Israël

EU Prepares to Sanction Israeli Settlers

EU countries will impose next Monday sanctions on "violent" Israeli settlers in the West Bank and on Hamas for sexual violence committed on October 7, officials said on Friday, March 15. EU countries have reached a preliminary agreement to impose sanctions on "violent" Israeli settlers in the West Bank, and on Hamas for sexual violence during the ...

Hamas Puts Forward New Ceasefire Proposal

Hamas has put forward a new ceasefire proposal which would see a six-week truce and the mutual exchange of prisoners, alongside the phased withdrawal of the Israeli military and the return of displaced Gazans. Hamas proposed a new six-week truce in Gaza and an exchange of several dozen Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners, an official from ...

Houthis Attack Another Ship and Threaten Wider Campaign

A missile strike damaged a merchant ship in the Red Sea off Yemen, marine security monitors said on Friday, as the country's Iran-backed Houthis threatened to expand their months-long harassment campaign which disrupted global trade. The crew was not injured and the vessel continued its journey, said the United Kingdom Marine Trade Operation and ...

Spanish Aid Vessel Visible off Gaza Coast

The first aid vessel heading to the besieged Gaza Strip via a new maritime corridor was visible on Friday off the coast of the war-ravaged territory, an AFP journalist said. Images shot by the journalist showed the Open Arms towing a barge. The Spanish charity operating it says that it is carrying 200 tons of food for Gazans threatened with ...

War Diary: Day 160

This Is Beirut brings you a daily recap of the situation in Gaza. Here are the main highlights for March 14th, 2024.

Aid Efforts Intensify for Famine-Stalked Gaza

Efforts grew on Thursday to get more aid into the war-devastated Gaza Strip, where the UN warns of famine and desperate residents have stormed relief shipments. After mediators failed to reach a truce between Israel and Hamas militants for the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan, which started on Monday, fighting continued with at least 69 ...

Israeli General Castigates The Country's Political Leaders

Israeli Brigadier General Dan Goldfus publicly criticized his country's political leaders on Wednesday, demanding them to 'be worthy' of the Israeli army. Neither Netanyahu nor Defense Minister Yoav Gallant publicly responded to his remarks which indirectly unveil a growing malaise within the Israeli society. An Israeli general leading troops in ...

US Imposes Sanctions on Israeli Settlers, Outposts

The United States has imposed sanctions on three Israeli settlers and two illegal outposts accused of involvement in West Bank violence, according to information on the US Treasury Department’s website. This marks the second wave of penalties, following the sanctioning of four Israeli extremists last month. The two outposts facing sanctions ...

US Is Expected To Sanction Israeli Settler Outposts

The Biden administration is expected to sanction two Israeli settler outposts in the West Bank on Thursday, March 14. This represents a new step for US policy towards Israeli settler violence. The American news outlet Axios reported that two illegal settlements, which were used as a base for extremist attacks against Palestinians, will be ...

Biden Supports Limited Rafah Operation, Rather Than All-Out War

Senior US officials informed Israel that Biden would support the targeting of high-value Hamas targets in Rafah – as long as it avoids a large-scale invasion. According to a Politico report published on Thursday, March 14, top US officials told Israel in private that they could support a plan more akin to precise counterterrorism operations, ...

Blinken: Protecting Civilians Must Be 'Job Number One' for Israel

Protecting and aiding civilians must be "job number one" for Israel in the war-battered Gaza Strip, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday. "Where there is a will, there is a way," Blinken told reporters after a virtual meeting with ministers on a new maritime corridor for aid into Gaza. "We look to the government of Israel to make ...

Second Aid Boat for War-Torn Gaza Readied in Cyprus

A second Gaza-bound aid ship would embark from the Cypriot port of Larnaca once a boat already sailing along the new maritime corridor completes its mission, Cyprus's foreign minister said Wednesday. The Israel-Hamas war, now in its sixth month, has created a severe humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, where the United Nations has repeatedly ...