hostages being held in Gaza by Hamas, as well as to help the hundreds of Palestinian Americans stuck in Gaza.
“Many of them are still there, still waiting to get out, and we are working actively to try to make that happen,” Sullivan told CBS show “Face the Nation.”
But he said that while neighboring Egypt and Israel are prepared to let Americans and other foreign nationals leave Gaza, “Hamas is preventing their departure.”
The latest violence began on October 7 when Hamas militants stormed across the Gaza border in the deadliest attack in Israel’s history, killing 1,400 people, mostly civilians, according to Israeli officials.


Iran in diplomatic push to seek halt in violence

raqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein (R) welcomes his Iranian counterpart Seyed Abbas Araghchi (C) in Baghdad on October 13, 2024.
raqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein (R) welcomes his Iranian counterpart Seyed Abbas Araghchi (C) in Baghdad on October 13, 2024.
Updated 7 sec ago
Follow

Iran in diplomatic push to seek halt in violence

raqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein (R) welcomes his Iranian counterpart Seyed Abbas Araghchi (C) in Baghdad on October 13, 2024.
  • At a joint news conference with his Iraqi counterpart, Araghchi said in Iraq that his country was “fully prepared for a war situation ... but we do not want war, we want peace”

TEHRAN: Iran held a series of diplomatic talks on Sunday, with President Masoud Pezeshkian seeking support from France’s Emmanuel Macron for a ceasefire in Lebanon, and the foreign minister visiting Iraq while on a regional tour.
According to a statement on Iran’s presidential website, Pezeshkian and Macron discussed ways to secure a ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel as the Iranian leader condemned Israel’s “crimes” in Gaza and Lebanon.
Macron’s office said he called on Pezeshkian to support “a general de-escalation and to use its influence in this direction with the destabilising actors that enjoy its support.”
Iran backs Hamas, which is battling Israel in Gaza, and Hezbollah, which is fighting Israel in Lebanon.
Israel has vowed to retaliate against an Iranian missile strike on October 1, raising fears of the wars in Gaza and Lebanon morphing into an all-out regional conflict.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was meanwhile in Iraq on Sunday, a neighbor and ally of his government, as part of a series of visits in the region for talks on the wars in Lebanon and Gaza.
Araghchi said there would be “no red lines” in defending the country’s people and interests, adding that efforts would continue to “contain an all-out war in our region.”
Iran has said its launch of 200 missiles on Israel earlier this month was retaliation for the killing of Tehran-backed militant leaders in the region and a general in its Revolutionary Guards.
At a joint news conference with his Iraqi counterpart, Araghchi said in Iraq that his country was “fully prepared for a war situation ... but we do not want war, we want peace.”
He also said Iran would continue consultations “to prevent the escalation of tension in the region and to work for peace” and a ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon.
After his visit to Iraq, Araghchi headed to Oman, IRNA state news agency reported.
On Thursday, he had been in Qatar, where he met Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, whose government has been mediating talks aimed at securing a Gaza ceasefire and has also called for a truce in Lebanon.
On Wednesday, Araghchi met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, during his trip to the Kingdom.

 

 


Israel rescuers say over 60 wounded in area Hezbollah claimed drone strike

An ambulance arrives at the site of a drone strike near the northern Israeli town of Binyamina, on October 13, 2024. (AFP)
An ambulance arrives at the site of a drone strike near the northern Israeli town of Binyamina, on October 13, 2024. (AFP)
Updated 25 min 24 sec ago
Follow

Israel rescuers say over 60 wounded in area Hezbollah claimed drone strike

An ambulance arrives at the site of a drone strike near the northern Israeli town of Binyamina, on October 13, 2024. (AFP)
  • Hezbollah said it launched “a squadron of attack drones” at a military training camp in Binyamina, south of Haifa, in response to Israeli air strikes on Lebanon

JERUSALEM: An Israeli volunteer rescue service on Sunday said more than 60 people were wounded south of Haifa, where Hezbollah earlier claimed a drone strike that targeted a military base.
“With the help of United Hatzalah ambulance teams, we provided assistance to over 60 wounded people with varying degrees of injuries — critical, serious, moderate and mild,” the rescue service United Hatzalah said in a statement posted on its Facebook page.
Earlier Sunday, Hezbollah, which is at war with Israel, said it launched “a squadron of attack drones” at a military training camp in Binyamina, south of Haifa, in response to Israeli air strikes on the country.
The incident comes two days after air raid sirens sounded in central Israel after two aerial drones entered the country from Lebanon, with at least one building damaged north of Tel Aviv during the incident.
Hezbollah has been regularly firing rockets and drones across the border into Israel for more than a year, but has reached further since late September when fighting escalated.
Israel’s sophisticated air defenses, including the Iron Dome system, has intercepted most of the projectiles, with few casualties caused by strikes or falling debris.


