Author: ALJAZEERA

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) endorsed a United States-backed ceasefire resolution on Monday in the latest diplomatic effort to end eight months of Israel’s devastating military offensive in the Gaza Strip. The resolution, which calls for a comprehensive three-phase ceasefire deal, was adopted by 14 members of the UNSC, with abstention from Russia. US President Joe Biden unveiled the peace proposal on May 31. Before that, the Biden administration had faced criticism for blocking at least three UNSC resolutions to end the war that has killed more than 37,000 Palestinians and injured about 85,000. As well as extending diplomatic…

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It was hailed as a great success in Israel. A bloody, violent ambush that turned into a massacre of nearly 300 displaced people who were going about their day as best they could. Suddenly, they found themselves “descending into the depths of hell”, Al Jazeera’s Maram Humaid wrote on June 8. An Israeli raid on the Nuseirat refugee camp, ostensibly to free four Israeli captives held there, but reportedly resulted in the death of three more including one US citizen, according to the Qassam Brigades. That is, besides the at least 274 Palestinians killed. What happened in Nuseirat? How did…

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Last month, the European Union (EU) unveiled a 1 billion-euro ($1.07bn) aid package for the Lebanese state. During a visit to Beirut, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen declared that the EU seeks “to contribute to Lebanon’s socioeconomic stability”. The funds will go towards strengthening basic services, enacting financial reforms, supporting Lebanese security forces and managing migration, she said. Anyone who has been paying attention to the abuses committed by, or with the direct knowledge of, the EU’s border agency Frontex against desperate refugees and migrants seeking to enter the union would have cause for concern. Sea-Watch, a search…

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Far-right religious parties are backing the bill with a view to inserting changes and limiting conscription.The Israeli Knesset has voted to revive a bill that would end exemption on military conscription for some ultra-Orthodox religious students. The 63-57 vote in the parliament late on Monday means that the legislation will now head to committee review. The return of the bill from the previous parliament has provoked anger from opponents as well as those that say it does not extend conscription sufficiently, as Israel conducts the war in Gaza and deals with expanding conflict with Lebanon’s Hezbollah and other Iran-linked forces…

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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has arrived in the Middle East on his latest trip to the region, which he said will focus on Washington’s Gaza truce proposal and the future of the Palestinian territory after the war. Blinken met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in Cairo on Monday, renewing US calls for the Palestinian group Hamas to accept a truce deal presented by President Joe Biden late in May. Speaking to reporters before leaving Egypt, Blinken squarely blamed Hamas for prolonging the war, saying that the Palestinian group is an “outlier” in the region for not agreeing to the…

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Airline offers $10,000 to passengers with minor injuries, invites seriously hurt to discuss compensation offer.Singapore Airlines has offered monetary compensation to passengers who were injured during a bout of extreme turbulence that killed one passenger and left dozens of others hospitalised. Passengers who suffered minor injuries have been offered $10,000, while those who were more seriously hurt have been invited to discuss a compensation offer specific to their circumstances, the airline said on Tuesday. Passengers who require long-term medical care are also being offered an advance payment of $25,000 to address their immediate needs, the carrier said. All passengers, including…

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Israeli attacks in southern Gaza have killed at least five Palestinians and injured dozens, the Palestinian news agency Wafa reports. Monday’s attacks on Rafah and Khan Younis have wounded at least 30 people, Wafa said. The casualties have been brought to the Nasser Medical Complex, but electricity shutdowns there could make it difficult for the injured to receive treatment, according to the report. Palestinian officials said 40 bodies arrived at hospitals over the previous 24 hours, bringing the total number of people killed in Gaza since October 7 to 37,124 with more than 84,700 injured. Thousands more dead are believed…

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