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☆ Israel's Six-Week Drive to Hit Hamas in Rafah and Scale Back War
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-19 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +10 min

Gaza's ruling group can keep fighting and is prepared for a long war in Rafah and Gaza, said the official, who requested anonymity. A senior regional security official said Israel believed some Hamas commanders and hostages were in Rafah. UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron also told lawmakers that Britain and its allies "will look at the issue of recognising a Palestinian state, including at the United Nations". Yet for Netanyahu and many other Israeli officials, talk of a two-state solution amounts to a betrayal of the people killed on Oct. 7. "I say clearly to anyone still stuck in October 6: We will never lend a hand to the creation of a Palestinian state," Israeli Culture Minister Miki Zohar said on social media last month.

Persons: Samia Nakhoul, Jonathan Saul, Humeyra Pamuk, Benjamin Netanyahu's, Avi Melamed, Yoav Gallant, Joe Biden, Netanyahu, Biden, Gaza's, hasn't, Israel . Fighting, Khan Younis, Emad Joudat, Gallant, Israel, Yahya Sinwar, Antony Blinken, Washington, David Cameron, Britain haven't, Miki Zohar, Dan Williams, Nidal Al Mughrabi, Andrew Hay, Jeff Mason, Pravin Char Organizations: Humeyra Pamuk DOHA, Reuters, Military, Israel Defense Forces, Hamas, Israeli, America, . Senior, Palestinian Authority, State Department, Israel, United Nations Locations: Israel, Gaza, Rafah, Washington, Qatar, RAFAH, Hamas, Khan, Gaza City, Egypt, Cairo, U.S, Palestinian, Britain, Palestine, Doha, London, Jerusalem

[1/2] Israeli soldiers stand in order, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, near Israel's border with Gaza, in southern Israel, December 4, 2023. The U.S. official spoke after three days of resumed aerial bombardments of southern Gaza left residents pulling the bodies of children and adults from the rubble. But the U.S. official said reducing military support to Israel would carry major risks. On Friday, Israel's military began posting grid-based maps online ordering Palestinians to leave parts of southern Gaza, directing them towards the Mediterranean coast and Rafah, near the Egyptian border. Residents and journalists on the ground said intense Israeli airstrikes hit southern Gaza on Monday, killing and wounding dozens of Palestinians.

Persons: Amir Cohen, Israel's, Biden, Kamala Harris, Antony Blinken, Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, Ophir Falk, Seth Binder, Binder, Eylon Levy, Jake Sullivan, Omar Shakir, Humeyra Pamuk, Jonathan Saul, Maggie Fick, James Mackenzie, Steve Holland, Don Durfee, Daniel Wallis Organizations: Hamas, REUTERS, U.S, Health Ministry, Washington, United, Reuters, Reuters Graphics, East Democracy, Biden, Democratic, Israel, . National, Palestine, Human Rights, Amnesty, Thomson Locations: Israel, Palestinian, Israel's, Gaza, LONDON, BEIRUT, U.S, United States, East, Gaza City, Rafah, Jerusalem, Washington

☆ Two ships hit by drone attacks in Red Sea
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

CAIRO, Dec 3 (Reuters) - Maritime security sources on Sunday said that a bulk carrier ship had been hit by at least two drones while sailing in the Red Sea. British maritime security company Ambrey said that another container ship had reportedly suffered damage from a drone attack about 63 miles northwest of the northern Yemeni port of Hodeidah. Reporting by Jonathan Saul Editing by David GoodmanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Ambrey, Jonathan Saul, David Goodman Organizations: Thomson Locations: CAIRO, Red, Hodeidah

According to three regional sources, Israel related its plans to its neighbours Egypt and Jordan, along with the United Arab Emirates, which normalised ties with Israel in 2020. He declined to offer details when asked whether those plans had been raised with international partners, including Arab states. A U.S. official, who declined to be identified, said Israel had "floated" the buffer zone idea without saying to whom. The regional sources compared the Gaza buffer zone plan to the "security zone" Israel once had in south Lebanon. "The buffer zone could make (Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu's forces a target also in the zone," he said.

