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☆ Palestinian Rights Groups Snub ICC Prosecutor
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( Dec. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

RAMALLAH (Reuters) - Palestinian human rights groups refused to meet the International Criminal Court prosecutor Karim Khan on Saturday, accusing him of favouring Israeli accusations of rights abuses over longstanding Palestinian charges. However Palestinian activists said they would refuse to see him because of their objections to what they saw as unequal treatment of Israeli and Palestinian cases. "As Palestinian human rights organizations, we decided not to meet him," said Ammar Al-Dwaik, director general of the Independent Commission for Human Rights (ICHR). He was scheduled to meet lawyers for the families' group as well as members of the families themselves. The official Palestinian news agency WAFA said Abbas had urged Karim to investigate Israeli operations in Gaza as well as the occupied West Bank.

Persons: Karim Khan, Khan, Ammar Al, Mr Khan, Mahmoud Abbas, WAFA, Abbas, Karim, Ali Sawafta, James Mackenzie, Giles Elgood Organizations: Criminal, West Bank, Independent Commission, Human Rights Locations: RAMALLAH, Israel, Ramallah, Gaza

☆ Families of Bedouin hostages wait for news as Gaza fighting resumes
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"We want the release of Yousef and Hamza and all those held hostages, and Samer and Farhan, may God bring them back to their families". Bedouin Arabs make up about 4% of Israel's population, living mainly in the southern Negev desert and in northern Israel. Kamel said the families were urging Hamas to release their hostages. While they wait, like the families of other hostages released during the week-long pause, their emotions are mixed. Reporting by Sishi Siyabonga, Nuha Sharaf; writing by James Mackenzie; Editing by Kevin LiffeyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Yosef Hamis Ziadna, Hamza, Bilal, Aisha, Yosef, Farhan al, Qadi, Samer, Kamel al, Yousef, Farhan, Kamel, Belal, Sishi Siyabonga, Nuha Sharaf, James Mackenzie, Kevin Liffey Organizations: Palestinian, Hamas, Thomson Locations: Israel, Palestinian, Tel Aviv, SANA, Gaza

☆ Israel Wants 'Security Envelope', No Hamas on Border After War, Official Says
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( Dec. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel will seek a "security envelope" with special zones and arrangements that will prevent Hamas from being positioned on its border after the war in Gaza is over, a senior adviser to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday. Asked whether Israel was indeed seeking such a buffer zone, senior adviser Mark Regev told reporters: "Israel will have to have a security envelope. We can never again allow terrorists to cross the border and butcher our people the way they did on October 7." "That is not Israel taking territory from Gaza," said Regev. They also said Saudi Arabia, which does not have ties with Israel and which halted a U.S.-mediated normalisation process after the Gaza war erupted on Oct. 7, had been informed.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, Mark Regev, Regev, Maayan Lubell, James Mackenzie, Gareth Jones Organizations: Reuters, United Arab Emirates, Israel Locations: JERUSALEM, Israel, Gaza, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, U.S

☆ Palestinian rights groups snub ICC prosecutor
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

FILE PHOTO: International Criminal Court Prosecutor Karim Khan speaks during an interview with Reuters about the violence in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories in The Hague, Netherlands, October 12, 2023. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsRAMALLAH, Dec 2 (Reuters) - Palestinian human rights groups refused to meet the International Criminal Court prosecutor Karim Khan on Saturday, accusing him of favouring Israeli accusations of rights abuses over longstanding Palestinian charges. However Palestinian activists said they would refuse to see him because of their objections to what they saw as unequal treatment of Israeli and Palestinian cases. "As Palestinian human rights organizations, we decided not to meet him," said Ammar Al-Dwaik, director general of the Independent Commission for Human Rights (ICHR). The official Palestinian news agency WAFA said Abbas had urged Karim to investigate Israeli operations in Gaza as well as the occupied West Bank.

