Vice President of the United States Kamala Harris urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reach a ceasefire agreement soon with Hamas so that dozens of hostages held by the militants in Gaza since October 7 could return home.
Before traveling to Florida on Friday to meet with former President Donald Trump, Netanyahu was in Washington, where he gave a speech. scathing speech to Congress in which he promised to achieve “total victory” against Hamas and denounced American opponents of the war in gaza as “idiots.”
Hamas criticized the speech and accused Netanyahu of obstructing efforts to end the war and return the hostages.
He Ministry of Health in Gaza It says more than 39,100 Palestinians have died in the war. The United Nations estimated in February that some 17,000 The children in the territory are now alone.and it is likely that the number has increased since then.
Here’s the latest:
CANBERRA, Australia — Canada, Australia and New Zealand issued a joint statement Friday on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of Expanded conflict between Hezbollah and Israel.
“The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. Human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue,” said the statement from the three prime ministers.
“Israel must listen to the concerns of the international community. The protection of civilians is paramount and a requirement under international humanitarian law. Palestinian civilians cannot be forced to pay the price of defeating Hamas. It must end,” the statement said.
The prime ministers said they were “gravely concerned” about the prospect of further escalation in the region and condemned Iran’s attack on Israel in mid-April. They also called on Iran to refrain from further destabilizing actions in the Middle East and demanded that Iran and its affiliated groups, including Hezbollah, cease their attacks.
Hezbollah began firing rockets shortly after the October 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel, saying it was aimed at relieving pressure on Gaza. The exchange of gunfire and airstrikes, which has been limited to a few kilometers (miles) on either side of the border, has displaced tens of thousands of people in both countries.
RAMALLAH, West Bank – A Hamas leader in the occupied West Bank died in Israeli custody Thursday night after his health deteriorated, according to a Palestinian prisoners’ rights group.
Sheikh Mustafa Abu Arra, 63, was arrested in October and recently transferred from Ramon prison to Soroka hospital, where he died, the Palestinian Prisoners Club said.
The rights group said Abu Ara was subjected to “torture and starvation” during his detention and did not receive adequate medical treatment. The group did not provide further details. Israeli prison authorities have not commented on the circumstances of Abu Ara’s death and could not immediately be reached.
Abu Ara was arrested shortly after the start of the latest war between Israel and Hamas under a process known as administrative detention, the group said, through which detainees can be detained indefinitely for security reasons without trial or charges. Human rights groups and recently released Palestinian detainees say conditions in Israeli-run prisons have deteriorated since the war between Israel and Hamas broke out.
Since the early 1990s, Abu Ara was arrested several times and spent about 12 years in Israeli-run prisons, the prisoners’ group and Hamas said.
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