Kenya Insights

Tag: Israel

  • ‪Gulf States To Activate Joint Defence Pact, Doha Summit Condemns Israel Attack in Qatar‬

    ‪Gulf States To Activate Joint Defence Pact, Doha Summit Condemns Israel Attack in Qatar‬

    Doha, Qatar – An emergency summit of Arab and Islamic country leaders held in Doha has condemned Israel’s “cowardly” attack on Hamas leaders in the Qatari capital, but the participants made no promises of concrete action.

    The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)’s pledge to “activate a joint defence mechanism” may have been the most actionable result of the summit, which was opened by Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, who called the Israeli bombing “blatant, treacherous, and cowardly”.

    The GCC countries, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, have formed a defence pact to address the security concerns of the member states.

    “My country’s capital was subjected to a treacherous attack targeting a residence housing the families of Hamas leaders and their negotiating delegation,” Sheikh Tamim said in his opening speech. The Hamas leaders had been meeting to discuss the latest United States-backed proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza.

    Sheikh Tamim called for “concrete steps to address the state of madness of power, arrogance, and bloodthirstiness obsession that has befallen the government of Israel, and what resulted and continues to result from it”.

    The attack on mediators proved that Israel had “no genuine interest in peace” and was seeking to “thwart negotiations” to end the war in Gaza that has killed more than 64,800 Palestinians, he said.

    The emergency summit was organised after fury swept the region following Israeli strikes on September 9, which killed six people.

    The GCC said that consultations were already under way among the bloc’s military bodies to build up “Gulf deterrent capabilities”, with a meeting of the group’s Unified Military Command to take place soon in Doha, according to Majed Mohammed Al-Ansari, spokesman for Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

    No further details were available about the new defence mechanism, which states that an attack on one member state is an attack on all.

    “The joint statement obviously called for a meeting of the high command to be held here in Doha to discuss further steps to ensure that the safety and the joint security of the GCC countries is addressed,” Al-Ansari told Al Jazeera.

    “The GCC stands in one line,” he added.

    Israel’s expansionist vision

    The Qatari emir also warned against Israel’s expansionist vision of the region, with repeated bombings of Lebanon, Syria and Yemen. Israel has also grabbed Syrian land and refused to withdraw its forces from southern Lebanon.

    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is dreaming of making the Arab region “an Israeli sphere of influence”, Sheikh Tamim said, adding that it “is a dangerous illusion”.

    No immediate political or economic measures were announced against the Israeli aggression at the summit.

    But Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi, the secretary-general of the GCC, urged US President Donald Trump to rein in Washington’s closest ally, Israel.

    “We expect our strategic partners in the US to use their influence on Israel for it to stop this behaviour – we really do expect that,” Albudaiwi said.

    “They have leverage and influence over Israel, and it’s about time that this leverage and influence are used”.

    Despite expectations of more forceful measures, the summit’s final communique largely consisted of condemnations and pledges of solidarity.

    “We condemn in the strongest terms Israel’s cowardly and illegal attack on the State of Qatar. We respond with absolute solidarity with Qatar and support for its steps,” read the memo issued by member states of the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

    The communique also praised Qatar’s response to the attacks, voiced solidarity with Doha’s mediation role alongside Egypt and the US, and rejected any justification for further aggression.

    The member states also rejected “Israel’s repeated threats of the possibility of targeting Qatar again”.

    When questioned about these threats, as well as Israel’s resolve to target Hamas “anywhere”, Foreign Ministry spokesman Al-Ansari said Qatar would make use of the international system to hold Israel to account.

    “We will hold Israel accountable in the international community, and our tool in doing that is our belief in international law and international organisations,” he said.

    “This is why we went to the [United Nations] Security Council and now, of course, to the Arab and Islamic Organisations and GCC … we are working very closely with all our partners to make sure that we deter Prime Minister Netanyahu from attacking sovereign states again.”

    Tougher calls by individual states

    While the joint communique stopped short of hard measures, several Arab and Islamic leaders tabled stronger, more actionable responses to Israel.

    Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged Arab and Muslim leaders to apply economic pressure on Israel, arguing that “past experience has proven the success of such pressure”.

    He also called for Israeli officials to be brought to justice through international legal mechanisms.

    Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi said that “the heinous attack on Qatari territory is a grave violation of international law and sets a dangerous precedent”.

    “I say to the people of Israel that what is happening now is sabotaging the existing peace agreements, and the consequences will be dire,” he said. Egypt was the first Arab country to establish diplomatic relations with Israel in 1979.

    Pakistan, meanwhile, urged the UN to suspend Israel, and also called for an Arab-Islamic task force.

    Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the task force should “adopt effective measures to ward off Israeli expansionist designs”.

    Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, meanwhile, stated that “condemnations will not stop the missiles, declarations will not free Palestine”.

    He pressed for strict sanctions and the suspension of diplomatic and commercial relations with Israel.

    Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian earlier on Monday had also urged Muslim nations to cut ties with Israel.

    “We should act together to stand up to Israeli behaviour because Israel has violated the sovereignty of a number of Arab and Muslim states under the false pretext of self-defence,” he said.

    Andrea Dessi, assistant professor of international relations at the University of Rome, said the Doha summit marked a change of tone among Arab Islamic states.

    “At the rhetorical level, we are seeing the beginnings of a coming together, of a change of tone and a change of mind – the actions will have to follow,” Dessi told Al Jazeera.

    The professor said the event was important, as Arab and Muslim leaders agreed that “something has to change in terms of the security architecture of the region. We are far away from this, but there are movements”.

    As the summit was being held in Doha, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio travelled to Israel to meet Netanyahu, who again threatened to target Hamas leaders if Qatar did not expel them. But Trump on Monday repeated his assertion that Israel would not strike Qatar again.

    Al-Ansari said that Qatar has “been engaging very closely with the Trump administration”.

    He told reporters that Qatari Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani had “excellent” meetings in New York in the past week, and that discussions on next steps between the allies are taking place.

    Rubio is expected to visit Doha on Tuesday.

    (Al Jazeera)

  • France Will Recognise Palestinian State, Macron Says

    France Will Recognise Palestinian State, Macron Says

    France will officially recognise a Palestinian state in September, President Emmanuel Macron has said.

    In a post on X, Macron said the formal announcement would be made at a session of the UN General Assembly in New York.

    “The urgent need today is for the war in Gaza to end and for the civilian population to be rescued. Peace is possible. We need an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages, and massive humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza,” he wrote.

    Palestinian officials welcomed Macron’s decision, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the move “rewards terror” following Hamas’s 7 October 2023 attack in Israel.

    In his Thursday’s post on X, Macron wrote: “True to its historic commitment to a just and lasting peace in the Middle East, I have decided that France will recognise the State of Palestine.

    “We must also guarantee the demilitarisation of Hamas, and secure and rebuild Gaza.

    “Finally, we must build the State of Palestine, ensure its viability, and ensure that by accepting its demilitarisation and fully recognising Israel, it contributes to the security of all in the Middle East. There is no alternative.”

    Macron also attached a letter to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas confirming his decision.

    Reacting to Macron’s announcement, Abbas’ deputy Hussein al-Sheikh said “this position reflects France’s commitment to international law and its support for the Palestinian people’s rights to self-determination and the establishment of our independent state”, according to the AFP news agency.

    Meanwhile, Netanyahu wrote in a post on X: “We strongly condemn President Macron’s decision to recognise a Palestinian state next to Tel Aviv in the wake of the 7 October massacre.

    “A Palestinian state in these conditions would be a launch pad to annihilate Israel – not to live in peace beside it. Let’s be clear: the Palestinians do not seek a state alongside Israel; they seek a state instead of Israel,” Netanyahu added.

    Currently, the State of Palestine is recognised by more than 140 of the 193 member states of the UN.

    A few European Union countries, including Spain, are among them.

    But Israel’s main supporter, the US, and its allies including the UK have not recognised a Palestinian state.

    The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza in response to the attack on southern Israel, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

    At least 59,106 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory’s health ministry.

    Much of Gaza has been reduced to rubble since then.

    Earlier on Thursday, the UN’s Palestinian refugee agency (Unrwa) said that one in five children in Gaza City was now malnourished and cases were increasing every day.

    More than 100 international aid organisations and human rights groups have also warned of mass starvation in the Gaza Strip – pressing for governments to take action.

    Israel, which controls the entry of all supplies into the Palestinian territory, has repeatedly said that there is no siege, blaming Hamas for any cases of malnutrition.

    In a statement, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer condemned the “unspeakable and indefensible” humanitarian conditions in Gaza.

    He said the situation had been “grave for some time” but it has “reached new depths”.

    “We are witnessing a humanitarian catastrophe,” Sir Keir added.