Persons: Karim Khan, de, Khan, Ammar Al, Mr Khan, Mahmoud Abbas, WAFA, Abbas, Karim, Ali Sawafta, James Mackenzie, Giles Elgood Organizations: Reuters, REUTERS, Criminal, West Bank, Independent Commission, Human Rights, Thomson Locations: Israel, The Hague, Netherlands, RAMALLAH, Ramallah, Gaza

☆ Israel wants 'security envelope', no Hamas on border after war, official says
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] An Israeli soldier holds up an Israeli flag, near the border with Gaza, during a temporary truce between Israel and Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in southern Israel, November 29, 2023. Asked whether Israel was indeed seeking such a buffer zone, senior adviser Mark Regev told reporters: "Israel will have to have a security envelope. We can never again allow terrorists to cross the border and butcher our people the way they did on October 7." "That is not Israel taking territory from Gaza," said Regev. They also said Saudi Arabia, which does not have ties with Israel and which halted a U.S.-mediated normalisation process after the Gaza war erupted on Oct. 7, had been informed.

Persons: Alexander Ermochenko, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, Mark Regev, Regev, Maayan Lubell, James Mackenzie, Gareth Jones Organizations: Hamas, REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, United Arab Emirates, Israel, Thomson Locations: Israeli, Gaza, Israel, Palestinian, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, U.S

☆ Families of Bedouin Hostages Wait for News as Gaza Fighting Resumes
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( Dec. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

TIRABIN AL SANA, Israel (Reuters) - The family members of four Bedouin Arabs taken hostage on Oct. 7 during the assault on southern Israel by Hamas gunmen have welcomed the return of two of the captives but wait for news of the others as fighting resumes in the Gaza Strip. "We want the release of Yousef and Hamza and all those held hostages, and Samer and Farhan, may God bring them back to their families". Bedouin Arabs make up about 4% of Israel's population, living mainly in the southern Negev desert and in northern Israel. Kamel said the families were urging Hamas to release their hostages. While they wait, like the families of other hostages released during the week-long pause, their emotions are mixed.

Persons: TIRABIN, Yosef Hamis Ziadna, Hamza, Bilal, Aisha, Yosef, Farhan al, Qadi, Samer, Kamel al, Yousef, Farhan, Kamel, Belal, Sishi Siyabonga, Nuha Sharaf, James Mackenzie, Kevin Liffey Organizations: Hamas Locations: SANA, Israel, Gaza

But the three men topping Israel's hit-list remain at large: Deif, the head of Hamas' military wing, the Izz el-Deen al-Qassam Brigades; his second in command, Marwan Issa; and Hamas' leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar. The three leaders are directing Hamas' military operations and led negotiations for a prisoner-hostage swaps, possibly from bunkers beneath Gaza, three Hamas sources say. The objective of the war remains to dismantle Hamas' military and government capabilities, Michael said, which could involve a turbulent period in Gaza after the war. An Israeli military officer, who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity, said the IDF viewed the elimination of such combat-level commanders as essential to dismantling Hamas' military capabilities. Israel has killed Hamas' leaders in the past, including the group's founder Sheikh Ahmed Yassin and its former leader Abdel-Aziz al-Rantisi, assassinated in a 2004 air strike.

Persons: Ilan Rosenberg, Yoav Gallant, Mohammed Deif, Deen al, Marwan Issa, Yahya Sinwar, Issa, Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, Gallant, Sinwar, Michael Eisenstadt, we've, Eisenstadt, Osama Hamdan, Joe Biden's, al, Kobi Michael, Michael said, Michael, Gilad Shalit, Shalit, Gerhard Conrad, Conrad, Al, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, Abdel, Aziz, Rantisi, Sheikh Yassin, Hamdan, Dan Williams, Samia Nakhoul, Daniel Flynn Organizations: REUTERS, Israeli, Hamas, Brigades, Qatar, Reuters, Military and Security, Washington Institute for Near East, Israel Defense Forces, Israel, Islamic, Israel's Ministry, Strategic Affairs, IDF, German Intelligence Agency, politburo, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Kibbutz Beeri, Israel, Tel Aviv, Deif, Gaza City, Lebanon, East, U.S, States, al Qaeda, Islamic State, Iran, United States, Iraq, Syria, Palestinian, Israeli, Sinwar, Al Jazeera, Rantissi, Jerusalem

☆ Biden hopes for extension of Israel-Hamas truce as more hostages released
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( James Mackenzie | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Thirty-nine teenage Palestinian prisoners were released by Israel on Sunday, taking the total since the truce began to 117. The four-day truce agreed last week is the first halt in fighting in the seven weeks since Hamas killed 1,200 people and took about 240 hostages back into Gaza. Some 14,800 Palestinians have been killed, Gaza health authorities say, and hundreds of thousands displaced. The latest three Thai hostages released were in good health, Thailand's prime minister said. Hamas released 24 hostages on Friday, the first day of the truce.

