Israel retaliation kills 230 Palestinians after Hamas operation – Newstrends
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Israel retaliation kills 230 Palestinians after Hamas operation

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7 months ago

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Israel retaliation kills 230 Palestinians after Hamas operation

At least 232 people have been killed and 1,600 wounded in the Palestinian enclave of Gaza during Israel’s retaliation after a deadly multi-pronged attack by Hamas forces into Israel, the health ministry says.

The growing casualty toll on Saturday came after the Palestinian group running the Gaza Strip launched the largest attack on Israel in years, infiltrating areas in the south of the country following a barrage of thousands of rockets fired from the besieged territory.

Israel’s national rescue service said at least 250 people were killed and hundreds wounded, making it the deadliest attack in Israel in years. An unknown number of Israeli soldiers and civilians were also seized and taken into Gaza.

Hamas and Israel said late on Saturday that gun battles were raging in dozens of areas inside Israeli territory.

Israel’s Defence Minister Yoav Gallant warned Hamas it made a “grave mistake” in launching the attack, which began at 6:30am local time (03:30 GMT) and involved barrages of rockets fired from multiple locations in Gaza as well as fighters infiltrating Israel by land, sea and air.

“Citizens of Israel, we are at war. The enemy will pay an unprecedented price,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video message from military headquarters in Tel Aviv.

Israel’s military launched a series of air raids on Gaza in response to the attack. “Dozens of [Israeli military] fighter jets are currently striking a number of targets belonging to the Hamas terrorist organisation in the Gaza Strip,” it said.

Mohammed Deif, a senior Hamas military commander, said the rocket fire marked the start of “Operation Al-Aqsa Flood”, and he called on Palestinians everywhere to fight the Israeli occupation.

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“We’ve decided to say enough is enough,” Deif said as he urged all Palestinians to confront Israel. “This is the day of the greatest battle to end the last occupation on Earth,” he said in an audio message.

Israel’s military told Israelis living around the Gaza Strip to stay in their homes and warned Hamas would pay a “heavy price for its actions”.

Israeli media reported Palestinian fighters opened fire on passers-by in the town of Sderot, in southern Israel, and footage circulating on social media appeared to show uniformed Palestinians engaged in clashes.

Another video on social media appeared to show a burning Israeli tank surrounded by jubilant Palestinians.

Israeli warplanes started to pound locations in Gaza – in what the military called “Operation Iron Swords” – and Israeli soldiers were engaged in ground fighting in several locations around the besieged Palestinian enclave.

“Right now we’re fighting. We’re fighting in certain locations around the Gaza Strip… Our forces are now fighting on the ground,” Israel’s army spokesman Richard Hecht told reporters.

‘We haven’t seen this before’

Witnesses in Gaza heard loud explosions.

Enas Keshta, a resident of Rafah in southern Gaza, said Palestinians are looking at a “tough night” ahead as Israeli attacks on the blockaded enclave continue.

“The situation here in Gaza is not good at all. I can assure you that we are not ready, and we have a tough night waiting for us,” she told Al Jazeera. “No place is safe.”

Widespread shock and fear abounds in Gaza.

“We have been as surprised and frightened as the [occupation] since the operation began,” said Munir Nasser, a Gaza grocery vendor. “We haven’t seen footage of Palestinians breaching the occupied towns and villages beyond the barriers like this before.”

‘Dangerous precipice’

The outbreak of major fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian fighters comes after weeks of growing tensions along Israel’s volatile border with Gaza, and months of deadly clashes in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

At least 247 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces so far this year, while 32 Israelis and two foreign nationals have been killed in previous Palestinian attacks.

Tor Wennesland, United Nations special coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, condemned “the multi-front assault against” Israeli towns and cities near Gaza, which he called “heinous attacks targeting civilians”.

“These events have resulted in horrific scenes of violence and many Israeli fatalities and injuries, with many believed to be kidnapped inside the Strip. These are heinous attacks targeting civilians and must stop immediately,” Wennesland said in a statement.

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“I am deeply concerned for the well-being of all civilians. I am in close contact with all concerned to urge maximum restraint and call on all sides to protect civilians,” he said.

“This is a dangerous precipice and I appeal to all to pull back from the brink.”

‘On the verge of great victory’

In a statement posted on the Telegram messaging app, Hamas called on “the resistance fighters in the West Bank” as well as “our Arab and Islamic nations” to join the fight.

Saleh al-Arouri, an exiled Hamas leader, said “Operation Al-Aqsa Flood” was a response “to the crimes of the occupation” and Palestinian fighters were defending their sacred site in occupied East Jerusalem.

Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement, which was founded in 1982 to fight the Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon, said in a statement it was following the events in Gaza closely and was in “direct contact with the leadership of the Palestinian resistance”.

Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of Hamas, told fellow Arab countries that Israel cannot provide protection despite recent diplomatic rapprochements.

“We say to all countries, including our Arab brothers, that this entity, which cannot protect itself in the face of resistors, cannot provide you with any protection,” he said. “All the normalisation agreements that you signed with that entity cannot resolve this [Palestinian] conflict.”