  • Khamenei Says Iran Will ‘Never Surrender’, Warns Off US

    Khamenei Says Iran Will ‘Never Surrender’, Warns Off US

    Tehran (AFP) – Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Wednesday the nation would never surrender as demanded by President Donald Trump and warned the United States it would face “irreparable damage” if it intervenes in support of its ally.

    The speech came six days into the conflict, with Trump demanding Iran’s “unconditional surrender” while boasting the United States could kill Khamenei and fuelling speculation about a possible intervention.

    The long-range blitz began Friday, when Israel launched a massive bombing campaign that prompted Iran to respond with missiles and drones.

    “This nation will never surrender,” Khamenei said in a speech read on state television, in which he called Trump’s ultimatum “unacceptable”.

    “America should know that any military intervention will undoubtedly result in irreparable damage,” he said.

    Khamenei, in power since 1989 and the final arbiter of all matters of state in Iran, had earlier vowed the country would show “no mercy” towards Israel’s leaders.

    The speech followed a night of strikes, with Israeli attacks destroying two buildings making centrifuge components for Iran’s nuclear programme near Tehran, according to the UN nuclear watchdog.

    “More than 50 Israeli Air Force fighter jets… carried out a series of air strikes in the Tehran area over the past few hours,” the Israeli military said, adding that several weapons manufacturing facilities were hit.

    “As part of the broad effort to disrupt Iran’s nuclear weapons development programme, a centrifuge production facility in Tehran was targeted.”

    Centrifuges are vital for uranium enrichment, the sensitive process that can produce fuel for reactors or, in highly extended form, the core of a nuclear warhead.

    The strikes destroyed two buildings making centrifuge components for Iran’s nuclear programme in Karaj, a satellite city of Tehran, the International Atomic Energy Agency said.

    In another strike on a site in Tehran, “one building was hit where advanced centrifuge rotors were manufactured and tested”, the agency added in a post on X.

    Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they had launched hypersonic Fattah-1 missiles at Tel Aviv.

    Hypersonic missiles travel at more than five times the speed of sound and can manoeuvre mid-flight, making them harder to track and intercept.

    No missile struck Tel Aviv overnight, though AFP photos showed Israel’s air defence systems activated to intercept missiles over the commercial hub.

    Iran also sent a “swarm of drones” towards Israel, while the Israeli military said it had intercepted a total of 10 drones launched from Iran.

    It said one of its own drones had been shot down over Iran.

    ‘Unconditional surrender’

    Trump fuelled speculation about US intervention when he made a hasty exit from the G7 summit in Canada, where the leaders of the club of wealthy democracies called for de-escalation but backed Israel’s “right to defend itself”.

    He boasted that the United States could easily assassinate Khamenei.

    “We know exactly where the so-called ‘Supreme Leader’ is hiding. He is an easy target, but is safe there — We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

    Trump met with his National Security Council to discuss the conflict. There was no immediate public statement after the hour and 20 minute meeting.

    US officials stressed Trump has not yet made a decision about any intervention.

    Evacuations

    Israel’s attacks have hit nuclear and military facilities around Iran, as well as residential areas.

    Residential areas in Israel have also been hit, and foreign governments have scrambled to evacuate their citizens from both countries.

    Many Israelis spent another night disrupted by air raid warnings, with residents of coastal hub Tel Aviv repeatedly heading for shelters when sirens rang out warning of incoming Iranian missiles.

    In the West Bank city of Ramallah, perched at 800 metres (2,600 feet) above sea level and with a view over Tel Aviv, some residents gathered on rooftops and balconies to watch.

    An AFP journalist reported cheers and whistles as dozens of missiles flew overhead, with Israeli air defences activating to intercept them, causing mid-air explosions which lit up the sky.

    Since Friday, at least 24 people have been killed in Israel and hundreds wounded, according to Netanyahu’s office.

    Iran said on Sunday that Israeli strikes had killed at least 224 people, including military commanders, nuclear scientists and civilians. It has not issued an updated toll since then.

    On Tuesday in Tehran, long queues stretched outside bakeries and petrol stations as people rushed to stock up on fuel and basic supplies.

    Iran’s ISNA and Tasnim news agencies on Wednesday reported that five suspected agents of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency had been detained, on charges of tarnishing the country’s image online.

    Nuclear facilities

    The UN nuclear watchdog said there appeared to have been “direct impacts on the underground enrichment halls” at Iran’s Natanz facility.

    Israel has maintained ambiguity regarding its own atomic activities, but the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) says it has 90 nuclear warheads.

    The conflict derailed a running series of nuclear talks between Tehran and Washington, with Iran saying after the start of Israel’s campaign that it would not negotiate with the United States while under attack.

  • Netanyahu Says Assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader Would End, Not Escalate, Conflict

    Netanyahu Says Assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader Would End, Not Escalate, Conflict

    The assassination of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei would “end” the ongoing conflict between Tehran and Tel Aviv, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday as he refused to rule out taking the action amid the highly volatile regional conflict.

    “It’s not going to escalate the conflict, it’s going to end the conflict,” Netanyahu said during an interview with ABC News. “The ‘forever war’ is what Iran wants, and they’re bringing us to the brink of nuclear war. In fact, what Israel is doing is preventing this, bringing an end to this aggression, and we can only do so by standing up to the forces of evil.”

    Earlier reports suggested that President Donald Trump had vetoed an Israeli plan to kill Khamenei.

    Asked if Israel would target the Iranian leader, Netanyahu said Israel is “doing what we need to do.”

    “I’m not going to get into the details, but we’ve targeted their top nuclear scientists,” Netanyahu said.

    The State Department earlier Monday updated its travel advisory for Israel, the occupied West Bank, and Gaza, warning Americans not to travel to the region due to heightened security risks.

    Tensions have escalated since Friday when Israel launched coordinated airstrikes and drone attacks on multiple sites across Iran, including military and nuclear facilities, prompting Tehran to launch retaliatory strikes.

    Israeli authorities said that at least 24 people have been killed and hundreds injured in Iranian missile attacks since Friday.

    Iran, for its part, said that at least 224 people have been killed and over 1,000 others wounded in the Israeli assault.

  • Ex-Israeli Minister Gallant Admits Gaza Tunnel Image Was Faked to Derail Truce Talks

    Ex-Israeli Minister Gallant Admits Gaza Tunnel Image Was Faked to Derail Truce Talks

    Former Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant has admitted that a widely publicised image of an alleged Hamas tunnel on the Gaza-Egypt border was fabricated to delay a prisoner exchange agreement and inflate perceived threats to Israel.

    In August 2024, the Israeli military claimed it had discovered a massive tunnel in the Philadelphia Corridor—the narrow buffer zone between Gaza and Egypt. A photograph released at the time purported to show a vast underground passage, reportedly tall enough for vehicles to pass through.

    However, in a recent investigation by Israel’s public broadcaster KAN, Gallant confirmed that the photo had been staged. The actual discovery, he revealed, was merely a shallow trench, approximately one metre deep.

    He further clarified that what appeared in the image as a tunnel entrance was, in fact, a routine drainage channel. The military vehicle shown in the photo had been deliberately positioned to give the false impression of a significant underground structure.

    Gallant stated that the fabricated image was used to bolster claims that Palestinian resistance factions were constructing major tunnels along the Philadelphi Road, an area Israel has long considered strategically important.

    According to Gallant, the misleading photo was also intended to stall negotiations for a potential ceasefire and prisoner swap with Hamas by justifying Israel’s continued military presence in the corridor.

    “It was not a tunnel, but rather an attempt to prevent a ceasefire agreement,” he reportedly said.

    At the time of the photo’s release, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faced heavy domestic and international pressure over his refusal to agree to a ceasefire deal. His insistence that Israeli forces remain in control of the Philadelphi Corridor was a key sticking point in the negotiations.

    Israel has killed more than 51,200 Palestinians in the enclave since October 2023, most of them women and children.

  • Trump says Hamas Should Free All Hostages By Midday Saturday Or ‘Let Hell Break Out’

    Trump says Hamas Should Free All Hostages By Midday Saturday Or ‘Let Hell Break Out’

    U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that Hamas should release all hostages held by the militant group in Gaza by midday Saturday or he would propose canceling the Israel-Hamas ceasefire and “let hell break out.”

    Trump cautioned that Israel might want to override him on the issue and said he might speak to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

    But in a wide-ranging session with reporters in the Oval Office, Trump expressed frustration with the condition of the last group of hostages freed by Hamas and by the announcement by the militant group that it would halt further releases.

    “As far as I’m concerned, if all of the hostages aren’t returned by Saturday at 12 o’clock, I think it’s an appropriate time. I would say, cancel it and all bets are off and let hell break out. I’d say they ought to be returned by 12 o’clock on Saturday,” Trump said.