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, Abigail Edan, Abigail, Carmel Edan, he's, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Omar Abdullah Al Hajj, he'd, Thais, Sunday's, Israel, gaunt, children's agency's James Elder, Elder, Raphael Satter, Diane Craft, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Sunday, International Committee, Red Cross, Reuters, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Saturday, Palestinian, West Bank, Thomson Locations: Israel, Gaza, U.S, Ramallah, Qatar, Egypt, United States, Palestinian, Gaza's, Qatari, Gaza City

☆ 'Can't find words', Israeli families welcome second group of hostages
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-26 | by ( Eli Berlzon | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"We can't find the words to describe our emotions after 50 challenging and complicated days," her family said in a statement. "We are overjoyed to embrace Emily again, but at the same time, we remember Raya Rotem and all the hostages who have yet to return." You just can't imagine it, what they will do, if they will talk about it," said 10-year-old Talia, a friend of Emily Hand. Since then, Israel has vowed both to destroy Hamas and bring the hostages back home. Saturday's release of 13 hostages came after some six weeks of fighting as part of a deal to release 50 hostages in exchange for 150 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails.

Persons: Emily Hand, Hila Rotem, Emily's, Emily, Raya Rotem, Talia, Inbal Tzach, Adi Shoham, Be'eri, Nave, Tal, James Mackenzie, Leslie Adler Organizations: Palestinian, Hamas, Reuters, REUTERS Acquire, Qatari, Thomson Locations: Israel, Gaza, Be'eri

☆ Biden Hopes for Extension as Israel-Hamas Truce Enters Final Day
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-26 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +5 min

Thirty-nine teenage Palestinian prisoners were released by Israel on Sunday, taking the total since the truce began to 117. Her grandfather, Carmel Edan, told Reuters he "simply could not believe" she had been returned, thanking Biden "for all the help he's offered us." The four-day truce agreed last week is the first halt in fighting in the seven weeks since Hamas killed 1,200 people and took about 240 hostages back into Gaza. Some 14,800 Palestinians have been killed, Gaza health authorities say, and hundreds of thousands displaced. Hamas released 24 hostages on Friday, the first day of the truce.

Persons: James Mackenzie JERUSALEM, Joe Biden, Biden, Abigail Edan, Abigail, Carmel Edan, he's, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Omar Abdullah Al Hajj, he'd, Israel, gaunt, children's agency's James Elder, Elder, Raphael Satter, Diane Craft, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Sunday, International Committee, Red Cross, Reuters, Palestinian, West Bank Locations: Israel, Gaza, U.S, Ramallah, Qatar, Egypt, United States, Palestinian, Gaza's, Qatari, Gaza City

"The released hostages are on their way to hospitals in Israel, where they will re-unite with their families," the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement. Israel released 39 Palestinians - six women and 33 minors - from two prisons, the Palestinian news agency WAFA said. Saturday's swap follows the previous day's initial release of 13 Israeli hostages, including children and the elderly, by Hamas in return for the release of 39 Palestinian women and young people from Israeli prisons. On Friday Hamas also released a Philippine national and 10 Thai farm workers. Israel has said the ceasefire could be extended if Hamas continued to release at least 10 hostages a day.

Persons: Israel, WAFA, Srettha Thavisin, Thais, Thongkoon Onkaew, Natthaporn Onkaew, Joe Biden, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al, Osama Hamdan, Majed Al, Ansari, Maya Regev, Emily Hand, Hila Rotem, Emily, Raya Rotem, Shorouk Dwayyat, Emily Rose, Bassam Masoud, James Mackenzie, Maayan Lubell, Emma Farge, Aidan Lewis, Adam Makary, Nidal, Moaz Abd, Ali Sawafta, Sybille de La Hamaide, Jeff Mason, Humeyra Pamuk, Leslie Adler, Clarence Fernandez, William Mallard Organizations: Sunday, International Committee, Israel Defense Forces, West Bank, Hamas, Reuters, Brigades, IDF, United Nations, CNN, Al, Thomson Locations: Israel Egypt, Qatar, West Bank GAZA, JERUSALEM, Israel, Gaza, Egypt, Palestinian, Rafah, Al, Bireh, Ramallah, Philippine, U.S, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Al Jazeera, Nantucket , Massachusetts

