After an Israeli attack hit a medical warehouse early on Monday morning, Zanzi’s Nasser Hospital is “suffering enormously” from a shortage of medical supplies. The Israeli military is currently imposing a forced displacement order across Khan Younis.
Israel’s military has launched an intense ground offensive in the besieged Gaza Strip.
The offensive comes on the back of a more than two-month total blockade on Gaza after Israel decided to unilaterally end a ceasefire with Hamas in March.
Israel has come under increasing international pressure, including from its staunch allies in the United States government, to agree to a ceasefire and allow aid into Gaza.
Meanwhile, Hamas and Israeli negotiators are in Doha for new indirect talks.
Here’s everything you need to know about Israel’s latest ground assault:
Operation Gideon’s Chariots is a major ground offensive launched by Israel on the Gaza Strip that comes after air attacks killed hundreds of Palestinians in recent days and further debilitated Gaza’s healthcare network. With the backing of Israel’s lethal air force, the operation is targeting both southern and northern Gaza.
The assault began as the second day of ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas ended on Saturday in Doha. Israel tends to intensify operations and attacks during such negotiations. It said this latest offensive is exerting “tremendous pressure” on Hamas.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched this latest assault as US President Donald Trump concluded his Middle East tour of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates but did not stop in Israel.
The Israeli military said the offensive was launched to expand “operational control” in the Gaza Strip.
Israel says its campaign also aims to free the remaining captives held in Gaza and defeat Hamas.
However, Netanyahu has been repeatedly criticised by segments of Israeli society, including captives’ families, for failing to prioritise their return and has also rejected Hamas’s offers to end the war and free the captives.
A week before the start of the operation, quotes were leaked of Netanyahu speaking about the forced displacement of Palestinians in Gaza outside the Gaza Strip.
“We are destroying more and more homes. They have nowhere to return to,” Netanyahu said in closed-door testimony made to the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee. “The only inevitable outcome will be the desire of Gazans to emigrate outside of the Gaza Strip.”
Since Sunday, the day Israel confirmed the operation, at least 144 people have been killed in a relentless wave of strikes. At least 42 people died in the heavily bombarded northern part of the Strip, according to medical sources. Five of those killed were journalists.
In southern Gaza, at least 36 people were killed and more than 100 wounded in Israeli air strikes on a tent encampment of displaced Palestinians in the al-Mawasi area of Khan Younis governorate, according to medical sources.
But the lead-up to the operation also included heavy attacks.
In the past week, Israel has attacked more than 670 places in Gaza and claimed all were “Hamas targets” located both above and beneath the ground. Israel has been accused of disproportionately targeting civilians in Gaza, including displaced families. At least 370 Palestinians were killed over five days.
Since the start of the war in October 2023, at least 53,339 Palestinians have been killed and 121,034 wounded, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health.
The severity of the recent attacks has many Palestinians expressing fears on social media that their latest posts may be their last.
On Monday, the Israeli military issued forced evacuation orders for Khan Younis, Gaza’s second-largest city, warning of an “unprecedented attack”.
Israel said it is targeting Hamas targets, a claim that has been increasingly challenged by human rights groups and experts as its more than 19-month war on Gaza continues.
Among the sites hit are hospitals, a recurring target for the Israeli military in Gaza. Muhammad Zaqout, the director general of hospitals in Gaza, described the tactic as part of “Israel’s systematic measures against hospitals”.
On Sunday, the Indonesian Hospital in northern Gaza was rendered nonoperational after it was besieged by Israeli forces. Medical professionals said it could lead to the deaths of thousands of sick and wounded people.
The situation was described as “catastrophic” by Marwan al-Sultan, the director of the facility, who also called on international organisations to push for the safety of medical teams.
Al-Awda Hospital in northern Gaza’s Jabalia and European Gaza Hospital in southern Gaza have also been bombed.
In recent days, Israel said it has killed Hamas’s leader in the Gaza Strip, Mohammad Sinwar, the brother and successor of the late Yahya Sinwar. It also reportedly killed another Sinwar brother, Zakaria Sinwar, a university lecturer, and three of his children in an air strike on central Gaza.
On Sunday, Hamas released a statement calling the attacks on displaced Palestinians in Khan Younis a “brutal crime” and a flagrant violation of international laws and norms.
The group also placed blame on the US for backing Israel.
“By granting the terrorist occupation government political and military cover, the United States administration bears direct responsibility for this insane escalation in the targeting of innocent civilians in the Gaza Strip, including children, women, and the elderly,” Hamas said.
The entire Strip is at risk of famine.
Basic humanitarian supplies, including food, fuel, medical aid and vaccines for children, have been blocked by Israel from entering the Strip. More than 90 percent of the population has been displaced since the war began on October 7, 2023. Many Palestinians have been displaced multiple times with some people being forced to relocate 10 times or more.
Israel has refused the entry of any aid since March 2. International actors and agencies have been pressing hard for Israel to resume the distribution of aid to Gaza to little effect.
