Helicopter Carrying Iran's President Raisi Crashes In Mountains

DUBAI, May 19: A helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and his foreign minister crashed on Sunday as it was crossing mountain terrain in heavy fog on the way back from a visit to the border with Azerbaijan, said an Iranian official.

The official said the lives of Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian were "at risk following the helicopter crash".

"We are still hopeful but information coming from the crash site is very concerning," said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The bad weather was complicating rescue efforts, the state news agency IRNA reported.

State TV stopped all its regular programming to show prayers being held for Raisi across the country and, in a corner of the screen, live coverage of rescue teams searching the mountainous area on foot in heavy fog.

The 63-year-old was elected president at the second attempt in 2021, and since taking office has ordered a tightening of morality laws, overseen a bloody crackdown on anti-government protests and pushed hard in nuclear talks with world powers.

In Iran's dual political system, split between the clerical establishment and the government, it is the supreme leader rather than the president who has the final say on all major policies.

But many see Raisi as a strong contender to succeed his 85-year-old mentor, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has strongly endorsed Raisi's main policies.

Interior Minister Ahmed Vahidi told state TV only that one of the helicopters in a group of three had come down hard, and that authorities were awaiting further details.

Raisi had been at the Azerbaijani border to inaugurate the Qiz-Qalaisi Dam, a joint project.

20 killed in Israeli airstrike in central Gaza

TEL AVIV, May 19: An Israeli airstrike killed 20 people in central Gaza, mostly women and children, and fighting raged across the north on Sunday as Israel's leaders aired divisions over who should govern Gaza after the war, now in its eighth month.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has faced criticism from his own War Cabinet, with his main political rival, Benny Gantz, threatening to leave the government if a plan is not formulated by June 8 that includes an international administration for postwar Gaza.

U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan was expected to meet with top Israeli leaders on Sunday to discuss an ambitious U.S. plan for Saudi Arabia to recognize Israel and help the Palestinian Authority to govern Gaza in exchange for a path to eventual statehood.

Netanyahu, who is opposed to Palestinian statehood, has rejected those proposals, saying Israel will maintain open-ended security control over Gaza and partner with local Palestinians unaffiliated with Hamas or the Western-backed Palestinian Authority.

Gantz' withdrawal would not bring down Netanyahu's coalition government, but it would leave him more reliant on far-right allies who support the “voluntary emigration” of Palestinians from Gaza, full military occupation and the rebuilding of Jewish settlements there.

Even as the discussions of postwar planning take on new weight, the war is still raging with no end in sight. In recent weeks, Hamas has regrouped in parts of northern Gaza that were heavily bombed in the early days of the war and where Israeli ground troops had already operated.

The airstrike in Nuseirat, a built-up Palestinian refugee camp in central Gaza dating back to the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, killed 20 people, including eight women and four children, according to records at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the nearby town of Deir al-Balah, which received the bodies.

A separate strike on a street in Nuseirat killed another five people, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent emergency service. In Deir al-Balah, a strike killed Zahed al-Houli, a senior officer in the Hamas-run police, and another man, according to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital.

Palestinians reported more airstrikes and heavy fighting in northern Gaza, which has been largely isolated by Israeli troops for months and where the World Food Program says a famine is underway.

The Civil Defense says the strikes hit several homes near Kamal Adwan Hospital in the town of Beit Lahiya, killing at least 10 people. Footage released by the rescuers showed them trying to pull the body of a woman out of the rubble as explosions echo in the background and smoke rises.

In the urban Jabliya refugee camp nearby, residents reported a heavy wave of artillery and airstrikes.

IDF: Tank forces demolish 100 Hamas terror sites, finds 10 tunnel shafts in Rafah

TEL AVIV, May 18: The military provides updates on the fighting against Hamas in southern Gaza’s Rafah, where the 162nd Division is operating.

The division’s 401st Armored Brigade has been raiding sites in the area, where Hamas gunmen opened fire, the military says.

The tank forces have killed more than 50 terror operatives in the area, and demolished some 100 sites, including rocket launchers, according to the IDF. The troops also located more than 10 tunnel shafts, it adds.

Meanwhile, the Givati Infantry Brigade, operating in the same area, has killed more than 80 terror operatives, the IDF says. The Givati troops also located tunnel networks in eastern Rafah, the military adds.

IDF recovers bodies of four hostages held by Hamas in Gaza

TEL AVIV, May 18: Israel Defense Forces identified a fourth hostage whose body was retrieved Friday with those of three others held by Hamas in Gaza, the IDF said in a statement.

The fourth hostage was identified as Ron Benjamin.

The operation showed many of the hostages were kidnapped after they were killed, or died while in captivity.

The bodies were found in a Hamas tunnel on Thursday during a major operation that IDF forces conducted in the Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza strip, an IDF spokesperson said.

IDF spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said in a statement that according to "credible and verified" information, the three people were killed by Hamas militants while escaping the Nova music festival on Oct. 7 and their bodies were taken to Gaza.
According to the IDF, the Shin Bet obtained intelligence during the interrogations of Hamas members who were apprehended in the Gaza Strip and pointed to the location of the bodies.

The soldiers retrieved the body of Shani Louk, a German-Israeli dual national who was kidnapped from the festival, Hagari said. A video of her body being paraded on a pickup truck around Gaza has become one of the symbols for Hamas' atrocities.

The other two bodies were of Amit Buskila and Itzik Gelernter.

Indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas over a possible hostage deal that could lead to a temporary ceasefire in Gaza reached a deadlock last week after several days of talks in Cairo and Doha.

While the White House said last week that the current positions presented by Israel and Hamas allow the gaps in the negotiations to be closed and put a deal within reach, it later toned down its optimism.

White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan met on Wednesday with the ambassadors of 17 other countries with citizens held hostage by Hamas.

"The group discussed their collective call for Hamas to immediately release the hostages and ways to bring an end to the crisis," the White House said.

U.S. Military Installs Temporary Pier in Gaza for Humanitarian Aid

WASHINGTON, May 16: The U.S. military anchored a temporary pier on Gaza’s coast on Thursday, creating a point of entry for humanitarian aid for the enclave, where the flow of supplies through land borders has largely come to a halt since Israel began its incursion into Rafah last week.

The aid will be loaded onto trucks that will begin moving ashore “in the coming days,” the U.S. Central Command said in a statement Thursday morning. U.S. officials had said last week that the floating pier and causeway had been completed, but that weather conditions had delayed their installation.

Israel has long opposed a seaport for Gaza, saying it would pose a security threat. As the humanitarian crisis in the territory has spiraled in recent months, with severe shortages of food, medicine and other basic needs, the U.S. military in March announced a plan to build a temporary pier to enable aid shipments via the Mediterranean Sea.

An American ship loaded with humanitarian aid, the Sagamore, set off for Gaza from Cyprus last week, and the aid was loaded onto a smaller vessel that had been waiting for the pier to be installed. The United Nations will receive the aid and oversee its distribution in Gaza, according to Central Command, which said no U.S. troops would set foot in the territory.

Over the next two days, the U.S. military and humanitarian groups will aim to load three to five trucks from the pier and send them into Gaza as a test of the process laid out by the Pentagon, said General Charles Q. Brown, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

“It’ll probably take another 24 hours to make sure everything is set up,” he told reporters on Thursday aboard a flight to Brussels, where he was attending a NATO meeting. “We have our force protection that’s been put in place, we have contract truck drivers on the other side, and there’s fuel for those truck drivers as well.”

