Tag: Israel
War against Hamas in Gaza is act of self-defence, Israel tells world court
On the second and final day of preliminary hearings at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), Israel’s legal team insisted that the twin military objectives were to eradicate the existential threat posed by Hamas militants and to free some 136 hostages still held in the war-shattered enclave. “Israel is in a war of defence against…
Read MoreGaza: South Africa levels accusations of ‘genocidal conduct’ against Israel at world court
The development came amid the ongoing and massive Israeli bombardment across the Gaza Strip in response to Hamas-led terror attacks on 7 October that left some 1,200 Israeli and foreign nationals dead in southern Israel and some 250 taken hostage. Laying out their case, the South African legal team told the International Court of Justice…
Read MoreAt Rafah crossing, Türk says both Israel and Hamas have committed war crimes
Volker Türk highlighted the dichotomy at the border crossing, describing it as a “lifeline” for the 2.3 million residents of Gaza over the past month, although “unjustly, outrageously thin.” But it is also “the gates to a living nightmare”, he continued, as people in Gaza “have been suffocating, under persistent bombardment, mourning their families, struggling…
Read MoreExplainer: Fighting for facts amid crisis in Israel and Gaza
Harmful disinformation about the ongoing conflict in the wake of the 7 October attacks by Hamas against Israel continues to circulate online, with potentially dangerous consequences on the ground. While misinformation refers to the accidental spread of falsehoods, disinformation can be circulated intentionally by State or non-State actors, including during an armed conflict, to influence…
Read MoreUN officials strongly condemn deadly attacks in Israel
The UN Secretary-General condemned “in the strongest terms” the attack by Hamas against Israeli towns, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said on Saturday. “The attacks have so far claimed numerous Israeli civilian lives and injured many hundreds,” Mr. Dujarric said. “The Secretary-General is appalled by reports that civilians have been attacked and abducted from their own…
Read MoreGuterres welcomes ceasefire in Israel and Gaza
In a statement issued by his Spokesperson on Sunday afternoon, Mr. Guterres welcomed the ceasefire that had been reached between the sides on Saturday and extended his deepest condolences to the families of the victims of the violence. “The hostilities have led to needless human suffering,” the statement said of the latest round of…
Read MoreIsrael: UN experts demand accountability over death of Palestinian hunger striker
The 45-year-old Palestinian died in his prison cell on Tuesday morning following a nearly three-month hunger strike. He had been protesting Israel’s widespread policy of arbitrarily detaining Palestinians in “abhorrent conditions” and in violation of fair trial guarantees. The call for greater accountability came from the independent expert, or Special Rapporteur, on the situation of…
Read MoreUN working to reduce tensions following Israel minister’s holy site visit
Ambassadors were briefed by Khalid Khiari, a UN Assistant Secretary-General, who expressed concern over the developments and the broader ongoing tensions and violence in the occupied West Bank. On Monday, Israel’s new National Security Minister, far-right party leader Itamar Ben-Gvir, visited the hilltop compound in Jerusalem’s old city that is sacred to both Jews and…
Read MoreIsrael and Palestine must take steps to ‘restore calm’ in occupied West Bank |
Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Tor Wennesland, was briefing the Security Council in the wake of escalating confrontations between Israeli security forces (ISF) and militants, culminating in a large ISF raid in Nablus early this week, which saw five Palestinians killed and 21 wounded. Calling on both leaderships “to recognize what is…
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