    He said he wanted the hostages released en masse, instead of a few at a time. “We want ’em all back.”

    Trump also said he might withhold aid to Jordan and Egypt if they don’t take Palestinian refugees being relocated from Gaza. He is to meet Jordan’s King Abdullah on Tuesday.

    The comments came on a day of some confusion over Trump’s proposal for a U.S. takeover of Gaza once the fighting stops.

    He said Palestinians would not have the right of return to the Gaza Strip under his proposal to redevelop the enclave, contradicting his own officials who had suggested Gazans would only be relocated temporarily.

    In an excerpt of an interview with Fox News channel’s Bret Baier broadcast on Monday, Trump added that he thought he could make a deal with Jordan and Egypt to take the displaced Palestinians, saying the U.S. gives the two countries “billions and billions of dollars a year.”

    Asked if Palestinians would have the right to return to Gaza, Trump said: “No, they wouldn’t because they’re going to have much better housing.”

    “I’m talking about building a permanent place for them,” he said, adding it would take years for Gaza to be habitable again.

    In a shock announcement on Feb. 4 after meeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington, Trump proposed resettling Gaza’s 2.2 million Palestinians and the U.S. taking control of the seaside enclave, redeveloping it into the “Riviera of the Middle East.”

    IGNITE THE REGION

    Trump’s suggestion of Palestinian displacement has been repeatedly rejected by Gaza residents and Arab states, and labeled by rights advocates and the United Nations as a proposal of ethnic cleansing.

    Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri said Trump’s statement that Palestinians would not be able to return to Gaza was “irresponsible.”

    “We affirm that such plans are capable of igniting the region,” he told Reuters on Monday.

    Netanyahu, who praised the proposal, suggested Palestinians would be allowed to return. “They can leave, they can then come back, they can relocate and come back. But you have to rebuild Gaza,” he said the day after Trump’s announcement.

    U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who will depart later this week for his first visit to the Middle East in the office, said on Thursday that Palestinians would have to “live somewhere else in the interim,” during reconstruction, although he declined to explicitly rule out their permanent displacement.

    The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the disparity between Rubio and Trump’s most recent remarks on the plan.

    Trump’s comments come as a fragile ceasefire reached last month between Israel and Hamas is at risk of collapse after Hamas announced on Monday it would stop releasing Israeli hostagesover alleged Israeli violations of the agreement.
    Israel’s Arab neighbors, including Egypt and Jordan, have said any plan to transfer Palestinians from their land would destabilize the region.

    Rubio met Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty in Washington on Monday. Egypt’s foreign ministry said Abdelatty told Rubio that Arab countries support Palestinians in rejecting Trump’s plan. Cairo fears Palestinians could be forced across Egypt’s border with Gaza.

    Trump said in the Fox News interview that between two and six communities could be built for the Palestinians “a little bit away from where they are, where all of this danger is.”

    “I would own this. Think of it as a real estate development for the future. It would be a beautiful piece of land. No big money spent,” he said.

  • Hamas Says It Will Delay Hostage Release For Saturday

    Hamas Says It Will Delay Hostage Release For Saturday

    A Hamas spokesman on Monday accused Israel of violating the ceasefire agreement with the group, including targeting Palestinians in Gaza with airstrikes, and said that next Saturday’s hostage release would be delayed.

    A Hamas spokesperson said Monday that the group will delay the next hostage release after accusing Israel of violating ceasefire agreement.

    Israel and Hamas are in the midst of a six-week ceasefire during which Hamas is releasing dozens of the hostages captured in its Oct. 7, 2023, attack in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.

    The sides have carried out five swaps since the ceasefire went into effect last month, freeing 21 hostages and over 730 prisoners. The next exchange was scheduled for Saturday, releasing three Israeli hostages in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.

    Abu Obeida, the spokesperson for Hamas’ military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, accused Israel on Monday of systematically violating the ceasefire agreement over the past three weeks, and said Saturday’s release would be delayed.

    “The resistance leadership has closely monitored the enemy’s violations and its failure to uphold the terms of the agreement,” Abu Ubaida said.

    “This includes delays in allowing displaced Palestinians to return to northern Gaza, targeting them with airstrikes and gunfire across various areas of the Strip, and failing to facilitate the entry of humanitarian aid as agreed.”

    (AP)

  • ‘US Will Take Over The Gaza Strip, We’ll Own It’: Trump

    ‘US Will Take Over The Gaza Strip, We’ll Own It’: Trump

    President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the “US will take over the Gaza Strip,” shortly after suggesting a permanent resettlement of Palestinians outside Gaza.

    “The US will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it too,” he said during a news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

    “We’ll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous unexploded bombs and other weapons on the site, level the site and get rid of the destroyed buildings, level it out, (and) create an economic development that will supply unlimited numbers of jobs and housing for the people of the area,” Trump said.

    Asked if the US will send troops to the Gaza Strip, he responded: “If it’s necessary, we’ll do that.

    “We’re going to take over that piece. We’re going to develop it, create thousands and thousands of jobs, and it will be something that the entire Middle East can be very proud of,” he said.

    Trump also said that he sees the US having “long-term ownership” of the Gaza Strip.

    “I do see a long-term ownership position, and I see it bringing great stability to that part of the Middle East, and maybe the entire Middle East…and this was not a decision made lightly. Everybody I’ve spoken to loves the idea of the United States owning that piece of land,” he said.

    “I’ve studied this very closely over a lot of months, and I’ve seen it from every different angle, and it’s a very, very dangerous place to be, and it’s only going to get worse. And I think this is an idea that’s gotten tremendous — and I’m talking about from the highest level of leadership — gotten tremendous praise. And if the United States can help to bring stability and peace in the Middle East, we’ll do that.”

    Asked if this means he does not support a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Trump said: “It doesn’t mean anything about a two-state or one-state or any other state. It means that we want to give people a chance at life.”

    “They have never had a chance at life because the Gaza Strip has been a hell hole for people living there,” he added.

    In response to a question on who will live in Gaza if Palestinians leave, Trump responded: “The world’s people.”

    “I think you’ll make that into an international, unbelievable place. I think the potential in the Gaza Strip is unbelievable,” he said.

    “I think the entire world, representatives from all over the world will be there, and they’ll live there….Palestinians will live there. Many people will live there.”

    Trump added that the Gaza Strip will become the “Riviera of the Middle East,” saying: “We have an opportunity to do something that could be phenomenal.”

    Netanyahu said: “As we discussed, Mr. President, to secure our future and bring peace to our region, we have to finish the job.”

    He added that Israel has to ensure that “Gaza never again poses a threat to Israel.”

    Earlier, during a sit-down with Netanyahu at the Oval Office, Trump said he thinks Jordan and Egypt will take in Palestinians from Gaza, maintaining that the enclave is a demolition site and uninhabitable.

    Trump’s controversial proposal has received widespread condemnation, with many calling it “ethnic cleansing” and a “war crime.”

    Jordan and Egypt, along with other regional and European countries like the UK, France and Germany, strongly rejected Trump’s relocation proposal.

  • Israel and Hamas Agree Gaza Ceasefire Deal

    Israel and Hamas Agree Gaza Ceasefire Deal

    Israel and Hamas have agreed a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal following 15 months of war, mediators Qatar and the US say.

    Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani said the agreement would come into effect on Sunday so long as it was approved by the Israeli cabinet.

    US President Joe Biden said it would “halt the fighting in Gaza, surge much needed-humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians, and reunite the hostages with their families”.

    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the deal’s final details were still being worked on, but he thanked Biden for “promoting” it. Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya said it was the result of Palestinian “resilience”.

    Many Palestinians and Israeli hostages’ families celebrated the news, but there was no let up in the war on the ground in Gaza.

    The Hamas-run Civil Defence agency reported Israeli air strikes killed more than 20 people following the Qatari announcement. They included 12 people who were living in a residential block in the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood of Gaza City, it said. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.

    Israel launched a campaign to destroy Hamas – which is proscribed as a terrorist organisation by Israel, the US and others – in response to an unprecedented cross-border attack on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

    More than 46,700 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry. Most of the 2.3 million population has also been displaced, there is widespread destruction, and there are severe shortages of food, fuel, medicine and shelter due to a struggle to get aid to those in need.

    Israel says 94 of the hostages are still being held by Hamas, of whom 34 are presumed dead. In addition, there are four Israelis who were abducted before the war, two of whom are dead.

    Getty.

    Qatar’s prime minister called for “calm” on both sides before the start of the first six-week phase of the ceasefire deal, which he said would see 33 hostages – including women, children and elderly people – exchanged for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.

