Israeli troops capture around 100 Hamas militants in north Gaza hospital, military says

Israeli troops capture around 100 Hamas militants in north Gaza hospital, military says
The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza accused Israeli forces of storming the last functioning hospital in the territory's north in a raid it said left two children dead, while the military said it was unaware of live fire or strikes in the area. (File/AFP)
Short Url
Updated 28 October 2024
Follow

Israeli troops capture around 100 Hamas militants in north Gaza hospital, military says

Israeli troops capture around 100 Hamas militants in north Gaza hospital, military says
  • Gaza health officials have denied any militant presence at the hospital
  • Medical staffers refused to evacuate the hospital or leave their patients unattended

JERUSALEM: Israeli soldiers captured around 100 suspected Hamas militants during a raid in Kamal Adwan hospital in northern Gaza, the military said on Monday.
Gaza health officials and Hamas have denied any militant presence at the hospital, which Israeli forces stormed on Friday and left on Saturday.
“The soldiers apprehended approximately 100 terrorists from the compound, including terrorists who attempted to escape during the evacuation of civilians. Inside the hospital, they found weapons, terror funds, and intelligence documents,” the military said.
Gaza’s health ministry said the troops had detained dozens of male medical staffers and damaged the hospital, which had already been struggling to operate with heavy Israeli raids in the area.
“A few of the fully identified terrorists disguised themselves as medical staff so we didn’t have any alternative but to check the medical staff as well,” a military official told journalists in an online briefing.
Footage circulated by Gaza’s health ministry on Saturday — which Reuters could not immediately verify — showed damage to several buildings after the Israeli forces withdrew.
The military official said that troops had caused limited damage to the hospital when entering it and that soldiers also had to destroy what he described as “dual use” equipment, like oxygen tanks, which if detonated could have harmed anyone at the complex.
Medical staffers refused to evacuate the hospital or leave their patients unattended. Hundreds of displaced Palestinians had also been sheltering there.
“They evacuated all those who were sheltering here...They separated men from women and made two queues, it was very humiliating for our men since they took them without clothes and nothing to cover with,” said Mayssoun Alian, a hospital nurse.
The military official said that suspected Hamas men arrested were stripped to check them for weapons. “After checking them we supplied them with clothes,” he said.
Gaza medics said at least two children had died inside the intensive care unit after Israeli fire hit the generators and oxygen station in the facility on Friday.
The military said civilians at the hospital were kept safe, despite heavy fighting near the complex. Fuel, medical equipment and blood units had been provided to the hospital and electricity and oxygen supply had been ensured, it said.


Bereaved Gazans clear charred remains after deadly strike on camp

Bereaved Gazans clear charred remains after deadly strike on camp
Updated 11 sec ago
Follow

Bereaved Gazans clear charred remains after deadly strike on camp

Bereaved Gazans clear charred remains after deadly strike on camp

KHAN YOUNIS: Palestinians in the southern Gaza Strip worked on Thursday to clear bent metal sheets and charred personal belongings from tents incinerated by an Israeli airstrike on a displacement camp.

Gaza’s Civil Defense agency said that the strike on the tents in the Al-Mawasi area — designated a humanitarian zone by the Israeli army — killed 21 and injured 40, “most of them children, women and the elderly.”

Agency spokesman Mahmoud Bassal said that at least five children were among the dead, most of whose bodies were left completely burnt by fires caused by the bombing.

“We heard a huge explosion, so we rushed to the place. I saw fire and smoke in the area of the displaced people’s tents. There was chaos everywhere,” said Mahmoud Shurrab, 39, who lives in his home in Al-Mawasi.

“The bodies were burned, limbs were everywhere, and there was a huge fire in dozens of tents,” said Shurrab, who lost four family members in the strike.

AFP could not independently verify Shurrab’s allegations but saw the large fire caused by the bombings Wednesday night.

