Prime minister’s office says the IDF is committed to the defeat of Hamas, after Daniel Hagari said Hamas is an ‘ideology’
See all our coverage of the Israel-Gaza war
The US military’s on-again, off-again floating pier in Gaza is expected to resume operations on Thursday to unload sorely needed humanitarian aid for Palestinians, two US officials told Reuters on Wednesday.
The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the pier had been re-attached to the shore on Wednesday after being temporarily removed last Friday due to poor sea conditions.
The leader of Hezbollah, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, warned of a war “without rules or ceilings” in the event of a full-scale Israeli offensive against the Lebanese militia, as he threatened that Cyprus could become a target if it allowed Israel to use its territory in any conflict. Cyprus and Israel have a bilateral defence cooperation agreement which has seen the countries conduct joint exercises.
In a report published on Wednesday, the United Nations human rights office (OHCHR) concluded that Israel’s use of heavy bombs in Gaza raised “serious concerns” under laws of war. The OHCHR provided details on six Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip, which it said were emblematic of a concerning pattern, involving the suspected use of up to 2,000-pound bombs on residential buildings, a school, refugee camps and a market.
In its reports, the OHCHR also said that Israeli forces may have repeatedly violated fundamental principles of the laws of war and failed to distinguish between civilians and fighters in their Gaza Strip military campaign. “The requirement to select means and methods of warfare that avoid or at the very least minimise to every extent civilian harm appears to have been consistently violated in Israel’s bombing campaign,” said UN high commissioner for human rights Volker Türk.
Israel’s permanent mission to the UN in Geneva characterised the OHCHR analysis as “factually, legally, and methodologically flawed.” The Israeli diplomatic mission said: “Since the OHCHR has, at best, a partial factual picture, any attempt to reach legal conclusions is inherently flawed.”
Israeli airstrikes and clashes between troops and Palestinian militants in Gaza took place on Wednesday. Witnesses and the civil defence agency in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip reported Israeli bombardment in western Rafah, where medics said drone strikes and shelling killed at least seven people.
Israel sent a column of tanks into the Zeitoun neighbourhood in Gaza City and residents reported heavy fire from tanks and warplanes but also sounds of gun battles with Hamas-led fighters.
Continue reading…Prime minister’s office says the IDF is committed to the defeat of Hamas, after Daniel Hagari said Hamas is an ‘ideology’See all our coverage of the Israel-Gaza warThe US military’s on-again, off-again floating pier in Gaza is expected to resume operations on Thursday to unload sorely needed humanitarian aid for Palestinians, two US officials told Reuters on Wednesday.The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the pier had been re-attached to the shore on Wednesday after being temporarily removed last Friday due to poor sea conditions.The leader of Hezbollah, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, warned of a war “without rules or ceilings” in the event of a full-scale Israeli offensive against the Lebanese militia, as he threatened that Cyprus could become a target if it allowed Israel to use its territory in any conflict. Cyprus and Israel have a bilateral defence cooperation agreement which has seen the countries conduct joint exercises.In a report published on Wednesday, the United Nations human rights office (OHCHR) concluded that Israel’s use of heavy bombs in Gaza raised “serious concerns” under laws of war. The OHCHR provided details on six Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip, which it said were emblematic of a concerning pattern, involving the suspected use of up to 2,000-pound bombs on residential buildings, a school, refugee camps and a market.In its reports, the OHCHR also said that Israeli forces may have repeatedly violated fundamental principles of the laws of war and failed to distinguish between civilians and fighters in their Gaza Strip military campaign. “The requirement to select means and methods of warfare that avoid or at the very least minimise to every extent civilian harm appears to have been consistently violated in Israel’s bombing campaign,” said UN high commissioner for human rights Volker Türk.Israel’s permanent mission to the UN in Geneva characterised the OHCHR analysis as “factually, legally, and methodologically flawed.” The Israeli diplomatic mission said: “Since the OHCHR has, at best, a partial factual picture, any attempt to reach legal conclusions is inherently flawed.”Israeli airstrikes and clashes between troops and Palestinian militants in Gaza took place on Wednesday. Witnesses and the civil defence agency in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip reported Israeli bombardment in western Rafah, where medics said drone strikes and shelling killed at least seven people.Israel sent a column of tanks into the Zeitoun neighbourhood in Gaza City and residents reported heavy fire from tanks and warplanes but also sounds of gun battles with Hamas-led fighters. Continue reading…