Israel-Palestine Conflict Highlights: The conflict between Israel and Palestinian militants continues to escalate. Israeli warplanes struck several buildings and roads in a vital part of Gaza City earlier today. According to photos circulated by residents and journalists, the airstrikes created a crater that blocked one of the main roads leading to Shifa, the largest hospital in the Gaza Strip. Health authorities in blockade Gaza said the latest airstrikes left at least 23 dead and scores wounded, including children and women. It said rescuers are still digging through the rubble and had so far pulled up five more wounded. There was immediate comment from the Israeli military. Hamas, the Islamist group that controls Gaza, launched the rocket attacks last week, in retaliation for Israeli police clashes with Palestinians near al-Aqsa Mosque, Islam's third holiest site, in East Jerusalem. According to Israel’s defence forces, more than 2,000 rockets had been fired from Gaza into Israel since the start of the conflict, around half of them intercepted by the ‘Iron Dome’ air defence systems. Civil unrest between Jews and Arabs in Israel itself dealt a strong blow to efforts by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's opponents to unseat the Israeli leader after a series of inconclusive elections, giving rise to expectations that Israelis will go to the polls for an unprecedented fifth time in just over two years.
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Israel-Palestine Conflict LIVE Updates | Urge both sides to show restraint, says India's representative at UN
"We urge both sides to show extreme restraint, desist from actions that exacerbate tensions, andrefrain from attempts to unilaterally change the existing status quo, including in East Jerusalem and its neighbourhood,"news agency ANI quoted Permanent Representative of India to UN, TS Tirumurti, as saying.
Israel-Palestine Conflict LIVE Updates | Barrage of Hamas rockets hit Ashkelon and Ashdod cities, claims report
A barrage of rockets were fired by Hamas towards southern Israel, targeting buildings in Ashkelon and Ashdod cities,The Jerusalem Postreported.No casualties were incurred in the attack, the report claimed, adding that a syonogogue was extensively damaged in Ashkelon.
Israel-Palestine Conflict LIVE Updates | Military campaign at full force, will take time: Netanyahu
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the military campaign is continuing full-force and will take time despite a mounting death toll in fighting between Israel and Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip. In a televised address, Netanyahu said Sunday that Israel wants to levy a heavy price on Hamas and return peace and security and restore deterrence after nearly a week of fighting. (AP)
Israel-Palestine Conflict LIVE Updates | Muslim states condemn Israel's 'barbaric attacks' against Palestinians
The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) called on Sunday for an immediate halt to what it described as Israel's barbaric attacks on Gaza and blamed "systematic crimes" against the Palestinians for hostilities now in their seventh day. The OIC statement came after a virtual meeting in which Saudi Arabia condemned the violation of the sanctity of Muslim holy sites and evictions of Palestinians from their homes in East Jerusalem.
The 57-member body accused the United Nations Security Council of inertia. Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei issued a separate statement on Sunday, tweeted by Malaysia's premier, calling for an emergency U.N. General Assembly meeting.
Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates called for a ceasefire. The UAE and Bahrain had along with other Arab states last year broken a longstanding taboo in the region by establishing formal ties with Israel, with tacit approval from Gulf power Riyadh.
"De-escalation and the highest degree of restraint are important to avoid dragging the region to new levels of instability," said UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation Reem al-Hashimy.
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud opened the OIC meeting by urging the global community to end the escalation in violence and revive peace negotiations based on a two-state solution.
Turkish foreign ministry sources said Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu called for an international protection mechanism for Palestinian civilians and told the OIC that Israel should be held accountable for war crimes and that the International Criminal Court could play a role.
His Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif urged the international community to start a "political and legislative" campaign against Israel, Iranian state media said.
Reuters
Israel-Palestine Conflict LIVE Updates | Israeli officials defend bombing building housing AP, Al Jazeera offices
The Israeli officials have defended the attack on building housing AP and Al Jazeera offices, claiming that the building entailed"military assets of the military intelligence” of Hamas. "The building housed the offices of civilian media, which the terrorist organization Hamas hides behind and uses as human shields," The Jerusalem Post quoteda spokesperson of the IsraelDefense Forces (IDF) as saying.