☆ Palestinian militants in West Bank say two 'collaborators' executed
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A statement from the Tulkarm Brigades, a group based in the West Bank city of Tulkarm that is associated with the Fatah faction, said there was "no immunity for any informant or traitor". Footage shared on the Tulkarm Brigades Telegram channel showed a man apparently confessing to working with Israeli security services and providing details of his activities. The Tulkarm Brigades statement said anyone who had been working with Israeli security services had until Dec. 5 to come forward and repent. The Independent Commission for Human Rights, a Palestinian rights group, issued a statement criticising extrajudicial killings but said Israeli authorities were responsible for recruiting Palestinian agents. There was no comment from the Palestinian Authority, which exercises limited governance in the West Bank, and no immediate comment from the Israeli security services.

Persons: Fatah, Ali Sawafta, James Mackenzie, Hugh Lawson Organizations: West Bank, Tulkarm Brigades, Reuters, Independent Commission, Human Rights, Palestinian Authority, Thomson Locations: RAMALLAH, Gaza, Tulkarm, Israel

☆ Rubik's Cube-loving 9-year-old among hostages freed from Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Rami Amichay | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The 13 Israeli hostages released by Hamas fighters included sisters aged 2 and 4 and their mother, a 5-year-old girl and her mother, as well as elderly women. As well as the Israeli hostages, 10 Thais and one Filipino, who were taken captive at the same time, were also freed under a separate agreement, Qatari mediators said. The rest of a group of at least 50 Israeli hostages due to be exchanged under a Qatari-brokered agreement are expected to be freed in the coming days and more hostages could be added if the truce deal is extended. MIXED EMOTIONSFor the families of the hostages, there was happiness mingled with concern for those who remained in Gaza. That's a human thing," said Yoni Katz Asher, whose wife Doron and children Raz and Aviv were freed on Friday.

Persons: Munder, Gilat Livni, Livni, Roni Haviv, Keren, Ruth, Avraham Munder, Yosef Mendelovich, Benjamin Netanyahu, it's, Yoni Katz Asher, Doron, Raz, Shelly Shem Tov, Omer Shem Tov, Omer, Maayan Lubell, Ari Rabinovitch, Henriette Chacar, Eli Berlzon, James Mackenzie, Alexandra Hudson, Hugh Lawson, Daniel Wallis, Mark Potter Organizations: Schneider Children's Medical, Pediatrics, Hamas, Red Cross, Qatari, Israel's, Thomson Locations: PETAH TIKVA, Gaza, Israel, Petah Tikva, Aviv

☆ Relief, sadness for Palestinian prisoners freed in hostage deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Ali Sawafta | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BEITUNIA, West Bank, Nov 24 (Reuters) - For the families of Palestinian detainees freed by Israel under a hostage deal agreed with the Islamist group Hamas, Friday brought relief tinged with sadness at the fighting that is set to continue in Gaza after the expiry of a four-day truce. Israeli police were seen raiding her Jerusalem home before her daughter was released. More than 100 more Palestinian prisoners are due to be released over the coming four days and more may be freed if the truce is extended. In Beitunia, a city near Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, a large crowd, mostly of young men, greeted freed prisoners by cheering, honking car horns and marching in the street carrying Palestinian flags. [1/7]Released Palestinian prisoner Fatima Amarneh is received by her family, amid a hostages-prisoners swap deal between Hamas and Israel, near Jenin in the Israeli-occupied West Bank November 25, 2023.

Persons: Sawsan Bkeer, Marah Bkeer, Fatima Amarneh, Raneen, Abu Ubaida, Laith Othman, Ismail Shaheen, Fatima, Shaheen, Yosri AlJamal, James Mackenzie, Daniel Wallis Organizations: West Bank, Hamas, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: West, Israel, Gaza, Qatar, Jerusalem, Ramallah, Jenin, Bethlehem

☆ Relief and Sadness for Palestinian Prisoners Freed in Gaza Hostage Deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

By Ali SawaftaBEITUNIA, West Bank (Reuters) - For the families of Palestinian detainees freed by Israel under a hostage deal agreed with the Islamist group Hamas, Friday brought relief tinged with sadness at the fighting that is set to continue in Gaza after the expiry of a four-day truce. Israeli police were seen raiding her Jerusalem home before her daughter was released. "We are still afraid to feel happy and at the same time, we do not have it in us to be happy due to what is happening in Gaza," she said. More than 100 more Palestinian prisoners are due to be released over the coming four days and more may be freed if the truce is extended. In Beitunia, a city near Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, a large crowd, mostly of young men, greeted freed prisoners by cheering, honking car horns and marching in the street carrying Palestinian flags.