    Israeli forces will also withdraw to the east away from densely populated areas of Gaza, displaced Palestinians will be allowed to begin returning to their homes and hundreds of aid lorries will be allowed into the territory each day.

    Negotiations for the second phase – which should see the remaining hostages released, a full Israeli troop withdrawal and a return to “sustainable calm” – will start on the 16th day.

    The third and final stage will involve the reconstruction of Gaza – something which could take years – and the return of any remaining hostages’ bodies.

    Sheikh Mohammed said there was “a clear mechanism to negotiate phase two and three”, with the agreements set to be published “in the next couple of days, once the details are finalised”.

    He also said Qatar, the US and Egypt, which also helped broker the deal, would work together to ensure Israel and Hamas fulfilled their obligations.

    “We hope that this will be the last page of the war, and we hope that all parties will commit to implementing all the terms of this agreement,” he added.

    President Biden said the plan, which he first outlined eight months ago, was “the result not only of the extreme pressure Hamas has been under and the changed regional equation after a ceasefire in Lebanon and the weakening of Iran – but also of dogged and painstaking American diplomacy”.

    “Even as we welcome this news, we remember all the families whose loved ones were killed in Hamas’s 7 October attack, and the many innocent people killed in the war that followed,” a statement added. “It is long past time for the fighting to end and the work of building peace and security to begin.”

    Celebrations erupted across Gaza as news of the agreement spread. Reuters.

    At a later news conference, Biden also acknowledged the assistance of President-elect Donald Trump, who put pressure on both parties by demanding hostages be released before his inauguration on Monday.

    “In these past few days, we’ve been speaking as one team,” he said, noting that most of the implementation of the deal would happen after he left office.

    Trump was first to confirm reports the agreement had been reached, beating the White House and Qatar to a formal announcement.

    In a later post on social media, he attempted to take the credit for the “epic” agreement, saying it “could have only happened as a result of our historic victory in November”.

    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office thanked Trump “for his help in promoting the release of the hostages, and for helping Israel end the suffering of dozens of hostages and their families”.

    “The prime minister made it clear that he is committed to returning all the hostages by any means necessary,” it said, before adding that he had also thanked Biden.

    Later, the office said an official statement from Netanyahu would “be issued only after the completion of the final details of the agreement, which are being worked on at present”.

    Israel’s President, Isaac Herzog, said the deal would bring with it “deeply painful” moments and “present significant challenges”, but that it was “the right move”.

    The agreement is expected to be approved by the Israeli cabinet, possibly as soon as Thursday morning, despite opposition from Netanyahu’s far-right coalition partners.

    Then the names of all the Palestinian prisoners due for release will be made public by the Israeli government, and the families of any victims will be given 48 hours to appeal. Some of the prisoners are serving life sentences after being convicted of murder and terrorism.

    Hamas’s chief negotiator and acting Gaza chief, Khalil al-Hayya, said the agreement represented “a milestone in the conflict with the enemy, on the path to achieving our people’s goals of liberation and return”.

    The group, he added, would now seek to “rebuild Gaza again, alleviate the pain, heal the wounds”.

    But he also warned “we will not forget, and we will not forgive” the suffering inflicted on Palestinians in Gaza.

    Supporters of the Israeli hostages’ families also celebrated in Tel Aviv. Reuters.

    As news of the agreement emerged, pictures showed people cheering and waving Palestinian flags in the central Gaza town of Deir al-Balah and southern city of Khan Younis.

    Sanabel, a 17-year-old girl living to the north in Gaza City, told BBC OS: “All of us are delighted.”

    “We have been waiting for this for a long time,” she said. “Finally, I will put my head on my pillow without worrying… It is time to heal.”

    Nawara al-Najjar, whose husband was among more than 70 people killed when Israeli forces launched an operation to rescue two hostages, said: “After the ceasefire I want to give my children the best life.”

    “I want them to get over the fear we lived. My children are really scared. The terror has settled in their hearts.”

    Sharone Lifschitz is a British-Israeli woman whose 84-year-old father Oded is among the remaining hostages. Her mother, Yocheved, was also abducted in the 7 October attack but was released after several weeks in captivity.

    She told the BBC in London as news of the deal came through that it felt “like a bit of sanity”, but she admitted: “I know that the chances for my dad are very slim.”

    “He’s an elderly man, but miracles do happen. My mum did come back, and one way or another, we will know. We will know if he’s still with us, if we can look after him.”

    She warned: “There are more graves to come and traumatised people to come back, but we will look after them and make them see light again… May this be the start of something better.”

    Moshe Lavi, the brother in-law of Omri Miran, a 47-year-old father-of-two young children, told the BBC that it was “a very mixed day for most families of hostages”.

    “We want to see our families come home from their mass captivity. But we also understand that this is a phase deal. Only the first phase was agreed upon,” he said.

    “We’ll have to keep fighting, keep advocating as families with all leaders with our own government to understand they have to release all the hostages.”

    UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the “priority now must be to ease the tremendous suffering caused by this conflict”.

    (BBC)

  • ‪‘Breakthrough’ Mediators Presents Israel and Hamas Final Draft Of Deal To End The War In Gaza‬

    ‪‘Breakthrough’ Mediators Presents Israel and Hamas Final Draft Of Deal To End The War In Gaza‬

    (Reuters) – Mediators gave Israel and Hamas a final draft of a deal on Monday to end the war in Gaza, an official briefed on the negotiations said, after a midnight “breakthrough” in talks attended by envoys of both outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump.

    Biden said a ceasefire and hostage release deal he had championed was on “the brink” of coming to fruition and Hamas said it was keen on reaching an agreement.

    “The deal … would free the hostages, halt the fighting, provide security to Israel and allow us to significantly surge humanitarian assistance to the Palestinians who suffered terribly in this war that Hamas started,” Biden said in a speech to highlight his foreign policy achievements.

    The official briefed on the talks, who did not want to be otherwise identified, said the text for a ceasefire and release of hostages was presented by Qatar to both sides at talks in Doha, which included the chiefs of Israel’s Mossad and Shin Bet spy agencies and Qatar’s prime minister.

    Another round of talks is planned in Doha on Tuesday morning to finalise remaining details, with Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and Biden’s envoy Brett McGurk expected to attend, as they had on Monday, the official said.

    An Israeli official said negotiations were in advanced stages for the release of up to 33 hostages as part of the deal. The Hamas delegation in Doha issued a statement after a meeting with Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani saying talks were progressing well.

    Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, told reporters the negotiations were at a “pivotal” point, with gaps between two sides slowly getting removed. “I think there is a good chance we can close this … the parties are right on the cusp of being able to close this deal,” he said.

    U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the sides were “closer than we’ve ever been” to a deal, and the ball was in Hamas’ court.

    “We are very hopeful that we get it over the finish line, finally after all this time,” he told MSNBC, adding that the proposed deal was based on a framework Biden put out in May.

    Blinken said negotiators wanted to make sure Trump would continue to back the deal on the table so Witkoff’s participation has been “critical.”

    Israel’s Kan radio, citing an Israeli official, reported on Monday that the Israeli delegation had briefed Israel’s leaders. Israel, Hamas and the foreign ministry of Qatar did not respond to requests for confirmation or comment.

    Officials on both sides, while stopping short of confirming that a final draft had been reached, reported progress.

    “The negotiation over some core issues made progress and we are working to conclude what remains soon,” a Hamas official told Reuters.

    Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar told reporters: “There is progress, it looks much better than previously. I want to thank our American friends for the huge efforts they are investing to secure a hostage deal.”

    The United States, Qatar and Egypt have worked for more than a year on talks to end the war in Gaza.

    In Cairo, an Egyptian security official told Reuters the draft sent to the two warring sides did not comprise the final agreement but “aims to resolve outstanding issues that had hindered previous negotiations”.

    Sullivan said Biden would soon speak with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi about the negotiations.

    HELL TO PAY

    Israel’s Channel 12 said Israeli government institutions had been told to prepare for the intake of weak and sick hostages.

    The warring sides have agreed for months broadly on the principle of halting the fighting in return for the release of hostages held by Hamas and Palestinian detainees held by Israel. But Hamas has always insisted a deal must lead to a permanent end to the war and Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, while Israel has said it will not end the war until Hamas is dismantled.

    Trump’s Jan. 20 inauguration is now widely seen as a de facto deadline. Trump has said there would be “hell to pay” unless hostages held by Hamas are freed before he takes office, while Biden has also pushed hard for a deal before he leaves.

    The official who first disclosed the draft said talks went until the early hours of Monday, with Witkoff pushing the Israeli delegation in the Qatari capital Doha and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani pushing Hamas officials to finalise an agreement.

