Gaza death toll surpasses 40,000, health ministry says

Gaza death toll surpasses 40,000, health ministry says
A Palestinian man mourns his 4-day-old twin relatives, killed in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip, as he holds their birth certificates, at a hospital morgue in Deir al-Balah. (File/AP)
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Updated 15 August 2024
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Gaza death toll surpasses 40,000, health ministry says

Gaza death toll surpasses 40,000, health ministry says
  • Israel’s offensive has also wounded 92,401 people and displaced over 85 percent of the population from their homes
  • The announcement came during yet another push from international mediators to broker a ceasefire

GAZA: More than 40,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, the territory’s Health Ministry said Thursday.
Israel’s offensive has also wounded 92,401 people and displaced over 85 percent of the population from their homes, the ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said. It does not distinguish between civilians and militants in its toll.
The announcement came during yet another push from international mediators to broker a ceasefire in the war, now in its 11th month.
The conflict began Oct. 7 after Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people — most of them civilians — and dragging roughly 250 hostages to Gaza.
Israel says 111 of the captives have not been released, including the bodies of 39. The hostages include 15 women and two children under the age of 5.
In Gaza, health officials have struggled to fully identify the dead as bodies stream into overwhelmed hospitals and morgues where they say the count is compiled amid the chaos of war and displacement.
In its most recent detailed report on the dead, issued Thursday, the ministry said 40,005 people have been killed. Health officials and civil defense workers say the true toll is likely thousands higher, since many bodies remain buried under the rubble of buildings destroyed in airstrikes.
Israel’s air and ground offensive in Gaza has been one of the most devastating military campaigns in recent history.
The bombardment and shelling have killed entire Palestinian families. With cemeteries often unreachable, families fleeing Israeli airstrikes bury their dead wherever possible — in backyards, along roadsides and under the staircases of their homes.
Israel says it aims to eliminate Hamas. It blames Hamas for civilian deaths because militants operate in civilian areas and have built extensive tunnel networks underneath them. Israeli forces have regularly targeted mosques, schools, hospitals and cemeteries where it claims fighters or tunnels are located, often causing civilian casualties.
The fighting has also killed 329 Israeli soldiers. The Israeli military claims around 15,000 Hamas fighters are among those killed in Gaza but has not provided evidence.
Nearly 85 percent of Gaza’s 2.3 million people have been driven from their homes, fleeing multiple times across the territory to escape ground offensives. During the war, thousands within Israel and in southern Lebanon have also been displaced.
The assault has created a massive humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The entire territory is at high risk of famine and over 495,000 people — more than a fifth of the population — are expected to experience the most severe level of hunger in the next months, according to the latest report by the leading authority on measuring hunger.
Sanitation systems have been destroyed, leaving pools of sewage and towers of garbage in tent camps packed with displaced families.
The offensive likely either damaged or destroyed 59 percent of all structures in Gaza by July 3, including 70 percent of buildings in north Gaza, according to an analysis of satellite data by Corey Scher and Jamon Van Den Hoek, experts in mapping damage during war.
The conflict has sparked fears of a wider regional war, with Lebanon’s Hezbollah and the Israeli military trading fire almost daily over their countries’ border.
More than 500 people have been killed on the Lebanese side, including some 350 Hezbollah members and 50 fighters from other militant groups, with the rest civilians. In Israel, 22 soldiers and 24 civilians have been killed.


War crimes court ends proceedings against late Hamas leader Haniyeh

War crimes court ends proceedings against late Hamas leader Haniyeh
Updated 56 min 29 sec ago
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War crimes court ends proceedings against late Hamas leader Haniyeh

War crimes court ends proceedings against late Hamas leader Haniyeh
  • The ICC is currently weighing a request for arrest warrants against Israeli and Hamas leaders made earlier this year
  • Haniyeh was assassinated in Iran on July 31

THE HAGUE: The International Criminal Court (ICC) said on Friday it had terminated proceedings against late Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh following his death in July.
The ICC is currently weighing a request for arrest warrants against Israeli and Hamas leaders made earlier this year.
In May ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan asked for arrest warrants for Hamas leaders, saying there were reasonable grounds to suspect that Yahya Sinwar, military chief Mohammed Al-Masri and Haniyeh, bore criminal responsibility for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.
In the same statement the prosecutor announced he was also seeking warrants for the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his defense minister Yoav Gallant. There has been no word of further developments on those requests.
Haniyeh was assassinated in Iran on July 31. Israel has also said it killed Al-Masri, also known as Mohammed Deif, in another airstrike, although Hamas would neither confirm or deny that.
Judges said their decision to terminate proceedings followed the withdrawal of the prosecution request for a warrant for Haniyeh earlier this month.