Persons: Ronen, Israel, Abu Dhabi, Ophir Falk, Benjamin Netanyahu, Lebanon's, it's, Mohammad Dahlan, Benjamin, Netanyahu's, Samia Nakhoul, Ahmed Mohamed Hassan, Jonathan Saul, Dan Williams, Aidan Lewis, Humeyra Pamuk, Steve Holland, Edmund Blair, Daniel Flynn Organizations: REUTERS, Israel, United Arab Emirates, Saudi, Reuters, U.S, Lebanon's Hezbollah, Hamas, Palestine Liberation Organization, PLO, Palestinian Fatah, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Gaza Israel, Egypt, Jordan, UAE, Saudi Arabia, U.S, DUBAI, CAIRO, LONDON, Israel, Riyadh, Arab Turkey, Qatar, Qatari, Turkish, Palestinian, Cairo, Lebanon, PLO, Dubai, London, Jerusalem, Washington

The speech by Hamas' leader in Gaza to thousands of cheering supporters bore the hallmarks of crowd-pleasing hyperbole. In the days after the Oct. 7 attacks, Sinwar was seen by some of the Israeli hostages in the tunnels, freed hostages have said. "DEAD MAN WALKING"Born in the Khan Younis refugee camp, Sinwar, 61, was elected as Hamas' leader in Gaza in 2017. Both Hamas leaders and Israeli officials who know Sinwar agree he is devoted to the militant movement to an extraordinary level. "He told me Hamas is my wife, Hamas is my child.

Persons: Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif, Heard, Aqsa, Sinwar, Khan, Yoav Gallant, Michael Koubi, Koubi, Yuval Bitton, Bitton, Stephen Farrell, Jonathan Saul, Samia, Nidal Al, Frank Jack Daniel Our Organizations: Hamas, Deif, Reuters, Shin Bet, Prison, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Israel, Israel's, Hamas, Al, Jerusalem, Qatar, Gaza City, Lebanon, Bitton, London, Samia Nakhoul, Beirut, Mughrabi, Cairo

☆ Red Sea attacks on ships spark safety concerns for sailors
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Jonathan Saul | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Galaxy Leader cargo ship is escorted by Houthi boats in the Red Sea in this photo released November 20, 2023. The International Chamber of Shipping association said the "attacks must stop immediately, and the innocent seafarers released". "In light of the threat to safe transit of global trade in the Arabian and Red Seas, ZIM is taking temporary proactive measures to ensure the safety of its crews, vessels, and customers' cargo by re-routing some of its vessels," ZIM said. U.S. maritime administration MARAD said in an advisory on Sunday that vessels faced multiple threats after the attacks. Insurance industry sources said they expected war risk premiums to rise in the area, especially for Israel-linked shipping.

Persons: Houthis, ZIM, MARAD, Jonathan Saul, Carolyn Cohn Organizations: Galaxy Leader, Houthi Military, REUTERS, Yemeni, Pentagon, Hamas, Chamber of Shipping, ICS, Insurance, Thomson Locations: Red, Yemen, Gulf, Aden, Somali, Israel, Palestinian, Hodeidah

☆ Exclusive: Greek shippers exit Russian oil trade as U.S. tightens price cap scrutiny
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Tatiana Meel/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsMOSCOW/LONDON, Nov 23 (Reuters) - Three major Greek shipping firms have stopped transporting Russian oil in recent weeks in order to avoid U.S. sanctions now being imposed on some shipping firms carrying Russian oil, four traders told Reuters and shipping data showed. Greek shippers Minerva Marine, Thenamaris and TMS Tankers have stopped transporting Russia oil in recent weeks, the four traders said. The Greek shippers' exit from the trade followed tighter U.S. sanctions imposed on Russian oil shipments. The G7 countries introduced a price cap on Russian oil in late 2022, but had not previously enforced it. Russian oil trade has brought record revenues over the past year to the shippers who took the risk and stayed in the business.