The Pentagon hopes the pier operation will bring in enough aid for around 90 trucks a day, a number that will increase to 150 trucks when the system reaches full operating capacity, officials say.

In a briefing on Thursday, an Israeli military spokesman, Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, said supporting the temporary pier project was a “top priority.” He said the Israeli Navy and the 99th Division were supporting the effort by sea and by land, respectively.

Aid groups say the devastation in Gaza after seven months of Israeli bombardment, strict Israeli inspections and restrictions on crossing points are limiting the amount of aid that can enter Gaza. Israel has maintained that the restrictions are necessary to ensure that neither weapons nor supplies fall into the hands of Hamas.

The United Nations’ World Food Program said on Wednesday that it had not received any aid through the Kerem Shalom border crossing with Israel in southern Gaza since May 6, as Israeli troops began a military operation in the area near the city of Rafah. The agency said in a statement that access to its warehouse in Rafah had been cut off because of the fighting, and that its stock of food and fuel would run out “in a matter of days.”

“The threat of famine in Gaza never loomed larger,” the agency said, adding that Israel’s operations in Rafah had significantly set back efforts to alleviate the humanitarian crisis for the enclave’s 2.2 million people.

In a briefing on Wednesday, Dan Dieckhaus, a director for the U.S. Agency for International Development, stressed that the maritime aid corridor was meant to supplement deliveries through land crossings, not replace them.

The Pentagon has said that the pier could help deliver as many as two million meals a day.

An aid group, World Central Kitchen, built a makeshift jetty in mid-March to deliver aid by sea to Gaza for the first time in nearly two decades. But those efforts came to an abrupt stop in early April after seven of the group’s workers were killed in an Israeli strike.

Israel defense chief says he would oppose ‘Israeli military rule’ in Gaza

TEL AVIV, May 16: Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to publicly rule out Israeli governance over Gaza and to lay out his post-war plans, warning that he opposes Israeli rule in the Palestinian enclave.

“The ‘day after Hamas,’ will only be achieved with Palestinian entities taking control of Gaza, accompanied by international actors, establishing a governing alternative to Hamas’ rule,” Gallant said during a news conference at the Kirya, Israel’s military headquarters Wednesday.

“I call on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to make a decision and declare that Israel will not establish civilian control over the Gaza Strip, that Israel will not establish military governance in the Gaza Strip, and that a governing alternative to Hamas in the Gaza Strip will be raised immediately,” he added.

Gallant’s remarks come as serious questions about Israel’s long-term strategy in Gaza are being raised both inside and outside of Israel after the Israeli military sent troops back into areas of northern Gaza it had withdrawn from months ago to battle Hamas militants who had returned amid a power vacuum.

Israeli military officials have quietly warned that the lack of a long-term strategy for post-war governance will result in this pattern repeating throughout Gaza. And top US officials are doing so publicly, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken warning Wednesday that Israel must “focus on what the future can and must be” to avoid “anarchy and a vacuum that’s likely to be filled by chaos.”

Gallant has previously said he opposes Israeli control over post-war Gaza, but his remarks Wednesday were his most direct on the topic as he warned of the consequences of a long-term Israeli military presence in Gaza and called out Netanyahu directly.

“I will not agree to the establishment of Israeli military rule in Gaza. Israel must not establish civilian rule in Gaza,” he said, warning that a military occupation of the Palestinian territory would take a heavy toll in “bloodshed and victims, as well as a heavy economic price,” he warned.

Netanyahu appeared to respond to Gallant’s remarks later on Wednesday, saying in a video statement posted to social media that neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority would be acceptable entities to govern Gaza.

“I’m not willing to replace Hamastan with Fatahstan,” he said, referring to Fatah, the Palestinian political party that dominates the Palestinian Authority.

Netanyahu also said that a complete routing of Hamas would be his prerequisite for a new civilian government in Gaza. “As long as Hamas remains in place, no other entity would enter Gaza to administer the civilian aspects, especially not the Palestinian Authority,” he said.

Gallant’s remarks set off a political firestorm in Israel, with a number of right-wing lawmakers condemning Gallant’s statement and some even urging Netanyahu to remove him from his position. War cabinet member Minister Benny Gantz meanwhile has endorsed Gallant’s stance, saying he was “speaking the truth”.

The public clash between Gallant and Netanyahu follows repeated calls by the US for Israel to produce a clear plan for post-war Gaza.

“We do not support and will not support an Israeli occupation. We also of course, do not support Hamas governance in Gaza,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told journalists at press conference in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Wednesday, adding, “We also can’t have anarchy and a vacuum that’s likely to be filled by chaos.”

Slovakia PM Shot At Multiple Times

HANDLOVA, May 16: Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico was shot and hospitalised after a cabinet meeting in the central town of Handlova today.

Visuals of the aftermath of the attack show his bodyguards taking him inside his armoured limousine.

The Dennik N daily, whose reporter saw the premier being lifted into a car by security guards, reported that the suspected gunman had been detained by police.

Eastern European media NEXTA in a post on X, quoting local reports, said the Prime Minister was shot multiple times.

"One to the abdomen, one to the head. He's in serious condition," NEXTA said in the post.

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen denounced the "vile attack" on Robert Fico.

"I strongly condemn the vile attack on Prime Minister Robert Fico. Such acts of violence have no place in our society and undermine democracy, our most precious common good. My thoughts are with PM Fico, his family," von der Leyen said on X.

Slovak President Zuzana Caputova condemned the "brutal and reckless" attack on the Prime Minister. "I am shocked. I wish Robert Fico a lot of strength in this critical moment to recover from the attack," she said in a statement, calling it "a brutal and reckless attack".

U.S. military begins moving pieces of offshore pier to provide aid to Gaza

WASHINGTON, May 16: The U.S. military on Wednesday began moving into place the pieces of a temporary pier that will be used to transport humanitarian aid into Gaza from the Mediterranean Sea, according to defense officials.

"Earlier today, components of the temporary pier that make up our Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore capability, along with military vessels involved in its construction, began moving from the Port of Ashdod towards Gaza, where it will be anchored to the beach to assist in the delivery of international humanitarian aid," said a defense official. The Port of Ashdod in Israel is about 10 miles north of Gaza.

Construction of the two pieces, the floating platform and the causeway, was completed last week, but weather had delayed the final movement. With the pieces now moving into place, the temporary pier could be operational in the coming days and as early as Thursday, per a defense official.

Gaza's need for more food and supplies has only grown in recent weeks as Israel appears to be ready to launch an offensive against the southern city of Rafah. USAID Response Director Daniel Dieckhaus said that 450,000 Gazans have fled Rafah since May 6.

"Humanitarian actors are facing significant challenges getting aid into Rafah given the closure of critical border crossings as well as accessing warehouses and distributing aid due to the deteriorating situation," Dieckhaus told reporters on Wednesday.

The Biden administration has said the corridor will increase the amount of aid getting in, but the pier is not meant to replace the entry points by road, which are far more efficient for bringing aid in quickly.

Israel deepens offensive in Rafah and re-enters northern areas of Gaza

TEL AVIV, May 13: Israeli troops have continued their offensives across Gaza, deploying tank fire, artillery bombardment and airstrikes against Hamas militants in the most intensive round of fighting for weeks.

