Latest news with #Gideon'sChariots
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Yahoo
‘The world does not care if we all die': hunger and despair in the ruins of Gaza City
default On the streets of Gaza City this week, there were two sounds that never ceased, day or night. In the west, the Mediterranean breakers crashed on the rubbish-strewn shoreline. In the east, the shells, missiles and rockets exploded with dull thuds and occasional ear-splitting cracks. At least 100,000 people have come to Gaza City, once the bustling commercial and cultural hub of the Palestinian territory. All are fleeing the new offensive – dubbed Gideon's Chariots – recently launched by Israel into the ruined towns and neighbourhoods of northern Gaza. The blasts that the newly displaced can hear, as they crowd into makeshift shelters and hastily constructed encampments, or simply set up their tents or tarpaulins on the pock-marked pavements, sometimes come during direct clashes between Israeli troops and Hamas, though the militant Islamist organisation remains elusive, often underground. Much more often, they are the sounds of airstrikes and artillery bombardment which have killed about 750 people and injured 2,000 more across Gaza in the last week, mostly women and children, according to medical officials there. On Wednesday, Mohammed Abu Nadi moved his family from Jabaliya, a neighbourhood east of Gaza City that has been reduced to ruins in multiple Israeli offensives and raids. 'What happened this week was another escalation … There were relentless bombings everywhere,' the 33-year-old said. 'My friend was on his way to get a vehicle to move his family to Gaza City, but when he returned, he found his home reduced to rubble. His wife and children were all killed. 'They were just young children, innocent civilians with no involvement in anything. I was shocked when it happened. I quickly carried my wife and family and left the area heading towards Gaza City.' Abu Adam Abdul Rabbo, 55, said more than 80 members of his extended family had been killed during the 19-month conflict, which was triggered by a Hamas attack into Israel in which militants killed 1,200, mostly civilians, and abducted 251, of whom 57 remain in Gaza. The ensuing Israeli offensive has killed more than 53,000 Palestinians, also mostly civilians, and reduced much of the territory to rubble; smashing roads, health facilities, schools, religious sites, sanitation systems and much else. Israeli officials say they only attack military targets and accuse Hamas of using civilians as human shields, a charge it denies. A week ago, Rabbo said he was woken by the sound of a huge blast that had targeted his brother's house, killing five. 'We struggled to transfer their bodies to hospital as a quadcopter drone was firing bullets everywhere. We managed to bury them in the Jabaliya town cemetery. After that, we decided to leave, fearing for the lives of our remaining children. 'We were able to carry only a few basic items – some clothes and food. My wife was crying bitterly, asking: 'How will we survive? What can we take with us? How long will we remain displaced?,'' Rabbo said. This month, food security experts backed by the United Nations said the territory was at critical risk of famine, with cases of malnutrition rising rapidly. UN warehouses in the territory are empty and most of the free bakeries that many relied on for their daily bread shut down weeks ago – though aid agencies have been able to keep some community kitchens running to produce about 300,000 meals a day. The limited food available to buy is too expensive for almost everybody, with 1kg of tomatoes or onions costing the equivalent of $13. 'Every corner of every street is crowded with people,' said Amjad Shawa, the director of the Gaza NGOs Network who is based in Gaza City. 'They are living in rubbish dumps, cesspits. There are flies, mosquitoes. We have no water to deliver, no food, no tents or blankets or tarpaulins, nothing. People are very, very hungry but there is nothing to give them.' UN officials said on Friday that their clinics and pharmacies were no longer able to offer 40% of the treatments categorised as essential by the World Health Organization. Medics interviewed last week reported seeing many abscesses and skin diseases among patients, as well as acute cases of diarrhoea and respiratory illnesses – in addition to the many injuries from airstrikes. 'We see some children with malnutrition, but everyone complains of being hungry,' said Dr Iain Lennon, a British emergency medicine consultant in Mawasi, southern Gaza. 'We often see patients who are tired or dizzy because they just have not eaten enough.' In recent days, Israel has eased the tight blockade into Gaza imposed in early March, when the first phase of a fragile ceasefire expired. On Friday, 100 trucks entered the territory, but very little aid had been distributed. Humanitarian officials said a key problem was security. Law and order improved in the territory during the ceasefire from mid-January to March when Hamas-run police were on the streets, but it has collapsed since. Of a convoy of 20 trucks each carrying 20 tonnes of wheat flour for the World Food Programme, only three arrived at their destination on Thursday night after two broke down and 15 were hijacked by looters and driven away. 