“Two months into the latest blockade, two million people are starving, while 116,000 tonnes of food is blocked at the border just minutes away,” said World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus speaking at the opening of the annual World Health Assembly.
One in five Palestinians in Gaza is currently facing starvation, while 9,000 children, who are most vulnerable to Israel’s continued food blockade, have been hospitalised for acute malnutrition since the start of the year, according to the United Nations.
Late on Sunday, Netanyahu announced that some food would be allowed into the Gaza Strip in a much needed reprieve for the local population.
“Israel will allow a basic amount of food for the population to ensure that a hunger crisis does not develop in the Gaza Strip,” Netanyahu’s office said in a statement.
Netanyahu said on Monday that the move was motivated by pressure from Israel’s allies.
It is unclear when the border will open to allow in aid.
What’s the status of the ceasefire talks?The latest round of talks started on Saturday, and by the end of Sunday, there had been little progress.
Talks are set to continue this week.
Israel and Hamas both claimed the talks began without conditions.
“The Hamas delegation outlined the position of the group and the necessity to end the war, swap prisoners, the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, and allow humanitarian aid and all the needs of the people of Gaza back into the Strip,” Taher al-Nono, the media adviser for Hamas’s leadership, told the Reuters news agency.
The criticism of Israel is increasing.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was “alarmed” by Israel’s expanded offensive in Gaza and called for an immediate ceasefire.
Germany, one of Israel’s foremost backers, expressed deep concern over the offensive.
Its Federal Foreign Office said in a statement: “A large-scale military offensive also entails the risk that the catastrophic humanitarian situation for the population in Gaza and the situation of the remaining hostages will continue to deteriorate and that the prospect of an urgently needed long-term ceasefire fades.”
After the offensive was confirmed, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot called for the “immediate, massive and unhampered” resumption of aid into Gaza.
Even before the offensive, international pressure on Israel was growing.
Seven European nations urged Israel on Friday to “reverse its current policy” on Gaza.
The leaders of Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, Slovenia, Spain and Norway released a joint statement on what they called a “man-made humanitarian catastrophe that is taking place before our eyes in Gaza”.
Tom Fletcher, the UN’s humanitarian chief, has called for decisive action to prevent genocide in Gaza.
He criticised the US-Israeli joint plan to replace international aid mechanisms in Gaza as a “waste of time”. More than 160,000 pallets of aid are “ready to move” at the border, he said, but are being blocked by Israel.
Volker Turk, the UN’s human rights chief, said on Friday that Israel’s bombing campaign is intended to bring about a “permanent demographic shift in Gaza” and is in “defiance of international law”.
Tens of thousands of people have been killed, critical infrastructure has been destroyed and more than 12 million people have been displaced as a result of the war, which shows no signs of stopping as vying leaders seek to consolidate their power.
“The chairman of the sovereignty council issued a constitutional decree appointing Kamil El-Tayeb Idris Abdelhafiz as prime minister”, a statement from Sudan’s ruling Transitional Sovereignty Council read on Monday.
Idris, a career diplomat, spent decades at the UN’s World Intellectual Property Organisation and was its director general from 1997 to 2008.
He also held various roles in Sudan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and used to serve in the country’s permanent mission to the UN.
Idris, whose higher education was in international law and international affairs, also ran as an independent candidate in Sudan’s presidential election in 2010 against longtime military ruler Omar al-Bashir, who was later ousted in a 2019 coup.
The new prime minister replaces veteran diplomat Dafallah al-Haj Ali, who was appointed by al-Burhan less than a month ago as acting premier.
On Monday, al-Burhan also added two women to the council.
The military leader reappointed Salma Abdel Jabbar Almubarak and named Nowara Abo Mohamed Mohamed Tahir to the governing body.
The al-Burhan-led military and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary headed by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, have been at war for more than two years after the two generals failed to agree on a plan to integrate their forces.
As al-Burhan tried to form an army-led government, Dagalo also announced the formation of a rival administration last month, shortly after signing a charter with allies in Kenya’s Nairobi.
The army, which holds areas in the central, eastern and northern parts of Sudan, has managed to claim some military victories in recent months, including taking control of the capital, Khartoum.
The RSF, which holds most of the western region of Darfur and some areas in the south with its allied militias, has been striking Port Sudan repeatedly this month to devastating effect.
Meanwhile, a worsening humanitarian crisis continues to engulf Sudan.
A mass grave excavation in Iraq reveals the difficulties of bringing remains back to their families.
The fates of thousands of people who vanished during decades of conflict are being discovered byforensic experts in Iraq. The unfolding narrative reveals the tireless efforts of DNA specialists and the emotional journeys of families seeking closure, which are rare access to excavation sites.
Survivors confront sectarian violence, ISIL (ISIS) atrocities, and the harrowing legacy of the Saddam Hussein era as bones and belongings resurface. In a nation that is still grappling with its traumatized past, the labor-intensive identification process not only provides comfort to grieving families, but also encourages the pursuit of justice and accountability.