In the far south of the devastated territory on Monday, witnesses reported helicopter strikes and street battles in Rafah as the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) consolidated their hold on neighbourhoods east of the strategic Salah al-Din road, which bisects the city.

In the north, the IDF advanced into Jabaliya and Beit Lahiya, both areas in which fierce battles were fought early in the seven-month war.

Officials estimate that as many as 500,000 people have fled Rafah since being told to evacuate by the IDF before their first attacks around and in the city a week ago. Roads heading north and west are choked with cars, trucks, trolleys and pony carts laden with people and their possessions.

The fighting has forced many big aid organisations to shut down or reduce their operations across Gaza, amid increasingly acute shortages of fuel, food and clean water. The risks to aid workers in Gaza were again made clear when a UN vehicle was hit on its way to a hospital on Gaza.

Attending a ceremony in Jerusalem on Monday to mark Israel’s fallen soldiers, Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, said the war against Hamas was an existential struggle.

“It’s us or them – Israel or the monsters of Hamas. It’s existence, freedom, security and prosperity, or annihilation, massacre, rape and enslavement. We are determined to win this fight. We are exacting and will continue to exact a heavy price from the enemy for their criminal actions,” Netanyahu said.

Israel has described its latest return to the north, from where it pulled out most of its troops five months ago, as part of a “mopping-up” stage of the war to prevent fighters from returning, and said such operations had always been part of its plan.

India, Iran sign 10-year agreement for Indian operations at Chabahar port

TEHRAN, May 13: India and Iran on Monday signed a long-term agreement covering Indian operations at the Chabahar port, with New Delhi offering a credit window worth $250 million for the development of infrastructure around the strategic facility in the Gulf of Oman.

The agreement was signed in Tehran in the presence of ports and shipping minister Sarbananda Sonowal and his Iranian counterpart Mehrdad Bazrpash.

Sonowal’s visit amid India’s general elections emphasises the importance attached by New Delhi to the Chabahar port and its place in ambitious plans to forge greater connectivity with Iran, Afghanistan and the landlocked central Asian states.

Sonowal said with the signing of the agreement, the two countries have laid the foundations for India’s long-term involvement in Chabahar.

“The signature of this contract will have a multiplier effect on the viability and visibility of Chabahar port,” Sonowal said. “Chabahar is not only the closest Iranian port to India, but it is also an excellent port from [a] nautical point of view.”

The long-term agreement, to be valid for 10 years and extended subsequently, was being negotiated by the two sides over the past three years and had been held up over differences on a clause related to arbitration. It replaces an initial pact inked in 2016 that covered India’s operations at the Shahid Beheshti terminal of Chabahar port and has been renewed annually.

India Ports Global Chabahar Free Zone (IPGCFZ), a subsidiary of state-run India Global Ports Limited (IGPL), currently operates the Shahid Beheshti terminal at Chabahar port.

Under the new contract between IPGL and the Ports and Maritime Organisation of Iran (PMO), the Indian state-run firm will invest about $120 million to further equip the Shahid Beheshti terminal, people familiar with the matter said on condition of anonymity.

The Indian side will procure equipment such as mobile harbor cranes, rail mounted quay cranes, rubber tyred gantry cranes, reach stackers, forklifts and pneumatic unloaders.

India has also offered a credit window equivalent to $250 million for mutually identified projects aimed at improving Chabahar-related infrastructure, the people said.

The Indian side handed over a letter from external affairs minister S Jaishankar to his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amirabdollahian regarding the credit window and reiterated India’s commitment to cooperate in developing the port, the Indian embassy in Tehran said in a post on X.

Sonowal and Bazrpash discussed “furthering the shared vision of making Chabahar port a regional connectivity hub connecting India to Afghanistan, Central Asia, and Eurasia”, the embassy said in another post.

Sonowal travelled from New Delhi to Tehran on a special Indian Air Force (IAF) and his delegation included JP Singh, the joint secretary who heads the Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran desk in the external affairs ministry.

The move comes at a time when China has been showing greater interest in investments in ports and other coastal infrastructure in Iran, with Tehran pressing Beijing to take up the development of other terminals at Chabahar port.

Both India and Iran see the deep-water port in the Sistan-Baluchistan province as a hub for the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), which will allow shipping companies to use an alternative route that bypasses the sensitive and busy Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz.

Chabahar’s location in the open sea provides easy and secure access for large cargo ships and the port has benefited from a carve-out from the US sanctions on Iran.

Israel lacks 'credible plan' to safeguard Rafah civilians: Blinken

WASHINGTON, May 12: U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday said Israel lacked a "credible plan" to protect some 1.4 million Palestinian civilians in Rafah and warned an Israeli attack could create an insurgency by failing to kill all Hamas fighters in the southern Gazan city.

"Israel is on a trajectory potentially to inherit an insurgency with many armed Hamas fighters left or if it leaves a vacuum filled by chaos, filled by anarchy and probably refilled by Hamas," Blinken said on NBC's Meet the Press.

Hamas fighters, he said, are returning to northern Gaza areas that Israel claimed to have cleared, and an assault on Rafah "risks doing terrible harm to civilians" without ending the Hamas presence there.

Israel's planned invasion of Rafah has helped fuel the deepest tensions in relations between Israel and its main ally in generations.

NBC and CBS News aired interviews with Blinken dominated by President Joe Biden's decision to pause a shipment to Israel of bombs over fears of massive civilian casualties in Rafah and a State Department report that Israel's use of U.S.-supplied arms may have broken international law.

The report, which was unrelated to the bomb shipment, found no specific violations justifying withholding U.S. military aid, saying the chaos of war prevented verification of alleged individual breaches.

Hamas' use of civilian infrastructure and tunnels "makes it very difficult to determine, particularly in the midst of war," what happened in specific instances, Blinken said, defending the report criticized by some lawmakers of Biden's Democratic Party and human rights groups.

Appearing after Blinken on NBC, Democratic Senator Bernie Sanders rejected the report, saying that "any observer knows Israel has broken international law" and "should not be receiving another nickel in U.S. military aid."

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, interviewed on the same program, called Biden's postponing the bombs "the worst decision in the history of the U.S. Israeli relationship."

"Give Israel the bombs they need to end the war they can't afford to lose, and work with them to minimize casualties," he said.

Defending the pause on the supply of 3,500 2,000-pound and 500-pound bombs, Blinken said Israel lacked a "credible plan" to protect some 1.4 million civilians sheltering in Rafah.

He told CBS that the shipment was the only U.S. weapons package being withheld.

But that could change, he said, if Israel launches a full-scale attack on Rafah, which Israel says it plans to invade to root out entrenched Hamas fighters.

If Israel "launches this major military operation to Rafah, then there are certain systems that we're not going to be supporting and supplying for that operation," said Blinken.

Israel needs to "have a clear, credible plan to protect civilians, which we haven't seen," he said.

Most of the 1.4 million Palestinians in Rafah were displaced from elsewhere by fighting and Israeli bombardments that have devastated the seaside enclave.

Israel also has not developed a post-war plan for Gaza's security, governance and reconstruction, Blinken said, adding on CBS that the U.S. is working on such a plan with Arab governments and others.

"We have the same objectives as Israel. We want to make sure that Hamas cannot govern Gaza again," he said, adding that the United States has been discussing with Israel "a more effective, durable way" of demilitarizing Gaza and finding Hamas' leaders.