'You don't see lines of children with rib cages and spines showing like in Africa,' said one UN official, 'but there you have no roads and a population scattered over an area the size of Europe. Here, there is 130,000 tonnes of aid just the other side of the entry points into Gaza, a few kilometres away.' Few have confidence that a US-backed Israeli scheme to bring in aid due to start next week will improve the situation. The plan involves a small number of distribution hubs in southern of Gaza being run by private contractors and protected by Israeli troops who will vet recipients. UN aid workers describe the scheme as dangerous, impractical and possibly unlawful. To get aid, Palestinians will have to travel up to 25 miles (40km) across rubble-strewn roads during an active conflict, despite an almost total lack of available transport, to retrieve a monthly 20kg food parcel. 'It would be very difficult to go there, and there is no guarantee that you can come back,' Shawa said. 'This is an engineered strategy to displace people and start clearing the north of Gaza.' Israel said the plan was necessary to prevent Hamas seizing and selling aid to fund its operations. Aid officials in Gaza said on Friday there was no evidence of any widespread diversion of aid at any stage of the conflict. Meanwhile, the vulnerable suffer the most. Six weeks ago the eldest son of Ihab al-Attar, from Beit Lahia, tried to return to the family home to retrieve food and clothes, but he was targeted by a missile and badly injured. There was no warning and no evacuation orders from the Israeli military, Attar, 41, said. A series of operations saved 21-year-old Mahmoud's life but left him without much of his intestines and an infected wound. When the new Israeli offensive began 10 days ago, the family were forced to more from their battered but habitable home to a tent on a street in Gaza City. With almost all hospitals in northern Gaza no longer functioning and the remaining few overwhelmed, the family were trying to care for Mahmoud themselves. Related: As Gaza's children are bombed and starved, we watch - powerless. What is it doing to us as a society? | Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett 'Now Mahmoud's condition worsens day by day,' Attar said. 'The hardest part is watching my son dying before my eyes and being unable to do anything for him. I fear I will lose my son.' Also in great danger is Yazan, Nadi's eight-year-old quadraplegic son who, his father said, needed a special diet and care. 'He has become extremely thin and is suffering from severe malnutrition. I took him to the hospital several times, but the doctors told me they can't do anything for him.' Few hold out much hope for any relief soon. Negotiations for a new ceasefire have stalled, and aid is likely to take days, even weeks to arrive, in northern Gaza, if at all. Umm Ammar Jundiyea, 65, who is in Gaza City after fleeing the eastern neighbourhood of Shujaiya, described a 'bleak' future. 'The world does not care about what is happening in Gaza, even if we all die,' the mother of eight said. 'This world is deceitful and hypocritical. It claims to be civilised and humane, but it only sees with one eye.'
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
IDF targets dozens of terror sites in widening Gaza offensive
In the last 24 hours, ground forces have advanced further, neutralized terrorists, and destroyed weapons stockpiles and extensive terror infrastructure both above and below ground, the IDF announced. The IDF continues to expand its ground operations across the Gaza Strip, and over the past 24 hours, dozens of terrorist targets have been struck by the IAF, the army reported on Monday. IDF Southern Command troops are "actively engaged in operations against terrorist organizations throughout the Gaza Strip, as part of Operation 'Gideon's Chariots.'" The IDF continues to expand its ground operations across the Gaza Strip, June 2025. In the last 24 hours, ground forces have advanced further, neutralized terrorists, and destroyed weapons stockpiles and extensive terror infrastructure both above and below ground, the IDF announced. Simultaneously, the IAF carried out airstrikes on numerous targets across Gaza, including terrorist cells, military compounds, tunnel networks, weapons depots, and other infrastructure used by terror organizations, the army revealed. In a separate report, the Army Radio said the IDF is also conducting operations around the area of the European Hospital in Khan Yunis, citing Gaza reports. Most of the city of Khan Yunis has been emptied of civilians, who have moved to the shelter area in the al-Mawasi camp, Walla reported.
