Tag: Benjamin Netanyahu

War Crimes & Genocide

By Amit Sengupta

In a moment of symbolic optimism it seems that Benjamin Netanyahu’s goose has been cooked. The latest is a warrant of arrest issued against him, and the 60-day ceasefire in Lebanon.

Anyway, the war was started by Israel with targeted pager attacks against civilians in Beirut and elsewhere, in which pagers subverted by Israeli intelligence would explode suddenly, blowing parts of the body — torso, genitals, limbs, face, eyes, fingers. Besides, around 4,000 Lebanese people have been killed by air strikes. Not able to get the underground fighters of the Hezbollah, the mass murder of civilians seems to be a deliberate military policy of the extreme Right-wing regime in Tel Aviv.

On November 21, 2024, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants against Netanyahu, his former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, and Hamas commander Mohammed Diab Ibrahim al-Masri (Deif). According to Israel, Deif has been killed by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). This report has not been confirmed as yet.

The ICC stated that it had “reasonable grounds to believe that Mr Netanyahu and Mr Gallant bear criminal responsibility for the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare”. It is well known, that apart from the bombs, the snipers, the tanks, and the targeted assassination of mothers and children (including about 190 journalists), the blockade of food and medical aid has been used as a military strategy by Israel. All wars are brutal, but this regime seems to be unsurpassed in its execution of daily brutality.

Unofficial sources have reported that the death toll might be many times higher in Gaza, while the Western media now cites a figure of 44,000, a large number of them women and children who are especially slaughtered so that new generations of Palestinians are not allowed to be born.

The ICC has said that the compulsive blockade of food and aid seems to be the principal charges against Netanyahu and Gallant. As for Dief, he was declared as “responsible for the crimes against humanity, of murder; extermination; torture; and rape and other forms of sexual violence…”

In an opinion piece in Al Jazeera (November 28, 2024), the writer says: “On the positive side, in and of itself, the ICC decision is historic, as for the very first time, it issued warrants for nationals of – politically speaking – a Western country. Intense pressures and threats from Israel, its friends and its protector-in-chief, the United States, did not shield the two principal members of Israel’s war cabinet from becoming fugitives… Of course, the prospect of seeing Netanyahu and Gallant in the dock is quasi nil. For now, those seeking a modicum of justice would find solace in the symbolism the international warrants for the two Israeli leaders carry.”

Significantly, Justin Trudeau has said that he will “abide” by the ICC decision. “We stand up for international law, and we will abide by all the regulations and rulings of the international courts. This is just who we are as Canadians.”

He also said, “We need to see a ceasefire that protects civilians. We need to get back on track towards a two-state solution with a peaceful Israel living alongside a peaceful Palestinian state.”

Besides, the spokesman of British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer , said: “The UK will always comply with its legal obligations as set out by domestic law, and, indeed, international law.”

Other countries that are in agreement with the ICC are France, Belgium, Jordan, Iran, Turkey, Ireland, The Netherlands, South Africa, Sweden, Norway and the European Union. UK and Canada are members of the ‘Five Eyes’, an intelligence network along with New Zealand, Australia, and the US.

ALSO READ: Mindless Violence In Gaza And West Apathy

The US, not part of the ICC, has reacted in a predictable manner. Joe Biden called the ICC decision “outrageous”. He gave the usual spiel: “Whatever the ICC might imply, there is no equivalence — none — between Israel and Hamas. We will always stand with Israel against threats to its security.”

This is the line he and Kamala Harris have been taking since last year, all the while supplying Israel with billions of dollars, bombs, arms and ammunition, while backing the genocide in Gaza, even while thousands of students and citizens in America protested for months against the killings, calling for a ceasefire.

The ceasefire with Lebanon is more than a breakthrough, though Israel went on a bombing spree in southern Lebanon soon after citing “terrorist activity”. However, there has been no escalation. The point is that why did Israel go for a ceasefire at all?

There could be many reasons. While media reports are more or less absent from inside Israel, or, perhaps, censored, there are reports that since long big cities in the country are surviving in a state of siege. Thousands have gone underground in bunkers, and normal life has been disrupted. Clearly, the emotional and mental state of the people might be on a volatile edge. This especially triggered after Netanyahu opened up another front with Hezbollah and Iran — killing two top commanders of Hamas and Hezbollah in a high security area in Tehran. Iran vowed revenge.