On Thursday, an AFP journalist saw a large crater several meters deep in the sandy ground caused by the bomb’s impact, as well as piles of bent metal sheets that had been used for makeshift shelters.

Men carried a body away from the rubble wrapped in blankets used as a shroud.

The Israeli army said that the strike targeted “senior Hamas terrorists who were involved in terrorist activities” in Al-Mawasi.

Eyewitnesses told AFP journalists on the ground that about 50 tents for the displaced were burned in fires caused by the strike.

“A missile explosion shook the area, and a mass of flames and fire set the area alight,” Ahmad Al-Siqali, a displaced man in Khan Younis, said as he stood surrounded by the remains of the shelters that previously housed displaced families.

“Seconds later, the remains of the martyrs, women and children, who were safe in their tents, were scattered ... in the streets and on top of the tents,” Siqali added.

Ezz El-Din Abu Subha, a civil defense agency paramedic who was dispatched to the site, said that after the first Israeli strike, “we were helping the injured and helping the citizens and also retrieving the bodies, and the place was targeted again.”

“The place is full of tents for the displaced, sheltering people from all areas, most of them from different families displaced from Rafah, and each family has a tent,” he added.

Al-Mawasi is a coastal area in Khan Younis that Israeli forces unilaterally declared a humanitarian zone in the early days of the war, urging displaced Palestinians to move there.

As the nearly 14-month-long war has dragged on and almost all of Gaza’s 2.4 million inhabitants have been displaced, tents and makeshift shelters have covered the sandy area.

The area has repeatedly been hit by Israeli forces, including in significant deadly strikes in September and July.

The Oct. 7, 2023, attack sparked the war in Gaza.

Israel’s retaliatory military campaign in Gaza has resulted in at least 44,580 deaths, mostly civilians, according to data from the territory’s Health Ministry, which the UN considers reliable.


Hamas official says Gaza ceasefire talks have resumed after weekslong hiatus

Hamas official says Gaza ceasefire talks have resumed after weekslong hiatus
Updated 4 min 42 sec ago
Follow

Hamas official says Gaza ceasefire talks have resumed after weekslong hiatus

Hamas official says Gaza ceasefire talks have resumed after weekslong hiatus
  • There has been a “reactivation” of efforts in recent days to end the fighting, release hostages from Gaza and free Palestinian prisoners, according to Hamas official Bassem Naim
  • Another official familiar with the talks confirmed the return of Qatari mediators