Saba Yemen
01-06-2025
- Politics
- Saba Yemen
Trump's latest tour in region… Extracting money & supporting Israel's aggression on Gaza
Sana'a - Saba: The recent visit of U.S. President Donald Trump to the region, specifically to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE, revealed the White House's extreme inclination toward securing financial gains—as is its habit of plundering the wealth of nations under the influence of power. On the other hand, Trump persisted in ignoring Arab consciousness regarding the land, particularly Palestine , Gaza, and insisted on making statements treating Gaza as if it were a commercial investment project. More than once, he implied that Gaza "needs an investor," showing no regard for the feelings of Arabs and Muslims as he disregarded Gaza's suffering—even while being hosted by them. Trump left the region laden with spoils exceeding a trillion dollars, while the Israeli enemy continues to commit the most horrific massacres in the Gaza Strip, piling up numbers of martyrs, wounded, starving, and displaced in a tragedy the modern world has never witnessed. Instead of addressing this, he focused during his visit on extorting Gulf money while simultaneously pushing his colonialist ideas for Gaza—effectively giving Israel the green light to expand its brutal aggression and ground operations in Gaza, known as "Gideon's Chariots." Trump's Eye on Gaza Last Thursday, Trump expressed his desire for U.S. involvement alongside Arab countries in managing the Gaza Strip after the war. He stated that he wanted the United States to "own" Gaza and turn it into what he called a "freedom zone," adding that he had "very good ideas" for Gaza—namely, making it a "freedom zone." Trump went beyond merely proposing the idea, expressing his enthusiasm for its implementation, saying, "I would be proud if the United States owned Gaza and made it a freedom zone." He spews these absurdities while Gaza bleeds its finest sons and lives through a tragic reality the world can no longer ignore. Even Western Europe has begun reacting, condemning Zionist behavior after months of bloodshed, while Washington remains blind, thinking like a filthy war merchant about investing in Gaza—completely disregarding its people. Such is the American vision: disregarding humanity and believing only in money and the interests of gangs. These were not mere wishful statements but revealed ideas discussed in negotiations with mediators in Doha. Trump appeared supportive of an Arab-American role in managing Gaza after the war, with leaks suggesting this joint administration could last ten years. The U.S. president's statements came amid unprecedented Israeli aggression across Gaza, which claimed over 400 martyrs during his three-day tour. This is how America reveals its ugly face—exploiting and plundering the wealth of nations, destroying their vital forces, supporting ruin, bloodshed, and continuous killing, just as it supports the Israeli entity. At the same time, it insists on closing its eyes to the sight of corpses , rubble , the cries of the wounded and starving in Gaza. But history will not spare the bloodsuckers and looters of peoples' wealth! With absolute American support, the Israeli enemy has been committing the crime of genocide in Gaza since October 7, 2023, leaving nearly 173,000 citizens dead or wounded—most of them children , women—and over 11,000 missing. Whatsapp Telegram Email Print more of (Reports)
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Hamas won't collapse, even with the death of both Sinwars
The Sinwars helped build Hamas into the genocidal powerhouse it was on October 7. However, their deaths have appeared to come and go without much of a change in the organization's behavior. Mohammed Sinwar, the leader of Hamas in Gaza, was killed on May 13. His death has now been confirmed. It was widely rumored to be true over the last ten days. However, Hamas hasn't appeared to change its behavior in Gaza. The group continues to cling to the central camps area of Nuseirat, Maghazi, Bureij and Deir al-Balah. It still has fighters in Gaza City. It also has some limited control over other parts of Gaza. Hamas has lost its entire chain of command inGaza. In many cases, its brigade and battalion commanders have been killed more than once. It has replaced them, and they were killed again. Sometimes it's possible that the commanders on October 7 were replaced, and not only was the replacement killed, but his replacement as well. Company commanders of the group are also decimated. This is according to the IDF reports and other assessments. It's possible the reports are rosy and Hamas is in a better position than it looks. For instance, Israel has been wrong in the past about