Israel's military operation in Gaza has killed at least 35,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry.

Israeli army orders more evacuations from Rafah as it expands Gaza assault

TEL AVIV, May 11: The Israeli military has ordered residents in more areas of eastern and central Rafah to evacuate as it expands its offensive in the southernmost corner of the Gaza Strip, again displacing tens of thousands of Palestinians.

An estimated 150,000 Palestinians, many displaced multiple times, have now fled Rafah, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) said on Saturday. Israel put that figure at about 300,000.

Reporting from Deir el-Balah in central Gaza, Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum said: “Israeli authorities dropped leaflets and made phone calls for more evacuation orders. They are now ordering people to flee from central areas of Rafah, not only the eastern portions, where battles are now raging.”

Earlier on Saturday evacuation orders were issued for Shaboura and the vicinity of the Kuwait Specialty Hospital, Abu Azzoum said, adding that “people are told to flee because these areas will in the future become a military operation zone for the Israeli army. The situation is completely dire”.

Saheb al-Hams, a hospital director in Rafah, confirmed that the expanded evacuation order included the Kuwaiti Hospital in Rafah city where countless numbers of patients and injured people are being treated.

“There is no other place for patients and injured people to go to but this hospital,” al-Hams said in a video message obtained by Al Jazeera, as he pleaded for “immediate international protection” for the facility.

Earlier on Saturday, the Israeli army said in a statement that “approximately 300,000 Gazans” had moved from the eastern part of Rafah to al-Mawasi since the order was issued on Monday.

Israel claims al-Mawasi, on Gaza’s western coast, is a “safe humanitarian zone”. But humanitarian groups and displaced Palestinians say tens of thousands of people are crammed into the area, and are facing severe food and water shortages, as well as periodic bombardments.

“They told us these areas are not threatened and is safe. But it turned out that this area is dangerous,” Ahmad Abu Nahil, a displaced Gaza resident, said as his family fled Rafah.

The Israeli army has claimed what it called a “temporary evacuation” was being communicated to people through leaflets, mobile text messages, phone calls and broadcasts in Arabic. But it is unclear how many people received the order.

The military initially ordered the evacuation of eastern Rafah on Monday as it seized control of the crossing with the Egyptian border before its long-threatened ground assault in the city where about 1.4 million displaced people were sheltering.

Israeli tanks captured the main road dividing Rafah’s eastern and western sections on Friday, effectively encircling the eastern side of the city.

Gaza’s Ministry of Health said on Saturday that at least 34,971 people have been killed and 78,641 wounded in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7. The revised death toll in Israel from Hamas’s October 7 attacks stands at 1,139 with dozens of people still held captive.

Number of Palestinians fleeing Rafah rises above 150,000 amid Israeli strikes

RAFAH, May 10: Under a blazing summer sun, tens of thousands of Palestinians fled Israeli bombardment and clashes with Hamas militants in Rafah on Friday, choking roads with donkey carts, bicycles, pickup trucks and wheelchairs.

More than 150,000 people have now left Gaza’s southernmost city since receiving warnings on Monday from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) of an imminent military operation, with most moving after airstrikes and fighting intensified later in the week.

There had been no panic, humanitarian officials in Rafah said, just huge numbers of people packing whatever they had in preparation for yet another move. Many have been displaced many times as they have fled successive Israeli military offensives across Gaza.

A million people who sought shelter in Rafah, after fleeing fighting or after their homes were destroyed, turned the small city of 300,000 into a sprawling, overcrowded encampment.

One aid official said: “There are a lot of people on the move today and continued bombardments … It’s all orderly, with people tidying up after themselves.”

Dr Marwan al-Hams, the head of the health emergency committee of Rafah, said on Friday morning that nine people had been killed and 10 injured in the preceding 24 hours.

In recent weeks, more aid has reached Gaza through the Rafah border crossing with Egypt and the Kerem Shalom crossing as Israel eased acute shortages of food and water, with prices for some basic necessities dropping to prewar levels.

Since the IDF captured the Rafah crossing, which remains closed, prices have soared. Sugar costs between seven and 10 times more. Though the Kerem Shalom crossing is open, it is too dangerous for aid agencies to collect supplies crossing from Israel.

Aid agencies say they have reserves of fuel for 48 hours, but will then have to shut vital water pumps and bakeries that feed hundreds of thousands of people. Hospitals will be forced to turn off lights, limit the use of incubators and close operating theatres. The cost of hiring a vehicle to move a family, bags and basic supplies a few miles can be up to $400 (£320), and is therefore beyond most people’s means.

Israeli officials say Rafah is the last stronghold of Hamas militants who must be eliminated or dispersed before the Israeli offensive in Gaza can be considered successful.

The IDF has said those displaced from Rafah will receive adequate food, water, shelter and sanitation in the humanitarian zone. Aid agencies describe acute overcrowding, limited and dirty water, almost no sanitation, and inadequate food supplies.

Philippine calls for Chinese diplomats to be expelled for disinformation

MANILA, May 10: The Philippine national security council on Friday called for Chinese diplomats to be expelled from the country for what it called a malicious disinformation campaign that had breached local laws and diplomatic protocols.

In a statement, the council said the Chinese embassy’s actions “should not be allowed to pass unsanctioned without serious penalty”.

It was referring to a report of an alleged leak of a call between a Chinese diplomat and a senior military official discussing a dispute over the South China Sea.

China’s embassy did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Rafah: UN says 80,000 have fled Gaza city as Israeli strikes intensify

More than 80,000 people have fled the southern Gaza city of Rafah since Monday, the UN says, as Israeli tanks reportedly mass close to built-up areas amid constant bombardment.

Palestinian armed groups said they were targeting Israeli troops to the east.

Israel's military has said its ground forces are conducting "targeted activity" in eastern Rafah.

The UN also warned that food and fuel were running out because it was not receiving aid through nearby crossings.

Israeli troops took control and closed the Rafah crossing with Egypt at the start of their operation, while the UN said it was too dangerous for its staff and lorries to reach the reopened Kerem Shalom crossing with Israel.

It came as Israel's prime minister rejected a threat by the US president to stop supplying some weapons if it launched a major assault on "population centres" in Rafah. Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel could "stand alone" if necessary.

After seven months of war in Gaza, Israel has insisted victory is impossible without taking the city and eliminating the last remaining Hamas battalions.

But with more than a million displaced Palestinians sheltering there, the UN and Western powers have warned that an all-out assault could lead to mass civilian casualties and a humanitarian catastrophe.

Meanwhile, Israelis reacted with alarm and anger after US President Joe Biden said he had warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he would cut off further weapons supplies in the event of a full-scale assault on Rafah.

"I've made it clear to Bibi and the war cabinet, they're not going to get our support if in fact they go into these population centres," he told CNN on Wednesday.

Last week, the Biden administration paused one arms shipment that included a batch of 2,000 pound bombs - one of the most destructive munitions in Israel's arsenal - over concerns about what was about to happen in Rafah.

On Thursday, Israel's far-right National Security Minister condemned the remarks, posting on social media that "Hamas loves Biden".

Later, Netanyahu released a video in which he reminded Israelis that their country survived an arms embargo and emerged victorious in the 1948-49 Arab-Israeli War that followed its declaration of independence.

"Today we are much stronger," he said. "If we need to stand alone, we will stand alone. I have said that if necessary - we will fight with our fingernails."