No one knows what is the death toll of IDF soldiers in Gaza and Lebanon, or the damage inflicted by the missiles of Iran and Hezbollah, which have, effectively, broken through the once invincible Iron Dome, a gift by the US to its Nazi ally in the Middle East. Reservists were called in for the new war against Lebanon. Thousands of Israelis have reportedly escaped out of their country — looking for sanity and peace. A huge section is against Netanhayu, who is living on the edge with a serious corruption case hanging over him.

“It’s a whole new kind of world that we’re going into…And we’ll also have to wait and see if the ceasefire holds. I think the Israelis will do everything they can to provoke,” said Karim Makdisi, a professor of international politics at the American University in Beirut. “I think that as long as you have Netanyahu, something is going to happen.” He was quoted by independent media outfit, Drop Site.

In a speech on television, Netanyahu said he backed the ceasefire to rebuild arms and ammunition (now depleted), that he will shift his attention to Iran, and “to separate the fronts and isolate Hamas. From day two of the war, Hamas was counting on Hezbollah to fight by its side. With Hezbollah out of the picture, Hamas is left on its own.”

Meanwhile, Biden said on X: “Over the coming days, the United States will make another push with Turkey, Egypt, Qatar, Israel, and others to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza with the hostages released and an end to the war without Hamas in power.”

Will Gaza see peace in the coming days? It’s doubtful because Netanyahu’s best trump card is an endless genocide, and the liberation of the holy land, so that armed settlers can now occupy large parts of Gaza, as they have done in the West Bank — the two little strips of land left with the Palestinians of their original homeland.

He has shown no intention for the release of hostages, and, reportedly, has been the main obstacle as and when reached some form of reconciliation in Qatar. Indeed, he cares two hoots for the suffering of the hostages, or the suffering of their loved ones and families.

Besides, Hamas wants IDF to totally withdraw from Gaza. This seems highly improbable. And it wants thousands of Palestinian prisoners, including women and children, most of them innocent, now condemned in Israeli prisons, in exchange for the hostages. This too seems improbable, with Israel picking up several young boys and men recently from Gaza, taking them to unknown destinations.

As for Hamas getting isolated after the ceasefire with Lebanon (and Hezbollah), that too seems unlikely. The Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran are linked politically and militarily. And they will always operate strategically, in synthesis.

Hence, as a bitter and freezing winter takes over a ravaged Gaza, new stories of infinite tragedy will unfold. It’s just that there are no journalists or writers from across the world reporting and writing about it.

Tears Have Run Dry in Gaza

Gaza – Where Tears Have Run Dry

By Amit Sengupta

Benjamin Netanyahu quoted the ‘Old Testament’ in late October this year, to evoke a bloody revenge spectacle from the mythical Biblical times, as he bombed Gaza, with thousands of dead bodies of Palestinians buried in the rubble, including children: “You must remember what Amalek has done to you, says our Holy Bible. (1 Samuel 15:3) ‘Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass’.”

Unrepentant and hardline Zionists are now saying that killing of children is important because you nip the enemy in the bud. One expert on Israeli TV was heard, expressing unabashed glee, saying that he cannot sleep if there is no bombing in Gaza. Another said, what is wrong with war crimes? War crimes are necessary, it must be done!

It’s like certain Israelis, in the earlier conflicts, would have a picnic: sitting in a garden on an elevated place and watching the killings and ‘fireworks’ in the Palestinian areas. Similar to Nazi officers organizing a massacre, and, then, taking a break — happily going for a picnic with their wives, kids and friends on a week-end, or celebrating outside a concentration camp, with Jewish slaves as attendants.

Undoubtedly, this abjectly extremist, pathologically perverse, racist and supremacist Right-wing regime which controls Tel Aviv these days, is replicating exactly the Nazi model. It’s that there are no concentration camps, gas chambers, no trains jam-packed with Jews being taken to the slaughter houses in Aushwitz or Krakow, etc. There is no Warsaw Ghetto where the Nazis isolated 400 to 500,000 Jews, starving them, blocking their water and electricity, turning them into sick and emaciated creatures, before transporting them to the gas chambers and labour/death camps.

