Tag: Israel-Gaza War

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US flying drones over Gaza in search of hostages

Two officials said the aim of the surveillance flights was to help in locating hostages, monitor for signs of life and pass potential leads to the Israel Defence Forces….reports Asian Lite News

The US military is flying surveillance drones over the Gaza Strip to help in hostage rescue efforts, The New York Times reported citing its analysis and two Defence Department officials.

The aircraft MQ-9 Reapers, operated by US Special Operations forces, were first spotted on Saturday on Flightradar24, a publicly accessible flight-tracking website. However, Pentagon officials said that the aircraft has been active in the region since the days after Hamas launched a surprise attack on Hamas.

While Israel continues to frequently fly reconnaissance flights over Gaza, US Defence officials said it was believed to be the first time that US drones have flown missions over Gaza, according to The New York Times report.

Notably, Israel is in the early stages of a ground invasion in Gaza. Israel has said that Hamas has held more than 240 hostages, 10 of whom are believed to be Americans. According to US Defence Department officials, the unarmed surveillance flights are not supporting Israeli force’s operations on the ground.

Two officials said the aim of the surveillance flights was to help in locating hostages, monitor for signs of life and pass potential leads to the Israel Defence Forces. The US military has been providing military assistance, including bombs and artillery rounds, to Israel, according to The New York Times report.

The US has deployed two aircraft carriers and hundreds of troops to the Middle East after Hamas launched its attack on Israel on October 7. Several dozen American commandos have been sent to Israel to help advise on hostage recovery efforts. However, the surveillance flights flying over Gaza suggest that the Pentagon is taking a more active role in the IDF mission for rescuing hostages.

There appear to be at least six separate MQ-9 aircraft involved in the effort, The New York Times reported citing Amelia Smith, an aviation researcher who has been tracking the flights. The MQ-9 was designed as the US Air Force’s first “hunter-killer” drone. However, it is primarily being utilised for surveillance missions due to its sophisticated sensors and ability to loiter above an area for more than 20 hours at a time.

The MQ-9 aircraft is being used to carry out airstrikes and gather intelligence in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria. As per the news report, many militaries around the world make use of MQ-9 and not Israel.

Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden held a meeting with Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader. He also met Chile President Gabriel Boric of Chile in the Oval Office of the White House.

During his separate meetings with leaders of Chile and the Dominican Republic, Biden said the US will continue to back Israel’s right to defend itself “in line with international humanitarian law,” according to the readout of the two meetings released by the White House. He said that the US will continue working to increase humanitarian assistance for people in Gaza.

Meanwhile, US Vice President Kamala Harris reiterated support for Israel during her visit to London, The Times of Israel reported. She said that the US would not add any conditions on the support given to Israel to defend itself.

ALSO READ: Bahrain Severs Ties With Israel

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‘Killing of Children in Gaza Not Collateral Damage’

Nearly 70 per cent of those reported killed in Gaza are children and women…reports Asian Lite News

UN Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) commissioner-general Philippe Lazzarini has said the killing of thousands of children in Gaza cannot be “collateral damage.”

Nearly 70 per cent of those reported killed in Gaza are children and women, Xinhua news agency reported.

“Save the Children, an international non-governmental organisation, reported that nearly 3,200 children have been killed in Gaza in just three weeks. This surpasses the number of children killed annually across the world’s conflict zones since 2019,” he said. “This cannot be ‘collateral damage.'”

Churches, mosques, hospitals, and UNRWA facilities, including those sheltering displaced people, have not been spared. Too many people have been killed and injured while seeking safety in places protected by international humanitarian law, he told the Security Council.

“The atrocities of Hamas do not absolve Israel from its obligations under international humanitarian law. Every war has rules, and this one is no exception,” he said.

The current siege imposed on Gaza is collective punishment, said Lazzarini.

Two weeks of full siege followed by the trickle of aid last week mean that basic services are crumbling and that medicine, food and water, and fuel are running out. The streets of Gaza have started overflowing with sewage, which will cause a massive health hazard very soon, he said.

In the latest blow, the communications blackout over the weekend has aggravated the panic and distress of people, he said.

The blackout meant that people could not communicate with their loved ones inside Gaza to know who was dead and who was alive, that they no longer knew whether they would receive bread from UNRWA, that they felt abandoned and cut off from the rest of the world, he said.