In a speech broadcast on Hamas-run Al-Aqsa television, Haniyeh added: “We are on the verge of a great victory and a clear conquest on the Gaza front. Enough is enough, the cycle of intifadas [uprisings] and revolutions in the battle to liberate our land and our prisoners languishing in occupation [Israeli] prisons must be completed.”

aljazeera

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Palestinian envoy lambasts US for arresting protesters

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1 day ago

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May 17, 2024

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Palestinian envoy lambasts US for arresting protesters

The Palestinian Ambassador to Nigeria, Abdullahi Shawesh, on Thursday, May 16, lambasted the Western World for clamping down on student protesters who were expressing solidarity and sympathy with his country.

Shawesh said the clampdown is nothing but hypocrisy and double standards.

He stressed that the arrest and clampdown on protesters negates the Western world’s stand as promoters of freedom of speech.

He said: “When college students express their solidarity and sympathy with the Palestinians, it is labelled as hate speech and anti-Semitism. These students are beaten and harshly treated. Threatened with expulsion from universities, severe sanctions in the future, imprisonment, and facing trial.

“This is the exact meaning of hypocrisy and double standards.”

Shawesh who gave a review of the 223-day battle between the Israeli forces and Hamas, said no fewer than 45,091 Palestinians have been killed, including 15,103 children and 9,961 women.

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He also said the battle has consumed 142 journalists and 492 medical staff.

The envoy said no fewer than 10,000 persons have been declared missing.

He added: “78,404 wounded and injured, with 72% of the victims being children and women. 17,000 children live without one or both of their parents.”

Beside the human casualties, Shawesh also listed a number of destructions recorded, which include “243 mosques destroyed and 321 partially damaged. 3 Churches targeted and destroyed, 86,000 housing units completely destroyed and 294,000 partially damaged. 103 schools and universities destroyed. 206 archaeological and heritage sites destroyed, 75,000 tons of explosives materials dropped on Gaza.

“33 hospitals along with 54 health centres were taken out of service. A total of 160 health institutions and 126 ambulances were targeted by the Israeli occupation.”

He said the state of infrastructure devastation has forced 11,000 wounded people to travel for treatment to undergo operations.

He also said that no fewer than “10,000 cancer patients face death due to the lack of medical treatment. 1,095,000 are infected with infectious diseases as a result of displacement. 20,000 cases of viral hepatitis infection due to displacement. Tens of thousands of pregnant women are at risk due to a lack of access to healthcare. There have been 310 cases of health personnel being arrested.”

Palestinian envoy lambasts US for arresting protesters

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UK says it’s developing radio frequency to blast out drones

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2 days ago

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May 16, 2024

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UK says it’s developing radio frequency to blast out drones

The United Kingdom is making strides in military technology, developing a cutting-edge weapon using radio waves to counter drones.

Known as the Radio Frequency Directed Energy Weapon (RFDEW), this innovative system utilizes radio waves to disrupt or damage critical electronic components of enemy vehicles and drones, halting their operations or causing them to fall out of the sky.

Operable across land, air, and sea, the RFDEW boasts a range of up to 1 kilometre, with potential for future extensions. Its development follows UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s commitment to increasing defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2030.

With an estimated cost of 0.10 Pounds (0.12 dollars) per radio waveshot, the RFDEW offers a cost-effective alternative to conventional missiles and holds promise for effectively countering drone swarms.

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Utilizing a mobile power source, the technology generates pulses of radio frequency energy in a directed beam, capable of delivering sequenced shots to single or multiple targets. It can be mounted on various military vehicles, enhancing flexibility and adaptability on the battlefield.

Minister of State for Defence Procurement James Cartlidge highlighted the significance of such advancements in enhancing the effectiveness and safety of UK armed forces. He emphasized the importance of defending against unmanned systems, especially in light of recent global conflicts.

The RFDEW system will undergo rigorous testing with British soldiers during summer. Developed under Project Hersa by a collaborative team from the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) and Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S), in partnership with UK industry, this technology represents a significant leap in military capability.

DSTL chief executive Paul Hollinshead underscored the transformative impact of such systems, emphasizing their potential to provide decisive operational advantages and enhance national security. He credited decades of research, expertise, and investment in science and technology for enabling the development of world-class capabilities like the RFDEW.

UK says it’s developing radio frequency to blast out drones

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Just in: In assassination attempt, Slovakia’s Prime Minister shot multiple times 

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3 days ago

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May 15, 2024

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Just in: In assassination attempt, Slovakia’s Prime Minister shot multiple times 

Robert Fico, Slovakia’s prime minister, has been taken to hospital in a “life-threatening condition” after he was shot multiple times on Wednesday.

According to his official social media account, the 59-year-old leader was hit in the abdomen outside the House of Culture in the town of Handlova.

Police have detained a suspect. There was no immediate information on the motive.

Reuters reported Zuzana Caputova, President of Slovakia, as condemning the “brutal and ruthless” attack on Fico.

She said in a televised statement, “A physical attack on the prime minister is, first of all, an attack on a person, but it is also an attack on democracy.”

The Russian ambassador to Slovakia Igor Bratchikov also condemned the shooting of Fico.

“I strongly condemn this act of violence and express my conviction of the necessity of punishment for the perpetrators,” Bratchikov said in a letter to Fico that the Russian embassy shared on its Facebook page.

Fico, a third-time premier with the left-wing Smer (Direction) party, won Slovakia’s September 30 parliamentary elections, staging a political comeback after campaigning on a pro-Russian and anti-American message.

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