Gaza looks like the Warsaw Ghetto now, and it also reminds of Hiroshima and Nagasaki – following the Amlekites theory from the Biblical times. If this is not mindless madness enacted by mass murderers and backed by Joe Biden and the West, then what is? The Jews were then branded as pests, carriers of epidemics, dirty, filthy, sub-humans, animals, cockroaches and rats, selfish and self-seeking, a curse on society, untouchables and outcastes, not fit to walk on the same roads, or use the same transport, or, share the same space as the Germans.

Something is really wrong with this rogue State. A new clipping of famous Palestinian social scientist Edward Said, when he was young, has emerged; years ago, Netanyahu refused to share the same space with him in a TV programme because he apparently believed that the professor would murder him! Said had no such phobia.

Now, Netanyahu is using a myth to organize a relentless genocide, outside all international law, amidst mass hunger, amputated bodies, including that of severely wounded children, disease, thirst, hunger, dying and death, while the Palestinians are branded exactly in the same manner as what the Nazis did to the Jews! Clearly, in the warped and sick mindset of the Israeli regime and its followers, all Palestinians should be eliminated, especially women and children, so that no child is ever born in this ‘holy land’. Thereby, and after having already occupied the West Bank, they can now construct a Grand Zionist State with nuclear power in the whole of Palestine, including Gaza. Backed by American and Western powers, whose hearts bleed for the killings of innocents by Putin’s army in Ukraine.

Hence, every day, more and more grotesque stories are emerging from Gaza. The latest, unconfirmed news is that 80 bodies returned by the notorious Israeli Defense Force (IDF) had their organs stolen. If true, how is it different from the Nazis taking the body organs of the Jews, including the skin of children, hair and gold-teeth, in the concentration camps?

There are reports coming of targeted killings – execution style. Al Jazeera reported that bodies of new-borns, children and women were found piled up in the Shadia Abu Ghazala school in northern Gaza, with people reporting that they had been shot at point-blank range. Witnesses said the civilians were killed — execution-style — by Israeli soldiers.

Shoot before you ask. That is how IDF killed three bare-chested Israeli hostages, one holding a white flag on December 15. All of them in their 20s.

Meanwhile, amidst a litany of horror stories, scores of Palestinians, stripped, were lined up in a stadium, or filled like poultry chicken in a truck. Video footage showed Israeli soldiers, on tanks, pointing their guns at them. Were they tortured? Were they killed – execution style? War crimes – who cares, certainly not Joe Biden and Rishi Sunak!

At least 4,000 students, 300 medics, 136 United Nations staff and 90 journalists have been reportedly killed; journalists have been killed to block all news of the on-going genocide, even while others continue to report from the ground, including young women journalists with children.

Samer Abudaqa, a cameraman for ‘Al Jazeera Arabic’, was killed while reporting at Farhana School in Khan Younis. He was clearly targeted. His colleague, Al Jazeera Arabic correspondent Wael Dahdouh, who lost his family earlier, was wounded. Journalists in Gaza are carrying a “human and noble message” for the world amid the continuing war and will continue to work despite Israeli attacks, Dahdouh said in his eulogy. “We will continue to do our duty with professionalism and transparency,” he said, as mourners and journalists around him wept.

Tears flowed from his eyes too when Dahdouh had lost everything in his life. He had moved away from the cameras of fellow journalists at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital after his wife, son, daughter and grandson had been killed in an Israeli air raid.

Take the case of a famous poet, as popular in the West for his sensitive poetry as in the Middle-East — Refaat Alareer. He had told CNN earlier that he and his family had no choice but to remain in the north, because they “have nowhere else to go”. He had said: “It’s an archetypal Palestinian image of a discussion, a debate on should we stay in one room, so if we die, we die together, or should we stay in separate rooms, so at least somebody can live?”

A professor of comparative literature at the Islamic University of Gaza, Alareer also taught ‘Creative Writing’ and was a mentor to young Palestinian writers, inspiring them to write stories about their occupied homeland. On December 7, Alareer was murdered by a targeted attack in Shajaiya, in northern Gaza, where he had taken refuge. He was staying with his brother, sister, her four children — all of them were killed.

Alareer had edited ‘Gaza Writes Back’, a collection of short stories by young writers, he was co-editor of ‘Gaza Unsilenced’, a collection of essays, photos and poetry, and he also contributed to ‘Light in Gaza: Writings Born of Fire,’ an anthology published in 2022. He had studied at University College and SOAS in London. His death created outrage from London to New York. His last poem, became viral. As a tribute, across the world, mourners carried white kites in his memory, and in protest.