Persons: Ali Sawafta BEITUNIA, Sawsan Bkeer, Marah Bkeer, Abu Ubaida, Laith Othman, Ismail Shaheen, Fatima, Shaheen, Yosri AlJamal, James Mackenzie, Daniel Wallis Organizations: West Bank, Reuters, Hamas Locations: Israel, Gaza, Qatar, Jerusalem, Ramallah, Bethlehem

☆ Israel Receives List of Hostages to Be Released Saturday by Hamas
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +5 min

Israeli security officials were reviewing the list, said a statement from the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose government promised to work toward the release of all hostages taken by Hamas in an attack on Israel on Oct. 7. They were then taken to Israel for medical checks and reunions with relatives. The Israeli hostages freed included four children accompanied by four family members, and five elderly women. According to Israeli tallies, Hamas fighters killed 1,200 people in the October attack and took about 240 hostages. In at least three cases, before the prisoners were released, Israeli police raided their families' homes in Jerusalem, witnesses said.

Persons: Bassam Masoud, James Mackenzie, Benjamin Netanyahu, Cross, Joe Biden, Biden, Israel's, Shelly Shem Tov, Omer Shem Tov, Omer, Roni Haviv, Munder, Sawsan Bkeer, Marah Bkeer, Henriette Chacar, Jeff Mason, Idrees Ali, Grant McCool, Deepa Babington Organizations: Palestinian, Hamas, International Committee, ICRC, U.S, Palestine Red Crescent Society, Israel's, Police Locations: James Mackenzie GAZA, JERUSALEM, Israel, Gaza, Rafah, Qatar, Filipino, Palestine, Jerusalem, Egypt

[1/7] Hostages released as part of a deal between Israel and Palestinian Islamist group Hamas arrive by helicopter at Schneider Children's Medical Center in Petah Tikva, Israel, November 24, 2023. They were then taken to Israel for medical checks and reunions with relatives. The Israeli hostages freed included four children accompanied by four family members, and five elderly women. According to Israeli tallies, Hamas fighters killed 1,200 people in the October attack and took about 240 hostages. In at least three cases, before the prisoners were released, Israeli police raided their families' homes in Jerusalem, witnesses said.

Persons: Ronen, Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, Cross, Joe Biden, Israel's, Shelly Shem Tov, Omer Shem Tov, Omer, Roni Haviv, Munder, Sawsan Bkeer, Marah Bkeer, Bassam Masoud, James Mackenzie, Henriette Chacar, Jeff Mason, Idrees Ali, Grant McCool, Deepa Babington Organizations: Schneider Children's Medical, REUTERS, Palestinian, Hamas, International Committee, ICRC, U.S, Palestine Red Crescent Society, Israel's, Police, Thomson Locations: Israel, Palestinian, Petah Tikva, Gaza GAZA, JERUSALEM, Gaza, Rafah, Qatar, Filipino, Palestine, Jerusalem, Egypt

☆ Relief and sadness for Palestinian prisoners freed in Gaza hostage deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Ali Sawafta | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/4] People gather as released Palestinian prisoners leave the Israeli military prison, Ofer, after hostages-prisoners swap deal between Hamas and Israel near Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank November 24, 2023. Israeli police were seen raiding her Jerusalem home before her daughter was released. More than 100 more Palestinian prisoners are due to be released over the coming four days and more may be freed if the truce is extended. In Beitunia, a city near Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, a large crowd, mostly of young men, greeted freed prisoners by cheering, honking car horns and marching in the street carrying Palestinian flags. Additional reporting by Yosri AlJamal; Writing by James Mackenzie; Editing by Daniel WallisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Ofer, Ammar Awad, Sawsan Bkeer, Marah Bkeer, Abu Ubaida, Laith Othman, Ismail Shaheen, Fatima, Shaheen, Yosri AlJamal, James Mackenzie, Daniel Wallis Organizations: West Bank, REUTERS, Hamas, Thomson Locations: Israel, Ramallah, West, Gaza, Qatar, Jerusalem, Bethlehem

☆ Israeli Army Holds Al Shifa Hospital Chief for Questioning
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

"In the hospital, under his management, there was extensive Hamas terrorist activity," it said in a statement. Shifa Hospital, the biggest medical facility in the Palestinian Territories, has been at the centre of accusations of war crimes on both sides. Hamas and doctors at the hospital have previously denied accusations that the complex was used for military purposes and dismissed the evidence presented by Israeli officials. The army was still questioning him, army spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Richard Hecht told reporters on Thursday afternoon. Palestinian Health Minister Mai Al-Kayla said the arrests showed that Israel was flouting international humanitarian law.