Persons: Tatiana Meel, Thenamaris, Minerva, Jonathan Saul, Dmitry Zhdannikov, Eleftherios Papadimas, Susan Fenton Organizations: Nord, REUTERS, Minerva, TMS, Minerva Marine, Reuters, United Arab Emirates, Treasury, Thomson Locations: Nakhodka Bay, Nakhodka, Russia, LONDON, Asia, Turkey, East, Africa, South America, Moscow, Washington, OPEC, U.S, Baltic, India, Primorsk, Ust, Iran, Europe, UAE, Hong Kong, Seychelles, Ghana, Liberia, Cook, London, Athens

☆ Two ships divert course away from Red Sea area after vessel seized by Houthis
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Jonathan Saul | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] The Galaxy Leader cargo ship is escorted by Houthi boats in the Red Sea in this photo released November 20, 2023. Israel on Sunday said the Houthis had seized a British-owned, Japanese-operated cargo ship in the southern Red Sea, describing the incident as an "Iranian act of terrorism" with consequences for international maritime security. The Houthis, an ally of Tehran, confirmed that they had seized a ship in that area but described it as Israeli. The Glovis Star drifted for a number of hours in the Red Sea before continuing its journey, AIS ship tracking data showed on Monday. Houthi leadership last week said their forces would make further attacks on Israel and they could target Israeli ships in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.

Persons: Yemen's Houthis, Ray Car, Ambrey, Hermes, Isaac Herzog, Jonathan Saul, Mark Porter, Christina Fincher Organizations: Galaxy Leader, Houthi Military, REUTERS Acquire, Sunday, Nippon, Galaxy, Ray, Ray Car Carriers, Glovis, Hermes, AIS, Galaxy Maritime Ltd, Thomson Locations: Red, Gulf, Aden, Israel, British, Tehran, Japan, Saudi, Omani, Nishtun, Yemen, Sri Lanka, Mandeb Strait . U.S, Hodeidah

☆ Seized Galaxy Leader ship in Yemen's Hodeidah port area -owner
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] The Galaxy Leader cargo ship is escorted by Houthi boats in the Red Sea in this photo released November 20, 2023. Houthi Military Media/Handout via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Nov 20 (Reuters) - The Galaxy Leader commercial ship was "illegally boarded by military personnel via a helicopter" on Nov. 19 and is now in the Hodeidah port area in Yemen, the vessel’s owner said on Monday. "All communications were subsequently lost with the vessel," Isle of Man registered Galaxy Maritime Ltd, owner of the pure car carrier Galaxy Leader, said in a statement. "The Houthi seizure of the motor vessel Galaxy Leader in the Red Sea is a flagrant violation of international law," U.S. State Department spokeman Matthew Miller told a briefing. The Bahamas-flagged Galaxy Leader's crew is made up of nationals from Bulgaria, Ukraine, the Philippines, Mexico and Romania, Galaxy Maritime said.

Persons: Houthis, Matthew Miller, Jonathan Saul, Jonathan Landay, Daphne Psaledakis, Christina Fincher, David Gregorio Our Organizations: Galaxy Leader, Houthi Military, REUTERS Acquire, Galaxy Maritime Ltd, Galaxy, U.S . State Department, Galaxy Maritime, Japan's Nippon, Maritime, Thomson Locations: Red, Yemen, Iran, States, U.S, Bahamas, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Philippines, Mexico, Romania, Washington

An Israeli military spokesman indicated on Friday that the military operation against Hamas would advance into southern Gaza but gave no indication of timing. "They asked us, the citizens of Gaza, to go to the south. With Palestinians now effectively cornered, the second stage in Israel's military campaign is fraught with even more risks than the first. Assessing Israel's gains till now, Eiland said he believed the IDF had dealt with "something like 50%" of Hamas' military capacity. "I'm not sure that all foreigners understand the Israeli mood: Israel will not stop the operation before the hostages are back," said Eiland.