ISTANBUL: A Hamas official said Thursday that international mediators have resumed negotiating with the militant group and Israel over a ceasefire in Gaza, and that he was hopeful a deal to end the 14-month war was within reach.
Ceasefire negotiations were halted last month when Qatar suspended talks with mediators from Egypt and the United States because of frustration over a lack of progress between Israel and Hamas. But there has been a “reactivation” of efforts in recent days to end the fighting, release hostages from Gaza and free Palestinian prisoners in Israel, according to Bassem Naim, an official in Hamas’ political bureau who spoke with AP in Turkiye.
Another official familiar with the talks confirmed the return of Qatari mediators. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the negotiations with the media.
Since the talks broke down, there have been significant shifts in the global and regional landscape. Donald Trump won the US presidential election, and a ceasefire was declared last week between Israel and Hamas ally Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Trump is a staunch supporter of Israel, but Naim said he believes the incoming administration could “affect the situation positively” given that Trump had made halting wars in the region part of his campaign platform. Trump this week called for the release of all hostages held in Gaza by the time he takes office on Jan. 20, saying there would be “hell to pay” if that doesn’t happen.
Previous rounds of negotiations focused on variations of a proposal calling for a multiphased ceasefire — beginning with a preliminary six-week halt in fighting during which female, elderly and sick hostages would be freed in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
During that time, Israel would pull back some forces, and displaced Palestinians would be allowed to return home. The sides would also begin talks on the next phase that would include the full withdrawal of Israeli forces, the release of remaining hostages and the terms of a permanent end to the war. A third, final phase would focus on reconstruction.
Naim said that no “solid, well-formed” new ceasefire proposal has yet been presented to Hamas. And even though ceasefire talks have broken down on multiple occasions throughout the war, he added: “I think it is not a big challenge to reach a deal … if there are intentions on the other side.”
Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking around 250 people hostage. Israel’s blistering retaliatory offensive has killed at least 44,500 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, whose count does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.
In the negotiations to end the conflict, the two sides have been at odds on some major points, including whether any halt in the fighting would be permanent or temporary and whether Israeli forces would withdraw from all of the enclave, and on what timetable. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel will maintain a long-term military presence in the territory and vowed to dismantle Hamas’ military capabilities and ensure that the militant group never governs again.
Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff met separately in recent weeks with Netanyahu and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani to discuss Gaza ceasefire talks, according to a US official who spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to comment publicly.
In an interview with British broadcaster Sky News on Wednesday, the Qatari prime minister said officials in his country are aiming to reach a ceasefire before president-elect Trump takes office.
Naim said Hamas is sticking to the core demands it has held to during previous rounds of negotiations, including a permanent ceasefire, total withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip, and the right of internally displaced Palestinians in Gaza to return to their homes. But he also said the Palestinian militant group is “ready to show flexibility” on implementation, including on the timeline for withdrawal of Israeli forces from key parts of Gaza.
A previous round of talks in August reached an impasse in part because Israel demanded that it after any ceasefire it should maintain a military presence in the Philadelphi corridor, a strategic strip along the enclave’s border with Egypt, and in the Netzarim corridor that cuts from east to west across the territory’s midsection.
“There can be a discussion about these points, but at the end, Israel has to withdraw totally from the Philadelphi corridor, and the Rafah border (with Egypt) has to be opened immediately,” Naim said.
Naim said Palestinian factions were also making progress in deciding who would rule Gaza politically after the war. He confirmed that Hamas and its rival Fatah — which dominates the Western-backed Palestinian Authority — have reached an agreement in principle on forming a temporary committee of Palestinian technocrats that would govern Gaza in the immediate aftermath of the war. Under this arrangement, Hamas would give up its political rule of the enclave, but not lay down its arms.
“Originally we are a Palestinian national liberation movement. We are not a movement to govern,” he said. “When it comes to the military wing ... as long as we are people under occupation, we have all the right to resist this occupation by all means, including armed resistance.
Israel says it will never let Hamas rule Gaza again, and is demanding the group disarm.
Hamas political official Khalil Al-Hayya had previously told AP that if an independent Palestinian state were established along 1967 borders, the group would lay down its arms. Naim said that remains the group’s position.
“Resistance, including armed resistance, is a tool,” he said. “It is not a goal in itself.”


An Israeli strike on a Gaza hospital kills a teen in a wheelchair

An Israeli strike on a Gaza hospital kills a teen in a wheelchair
Updated 19 min 3 sec ago
Follow

An Israeli strike on a Gaza hospital kills a teen in a wheelchair

An Israeli strike on a Gaza hospital kills a teen in a wheelchair
  • Dr. Hossam Abu Safiya said an Israeli drone deliberately targeted patients and staff
  • Mahmoud Abu Al-Aish, a patient being taken in a wheelchair to the radiology department, got killed