The IDF's chief spokesman also said it had the munitions required for operations in Rafah and other planned operations.

White House national security spokesman John Kirby said Biden did not believe "smashing into Rafah" would advance Israel's objective of defeating Hamas.

"The argument that somehow we're walking away from Israel, or we're not willing to help them defeat Hamas just doesn't comport with the facts," he told reporters.

Indirect talks in Cairo on a ceasefire and hostage release deal also appeared to once again grind to a halt on Thursday, with both the Israeli and Hamas delegations leaving.

Did Not Permit Research By Chinese Vessel In Our Waters: Maldives Minister

NEW DELHI, May 9: Emphasising that "peace and security" of the Indian Ocean is important for countries in the neighbourhood including India, Maldivian Foreign Minister Moosa Zameer on Thursday said that his government has "not permitted the Chinese vessel" for research purposes in the Maldivian waters.

The statement by the Maldivian Foreign Minister came in the wake of the Chinese marine research vessel Xiang Yang Hong 3 returning to Maldivian waters, marking its second visit to the archipelago nation within two months.

"The peace and security of the Indian Ocean is important for both India and Maldives and Sri Lanka and the rest of the countries that we have in the neighbourhood. So, we will continue to work together as I said earlier," he said.

Elaborating on the port call for Chinese vessels, he said, "Our government issued personal rotation and friendly portable permits, and diplomatic clearances came from the Chinese side, which is very common in Maldives."

"So that's how it has happened we as a peaceful country, welcome those vessels which come for peaceful purposes. But they didn't come for research in the Maldivian waters, we have not permitted the Chinese vessel for research in the Maldivian waters," Maldivian Foreign Minister Moosa Zameer said while maintaining that research vessels are not welcome in the Maldivian waters.

On April 27, Chinese marine research vessel Xiang Yang Hong 3 returned to Maldivian waters, marking its second visit to the archipelago nation within two months after Pro-China Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu's ruling People's National Congress (PNC) won the Parliamentary elections, as reported by Adhadhu news on Friday.

It is pertinent to note that Defence Minister Ghassan Maumoon last month told the Maldivian Parliament that the Chinese vessel would not conduct any research despite sailing inside and near Maldivian waters.

"There was no permission given to conduct any research in the Maldives territory. After docking in Male' and buying food, they did a crew change. People who came on an airplane went board the boat and those on the boat left via the airplane. That was the permission that was given," Adhadhu quoted Maumoon as saying on March 25.

Relations between India and the Maldives have been strained since President Muizzu took office in November, shifting the government's focus towards China.

India Confirms Withdrawal Of Military Personnel From Maldives

NEW DELHI, May 9: The Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday confirmed the withdrawal of Indian military personnel from the Maldives and the "deputation of competent persons" to the archipelago nation.

"So, both Maldives and India have engaged for quite some time to see how best they can continue the operation of aviation platforms. And in that regard, you have seen developments in first and second batches of people who were providing their support there, they had come back," MEA official spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a press briefing.

"Now, what I can confirm to you is that the deputation of the competent Indian technical personnel has taken place. As these platforms provide medivac services to the people of Maldives," he added.

Meanwhile, Maldives Foreign Minister Moosa Zameer on Thursday said that his country's defence relations with India go beyond military personnel and the two countries will work together to make the Indian Ocean a peaceful place.

The Maldives Minister, who arrived in India on May 8, said that the platforms which were being handled by Indian military personnel would be handled by civilians.

"I think Maldives-India defence relations go beyond military personnel. And now, those platforms which have been handled by the military personnel will be handled by civilians. We have had a joint exercise with the Maldivian military, Indian military and Sri Lanka, I think Bangladesh is an observer and we will continue to have these exercises," he said in an interview.

"Peace and security of the Indian Ocean is important for both Maldives as well as India. So we will work together to make the Indian Ocean a peaceful place," he added.

The minister was asked about his visit coming a day before the May 10 date for the withdrawal of Indian military troops from Maldives.

Indian military personnel were operating two helicopters and a Dornier aircraft in Maldives meant for providing humanitarian and medical evacuation services. They have been replaced by "competent Indian technical personnel".

On May 3, India and Maldives held the 4th meeting of the bilateral High-Level Core Group and reviewed the replacement of Indian military personnel from the Island nation by May 10.

Mohamed Muizzu-led Maldives government had formally requested India withdraw its troops from Male.

In his remarks during his meeting with the visiting Maldives Foreign Minister, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said India has been a key provider of development assistance to the Maldives.

"Our projects have benefited the lives of people of your country; and contributed directly to the quality of life. They range from infrastructure projects and social initiatives to medical evacuation and health facilities. We have also extended financial support on favourable terms in the past. India has been a First Responder on numerous occasions for Maldives. Our cooperation has also enhanced the security and well-being of your country through shared activities, equipment provisioning, capacity building and training," he said.

Jaishankar also said that as close and proximate neighbours, the development of bilateral ties is based on mutual interests and reciprocal sensitivity.

"As far as India is concerned, these are articulated in terms of our Neighbourhood First policy and SAGAR vision."

Jaishankar said the world is today passing through a volatile and uncertain period. "In such times, as we saw during Covid, during natural disasters and economic difficulties, close partnerships with neighbours are of great value," he said.

Coast guard personnel from India, Maldives and Sri Lanka did a four-day trilateral exercise 'DOSTI 16' to identify emerging maritime challenges in the Indian Ocean Region in February this year. Bangladesh had participated as an observer.

India's Sharp Response After Canada Arrests 3 In Hardeep Nijjar Killing

NEW DELHI, May 9: Days after three Indians were arrested in Canada for the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, India has said there are "political interests at work" in the matter and reiterated its position that separatists and extremists have been given political space in the country.

Responding to a question on Thursday, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India has been informed about the arrests by Canada, but not at a diplomatic level. To a poser on whether consular access had been granted, Jaiswal only said that, in some countries, access is not given until the person or people who have been arrested specifically request for it.

Diplomatic ties between India and Canada have remained tense since Prime Minister Justin Trudeau claimed in the country's Parliament in September last year that his government had "credible allegations" linking the killing of Nijjar in June 2023 with the "agents of the Government of India".

Asked whether India had been given any evidence of involvement in the killing, Jaiswal reiterated the country's consistent stand.

Mincing no words, he said, "Let me first make it clear that no specific or relevant evidence or information has been shared by the Canadian authorities in regard to this matter till date. You will therefore understand our view that the matter is being pre-judged. Obviously, there are political interests at work. We have long maintained that separatists, extremists and those advocating violence have been given political space in Canada."

"Our diplomats have been threatened with impunity and obstructed in their performance of duties. We have also pointed to the Canadian authorities that figures associated with organised crime with links with India have been allowed entry and residency in Canada. Many of our extradition requests are pending. We are having discussions at the diplomatic level on all these matters," he added.

Karan Brar, 22, Kamalpreet Singh, 22, and Karanpreet Singh, 28, residents of Edmonton, were arrested last week on suspicion of being part of the hit squad that had killed Nijjar. They have been charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder.

While Trudeau had claimed after the arrests that Canada is "a rule-of-law country" and the investigation into the murder is not limited to the three Indians, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said that, despite warnings from Delhi, Canada has been issuing visas to people with links to organised crime.