In this poem, ‘If I must die’, he wrote:

If I must die,
you must live
to tell my story
to sell my things
to buy a piece of cloth
and some strings,
(make it white with a long tail)
so that a child, somewhere in Gaza
while looking heaven in the eye
awaiting his dad who left in a blaze—
and bid no one farewell
not even to his flesh
not even to himself—
sees the kite, my kite you made, flying up
above
and thinks for a moment an angel is there
bringing back love…

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British government's decision to suspend thirty arms licences to Israel Netanyahu

We Won’t Stop Untill Victory: Benjamin Netanyahu

By LokMarg

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday said Israel is making “every effort” to bring back the hostages held captive by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, adding that this effort requires “military pressure” to succeed. He said Israel is not stopping until victory, The Times of Israel reported.

In his remarks at the Knesset, Netanyahu said, “We aren’t stopping and we won’t stop until victory because we have no other land and no other path,” he says, to boos from the hostages’ families.”

During a special parliamentary session attended by families of the hostages, the Israeli PM said, “We won’t stop fighting,” adding that “we need time.” “We don’t have time,” one relative calls out from the Knesset gallery, after which the families chant “Now! Now! Now!,” demanding the immediate release of the hostages.

Netanyahu said he reached out to Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin to intervene on the hostages’ behalf and that his wife Sara had directly appealed to the Pope, according to The Times of Israel report.

In the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, troops of the Nahal Brigade raided two schools in Gaza City’s Daraj and Tuffah neighbourhoods, CNN reported. The IDF said raids were carried out following intelligence of Hamas operatives hiding at the complexes.

Hamas’s Daraj-Tuffah battalion is believed by the IDF to be the last standing battalion in northern Gaza. According to IDF, the troops during the raids encountered and killed several Hamas gunmen. Dozens of explosive devices, assault rifles, and 15 explosive belts were found in the complexes. In one incident, a Hamas terrorist fired a missile from one of the schools at the troops.

Earlier in the day, Benjamin Netanyahu visited the war zone in the Palestinian coastal enclave. He said the war against Hamas in Gaza is far from over, The Times of Israel reported.

At a meeting of the Likud faction meeting in Knesset, he said, “We are not stopping, we are continuing to fight and we are deepening the fighting in the coming days, and this will be a long battle and it is not close to being over. We need patience, unity, and to stick to our mission.”

Netanyahu said he visited a reservist brigade in Gaza today. Speaking to Cabinet, Netanyahu said, “Everyone asked me only one thing: that we don’t stop and continue on until the end.” (ANI)

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Netanyahu Briefs Modi On Recent Developments In Israel-Hamas Conflict

By LokMarg

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday had a telephonic conversation with Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu. Israeli PM briefed PM Modi on the recent developments in the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.

The two leaders shared concerns regarding the safety of maritime traffic. PM Modi reiterated the need for continued humanitarian aid for the impacted people. He stressed for an early and peaceful resolution of the conflict, including the release of all hostages, through dialogue and diplomacy.

In the press release, Prime Minister’s Office said, “Prime Minister reiterated the need for continued humanitarian aid for the affected population and emphasized an early and peaceful resolution of the conflict, including the release of all hostages, through dialogue and diplomacy. The two leaders agreed to remain in touch.”

In a post shared on X, PM Modi stated, “Had a productive exchange of views with PM @netanyahu on the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, including shared concerns on the safety of maritime traffic. Highlighted India’s consistent stand in favour of early restoration of peace & stability in the region with continued humanitarian assistance for the affected.”

PM Modi and Netanyahu also discussed the importance of securing freedom of navigation in the Bab-el-Mandeb, according to statement released by Israel The two leaders discussed the global interest in preventing attacks on the global economy, trade as welll as the Indian and Israeli economies.

In a post on X, Israel Prime Minister’s Office stated, “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke today with Indian Prime Minister @NarendraModi. The two leaders discussed the importance of securing freedom of navigation in the Bab-el-Mandeb, which is threatened by the aggression of the Houthis, instigated by Iran.”

It further stated, “They also discussed the global interest in preventing attacks on the global economy and trade, as well as the Indian and Israeli economies. Indian Prime Minister Modi noted that freedom of navigation is an essential global necessity that must be ensured.”