assessments of success in Gaza. After the eleventh day of 2021 it was widely reported that the Hamas 'Metro' of tunnels in Gaza was set back 'years.' These reports were wrong. The metro was apparently not damaged very much, and Hamas repaired it in time for the October 2023 attack. Hamas has always grown more powerful after wars with Israel. It has also replaced numerous leaders in the past. It has come back from blows such as losing Sheikh Yassin to an IDF airstrike, as well as Abdel Aziz al-Rantisi. Mahmoud Abdel Rauf al-Mabhouh, who was key to procuring weapons for Hamas, was also killed in 2010. A long list of Hamas leaders have come and gone. The Sinwars helped build Hamas into the genocidal powerhouse it was on October 7. However, their deaths have appeared to come and go without much of a change in the organization's behavior. Yahya Sinwar was hunted down and killed in Tal al-Sultan near Rafah in October 2024. He was alone when he was killed. A few of his last comrades scattered. His death reminds us of the death of the Persian leader Darius III who died fleeing Alexander the Great. He also died after his empire and his men had melted away. However, Hamas doesn't seem to be willing to give in. This is what is perplexing about these tactical triumphs over the Hamas leaders in Gaza. Israel possesses great excellence in hunting down Hamas leaders and eliminating Hamas commanders. However, the larger strategy appears not to have met with tactical success. What that means is that as Hamas loses leaders, Hamas doesn't seem to actually cave in. Now that could be changing as situations change on the ground in Gaza. The IDF's new plan Gideon's Chariots is supposed to press home the attack and seize ground, rather than the raiding strategy the IDF conducted in 2024. However, the lack of collapse among the Hamas cadres in the Central Camps is still striking. The group appears to be recruiting many young people who are not willing to stand and fight. Its arsenal is depleted. It doesn't seem to have much left. However, it holds 58 hostages and appears to continue to be able to communicate with its leaders in Doha when it comes to hostage deals. In fact, the Hamas terms for these deals don't seem to change, despite leadership losses. The deal of January 2025, was primarily similar to the one Hamas wanted throughout 2024. The deal being discussed now is similar to the one offered Hamas in March. Hamas has some things it wants. It wants an end to the war. However, it never seems to be on the verge of collapse. Even if it is, the deaths of its leaders don't seem to be leveraged in any kind of Clausewitz-like stratagem. Instead, Israel plods forward in tactical successes, without a clear post-war strategy or an exit strategy for Gaza, or even a way to replace Hamas with some other type of civilian authority. Hamas assumes all it has to do is wait and it will maintain some kind of control. Then it can find the next Sinwar to replace those who came before.
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
IDF troops destroy Hamas military assets in schools throughout Gaza
Over 800 explosive devices and other weapons that had been hidden throughout Gaza have been found and confiscated. IDF troops in the Gaza Strip, operating under the Southern Command, have destroyed a tunnel under a building that previously served as a school in Khan Yunis, and discovered explosives in another building that previously also operated as a school in Shejaia, the IDF said Friday evening. The explosives found in the former school were hidden inside UNRWA sacks. Over 800 explosive devices and other weapons that had been hidden in courtyards and buildings throughout Gaza have been found and confiscated. Dozens of tunnels have been unearthed, investigated, and destroyed, according to the military. "Hamas terrorists systematically plant explosive devices in building courtyards, with the intent to harm IDF forces operating in the area," the military said in its statement. Troops have been operating across the strip to destroy terrorist infrastructure. Defense Minister Isarel Katz said earlier on X/Twitter that the IDF is operating with "full force" to achieve the goals of the war, which include releasing all the hostages in Gaza and destroying Hamas. Katz said that in every location the IDF operates, after it clears the area of terrorists and infrastructure, it remains there to hold the position. A critical juncture has been crossed on the way to achieving the objectives of the latest operation in Gaza. Thursday night was one of the most intense since the beginning of the IDF's "Gideon's Chariots" operation in Gaza, according to testimonies from Israeli soldiers on the ground. Amir Bohbot contributed to this report.