"Our biggest problem right now is in Canada. Because in Canada the party in power and other parties have given these kinds of extremism, separatism, and advocates of violence a certain legitimacy in the name of free speech. When you tell them something, their answer is 'no, we are a democratic country, and it is free speech'," Jaishankar had said.

Fuel running out at Rafah’s hospitals

TEL AVIV, May 8: Rafah’s largest hospital, al-Najjar, has ceased operations, and the city’s remaining healthcare facilities have only three days of fuel left, says WHO, which pleaded for the reopening of Gaza border crossings.

People are pouring into central Gaza by the thousands, mainly to Deir el-Balah city, after Israel’s seizure of the vital Rafah crossing on the border with Egypt.

A full-scale invasion of Rafah by Israeli forces would be “a strategic mistake, a political calamity, and a humanitarian nightmare”, UN secretary-general warns.

“With each day that Israeli authorities block life-saving aid, more Palestinians are at risk of dying,” Human Rights Watch says.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says a ceasefire proposal agreed to by Hamas “falls far short” of Israel’s demands, but an Israeli delegation has arrived in Cairo for further talks.

At least 34,844 people have been killed and 78,404 wounded in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7. The death toll in Israel from Hamas’s October 7 attacks stands at 1,139 with dozens of people still held captive.

Israeli Tanks Enter Rafah, Take Control Of Key Gaza Crossing

JERUSALEM, May 7: The Israeli army said it took "operational control" of the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt on Tuesday and that troops were scanning the area.

"Last night, IDF (army) troops managed to establish operational control of the Gazan side of (Rafah) crossing," the main entry point for aid deliveries to the besieged territory, the military said in a briefing.

"Right now at the moment what's happening, we have operational control over the Gazan side of Rafah crossing, and we have special forces scanning the area to find additional terror infrastructure or terrorists," the military said.

"The operation is not over yet. It's ongoing."

The military said ground troops were carrying out an operation in eastern Rafah.

"Overnight, IDF ground troops began a precise counterterrorism operation based on IDF and ISA (the Israeli Security Agency, Shin Bet) intelligence to eliminate Hamas terrorists and dismantle Hamas terrorist infrastructure within specific areas of eastern Rafah," the statement said.

In the briefing, it said troops were engaged in a "very targeted operation and a very limited scope against very specific targets" in eastern Rafah.

On Monday, Israel ordered residents of eastern Rafah to evacuate and move to a "humanitarian zone" northwest of the city, a day after rocket fire by militants killed four soldiers and wounded several more at the Kerem Shalom crossing between Israel and the Palestinian territory.

The military said that since the start of its operation in eastern Rafah, it had killed 20 operatives.

It released video footage showing a tank rolling through the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing.

An Israeli flag is seen in the area, while drone footage showed several tanks.

"A vast amount of the organisation and the people in the area within (which) we gave the evacuation notice yesterday (Monday) moved to a safer zone," the military said.

Hamas Says Cairo Talks 'Last Chance' For Israel To Free Hostages

GAZA, May 7: A senior Hamas official said Tuesday that a delegation from the Palestinian group was due to leave for Gaza truce talks in Cairo, warning it would be Israel's "last chance" to release its hostages.

"This may be the last chance to recover the Israeli captives alive," said the official, requesting anonymity to discuss the negotiations.

The official said the Hamas negotiators had cancelled plans earlier Tuesday to travel from Doha to Cairo for negotiations after Israel's incursion across the Rafah border crossing in southern Gaza, but that they would leave "shortly" for Egypt.

The official warned that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's "decision to invade Rafah" indicated that "he and his army have made the decision to let the prisoners (hostages) die".

"This will be the last chance for Netanyahu and the families of the Zionist prisoners to return their children," the official said.

Otherwise, the hostages' "fate will be the same as the fate of pilot Ron Arad", he said of an air force navigator shot down over Lebanon in 1986. Arad was believed to have been held by Shiite groups there and is now presumed dead.

According to Israeli officials, talks were due to take place later Tuesday.

The new round of negotiations comes after Hamas announced late Monday it had accepted a ceasefire plan proposed by Egyptian and Qatari mediators, saying the ball was now in Israel's court.

Despite months of shuttle diplomacy, mediators have so far failed to broker a new truce like the week-long ceasefire that saw 105 hostages released last November, the Israelis among them in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

Previous negotiation efforts had stalled in part because of Hamas's demand for a lasting ceasefire and Netanyahu's vows to crush its remaining fighters in Rafah.

3 Indian Navy Ships On Way For Operational Deployment In South China Sea

SINGAPORE, May 7: Three Indian Naval Ships have arrived in Singapore for a three-day visit as part of the operational deployment of the Navy's Eastern Fleet to the South China Sea, underscoring the strong linkages between both navies.

Led by Rear Admiral (RAdm) Rajesh Dhankhar, Indian Naval Ships Delhi, Shakti, and Kiltan reached the Changi naval base in the city-state on Monday, the Indian Navy spokesperson said in a post on X.

The three ships will leave for Malaysia on Thursday and then visit the Philippines.

The visit is part of the "Op Deployment of #IndianNavy's @IN_EasternFleet to the #SouthChinaSea," it said, amidst China flexing its muscles in the South China Sea.

Currently, the Chinese navy is involved in a standoff with the US-backed Philippines naval ships in the South China Sea.

The Philippines is trying to assert its claim over the Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea, which is strongly resisted by China.

As part of its expansionist plans, China claims most of the South China Sea. The Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have counterclaims.

The three Indian naval ships were welcomed by personnel of the Singapore Navy and the High Commissioner of India in Singapore.

On Tuesday, R Adm Dhankhar and the Indian High Commissioner hosted a reception onboard INS Shakti for 150 guests and missions heads.

The "visit is poised to further strengthen the longstanding friendship and cooperation between the two maritime nations through a series of engagements and activities," the Ministry of Defence in New Delhi said in a statement.

During the ships' stay in the harbour, various activities are planned. These include "interactions with the High Commission of India, professional interactions with the Republic of Singapore Navy as also academia and community outreach amongst other activities, reflecting the shared values of both navies," it said.

The two countries' navies have had robust relations spanning three decades of cooperation, coordination and collaboration with regular visits, exchange of best practices, and reciprocal training arrangements.

"The current deployment underscores the strong linkages between both the navies," the statement said.

Hamas accepts ceasefire proposal for Gaza after Israel orders Rafah evacuation

GAZA, May 6: Hamas announced Monday it has accepted an Egyptian-Qatari proposal for a cease-fire to halt the seven-month-long war with Israel in Gaza, hours after Israel ordered about 100,000 Palestinians to begin evacuating from the southern city of Rafah, signaling that a long-promised ground invasion there could be imminent.

There was no immediate comment from Israel on the deal, and details of the proposal have not yet been released. In recent days, Egyptian and Hamas officials have said the cease-fire would take place in a series of stages during which Hamas would release hostages it is holding in exchange for Israeli troop pullbacks from Gaza.

It is not clear whether the deal will meet Hamas’ key demand of bringing about an end to the war and complete Israeli withdrawal.

Hamas said in a statement its top leader, Ismail Haniyeh, had delivered the news in a phone call with Qatar’s prime minister and Egypt’s intelligence minister. After the release of the statement, Palestinians erupted in cheers in the sprawling tent camps around Rafah, hoping the deal meant an Israeli attack had been averted.