According to statement released by Israel Prime Minister’s Office on X, PM Modi and Netanyahu discussed advancing the arrival of foreign workers from India to Israel.

In a post on X, Israel Prime Minister’s Office stated, “The two leaders also discussed advancing the arrival of foreign workers from India to the State of Israel. Prime Minister Netanyahu thanked Indian Prime Minister Modi for India’s support of Israel’s just war to eliminate the Hamas terrorist organization.”

Notably, the war between Israel and Hamas started after the terror group invaded southern Israel, killing more than 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and taking over 200 hostages. Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas.

Meanwhile, the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza said that at least 19,667 Palestinians have been killed in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza since Hamas launched an attack on Israel on October 7, The Times of Israel reported.

The health ministry said 52,586 people in Gaza have been injured in more than two months of fighting, according to The Times of Israel report. The figures cannot be verified as Hamas does not differentiate between civilians and combatants. (ANI)

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Benjamin Netanyahu

Netanyahu Faces Battles On Multiple Fronts Amid Mounting Calls To Free Hostages

By LokMarg

In the midst of escalating pressure to secure the release of hostages held by Hamas, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces a multifaceted battle. Families and supporters of the nearly 240 hostages marched from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, demanding government action and expressing frustration at the limited meetings with Netanyahu, CNN reported.

Gil Dickmann, a relative of one of the abductees, urged the Prime Minister to prioritise the hostages’ safe return, saying, “Right now, in Netanyahu’s current political situation, this could be a real victory for the state of Israel.”

As Israel’s war in Gaza extends beyond six weeks, public opinion is turning against Netanyahu. Despite widespread support for the military campaign against Hamas, polls indicate a decline in favour of the Prime Minister and his coalition.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid called for Netanyahu’s resignation, emphasising the loss of public trust. However, he stopped short of calling for new elections, suggesting that Likud should present an alternative leader.

“We cannot allow ourselves to have a prime minister who has lost the public’s trust, whether from a social or a security point of view,” Lapid told Israel’s Channel 12, according to CNN.

Efforts to reach an agreement for a ceasefire and the release of hostages have faced challenges. Negotiations involve contentious issues such as the duration of a potential pause, the number of hostages to be released, and Hamas’ demand for an end to Israeli drone surveillance over Gaza. The Israeli government’s attempts to ease conditions for Gaza’s civilian population have drawn criticism from within Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich criticised the decision to allow fuel tankers into Gaza, claiming it contradicted the views of the governing cabinet. National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir argued against providing “humanitarian gifts” to the enemy while hostages remained unvisited by the Red Cross. Some families advocate for an “everyone for everyone deal,” proposing an exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.

The families leading the campaign have tried to remain apolitical, but many blame Netanyahu for failing to anticipate the October 7 attack by Hamas. They accuse him of prioritising judicial reform over security preparations, considering the breach of Israel’s security contract with voters. Despite the tragic outcome for some, there remains hope among the families for the return of their loved ones.

Criticism of Netanyahu’s perceived lack of empathy and failure to take responsibility for security lapses has grown. Accused of spending more time with troops for photo opportunities than addressing past failures, Netanyahu faced backlash for blaming security chiefs for not warning him about the impending attack.

While expressing support for the security heads, he refused to answer questions about taking responsibility for the October 7 security failures. Many, like Asher Elyahol, one among the those marching on Saturday, express a desire for change, hoping for a new government once the war concludes and hostages are returned, CNN reported. (ANI)

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Netanyahu Sunak

Netanyahu Holds Private Meeting With Sunak

By LokMarg

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday held a private meeting with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at his office in Jerusalem.

“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is currently holding a private meeting with British Prime Minister @RishiSunak at the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem. The leaders will also hold an expanded meeting, at the conclusion of which they will issue statements to the media,” as per the Israeli Prime Minister’s official handle on ‘X’.

Sunak on Thursday also met Israeli President Isaac Herzog.

Herzog said that during such difficult days, we see clearly who are Israel’s true friends.

“Thank you Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Rishi Sunak for coming to Israel and for your support and firm stand by the Israeli people. It is time to express a clear moral voice – this is a battle for the values of all humanity. The world needs to understand that if we do not prevent Hamas and other terrorist organizations from carrying out murderous and criminal attacks – they will not stop with Israel,” he wrote on ‘X’.