Persons: Khan Younis, Abu Mustafa, Gazans, Israel, Abu, Giora, Daniel Hagari, Hagari, Matthew Miller, Benjamin Netanyahu, Yahya Sinwar, Ahmed, Eiland, Osama Hamdan, Al Mawasi, I'm, Jonathan Saul, Nidal, Simon Lewis, Humeyra Pamuk, Matt Spetalnick, Edmund Blair, Daniel Flynn Organizations: Hamas, REUTERS, Gazans, Israel Washington, Israel's National Security Council, Reuters, U.S, U.S . State Department, United Nations, IRNA, Thomson Locations: Israel, Palestinian, Gaza, GAZA, Israeli, Gaza City, United States, Washington, U.S, Beirut, U.N, Egypt, Rafah, Eiland, London

☆ Grain ship lightly damaged off Ukraine, likely hit sea mine - sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Nov 17 (Reuters) - A merchant ship transporting grains was lightly damaged off the coast of Ukraine and was likely to have been hit by a floating sea mine, according to maritime specialists and a Ukrainian government source. This is the latest incident affecting commercial ships sailing in the Black Sea. War risk insurance premiums have risen to as much as 3% of the value of a vessel after a missile damaged a merchant ship in the Ukrainian port of Pivdennyi last week, industry sources said. A Ukrainian government source told Reuters on Friday that it was likely that a floating sea mine hit the vessel. After withdrawing from a U.N.-backed deal in July that guaranteed safe shipments of Ukrainian grain via the Black Sea, Ukraine says Russia has repeatedly attacked Ukrainian port infrastructure and also laid sea mines.

Persons: Marsh, Jonathan Saul, Gus Trompiz, William Maclean Organizations: Seagate, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Ukrainian, Pivdennyi, Liberia, Georgia, Greece, Constanta, Sea, Russia, Kyiv, London, Paris

The conflict is also testing the limits of the regional coalition whose members - which include the Syrian government, Hezbollah, Hamas and other militant groups from Iraq to Yemen - have differing priorities and domestic challenges. On Oct. 7, Hamas' military commander Mohammed Deif called on its axis allies to join the struggle. Yet, like its backer Iran, Hezbollah has avoided an all-out confrontation. Iran does not recognise Israel's existence, while Israel has long threatened military action against Iran if diplomacy fails to curb its disputed nuclear activity. "Iran has shown a four-decade commitment to fighting America and Israel without entering into direct conflict.

Persons: Ali Khamenei, Ismail Haniyeh, wouldn't, Yemen's Houthis, Mohanad Hage Ali, Israel, Mohammed Deif, Khaled Meshaal, Dennis Ross, Hamas didn't, didn't, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Joe Biden, Lloyd Austin, Yoav Gallant, Israel didn't, Karim Sadjadpour, Parisa Hafezi, Laila Bassam, Arshad Mohammed, Tom Perry, Jonathan Saul, Idrees Ali, Phil Stewart, Pravin Organizations: Israel, Reuters, Hezbollah, Carnegie Middle East Center, Hamas, Washington Institute for Near, Iran, AMERICA, United, U.S, Pentagon ., . Defense, NORTH Austin, Carnegie Endowment, International, Thomson Locations: DUBAI, Tehran, Israel, Iran, Palestinian, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Beirut, Gaza, Lebanon, Palestine, United States, U.S, East, Iranian, Afghanistan, Seoul, ISRAEL, America, Dubai, Saint Paul, Jerusalem, Washington

On Wednesday, Brazil arrested two people on terrorism charges as part of an operation to take down a suspected Hezbollah cell planning attacks on Brazilian soil. Later that day, Mossad publicly thanked Brazil's police and said, "Given the backdrop of the war in Gaza," Hezbollah was continuing to attack Israeli, Jewish and Western targets. A spokesperson for the Israeli Prime Minister's Office, which oversees the Mossad, had no immediate comment. Brazil's Foreign Ministry told Israel this week that the diplomatic relationship would become unsustainable if any harm were to befall the trapped Brazilians, the sources said. The Iranian government and Hezbollah, an Iran-backed group in Lebanon, could not immediately be reached for comment.