Israel-Palestine Conflict LIVE Updates | Indian journalist bodies condemn Israeli airstrike on Gaza building housing AP, Al Jazeera offices
Indian journalist bodies including the EditorsGuildofIndia(EGI) on Sunday strongly condemned the ''brazen''Israeliairstrikes on a building inGazathat housed the offices of theAssociated Press,Al Jazeeraand other news media outlets. The EGI said in a statement that given the recent background of the ''escalating conflict'' in this region, it sees this airstrike as ''a de facto attack on the news media by theIsraeligovernment'' that can disrupt the flow of news from this highly volatile region and have global security implications.
''The EditorsGuildofIndiastrongly condemns the brazen airstrikes on a building inGazathat housed the editorial offices ofAl Jazeeraand the Associated Press,'' the EGI said. It also demanded that theIsraeligovernment give ''a detailed justification'' of the decision-making behind this attack ''along with evidentiary proof''.''TheGuildalso calls for theIsraeligovernment to facilitate an UN-monitored investigation into this bombing raid,'' it added.
''Further, theGuildurges theIndiangovernment to take up this issue with theIsraeligovernment, demanding an independent inquiry and reiterating the need for ensuring the safety of journalists in any conflict situation,'' the statement said.
The EGI noted that the bombing raid on May 15 demolished the 12-storey building, destroying much of the camera and editing equipment and severely affecting the news reporting and broadcasting capabilities of the two organisations. "Besides the loss of hardware and office space, the bombing destroyed what was described as 'home' by some of the journalists,'' it said.Indian Women's Press Corps,Press Associationand Press Club ofIndiaalso criticised the action of theIsraelimilitary in a joint statement.
PTI
Israel-Palestine Conflict LIVE Updates | Israeli strikes kill 33, topple buildings in Gaza City
Israeli airstrikes on Gaza City flattened three buildings and killed at least 33 people Sunday, medics said, making it the deadliest single attack since heavy fighting broke out between Israel and the territory’s militant Hamas rulers nearly a week ago.
A rescuer could be seen shouting into a hole in the rubble. “Can you hear me?” he called out. “Are you OK?” Minutes later, first responders managed to pull a survivor out and carried him off on an orange stretcher. The Gaza Health Ministry said 12 women and eight children were among those killed, with another 50 people wounded in the attack.
Earlier, the Israeli military said it destroyed the home of Gaza’s top Hamas leader, Yahiyeh Sinwar, in a separate strike in the southern town of Khan Younis. It was the third such attack in the last two days on the homes of senior Hamas leaders, who have gone underground. READ FULL REPORT
Israel-Palestine Conflict LIVE Updates | Ex-J&K CM Mehbooba Mufti questions arrest of Kashmiris holding anti-Israel protest
PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Sunday criticised the arrest of people for holding protests against Israel over the Middle-East conflict during a corona curfew in the Union Territory.
People all over the world are protesting against the atrocities committed by Israel on Palestine.But in Kashmir it's a punishable offence where an artist is booked under PSA anda preacher is arrested simply for expressing solidarity with Palestinians,she alleged on Twitter.
On Saturday, police arrested 21 persons from Srinagar and Shopian districts for holding pro-Palestine protests during a curfew imposed in the UT due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The police also arrested a South Kashmir-based religious preacher Sarjan Barkati for allegedly delivering an inflammatory speech on Eid day. Barkati had expressed support for the people of Palestine.
PTI
Israel-Palestine Conflict LIVE Updates | Amnesty International condemns killing of '74 children' in Gaza, calls for ICC probe
"We are deeply concerned over the mounting death toll in Gaza with 174 killed including 74 children. International Criminal Court (ICC)
must investigate Israel’s attack on al-Shati refugee camp on Saturday that killed 2 women and8 children. Direct attacks on civilians are war crimes," the rights' adviocacy group Amnesty International said.