Israel’s closest allies, including the United States, have repeatedly said that Israel shouldn't attack Rafah. The looming operation has raised global alarm over the fate of around 1.4 million Palestinians sheltering there.

Aid agencies have warned that an offensive will worsen Gaza's humanitarian catastrophe and bring a surge of more civilian deaths in an Israeli campaign that in nearly seven months has killed 34,000 people and devastated the territory.

US President Joe Biden spoke Monday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and reiterated U.S. concerns about an invasion of Rafah. Biden said that a cease-fire with Hamas is the best way to protect the lives of Israeli hostages held in Gaza, a National Security Council spokesperson said on condition of anonymity to discuss the call before an official White House statement was released.

Hamas and key mediator Qatar said that invading Rafah will derail efforts by international mediators to broker a cease-fire. Days earlier, Hamas had been discussing a U.S.-backed proposal that reportedly raised the possibility of an end to the war and a pullout of Israeli troops in return for the release of all hostages held by the group. Israeli officials have rejected that trade-off, vowing to continue their campaign until Hamas is destroyed.

Netanyahu said Monday that seizing Rafah, which Israel says is the last significant Hamas stronghold in Gaza, was vital to ensuring the militants can't rebuild their military capabilities and repeat the Oct. 7 attack on Israel that triggered the war.

Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, an army spokesman, said about 100,000 people were being ordered to move from parts of Rafah to a nearby Israel-declared humanitarian zone called Muwasi, a makeshift camp on the coast. He said that Israel has expanded the size of the zone and that it included tents, food, water and field hospitals.

It wasn't immediately clear, however, if that material was already in place to accommodate the new arrivals.

Around 450,000 displaced Palestinians already are sheltering in Muwasi. The U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, known as UNRWA, said it has been providing them with aid. But conditions are squalid, with few bathrooms or sanitation facilities in the largely rural area, forcing families to dig private latrines.

Russia announces nuclear weapon drills after ‘provocative’ Western threats

MOSCOW, May 6: Russia has said it will hold drills that will include practice for the use of tactical nuclear weapons, days after top European leaders voiced stronger military support for Ukraine.

The Kremlin said on Monday the military exercises ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin were in response to statements by Western and NATO-member countries about sending troops into Ukraine, which Russia invaded more than two years ago.

They will include practice for the preparation and deployment of nonstrategic nuclear weapons intended to “increase the readiness … to fulfill combat tasks” after “provocative statements and threats of certain Western officials”, the Ministry of Defence said.

Missile formations in the Southern Military District and naval forces will take part in the drills, which would take place “in the near future”, it added.

Russia’s strategic nuclear forces regularly hold exercises but the statement marked the first public announcement of drills involving tactical nuclear weapons, which are usually smaller in yield – the amount of power released during an explosion – than the strategic nuclear weapons designed to destroy entire cities.

The move marks an escalation of tensions that have risen since French President Emmanuel Macron said last week that his country would consider sending ground troops to Ukraine if Kyiv requests backup. A day later, UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron said Ukraine could use British weapons against targets inside Russia if it wanted.

Russian officials condemned both statements and warned Moscow would retaliate to what they called a “dangerous escalation trend”. Moscow has long warned that conflict with NATO would become inevitable if European members of the military alliance sent in their soldiers to fight in Ukraine.

Israeli army tells 1,00,000 civilians to temporarily evacuate parts of Rafah

TEL AVIV, May 6: Ahead of planned operation in the southern Gaza, Israel has asked 1,00,000 Palestinians to evacuate eastern parts of Rafah. Israel has described Rafah as the last significant Hamas stronghold. The development comes a day after Hamas militants carried out a deadly rocket attack from the area that killed three Israeli soldiers.

"Israel was preparing a "limited scope operation" and would not say whether this was the beginning of a broader invasion of the city," said Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, an army spokesman.

Some 1,00,000 people have been ordered to move to a nearby Israel-declared humanitarian zone called Muwasi.

Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, an army spokesman said that the operation is part of the endeavour to dismantle Hamas.

The Israeli military is using text messages, flyers and social media to tell people to move.

The military has expanded assistance into the area, including field hospitals, tents, food and water.

In a statement on Monday, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said that Israeli military action in Rafah is required due to Hamas' refusals of mediated proposals for a Gaza truce under which the Palestinian Islamist group would free some hostages, reported Reuters.

About 1.2 million people are currently sheltering in Rafah, according to the World Health Organization.

Posters, text messages, phone calls and media announcements would be used to “encourage ... the gradual movement of civilians in the specified area.

The military said that it was not setting a timeframe for the Rafah evacuation, however, but would make operational assessments.

Evacuations were focused on a few peripheral districts of Rafah, from which evacuees would be directed to tent cities in nearby Khan Younis and Al Muwassi, reports quoted Army Radio as saying.

The incident would have no effect on the amounts of badly needed aid entering Gaza because other crossing points remain operational, said army spokesman.

The war began after Hamas stunned Israel with a cross-border raid on October 7, 2023. According to Israeli tallies, 1,200 people were killed and 252 taken hostages.

Hamas Chief Accuses Netanyahu Of Sabotaging Gaza Truce Talk Efforts

DOHA, May 5: Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh on Sunday accused Israel's prime minister of sabotaging efforts by mediators involved in ongoing talks aimed at a truce and hostage exchange in Gaza.

Qatar-based Haniyeh said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wanted to "invent constant justifications for the continuation of aggression, expanding the circle of conflict, and sabotaging efforts made through various mediators and parties".

Qatari, Egyptian and US mediators met a Hamas delegation in Cairo on Saturday in the latest bid to halt the devastating almost seven-month-old war that has triggered worldwide protests.

A senior Hamas source close to the negotiations said there would be "a new round" of talks on Sunday.

Negotiators seeking to halt the devastating war have proposed an initial 40-day pause in the fighting and an exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners.

Haniyeh said Hamas had approached the talks with "seriousness and positivity" but questioned "the meaning of an agreement if a ceasefire is not its first result".

Earlier Netanyahu had rejected Hamas's demand to end the war.

Israel was "not ready to accept a situation in which the Hamas battalions come out of their bunkers, take control of Gaza again, rebuild their military infrastructure, and return to threaten the citizens of Israel", he said.

Egypt, Qatar and the United States have been trying to mediate an agreement between Israel and Hamas for months.

The Qatar-based leader of Hamas's political office said the United States had "provided cover for this occupation, should be the one to stop it instead of supplying it with weapons of destruction and extermination".

Haniyeh added that Hamas "remains eager to reach a comprehensive and interconnected agreement in stages, ending the aggression, ensuring withdrawal, and achieving a serious prisoner exchange deal".

Israel Cabinet Votes To Shut Down Al Jazeera Over National Security Threats

JERUSALEM, May 5: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet decided on Sunday to shut down Al Jazeera's operations in Israel for as long as the war in Gaza continues, on the grounds the Qatari television network threatens national security.

"The incitement channel Al Jazeera will be closed in Israel," Netanyahu posted on social media following the unanimous cabinet vote.

A government statement said Israel's communications minister signed orders to "act immediately," but at least one lawmaker who supported the closure said Al Jazeera could still try to block it in court.

The measure, the statement said, will include closing Al Jazeera's offices in Israel, confiscating broadcast equipment, cutting off the channel from cable and satellite companies and blocking its websites.