Persons: Brazil's, Flavio Dino, Israel, Dino, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Eli Cohen, Mauro Vieira, Vieira, Daniel Zonshine, Jair Bolsonaro, Lula, Zonshine, Andrei Rodrigues, Rodrigues, Gabriel Stargardter, Maytaal Angel, Jonathan Saul, Andrew Heavens, Brad Haynes, David Gregorio, Leslie Adler Organizations: RIO DE, Brazilian Federal Police, Prime, Office, Mossad, Foreign Ministry, Reuters, O Globo, Wednesday's Federal Police, Federal Police, Hezbollah, Thomson Locations: RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil, Israel, Gaza, Bolivia, Colombia, Chile, Iran, Lebanon

☆ Israeli military says unidentified drone hits southern city of Eilat
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

JERUSALEM, Nov 9 (Reuters) - An unidentified drone hit a civilian building in the southern Israeli port city of Eilat, the Israeli military said on Thursday, causing only light damage and no injuries. In recent weeks, the Iran-aligned Houthi movement in Yemen has launched repeated missile and drone attacks on Israel, but all were either shot down or fell short. Such premiums have soared 10-fold in recent weeks, adding tens of thousands of dollars to every voyage, industry sources say. The southern Mediterranean port of Ashkelon, which is closest to Gaza, has closed in recent weeks with at least one oil tanker diverted to Eilat. "This would be the first confirmed damage within the city of Eilat since the October 7 hostilities commenced.

Persons: Daniel Mueller, Ambrey, Emily Rose, Jonathan Saul, Maytaal Angel, Crispian Balmer, Alex Richardson, Daniel Wallis Organizations: Hezbollah, Hamas, Thomson Locations: Eilat, Iran, Yemen, Israel, United States, Ashkelon, Gaza, U.S, Ashdod

☆ Israel strikes Syria after drone hits southern Eilat city - Israeli military
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

JERUSALEM, Nov 9 (Reuters) - Israel's military said an organisation in Syria launched a drone that hit a school in the southern Israeli city of Eilat on Thursday and that it struck the group in response. The military did not say what organisation in Syria had launched the drone toward Eilat, on the Red Sea approximately 400 kms (250 miles) from the nearest point in Syrian territory. Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi movement has launched repeated missile and drone attacks on Israel since Oct. 7, all of which were either shot down or fell short. Israel has boosted its naval presence in the Red Sea to better protect its southern shores, while the United States also has a significant amount of naval power in the region. Eilat is the Israel's main commercial gateway through the Red Sea.

Persons: Daniel Mueller, Mueller, Emily Rose, Jonathan Saul, Maytaal Angel, Rami Ayyub, Crispian Balmer, Alex Richardson, Daniel Wallis, Michael Perry Organizations: Patriot, Hamas, Thomson Locations: Syria, Eilat, Yemen's Iran, Israel, Yemen, Negev, United States, Ashkelon, Gaza, Ambrey, Ashdod

☆ Ukraine says Russian missile hits civilian vessel in Black Sea, kills one
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Nov 8 (Reuters) - A Russian missile damaged a Liberia-flagged civilian vessel entering a Black Sea port in Odesa region, killing one and injuring four people, Ukrainian officials said on Wednesday. After pulling out of the U.N.-brokered deal that guaranteed safe shipments of Ukrainian grain via the Black Sea, Russia has been repeatedly attacking Ukrainian port infrastructure. It added that one person was killed, three crew members, citizens of the Philippines, and one port employee were injured. The vessel was supposed to transport iron ore to China, Ukraine Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said. Kubrakov added that Russia carried out 21 targeted attacks on port infrastructure after withdrawing from the deal.