Mylenne Klass, Mary Berry, and Amanda Holden are just a few of the celebrities who have arrived at the Chelsea Flower Show in impressive attire. A slew of celebrities from London’s salubrious Chelsea are always abound at the annual event.
On Monday, the UK and the EU reached a breakthrough agreement on fisheries, trade, and security.
A high-level UK-EU summit in London, which aims to restore Britain’s post-Brexit relationship with Europe, reached the conclusion of the deal hours before the summit.
The first UK-EU summit held in London since Brexit was held on Monday by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The summit was attended by senior EU officials, including Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission.
The UK leaving the then-28-nation trade bloc is known as “British exit,” and it is abbreviated as “British exit.” A referendum was held in June 2016 to decide whether the UK should leave the EU. 52% of voters voted in favor of leaving. In January 2020, the official exit took place. The Conservative Party, led by then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson, reached a Brexit deal with the EU the same year.
The UK’s principal trading partner is the EU. According to a statement from Starmer’s office on Monday, the UK has experienced a 21% drop in exports to the EU and a 7% drop in imports from the member nations.
The agreement includes agreements in a number of fields, including:
EU countries were able to fish in British waters before Brexit, just as UK vessels were able to do so for other European countries. However, there were quotas in place under a common EU policy to stop overfishing.
The EU agreed to gradually reduce its fishing quota in UK waters by 25% by 2026 under the post-Brexit 2020 agreement. Britain may decide to impose a total ban on fishing on its waters in 2026.
The 25 percent quota reduction is still in place in the deal, which also extends access to EU boats until 2038.
A 360-million-pound (roughly $481 million) fund has also been announced for investments in coastal communities by Starmer’s office. According to Starmer’s office, this money will be used for “new technology and equipment to modernize the fleet, training to help upskill the workforce, and funding to help revitalize coastal communities, support tourism, and boost seafood exports.”
A simplified version of the SPS (Sanitary and Phytosanitary) checks has been reached by the EU. Agriculture-related goods, including food and animals, are included in SPS. This results in the elimination of routine border checks on both sides for plant and animal products.
Starmer stated in a post on X that sharing intelligence will lead to a partnership between the EU and the UK. Sharing facial recognition data is a part of this.
Britons traveling abroad can use e-gates, or automated entry and exit gates, at more European airports to avoid long immigration counter lines.
To avoid carbon taxes, the UK and the EU will link their carbon markets, which are trading platforms for carbon credits.
By 2040, the UK economy will be significantly boosted by the SPS and Emissions Trading Systems linking measures, according to a statement released by 10 Downing Street on Monday.
Additionally, the UK and the EU have entered into a partnership to work on a youth mobility initiative that would allow underage residents from both the UK and the EU to temporarily reside and work on their own soil. According to Starmer’s office, such a scheme would be “capped and time-limited.”
Details of this program haven’t yet been made public, though.
On Monday, Starmer highlighted several ways that the “deal with the EU will benefit Britain” in a 10-point thread on his X account. He claimed that the agreement will lower food prices by easing EU agricultural trade, lower energy costs, and speed up border security, and create a “more secure Britain” with more jobs in the defence sector, reduce carbon taxes, protect UK businesses, and combat terrorism and organized crime through improved intelligence sharing.
The previous government lacked the ability to deliver, Starmer wrote.
In an X-post, Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch expressed concern about the agreement, particularly criticizing the extended window of time that EU fishing ships will be able to access British waters. “We’re once more taking control of Brussels’ rules.” And since there are no details on a Youth Mobility cap or time limit, fears of free movement returning will only grow. This is very concerning.
The government requested three times as much time for 12 years of access to British waters.
Once more, we are removing rules from Brussels.
Fears of free movement returning will only grow as a result of no information regarding any cap or time caps on youth mobility.
This is very concerning. https://t.co/QzocW3QOwU
The far-right Reform UK party’s leader, Nigel Farage, wrote in a statement on X about the deal, “If true, the fishing industry will disappear.”
If that is accurate, the fishing industry will disappear. https://t.co/jUIH7ZlCpj
According to Elspeth Macdonald, the SFF’s chief executive, the deal has been called “a horror show for Scottish fishermen.” The new agreement, according to Macdonald, is “far worse than Boris Johnson’s sloppy Brexit agreement,” adding, “execution shows how completely indifferent the British political establishment is to the interests of our fishing industry.”
The statement, which was made available on the SFF website, claimed that “any attempt by the UK or EU to portray the new deal as a continuation of existing arrangements would be a lie.
Prior to now, both the Conservative Party and Reform UK have argued for greater UK control over its waters. Conservative leaders were critical of the deal, but Liberal Democrats party leader Ed Davey criticized it. Following the obscene Brexit wars of the past ten years, social media is a zombie apocalypse of dinosaur Tory politicians and right-wing hankering. Our nation has advanced”!
Following the ominous Brexit wars of the past ten years, social media has become a zombie apocalypse of dinosaur Tory politicians and right-wing hankering. The world has advanced!