    The head of Egypt’s general intelligence agency Hassan Mahmoud Rashad was also in Doha as part of the talks. Rashad left Doha on Monday but a source familiar with the talks said an intelligence delegation stayed behind to play an active role.

    Trump envoy Witkoff has travelled to Qatar and Israel several times since late November. He was in Doha on Friday and travelled to Israel to meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday before returning to Doha.

    Biden also spoke on Sunday by phone with Netanyahu, stressing “the immediate need for a ceasefire in Gaza and return of the hostages with a surge in humanitarian aid enabled by a stoppage in the fighting under the deal,” the White House said.

    Israel launched its assault in Gaza after Hamas fighters stormed across its borders in October 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

    Since then, more than 46,000 people have been killed in Gaza, according to Palestinian health officials, with much of the enclave laid to waste and most of its population displaced.

    Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and his Religious Zionism party, a hardline nationalist party which has opposed previous attempts at a deal, said all its members would oppose a deal that didn’t achieve Hamas’ “destruction” and the latest proposal endangered Israel’s national security.

    Bloodshed continued in Gaza on Monday. Residents reported a series of explosions in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip that targeted homes and roads. Palestinian health officials said at least 40 Palestinians were killed and dozens were wounded in Israeli military strikes in the Gaza Strip on Monday.

    The Israeli military said five soldiers had been killed in fighting in northern Gaza, bringing to nine the number of its troops killed since Saturday.

  • With Assad Gone, Israel Captures Syria Buffer Zone, Ends Border Agreement

    With Assad Gone, Israel Captures Syria Buffer Zone, Ends Border Agreement

    With Syrian President Bashar al-Assad toppled, Israel sent its ground forces beyond the demilitarized zone on the Syria-Israel border, marking the first Israeli entry into Syrian territory since the 1973 Middle East War.

    Assad fled Syria to Russia after anti-regime groups took control of the capital Damascus early Sunday, marking the collapse of the Baath Party regime, which had been in power in Syria since 1963.

    It came over a week after anti-regime groups seized control of Aleppo, a major city in northern Syria.

    Following Assad’s ouster, the Israeli army conducted dozens of airstrikes against what it called weapons depots in Syria to prevent armed groups from seizing them.

    It also sent troops beyond a demilitarized zone in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights and announced the collapse of the 1974 disengagement agreement with Syria.

    Buffer zone

    On Sunday, the Israeli army said it seized control of a demilitarized zone in the Golan Heights after anti-regime groups took over Syria.

    Israeli forces took control of the mountain summit of Mount Hermon on the Syrian side of the border, and several other locations.

    The army argued that the move aimed to establish what it called defensive positions in the area to prevent infiltration of armed groups.

    The troop deployment marks a significant shift in policy as the first overt entry of Israeli army forces into Syrian territory since the 1974 disengagement agreement that officially ended the last war between Israel and Syria in 1973.

    Disengagement agreement

    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also announced the collapse of a UN-monitored disengagement agreement, which established a buffer zone between Israel and Syria after Syrian troops withdrew from the area following Assad’s ouster.

    Signed on May 31, 1974, the agreement stipulates Israel’s withdrawal from all of the areas of Mount Hermon it had occupied during the 1973 War as well as an area of about 25 square kilometers (9.6 square miles) that included Quneitra and other locations.

    The agreement defines the current border between Israel and Syria along with the accompanying military arrangements, creating two separation lines — Israeli (blue) and Syrian (red) — with a buffer zone between them.

    The agreement is monitored by the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF), as it is tasked with maintaining the cease-fire between Israel and Syria following the October 1973 war.

    Since 1974, UNDOF has patrolled the buffer zone between the Israeli- and Syrian-controlled zones.

    Israel occupied most of the Golan Heights during the 1967 Middle East war and later annexed the territory in a move never recognized by the international community.

    Closed military zones

    The Israeli army also imposed closed military zones in the occupied Golan Heights.

    Military spokesman Avichay Adraee said the decision was taken based on a security assessment conducted by the army’s Northern Command.

    The army also warned residents of five villages in southern Syria close to Israel’s border to remain in their homes amid its military actions in the area.

    The targeted villages include Ofaniya, Quneitra, al-Hamidiyah, Samdaniya al-Gharbiyya and al-Qahtaniyah.

    Airstrikes inside Syria

    The Israeli army carried out dozens of airstrikes across Syria targeting around 100 sites following the fall of the Assad regime.

    Israeli media said that the airstrikes targeted military bases, air defense stations and intelligence headquarters as well as long- and short-range missile depots, weapons production centers and unconventional weapon stockpiles.

    According to information obtained by Anadolu from opposition-affiliated air monitoring officials, Israeli warplanes hit Damascus’ Mezzeh Military Airport, Quneitra Gara, Minket al-Hadab, Damascus Security Zone, Quneitra Tel al-Sham, Damascus Military Science Center, Tel Aqrabeh in the countryside of Daraa, Kalkaleh Military Base, Tel al-Talib in Daraa, and various sites in the town of Ghita.

    Over the past few days, the Israeli military also targeted locations in southern Syria, from Daraa to the capital Damascus and Masyaf in the north.

    The airstrikes were meant to reduce the Syrian army’s military capacity, Israeli Channel 12 said.

  • Qatar Agrees To Kick Hamas Out Of Doha Following US Request

    Qatar Agrees To Kick Hamas Out Of Doha Following US Request

    CNN — Qatar agreed in recent weeks to kick Hamas out of its country following a request from the US to do so, capping off months of failed attempts to try to get the militant group – whose top leaders reside in the Qatari capital of Doha – to accept a ceasefire and hostage release deal in the Israel-Hamas war, US and Qatari sources told CNN.

    With efforts to pause the war – which has been a top priority for President Joe Biden – firmly stalled, US officials informed their Qatari counterparts about two weeks ago that they must stop giving Hamas refuge in their capital; Qatar agreed and gave Hamas notice about a week ago, sources said.

    “Hamas is a terrorist group that has killed Americans and continues to hold Americans hostage,” a senior administration official told CNN. “After rejecting repeated proposals to release hostages, its leaders should no longer be welcome in the capitals of any American partner.”

    Throughout the course of the war and negotiations to bring the hostages home, US officials have asked Qatar to use the threat of expulsion as leverage in their talks with Hamas. The final impetus for Qatar agreeing to kick Hamas out came recently after the death of American-Israeli hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin and Hamas’ rejection of yet another ceasefire proposal.

    Qatar has been a major player in efforts over the past year to try to secure a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war, in no small part because senior members of the militant group are based in Doha. Major negotiations have taken place in the Qatari capital for that reason.

    Exactly when Hamas operatives would be exiled out of Qatar – and where they would go – are unclear. One US official told CNN the group has not been given an extended amount of time to leave the country. While Turkey is seen as a possible option, the US is not likely to approve of that scenario for the same reasons that it does not want Qatar to give refuge to Hamas leadership.

    Earlier this year, the Justice Department charged several senior Hamas leaders over the October 7 terrorist attack on Israel. At least one of those defendants, Khaled Meshaal, is believed to be residing in Qatar.

    US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also told Qatar over the summer to warn Hamas that if the group did not agree to halt the war in Gaza, they would risk getting kicked out of Doha.

  • Israel Sends Rescue Planes After Clashes In Amsterdam

    Israel Sends Rescue Planes After Clashes In Amsterdam

    (BBC)- Dutch police have arrested 57 people in the centre of Amsterdam after clashes broke out, reportedly involving young locals and Israeli football supporters.

    Prime Minister Dick Schoof condemned “antisemitic attacks” and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said two “rescue planes” were being sent to Amsterdam after what Israel’s military described as “severe and violent incidents against Israelis”.

    A police spokeswoman told Dutch media that unrest had broken out around Dam Square in the heart of the capital, but did not say who was involved.

    Supporters of Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv had travelled to Amsterdam for a Europa Cup match against Ajax.

    Schoof said he had followed developments with horror, adding that he had spoken to Netanyahu and emphasising that the “perpetrators will be tracked down and prosecuted”.

    There had already been arrests and trouble in Dam Square ahead of the match involving Maccabi fans and pro-Palestinian protesters, and there were reports of supporters setting off fireworks and tearing down a Palestinian flag on a nearby street.

    But the unrest grew after the game. Police said it was unclear who had taken part in the riots, telling local media that those involved were wearing dark clothing.

    Several videos circulated on social media, with one showing a man being kicked and beaten on the ground and another showing someone being run over. In some videos, people could be heard shouting pro-Palestinian slogans, although the footage has not been verified by the BBC.

    Israeli President Isaac Herzog spoke of a “pogrom” against Maccabi fans and Israeli citizens. Dutch anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders who leads the biggest party in parliament also spoke of a pogrom, saying “authorities will be held accountable for their failure to protect the Israeli citizens”.

    Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema had earlier sought to prevent trouble by moving pro-Palestinian protesters away from the Johan Cruyff Arena. But Dutch reports said a large group had then tried to head to the stadium, only to be stopped by riot police.

    Herzog said on X that he trusted the Dutch authorities would act immediately to “protect, locate and rescue all Israelis and Jews under attack”.

  • Israel Hits Iran Military Targets In Retaliation For Tehran’s Attacks

    Israel Hits Iran Military Targets In Retaliation For Tehran’s Attacks

    • Iranian media reported multiple explosions over several hours in the capital and nearby military bases.
    • Tensions between Israel and Iran have escalated since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023.

    (Reuters)—Israel said it struck military sites in Iran early on Saturday in retaliation for Tehran’s attacks on Israel earlier this month, the latest attack in the escalating conflict between the heavily armed rivals.

    Iranian media reported multiple explosions over several hours in the capital and at nearby military bases, but there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.

    Before dawn, Israel’s public broadcaster said three waves of strikes had been completed and that the operation was over.

    The Middle East has been on edge awaiting Israel’s retaliation for a ballistic-missile barrage carried out by Iran on October 1, in which around 200 missiles were fired at Israel and one person was killed in the West Bank.

    Tensions between arch rivals Israel and Iran have escalated since Hamas, the Iran-backed Palestinian militant group based in Gaza, attacked Israel on October 7, 2023. Hamas has been supported by Lebanon-based Hezbollah militants, also backed by Iran.

    Fears that Iran and the US would be drawn into a regional war have risen with Israel’s intensifying assault on Hezbollah since last month, including airstrikes on the Lebanese capital Beirut and a ground operation, as well as its year-old conflict in the Gaza Strip.

    “In response to months of continuous attacks from the regime in Iran against the State of Israel – right now the Israel Defense Forces is conducting precise strikes on military targets in Iran,” Israel’s military said in a statement.

    The military said later that it had completed its “targeted” attacks against military targets in Iran, adding that its planes had safely returned home.

    Israel has the right and duty to respond to attacks from Tehran and its proxies, which have included missile strikes launched from Iranian soil, the military said.

    Targets did not include energy infrastructure or nuclear facilities, a US official said.

    US President Joe Biden had warned that Washington, Israel’s main backer and supplier of arms, would not support a strike on Tehran’s nuclear sites and has said Israel should consider alternatives to attacking Iran’s oil fields.

    Iranian authorities have repeatedly warned Israel against any attack.

    “Iran reserves the right to respond to any aggression, and there is no doubt that Israel will face a proportional reaction for any action it takes,” the semi-official Tasnim news agency said on Saturday, quoting sources.

    Iranian state TV quoted a military spokesman as saying the explosions heard in Tehran were linked “to air defense systems reacting to efforts by the Zionist regime (Israel) to attack three locations outside the city of Tehran.”

    Videos carried by Iranian media showed air defences continuously firing at apparently incoming projectiles in central Tehran, without saying which sites were coming under attack.

    The semi-official Iranian Fars news agency said several military bases in the west and southwest of Tehran had also been targeted.

    Tasnim said Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps bases that were attacked were not damaged.

    A spokesperson for Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization said flights on all routes were cancelled until further notice, state news agency IRNA reported.

    Neighbouring Iraq also suspended flights in all of its airports until further notice, its state news agency said.

    Israel targeted some military sites in Syria’s central and southern parts with airstrikes early on Saturday, Syrian state news agency SANA reported. Israel has not confirmed striking Syria.

    Israel said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and other security officials were closely following the operation at the military’s command and control centre in Tel Aviv.

    Gallant spoke to US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin shortly after Israel’s response began, a U.S. defence official said.

    The United States was notified by Israel ahead of its strikes on targets in Iran but was not involved in the operation, another US official told Reuters.

    US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in the Middle East for another attempt to broker a peace deal, said on Wednesday Israel’s retaliation should not lead to greater escalation.

    Even as it sought to convince Israel to calibrate its strikes, the United States moved to reassure its closest ally in the Middle East that it would aid in its defence should Tehran decide to stage a counter-attack.

    This included Biden’s decision to move the U.S. military’s THAAD anti-missile defences to Israel, along with about 100 U.S. soldiers to operate them.

  • US To Deploy THAAD Air Defense System To Israel: Pentagon

    US To Deploy THAAD Air Defense System To Israel: Pentagon

    The US will deploy an air defense battery to Israel amid the growing threat of Iran, the Pentagon said on Sunday.

    “At the direction of the President, Secretary Austin authorized the deployment of a Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery and associated crew of U.S. military personnel to Israel to help bolster Israel’s air defenses following Iran’s unprecedented attacks against Israel on April 13 and again on October 1,” Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said in a statement.

    The THAAD battery will augment Israel’s integrated air defense system, Ryder said, adding the action underscores the US “ironclad” commitment to the defense of Israel, and to defend Americans in Israel, from any further ballistic missile attacks by Iran.

    “It is part of the broader adjustments the U.S. military has made in recent months, to support the defense of Israel and protect Americans from attacks by Iran and Iranian-aligned militias,” he added.

    This is not the first time the US has deployed a THAAD battery to the region, he stressed, adding the US previously deployed a THAAD battery to the Middle East last year following the Oct. 7th attacks to defend American troops in the region, and also to Israel in 2019 for training and an integrated air defense exercise.

    Iran launched at least 180 ballistic missiles on Israel on Oct. 1 in retaliation for the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh and Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.

  • Israel Confirms The Assassination Of Hezbollah Leader Hassan Nasrallah

    Israel Confirms The Assassination Of Hezbollah Leader Hassan Nasrallah

    An Israeli army spokesperson on Saturday said that Hassan Nasrallah, the secretary-general of the Lebanese group Hezbollah was killed in a major airstrike on Beirut’s southern suburb.

    Nasrallah was reportedly killed in “intense and unprecedented” airstrikes Friday evening by Israeli F-35 jets on a target in the Haret Hreik neighborhood, the main stronghold of Hezbollah in southern Beirut.

    Shortly after the strikes, Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari said the attack targeted Hezbollah’s main headquarters, which he claimed was built underneath civilian buildings.

    His death would not only mark an enormous blow to Hezbollah, but also to Iran, whose Revolutionary Guards founded the group in 1982. The Israeli military “eliminated … Hassan Nasrallah, leader of the Hezbollah terrorist organization,” Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee wrote in a statement on X.

    “Hassan Nasrallah will no longer be able to terrorize the world,” the Israeli military said in a separate post.

    Friday’s attack on Hezbollah’s command centre, followed by further airstrikes on Saturday, have escalated the conflict between Israel and the heavily armed group, adding to concerns the region could be sucked into a broader war.

    Adraee’s statement, posted in Arabic, said Israel had struck Hezbollah’s underground headquarters while its leadership were “coordinating terrorist activities against the citizens of Israel”.

    Nasrallah had long been a highly valuable target for Israel due to his leadership of Hezbollah, one of Tel Aviv’s main military adversaries.

    Israel made several attempts to assassinate him in previous armed conflicts, but all had failed.

    The Hezbollah chief had been listed as an international terrorist since 1995 by the US State Department, which offered a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to his capture or location.

    Who is Hassan Nasrallah?

    Hassan Nasrallah was born on Aug. 31, 1960, in the village of Bazouriyeh, near Tyre in southern Lebanon.

    He is married to Fatima Yassin, and they have five children: Hadi, Zeinab, Mohammad Jawad, Mohammad Mahdi, and Mohammad Ali.

    His eldest, Hadi, was killed in clashes with the Israeli army in southern Lebanon in 1997.

    Nasrallah received a religious education at Shia Muslim seminaries in Lebanon, Iraq, and Iran. He joined the political Amal Movement in high school and rose to its political bureau in 1979.

    In 1982, amid disagreements over how to resist Israel’s invasion of Lebanon, Nasrallah and others left Amal and joined Hezbollah, a newly formed group. He was put in charge of mobilizing fighters in the country’s Bekaa Valley.

    By 1985, Nasrallah moved to the capital Beirut and became deputy head of the region. Later, he assumed the role of chief executive, tasked with implementing the decisions of the group’s Shura Council.

    Leadership of Hezbollah

    Nasrallah became Hezbollah’s secretary-general on Feb. 16, 1992, following the assassination of his predecessor Abbas al-Musawi in an Israeli airstrike.

    Under Nasrallah’s leadership, Hezbollah launched a series of strategic operations against Israel, culminating in the withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon in 2000 after a 22-year occupation.

    In 2004, he played a key role in negotiating a major prisoner exchange with Israel, leading to the release of hundreds of Lebanese and Arab prisoners.