Persons: Oleksandr Kubrakov, Kubrakov, Yoruk Isik, Yuliia Dysa, Jonathan Saul, Andrew Cawthorne, Alistair Bell, Ron Popeski Organizations: Facebook, Bosphorus Observer, Reuters, United, Kyiv, Thomson Locations: Russian, Liberia, Odesa, Russia, Philippines, China, Ukraine, Ukrainian, United Nations, Turkey

☆ Israel targets Hamas tunnels in new phase of Gaza war
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( Jonathan Saul | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

In recent days, Israeli troops have surrounded Gaza City and battled Hamas fighters as they pushed deeper into its streets. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant approved on Monday further operational plans for military action in Gaza City and the northern Gaza Strip. Hamas is estimated to have a force of between 20,000 and 30,000 fighters, according to Israeli security sources. Hagari said that Israel was seeking to target Hamas field commanders to undermine Hamas capabilities to carry out counter attacks. Security sources said some intelligence was being gathered from Gaza residents fleeing south about the concentration of the tunnels.

Persons: Ammar Awad, Yoav Gallant, Daniel Hagari, Avi Melamed, Benny Gantz, Hagari, Israel, Ayman Nofal, Yaron Finkelman, Finkelman, Lior Akerman, Shin, Shalom Ben Hanan, Ben Hanan, Nidal al, Daniel Flynn Organizations: Hamas, REUTERS, Rights, Israeli, Israel Defense Forces, Islamic, Southern Command, Institute for Policy, Israel's Reichman University, Shin Bet, Shin, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Israel, Palestinian, Sderot, Gaza City, Hamas, Washington

☆ Analysis-Israel Targets Hamas Tunnels in New Phase of Gaza War
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +6 min

In recent days, Israeli troops have surrounded Gaza City and battled Hamas fighters as they pushed deeper into its streets. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant approved on Monday further operational plans for military action in Gaza City and the northern Gaza Strip. The Israeli military has said that many of Hamas' tunnels, command centres and rocket launchers lie adjacent to schools, hospitals and humanitarian institutions in northern Gaza, including the Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City, the region's largest. Hamas is estimated to have a force of between 20,000 and 30,000 fighters, according to Israeli security sources. Security sources said some intelligence was being gathered from Gaza residents fleeing south about the concentration of the tunnels.

Persons: Jonathan Saul JERUSALEM, Yoav Gallant, Daniel Hagari, Avi Melamed, Benny Gantz, Hagari, Israel, Ayman Nofal, Yaron Finkelman, Finkelman, Lior Akerman, Shin, Shalom Ben Hanan, Ben Hanan, Nidal al, Daniel Flynn Organizations: Israeli, Israel Defense Forces, Islamic, Southern Command, Institute for Policy, Israel's Reichman University, Shin Bet, Shin Locations: Gaza, Gaza City, Israel, Hamas, Washington

☆ Hostages in mind, Israel moves slowly in Gaza ground offensive
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( Jonathan Saul | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

Troops freed an Israeli soldier from Hamas captivity during the ground operation in Gaza, the military said on Monday. An Israeli military spokesperson declined to comment on details of the offensive, citing sensitivity with the issue. Saying any lull in fighting would benefit Hamas, Israel rejected the calls, in the first public split between Israel and its allies since Oct. 7. ENCIRCLING GAZA CITYAfter amassing hundreds of thousands of soldiers, including reservists, on its border with Gaza, Israel made the first sustained ground incursions of the offensive on Friday. Israeli military forces are aware of the dangers with heavily built up areas in Gaza and the dangers of sending in broad forces.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Amos Yadlin, Israel, Benny Gantz, Yoav Gallant, Netanyahu, Daniel Hagari, Salah Al Deen, Abu Ahmad, Hagari, Omri Attar, I'm, Ben Milch, they're, Milch, Jonathan Saul, Nidal Al Mughrabi, Frank Jack Daniel Our Organizations: Hamas, Israeli Defence Forces, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Reuters, Troops, ., Saturday, Forces, Islamic, Combat Engineering Corps, IDF, Thomson Locations: Israeli, Gaza, Israel, Palestinian, Hamas, GAZA, Gaza City, Jerusalem

After over three weeks of heavy air strikes, Israeli ground forces have entered Gaza. A map of the northern part of the Gaza Strip shows Israeli forces ground incursions at two places along the northern border and one place along the eastern border, just south of Gaza City. 3 Cutting off Gaza City from the southAlthough the military has refused to say exactly where troops are operating, images on social media appear to show Israeli tanks on the road south of Gaza City. This line may threaten Salah Ad Deen Road, the main transport artery that runs the length of the Gaza Strip. Cutting it off would effectively split Gaza in two and isolate Gaza City from the south.