Bomb threat forces Vistara airline plane en route to Frankfurt to land in Turkiye

Bomb threat forces Vistara airline plane en route to Frankfurt to land in Turkiye
Updated 06 September 2024
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Bomb threat forces Vistara airline plane en route to Frankfurt to land in Turkiye

Bomb threat forces Vistara airline plane en route to Frankfurt to land in Turkiye
  • The pilots decided to land after a passenger claimed there was a bomb on board after the aircraft entered the Turkish airspace

ANKARA: A Vistara airline flight en route to Germany made a forced landing in Turkiye on Friday following a bomb threat, a Turkish official said.
Flight UK27 from Mumbai to Frankfurt, with 247 passengers and crew on board, landed at Erzurum airport, in eastern Turkiye, Gov. Mustafa Ciftci told the state-run Anadolu Agency.
All passengers were evacuated from the plane and authorities were searching the luggage, Ciftci said.


HaberTurk television said the pilots decided to land after a passenger claimed there was a bomb on board after the aircraft entered the Turkish airspace.
Authorities also shut down the airspace over Erzurum as a precaution, the governor said.
Vistara said on the X media platform that the plane was diverted to Erzurum airport due to security reasons, adding that it had landed safely.


US-Iraq deal would see hundreds of troops withdraw in first year, sources say

US-Iraq deal would see hundreds of troops withdraw in first year, sources say
Updated 06 September 2024
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US-Iraq deal would see hundreds of troops withdraw in first year, sources say

US-Iraq deal would see hundreds of troops withdraw in first year, sources say
  • Plan involves withdrawal by end of 2026, sources say, but still needs final go-ahead
  • Some troops may stay in advisory role, but Iraq said troops have become magnet for instability

BAGHDAD: The United States and Iraq have reached an understanding on plans for the withdrawal of US-led coalition forces from Iraq, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter.
The plan, which has been broadly agreed but requires a final go-ahead from both capitals and an announcement date, would see hundreds of troops leave by September 2025, with the remainder departing by the end of 2026, the sources said.
“We have an agreement, its now just a question of when to announce it,” a senior US official said.
The US and Iraq are also seeking to establish a new advisory relationship that could see some US troops remain in Iraq after the drawdown.
An official announcement was initially scheduled for weeks ago but was postponed due to regional escalation related to Israel’s war in Gaza and to iron out some remaining details, the sources said.
The sources include five US officials, two officials from other coalition nations, and three Iraqi officials, all speaking on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.
Several sources said the deal could be announced this month.
Farhad Alaaldin, foreign affairs adviser to the Iraqi prime minister, said technical talks with Washington on the coalition drawdown had concluded.
“We are now on the brink of transitioning the relationship between Iraq and members of the international coalition to a new level, focusing on bilateral relations in military, security, economic, and cultural areas,” he said.
He did not comment on details of the plan and the US-led coalition did not respond to emailed questions.
The agreement follows more than six months of talks between Baghdad and Washington, initiated by Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani in January amid attacks by Iran-backed Iraqi armed groups on US forces stationed at Iraqi bases.
The rocket and drone attacks have killed three American troops and wounded dozens more, resulting in several rounds of deadly US retaliation that threatened government efforts to stabilize Iraq after decades of conflict.
The US has approximately 2,500 troops in Iraq and 900 in neighboring Syria as part of the coalition formed in 2014 to combat Daesh as it rampaged through the two countries.
The group once held roughly a third of Iraq and Syria but was territorially defeated in Iraq at the end of 2017 and in Syria in 2019. Iraq had demonstrated its ability to handle any remaining threat, Alaaldin said.
The US initially invaded Iraq in 2003, toppling dictator Saddam Hussein before withdrawing in 2011, but returned in 2014 at the head of the coalition to fight Daesh.
Other nations, including Germany, France, Spain, and Italy, also contribute hundreds of troops to the coalition.
Under the plan, all coalition forces would leave the Ain Al-Asad air base in western Anbar province and significantly reduce their presence in Baghdad by September 2025.
US and other coalition troops are expected to remain in Irbil, in the semi-autonomous northern Kurdistan region, for approximately one additional year, until around the end of 2026, to facilitate ongoing operations against Daesh in Syria.
Exact details of troop movements are being kept secret due to their military sensitivity.
The drawdown would mark a notable shift in Washington’s military posture in the region.
While primarily focused on countering Daesh, US officials acknowledge their presence also serves as a strategic position against Iranian influence.
This position has grown more important as Israel and Iran escalate their regional confrontation, with US forces in Iraq shooting down rockets and drones fired toward Israel in recent months, according to US officials.
Prime Minister Al-Sudani has stated that, while he appreciates their help, US troops have become a magnet for instability, frequently targeted and responding with strikes often not coordinated with the Iraqi government.
The agreement, when announced, would likely present a political win for Al-Sudani as he balances Iraq’s position as an ally of both Washington and Tehran. The first phase of the drawdown would end one month before Iraqi parliamentary polls set for October 2025.
For the US, the two-year time frame provides “breathing room,” allowing for potential adjustments if the regional situation changes, a US official said.
The State Department and US Embassy in Baghdad did not respond to requests for comment.