Meanwhile, Sunak said: “I’ve just met President @Isaac_Herzog and conveyed my gratitude for the support provided to British nationals caught up in the terror attacks. Together we agreed on the importance of getting urgent humanitarian support to ordinary Palestinians in Gaza who are also suffering.”

The British Prime Minister arrived in Israel on Thursday amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

Upon his arrival, he said: “I am in Israel, a nation in grief. I grieve with you and stand with you against the evil that is terrorism. Today, and always.”

The British PM met families that had their loved ones taken away from them as a result of the war.

“To have a child taken from you is a parent’s worst nightmare. This morning I heard from families going through this unbearable agony. Working with our partners, we’re determined to secure the release of the hostages taken by Hamas terrorists,” he wrote on ‘X’.

Ahead of his departure to Israel, the British PM said: “Every civilian death is a tragedy. And too many lives have been lost following Hamas’s horrific act of terror.”

“The attack on Al Ahli Hospital should be a watershed moment for leaders in the region and across the world to come together to avoid further dangerous escalation of conflict,” added the statement.

The Israel Defense Forces confirmed on Wednesday that a failed Palestinian Islamic Jihad rocket launch caused the explosion outside the hospital in Gaza.

“According to our intelligence, Hamas checked the reports, understood it was an Islamic Jihad rocket that had misfired–and decided to launch a global media campaign to hide what really happened,” explained IDF Spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari on Wednesday.

“They went as far as inflating the number of casualties. They understood, with absolute certainty, that it was a rocket misfired by Islamic Jihad that damaged the hospital,” he added.

Sunak’s visit to Israel comes a day after US President Joe Biden paid a solidarity visit to the Jewish state.

On Tuesday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited Israel, and French President Emmanuel Macron will also reportedly travel to the Jewish state.

Meanwhile, Israel’s Ministry of Health has reported that 309 people wounded in terrorist attacks since the start of the war with Hamas are hospitalized as of October 19, at 8:00 am. Of the people hospitalized, 80 are in serious condition, 159 are in moderate condition and 70 are lightly wounded.

The ministry reported that since the Hamas attack of October 7, 4,629 wounded have been evacuated to hospitals, of whom 12 were mortally wounded, 279 were in serious condition, 764 in moderate condition and 3,188 were lightly wounded.

As many as 239 people suffered from anxiety and 145 were admitted to hospitals for medical evaluation.

Meanwhile, as a “ground offensive” of the besieged Gaza Strip loomed, hundreds of Israeli tanks were deployed near the border in south Israel on Thursday, waiting for the all-clear from the country’s political establishment and the military top brass.

Israeli tanks and troops mounted on armoured vehicles were deployed in the region, seeming to suggest that a ground assault on Hamas in their backyard, Gaza, could begin any time soon.

Meanwhile, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said four rockets of nine launched from Lebanese territory were intercepted, adding that several anti-tank missiles were fired from Lebanon towards Israeli forces.

The IDF added that in response to the attacks, Israeli forces targeted the site in Lebanon from where rockets were fired into Israel and also struck at Hezbollah terrorist infrastructure using tank fire.

The Israeli forces also claimed to have thwarted and dismantled a terrorist cell using a UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) of the IDF. (ANI)

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Joe Biden

Biden Arrives In Tel Aviv

By LokMarg

US President Joe Biden arrived in Tel Aviv on Wednesday to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and show support to its Middle Eastern ally as Israel entered into the 12th day of war against the Hamas terror group. 

The US President was received by PM Netanyahu and President Issac Herzog on the tarmac. The usual formalities for such a visit, such as a greeting by the full Israeli cabinet and religious leaders, etc were not observed.

The US President’s visit comes amid an explosion on a hospital in Gaza which claimed the lives of hundreds present in and near the premises.  

Biden on Wednesday departed for Israel from Joint Base Andrews, Maryland.

Security measures were significantly strengthened ahead of the US President’s official visit to war-torn Israel.

To ensure the safety of the US President, several roads were closed and security personnel have been deployed in the city.

Earlier today, US National Security Council (NSC) coordinator for strategic communications, John Kirby, said that President Biden will call on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to ensure there is no further escalation in the ongoing war with terror group Hamas.