Persons: ” Amos Yadlin, Erez, “, Omri Attar, Ben Milch, Salah Ad Deen Organizations: Observers, Gaza, Israel, Hamas, Combat Engineering, Combat Engineering Corps Locations: Gaza, Gaza City, Israeli

☆ Listen Now: What Israel faces in Hamas' tunnels
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

This special episode is an extended interview with correspondent Jonathan Saul and host Kim Vinnell. Together, they explore Hamas' tunnel network under Gaza. Hundreds of miles long and up to 80 yards deep, it's described as the "Viet Cong times 10" by one Israeli security source. Jonathan reports on what we know so far about Israel's strategy to combat Hamas in the network one freed hostage has described as a spiderweb. Listen to our ongoing seriesThe hostages and the grassroots diplomacy to free themHamas' calculus and the fracturing of Middle East politicsThe tactics of a Gaza ground assaultFurther ReadingThe Hamas tunnel city beneath Gaza - a hidden frontline for IsraelFreed Israeli hostage says 'I've been through hell'Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Jonathan Saul, Kim Vinnell, Jonathan, Israel Freed, I've Organizations: Apple, Google, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Gaza ., East, Gaza

A general view shows the interiors of what the Israeli military say is a cross-border attack tunnel dug from Gaza to Israel, on the Israeli side of the Gaza Strip border near Kissufim January 18, 2018. After the last round of hostilities in 2021, Hamas's leader in Gaza, Yehya Al-Sinwar, said: "They started saying they destroyed 100kms of Hamas tunnels. Tunneling became easier in 2005 when Israel pulled its soldiers and settlers out of Gaza, and when Hamas won power in a 2006 election. Although the military tunnels remained off-limits to outside eyes, during that era Gaza smugglers would show off their scarcely concealed commercial tunnels under the Rafah border. Israeli sources said what awaits them is formidable and they faced an enemy that has regrouped and learned from previous Israeli operations in 2014 and 2021.

Persons: Jack Guez, Lloyd Austin, Yehya Al, Sinwar, Lifshitz, Mahmoud Abbas, Amir Avivi, Abdel Fattah al, Sisi, Israel, Yasser Arafat's, Deen al, Gilad Shalit, Abu Qusay, Mohammed Deif, Deif, Joel Roskin, Ilan University, Benjamin Netanyahu, Amnon Sofrin, Daphne Richemond, Barak, Jonathan Saul, Stephen Farrell, Phil Stewart, Nafisa Eltahir, Ahmed Mohamed Hassan, Janet Lawrence Organizations: REUTERS, U.S, U.S . Defense, Israel, United Nations Security Council, LONG, Yasser Arafat's Palestine Liberation Organization, West Bank, Hamas, Brigades, Arafat's, Israel's, Ilan, Israel's Combat Engineering, Combat Intelligence Corps, Israel's Reichman University, IDF, ISIS, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Israel, Kissufim, JERUSALEM, LONDON, Hamas, Palestinian, States, Mosul, Islamic, Egypt, Israeli, Viet, Israel's, Egyptian, El Arish, Suez, Yasser Arafat's Palestine, Jordan, Rafah, Syria, Iraq, State, Jerusalem, London, Washington, Cairo