Persons: Muhammad Abu Salamiyah, Abu Salamiyah, Richard Hecht, Hecht, Mai Al, Kayla, Israel, James Mackenzie, Howard Goller Organizations: Al, Al Shifa Hospital, Hamas, Shifa, Palestinian Health, United Nations, Cross Locations: JERUSALEM, Al Shifa, Gaza, Palestinian Territories, Israel

☆ Palestinian women and youths to be swapped for Israeli hostages
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Ali Sawafta | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Jubilant reunions are expected when Palestinian families greet the prisoners on their return as early as Thursday, most of them to their homes in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem. Arrested for such offences as attempted stabbings, stone throwings at Israeli soldiers or having contacts with hostile organisations, many were held under administrative detention, meaning Israel held them without trial. Israel has agreed to a four-day truce, the entry of aid to Gaza and the release of 150 Palestinian prisoners in return for the hostages, all children or women. Another 150 Palestinian prisoners could be freed in return for another 50 hostages in days to come, a Palestinian official said. "The resistance didn't call this deal a swap deal but it is a deal for truce and ceasefire," he said.

Persons: Shir Torem, Gilad Shalit, Yahya Sinwar, James Mackenzie, Howard Goller Organizations: REUTERS, West Bank, Jerusalem, Qatari, Palestinian, Commission, Prisoners ' Affairs, Palestinian Authority, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Tel Aviv, Israel, RAMALLAH, East Jerusalem

☆ Israeli army displays tunnel beneath Al Shifa it says served as Hamas hideout
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Ronen Zvulun | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

GAZA, Nov 22 (Reuters) - The Israeli army showed a reinforced tunnel beside Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza on Wednesday, complete with a bathroom, kitchen and an air conditioned meeting room that it said had served as a command post for Hamas fighters. Israel has long accused Hamas of using the Shifa hospital complex as a command and control center as part of a wider strategy that seeks to hide its forces among the civilian population. [1/5]Israeli soldiers stand near the opening to a tunnel at Al Shifa Hospital compound in Gaza City, amid the ongoing ground operation of the Israeli army against Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in the Gaza Strip, November 22, 2023. He said the army knew the tunnel led to another opening in a Gaza kindergarten. Israel has faced international criticism for its Gaza campaign, including its attacks on Shifa, the enclave's largest hospital.

Persons: Elad Tsuri, Israel's, Ronen, Tsuri, Israel, Daniel Hagari, Noa Marciano, Al, Ronen Zvulun, Howard Goller, James Mackenzie, Daniel Wallis Organizations: Hamas, Army, Palestinian, REUTERS, White, Thomson Locations: GAZA, Al Shifa, Gaza, Israel, Al, Gaza City, Washington, Shifa

☆ Israeli Army Displays Tunnel Beneath Al Shifa It Says Served as Hamas Hideout
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

By Ronen ZvulunGAZA (Reuters) - The Israeli army showed a reinforced tunnel beside Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza on Wednesday, complete with a bathroom, kitchen and an air conditioned meeting room that it said had served as a command post for Hamas fighters. Israel has long accused Hamas of using the Shifa hospital complex as a command and control center as part of a wider strategy that seeks to hide its forces among the civilian population. He said the army knew the tunnel led to another opening in a Gaza kindergarten. Israel has faced international criticism for its Gaza campaign, including its attacks on Shifa, the enclave's largest hospital. But Hagari, referring to Hamas' use of a hideout beneath the hospital, said: "The world now should say what happened in Shifa, what happened in the hospitals, is a war crime."