GAZA: An Israeli drone strike on a hospital compound in northern Gaza on Thursday killed a 16-year-old boy in a wheelchair and wounded at least 12 other people, including medical staff, the Gaza Health Ministry and the hospital director said.
Dr. Hossam Abu Safiya said an Israeli drone deliberately targeted patients and staff at the entrance to the reception and emergency area of Kamal Adwan Hospital, killing Mahmoud Abu Al-Aish, a patient being taken in a wheelchair to the radiology department.
Abu Safiya spoke in a video he posted on social media, standing inside the hospital as doctors operated on a wounded man behind him, calling it, “The injured treating the injured.”
Abu Safiya was wounded in his thigh and back by an Israeli drone strike on the hospital last month.
Israel says it goes to great lengths to avoid harming civilians as it battles Hamas.
Kamal Adwan Hospital has been struck multiple times over the past two months since Israel launched a fierce military operation in northern Gaza against Hamas militants. In October, Israeli forces raided the hospital, saying that militants were sheltering inside and arrested a number of people, including some staff. Hospital officials denied the claim.
The United Nations humanitarian office estimates up to 75,000 people remain in the northern towns of Beit Hanoun, Beit Lahiya and the Jabaliya refugee camp.
The area has been almost completely sealed off from humanitarian aid for two months and experts have warned that a famine may have set in.
A medical relief team from the UN World Health Organization was able to reach Kamal Adwan Hospital on Monday, delivering 10,000 liters of fuel (2,640 gallons), blood supplies, essential medical items and food.


Israeli court rejects Netanyahu’s request to limit how often he’ll testify

Israeli court rejects Netanyahu’s request to limit how often he’ll testify
Updated 05 December 2024
Follow

Israeli court rejects Netanyahu’s request to limit how often he’ll testify

Israeli court rejects Netanyahu’s request to limit how often he’ll testify
  • Netanyahu’s lawyers have made numerous requests to delay his testimony
  • Netanyahu is charged with fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes

JERUSALEM: An Israeli court on Thursday rejected a request from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to limit the number of days each week he’ll have to testify when he finally takes the the stand in his years-long corruption trial.
Netanyahu’s lawyers have made numerous requests to delay his testimony, which is expected to begin next Tuesday and last several weeks.
His lawyers had requested that he testify fewer than three days a week, because of the demands of dealing with the Mideast wars and the fighting in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon.
Jerusalem district court judges ruled on Thursday that they “found no compelling reason” to allow the request.
Netanyahu is charged with fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in three separate scandals in which he is accused of trading favors with powerful media moguls and wealthy associates.
He denies wrongdoing.


Hezbollah chief says group will be by Syria’s side amid militant offensive

Hezbollah chief says group will be by Syria’s side amid militant offensive
Updated 05 December 2024
Follow

Hezbollah chief says group will be by Syria’s side amid militant offensive

Hezbollah chief says group will be by Syria’s side amid militant offensive
  • Qassem denounced “terrorist groups” who want to “destroy Syria again... to bring down the government“
  • He did not elaborate on what sort of support his group might provide

BEIRUT: Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem said Thursday that his Lebanese militant group, an ally of Syrian President Bashar Assad, would be by Damascus’s side as Islamist-led militants press a sweeping offensive.
In a televised address, Qassem denounced “terrorist groups” who want to “destroy Syria again... to bring down the government” and “create chaos.”
“They will not be able to achieve their goals despite what they have done in past days, and we as Hezbollah will be by Syria’s side in thwarting the goals of this aggression as much as we can,” Qassem said.
He did not elaborate on what sort of support his group might provide, but Hezbollah suffered heavy losses in its war with Israel which ended with a fragile ceasefire on November 27, the day the Syria militants launched their offensive.
Qassem accused the United States and Israel of supporting “takfiri” factions, a term the Shiite Muslim group uses to refer to jihadists or supporters of radical Sunni Islam.
Militant group Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS), led by Al-Qaeda’s former Syria branch, and allied factions launched the surprise attack and have since seized the major cities of Aleppo and Hama.
The militants’ advance in Aleppo province was in an area where pro-Iran groups including Hezbollah had previously had a significant presence, before drawing it down in recent months in the face of the war with Israel.
Hezbollah has openly backed Assad’s forces since 2013.
Hezbollah fighters helped Assad regain territory lost earlier in the civil war which broke out in 2011 after the repression of anti-government protests.