The communications blackout has accelerated the breaking down of civil order. Panic pushed thousands of desperate people to head to the UNRWA warehouses and distribution centers. A further breakdown in civil order will make it extremely difficult, if not impossible, for UNRWA to continue operating. It will also make it impossible to bring in convoys, he warned.

“I say this while being fully aware that UNRWA is the last remaining lifeline for the Palestinian people in Gaza.”

The horrific attacks by Hamas in Israel on October 7 were shocking. The relentless bombardments by the Israeli Forces of the Gaza Strip are shocking. The level of destruction is unprecedented, the human tragedy is unbearable, said Lazzarini.

One million people, half the population of Gaza, were pushed from the north of the Gaza Strip toward the south in three weeks. The south, however, has not been spared from bombardment, with significant numbers of people killed, he said. “I have said many times, and I will say it again: no place is safe in Gaza.”

What happened and continues to happen is forced displacement. Over 670,000 displaced people are now in overcrowded UNRWA schools and buildings. They live in appalling, unsanitary conditions, with limited food and water, sleeping on the floor without mattresses, or outside in the open, he said.

Lazzarini said there must be strict adherence to international humanitarian law. This means civilians and civilian infrastructure, including UN premises, schools, hospitals, places of worship, and shelters hosting civilians, must be protected all over the Gaza Strip and at all times. This is not an option, it is an obligation.

He called for a safe, unimpeded, substantial and continuous flow of humanitarian aid, including fuel, into Gaza and across the strip. For this to happen, there is a need for an immediate humanitarian cease-fire.

“An immediate humanitarian cease-fire has become a matter of life and death for millions. The present and future of Palestinians and Israelis depend on it. I urge all (UN) member states to change the trajectory of this crisis, and work toward a genuine political solution – before it’s too late,” said Lazzarini.

ALSO READ: US refuses to back Israel-Hamas ceasefire  

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Gaza war deaths hit 7,703

More than 3,500 children were among the dead…reports Asian Lite News

The health ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza said Saturday that at least 7,703 people have been killed in the war with Israel that erupted on October 7.

More than 3,500 children were among the dead, the ministry added.

The ongoing conflict between Hamas and Israel has caused the highest number of fatalities in Gaza since Israel unilaterally withdrew from the territory in 2005.

Relatives of Palestinian young man Ahmed Al-Shenbari mourn during his funeral in the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Hanoun, May 11, 2021. (Photo by Yasser Qudih/Xinhua/IANS)

On Friday evening Israel intensified its bombardment of the Gaza Strip, the army said, striking dozens of Hamas targets, especially underground tunnels.

The blistering air and artillery assault destroyed hundreds of buildings and thousands of houses across the strip, the civil defense service in the Palestinian territory said.

ALSO READ: We have lost contact with our teams in Gaza: WFP Chief

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Israel Hits Gaza Tunnels Amid Communication Blackout

Members of Israel Defense Forces Artillery Corps are seen near the Israel-Gaza border, on Aug. 7, 2022.(Ilan Assayag/JINI via Xinhua/IANS)

Since Friday night, internet and cell phone communications are snapped in Gaza after Israel aerial strikes.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Saturday said that it has destroyed 150 underground tunnel structures of Hamas.

The IDF in a statement said its tanks are inside Gaza Strip since Friday night. IDF has already commenced its ground invasion in Gaza.

IDF also said that its infantry, combat forces and tank units are in Gaza and have engaged fight with Hamas terrorists killing many of them. The military also said that there were no casualties on its side in the fight.

Since Friday night, internet and cell phone communications are snapped in Gaza after Israel aerial strikes.

Arabian media have reported that situation inside Gaza is scary.

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) on Saturday said it has killed Rateb Abu Sahiban, the commander of Hamas’ naval forces within the Gaza City Brigade in a targeted overnight airstrike.

This operation came in response to his involvement in planning and leading a Hamas infiltration attempt via the sea on October 24, which was thwarted by Israeli Navy forces. The IDF has also shared footage of the overnight strike on social media platform, X.

ALSO READ: Palestine Urges World For Immediate Intervention

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Palestine Urges World For Immediate Intervention

Palestine has called on the world to stop the war considering the rapid developments in Gaza, particularly cutting off communications, the internet and continuous shelling, reports Asian Lite News

The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates on Saturday urged the international community for immediate intervention to stop “rapid and dangerous developments” in Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip.