Persons: Elad Tsuri, Israel's, Tsuri, Israel, Daniel Hagari, Noa Marciano, Al, Ronen Zvulun, Howard Goller, James Mackenzie, Daniel Wallis Organizations: Hamas, Army, White Locations: GAZA, Al Shifa, Gaza, Israel, Washington, Shifa

☆ Nearly Seven Weeks of War in Gaza Between Israel and Hamas
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +5 min

The following is a timeline of the war between Israel and Hamas, the Islamist movement which controls the Gaza Strip. Oct. 7: Hamas gunmen launch a surprise attack on southern Israel, crossing over from Gaza and rampaging through towns. Hamas military commander Mohammad Deif announces on Hamas media that the attack has started and urges Palestinians everywhere to fight. The two women were kidnapped from Nir Oz kibbutz in southern Israel with their husbands, who are still held by Hamas. Israel says the hospital sits atop tunnels housing a headquarters for Hamas fighters using patients as shields, which Hamas denies.

Persons: Mohammad Deif, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, Joe Biden, Biden, Judith Tai Raanan, Natalie, Nurit Cooper, Yocheved, Nir, shalom, Netanyahu, General Antonio Guterres, Al Shifa, Al, Alexandra Hudson, James Mackenzie, Timothy Heritage Organizations: Reuters, Hamas, Arabi Baptist, Gaza, Al Shifa Hospital, Gaza's Hamas Locations: Israel, Gaza, Egypt, Gaza City, al, Ahli, Arabi, Palestinian, Jordan, Nahal, Rafah, Gaza's

☆ Israel-Hamas war: Four-day truce agreed, 50 hostages to go free
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Hamas and allied groups captured around 240 hostages when Islamist gunmen rampaged through southern Israeli towns on Oct. 7. Beyond that, the truce could be extended day by day as long as an additional 10 hostages were freed per day. Hamas said the initial 50 hostages would be released in exchange for 150 Palestinian women and children imprisoned in Israel. The truce deal is a first small step towards peace in the most violent ruction of the 75-year-old Palestinian-Israeli conflict. To destroy Hamas, return all our hostages and ensure that no entity in Gaza can threaten Israel," Netanyahu said in a recorded message.

Persons: Guterres, Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu's, Foreign Ministry Mohammed Al, Alexander Ermochenko, Mona, Joe Biden, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Antonio Guterres, Netanyahu, James Mackenzie, Dan Williams, Emily Rose, Henriette Chacar, Andrew Mills, Steve Holland, Jonathan Landay, Ahmed Mohamed Hassan, Lincoln, Raju Gopalakrishnan, Peter Graff, Mark Heinrich, Cynthia Osterman, Stephen Coates, Simon Cameron, Moore, Nick Macfie Organizations: Hamas, Israeli, State, Foreign Ministry, Reuters, REUTERS, Palestinian Authority, West Bank, Israel’s Defence Ministry, Saudi Foreign, Thomson Locations: GAZA, JERUSALEM, Israel, Gaza, Qatar, Israel ., Jabalia, U.S, Jerusalem, Doha, Washington, Cairo

☆ Israeli Tanks Reported Near Hospital in Embattled North Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +6 min

There was no immediate confirmation from the Israeli military of the reports from the Indonesian Hospital but the Palestinian news agency WAFA said the facility had been hit by artillery fire. Like many other health facilities in embattled Gaza, the Indonesian Hospital, set up in 2016 with funding from Indonesian organisations, has ceased operations. At the other end of the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, at least 14 Palestinians were killed in two Israeli air strikes on houses in the town of Rafah, near the border with Egypt, health officials said. Israeli tanks and troops stormed into Gaza late last month and have since seized wide areas of the north and northwest and east around Gaza City, the Israeli military says. Palestinians say Israel's repeated bombardment of southern Gaza renders Israeli promises of safety absurd.

Persons: Clauda Tanios, James Mackenzie, WAFA, Ashraf Al, Qidra, Gaza's, Beit Lahia, Israel, Yemen's, Houthis, Michael Herzog, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman, Thani, General Antonio Guterres, Raju Gopalakrishnan, Mark Heinrich Organizations: Indonesian, Indonesian Hospital, Palestinian, Gaza's General Authority, Gaza's Hamas, Islamic, Sunday, Qatari, White, Hamas, Israel Locations: James Mackenzie GAZA, JERUSALEM, Gaza, Palestinian, Rafah, Egypt, Israel, Gaza City, Beach, Beit Hanoun, Jabalia, Beijing, Yemen's Iran, British, United States, Doha, States

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