    His role in securing Israel’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon locally earned him the title “leader of the resistance,” especially after Hezbollah’s later confrontation with Israel during the 2006 Lebanon War.

    Fiery speeches and his commitment to retaliating against Israeli attacks, particularly in defense of Palestinians, further bolstered his popularity across the Arab and Islamic worlds.

    However, Nasrallah’s popularity diminished over Hezbollah’s support for the Syrian regime against opposition forces during Syria’s ongoing civil war, which broke out in 2011.

    His standing rebounded in the wake of the “Al-Aqsa Flood” operation launched by Palestinian factions, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad, against Israeli settlements near Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023.

    Israel’s Gaza offensive, now nearing its first anniversary, has resulted in over 137,000 Palestinian casualties.

    Nasrallah declared the opening of a “front in southern Lebanon to support Palestinian resistance,” vowing in several speeches that the effort would remain active until the war in Gaza ends.

    His killing comes as France and the US step up efforts to broker a temporary 21-day cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah, aiming to pave the way for diplomatic solutions on both the fronts in Lebanon and Gaza.

  • Three European Countries Move To Recognize Palestine

    Three European Countries Move To Recognize Palestine

    By Steven Williams

    Ireland, Spain, and Norway have made moves aimed at recognizing Palestine as an independent state. The leaders of the three nations underlined in their statements that a Palestinian state was necessary and that a two-state solution was the only way to achieve peace. According to US officials, such a move is premature and ill-advised.

    The recognition comes against the backdrop of a gruesome attack on Israel by the militant group Hamas on October 7th, 2023. Israel launched “Operation Iron Swords” military campaign against the militant group in the Gaza Strip. The campaign is ongoing and has claimed about 35,000 casualties on the Palestinians’ side according to the Gaza Ministry of Health which is controlled by Hamas. Hamas makes no differentiation between civilians and combatants killed in lawful military fire in its overall figures. Kenya Insights is not able to independently verify Hamas’s claims.

    The Israeli Foreign Minister, Israel Katz, criticized the move to recognize an independent Palestinian state as insincere. “I have instructed the immediate recall of Israel’s ambassadors to Ireland and Norway for consultations in light of these countries’ decisions to recognize a Palestinian state. I’m sending a clear and unequivocal message to Ireland and Norway: Israel will not remain silent in the face of those undermining its sovereignty and endangering its security. Today’s decision sends a message to the Palestinians and the world: Terrorism pays. After the Hamas terror organization carried out the largest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, after committing heinous sexual crimes witnessed by the world, these countries chose to reward Hamas and Iran by recognizing a Palestinian state. This distorted step by these countries is an injustice to the memory of the victims of 7/10, a blow to efforts to return the 128 hostages, and a boost to Hamas and Iran’s jihadists, which undermines the chance for peace and questions Israel’s right to self-defense. Israel will not remain silent – there will be further severe consequences. If Spain follows through on its intention to recognize a Palestinian state, a similar step will be taken against it. The Irish-Norwegian folly does not deter us; we are determined to achieve our goals: restoring security to our citizens, dismantling Hamas, and bringing the hostages home. There are no more just causes than these.” The minister noted in his X account.

    Hamas on the other hand called on “countries around the world to recognize our legitimate national rights” and stated in a statement, “We consider this an important step towards affirming our right to our land.”

    Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas who has been in power for the last 20 years, hailed the move and urged other countries to follow the lead of Spain, Ireland, and Norway. The President asked other countries to “follow the example of Norway, Ireland, and Spain, which chose the path of supporting the achievement of peace and stability and consolidating the rules of international legitimacy, and international law.”.

    Slovenia, Belgium and Malta are expected to follow suit in the coming days. Nine European Union nations have formally recognized Palestine as a state. Most of those took the decision in 1988 when they were part of the Soviet bloc. Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Sweden, and Slovakia are among the countries on the list. France said that it’s not a “taboo” to recognize Palestine as a state while Britain insisted, that a ceasefire must be in place first before such a move is undertaken.

    Germany, a staunch Israeli ally, is ambivalent about the recognition of Palestine as a state. There is however a representative office in Ramallah and is the second largest donor to UNWRA, the Palestinian refugee agency.

    Recognition of Palestine as a state is particularly controversial due to significant areas that need final resolution before such a move is undertaken. The major issues are the status of Jerusalem which is claimed by both Israel and Palestine, the borders of a modern-day state of Palestine, the settlements in the West Bank area which is known as Judea and Samaria in Israel, the rights of a Palestinian state in regard to military and airspace access and also the right of return.

    The right of return is a demand that all Palestinians who ran away after war broke out between Israel and the Arab countries be allowed to return alongside their descendants. Such a move has been severely opposed by Israel.

    Israel still has the upper hand in terms of diplomatic recognition boasting diplomatic recognition from 165 (or 85%) of the 193 total UN member states, and also maintains bilateral ties with all of the Permanent Five members of the UN. North Korea is the only distinct non-Arab, non-Muslim majority country that does not recognize Israel. Palestine on the other hand has recognition from 143 out of 193 UN members with 2 out 5 veto members recognizing it as well. Both Palestine and Israel recognize each other as part of the Oslo Accords Peace Process.

    Kenya recognized Israel in 1963 and Palestine in 1989. In Africa, Cameroon and Eritrea have never recognized a Palestinian state. Some countries such as DRC and Rwanda did recognize Palestine in one way or the other in the past. Kenya supports a two-state solution to the conflict and has always been its position when it comes to the conflict.

  • Why The US Has Suspended The Shipment Of Weapons To Israel

    Why The US Has Suspended The Shipment Of Weapons To Israel

    (France 24)-Is this the end of unconditional US support for Israel? With Netanyahu’s government seemingly ignoring Washington’s warnings of the dire humanitarian consequences of a ground incursion for Rafah’s civilian population, US President Joe Biden on Wednesday threatened to stop deliveringcertain types of munitions to Israel if it pushes into the southern Gaza city, notably the 2,000-pound bombs Israel has been using in its offensive.

    “Civilians have been killed in Gaza as a consequence of those bombs and other ways in which they go after population centers,” Biden acknowledged in a one-on-one interview with CNN.

    “I made it clear that if they go into Rafah … I’m not supplying the weapons that have been used historically to deal with Rafah, to deal with the cities.”

    The US president’s ultimatum came as Netanyahu’s government said it was preparing a “limited” offensive in Rafah despite UN warningsthat a ground assault could lead to a “bloodbath”. Around 1.4 million Palestinians, most of them displaced by Israel’s months-long assault on the besieged enclave, are believed to be crammed into the city.

    Biden’s threat has already partly been carried out, US officials have said. Washington last week suspended the delivery of 1,800 of the 2,000-pound bombs, a US official told AP on condition of anonymity, likely MK-84s as well as 1,700 smaller 500-pound bombs.

    US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin told a Senate hearing on Wednesday that an area as densely populated as Rafah demanded less powerful and more precise weapons. The city, which borders Egypt, has an average of 20,000 inhabitants crammed into every square kilometre, according to the UN – the same urban density as the city of Paris.

    “We’re going to continue to do what’s necessary to ensure that Israel has the means to defend itself,” Austin said. “But that said, we are currently reviewing some near-term security assistance shipments in the context of unfolding events in Rafah.”

    Austin said the US was pausing shipment of “high-payload munitions” over Israeli plans for an incursion into Rafah without an adequate plan for protecting the 1 million civilians who have sought shelter there.

    A history of violence

    MK-84 bombs have been used by the US militarysince the 1970s, first in Vietnam and then, more sparingly, in Iraq and Afghanistan due to their devastating impact on urban areas. Human Rights Watch has said that these munitions were also used by the Saudi-led coalition in the 2016 bombing of a market in Yemen that killed more than a hundred civilians.

    Although these bombs can be modified with the addition of a precision guidance system, this measure would likely do little to avoid civilian deaths in an enclave as densely packed as the Gaza Strip.

    Containing 900 pounds of explosives, these 4.5-metre-long bombs leave immense craters in their wake and scatter thousands of potentially lethal fragments in all directions. Nothing within a 350-metre radius can survive.

    Military experts say these deadly bombs may have already contributed significantly to the horrific death toll of the war in Gaza. According to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry, almost 34,000 Palestinians have been killed since war broke out following Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel that killed almost 1,200 people.

    Israel has frequently used these US-supplied bombs in an effort to dislodge Hamas militants from a labyrinthine network of underground tunnels beneath Gaza. According to a New York Times investigation published in December 2023, Israel dropped MK-84 bombs on Gaza every day during the first six weeks of the conflict. On at least 200 occasions, Israeli armed forces have directly targeted areas that were specifically designated as safe for Gazan civilians.