“When he talks to PM Netanyahu, he’ll be asking some tough questions, as a true friend of Israel. He’s also going to make it clear that we continue to want to see this conflict not expand, not deepen…He will address the humanitarian situation in Gaza, making it clear, that we want to see humanitarian assistance flow in,” Kirby said.   

Sharing further details of the President’s visit to Israel, he said that Biden and PM Netanyahu will have a “very small, restricted,” bilateral meeting, adding that the former will also engage with some families that lost their loved ones in the Hamas terror attacks.

Kirby, who was on board Air Force One en route to Israel, also brought up the explosion at the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza, that has claimed several lives, saying that Israel had already denied any involvement in the explosion.

However, he said that President Biden has ordered the National Security team to get more details on the nature of the explosion and find out who was responsible.

“They (Israel) have categorically denied that they were involved in that, so I’ll let them speak to their statement on that. I wouldn’t characterize this as an investigation. He (President Biden) has directed the National Security team to gather as much information and context as possible. We all want to know how this could have happened,” Kirby added.

Meanwhile, the IDF released footage from the time of the explosion at the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital, showing a failed launch by Palestinian Islamic Jihad caused the blast, rather than an Israeli airstrike.

Earlier on October 16, United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Israel, the second time within a few days, to pledge support for the country as it prepares a major military offensive in Gaza. (ANI)

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Netanyahu

Israel Will Not Stop Until Hamas Destroyed: Netanyahu Tells Putin

By LokMarg

The office of Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday shared details of his telephonic conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying that the former briefed him on the ongoing counter-offensive against Hamas, following the October 7 terror attacks, and his talks with several leaders from the region and the Palestinian authorities.

“The Prime Minister made it clear that Israel had been attacked by brutal and abhorrent murderers, had gone to war determined and united, and would not stop until it had destroyed Hamas’s military and governing capabilities,” the Israel PM’s office tweeted from its official handle on X.

It posted further that PM Netanyahu told the Russian President that the Israeli forces won’t relent till they “eliminate Hamas”.

“The Prime Minister made it clear that Israel had been attacked by brutal and abhorrent murderers, had gone to war determined and united, and would not stop until it had destroyed Hamas’s military and governing capabilities,” the Israeli PM’s office posted further.

According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, during their telephone conversation, Putin highlighted the measures Russia is taking to stop the bloodshed in the Gaza Strip from escalating further.

“President of Russia Vladimir #Putin spoke with Prime Minister of the State of Israel @netanyahu over the phone,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia posted on X.

“President Putin laid out the steps being taken by Russia to prevent the further escalation of violence in the Gaza Strip,” it added.

Moscow said the conversation was centred on “the crisis situation resulting from the brutal escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict”.

“The Israeli side was in particular informed of the essential points of telephone correspondences that took place today with the leaders of Palestine, Egypt, Iran and Syria,” the Kremlin said in a statement.

The Russian President also expressed “his sincere condolences to the families and friends of the deceased Israelis”, the Kremlin said, according to The Moscow Times.

Along with that, he informed the Israeli leader of the measures taken by Russia to “promote the normalisation of the situation, prevent a further escalation of violence, and prevent a humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip”.

The Russian President also expressed to Netanyahu his country’s “fundamental desire to continue its targeted action aimed at ending” the crisis and achieving “a peaceful settlement through political and diplomatic means,” according to a statement from the government, reported The Moscow Times.

The Israeli military is all set to launch a ground invasion in the Gaza Strip, but its extent and when it is carried out may be affected by operational considerations, as tensions grow on the northern border.

Meanwhile, Israel’s National Security Council head Tzachi Hanegbi reaffirmed that the cabinet’s war goal is to remove Hamas from military and political control over the Gaza Strip.

Hanegbi said at a recent cabinet meeting that the government approved a plan to “destroy” Hamas. (ANI)

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US armaments Israel

Netanyahu Speaks Again To Biden, Affirms Full Support

By LokMarg

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday spoke with the US President Joe Biden who showed his unconditional support to his country.

Taking to X, Israel’s PMO informed about the conversation saying, “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke today with US President Joe Biden, in continuation of their conversation last night. President Biden reiterated his unreserved support for the State of Israel.”

Earlier, PM Netanyahu also spoke with other world leaders including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak who also supported the Israeli side for defending its country.

Israel PMO shared on X, “Prime Minister Netanyahu spoke with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, all of whom expressed unreserved support for Israel’s right to defend itself as necessary.”