Lebanese demand justice for journalist killed by Israeli tank fire

Lebanese demand justice for journalist killed by Israeli tank fire
Updated 30 min 38 sec ago
Follow

Lebanese demand justice for journalist killed by Israeli tank fire

Lebanese demand justice for journalist killed by Israeli tank fire
  • CPJ chief executive Jodie Ginsberg said that “in spite of extensive evidence of a war crime, a year on from the attack, Israel has faced zero accountability for the targeting of journalists”

BEIRUT, Lebanon: Lebanese journalists and activists Sunday demanded justice for Reuters journalist Issam Abdallah, who was killed a year earlier in what probes said was Israeli tank fire while covering cross-border clashes in south Lebanon.
Two strikes in quick succession on October 13, 2023 killed Reuters journalist Issam Abdallah, 37, and wounded six other journalists including AFP photographer Christina Assi and video journalist Dylan Collins.
Assi later had a leg amputated and spent five months in intensive care in hospital as a result of the attack.
Two investigations have pointed to an Israeli tank being behind the attack, but Israel has denied it targets “civilians, including journalists.”
Friends and acquaintances on Sunday shared photos Abdallah had taken, or pictures of him.
Legal Agenda, a non-governmental organization, posted on social media: “A year after the killing of photographer Issam Abdullah, Israeli impunity continues.”
Lebanese rights group Maharat called on the international community to “implement treaties, resolutions and commitments to protect journalist.”
In a post on X, journalist Salman Andary demanded “justice for Issam and for all the victims of this crime.”
Economist Jad Chaaban wrote on X: “Israel killed... Abdallah, by shelling a clearly marked press spot in the South of Lebanon.”
“The Israeli army is still carrying out mass executions until today with total impunity,” he said.
After nearly a year of cross-border fire, Israel on September 23 escalated its campaign targeting Hezbollah in Lebanon.
More than 1,200 people have since been killed in Lebanon, according to a tally of official figures, and more than a million have been displaced.
On Thursday, the Committee to Protect Journalists decried a lack of accountability for Israel over the killing of Abdallah.
CPJ chief executive Jodie Ginsberg said that “in spite of extensive evidence of a war crime, a year on from the attack, Israel has faced zero accountability for the targeting of journalists.”
The journalists were working near the border village of Alma Al-Shaab in an area that has been the site of near-daily clashes between the Israeli army and Hezbollah.
An AFP investigation in December pointed to a tank shell only used by the Israeli army being fired in the attack.
A separate Reuters probe, including initial findings from the Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research (TNO), found two Israeli tank rounds fired from the same position across the border were used.
TNO’s final report said an Israeli tank crew then “likely” opened fire on them with a machine gun.
An Israeli military spokesman said after the strike: “We are very sorry for the journalist’s death,” adding that Israel was “looking into” the incident, without taking responsibility.
 

 


Palestinian detainee dies in Israel custody

Palestinian detainee dies in Israel custody
Updated 13 October 2024
Follow

Palestinian detainee dies in Israel custody

Palestinian detainee dies in Israel custody
  • Israel currently detains more than 9,600 Palestinians — including more than 5,000 who were arrested after Oct. 7, 2023, following the outbreak of war in Gaza

RAMALLAH: Two Palestinian organizations that monitor the conditions of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails announced on Sunday the death of a detainee in an Israeli hospital.
The Palestinian Commission of Detainees’ Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club reported that Israeli officials had informed Palestinian officials about the “martyrdom of prisoner Mohammed Munir Moussa from Bethlehem at Soroka Hospital in Israel.”
Moussa, 37, had been detained by Israel since April 2023 and had been suffering from diabetes before his arrest. Until now, there was no information available about the circumstances of his death, according to the two Palestinian organizations.
Israel currently detains more than 9,600 Palestinians — including more than 5,000 who were arrested after Oct. 7, 2023, following the outbreak of war in Gaza triggered by Hamas’ attack on southern Israel — according to data provided by Palestinian officials.
The head of the Palestinian Commission of Detainees, Qaddura Fares, accused Israel of taking “revenge” on Palestinian detainees after the Hamas attack.
His agency is part of the Palestinian Authority, which has partial administrative control in the West Bank.
With the death of Moussa, the number of Palestinian detainees who have died in Israeli custody has risen to 41 since October 7, 2023, according to Palestinian officials.
Of those, 24 were from Gaza.
Since Israel occupied the West Bank in 1967, 278 Palestinians are known to have died in Israeli prisons, according to these organizations.
The issue of detainees in Israel has become a central point in the war between Israel and Hamas, with the Palestinian movement demanding the release of a large number of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the release of Israeli hostages taken captive during the attack that began the war.
Out of 251 people taken hostage by militants on Oct. 7 last year, 97 are still being held inside the Gaza Strip, including 34 who the Israeli military says are dead.

 


Macron calls on Iran’s president to back Mideast ‘de-escalation’

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian on Sunday held a phone call with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron. (File/AFP)
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian on Sunday held a phone call with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron. (File/AFP)
Updated 13 October 2024
Follow

Macron calls on Iran’s president to back Mideast ‘de-escalation’

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian on Sunday held a phone call with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron. (File/AFP)
  • Iranian presidential website said that in his conversation with Macron, Pezeshkian had called for an end to “crimes” in Lebanon and Gaza

TEHRAN: French President Emmanuel Macron called on Iran’s leader Masoud Pezeshkian to support a “general de-escalation” in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon in a telephone conversation Sunday, his office said.
Macron stressed “the responsibility of Iran to support a general de-escalation and to use its influence in this direction with the destabilising actors that enjoy its support.” Iran-backed Hezbollah fighters are fighting Israeli troops in Lebanon.
The Iranian presidential website said that in his conversation with Macron, Pezeshkian had called for an end to “crimes” in Lebanon and Gaza.
They discussed ways to secure a “ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel,” a statement on the website said.
Pezeshkian “asked the French president to work together with other European countries to force the Zionist regime to stop the genocide and crimes in Gaza and Lebanon,” the statement added.