☆ Ukraine suspends Black Sea grain corridor over threat from mines, warplanes
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Pavel Polityuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Saint-Kitts-and-Nevis-flagged bulker TK Majestic, carrying grain under the UN's Black Sea Grain Initiative, waits in the southern anchorage of the Bosphorus in Istanbul, Turkey July 15, 2023. REUTERS/Mehmet Emin Caliskan/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsKYIV, Oct 26 (Reuters) - Ukraine has suspended the use of its new Black Sea grain export corridor due to a possible threat from Russian warplanes and sea mines, the Kyiv-based Barva Invest consultancy and a British security firm said on Thursday. Wheat futures had been pressured this week by hopes that Ukraine would expand grain exports, as well as rain relief in dry crop belts worldwide. Russian President Vladimir Putin said last week that he had ordered Russian warplanes with Kinzhal missiles to patrol the Black Sea. Ukraine shipped up to six million tons of grain a month from its Black Sea ports before Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Persons: Mehmet Emin Caliskan, Vladimir Putin, Ambrey, Taras Vysotskiy, Gus Trompiz, Jonathan Saul, Tom Balmforth, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Barva Invest, Barva, Ukrainian Seaport Authority, Russian Air Force, Thomson Locations: Kitts, Nevis, Bosphorus, Istanbul, Turkey, Ukraine, Kyiv, British, Moscow, Chicago, Russian, Snake Island, Russia, Black, Ukrainian, Paris, London

☆ Israel's Holocaust survivors struggle with Gaza war as trauma deepens
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( Jonathan Saul | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/4] People look up at the damage caused when a rocket, fired from Gaza towards Israel, at a Holocaust museum at a Kibbutz near Israel's border with the Gaza Strip in southern Israel, October 24, 2023. Blumenfeld, 89, is one of tens of thousands of elderly survivors of the Nazi Holocaust who live in Israel and are once again facing up to the reality of war, with more than 220 Israelis taken hostage in Gaza. "I went through the Holocaust and all the wars, but it is not like before, the noise is deafening. According to the latest study published in April by the government's Holocaust Survivors' Rights Authority, there were 147,199 survivors in Israel, with an average age of 85, including 462 who were over 100. "To say that it's worse than the Nazis, I think that's the worst trigger for a Holocaust survivor."

Persons: Violeta Santos Moura, Sarina Blumenfeld, Blumenfeld, Joe Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, Rivkah, Neot Mordechai, Israel, Har Arieh, Shelly Feigenblat, Jonathan Saul, Rami Amichai, Amar Awad, Crispian Balmer, Gareth Jones Organizations: REUTERS, Islamists, Nazi Holocaust, Reuters, Hamas, Hezbollah, Gaza's Health, ' Rights Authority, Foundation for, Welfare of Holocaust, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Israel, Israel's, Israel New Gaza, ASHDOD, Ashdod, Europe, Neot, Lebanese, Bulgaria, Tel Aviv

[1/4] A formation of Israeli tanks is positioned near Israel's border with the Gaza Strip, in southern Israel October 21, 2023. Iran, a longtime backer of Gaza's rulers Hamas, finds itself in a quandary as it tries to manage the spiralling crisis, according to nine Iranian officials with direct knowledge of the thinking within the clerical establishment. "We are in contact with our friends Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and Hezbollah," Vahid Jalalzadeh, the head of parliament's National Security Committee said on Wednesday, according to Iranian state media. Iran's foreign ministry didn't respond to a request for comment about the country's response to the unfolding crisis, while Israeli military authorities declined to comment. "Iran's nuanced position emphasizes the delicate balance it must maintain between regional interests and internal stability," said the former senior Iranian official.

Persons: Violeta Santos Moura, wouldn't, Avi Melamed, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Israel, Israel didn't, Khamenei, Joe Biden, Biden, John Kirby, Washington, Jon Alterman, Parisa Hafezi, Jonathan Saul, Jerusalem, Arshad Mohammed, Laila Bassam, Samia Nakhoul, Michael Georgy, Pravin Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Islamic, parliament's National Security, Israel, Wednesday, Hezbollah, U.S, Germany's Ramstein Air Base, House, State Department, CSIS, Swiss, Iran, Iranian, Thomson Locations: Israel's, Gaza, Israel, Rights DUBAI, Iran, Tehran, U.S, Lebanon, Yemen, United States, Islamic Republic, Iranian, Lebanese, Syria, Iraq, Washington, America, GAZA, LEBANON, China, Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Beirut, Paritosh, New York

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