Middle East

Hamas threatens to kill hostages if Israeli airstrikes continue

By Jay Deshmukh with Adel Zaanoun in Gaza City JERUSALEM, Oct 9, 2023 (AFP) – Palestinian militant group Hamas, which dragged off about 150 hostages in its surprise weekend assault on southern Israel, threatened on Monday to kill them if Israeli air strikes continue “targeting” Gaza residents without warning. The threat came after Israel imposed a total siege on the Gaza Strip, cutting off the water supply which sparked UN fears of an increasingly dire […]

EU suspends development aid payments to Palestinians

The scale of terror and brutality against #Israel and its people is a turning point. There can be no business as usual. As the biggest donor of the Palestinians, the European Commission is putting its full development portfolio under review, worth a total of EUR 691m⤵️ — Oliver Varhelyi (@OliverVarhelyi) October 9, 2023 BRUSSELS, Oct 9, 2023 (AFP) – The EU has halted development aid payments to the Palestinians and is placing 691 million euros […]

Israel music festival-goers ‘butchered in cold blood’

By Jonah Mandel JERUSALEM, Oct 9, 2023 (AFP) – Shocked volunteers spoke on Monday of their horrific work recovering the bodies of up to 250 young Israeli and foreign party-goers gunned down by Hamas militants at a usually joyful music festival near the Gaza border. Thousands of music-lovers had danced through the night at the Supernova festival in a remote area of southern Israel near the border with the Gaza Strip. But the revellers turned […]

Foreigners killed, missing or abducted in Hamas attack

PARIS, Oct 9, 2023 (AFP) – Dozens of foreigners have been killed, injured or taken hostage during a surprise attack on Israel by the Palestinian militant group Hamas Saturday that has left 700 people dead, mostly Israelis. Many of the missing foreigners were at a desert music festival, where scores of revellers were massacred. Here is what we know so far: – Thailand: 12 dead, 11 hostages – Twelve Thai labourers were killed, eight were […]

12 Thais killed in Israel-Gaza violence: government

BANGKOK, Oct 9, 2023 (AFP) – Twelve Thais have been killed in the conflict between Israel and Hamas militants, the kingdom’s government said Monday, as it prepared a plan to evacuate its citizens. Foreign ministry spokeswoman Kanchana Patarachoke said the Thai embassy in Israel learned of the deaths from the victims’ employers. She said a further eight Thais had been wounded and 11 taken captive since the war erupted when Hamas launched a large-scale attack […]

UN Security Council members condemn Hamas but no unanimity

UNITED NATIONS, United States, Oct 8, 2023 (AFP) – Numerous members of the UN Security Council denounced Hamas on Sunday over its massive assault on Israel but the United States regretted a lack of unanimity. At an emergency session, the United States urged strong condemnation of the Palestinian Islamists, who rule the blockaded Gaza Strip and launched a surprise assault and kidnapping operation on Saturday. “There are a good number of countries that condemned the […]

Israel, Gaza reel as death toll soars above 1,100 in war with Hamas

By Rosie Scammell and AFP bureaus in Israel and Palestinian territories SDEROT, Israel, Oct 8, 2023 (AFP) – Israel, reeling from the deadliest attack on its territory, declared war on Hamas Sunday as the conflict’s death toll surged above 1,100 after the Palestinian militant group launched a surprise assault from Gaza. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu steeled the nation for a “long and difficult” war a day after Hamas fired a barrage of thousands of rockets […]

Israel-Gaza war ignites worldwide impact

The conflict between Israel and Hamas militants is making a global impact with Britain, Canada, France and Germany among nations stepping up security around potential Jewish targets as pro-Palestinian protests break out in the Middle East. – Britain – Police in London said Sunday they had boosted patrols following the Hamas attack. “We are aware of a number of incidents… in relation to the ongoing conflict in Israel and the border with Gaza,” the Metropolitan […]

Desperate search for missing Israelis in aftermath of Hamas attack

By Amit Meyer LOD, Israel, Oct 8, 2023 (AFP) – Dozens of distraught Israeli families scrambled for information on missing loved ones Sunday, a day after Palestinian militants unleashed a surprise attack and forced hostages, some of them bloodied, back to Gaza. More than 100 Israelis have been taken hostage, the government’s press office said. “I just want to be able to hug him,” said Omri Shtivi, 30, whose brother Idan went missing after a […]

What we know about the Hamas assault on Israel

Gun battles raged Sunday between Hamas militants and Israeli forces a day after the Islamist group launched a surprise attack on Israel from Gaza, in a dramatic escalation of the Israel-Palestinian conflict. Hundreds of people have been killed on both sides since the Iran-backed Hamas launched the multi-pronged assault at dawn on Saturday, with Israeli forces fighting holdout militants and pounding the Gaza Strip with air strikes. This is what we know about the conflict […]

BREAKING: US aid amounts to ‘aggression’ against Palestinians: Hamas

GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories, Oct 8, 2023 (AFP) – Palestinian militant group Hamas said Sunday that the United States’ plan to provide increased military aid to Israel amounts to “aggression” against Palestinians, after Washington ordered navy ships and warplanes closer to Israel. “The announcement of the US that it will provide an aircraft carrier to support the occupation (Israel) is actual participation in the aggression against our people,” Hamas, which on Saturday launched the deadliest […]

Two Israeli tourists, local guide shot dead by Egypt policeman

CAIRO, Oct 8, 2023 (AFP) – An Egyptian policeman shot dead two Israeli tourists and their Egyptian guide Sunday, local media and Israeli authorities said, as war raged for a second day between Israel and Palestinian militants. Israel’s National Security Council later said its citizens should consider not travelling abroad particularly in the Middle East “on the backdrop of the attack in Egypt.” It said visitors already in Egypt should leave “as soon as possible.” […]