GAZA — Hamas has warned Israel that its “insistence” on getting hostages released through military pressure “will result in them returning to their families in coffins”. “New instructions have been issued to the fighters charged with guarding the prisoners regarding how to deal with them if the Israeli army approaches the detention site,” Abu Obeida, […]
Middle East
Bodies of six hostage found in Gaza Tunnel, says Israeli military
JERUSALEM — The Israeli military said Sunday that it had found the bodies of six hostages in a tunnel in the southern Gaza Strip, including a US-Israeli and a Russian-Israeli. Their remains were recovered Saturday “from an underground tunnel in the Rafah area” and returned to Israel where they were formally identified, the military said. […]
Polio vaccination campaign begins in Gaza: Health official
JERUSALEM — A health official said a polio vaccination campaign had begun in Gaza on Saturday after the war-torn territory recorded its first case of the disease in a quarter of a century. Local health officials along with the UN and NGOs “are starting today the polio vaccination campaign in the central region”, Moussa Abed, […]
Raid by US, Iraqi forces kills 15 ISIS operatives in west Iraq
WASHINGTON — A joint operation by American and Iraqi forces killed 15 members of the Islamic State group in western Iraq, with seven US troops injured during the operation, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said Friday. The raid targeted Islamic State leaders and was carried out early Thursday morning, resulting “in the death of 15 ISIS […]
14 Islamic State militants killed in military operation in Iraq
BAGHDAD — The Iraqi military said on Friday that 14 Islamic State (IS) militants were killed in a military operation in a desert in the Iraqi province of Anbar. Based on intelligence reports and the two-month monitoring of IS militants’ activities in four well-camouflaged hideouts in Anbar’s desert, the military carried out airstrikes on the […]
Israel, Hamas set three-day pauses in fighting for polio vaccinations in Gaza: WHO
UNITED NATIONS — Israel’s military and Palestinian militant group Hamas have agreed to three separate, zoned three-day pauses in fighting in Gaza to allow for the first round of vaccination of 640,000 children against polio, a senior WHO official said on Thursday. The vaccination campaign is due to start on Sunday, with the pauses scheduled […]
Delayed humanitarian pause in Gaza could fuel polio outbreak among children: UNRWA
GAZA — Delaying a humanitarian pause in the Gaza Strip increases the risk of polio spreading among children, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) has warned. Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of UNRWA, emphasised on social media platform X on Friday that simply bringing vaccines into Gaza and […]
Bus carrying Shiite pilgrims from Pakistan to Iraq crashes in Iran, killing at least 28 people
TEHRAN, IRAN — A bus carrying Shiite pilgrims from Pakistan to Iraq crashed in central Iran, killing at least 28 people, an official said Wednesday. The crash happened Tuesday night in the central Iranian province of Yazd, said Mohammad Ali Malekzadeh, a local emergency official, according to the state-run IRNA news agency. Another 23 people […]
Nearly 3 mn doses of polio vaccines delivered to Gaza since Oct 2023: Israel
JERUSALEM — Nearly 3 million doses of polio vaccines have been delivered to the Gaza Strip since the onset of the Hamas-Israel conflict in October 2023, according to Israeli authorities. A total of 282,126 vials of the polio vaccine, sufficient for 2,821,260 doses, have been sent to Gaza since the war broke out, Israel’s Coordinator […]
Hamas criticises new Gaza ceasefire proposal as favouring Netanyahu’s conditions
GAZA — Hamas has criticised the new ceasefire proposal for Gaza, presented in Doha last week, as catering to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s conditions, particularly his refusal to agree to a permanent ceasefire. The group claimed the proposal aligns with Netanyahu’s demands, including rejecting a permanent ceasefire, maintaining control over the Netzarim Corridor, Rafah […]