The network is funded by the Qatari government and has been fiercely critical of Israel's military operation in Gaza, from where it has reported around the clock throughout the war. The Israeli statement did not mention Al Jazeera's Gaza operations.

Israel's parliament last month ratified a law allowing the temporary closure in Israel of foreign broadcasters considered to be a threat to national security.

Al Jazeera made no immediate comment on Sunday, although it has previously rejected accusations that it was a threat to Israel's security and said the shutdown was an effort to silence it.

The law allows Netanyahu and his security cabinet to shut the network's offices in Israel for 45 days, a period that can be renewed, so it could stay in force until the end of July or until the end of major military operations in Gaza.

Qatar, which hosts Hamas leaders, is trying to mediate a ceasefire and hostage release deal that could halt the Gaza war.

5 Palestinian 'Terrorists' Killed In West Bank Raid, Says Israeli Army

TULKAREM, May 4: The Israeli army said troops killed five Palestinian "terrorists" barricaded in a building during a 12-hour siege in the occupied West Bank on Saturday.

A photographer saw a heavy military deployment in the village of Deir al-Ghusun, near the northern town of Tulkarem.

Troops deployed a bulldozer to flatten a building and carried at least one body out of the rubble, the photographer reported.

Israeli forces "engaged in an extensive 12-hour counterterrorism operation in the Tulkarem area," the army and the Shin Bet security service said in a joint statement.

They said troops had come under fire after entering the village to "neutralise a terrorist cell" and had "retaliated" with "live ammunition, shoulder-fired missiles and other weaponry".

An army drone registered two hits on the building before sappers moved in to "dismantle" it.

"The confrontation ended with the elimination of five terrorists, and the seizure of military gear and weapon components," the joint statement said.

A member of a counterterrorism unit of Israel's border police was wounded in the operation, it added.

Canada Arrests Suspects In Khalistani Terrorist Nijjar's Killing: Report

OTTAWA, May 3: Canadian police on Friday arrested members of an alleged hit squad linked to the murder of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia last year, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation said on Friday.

Sources said investigators had identified the suspects in Canada some months ago and had been keeping them under tight surveillance, the CBC said.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police were not immediately available for comment.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced in September that Canadian authorities were pursuing allegations linking Indian government agents to the fatal shooting of Nijjar, a Canadian citizen. New Delhi rejected Trudeau's claim as "absurd."

Canada had been pressing India to cooperate in its investigation. The US later revealed it had foiled an assassination attempt against a Sikh separatist on its soil.

The presence of Khalistani terrorists in Canada has long frustrated New Delhi. Nijjar was labelled a "terrorist" by India.

Kim Jong Un Handpicks 25 'Pretty' Girls Every Year For His 'Pleasure Squad': Report

LONDON, May 3: Yeonmi Park, a young woman who escaped from North Korea, has revealed sensational things about the country's leader Kim Jong Un. According to a report by Mirror, Ms Park claimed that Kim Jong-un picks 25 virgin girls every year for his "pleasure squad".

Notably, the women are picked based on their looks and political loyalty. She further revealed that she was scouted twice for Kim's "pleasure squad" but was not selected due to her family status.

The defector said: "They visit every classroom and they even go to schoolyards in case they missed someone pretty. Once they find some pretty girls, the first thing they do is check into their family status and their political status. They eliminate any girls with family members that have escaped from North Korea, or have relatives in South Korea or other countries."

She claims that once the girls are selected, they are made to undergo medical examinations to ensure that they are virgins. During the test, "even the smallest defect" like a minor scar, leads to disqualification. After rigorous testing, only a few girls from across North Korea are then sent to Pyongyang where their sole purpose is to gratify the dictator's desires.

The squad is divided into three distinct groups, with one trained in massage, and the other in performing songs and dances. The third group has to be sexually intimate with the dictator and other men.

"They have to be sexually intimate with the dictator, and other men. They have to learn how to please these men that's their only goal," Ms Park said.

While the most attractive girls are selected to serve the dictator himself, others are assigned to satisfy lower-ranking generals and politicians. The report further stated that once the members of the squad reach their mid-twenties, their tenure comes to an end. Some of them are often married to the leader's bodyguards.

Ms Park explained that the origins of this "pleasure squad" date back to the 1970s era of Kim Jong-un's father, Kim Jong-II who believed that "having sexual intimacy would give him immortality." However, he died in 2011 from a massive heart attack, aged 70.

US accuses Russia of using chemical weapons in Ukraine war

WASHINGTON, May 2: The United States has accused Russia of breaching the global ban on chemical weapons by using the choking agent chloropicrin against Ukrainian soldiers and deploying riot control agents “as a method of warfare” in Ukraine.

“The use of such chemicals is not an isolated incident, and is probably driven by Russian forces’ desire to dislodge Ukrainian forces from fortified positions and achieve tactical gains on the battlefield,” the US Department of State said in a statement on Wednesday that also announced new sanctions against entities linked to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Chloropicrin, a nearly colourless oily liquid which causes severe irritation to the eyes, skin and lungs, was used in large quantities during World War I, according to the US’s National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety.

While it continues to be used as an agricultural pesticide, its use in war is banned under the 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC).

Russia has said it no longer possesses a military chemical arsenal, but the country faces pressure for more transparency over its alleged use of toxic chemicals.

On Thursday, Russia denied the US accusation. “As always, such announcements are absolutely unfounded and are not supported by anything. Russia has been and remains committed to its obligations under international law in this area,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

In addition to chloropicrin, Russian forces have used grenades loaded with CS and CN gasses, a news agency reported earlier this month, citing the Ukrainian military.

It said that at least 500 Ukrainian soldiers had been treated for exposure to toxic substances and one died after suffocating on tear gas.

Gyundoz Mamedov, the deputy prosecutor general in Ukraine until 2021, posted on social media on April 24 that the Russian army had used tear gas against Ukrainian forces at least 900 times over the previous six months, with more than 1,400 incidents since it began its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

While civilians can usually escape such gasses during protests, soldiers confined to trenches without gas masks are forced to either flee under enemy fire or risk suffocation.

After Maldives, Another Island Nation Elects Pro-China PM - Off Australia

HONIARA (Solomon Islands), May 2: The Solomon Islands' legislators have chosen Jeremiah Manele, a former foreign minister, to be their new Prime Minister.

In a secret ballot today, Manele, who has promised to uphold the Pacific nation's China-friendly foreign policy, received 31 votes.

This development in the Indo-Pacific comes months after Maldives - an island nation in the Indian Ocean - elected a strongly pro-China Prime Minister.

Whereas, his opponent, longtime opposition leader Matthew Wale, secured 18 votes.

The vote in the 50-member parliament took place amid heightened security in the capital, Honiara, with squadrons of police patrolling the parliamentary grounds to ward off potential unrest.

Manele, speaking outside the parliament, praised the fact there was no repeat of past violence.

Notably, Manele's appointment as the country's new Prime Minister comes after a national election last month failed to deliver a majority to any political party.

The election, when it took place, were closely watched by China, the United States and neighbouring Australia because of the potential impact on regional security after outgoing Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare struck a security pact with China in 2022.

Prime Minister Sogavare, during his 5-year tenure, had built close ties with China but did not seek re-election to the top political office.

However, his party had throughout maintained a strong support for Manele. The politician was foreign minister in 2019 when the Solomon Islands turned its back on Taiwan and established diplomatic relations with Beijing.