As per the Israel PM office, PM Netanyahu appointed Brig.-Gen. (Ret.) Gal Hirsch as coordinator for the captives and the missing and all government ministries will carry out his directives on this issue.

On October 7, US President Joe Biden held talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and affirmed full support for Israel’s right to self-defence, amid the ‘surprise attack’ by Hamas.

Netanyahu also thanked Biden for the “unreserved support” and stressed that a “prolonged campaign” is necessary.

“US President Joe Biden called Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and emphasized that the US stands alongside Israel and fully supports Israel’s right to self-defence,” the official handle of Israel PM posted on X (formerly Twitter).

It added, “Prime Minister Netanyahu thanked US President Biden for the unreserved support and made it clear that a forceful, prolonged campaign – which Israel will win – is necessary”.

President Biden also posted on X, condemning the “appalling Hamas terrorist attacks” and expressed his condolences.”Today, I spoke with @IsraeliPM about the appalling Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel. I offered our support and reiterated my unwavering commitment to Israel’s security. @FLOTUS and I express our heartfelt condolences to the families who have lost loved ones,” Biden stated.

In a major escalation on Saturday, Hamas launched a “surprise attack” on Israel, firing a barrage of rockets into the southern and central parts of the country.

The toll from the rocket attacks and ground assault by Hamas went past 400 on Sunday, with another 1,864 people reported to be injured.

Several Israelis were taken as hostages in Gaza, the Times of Israel reported citing officials.

In retaliation to the Hamas attack on Israel that claimed the lives of hundreds and left thousands injured, the Israel Air Force has launched a very powerful and lethal air strike in the Gaza Strip with dozens of fighter jets attacking the areas used by Hamas terrorists. (ANI)

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Netanyahu Israel

Will Restore Security To Citizens Of Israel: Netanyahu

By LokMarg

As Israel’s political-security cabinet convened late on Saturday to decide how to respond to Hamas’ terror attack, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the security to the citizens of Israel will be “restored” and the nation will win.

A statement from the office of Israel’s Prime Minister read that the Israeli cabinet also made a “series of operational decisions aimed at bringing about the destruction of the military and governmental capabilities of Hamas and the Palestinian Authority”.

“We are embarking on a long and difficult war. The war was forced upon us by a murderous attack by Hamas,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, adding, “The first phase ends at these hours by the destruction of the majority of the enemy forces that penetrated our territory. At the same time, we started the offensive formation, and it will continue without reservation and without respite until the objectives are achieved.”

Netanyahu underscored that Israel wants to ensure that Hamas doesn’t pose a threat to Israeli citizens or harm them in any way in the future.

“The goal is to achieve the destruction of the military and governing capabilities of Hamas and Islamic Jihad in a way that will preclude their ability and willingness to threaten and attack the citizens of Israel for many years,” Netanyahu said.

“We will restore security to the citizens of Israel and we will win,” the Israel PM, said, adding, “Among the decisions made by the cabinet are the stopping of the supply of electricity, fuel and goods.”

In an unprecedented attack that few Israelis saw coming on the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah on Saturday, Hamas fired thousands of rockets and sent dozens of fighters into Israeli towns near the Gaza Strip.

Israel launched “Operation Swords of Iron,” striking a number of suspected Hamas hideouts in the Gaza Strip. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel’s response to the Hamas incursion will “exact a huge price” on the militant group.

Meanwhile, the toll from the deadly rocket and ground assault by Hamas soared past 300 people, with another 2000 reported to be injured in Gaza and Israel, The Times of Israel reported.

The Palestinian Health Ministry said 232 people were killed and 1,790 injured in Gaza. According to the Israeli Health Ministry over 100 people are dead and over 900 others injured.

Taking the top brass of the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) and the country’s political establishment by surprise, Gaza’s militant Hamas rulers attacked Israel by land, air, and sea.

Millions of Israelis in the country’s south awoke to the searing sound of incoming rockets and the inevitable thud of impact. Air raid sirens wailed as far north as Tel Aviv. Israel’s anti-rocket interceptors thundered in Jerusalem.

In an unprecedented escalation, armed Hamas fighters blew up parts of Israel’s highly fortified separation fence and strode into Israeli communities along the Gaza frontier, terrorising residents and trading fire with Israeli soldiers. (ANI)

Read More: https://lokmarg.com/