    Israel has been criticised for years by human rights NGOs for its widespread use of these gratuitously powerful bombs during previous conflicts in the Gaza Strip.

    “These bombs are used to inflict extremely heavy damage, either indiscriminately or completely deliberately, on residential areas or civilian infrastructure, which is forbidden under international law,” Amnesty International France director Jean-Claude Samouiller said. “This has not been respected by Israel, either during this current war in Gaza or in the past.”

    ‘Be careful’

    Israel’s UN Ambassador Gilad Erdan described the US move in an interview with Israel’s Channel 12 as “a very disappointing decision, even frustrating”.

    The US is Israel’s leading arms supplier by far. Last month, Congress approved the sale of $14.3 billion in additional arms as part of a larger package that also earmarked military aid for Ukraine and Taiwan. That comes on top of the $3.8 billion in military aid the US sends Israel every year, most of which Israel must use to purchase US military equipment and services.

    But this generous support has been called into question since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war. Amid outcry from the Muslim community and the progressive left as well as pro-Palestinian protests at major universities, some Democrats are worried about the consequences of the Middle East crisis on the November presidential election.

    This decision is the most spectacular sign to date of the mounting disagreements that are poisoning the Biden administration’s relationship with the Netanyahu government, which has brushed off US requests to take greater care to avoid the loss of Palestinian civilian lives.

    “It’s an insufficient first step, but it sends a strong signal to Israel,” Samouiller said.

    Biden’s announcement also comes amid the ongoing failure of ceasefire talks in Cairo. The latest ceasefire talks collapsed on Thursday with no agreement to halt the fighting or release hostages.

    Netanyahu instead maintains he is determined to annihilate Hamas by launching a bloody assault on Rafah, which he maintains is the Palestinian militant group’s last refuge.

    Israeli troops seized control of the Rafah border crossing on Tuesday – essential in the supply of humanitarian aid to Gaza – and ordered the evacuation of 100,000 Palestinians. The IDF has also launched what it calls “targeted strikes” in the city’s east.

    Washington’s decision is “some kind of diplomatic message to Mr Netanyahu that he needs to take into consideration American interests more than he has over the last few months”, former deputy head of Israel’s National Security Council Itamar Yaar told the Associated Press. Yaar added that while the decision would not have an immediate impact on Israel’s military capacities, he stressed that it was “a kind of a signal, a ‘Be careful’”.

  • Governor Warns BIDCO Of Breaking UN Resolutions In Doing Business With Israel And Fueling Genocide

    Governor Warns BIDCO Of Breaking UN Resolutions In Doing Business With Israel And Fueling Genocide

    Kisumu Governor Anyang Nyongo sent what many now view as a direct threat to Bidco Africa CEO Vimal Shah while weighing in on the Israel-Gaza conflict,the urging Kenyan manufacturer Bidco to halt business with Israel. Though Nyong’o didn’t call for repercussions, his intent could be a call to boycott the company’s products something that is now becoming a common pressure on multinational companies dealing with Israel.

    In a statement on Tuesday, February 19, Governor Nyongo said Israel, which has mounted a large-scale attack on Gaza, that has killed at least 25,000 Palestinians, is already facing global condemnation over what many have termed genocide.

    The war on gaza has also displaced thousands, with figures from the United Nations (UN), saying at least 1.9 million Palestinians have been displaced, with thousands bearing injuries.

    Kisumu Governor Prof. Anyang’ Nyong’o.

    Governor Nyong’o revealed that Bidco held a secret meeting with Israel and are in the process to seal a multibillion deal with the warring country and now demands that Bidco pulls out of the deal which arose from a meeting between an Israeli Economic and Trade Mission and Bidco Group Chairman, Mr Vimal Shah, in Kenya last week.

    “Last week, an Israeli Economic and Trade Mission was in Kenya to meet Bidco Group Chairman, Mr Vimal Shah during which they discussed collaboration with Israeli companies in the FMCG sectors,” Governor Nyongo said.

    “We are calling our brother Vimal to restrain his company from taking this move in line with the decisions taken by the United Nations Organization and the International Court of Justice.”

    The Kisumu County boss stated that the only way to resolve the conflict between the two countries is to adopt a two-state solution.

    Opposition Leader Raila Odinga.

    This won’t be the first time that the company is targeted by the opposition and human rights groups, following disputed 2018 presidential election, National Super Alliance (Nasa) leader Raila Odinga called for a boycott of Bidco Oil products accusing the company of working with the Uhuru Kenyatta regime that they accused of rigging the elections followed by police violence against opposition protesters and in-line infringing on the rights of Kenyan citizens. Odinga also called for the boycott of other companies including Safaricom, Brookside and Haco.

    Former Isiolo Deputy Governor, Simba Guleid calls for boycott of Bidco products.

    Bidco Group deals in a range of household products from cooking oil to soap and also animal feed products.

    Similar tribulations have also hit the company in the neighboring country in Uganda where petition by Bugala Farmers’ Association asked the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to cut ties with the cooking oil firm. They pointed out Bidco Africa’s failure to comply with court orders to compensate farmers for their land; and the company’s labour practices in East Africa and the firm’s alleged tax evasion in Kenya and deforestation of land for its palm oil production in Uganda.

    Vimal however dismissed the claims of his firm ripping off farmers in Uganda terming the claims as baseless and malicious.

    War in Gaza

    Meanwhile, except for Hungary, all EU countries called for a “immediate humanitarian pause” in the Gaza war on Monday, according to foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.

    The European Union has struggled for a united response on Israel’s military operation following the October 7 attack by Hamas.

    But Borrell said foreign ministers from 26 states had agreed a statement calling for “an immediate humanitarian pause that would lead to a sustainable ceasefire”.

    The EU countries also reiterated their calls for Israel not to launch an assault on the Gaza city of Rafah, which has become the main shelter zone in the stricken territory.

    Other EU nations such as Germany have been reluctant until now to call for an “immediate” halt in Israel’s operations. It has not wanted to be seen backing any move that could limit Israel’s right to defend itself.

    Previously, UN human rights officials listed firms doing business in the West Bank are supporting the Israeli occupation of internationally recognized Palestinian territory. Israel said the UN is advocating a boycott.

    This followed the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) call for a database listing all businesses supporting the settlements or engaging in “specific activities related to Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory.”

    According to the HRC, the businesses listed are involved in activities that “raise human rights concerns,” including facilitating settlement construction or providing security services, banking and demolition equipment.

    Following the Israel invasion of Gaza, several global companies have stopped trading with Israel with mounting calls for product boycotts of companies dealing with Israel who’re seen to be fueling the conflict and destruction of Gaza.

    Photo showing the destruction of Gaza Strip by Israeli forces. (Before and after).

    The war started when Hamas launched its unprecedented attack of October 7 that left about 1,160 people dead in southern Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official Israeli figures.

    Over 29,000 people, mostly women and children, have been killed in the Israel military operation in Gaza, the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory says.

    Hamas, considered a “terrorist” group by the United States, EU and other governments, also took about 250 hostages — 130 of whom remain in Gaza, including 30 presumed dead, according to Israel.

    Israel has warned that, unless Hamas frees all hostages, it will push on with its offensive during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, including in Rafah.

  • Facebook-Owned WhatsApp Admits A Spy Video Bugs On Its Old Versions

    Facebook-Owned WhatsApp Admits A Spy Video Bugs On Its Old Versions

    The Facebook-owned Whats App posted a security advisory about the bug, named CVE-2019-11931, which affects earlier versions of the app on both Android and iOS devices. They quoted India’s Computer Emergency Response Team that issued a warning over a malicious video allegedly intended to remotely access WhatsApp accounts.

    The security agency issued the advisory after the Indian government said it is empowered to “intercept, monitor or decrypt… any information generated, transmitted, received, or stored” on the phones or devices of its citizens.

    According to The Independent, the video allows hackers to access people’s messages when they share the MP4 file with their contacts.

    “These users were instead targeted with spyware developed by controversial Israeli technology firm NSO Group,” The Independent quoted a spokesperson.

    WhatsApp confirmed the warning, however, they refuted claims linking the hacking attempts to a shared video file.

    “We make public reports on potential issues we have fixed consistently with industry best practices. In this instance, there is no reason to believe that users were impacted.”

    Last month, WhatsApp revealed that around 1,400 activists and journalists were targeted with spyware developed by controversial Israeli software firm NSO Group.

    The same bug was also installed in the messenger’s video calling system in May this year.

    “In May we stopped an attack where an advanced cyber actor exploited our video calling to install malware on user devices. There’s a possibility this phone number was impacted, and we want to make sure you know how to keep your mobile phone secure,” the message stated.

    WhatsApp users are being urged to update to the latest version of the app due to fears that spy agencies are snooping on people through a major security vulnerability.