US-Turkish dual citizen killed in anti-settler protest in West Bank

US-Turkish dual citizen killed in anti-settler protest in West Bank
Updated 06 September 2024
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US-Turkish dual citizen killed in anti-settler protest in West Bank

US-Turkish dual citizen killed in anti-settler protest in West Bank
  • The US State Department and Turkiye’s Foreign Ministry confirmed the death of Aysenur Ezgi Eygi
  • The Turkish ministry said she was killed by Israeli soldiers and described the incident as a “murder carried out by the Netanyahu government“

RAMALLAH, West Bank: A dual US-Turkish citizen taking part in a protest against settlement expansion in the Israeli-occupied West Bank died of her wounds on Friday after being shot in the head by Israeli troops, the official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.
Both the US State Department and Turkiye’s Foreign Ministry confirmed the death of Aysenur Ezgi Eygi. The Turkish ministry said she was killed by Israeli soldiers and described the incident as a “murder carried out by the Netanyahu government.”
The Israeli military said it was looking into “reports of that a foreign national was killed as a result of shots fired in the area. The details of the incident and the circumstances in which she was hit are under review.”
US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said: “We are aware of the tragic death of an American citizen, Aysenur Eygi, today in the West Bank. We offer our deepest condolences to her family and loved ones.
Miller added: “We are urgently gathering more information about the circumstances of her death, and will have more to say as we learn more. We have no higher priority than the safety and security of American citizens.”
Fouad Nafaa, the head of the Rafidia Hospital in Nablus, told Reuters the woman arrived at the hospital in a very critical condition, with a serious head injury.
“We tried to perform a resuscitation operation on her, but unfortunately she died,” he said.
WAFA said the incident occurred during a regular protest march by activists in Beita, a town near the city of Nablus that has seen repeated attacks by nationalist Jewish settlers.
“Israel is trying to intimidate all those who come to the aid of the Palestinian people and who fight peacefully against the genocide. This policy of violence will not work,” the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in its statement.
A rise in violent attacks by Israeli settlers on Palestinian villages in the West Bank has stirred growing anger among Western allies of Israel, including the United States, which has imposed sanctions on a number of individuals.
Several weeks ago around 100 settlers attacked the village of Jit, in the northern West Bank, drawing worldwide condemnation and an Israeli government promise of swift action against anyone found guilty of violence.
Palestinians and human rights groups regularly accuse Israeli forces of standing by as attacks take place and even joining in themselves.


Turkiye spy chief visits Libya amid political standoff

Turkiye spy chief visits Libya amid political standoff
Updated 06 September 2024
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Turkiye spy chief visits Libya amid political standoff

Turkiye spy chief visits Libya amid political standoff
  • A Turkish security source said on Friday that Ibrahim Kalin, head of Türkiye’s National Intelligence Agency (MIT), had met Prime Minister Abdulhamid Al-Dbeibah on Thursday
  • Kalin conveyed Ankara’s hope for conflicts in Libya to be resolved

ANKARA: Türkiye’s spy chief visited Libya as backers of the Tripoli government search for a way out of a political impasse that has shut down Libya’s oil exports and jeopardized four years of relative stability.
A Turkish security source said on Friday that Ibrahim Kalin, head of Türkiye’s National Intelligence Agency (MIT), had met Prime Minister Abdulhamid Al-Dbeibah on Thursday, as well as other officials. Dbeibah head Libya’s UN-recognized, Türkiye-backed Government of National Unity.
Kalin conveyed Ankara’s hope for conflicts in Libya to be resolved “through national agreement and for de-confliction to continue,” the source said, adding Kalin had also reiterated Ankara’s commitment to Libya’s unity and stability.
NATO member Türkiye sent military personnel to Libya in 2020 to train and support a Tripoli-based government against eastern commander Khalifa Haftar’s forces, the Libyan National Army.
Kalin’s visit, the highest level contact between the sides since Dbeibah visited Ankara in late May, comes as rival Libyan authorities work to defuse a political standoff over last month’s ousting of veteran central bank chief Sadiq Al-Kabir. The central bank receives and distributes funds from Libya’s oil exports, source of nearly all national income.
During the impasse, eastern factions had declared a shutdown to all oil production, demanding Kabir’s dismissal be halted, in a move that threatened to end four years of relative stability in Libya, which has had little peace since 2011 and was split in 2014 between eastern and western factions.