"The Israeli attack on al-Jalaa building destroying homes and Aljazeera andAP offices must also be investigated as a war crime. The strike fits a pattern of Israel’s collective punishment of the Palestinian population," it added.
Israel-Palestine Conflict LIVE Updates | Islamic nations hold emergency summit
The 57-nation Organization of Islamic Cooperation has opened an emergency meeting over the heavy fighting between Israel and the Gaza Strip’s militant Hamas rulers.
Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad Malki of the Palestinian Authority decried what he called Israel's “cowardly attacks” at the start of the meeting.
“We need to tell Allah that we will resist to the last day,” he said. “We are facing a long-term occupation. That’s the base of the problem. Crimes are committed against the Palestinians without consequences.”
However, Malki's Palestinian Authority has no control over Hamas and the Gaza Strip, where the militants seized power in 2007. (Input from The Associated Press)
Israel-Palestine Conflict LIVE Updates | Saudi Arabia condemns Israel's 'flagrant violations' of Palestinian rights
Saudi Arabia's foreign minister has condemned Israel's "flagrant violations" of Palestinian rights and called on the international community to act urgently to put an end to military operations.
Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud’s televised remarks came at the start of an emergency virtual meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) amid escalating hostilities between Israel and militants in Gaza. (Input from Reuters)
Israel-Palestine Conflict LIVE Updates | Amnesty International: “
We are deeply concerned over the mounting death toll in Gaza with 174 killed including 74 children. @IntlCrimCourt (International Criminal Court) must investigate Israel’s attack on al-Shati refugee camp on Saturday (May 15) that killed two women and eight children. Direct attacks on civilians are war crimes. The Israeli attack on al-Jalaa building destroying homes and @Aljazeera and @AP offices must also be investigated as a war crime. The strike fits a pattern of Israel’s collective punishment of the Palestinian population.”
Israel-Palestine Conflict LIVE Updates | Josep Borrell Fontelles:
"In view of the ongoing escalation between Israel and Palestine and the unacceptable number of civilian casualties, I am convening an extraordinary VTC of the EU Foreign Ministers on Tuesday (May 18). We will coordinate and discuss how the EU can best contribute to end the current violence.”
Fontelles is the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice President of the European Commission.
Israel-Palestine Conflict LIVE Updates | JUST IN:
Israeli airstrikes on Gaza City flattened three buildings and killed at least 23 people today, medics said. This is the deadliest single attack since heavy fighting broke out between Israel and the Hamas nearly a week ago.
The Gaza Health Ministry said another 50 people were wounded in the attack. Rescuers were racing to pull survivors and bodies from the rubble. (Input from The Associated Press)
Israel-Palestine Conflict LIVE Updates |
Misinformation has flourished on Twitter, TikTok, Facebook and other social media about the violence between Israelis and Palestinians.
Read: Lies on social media inflame Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Israel-Palestine Conflict LIVE Updates |
What triggered this round of conflict between the historic arch-rivals? What are the religious and political connotations? What happens next?
These and some other questions are answered in Moneycontrol’s weekly in-depth piece. Read the full article here: Religion, power struggles and terror outfits' opportunism: Understanding the Israel-Palestine conflict
Israel-Palestine Conflict LIVE Updates | JUST IN:
Fresh rocket alert sirens are being heard in Israeli border communities along the Gaza Strip, The Jerusalem Post has
reported.Israel-Palestine Conflict LIVE Updates | At least 149 Palestinians killed in Gaza Strip last week: Report
At least 149 Palestinians, including 41 children, were killed in the Gaza Strip last week. At least 13 Palestinians died in West Bank during the same period, Al Jazeera has reported.
Israel-Palestine Conflict LIVE Updates |
The 'Iron Dome' is a ground-to-air, short-range air defence system that neutralises enemy rockets and missiles.
The concept was born after the 2006 Israel-Lebanon War when Israel faced thousands of rockets fired by Hezbollah. The missile defence system took years to develop and was tested in combat for the first time in April 2011.