It called on the world to stop the war considering the rapid developments in Gaza, particularly cutting off communications, the internet and continuous shelling.

In a post shared on X, the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates stated, “Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates// Calls on the entire world for immediate intervention to stop the rapid and dangerous developments in the Israeli occupation war on Gaza Strip.”

It further stated, “In light of the recent rapid developments in the destructive occupation war on Gaza Strip, especially the cutting off of the communications, the internet, and the unprecedented and continuous shelling, as an indicator of the beginning of ground invasions, the Ministry calls on the entire world to assume its responsibilities and intervene immediately to stop this war, which leads to the deepening of #genocide and the expansion of the Israeli #massacres committed every minute against our people in the Gaza Strip.”

Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates’ statement comes after Israel Defence Forces (IDF) spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said the military has ramped up airstrikes in the Gaza Strip in the past few hours and will expand activity tonight, The Times of Israel reported.

Explosions have been seen in Gaza skyline as Israel intensifies ground operations, Reuters reported. Missiles were also fired at Israel’s Ashkelon city. Heavy shelling lit up the night on the Gaza side of the border area with Israel on Friday as the Israeli army expanded its military operation into the enclave, according to visuals captured by Reuters.

Hagari said, “The Air Force is striking underground targets very significantly,” adding that ground forces will “expand” their activity tonight. For the past two days, IDF infantry forces and tanks have carried out limited raids into the Gaza Strip.

According to Hagari, the IDF will continue to strike Gaza City and surrounding regions in northern Gaza. He renewed his call for Palestinians to relocate to the southern part of the Gaza Strip, according to The Times of Israel report.

Hagari said, “We are prepared to defend in all arenas. We are acting in order to protect the security interests of the State of Israel.”Palestinian media outlets report heavy Israeli airstrikes across the Gaza Strip, particularly in its north. Visuals from the region show plumes of smoke and fireballs above Gaza City, according to The Times of Israel report.

NetStream, a primary internet provider in the Gaza Strip, has stopped providing services, the global internet monitor NetBlocks announced in a post shared on X, The Jerusalem Post reported.

In a post shared on X, NetBlocks wrote, “Confirmed: Real-time network data show that NetStream, one of the last remaining internet providers in Gaza, has collapsed days after the operator notified subscribers that service would end due to a severe shortage of fuel supplies.”

The chart posted by the internet monitor shows network connectivity in Palestine started to rapidly deteriorate on October 7, when Hamas launched an attack on Israel, according to The Jerusalem Post report.

Palestinian mobile phone service provider Jawwal said that services, including phone and internet, had been cut by heavy bombardment, The Jerusalem Post reported.

Palestine Red Crescent Society in a statement said it had completely lost contact with its operations room in Gaza and all its teams operating on the ground.

Palestine Red Crescent in a statement said, “We are deeply concerned about the ability of our teams to continue providing their emergency medical services, especially since this disruption affects the central emergency number ‘101’ and hinders the arrival of ambulance vehicles to the wounded and injured,” CNN reported.

After Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said it was expanding its ground operations in the Gaza Strip, Palestinians in Gaza have said that IDF ground forces, including tanks, are operating within the enclave, The Times of Israel reported. Reports of heavy exchanges of fire between the soldiers and gunmen have emerged.

Reports of anti-tank missiles fired on IDF tanks near the Gaza border, i24News English reported. According to i24News English Middle East Correspondent Ariel Oseran, it is not yet a “full-scale ground invasion of Gaza.”

Meanwhile, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) have said that the Shifa Hospital also acts as the “main headquarters” for Hamas activity.

Taking to X, the IDF stated, “The Shifa Hospital is not only the largest hospital in Gaza but it also acts as the main headquarters for Hamas’ terrorist activity. Terrorism does not belong in a hospital and the IDF will operate to uncover any terrorist infrastructure.”

In another post shared on X, the IDF stated, “Hamas is a plague hiding in a hospital.”

Daniel Hagari on Friday said that the Hamas’ main base of operations is under Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, The Times of Israel reported.

In a briefing for reporters, Hagari said that Hamas has many underground complexes under Shifa, the largest hospital in the Gaza Strip, which they are using to direct attacks against Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also levelled similar allegations against Hamas.”Hamas-ISIS is sick. They turn hospitals into headquarters for their terror. We just released intelligence proving it,” posted Netanyahu on X. (ANI)

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