The system has been mainly deployed to intercept short-range missiles and rockets coming in from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.
Israel-Palestine Conflict LIVE Updates | The Israel Defense Forces on Twitter:
“Hamas chooses to hide among civilians as it carries out attacks against Israel. This choice does not grant Hamas terrorists immunity from IDF strikes. We will continue to operate in order to defend the people of Israel.”
Israel-Palestine Conflict LIVE Updates | Israeli military targets home of Gaza’s top Hamas leader
The Israeli military confirmed today that it had targeted the home of Gaza’s top Hamas leader. Brig. Gen. Hidai Zilberman, an army spokesman, told Israel’s army radio that the military targeted the home of Yehiyeh Sinwar, the most senior Hamas leader inside the territory, who is likely in hiding along with the rest of the group’s upper echelon. Sinwar’s home is located in the town of Khan Younis, in southern Gaza Strip. (Input from The Associated Press)
Israel-Palestine Conflict LIVE Updates |
A little-noticed police action in Jerusalem last month was one of several incidents that led to the current Israel-Palestine crisis.
Read: After years of quiet, Israeli-Palestinian conflict exploded. Why now?
Israel-Palestine Conflict LIVE Updates | PM Benjamin Netanyahu says Israeli offensive in Gaza to continue as long as necessary
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, blaming Hamas for starting nearly a week of hostilities by firing rockets at Israel, said late yesterday that his country will continue to strike in Gaza as long as necessary and do its utmost to avoid civilian casualties.
"The party that bears the guilt for this confrontation is not us, it's those attacking us," Netanyahu said in a televised speech. "We are still in the midst of this operation, it is still not over and this operation will continue as long as necessary."
"Unlike Hamas, which deliberately intends to harm civilians while hiding behind civilians, we are doing everything, but everything, to avoid or limit as much as possible harming civilians and to directly strike terrorists instead." (Input from Reuters)
Israel-Palestine Conflict LIVE Updates |
UN chief 'deeply disturbed' by Israeli airstrikeA United Nations spokesman has said that Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is deeply disturbed by the Israeli airstrike that destroyed a high-rise building in Gaza City housing offices of several international media organisations and residential apartments, and is dismayed by the increasing number of civilian casualties.
“The secretary-general reminds all sides that any indiscriminate targeting of civilian and media structures violates international law and must be avoided at all costs,” spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. (Input from The Associated Press)
Israel-Palestine Conflict LIVE Updates | Israeli airstrikes hit buildings, roads in Gaza
Israeli warplanes struck several buildings and roads in a vital part of Gaza City earlier today. According to photos circulated by residents and journalists, the airstrikes created a crater that blocked one of the main roads leading to Shifa, the largest hospital in the Gaza Strip. Health authorities in blockade Gaza said the latest airstrikes left at least two dead and 25 wounded, including children and women. It said rescuers are still digging through the rubble and had so far pulled up five more wounded. Two hours into the heavy bombardment, there has been no comment from the Israeli military. (Input from The Associated Press)
Israel-Palestine Conflict LIVE Updates | China calls for UN council action, slams United States
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has called on the United Nations Security Council to seek an early de-escalation of violence between Israel and Gaza's Hamas rulers. He also blamed the US for the council’s lack of action so far.
“Regrettably, the council has so far failed to reach an agreement, with the United States standing on the opposite side of international justice,” the state-run Xinhua News Agency quoted Wang as saying in a phone conversation on May 15 with Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi.
He expressed support for a two-state solution, and said China, which holds the Security Council presidency this month, expects all parties to speak with a unified voice when the council discusses the conflict later today. Wang said the Security Council should reconfirm a two-state solution and urge Palestinians and Israelis to resume talks on that basis as soon as possible. (Input from The Associated Press)
Israel-Palestine Conflict LIVE Updates:
Hello and welcome to Moneycontrol’s LIVE coverage of the latest round of the Israel-Palestine conflict.
